Chapter 60: Chapter60-Netori Quest: [Forbidden act!]

"Help! Anybody, please help us!" The voice belonged to a woman. I immediately went toward the source of the noise, not because I wanted to help her, but because I wanted to kill more monsters. The cry for help came from another corner. I ran as fast as I could to get as close as possible. It took just a minute or two to get there, but what I saw really surprised me. There were two figures surrounded by about 10 to 15 zombies. One was a woman, and the other was a man. What surprised me wasn't just their presence, but that the woman was my personal assistant, Kiara, accompanied by an unknown man I didn't recognize. And the unknown man she was with appeared injured, as kiara was supporting his waist and back. What are they doing here? I couldn't understand how they had entered. I had assumed only the guests from the castle meeting were transported here, but seeingKiara and this man made me question my assumptions. If I was wrong, then that means... My eyes widened as I realized something. Regular people who weren't guests had also been transferred here. Fuck it, if that happened, there's no way those guys could survive. I thought only guests like me had arrived here, and I expected them to easily survive because guests who usually come to Cannes are strong individuals. However, that wasn't the case with the regular people who were weaker... I know calling someone like Kiara an Iron ranker doesn't quite fit, but considering I could narrowly escape from even uncommon rank monsters and they couldn't, it made me think they are weak. Now, don't get me wrongI'm not concerned about their deaths personally, but it could disrupt my plan to survive. How? If there are too many regular people here, the guests will likely try to protect them. No, they will definitely protect them. Why? It's about their prestige and reputation. Being famous has its pros and cons. If any of the guests, who are also sons and daughters of powerful figures, don't help the regular people and if these people manage to escape and tell the media how unhelpful the guests were, it could lead to widespread criticism. This could cause significant problems for them and lead to many losses. And, so the strong guys will definitely protect them more instead of other guests in their group which is a massive disadvantage for me. I was processing everything too quickly, my mind racing ahead. Then Lia's urgent shout brought me back to reality. "Michael, what are you doing? Go save them!" she yelled. Her cry not only brought me back to the moment but also drew the attention of others, including zombies. Without hesitation, I aimed my gun and started shooting. This time, I had to be extremely careful with my shots because a single missed bullet could seriously injure Kiara and, the other person. The first shots hit their stomachs and faces, quickly taking down ten zombies within a minute. But then a major problem arose. The gun suddenly stopped firing and went into cooldown mode. "Shit, not now!" I cursed aloud. Five more zombies were already closing in on me, ready to attack. Having no other option, I quickly discarded my gun and drew both of my daggers to face the zombies head-on. It was my first time using daggers to kill zombies. As they came within inches of me, I swiftly struck. Three zombies collapsed with gaping holes where their hearts used to be. I glanced back to see Lia giving me a thumbs up. 'Nice,' I thought, relieved. Then, I lunged forward, the adrenaline pumping through my veins as I engaged the remaining zombies with my daggers. The nearest zombie lurched towards me, its rotten arms reaching out. With a swift sidestep, I dodged its grasp and plunged one dagger deep into its skull. The creature let out a guttural moan before collapsing at my feet. Meanwhile, the other zombie closed in from the side. I spun around, using the momentum to slash horizontally with my other dagger. The blade sliced through their necks with precision, severing the head of his in a spray of red, viscous fluid. As I dispatched those two, I sensed movement behind me. Without thinking, I quickly turned and thrust my dagger upwards, aiming for what I thought was a zombie's chest. However, as I realized my mistake, I halted the dagger's movement just before it could harm Lia. The blade touched her chest to be specific her boobs gently and stopped. She let out a soft moan, "Ah." Embarrassed, she turned away. "I'm sorry, Lia," I said quickly, realizing my mistake. I hadn't expected to startle Lia. I hoped she would forgive me... Luckily, Lia quickly forgave me, saying, "It's okay, Michael." I pretended to scratch my head and replied, "Thanks." Breathing heavily, I surveyed the scene. The street was littered with motionless bodies, the once-threatening horde reduced to a scattered group of lifeless corpses. Lia approached cautiously, her eyes wide with awe and relief. "Michael, you would have really killed me by now." I made a pretended guilty expression and said, "I did apologize for that now..." And she repeated the same thing, "It's okay, we'll talk later. For now, let's go check on those guys." Her words reminded me that Kiara and the other person needed help, so I hurried over to them. As Lia and I approached Kiara and the unknown man surrounded by the fallen zombies, I noticed Kiara's expression shift from relief to concern as she supported the injured person... "Kiara, are you both okay?" I asked, trying to assess the situation quickly. Kiara glanced up at me, her eyes wide with a mix of gratitude and worry. "Boss, I... I didn't expect to see you here." "Well, it seems fate had other plans," I replied with a slight smirk, trying to lighten the tense atmosphere. Lia looked at me with a puzzled expression and asked, "Michael, have the two of you met before? I replied, "Yes, Lia. This is Kiara, my personal assistant." Lia nodded understandingly and murmured, "Oh, that makes sense." Lia stepped up, looking serious but trying to reassure us. "Okay, let's focus on helping that person. Michael, do you have any healing potions left?" I nodded and reached into my bag, pulling out a small bottle with a bright blue liquid inside. "Here, Kiara. This should do the trick." Kiara took the bottle with a thankful nod and carefully gave the potion to the person to drink. I was curious about who that person really was... She seems to care a lot about him. What's their relationship? Within moments, the deep wounds on his side began to close, and color returned to his pallid face. The healing magic within the potion worked swiftly, revitalizing him. As he recovered, he began to open his eyes slowly. When he finally looked around, his gaze settled on Kiara first, then on us. He softly asked, "Kiara, are you alright?" Kiara replied cheerfully, "I'm fine, Alex. How about you?" Alex nodded, then gestured towards us. "Kiara, who are they?" Kiara turned to introduce us formally. "Boss, this is Alex, my fianc. Alex, meet my boss, Michael and, that is..." I glanced at Lia and then at them, saying, "She's a friend of mine." I didn't know why, but Lia seemed a bit bothered when I mentioned her as a friend of mine. Does it mean something important to her? I didn't expect that, though. And then Alex stood up with Kiara's assistance. He was a tall man with broad shoulders and a strong build. His dark hair was tousled from the recent events, and his complexion was pale, likely from exhaustion and injury. He was similar to me, dressed in a blue blazer and navy-colored pants. He managed a weak smile despite his recent ordeal. "Nice to meet you, Michael. Thanks for the potion." I extended a hand, which he shook firmly. "Glad I could help. You two certainly found yourselves in a tough spot." Lia interjected with a smile, trying to ease the tension. "Well, they had some impressive backup," she said, gesturing towards me with a playful wink. Kiara chuckled softly, grateful for the levity Lia brought. "Thank you both. Boss, I'm sorry we ended up in this mess." I waved off her concern. "It's not your fault. We're all just trying to survive here." Then Lia asked the question I was curious about, "How did both of you get here?" Alex and Kiara both answered similarly, saying they had been near a restaurant close to the castle where the Cannes meeting was happening. Suddenly, a crystal ball appeared out of nowhere, releasing a gas that made them sleepy and transported them here. After a short pause, Alex spoke up, his voice more confident now. "Young master Michael, Kiara and I struggled to survive against those monsters. Could you please let us join your group?" I considered his request for a moment, then nodded. "The more the merrier. Strength in numbers, especially in a situation like this." Kiara looked relieved, her worry easing slightly. "Thank you, Michael. We won't slow you down." I am sure that you both will definitely slow me down... But if I end up in a life-or-death situation because of you, don't count on me to save you. I'd rather run away like a coward than foolishly fight a stronger monster. But I didn't display any emotions on my face; I simply nodded. Lia grinned. "Alright, let's make sure we're all geared up and ready to move. Michael, you lead the way." I just nodded again and was about to step forward when a virtual screen appeared in front of me with another bizarre quest. Netori Quest: [Forbidden act!] Engage in a sexual act with Kiara while her boyfriend is nearby. Objective: sex 0/1 Reward: Rage Skill (Accept/Reject) "Why, system? Why?"