The Extra's Rise

Chapter 256: Second Mission (2)

Chapter 256: Second Mission (2)

'How exactly are we going to do this hunt?' Luna asked me in my mind, her voice edged with skepticism as I reached the hotel. It was officially a break day, which only made it clearer just how lazily the Redknot Guild was approaching all this. A cabal of criminals masquerading as adventurers, taking their sweet time while the city rotted. Bureaucracy, corruption, and general incompetence—the holy trifecta of why things rarely got done in an orderly fashion.

'Well, obviously, I need a few key pieces first,' I replied, pushing open the hotel door. 'And one of them should be arriving soon.'

Luna barely had time to begin her protest before she stiffened, eyes narrowing as her senses caught up.

'Oh, you planned this,' she muttered. 'That's terrifying. Even my foresight can't predict your moves. It's like trying to read a book while someone keeps turning the pages out of order.'

'Why, thank you,' I said, just as a knock rapped against the door.

With a small smile, I strode over and pulled it open, revealing a woman with striking red hair and the kind of expression that suggested she'd spent too much time being deeply unimpressed with the world. She raised a badge, displaying it like a royal decree that might somehow demand my respect.

"Hello, Arthur," she said, her voice clipped and professional. "I am Carrie Milton, Vice Guild Master of the Redknot Guild."

"Please, come in," I said, stepping aside with a graciousness I absolutely did not feel.

Carrie entered with the careful precision of someone who expected to find knives behind the furniture. She sat herself down on the couch, and I took the seat opposite her, mirroring her stiff posture just enough to be mildly irritating.