“Oh my God!!!” Ryu wailed, slamming his fist on the ground furiously. “What the f*ck!!! Is it too much to ask for a normal title?!!”

[Grimm Hand of the Master Baiter]

Sylfie attempted to console him, placing a hand on his back. “It’s alright, Ryu. There are plenty more opportunities to—”

Ryu turned to her with an expression that would make even the most hardened of warriors cower in fright. “Don’t lecture me, ‘Huntress of the Night’,” he hissed. “And don’t you dare speak a word, ‘Saintess of Hurricanes’,” he said, pointing at Wisteria before she could open her mouth. The mage decided against saying anything, remaining silent.

“Cheer up, Ryu! Everyone knows you did a heroic thing,” Aurora reassured him.

“The Skybreaker is correct! You have nothing to be ashamed of this time!” Tyr stated.

“That hand certainly would look grim once he’s done with it, though,” Freyja snickered.

“Stop that! I saved your sorry ass, remember?!” Ryu fumed.

“Forgive me,” she said, wiping a tear from her eye as she composed herself. “I shouldn’t be laughing since you did save our lives, but I’ve never seen someone try so hard to get a respectable title. The System seems to have a vendetta against you.”

“Clearly,” Ryu scoffed, shaking his head. “I might as well become a villain.”

“You’d still probably get a terrible title regardless of what you do,” Sylfie remarked. “I think you should forget about getting a title and just focus on improving your brewing. That way, no matter how perverse your title is, your reputation will likely precede it.”

“Never!” Ryu exclaimed, shaking his fist stubbornly. “I’ll beat this d*mn System at its own game! You hear that you lousy—er, is this code or magic?”

“Magic; I’m not sure what code is, but the System has been in place since, well, as long as Cerulia has existed,” Wisteria answered.

“This is ridiculous,” Ryu mumbled, taking one last look at his title before closing his [Adventurer Title] page.

The journey back home was loud and boisterous; Jörm’s crew belted tune after tune to celebrate the occasion as they traveled over the glistening tundra, a cool wind blowing in their faces. The others seemed unperturbed by the weather, their spirits warmed by their recent victory and the spoils they had amassed soon after.

Everyone joined in on the festivities except for Ryu, who sat at the back of his sled sulking and shivering. He looked forward to getting back to the heated rooms and thick bedding of Hazel’s café. Perhaps a strong drink was in order as well. He needed something to help him forget about this disgrace.

Once again, he had been singled out by the obtuse machinations of the Cerulia’s classification system. How was he to improve his reputation when his achievements kept being undermined? It was frustrating, to say the least, though the others found it hilarious. That frustrated him even more. They don’t know what it’s like! he pouted. In addition to his goal of becoming a Royal Brewer, he would do his best to find the creator of the System and beat them into submission. This he swore upon. I’ll beat the sh*t out of God himself if I have to in order to receive a decent title.

[New Mission Objective Added]

Ryu raised an eyebrow, checking his quest log. A new mission? He hadn’t spoken to anyone or accepted any requests. Was it a timed event, or a world event? Regardless, Ryu opened up the log, scrolling through his active quests.

[Main Quests]

[Accompany the Kaffa Foreign Affairs Party into the Frostflame Mountains to quell illegal wildlife trade/dismantle the black market operation]

[Defeat the Demon Lord's alleged General running the black market]

[Side Quests]

[Save Elder Chestnut’s Saplings from the black market trade between the Kaffa and Frostflame territories]

[Future Goals]

[Attain the rank of Royal Brewer]

[Defeat God]

Ryu blinked, his eyes bulging. He shook his head to make sure he was reading the new objective correctly. The request he had received utterly baffled him. He stared at the screen for the longest time before he could even process the magnitude of the request.

[Defeat God]

Defeat who?! Just like that, the System had confirmed the existence of a higher being. He looked around, meeting the gaze of Freyja who had been watching him with narrowed eyes.

“Something bothering you?” she asked.

Ryu struggled to find the right words to explain what was going through his head, opting to get straight to the point rather than beat around the bush. “The System is telling me to fight God,” he stated bluntly.

Freyja stared at him blankly for a moment before cracking a smile. “Ha! I was wondering when it’d show up for you, given your grievances with titles. Don’t worry about it. Everyone gets that quest at some point or another. That’s just life; sometimes people get so fed up that they want someone to blame. Of course, the easiest target would be someone who won't reply back. And so, they receive this quest.”

“No one’s ever completed it?”

Freyja looked at him incredulously. “Does that look like a quest that can be completed? You know, Sylfie had the same reaction when she received it.”

Ryu pondered, contemplating the implications of confirming God’s existence in Cerulia. “So he really does exist here,” he remarked.

“Nice piece of evidence to reassure people,” Freyja shrugged. "Also, he could be a she for all anyone knows."

“Sure, I don't really care one way or another. If this is an actual quest, doesn’t that mean it’s possible to complete it, though?” Ryu pointed out, glossing over Freyja's remark.

“I never said it was impossible, but it’s highly improbable, and certainly not worth wasting your time over,” she replied, slightly miffed.

“What are we talking about?” Sylfie inquired, inserting herself into the conversation. She seated herself between Freyja and Ryu, jumping from the sled behind them into theirs.

“Ryu wants to fight God,” Freyja explained.

“This title thing is really getting to you, huh?” Sylfie clicked her tongue, shaking her head.

“Like you would understand! Plus, you want to fight him too!” Ryu exclaimed, growing red. “That guy made the System, right? So if I beat some sense into him, then maybe he’ll change my title!”

“Have you been drinking stupid juice without my knowledge? You seem dumber than usual. Where’s your common sense? It’s true this person created the System, but it isn’t some guy we’re talking about here. You’re talking about fighting God. A being beyond comprehension. To say you’re woefully underprepared would be the understatement of the century. All of existence combined probably wouldn’t be able to fight him on even ground.”

Ryu relented. “I know, I know. I’m just venting,” he sighed exhaustedly. “I need a drink.”

“See, that’s an achievable goal,” Sylfie chuckled. “I’ll join you.”

“Count me in!” Freyja laughed.

“I could use something to calm my nerves,” Wisteria piped up from behind.

“Let us all join in!” Jörm exclaimed.

“Yes! Victory is best enjoyed with an overflowing pint of ale!” Tyr guffawed.

Ryu scratched his head. “Actually, I was wondering how you all felt about cocktails?”

The group looked at him in confusion, causing Ryu to grin.

“What do you say? Interested in trying some spiked coffee concoctions?”