----
"It's hopeless. We'll never get past the second floor. Every other team of our batch has managed to clear it. I guess the first floor erected our hopes and dreams only for the succeeding floor to demolish it," the middle-aged man, ostensibly the leader, sighed.
His appearance was average except for the odd rhombus-shaped birthmark on his right cheek. Everything else about him conformed to normality. An average height of 5'8, standard features, buzz-cut dark grey hair, and the light masculine stubble that accompanied maturity.
However, the one to respond was a stark contrast. He was young, yet also on the timid side, as his voice was akin to a whisper when he replied, "No, it's all my fault. If I were better, this wouldn't have happened. Jonas would still be here if I managed to heal him in time."
The conversation grew quiet as everyone reprimanded themselves to shoulder some part of the blame for their current situation. So much so, they failed to realize the incoming footsteps behind them. Naturally, they belonged to Lucian, who sought to introduce himself as quickly as possible.
Still, Lucian didn't immediately announce his presence. First, he stood there and listened to their self-blaming statements while rubbing his chin. 'I can understand how they feel. I felt the same way when Doctor Arc revealed Diane and Silas' conditions. As an older brother, I felt it was my fault for not catching the signs sooner.'
Similarly, everyone entered a desperate situation during their last floor attempt, wherein each of their safety dangled on by a thread. However, out of the entire party, Jonas rushed forward while disregarding his own well-being.
While it was a brave sacrifice, it loomed over the minds of these present 7. Eventually, after gaining an understanding of what went down, Lucian announced his presence with a clearing of his throat.
"Ahem."
Everyone's body straightened up. At first, they thought it to be Overseer Vohr, however, judging by the tone it seemed to be incorrect. After turning around, everyone wore odd expressions.
"Uh, who exactly are you, young friend?" the middle-aged man questioned. Now that Lucian got a closer look at the man, his features seemed to be almost bearish, albeit a small bear.
"Lucian Salvatore, I've been appointed to your party by Overseer Vohr. I don't mean to intrude nor be insensitive, I just thought it'd be best to introduce myself," Lucian responded while also extending his hand. At the same time, he returned the question. "You?"
"Olov Breknof," the middle-aged man replied. He also clasped Lucian's hand before looking to be absolutely shocked. 'Quite strong. But...is he as strong as Jonas? Without an adequate assaulter, it'll be hard to manage.'
As they shook hands, Lucian turned his gaze over to the others. Similar to the other party, the composition was 5 males and 2 females. However, the roles seemed to be switched.
'Judging by the nature of his Mana, it would seem the diffident boy is indeed their healer. Though, I wish the analysis was more direct. I can't tell the limit of his healing.'
Due to Hypervigilance's branch effect—Analyzation—Lucian was able to distinguish between the orientation of Mana now. Even before being processed by a chosen catalyst, an Awakened or Guardian's vessel, in this case; Mana possessed an innate color.
The Mana used for healing possessed a cloudy appearance, similar to thin cotton. However, the milkier or in other words denser it became, the purer it was, which detailed the upper limits of the Guardian's contained ability.
Yet, based on what Lucian saw, it seemed to be in a disarray. At the very most, he would estimate the ability to be somewhere around B Rank, but that was just speculation on his part.
"Wait, you said you were appointed to our party? How is that possible? I never knew that was an option," another party member commented. It was a female possessing shoulder-length black curls along with fitted armor that exposed quite a bit of her supple skin.
Surprisingly, she didn't wear the battle suit and chose armor that protected the vital areas yet left the joints unhindered to promote uncompromised fluidity of her actions.
Furthermore, a 1.2-meter sword of excellent quality dangled from her left hip as she inspected Lucian closely.
"Ah, I didn't know either. Apparently, it's only possible if an Overseer confronts you. Nevertheless, my words are the truth. I have become an addition to this team. I might be a stranger, but I feel as long as we possessed a unified goal, we'll operate just fine," Lucian answered. Shortly after, he spared her a glance as well.
The girl gave a faint nod but noticed something different about Lucian's gaze, 'Some sort of animosity towards or is he just sizing me up to arrange a general feel of this team? Either way, his surrounding air is very...enigmatic.'
While she was pondering this matter, Lucian continued, "Mind going through the obligatory introductions?" Although he knew their names and even some of their attributes, Lucian didn't wish to seem like a creep who had spied on him.
Thus, for appearance's sake, Lucian acted as if he was oblivious to their information. Since it was a normal occurrence, everyone in the party agreed with his suggestion.
"Desmond Wynn." The first to answer was a teal-haired boy with a lean build. A number of small projectiles were strapped to his body, leading Lucian to believe he was a ranged fighter. This notion was further solidified by his sharp eyes, reminiscent of an eagle.
Next, the sword-carrying female answered, "Ahri Valentine."
Lucian looked into her dignified green eyes and nodded.
"Quinn Alphonse," the feeble healer responded.
Afterward, everyone announced their identity at an unhurried pace. By the end of it, Lucian committed their names to memory.
As the introductions gradually ended, Lucian panned his view between them.
The last three were Sylvia Starr, Adonis Brooks, and Aeran Drago; each of them possessed adequate equipment in Lucian's opinion. All that remained was for him to become aware of their abilities and enter the second floor.
However, Lucian didn't offer to return to the second floor just yet.
It'd be far too insensitive for him to do so. In the meantime, he turned his attention towards the Bronze Treasure Orb received from the tutorial completion. 'I've been neglecting this, but now that I have time, it'd be best to open this to see what I received.
〈Alert: You are opening the Bronze Treasure Orb. Do you wish to continue? [Y/N]? [Estimated Items: 2]〉
Lucian verified the opening without another thought. As a result, the orb disintegrated before being replaced by a wheel spinning at rapid speeds. From what Lucian saw, the outcome was based on the Guardian's timing.
If their Perception was lacking, then the odds of them choosing a good reward were reduced. However, if it was the reverse, then clearing the floors that rewarded said orbs were akin to small fortuitous encounters!
In Lucian's case, he fell somewhere along the middle tier. Although the wheel kept a constant pace with no signs of slowing down, Lucian noticed the sounds of his heartbeat growing prominent. The more he focused, the quicker the wheel slowed.
However, throbbing pain bombarded his temples after the wheel slowed to a certain degree. After all, his Hypervigilance was similar to overclocking a rig's CPU. There was a chance of him growing unstable the closer the operation principles moved towards his extreme limits.
'This'll have to do,' Lucian thought while clutching the side of his head. He then extended to stop the wheel with a convenient gesture.
Instantly, the system generated the items chosen.
〈Alert: Congratulations, opening the Bronze Treasure Orb has rewarded 3 items.〉
「You have received the following items:
Destiny Accumulations [2]
Meteorite Knuckles
Enhancement Voucher (Inferior) [3]」
For a Bronze orb, this wasn't a bad draw. The weapon alone was capable of gaining Lucian's interest. Unlike his other weaponry used until now, this one was a bonafide Tier 2 weapon!
「Item Name: Meteorite Knuckles
Ranking: Tier 2
Information: Capable of channeling Mana to deliver explosive blows carrying the remnants of a meteorite's strike. Increase the impacts of your melee attacks by one small enhancement. Created through the merged efforts of a forger and tailor.」
The image of a knuckle possessing a translucent body with refined black metal plates atop the white seams running through it appeared before Lucian's eyes. The image disappeared a few moments later only to be replaced by the genuine item.
Lucian analyzed the knuckles before equipping them. Surprisingly, they conformed to the size of his hands and felt weightless the moment he put them on. Even clenching his hand wasn't obstructed by the metal plates.
According to what he saw, Mana gave it a malleable property.
'A good weapon, but I don't possess the ideal qualities to take full advantage of this,' Lucian thought before glancing at the others.
Suddenly, Ahri sighed and looked towards Lucian, "I think we're ready to attempt the floor once again. However, should we fail I think this will be our last run ever."