Wait, System! Stop Helping The Protagonist!

Ashton, who was diving in complete nothingness, pondered to himself. ’Who is that guy that was constantly spying on us? Was there anyone in the story who was secretly watching Rias on the first arc? Well, whatever; I will see it later. But first, system, it took this long to give me a new quest.’

Ashton looked at the new quest given by the system in front of his eyes.

[ Task 2 : Help Rias cleanse the Filth Drop ]

[ Task completion reward: Bountiful rewards for the host and some rewards for Rias ]

Ashton once again started praising the system to high heavens. ’You motherfucking stupid ass system! I was so happy seeing you would give me such great rewards, but why did you have to give Rias too? Giving some and giving none, what difference do they make? If I father his children, you will still give him rewards, won’t you? Tell me!’

Ashton hated this side of the system that he gave on the first task that the system gave him.

Yes, he gave up on that task to weaken Krestic.

If he wanted to complete it, he would have rejected the Krestic job offer or made an excuse to stay in Maple Leaf Town.

How can he weaken someone if that person wasn’t even near him?

After Ashton was done spraying everything at the system, he finally calmed down.

Letting out a sigh, he whispered. ’At least this task is easy.’

A blinding light suddenly attacked their vision, having them close their eyes. When they felt the brightness fading away, they slowly opened their eyes.

A stark contrast from what the world they always saw impacted their eyes. Wet lands filled with dead bones and flesh. Trees withered from the lack of sunlight and soil without nutrients. Ferns that were possible would turn to dust from the occasional breeze. Like a sunset that casts an orange glow over the sky, permeated throughout the land. No living being or a Filth could be seen moving or presenting themselves.

Three broken and tattered towers were visible, announcing themselves loudly in this bleak world.

Mapping the position of the towers in his mind, Ashton found their current position. ’It looks like nothing changed. We arrived, or to say, the protagonist arrived at his designated spot.’

"What is this place?" Anastasia covered her mouth, almost nauseated from the fishy, gut-wrenching smell that occupied this place.

Following her was Lovia; she was mentally prepared, but her body wasn’t.

On the other hand, Rias just frowned, only feeling uncomfortable. "Is this the world of Filth?"

"Yes, the world of Filth, or the Discarded Realm, is like this. A place of despair with no vitality." Ashton answered, marveling at the sight before him. "Prepare yourself. From what I heard from Sir Krestic is that the person who dies first is the strongest one who has great confidence, and the one who survives is cautious with just enough strength to protect themselves."

Of course Krestic didn’t tell anything related to Filths, as he didn’t expect them to encounter them so suddenly. In Krestic’s mind, if her daughter successfully enrolled in the academy, she would know everything from her teachers.

"Okay, but where do we go first?" Rias agreed, sharing the same view as Ashton’s.

"Not so fast. Let me get you guys your weapons." Ashton looked at Rias and asked, despite knowing the answer to his question. "What do you like?"

Rias pondered for a moment before answering. "Do you have a halberd?"

"Yes. Here take this." Ashton pulled out a halberd made of an unknown dark wood. Its tip is as sharp as a needle, and the blade gleaming with a fiery shine.

Rias grasped the halberd and began swinging to his heart’s content as if it were a part of his body. Rias found the halberd had the capability of bending, making his attack unpredictable.

Seeing the protagonist playing with his favorite weapon, Ashton shifted his gaze toward Lovia. "Miss Lovia, what do you prefer?"

Lovia rubbed her chin, thinking hard. Her Inner Bon didn’t give her any stats or elemental power. To match her Inner Bon she could only think of one type of weapon. "Do you have any short sword or knife?"

"Oh~" Ashton became curious. Short swords and knives are mostly used by assassins or close-combat fighters. ’No one in our group doesn’t have a support type Inner Bon. Except Anastasia, if we count that as a buff. Hmmm...wait, why did I forget about myself? I am the greatest support a team could dream of.’

Ashton gave Lovia both the short sword and the knife.

Meanwhile, Anastasia nodded her head by the side. She was happy that her retainer was entertaining her friends properly.

As she saw Rias and Lovia get familiar with their weapons, she asked Ashton. "Hey, my father seems to have taught you about Filths. Then tell us what is our best course of action."

Ashton turned his head at the tower to his left. It was closest to them and holds a major part regarding this Filth Drop. "We should explore and understand what kind of Filth we are dealing with. Additionally, we should see what these towers are, as they might hold secrets about this Filth Drop. In short, we have to increase our understanding of the Filth Drop."

"Then let’s go and beat these Filths. Shall we?" Anastasia looked at everyone, proclaiming loudly with a radiant smile on her face, boosting the team’s morale.

Everyone looked at each other, nodding their heads; they said it simultaneously. "Let’s go!"

"Hehehe," Anastasia giggled, feeling proud. Then she stole a glance at Ashton, telling him to lead the way.

Ashton, whose mood was elevated, crashed down. ’I thought you were about to give another speech and lead the way. What was that performative leadership you showed? Well, I will get you next time.’

Ashton didn’t mind leading the way, as there was no one here who was more knowledgeable about this Filth Drop than him, except the new female lead Lovia.