"Knights of Judah" stood as one of the highest-ranking adventurers' guilds, populated by high-level adventurers. Leveraging their strength and influence, they gained control over numerous dungeons worldwide. Occasionally, they barred entry to dungeons when their members were training or grinding for experience points. Unjust rules emerged too, such as demanding independent adventurers pay a percentage of their spoils as a tax for dungeon access. These practices stirred profound anger among independent adventurers.
Guilds pursued monsters that promised high experience points and valuable loot. They also possessed potent magic weapons obtained from dungeons. For ordinary adventurers, this proved a significant disadvantage. Individuals without connections, like Rin, faced this blatant tyranny head-on. Guilds evolved into powers comparable to militaries, beyond the reach of even national governments. Clashes between them would only result in mutual losses. Governments opted to allow the guilds leeway, securing concessions in return, often in the form of magic weapons or monetary benefits.
Weak adventurers like Rin found themselves suppressed, with little recourse.
As fiction metamorphosed into reality, the world blossomed with vivid color and wonder through the manifestation of Skills and Levels. However, this transformation failed to deter the greed of malevolent individuals.
Shifting focus, within the Knights of Judah's eastern branch, a cherubic girl with long, silky black hair strolled past the cafeteria. Heads of male adventurers swiveled to catch a glimpse of her extraordinary beauty. This girl was Shina Grandbell, one of the esteemed S-rank adventurers in the Knights of Judah, renowned for saving Rin from an earth dragon.
Attaining S-rank status required surpassing level 1,000 and awakening most of one's skills. Shina could rival demons at her level due to her remarkable skillset. Even in her youth, she defeated dragons, acquiring the skill called "Severing." This skill, activated regardless of the weapon she wielded, could slice through anything with unparalleled precision. This ability defied level limitations, hastening her swift progress.
Shina's extraordinary skills attracted the Knights of Judah, resulting in her prompt recruitment. Membership in such a formidable guild was a dream come true for any adventurer. Beyond benefits and generous compensation, Shina harbored a more profound motivation; she aimed to grow stronger and fulfill a goal shrouded in secrecy.
"Popular as ever… Miss Angel."
"Please don't call me that or else I'll cut you down," Shina replied.
The one who greeted Shina was one of her party members and one of the most outgoing. Nash Springfield.
Nash Springfield, a boisterous party member, and notorious womanizer, greeted Shina with his signature charm. Shina's stern response compelled Nash to backtrack, jokingly inviting her to a party. However, Shina's cold demeanor persisted, illustrated by her grip on her sword.
"So cold… But that's the way I like it. Anyways, do you have time? I'm going to have a party at my house with my girlfriends. You can join them if you wanted."
"Creepy… Stay away from me."
Shina holds her sword ready.
Nash stepped back in panic. "You really don't know how to read the mood. I'm just kidding… So please put down your sword." Nash sweats while wearing an awkward smile.
"Still no luck… I think you should give up. Shina was probably the type that doesn't care about romantic stuff."
A woman named Liane, the party's archmage, joined the conversation. While lacking striking features, Liane excelled in magic, boasting impressive knowledge and a skill called "Strong Barrier." Her ability to create impenetrable barriers and unleash potent spells showcased her exceptional magical prowess. Her skill is mediocrely called "Strong barrier". As the name implies it only creates a strong barrier. But the known magic she can use already reached 100. Laine was born with a huge magical pool in her body. She could cast highly destructive skills to bombard her enemies.
"It's not that I don't care about romance… I think having someone special with you to traverse the difficulty of life is wonderful." Shina replied.
"Well, I think I misjudged you… I'm sorry…"
"No need to apologize… I tend to push people away from me and I'm not really good at communicating… But I was practicing every day… recently, I saved a man and I was able to converse with him normally."
"I see… I see…"
"If you're interested in romance. I know an upcoming mixer You should go and join us."
"Nope… I heard many girls are getting sexually harassed in mixers. I better stay away to protect myself."
"Nash is a pervert of course he brings girls to mixers to take advantage of them."
"How the two of you can talk to me like that normally?"
"Because we can just kill you." Liane and Shina said in unison. Their voice was so casual it brought chills to Nash's spine.
The two girls are not wrong. If ever Nash does something ridiculous to them. His a definitely deadman.
Nash sulked down and followed the two girls to the branch leader's office.
The trio proceeded to the branch leader's office, where they found Sora, their party leader, sipping a green tea juice box. Despite Sora's carefree demeanor, he harbored formidable strength beneath his facade. His presence alone challenged the leader's authority.
The leader, grappling with a migraine, expressed frustration over the emergence of irregular monsters in dungeons.
Sitting on the sofa while sipping a green tea juice box was the party leader, Sora. He's a man in his mid-twenties who still acts like a teenager. His a very easy going guy, but his not called a leader for nothing. Hidden this childish act was a monster. And in the whole branch his the only one who has the guts to act like this in front of the leader.
The leader lost his composure for a second and slammed his hand on the desk loudly.
"What the hell is going on!"
"Stop thinking too much about it… That's the reason you're losing your hair so fast."
"I think the reason I'm losing my hair so fast is because of you. Because of the crap you've given me…"
The leader took a deep breath and returned to his seat.
"Oh, the three of you. Do you have any new reports about the monsters appearing in other dungeons?"
"Nothing special, but we confirm that irregular monsters are appearing in the Serdin dungeon."
"Serdin… The A-rank dungeon… This is another headache. We've already lost three dungeons because of this disaster. If we lose another dungeon, the number of spoils we're collecting will be reduced to 40%, and the headmaster will be very displeased."
"I've already suggested this before. We should leave this guild and build a new one. An independent guild where we can do whatever we want." Sora suggested with his annoyingly optimistic smile.
"Are you stupid?!" The leader shouted at Sora.
"Building a new guild takes a lot of effort, money, and assets. Plus, the government has become more demanding in recent years. If their disagreements escalate, a war could occur…"
Shina stepped forward. "Leader, is there something we can do about the irregular monsters?"
"At the very least, we can deploy adventurers to eradicate them and seal the portals."
"Can't we just locate the cause of the portals?" Shina suggested.
"I've already thought about that. But the demon causing the portals to open is deep inside the dungeon. It will take time before we're able to exterminate it. The higher-ups have already dispatched a group of high-ranking adventurers."
"So, all we can do is wait, huh? But it's not certain if they'll be able to exterminate it before another dungeon collapses," Liane added.
"That's our problem now…"
"What a bunch of idiots… How about someone just jumps into the portal and defeats the demon on the other side? It's insane, but that method would ensure we locate the demon." Sora said something incredible.
"Are you stupid? The other side of the portal could be a danger zone. No, it's definitely a death zone. There is no idiot who would jump inside a portal to who knows where it will take them… If you're not a skilled fighter, I would have fired you a long time ago… I'm not going to beat around the bush. I want all of you to be on guard at Serdin's entrance in the meantime. I received a report that a monster capable of collapsing the dungeon appeared, and the team dispatched to kill the said monster is all dead… The monster's appearance, name, and level are unknown."
"Is the team from the international branch?"
"Yes, there are two S-ranks with them, and most of the team consists of A-rank adventurers. They're all killed. The possibility of the monster breaching the invisible wall is possible. That's why I want you, the most powerful team, to be on the lookout in the meantime."
"What a bummer… I had plans for tonight," Nash muttered.
"Don't worry, I'll triple your salary this month. The possibility of it appearing and breaching the dungeon is still less than 1%."
"Then, you're just overthinking baldy," Sora said.
"Want me to kill you?" The branch leader was more pissed the ever.
"Your nerves are popping out. Anyway, don't worry about it. My special skill will surely bring us back. And with all of our power, we'll do our best to fulfill this duty. As knights and adventurers."
Sora stood up with a confident smile and readied to exit. The three bowed down and followed Sora was they made their leave.
The branch leader let out a sigh and whispered, "His arrogance will definitely come back to haunt him... But I'm unsure how to set him straight. What should I do now?"
…
"Where is the newly appointed healer? Her name is Natasha, right?" Sora asked.
"She's in her clinic, healing adventurers, I think," Laine replied.
"Tell her that we're on duty. It's trouble if we don't have our healer."
"I wonder what happened to our previous healer?" Nash said. "She's cute. I regret not taking her to bed for one night."
"You really are the worst kind of man… But I do feel bad about her. That midget… She's probably dead after we left her," Liane said.
"..." Shina cast her head down in silence, feeling regretful. The face of the girl was still in her mind. And during that time, Shina had decided to leave her to save herself.
"The Black Forest dungeon has already collapsed; there's nothing we can do about her. The only way for her to survive is to dig a hole until she reaches another dungeon. However, she's only a healer. There is nothing she can do to save herself. She's simply unfortunate." Sora said casually as if it were normal.
Shina's pensive reflection on their previous healer's fate underscored the stakes. The knowledge that their former comrade, Kagari, was left to perish haunted her. A solemn vow of remembrance stirred within her, urging her to defy such a fate for others.
"I promise not to let it happen again." Shina clenched her fist. "Kagari, your sacrifice won't be in vain."