[You have discovered the garden of Floren.]

It wasn’t a discovery, more like a tough find. The girl made it sound as if it were just around the corner, but the route was quite complicated.

“Finally…” Ryuu had to use more skills to find the garden than he did to fight the thief's team in the forest.
The garden lived up to its reputation, as it contained many types of plants that were generally impossible to grow near the sea.
“Your mission is here?” 

“Not here, to be exact, but I think it’s around here.” Ryuu entered the area without sparing any details, as always. 

‘Where do I go now? System?’

[Keep walking forward.]

‘Will a fancy entrance appear if I go forward?’

[...Perhaps.]

Ryuu walked carefully through the garden, Kai following behind. “It’s a pretty nice place, don’t you think?”

“I suppose so.” His quiet voice barely reached Ryuu. “But why are we here?”

“I don’t know for sure. The system hasn’t given any details yet,” Ryuu answered. “It’s about some forgotten city. I don’t understand—” He paused midsentence. “Did the ground just shake?” 

“No,” Kai answered, confused. 

“Then—” The ground shook again before collapsing entirely, taking Ryuu down in the process, “Ahh!”

“...!”
Kai followed him into the wide opening. 

It was like a long slide, just much more painful due to the uneven surface. Kai caught onto Ryuu before he could reach the floor below, lessening the impact of the fall. 

[Universal notice: Someone has discovered a new location for the first time.
Access: Limited]
[A rare phenomenon has occurred.]
[You have triggered two universal achievements. Your reputation will improve significantly.]

Ryuu looked up at the screen with a sour, unimpressed expression. ‘Who gave you this job?’

[Sorry?]

‘As you should be. And what reputation? My job class and identity is hidden.’

[Your reputation within the system rankings.]

‘There’s a ranking?’

[No, to explain—]

‘Ugh, forget it.’ It was a hassle to know everything, especially when the system was talking. 

“Are you alright?” Ryuu looked sideways and found Kai lying flat right beside him.

“Yeah, I guess.” Only then did he realize he was pressing down on Kai’s arm, laying on it, to be exact. “Oh, I’m sorry!” He jumped up almost instantly. “You ok?” 

“Mhm.” Kai sat up and took a quick glance at the surroundings, and so did Ryuu.

Streaks of light escaped from the entrance, the trap on the ground they fell in. Ryuu could only make out the outline of the place, even with his abilities as an assassin.
‘No wonder it’s unexplored.’

Night vision was an ability for the luckiest. Humans didn’t have this ability, not even in this magical world. There was only so much they could do with their class-specific abilities. Why waste them on a place that could cost more to restore?

‘Finding it was also an issue, I guess.’ Floren was probably a cherished place for the people of Cynefin. Yet, this place remained undiscovered. Perhaps it was kept hidden deliberately. 

But Ryuu didn’t raise such questions to the system. 

As far as Ryuu could tell, it was like a decent-sized village. But no matter how much he squinted, he couldn’t see the whole structure of the place.
He was about to ask the system for help when a soft glow appeared within the dark. 

“Where’d you find that?” Kai was holding a flame lantern. For a moment, Ryuu thought he was seeing a guiding spirit who appeared in a time of need. 

Blue-white flame danced inside the beautiful iron cage. Ryuu walked closer just to see the swirling light. 

“I had it in my inventory.” 

“You really are prepared for everything.” Ryuu had always said so whenever he worked with Kai in the game. His inventory was probably the most well-organized of all. “I’ve heard that flame requires a good oxygen supply to turn blue. I wonder how it’s possible in such a place.”

[...]

“Or does the lamp use a natural gas…” Ryuu continued mumbling to himself, forgetting about Kai, who was holding the lamp patiently. 

“And you truly are curious as always,” Kai remarked as he held the lamp forward for Ryuu to take. Ryuu looked up, hearing his quiet voice, and smiled. The blue light cast a glow on his face, making the red of his hair and eyes look darker. He shook his head.

“I wouldn’t trust myself with fire,” Ryuu remarked. “Let’s go ahead.”

Kai took the lead with the lantern. The outlines remained the same; the light covered a small area at a time.
‘How would I find a lock in this situation?’

The system didn’t respond. “Does the system act like this with everyone?” 

“Like what?” 

Like an undertrained and inexperienced manager instructing their employee? Or like someone who's reading the manual as they go? Ryuu couldn’t say for sure. “I don’t know how to explain. Forget it.”

“What are you looking for anyway?”
Ryuu contemplated answering for a moment. The mission didn’t say he couldn’t share the facts of this mission. “A lock.”

“Lock? As in a door?”

“I can’t say for sure. I have a key, and I’m supposed to find where it fits.” Ryuu felt like it wasn’t for a door because, so far, he hadn’t seen even one door here that could be locked that way. “The system was so into this mission, more so than my main tasks. It even showed me where to dive in the lake to find the key.” Ryuu spoke, frustration clear in his voice, “But now it’s all silent.” 

Kai also went silent for a while after listening to him. He only spoke after reaching a pillar. “Is the mission all that important? It sounds like it was forced on you by the system.”

Ryuu also stopped in his tracks. Was it important? The system was what decided the level of importance of his mission. How could he know if it’s important?

“You don’t need to try so hard. It’s better to go back and rest.”

Was it the better option? Ryuu was unsure.

All the missions he had come across so far had served a purpose. And the system was so adamant about this one that he almost drowned. How could he give up the mission after all that? “I want to keep going.”

Kai didn't discourage him anymore and began to walk again. The system didn't pop up once in their blind walk. Not until a ray of light was seen from up ahead, as well as a staircase that stood under the light.

[You have reached the entrance of Eunoia's Home.]