Almighty Summoner System

[You successfully killed an Elite Grade, E-Elite Rank Shiny Headed Rattlesnake

No Beast Core found!

The rattlesnake's hide can be extracted. A great material for making heat resistant armor. Look's flashy with it being shiny. Be careful when wearing it though, others might think you're wealthy because of how shiny this hide looks.

…

]

Ban read the content of the System screen and he was surprised that the Shiny Headed Rattlesnake was able to last longer even though it was already choked with its own saliva and the sands even before he started Delo and Tori. 

Reading the System screen, what surprises him even more was the content at the end of it. 

[…

You obtained a [Skill] for killing the Shiny Headed Rattlesnake.

[Skill] Rush, has been rewarded.

]

He knew that aside from being rewarded after ranking up, Ban knew that the System would also distribute rewards if he successfully killed or defeated a Monster or Beast. However, just like obtaining a Beast Core and obtaining a [Skill] from Skill Crystals, being rewarded by the System also only has a low chance. 

The Shiny Headed Rattlesnake did not have any Beast Core and Skill Crystal so he assumed that he would only benefit from its sellable parts, he did not expect that the System would reward him personally instead.

Ban was pretty excited about the Skill so he decided to check it first before entertaining Belle who had already started approaching him.

[Skill: Snake Rush

A Skill obtained after killing the Shiny Headed Rattlesnake.

Rush towards any direction you want in a zigzag motion. 

Can rush up to 10 meters ahead.

Activated instantly.

Cooldown: 2 Minutes

..

]

'A Movement Skill, huh! And it has a pretty short cooldown too! ' Ban thought after reading the Skill's description. 

As he does not have any time to comprehend the Skill deeply, Ban decided to tell the System to just inject the knowledge directly instead. Fortunately, the same situation as that of Greed did not repeat and the System immediately uploaded the knowledge to his brain without any delay. 

He paused for a few seconds and after he recovered, he already knew the ins and outs of the Skill. 

"Mr. Leon, what should we do now?" Belle said softly the moment she arrived near Ban. 

Ban thought for a second before he answered, "Let's get out of here, first!" 

"Follow me!" Ban said as he went past Belle. 

Belle nodded her head as she followed behind Leon. She got a lot of questions to ask but she decided to hold it all for now. 

After a couple of minutes, Ban thought that they were already far away from the place where he killed Delo. 

He turned towards Belle and said, "First things first, no one should know that I was the one who killed him." 

"You also saw that he was a Dark Guild member. It was questionable how he was able to get past the Adventurers Guild test, so I'm thinking that he might have other accomplices lurking inside the Adventurers Guild or even all around the city." 

"We can't tell anyone about this yet. It's our secret…" Ban said seriously.

"I-I understand Mr. Leon… Y-You don't need to worry about it!" Belle said in a flustered tone, she was a little surprised after Leon said that it was their 'secret' she thought it sounds like there's something more about it for her. 

"But, Mr. Leon, everyone already knew that Delo has become my bodyguard, they would surely get suspicious if he's no longer beside me, no?" Belle said. 

"Hmm- you recalled that Century Centipede before?" Ban asked. 

"Yes, of course!" Belle answered hurriedly. Who can forget about that monstrosity after seeing it once? 

"We'll use that as a scapegoat… We can report it to the Adventurers Guild first and tell them that Delo died in the hands of that Century Centipede while we were trying to escape." 

"Hmm… Alright, we could also gain a reward by reporting that Beast to the Adventurers Guild." Belle said, thinking that what Leon had said was very believable. 

'Now that I think of it, I recall Marie saying that we can be rewarded if we report something like this. Hmm… I also have that thing about the Red Termites before, I wonder if they have already finished confirming it.' 

'I should visit Marie's desk again to inquire about it. I also haven't read that Adventurers Guild's book as well… Sigh, I still have many things to do.' 

They then talked about other things they should hide from others as well as the things they can divulge. That way, even if they got questioned one by one, their answer would still be the same. 

He also warned Belle about their 'plan', saying that she should watch out for it and any other big incidents that are going around the city, and if possible to inform him about it.

Their plan might not even be the Beast Tide and it might only be a coincidence that the Beast Tide arrived earlier this time. 

After they settled their 'secret', Ban recalled the Quest so he inquired Belle if they should still continue it. 

"I think we should go back already, Mr. Leon. The Adventurers Guild might get suspicious if we still completed the Quest even though one of our companions was already killed." Belle said after pondering for a moment. 

Ban nodded his head at her decision. He would also do the same if he was in her shoes. He thought that it was quite a pity that he would not be able to get the Quest rewards, but he figured that prioritizing and solidifying their alibi was the first goal for now. 

However, an idea suddenly struck him, so immediately shared it with Belle. 

"You only need the method on how to locate the Wood Swallow right?" 

"Yes, Mr. Leon!" Belle answered confusedly. 

"Well, how about this. I'll tell you all of the details I know regarding the Wood Swallow and in return, you can say that I have finished the Quest. But I don't need the whole reward, you can only give me half of it."

Belle thought for a moment and she thought that it does not sound so bad. 

"And when the Adventurers Guild questions us how we still completed the Quest even though Delo already died, we can just tell them that we haven't really completed the Quest just like how you requested it. You can do that right?" Ban added. 

"Yes, Mr. Leon! A Questor can change the detail of the Quest as long as it was not accepted yet or the Quest acceptor agrees with the changes being made." Belle said. 

"Alright, let's go with that. By the way, you can just call me Leon from now on..." Ban said. 

"A-alright… L-Leon!" Belle replied clumsily. She was kind of happy as she thought that she was now getting closer to Leon. 

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go, Belle," Ban said as he ran towards the direction of the city again after inspecting the Map. 

Belle paused for a second after hearing her name being mentioned by Leon. After all, it was her first time hearing him say it. And the voice was very pleasant to her ears as well, it sounded nothing like his usual voice that sounded near yet far. 

A smile surfaced on her face as she started running behind him. 

Aurrrk!

Suddenly, the Red Falcon on her arms protested as Belle had unknowingly hugged it too tightly after hearing what Leon had just said. 

"S-sorry!" She apologized as she tried to hide her smile. 

The Red Falcon could only roll its head backward after seeing her face that was trying to resist smiling. 

'I just woke up from fainting and now you're already trying to crush me? Come on, mercy, mercy!' If it could talk it would surely say along those lines. 

After a few minutes of running, Ban and Belle decided to rest as Belle could not endure that long due to her low stamina. 

She was heaving her nonexistent chest upside down excessively as if she had asthma. 

"Here…" Ban handed her a pouch that contained cold water. It came directly from the Storage Space so it was still cold just like the same temperature when he stored it earlier. 

Belle smiled at his gesture and with rosy cheeks, she accepted it. She did not waste any more time and drank a mouthful to refresh herself. 

"T-thank you, Leon!" Belle said. 

"Welcome!" Ban said. 

It was searing hot at the moment and even though he does not feel it that much due to the Noble Moth Cloak, he knew that Belle was experiencing it. He thought that might be the main reason why she got tired so easily.

He wanted to lend her the cloak but he knew that it would be heavy for her. Especially with her size, it would only drag her down even more. 

Ban thought for a moment and then recalled the Rogue Red Termite. 

'Perhaps she could ride it? She's small after all, I think she could fit on the back of the Rogue Red Termite just fine.' 

Ban no longer wasted any more time as he summoned the Rogue Red Termite again. 

The Rouge Red Termite became alert the moment it got outside, but after seeing that there was no enemy around it suddenly got confused. 

Belle was also startled by the sudden appearance of the Rogue Red Termite. She wanted to run away instinctively but fortunately, she managed to stop herself after recalling that it was Leon's summon. 

"How about you ride this Rogue Red Termite, Belle?"