"Both of you appeared remarkably close." The mentor, with her dark hair elegantly tied in a bun, and her determined yellow eyes, seemed to bore right through me as she approached.
Vanessa turned her back to acknowledge the incoming voice. It wasn't until she drew near that I realized she stood taller than Vanessa.
To be honest, the prospect of taking down the orc felt even more daunting without their support.
But then, Garen's voice echoed in my mind, 'Then, can you defeat it with just you and Vanessa?'
A wry smile formed at the thought of responding to his question. 'Even in that scenario, I would still defeat it. After all, difficulty doesn't equate to impossibility.'"
Vanessa's hand rested on my head, affectionately tousling my hair. "Well, you could say that. I've always thought of him as my younger brother," she proudly declared.
"Adlina Desmond," the mentor introduced herself, extending her hand toward Vanessa. Vanessa reciprocates the gesture.
"Vanessa Desea."
Simultaneously, I gently moved her hand away from my hair and took a step closer to both of them. My gaze locked onto the mentor's eyes.
"We haven't thanked you yet." I bowed respectfully, then straightened up to continue. "Thanks for the help, and we apologize for the trouble of bringing the monster to you."
Even if I managed to kill the orc, things might have turned for the worst for them if the orc was focusing on them rather than me.
The three of them wore surprised expressions upon hearing my courtesy. "You're quite polite, aren't you? Anyway, it wasn't a big deal. We also earned our share of points from hunting down the orc. Let's consider it even," Adlina replied.
She then turned her attention to me. "By the way, may I know your name, young one?"
I responded, "I'm Raul Vuren, from party number eleven."
"As I thought, your face struck a chord. You're that young man who secured the second spot in the individual ascendant rankings, right after Aria. At first, I couldn't quite place your appearance, likely because of the image displayed in the hall, with your hair soaked and all," she said, her tone laced with genuine recognition.
I chuckled softly, realizing that I had forgotten about that. It seemed that my face had already left an impression on people's minds because of it.
"My name is Luria Scallan. Raul, I recognize the excellence in your swordsmanship, especially that final blow. I ask, on a future day, you would honor me with a duel of swordsmanship," Luria spoke, bowing with utmost respect.
"Ah, ermm…Sure." I also replied with a bow.
As chance would have it, my gaze inadvertently intersected with another girl next to Luria, Dixe.
A subtle flicker of surprise graced her countenance as she realized she had been inadvertently staring at me. Swiftly, she dipped into a bow, perhaps to veil her momentary embarrassment, or so I surmised.
However, when her visage resurfaced, and she stood upright once more, it bore no trace of emotion whatsoever. Almost unconsciously, I found myself mirroring her earlier gesture with a bow of my own in response.
'What's with the chain reaction of politeness?'
'Shut up. I don't know. This is an awkward situation for me either.'
"Then, it appears our time here has concluded," Adlina suggested, gesturing to the bracelet on her waist that indicated it was time to depart in pursuit of hunting points. The trio headed in the opposite direction from where we were headed.
Vanessa chimed in with a sigh, "You're gaining quite the attention, aren't you?"
I furrowed my brow. "I don't believe I've achieved any significant level of popularity yet. And why do you sound dissatisfied at the prospect of me being popular?"
She responded with a nonchalant hum, "Oh, nothing in particular~"
Following our encounter with the orc, we embarked on further monster hunts. This time, I aimed to be more conservative with my mana, mindful of its substantial depletion during our previous battle.
When confronting each monster, I restricted my mana usage to enhancing my physical abilities with my sword. Simultaneously, I subtly absorbed ambient mana from my surroundings to replenish my own reserves.
Remarkably, I managed to vanquish three Low D-Rank Monsters and a single Intermediate D-Rank Monster alone, accumulating roughly 14 Points. Later, with Vanessa's assistance, we added another 5 points by dispatching two Intermediate D-Rank Monsters.
Our pace of hunting seemed impressively swift. It appeared that the confrontation with the orc had indeed honed my skills.
Three hours had elapsed since the commencement of our hunting challenge. We paused for a brief respite, replenishing our energy with the simple provisions we had brought along, graciously supplied by the guild.
As the minutes ticked by, I couldn't resist the urge to check our current point tally.
{ Team Points : 89 }
{ Points : 29.5 }
As a sense of satisfaction washed over me, content with our steadily growing team points, my attention was abruptly drawn to a notification icon that had appeared in the corner of my status window.
[ (!) Ongoing Quest ]
It didn't take me long to realise what it meant.
Shit.
Without hesitation, I delved into the notification, confirming my gut feeling. The ongoing quest displayed before me: "The Misfortune Quest." This revelation left me pondering, realizing that perhaps the orc wasn't the true obstacle of this quest after all.
Shit. If it wasn't that orc, then what?!
"Huh, we've returned to this spot," Vanessa remarked, coming to a sudden halt. "Isn't this where we encountered the orc?" She gestured towards the stone boulder that had been split in two.
A sense of unease crept over me. "You're... right," I responded hesitantly.
A sense of foreboding filled the air.
'Same here. There's a monstrous energy emanating from this area,' Garen conveyed his thoughts to me.
I began to scan the vicinity using my wind-sensing abilities, as I typically did.
"You've noticed something , haven't you?" Vanessa's curiosity was piqued by the change in my expression.
"Yeah..." I responded, my apprehension growing. I had indeed discovered something, but I hesitated to reveal it just yet, hoping that my gut feeling was incorrect this time.
"So, what is it?" Vanessa inquired, following my lead as we moved past the split boulder. The surroundings bore signs of destruction, as if another battle had recently transpired.
Drawing upon my photographic memory, I recalled that this place didn't resemble the aftermath of our initial encounter with the orc. It was different.
Finally, I reached the spot where my wind-sensing abilities had led me. I bent down, picked up what I had found, and examined it closely.
"That's..." Vanessa's surprise mirrored my own thoughts.
It was a small magic wand, and I had a sinking feeling about who the owner might be. Additional clues lay before us - Sharp Ices Stones embedded in the ground and trees, the lingering after-effects of earth magic, and marks indicating blade strikes on the trees, although these were the least conspicuous among the evidence.
"This magic wand belongs to Dixe, the girl with the blue hair," Vanessa spoke, her voice tinged with concern and anger.
I nodded in agreement, my tone carrying a sense of gravity. "Over there," I directed, my gaze pointing towards the indicated location.
'Raul, there's someone here. It appears they're on the brink of death! Behind those two broken trees!' Garen urgently alerted me.
Without a moment's delay, I hastened towards the location Garen had pointed out. What met our eyes left both Vanessa and me in shock – Adlina lay on the ground, gravely injured but still conscious.
"Vanessa, can you use healing magic?" I inquired urgently.
Her expression turned to one of terror as she replied, "I can't."
Suddenly, a man materialized seemingly out of thin air. Without wasting a second, he swiftly employed healing magic. He bore the guild symbol necklace and bracelet, marking him unmistakably as the judge.
Adlina's condition gradually improved, her breathing stabilizing.
The man turned his attention to Adlina, concern etched across his face. "What happened to your judge and your ascendants?" he inquired.
Adlina, despite the pain evident in her expression, managed to speak. "Orcs...three of them attacked... us." She continued, determination in her eyes. "They... took them... to the dungeon." A bout of coughing followed, and she spat out blood.
We all followed her gaze toward a massive, slightly ajar gate that loomed before us. It was a dungeon gate, a sight I had only encountered in books I used to read. This was the first time I had witnessed one with my own eyes.
The man's frustration was palpable. "Why would a dungeon gate suddenly appear here!?" he muttered angrily.
Then, a sharp warning from Garen pierced my thoughts: 'Raul! Dodge! From behind!'
Without a second thought, I harnessed the wind's power, sweeping everyone away from the area just in time. As we looked back, a colossal boulder crashed into our previous location.
"Damn it!" The man cursed.
To our astonishment, four enormous orcs emerged from behind the trees. They had been concealing themselves by blending into the forest's cover. What was even more remarkable was their ability to conceal their monstrous energy.
"Archer girl, can you provide cover fire?" The man swiftly requested.
Vanessa hesitated briefly but then nodded, her instincts kicking in.
The man turned to me with a command, "Boy, look after this lady."
He wasted no time and darted towards the approaching orcs with remarkable speed.
"No, instruct him to go after the girls first—" Adlina tugged at my clothes, still coughing.
I turned to her, my concern evident. "How long ago were they taken by the orc?"
"Approximately 30 minutes ago," Adlina responded, her words carrying the weight of genuine concern. Her expression teetered on the edge of tears as she pleaded with me.
I glanced back at the man engaged in a fierce battle against the four orcs, with Vanessa providing cover fire. It seemed they had a good chance of defeating the orcs, but it might take some time.
Now, I faced a critical decision. Should I assist the man, allowing us to chase after the girls together, or should I venture into the dungeon alone to rescue them? The choice weighed heavily on my shoulders.
Don't be a reckless idiot, fool. I shook my head and immediately made up my mind. "Understand." I said that to her.
I quickly joined the man who had distanced himself from the four menacing monsters.
"Great, looks like I needed a bit of your help, kid," the man remarked, his grip firm on both daggers.
I wasted no time in explaining, "That woman said the girls and the judge were taken into that dungeon. It wasn't long ago. We must finish this fight quickly and go after them."
The man, however, tried to temper my determination, saying, "Went after them? No, listen, kid. I don't think they're still alive. That's a High C-Rank Dungeon. Most of the monsters inside are likely on the same level as this orc. Even if we go there alone, we wouldn't stand a chance." We continued to dodge the incoming attacks of the orcs as we spoke.
"Then, what's our plan?!" I shouted, the distance between us growing.
"Finish this battle and wait for assistance. I've already sent a message to them. They should arrive within minutes!" the man responded.
But Garen's voice suddenly pierced through my thoughts urgently, 'Raul! Help won't come!'
"Why not?" I demanded, seeking an explanation.
'The dungeon over there emanates an energy that disrupts and interferes with any magical communication. The man needs to escape this area first if he wants to contact the guild for help. He likely thought the signal was sent,' Garen explained.
Oh, fuck! Dammit, this is all the fault of that Curse Box!
'Garen... I'm going into the dungeon,' I communicated my thoughts resolutely.
There was a moment of silence from Garen, as if he contemplated the gravity of my decision.
'Why!? If you die in there... that's it,' Garen protested.
'Because...' I paused, struggling to put my irrational impulse into words. 'My gut feeling compels me to go. And I can't forgive myself if anything happens to them.'
'Alright, if that's your decision. Then open the Transcendence Shop. There's something you should acquire there to aid you,' Garen finally relented, recognizing the conviction in my choice.