CHAPTER 44: ASCENSION SECOND TRIAL

Ash was also anticipating for the Side quest to complete, Today was the punishment day. So he was expecting it to complete Today anytime. He just hoped to get more then 800 Exp in Rewards so he can reach level 10.

Jessie looked at him, her eyes wavering in anticipation.

"Ash," her fingers clutched her clothes nervously, "I want to tell you something."

"What?" Ash asked, snapping out of his thoughts.

"Not here," Jessie said, dragging him to a tight corner of an abandoned street nearby.

"Do you remember the book I suggested you read?" she asked, her face turning serious.

"Yes, pretty much."

"There was mention of ascension," Jessie continued. Ash nodded in response.

"I want to tell you about it."

Ash raised his brows. ’Did she find something about that?’

"Ascension is a trial for a planet to rise and compete on a global level with different races and different planets," Jessie explained carefully. "Every planet gets three chances to ascend, and we are going through the second ascension trials."

Ash just looked at her with sharp eyes, trying to take in as much as he could. This world was already new to him, and now there was something entirely new to understand.

"I know it’s hard to believe, but trust me, it will help you adapt when the time comes," Jessie continued, her voice barely above a whisper in the silent alley.

"To prepare for the ascension, the system gives residents a hundred years to get ready for the trial, and we are approaching the end of this period."

"Why is everyone so calm if that’s the case?" Ash asked, confused. According to his logic, the government, guilds, and everyone else should be panicking.

"Because no one knows. There is no information about the ascension if we ignore the first notification, when the system appeared for the first time, around a hundred years ago.

Many people simply ignored it in shock and adapted.

But don’t think that no one knows. Some families, government officials, and those who survived the first failed ascension trial were waiting for this day. They are bound by the system’s restrictions as failed subjects, but their knowledge has been passed down through generations, and they still guide their successors." Jessie paused, noticing his baffled expression.

It was too much for a person to digest in one go.

"And how do you know all this?" Ash asked, suspicious of her explanation.

Jessie looked sideways. "Well, um... I am from one of those families."

Ash squinted, nodding. He had suspected it after seeing her armor, but he hadn’t thought she was related to a powerful family.

"Then why were you trying to enter a guild?" Ash asked, his gaze sharp.

"Currently, I am away from the family, and I had a bet with my grandpa that I can stand on my own... leave it aside," she scoffed, embarrassed.

She was acting happy and excited, but he was concerned—not for her, but for himself. He never let his guard down, but for some reason, he had gotten too close to her, too fast.

He had been pretending to be her friend at first to gain knowledge, but when the acting turned into reality, he didn’t notice.

He was good at reading people and trusted his ability. He didn’t feel she had any bad intentions toward him, but her behavior was still strange.

"So... may I know the reason why you are telling me this now?" Ash asked—the main question.

Her answer would decide his reaction.

Jessie pondered for a second. She didn’t want to come off as selfish.

"You have been by my side for some time, and I consider you my friend. If I ignore all other reasons, that is reason enough for me to warn you," Jessie said and stopped.

Ash stared at her, expression unreadable. She wasn’t completely honest, but there was genuineness in her words.

"And what are the other reasons?" His words were sharp, cutting like blades.

Jessie met his gaze. "I will be clear with this one," she said, shifting closer. "I don’t know yet, but if you stay by my side during this time, you will gain access to forbidden knowledge of my family and a head start over the oblivious people of the world. In exchange, I will get the chance to learn those reasons, which I myself am unsure of."

She paused, taking a deep breath. "Genuinely, I don’t know what destiny has in store for us, but I don’t want to lose the chance if there’s even a one percent possibility. You can see it either way.

One, you will be able to face the trial with more knowledge. Two, it’s not something you can avoid, so why not gain some benefits?" She shifted back, her voice falling.

"Decision is up to you."

A smile tugged at Ash’s lips. He was not naive; what had just happened was a manipulation, directing his mind between two positive options and making him forget any negative one.

The way she played with her words was enough proof that she was trained in a noble family. If a future leader didn’t learn to manipulate fellow humans, then who would?

Despite knowing her tricks, he was falling for her options. He hadn’t brought anything to this world, so there was nothing to lose except his life.

And the best chance he had to save his life during this trial was to go with her.

"Am I going to get paid for the job?" Ash said with a smile.

"Are you joking? You know how many people would fight over what you got," Jessie scoffed, turning around.

"Oh really... I wasn’t the one who came to you asking for support," Ash laughed, mocking her dismissal.

"Fine... but I don’t have anything here. Once my family calls me back, I will give you whatever you choose," Jessie said, embarrassed by her lack of resources.

Ash palmed his head. All this conversation came to one conclusion: there was a chance her family had forgotten about her.

Jessie faced Ash, her hands ready to punch him. "Don’t you dare embarrass me."

She knew she wasn’t the one who needed the support of the family—it was her family that needed her.

She put all her momentum into the punch, throwing it toward his stomach.

"Again... same mistake," Ash moved sideways, his feet pushing her ankles, making her trip. Ash pinned her down, holding her hands up. His face was close to hers. "Change your attitude toward physical fights. The first attack is always the first attack—don’t treat it as the last."

Unknown to them something was changing in the D-rank dungeon. It got brighter and brighter making the rankers panic who were taking care of it. Then beasts started spilling out one after another.

One ranker grabbed his device screaming

"Code Red—Dungeon break".