SSWUP!
Using his enhanced speed, Sebastian drove the sword deep into the mutated wolf's neck before it could apply further damage to Jin's shield. He left his sword lodged in the wolf as he turned to roundhouse kick it away.
"[Ice Lance]!" Rivie finally made her presence known as she used offensive magic for the speared wolf before it realised what was happening. The sharp jagged ice flew through the air, coursing at a frightening speed before embedding in the wolf's head, almost decapitating it. It couldn't even let out a whimper as it fell, lifeless. Amateur spellcasters would be in shock when they see a basic spell altered to such levels.
"Rivie, please check on Jin!" Sebastian didn't let the wolf in front of him out of his sight, as he stepped in between the wolf and Jin. He slowly advanced towards the wolf, holding his other sword with both hands. 'I can't use bursts of speed now, I need to use my strength for the final strike.'
Seeing Sebastian draw the wolf's attention, Becky quietly used her [Shadow Step] to appear behind the wolf. When the wolf instinctively turned, she used all her force to kick it! "[Rock Kick]! Towards you!"
BAM!
The wolf was knocked almost a meter into the air as it flew towards Sebastian! He ran forward then ducked as the wolf flew above him.
'[Augment] Reinforce arms!'
He stabbed his sword into the wolf's belly as he rolled forward, slashing the wolf partially in two. The wolf's hot innards spilled all over Sebastian and the ground before the carcass fell with a thud.
Becky helped a panting Sebastian stand up as he cleaned himself.
"If this is just a mutated wolf, what about the other mutated beasts? This is crazy. Rivie, how is Jin's status?"
Rivie was supporting Jin as he cradled his left hand. "I'm going to be okay. Rivie's already casted a few [Heal]s on me. My shield's gone though."
"Equipment will always be temporary. Just be glad it did it's job before it broke. Otherwise you'd be in pieces." Becky always grounded the group with her sharp doses of reality.
"As a silver lining, this is actually good timing because you had custom equipment made using the mutated wolf materials we gathered the other day. It should be complete soon." Rivie slowly stood up as she also helped Jin stand up.
Rivie's statement placed everyone in a good mood, considering their last fight. They quickly gathered their loot before heading back into the city.
While they were walking towards the city, Rivie discreetly whispered to Sebastian. "When we're in the city, please look for me. I need to talk to you in private."
Sebastian's mind was running fast, trying to think of scenarios why Rivie wanted to talk to him. It was almost as if he used [Augment] for his thinking speed.
***
"I think it's a first for you to come into my room - or rented room that is." Sebastian felt a bit shy as he tried to tidy up his room. He didn't have many possessions, but he felt the room cramped for the both of them. He thought Rivie sought him out regarding his training, but Rivie insisted to speak with him in his room instead. He realised then that he hadn't been with a woman since he came to this world. He didn't even have time to research about this world's culture regarding romance or physical intimacy.
"I do apologise if my request came off as strong. However this is with regards to the party."
"Eh? The party? Why? What happened?" Sebastian was totally caught off-guard when Rivie wanted to talk about the party instead of Sebastian's physical needs.
"I realise that I am holding the party back, to put it simply. I am telling you first that I will be leaving the party tomorrow. Keeping in mind that this sudden C quest was merely a trial run for our party as well."
"Is there a specific reason why? Are we unable to keep up with you? With your experience and abilities, it would actually seem that we are holding you back you know."
"When you think from that perspective, then it would seem so. However the reason why I wanted to be in your party was to gauge your growth, support you from the back, while I take the chance to learn about the Earth in your timeline."
"That does make sense and it also fulfills your curiosity. However I simply can't piece together why you would want to leave?"
"I realised when the rest of you wanted to help the other adventurers but I wanted to continue our patrol. I wanted to protect the group from getting involved in something dangerous. When we were helping them, I realised then that situations like those were part of being adventurers." Rivie paused as she gazed at Sebastian. She always had a smile in her face, however Sebastian realised that depending on the circumstance, Rivie's smile actually carried a certain amount of weight behind it.
Rivie saw that Sebastian was now serious before she continued. "This afternoon I decided that I should step back and let the three of you fulfill your roles in the party at ease. However it seemed that I stepped back too far since I couldn't help before Jin was injured. A real supporter or healer would have assisted him when he was facing two mutated wolves by himself. The conflict in my interest is affecting my performance in the party. I'll explain to Jin and Becky tomorrow, but I wanted to let you know first so that we won't have an awkward conversation in front of them. I know that you'll try to stop me from leaving."
Sebastian couldn't believe how mature Rivie seemed at this point. Seeing as how she made valid points for her arguments, Sebastian could only nod as he looked out the window. The room suddenly felt stuffy and uncomfortable.
"I understand. Thank you for explaining it to me. I think I would have definitely become emotional if you told me tomorrow instead." Sebastian realised that even until the end, Rivie still considered his feelings. However he knew that she would always think about him as a student or as a trainee adventurer, nothing else. "Will you go back to the monastery?"
"Yes, the lessons were stopped because of this C quest, but Elias can't handle everything by himself. He'll end up using brute force to get his way with things. You know that." Rivie's smile appeared comforting to Sebastian. It was a gradual realisation, however he felt that she was a mother figure to him at this point. Coming from an orphan, that had a huge weight to it. He unconsciously smiled to himself as he continued to listen.
"At this point you are suitable to be an adventurer by right. It was a sudden promotion of sorts, but you are able to manage yourself and your party to the best of your abilities now. I can personally vouch for that. I also know that Jin will support you, while Becky will keep you in line."
At the mention of Becky potentially disciplining him, Sebastian couldn't help but shudder.
"Well you do have a point. So this means that we will need a new healer in the party then. We'll actively look for someone tomorrow."
"If possible, I would suggest you find a healer and a range attacker. Three close combat adventurers definitely create a bit of an imbalance."
"Now that you mention it, you did take on those two roles by yourself. Your departure will leave a huge hole in the party. It's also painful, but growth needs to happen at some point. Again, thank you for all that you've done so far."
Rivie stood up to indicate that their conversation was over. She gently opened the door as she made her way out.
"Enjoy the rest of your evening then. You're always free to talk to me in the monastery if we both have time."
"I'll definitely take you up on that offer. Also, I'll try to look surprised tomorrow."
***
"So there you have it. I'll be heading back to the monastery from today. It's also impeccable timing that the class C quest has been decreed as completed. With this, the party will have time to look for another healer in my place." Rivie clasped her hands in front of her as she spoke to Jin and Becky. Everyone was speechless as expected.
"I know that it was only temporary - it was mainly because of the mutated wolves that our party was made, but you helped us pull through some hairy situations. It will be difficult to replace you, but we will somehow manage." Even though Sebastian prepared his speech the whole night, he still choked on some parts.
"Thank you for all your help. We'll become better adventurers so you'll be proud of us someday." Jin unexpectedly became melodramatic.
"Are you showing your soft side? I thought you were a regular happy-go-lucky guy when you dealt with us?" It was now Becky's turn to make fun of Jin. Although her comment caught everyone - including Rivie off guard.
"Well she did save me from the two mutated wolves yesterday. My arm might have had some permanent damage or even worse, if she wasn't there."
"You'll all do well, I personally witnessed your party in action. Bear in mind that few rank E or D adventurers ever get the chance to immediately face off against mutated beasts. You all saw the injuries in the monastery during the quest."
"Ah, that reminds me. We have to go to the adventurer's guild to update our tags today. During that time, we might as well look for adventurers for our party." Becky seemed to be back to her usual business-like self.
"I see. That sounds like a good plan. If any of you have free time, please feel free to drop by the monastery for a quick catch up." Rivie waved goodbye as she left the trio to head back to the monastery. No one said a word as they headed to the adventurer's guild.
"Good day, I'm here to update my adventurer's tag. You'll see that I participated in the recent rank C quest to exterminate the mutated wolves in Tranlent Forest." Sebastian spoke to a receptionist in the adventurer's guild as he handed over his tag. It looked like a regular necklace with a small plate. It reminded Sebastian of a military dog tag in Earth for many reasons.
"Thank you, I'll check it using our spell and update it accordingly. Please wait, it won't take long." The receptionist in front of him was a slender female elf that looked elegant while she was going about with her task. Sebastian silently gulped down his saliva as he remembered that his need for physical intimacy was unknowingly awakened yesterday. He forced himself to look away from her partially exposed cleavage as he tried to keep his mind on something else. He seriously considered using [Augment] for it.
"I've updated your adventurer's tag accordingly. You're still a rank E, but the quest has been recorded as a success. You can double check it if you want to."
"Thank you. I'll check it now." Sebastian coursed his mana through the tag. Adventurer tags were special in the sense that it will only display its information when it responds to the owner's mana.
The guild staff were an exception since they can alter the information embedded within. If Sebastian knew that Leo personally came up with this process and created the spell for it, he would be flabbergasted to say the least.
He saw the display information in front of him, like an augmented reality screen. Although he didn't have many experiences with it in Earth, he still knew what it was. "Yes, I can see that I am still ranked E, and I have a single successful quest under it. My status also displays as 'Neutral'. Thank you for your hard work." Sebastian was about to turn and leave when the receptionists call out for him.
"There's also one other thing - you have a message from another adventurer. She would like to speak with you if possible. I think she might just be around here somewhere by chance."
"Eh? Who would that be? My party member?" Sebastian was perplexed as to why another adventurer knew or wanted to talk to him.
"That would be me." A swordswoman slowly made her way to Sebastian. She was the long-haired beauty he applied first aid in the C quest. Her right arm looked like it was in a brace of some sort.
"I believe you are Melissa is that right? How can I help?"
"I would like to personally give my thanks for your help. Although you didn't cast the [Exalted Heal], you still responded to me first. In addition to that, I would like to join as your party member." She twirled her hair around her fingertips as she expressed her interest to join the party through Sebastian.
"Excuse me? You immediately want to join our group?" Sebastian was caught off guard again and couldn't keep up with the changes happening in front of him.
"Yes. I heard from Jinzo and Rebecca that you are looking for new party members. I was a swordswoman, but I'm changing that now to an archer."
"Why did you want to speak with me? What's wrong with my other party members?" Sebastian was lost with the whole process and with Melissa's train of thought.
'This is getting too much for me. [Augment] Steel mind and body!' Sebastian immediately felt his mana course through the specific nerve synapses and receptors he pre-programmed this skill with.
This specific augmentation skill tensed his muscles for action and calmed his mind as he started processing the environmental stimuli at lightning speeds. While he was organising his thoughts, he immediately noticed the guild guardsmen drawing their weapons on him!