kscans

Chapter 453 - The Guild's Hidden Quests

As usual, Parfait was in the cafe at their headquarters, thinking things over.

The Hestia Festival event had concluded, and the results were announced. There were announcements for various categories, from delicious-looking dishes to gag entries, but Wilne's prediction had been spot on.

Drawing a picture on omelette rice with ketchup. It was such a simple act, yet everyone had started copying it. Until now, the Maid Guild had served existing omelette rice with words written on it, but from now on, completely original designs could be made.

Because of this, the demand for ketchup had increased. The tomatoes she had bought sold for double the price, and now they were even growing tomatoes in the fields at their headquarters.

Thanks to that, they had plenty of money and were already in a position to pay this month's land fees. Still, it wasn't enough to cover the fees with passive income alone, so she was trying her hand at various things.

With the event over, a period of normal play would begin, but that only meant there were no large-scale events. There were still regularly held ones.

The Hyakki Yakou in the Eastern Country was one such event, but there were also other small, recurring events, some of which had a system where you could diligently collect rewards and exchange them for items.

Since the daily rewards were limited, you couldn't exchange them for items right away, but some of the rewards were quite appealing. In particular, Parfait wanted the Automatic Feeder (Cat-shaped), which was said to be essential for tamers.

It was a magical dish in the shape of a cat that automatically supplied a preset food, and with a wide variety of dish types available, she was driven by the desire to collect them all.

The required reward amount wasn't huge, but collecting all of them would take a considerable number of days. However, an event had just started this month that would double the reward.

Moreover, the once-a-day reward limit was gone, and you could get as many rewards as you wanted. For this event, Parfait thanked God... Diite.

The relevant rewards could be obtained by completing quests for the Tamer Guild. Parfait wasn't a member of the Tamer Guild, but anyone was free to accept quests, so she decided to head there right away.

Just in case, she wrote "Doing Tamer Guild quests!" on the bulletin board set up at their headquarters. Figuring that anyone interested would show up, Parfait left the base and headed for Azuma.

After getting today's sweet, anmitsu, at the Maid Guild in Azuma, she made her way to the Tamer Guild.

She had just come here the other day to buy a new cow and chicken, and the lively atmosphere was unchanged. Many players were showing off their prized pets for all to see.

Parfait herself wanted a pet to go on adventures with someday, but she wouldn't do something so cruel as to bring a cow and chicken, who would just get defeated by monsters.

With these thoughts, she walked up to the Tamer Guild's reception counter. The receptionist who always helped her was there, so Parfait greeted her.

"Welcome, Parfait-chan. Are you here for a cow today? Or a chicken?"

"No, I'm not buying anything today."

Parfait didn't understand why she was being addressed that way when she had only bought them twice, but if she was going to buy another cow or chicken, it would be later. She was happy to have more pets, but the cost of feed also increased. For now, she was getting by with cucumbers, but she had decided that the next time would be when she had more of a financial cushion.

Parfait stated her purpose for the day. Naturally, it was to collect Tamer Coins, the reward obtained from doing guild quests. By collecting these Tamer Coins, she could get an Automatic Feeder (Cat-shaped).

One hundred Tamer Coins per feeder. With ten different cat types alone, she would need a thousand coins. It was a long road, but there was no hesitation in Parfait's eyes. She was determined to collect them all during this event period. After that, she planned to get the dog-shaped ones too.

"I'd like to take a Tamer Guild quest, please."

"Ah, for the coins, I see. In that case, as usual, on the bulletin board—"

"I'd like a hidden quest, please."

"So you've finally come...!"

A hidden quest. It was a special kind of quest not listed on the bulletin board.

It was similar to the special quest issued by the Maid Guild, the "Shooting Star Annihilation Operation," but it wasn't a sudden quest. It was a permanent one that you couldn't accept without a decent reputation at the guild.

Parfait wasn't a member of the Tamer Guild, but she had taken on their quests whenever she had free time, so she had built up a fair amount of trust. Though it was only at this specific guild branch, she had already heard about the hidden quests and decided to start taking them today.

It wasn't a big deal, but the feeling of being involved in some secret business, or doing something illicit, made Parfait's expression turn a little villainous. The Tamer Guild staff, perhaps getting into the spirit of things, also put on a mischievous face.

"There are three types. Subjugation, capture, and feeding. Which genre will it be?"

"Subjugation or feeding."

"The subjugation target is a fluffy wolf, so that's no good for you, Parfait-chan. As for feeding, there's one where you feed five stray dogs in town."

"Then I'll take the feeding quest."

"Got it. I'll get the paperwork started."

Even though it was a hidden quest, the task itself was not much different from a regular one. However, the reward was incomparably better than a public quest, and combined with the current event, she was in a position to earn a lot of coins.

Parfait received the food from the staff and immediately went outside the guild. She promptly approached a nearby stray dog. Then, while feeding it from her palm, she stroked its defenseless back.

There were many stray dogs and cats in town. They were often used by tamers to level up their skills, but some players just pet them for fun, making them quite popular.

Parfait did it often too, but naturally, it wasn't just for petting. She often sought out stray cats and dogs as an extension of completing Tamer Guild quests.

Just by feeding them, she could gain a tiny amount of skill experience. Before, she used to buy the food herself and give it to them, but now she was leveling up her skill experience using what she considered a cheat, getting the food for free upon accepting the quest.

(I feel like my animal-petting skill has leveled up...!)

No such skill existed in AFO, but Parfait always thought that her real-world skills must be improving.

Maris and Surya, employees from Colony "Zoo", sometimes came to the cafe. To satisfy the calico cat Siegfried and his descendants that the two brought with them, Parfait aimed for even greater heights, petting stray dogs and cats all over AFO.

After finding and feeding five stray dogs, and thoroughly enjoying petting them, Parfait returned to the Tamer Guild.

The rewards for hidden quests were good, but you could only accept one at a time, and you couldn't take the next one until you completed or abandoned the current one. The fact that you had to report back was a bit of a pain.

After reporting its completion and receiving her reward, she accepted another similar hidden quest. This time, it was for five stray cats.

Just as she turned to leave, she saw Rick, clad in full-body armor.

"Oh, Rick-kun."

"I saw the bulletin board at the base. Are you in the middle of a quest?"

"Yeah. I feel like the stray cats of the world are calling to me."

"...I see."

"By the way, have your wounds healed?"

"More or less. I logged in after telling myself I hadn't lost anything."

Although he had done it to himself, Rick had lost many things. He had finally overcome it. He hadn't logged in for nearly a week, so Parfait had been worried, but she was happy that he had finally returned.

"Rick-kun, want some anmitsu?"

"No, I'm not much for sweets. I appreciate the thought, though."

"Then want to come pet some cats with me? It'll probably heal you. Your soul."

"I guess I could do that for rehabilitation..."

Watching animal videos was Parfait's way of relieving stress. She would do it when studying for math tests and the like. But recently, she had come to believe that petting stray cats in AFO was the ultimate stress reliever.

"Listen here, Rick-kun. Even if it's virtual reality and the other party is a program, a cat is a cat. Pet them with affection. If you pet them in a way that causes stress, I'll cut you down."

"Your eyes are scary. It's fine. Maris-san even told me that I have a good reputation with Sieg and his kids."

"...Don't think you've won with just that."

"It's because your gaze is too intense that everyone but Sieg gets scared, Parfait. You need to relax a little."

"If I could do that, I wouldn't be struggling..."

It was a common problem among cat lovers. Parfait liked them so much that she couldn't control herself and ended up being avoided. Her mother, Esha, and Ren were in a similar situation. In fact, those who liked cats but not to an extreme degree were more popular with the cats themselves.

While having this conversation, they searched for stray cats. As if she had some kind of sensor, Parfait quickly found five, fed them, and petted them.

Rick was also petting a cat normally, and perhaps his stress had been alleviated, as he let out a long sigh. Just as Parfait was thinking she was glad she had invited him, Rick turned his face toward a different location.

"A black cat."

"Where!?"

"You reacted fast. It's just down this road. Is that area a public square?"

"That's Bishamonten, the boss of this area."

"...We're talking about a cat, you know? Why are you bringing up the name of a god?"

"Because that one's a rare monster called 'Black-Clawed Bishamonten'."

"...What's with Diite-san's naming sense?"

"I don't know if Diite-oneechan was the one who named it. It might have been Maris-san."

"I see. That does sound more like Maris-san's naming sense."

Maris also played this AFO, but all of her pet names were questionable. She was without a doubt a top-tier tamer, but her naming sense alone had a dubious reputation.

Parfait peeked into her item bag. Then she nodded.

"Rick-kun, would you mind putting your life on the line for a bit?"

"I'd rather not... ah, this is about the game. Don't tell me you're going to fight it?"

"We'll fight it, but we're not going to defeat it. We're going to tame it. I know it's a pain, but could you take Bishamonten's attacks for me?"

"So that's what this is about. I'm a tank, so I don't mind."

"By the way, if I fail to tame it, you have to die."

"I am on your side, right?"

Natsu had said something similar before, but of course, he was an ally. However, there were things that Parfait had to prioritize. That didn't change, even if the opponent was just a program.

Rick raised his shield, and Parfait approached without even holding a weapon. Then, Bishamonten noticed them. It gradually grew larger.

"The sudden event 'Defeat the Boss Cat' has begun. Please repel the boss cat of Azuma, Black-Clawed Bishamonten. I repeat—"

"War Cry."

Rick used the War Cry skill. It was a kind of battle cry that generated a lot of hate from the opponent without attacking, making him an easier target. It was a skill favored by tanks.

Bishamonten immediately attacked Rick. Rick blocked the attack with his large shield. He used skills to reduce damage and slightly recover HP from damage taken, maneuvering to keep the attacks away from Parfait.

And then Parfait began her attempt to tame Bishamonten.