It has been a few months since Yuna and Nerium embarked on their adventuring journey. Over these months, they've tirelessly striven to elevate their guild rank. Presently, Yuna holds the rank of C, while Nerium stands at rank D.
"Why is Nerium one rank below me?" Yuna inquired.
"It's because you're the only one who has completed quests so far, leaving us uncertain about Nerium's abilities," Aira responded.
"Wait, so this is my fault?" Yuna exclaimed.
"Well, probably," Yukki whispered to herself.
"Don't worry. I don't mind being one rank below you, Yuna," Nerium calmly assured, meeting Yuna's gaze.
"But even if you say that... hmm," Yuna mused, deep in thought, causing Nerium and Yukki to grow slightly concerned.
"Then, it's settled!" Yuna suddenly proclaimed, startling those around her.
"Settled?" Yukki asked, taken aback.
"We'll explore our first dungeon!" Yuna declared, slamming a quest document onto the reception desk. The quest was about dungeon exploration, with a difficulty ranking of D. Thus, they were qualified to take it on.
"Our next quest is a lengthy one, so prepare yourselves, Yukki and Nerium," Yuna directed, pointing to them.
"Dungeon exploring?!?" Yukki exclaimed, shocked.
"Isn't dungeon exploring one of the most challenging quests, even at D rank? You never know what you might encounter! And nobody has ever reached the deepest parts yet!" Yukki protested vehemently.
"Don't worry, Yukki! We'll make sure we slaughter them all!" Yuna grinned at Yukki.
"That's not the problem here!!"
"Dungeon exploring... how exciting..." Nerium mumbled to herself.
"Aira, we accept this quest!" Yuna told Aira, who had been observing from across the reception table.
"Sigh... alright. This quest has been accepted and needs to be completed within 2 weeks," Aira responded, handing Yuna the quest paper.
"Oh, thank you! Let's go prepare for our first dungeon exploration!" Yuna cheered, raising her hand.
"Roger!" Nerium followed suit with her hand raised, while Yukki seemed somewhat downcast.
"Why am I here..." Yukki sulked to herself.
"Well, well! It's just dungeon explor—," Yuna began, but her sentence was abruptly interrupted as a loud door swung open, revealing two adventurers covered in blood.
"Help! Is there a healer?" one of them shouted to the entire guild.
"What happened?" Yuna approached and asked one of them.
"Yuna?! There's been a dungeon outbreak while we were exploring. We rushed here as fast as we could, but the monsters will arrive here in a few hours!" Both adventurers spoke in desperation and exhaustion, having clearly run here as quickly as possible.
"Don't worry... Middle Heal!" Yuna cast a healing spell—not just any healing spell, but a mid-level one capable of mending both minor and life-threatening injuries.
"Amazing... thank you, Yuna," they both said, sitting down and expressing their gratitude.
"How many monsters are there in total?" Aira inquired.
"... Approximately 300 beasts."
"300?! There's no way we can beat them," murmured people in the background.
"Only 300?" Yuna interjected.
"What do you mean by 'only'? Yuna, no matter how strong you are, you can't defeat them alone!" one of the adventurers retorted.
"Don't worry. I've got a foolproof plan!" Yuna flashed a victory sign.
"If... if you say so."
"Everyone, my plan can't be executed by me alone. I need assistance from all of you. If you're willing to help, raise your hand! I need at least 3 people!" Yuna called out to the crowd behind them.
"Excuse me, we can volunteer!" Two adventurers raised their hands, whom Yuna recognized.
"Hmm, forgive me if I'm wrong, but... were you the ones who blocked my path that day?" Yuna approached them.
"T-That's correct. We meant no harm! We just wanted to invite you to our party, but it seems Red didn't acknowledge you yet... I apologize for him," both of them bowed before Yuna.
"You don't need to bow. Your volunteering for my plan is more than enough," Yuna said, offering them a warm smile.
"What are your names?" Yuna inquired.
"I'm Miyu. And the one dressed as a mage is Shiro. Nice to meet you," Miyu said, extending her hand for a handshake.
"Yuna. This is Nerium, and finally, Yukki. Nice to meet you too," Yuna responded, shaking Miyu's hand.
"But we still need one more person... Is there anyone else who wants to volunteer?" Yuna called out. After a few moments of silence, someone finally raised their hand.
"I-I can volunteer..." Yukki raised her hand.
"Yukki?" Yuna was taken aback, never expecting Yukki to voluntarily put herself in a dangerous situation. Yuna straightened her posture and looked Yukki in the eye with a serious expression.
"Are you sure, Yukki? Once you go in there, there's no turning back," Yuna said gravely.
"Geez! Now you're making me reconsider!" Yukki lightly punched Yuna.
"But... I'm sure... I can do this," Yukki replied to Yuna.
"I see. Everyone, follow me." Yuna left the guild, with Yukki, Nerium, Miyu, and Shiro trailing behind.
"Where are we going?" Nerium asked as she followed Yuna.
"To the center of town," Yuna replied.
"The center of town?" Miyu muttered with a worried expression.
"That's right. We're going to create a permanent barrier covering the entire town," Yuna explained, turning back with a broad smile.
"A barrier? Isn't that national-class magic?" Miyu whispered to Yukki.
"That's right... A barrier is considered national-class magic, and yet Yuna is making it sound so casual," Yukki replied to Miyu.
"What role can we possibly play in this?" Miyu mused to herself.
To be continued... sorry for the delay. but i finally able to upload another chapter!