SSSSS-Rank: Negative Leveling

Luthra grunted, dropping the unconscious Syndicate member from his shoulder onto the polished floor with a dull thud, the man's body skidding a few inches across the marble.

The butler, who stood silently by the door, flinched almost imperceptibly, his eyes narrowing at the smear the body left behind.

'He is staining the floor. Unacceptable.'

Luthra ignored him, his gaze locked on the old man behind the desk, "I brought the toll."

Moria chuckled, "A fine payment indeed. Though I usually prefer my taxes in credits, not bodies."

Rebecca's eyes went wide as she took in the massive study, "Whoa! This room is huge! And look at all the books! Do you have a bathroom? I really need to pee!"

The old butler stiffened, a vein pulsing in his temple, 'This child...'

Luthra paid her no mind, continuing to stare at the man, "Why did you agree to see us? Your guards were ready to kill me."

Moria leaned back in his chair, picking up another glass eyeball from his collection and polishing it with a soft cloth, "Curiosity, boy. Pure, simple curiosity."

He set the eyeball down and looked directly at Luthra, his single eye piercing and analytical.

"This world has a simple, unbreakable rule. Power comes from mana. A strong body without a strong mana circle to fuel it is nothing more than a sturdy sack of meat. Physical-type hunters like me, we spend our entire lives honing our bodies, yes, but it is our mana that allows us to break the limits of flesh and bone. Without it, we are nothing."

He gestured toward Luthra with his metal hand.

"And then there is you. I have been watching you since you entered my town. My guards reported it, the innkeeper reported it, and every little street urchin paid to be an informant reported it. You have no mana. Not a single drop. It's not that you're hiding it, it's simply not there. You are a complete and total blank. A dud."

He leaned forward, a dangerous glint in his eye.

"And yet, you can shatter a man's bones with a casual touch. You can move faster than the eye can see. You broke ten of the Syndicate's men without breaking a sweat. In my eighty years of life, I have never seen or heard of anything like you. You are an impossibility. A walking contradiction. How could I not be curious?"

Rebecca puffed out her chest, "That's because Luthra is super special! He's the main character!"

Moria let out another laugh, "Is that so? Well, 'main character', you've created a problem for me."

He waved his prosthetic arm, and a holographic map of the surrounding territories shimmered into existence above his desk, a red dot marking the location of the Gorgon Mines.

"Silas and his Syndicate pay me a great deal of money to operate their little slave mine. They are, for all intents and purposes, my tenants. And you just assaulted ten of his employees on my property. That is a breach of our agreement. It makes me look weak."

Luthra just stared at him, his expression unchanging, "They threatened the kid. They started it."

"I don't care who started it," Moria's voice turned cold, losing all of its previous amusement, "I care that it happened in my town, under my watch. Now, Silas is angry. He thinks an outsider has disrespected him on my territory, and he's going to want to make an example of you to save face. That means he'll bring his forces here, and that means fighting, and fighting is bad for business."

'Information sure does travel fast around here.'

Rebecca tugged on Luthra's trousers, "Hey, Luthra. This sounds like it's our fault. Are we going to have to apologize?"

'Apologize? To those scumbags? I'd rather punch them again.'

"I have no interest in apologizing to slavers," he stated flatly.

Moria smiled, a wide, predatory grin that showed his teeth, "Good. I was hoping you'd say that. Apologies are boring."

He pointed a finger at the red dot on the holographic map.

"So here is my proposal. You've made a mess, so you will clean it up. I want you to go to those mines. But I don't want you to just free the slaves. That's a noble goal, but it's also a logistical nightmare for me. No, I want you to do something much simpler."

His single blue eye locked onto Luthra's.

"I want you to bring me Gorgon Silas's head."

The room went silent for a moment, the only sound being the crackle of the fireplace.

Rebecca gasped, "His head?! Like, chopped off and everything?! That's so cool and gross at the same time!"

Luthra did not like this offer, "I am not a killer."

A predatory smile spread across Moria's face, "Not a killer? That's a noble sentiment, boy, but nobility is a luxury you can't afford. It's a currency that has no value in this town."

He pointed his prosthetic finger at Luthra, then gestured to the unconscious Syndicate member still bleeding on his floor.

"You've already made your move, you just don't realize it. When you attack a Syndicate dog, you aren't just attacking a man, you are attacking Silas's pride. And Silas's pride is the only thing more fragile than his temper. He cannot, and will not, let this insult stand. He will send his forces. Not just to kill you, but to burn this outpost to the ground as a message to me, and to everyone else who lives under my protection."

'He's right. I acted without thinking. Now I have to deal with the consequences.'

"So you see, you have two choices," he continued, "Choice one, you refuse my offer. I will then have you and the little girl gift-wrapped and delivered to Silas personally. It will be a handsome apology gift, and my town will be spared his wrath. You will, of course, be turned into a lovely garden statue. I hear his work is quite lifelike."

Rebecca shuddered, "I don't wanna be a statue!"

"Choice two," he went on, ignoring her completely, "You accept my proposal. You go to the Gorgon Mines, you find a way to get close to Silas, and you remove his head from his shoulders. You will solve my problem, and in return, I will allow you and your noisy sidekick to continue living."

His voice was flat, presenting the options as a simple business transaction.

"So, what will it be, boy? A quick death, or a fighting chance?"

"What's in it for you?" Luthra asked, his voice calm, "Why not just kill him yourself? You're an A-Rank hunter. He's just a B-Rank."

"I am retired," he stated, "Wars are bad for business, and I have a very profitable business. Besides, my direct involvement would trigger a full-scale war with the Syndicate's backers. It would be a huge mess. You, on the other hand, are an outsider. Your actions are your own. Plausible deniability. It's a beautiful thing."

He picked up a new glass eyeball from his desk, this one a vibrant, blood-red color, and began polishing it with his cloth.

'So I'm his disposable pawn. His deniable asset. Fine. I can work with that.'

"What do you want, Luthra?" Rebecca whispered, tugging on his sleeve, "I don't wanna be a statue, but fighting a B-Rank sounds really, really hard. What if we just run away?"

"There's nowhere to run," he replied, his gaze still locked on Moria, "The Syndicate would hunt us to the ends of the earth."

He looked at the old man.

"Fine. I'll do it."

Rebecca let out a small, relieved sigh, followed immediately by a quiet, "Yay, decapitation adventure!"

Moria's smile returned, "Excellent. I knew you were an intelligent young man."

"But I have conditions."

The smile vanished. The butler by the door stiffened.

'He dares to make demands of Lord Moria? This boy is either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid.'

"Conditions?" Moria's voice was dangerously quiet.

"First, I want all the information you have. Silas's abilities, his weaknesses, the number of guards at the mines, patrol routes, everything. Second, I want supplies. Food, water, and a new set of clothes for the kid. She can't run around looking like a murder scene."

Rebecca looked down at her blood-stained rags, "But it's a good look!"

"Third," he continued, "When this is over, the slaves at the mines will be your responsibility. I am not a charity. I will not be escorting hundreds of freed slaves back to civilization. You will handle them."

Moria was silent for a long moment, his eye boring into Luthra. He then let out a sudden, booming laugh that shook the entire room.

"Hahaha! I like you, boy! You've got balls! Most people piss themselves just being in the same room as me, and you're trying to negotiate a contract! Fine! I accept your terms!"

He pointed a finger at the butler.

"Alfred. You heard him. Get the boy and his gremlin whatever they need. Give them access to the armory. And prepare the file on Silas."

The butler bowed, "At once, my lord."

"Oh, and one more thing, boy," he said, his expression turning serious again, "I want this done quickly and quietly. I want Silas's head on my desk within 2 weeks. If I don't have it by then, I will assume you have failed, and I will proceed with choice number one. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now get out of my sight. You're staining my floor."

Alfred gestured for them to follow, leading them out of the study and closing the doors behind them. He looked down at Rebecca, who was trying to peek back into the room.

"Come along, you two. We have much to prepare. First, a bath for the young lady. You smell like a slaughterhouse."

"Hey! I smell like victory!"

As they walked down the long hallway, a blue screen popped up.

[New Main Quest Generated: Landlord's Request]

[Objective: Terminate the B-Rank hunter 'Gorgon' Silas.]

[Time Limit: 2 weeks.]

[Reward: Level Down x10, Title Unlocked, Unique Skill [???], 5,000 NP.]

[Failure Penalty: Certain Death.]

'Ten level downs and five thousand points? This system is finally taking things seriously. But a Unique Skill? What's that?'

He focused his thoughts on the question.

[A Unique Skill is a power that is intrinsically tied to the Host's paradoxical nature. It cannot be bought or learned through conventional means. It can only be granted upon the completion of a monumental, life-altering task.]

'So it's a big deal. Good. I'm going to need it.'