The sun emerged from the horizon, casting its tender glow upon the world, a stark contradiction to the constant turmoil and tragedies that gripped the land. Despite the prevailing chaos, this new day held the promise of change for all. People endeavored to shed the burdens of yesterday, striving to move forward with their lives. Nowhere was this resilience more evident than at the Discity Adventurer's Guild.
The Guild compound buzzed with activity as adventurers engaged in their work, exchanged gossip, and honed their skills. In the past fortnight, quests had been scarce, but today, an air of anticipation hung thick in the atmosphere. The operation that could potentially bring an end to the ongoing war was on the horizon.
Within the Guild's training facilities, one adventurer stood out, radiating an infectious enthusiasm. With energetic stretches that echoed with the crackle of joints, he prepared for what had become a familiar spectacle. Taking a crouched stance, the onlookers knew what would unfold next—it was a scene they had witnessed many times before.
A sudden whoosh marked the beginning of the adventurer's mad sprint towards the outside. This time, however, he added a twist to his routine. As he sped past, he boisterously greeted everyone with a hearty 'Hi,' the loudness of his voice drawing surprised gasps and yelps from those in his wake. To many, he was nothing more than a blur, leaving behind a fleeting word of greeting.
In the aftermath of this unusual display, the legend of the 'Hi' ghost would weave its way through the guild, becoming a whispered tale among the junior members.The person.s name was Faze.
The morning light filters through the tinted glass of the cafe. Aby, Alia, and Irene are sitting at a round table, and one of the seats reserved is still empty. The cafe is buzzing with the sounds of adventurers having breakfast and chatting.
"Your presences are clearly different from before. See? Getting beaten up and fainting does wonders for your status."
Aby talks as she chugs down a prawn fry.
"Alia's improvement is the most notable to me. Wha... Aby! Stop taking Faze's portion. That is not good manners."
"It's his fault for being late. I believe he is doing that 'dynamic stretching' that he does every time."
"I think that is pretty important after 'your' training."
"Sure, but who gets down to an exercise right after regaining consciousness? The first thing that comes to my mind is a cup of latte and... oh?"
Then.
The door opens suddenly, and Faze enters the cafe.
As always, Faze cannot go on without his shenanigans.
"Did I hear Latte?!!" He screams.
The heads of every adventurer in the cafe turn towards him. Some are amused, and some are not.
"Pipe it down, will ya?" Someone from the left of the cafe remarks.
"Ughhh." Irene frowns and lowers her head in shame, as if trying to say, 'I don't know him.'
Aby is simply unfazed though and doesn't care.
"DIDN'T KNOW YOU LIKED LATTE! I'LL ORDER ONE!!"
The adventurer who was about to get up and start a fight simply shrinks down to his seat. Alia remains blank the entire time; she could earn a title 'The Indifferent Valkyrie.'
"COME OVER HERE, FAZE. WE HAVE ALL TYPES OF LATTES. LEMON IS PARTICULARLY MY FAVORITE."
At this point, no adventurer even bothers to criticize or look at them.
Faze swiftly makes his way to the round table and takes his seat. A waiter of the cafe brings him the so-called 'Lemon Latte'. One would instantly mistake this for a potion created for melting bodies or something because the color and aroma are very 'unique', to say the least. Instead of the usual brownish color with a cream decoration on top, this is almost yellowish-brownish, and the cream on top is... bubbling like Coca-Cola.
Faze, being the brave adventurer he is, gulps it down without any hesitation. The taste feels like a mixture of coffee and lemon soda, which can only be called 'unique'. It creates a burning sensation in his throat and makes him 'ascend'.
"Uhhhh Faze?" Irene looks worried. "You're wobbling in a sitting position... Aby, what was that?"
"I kinda forgot that was poisonous if you don't have poison resistance."
"....."
Irene immediately gets down to casting healing on Faze without a word.
"Ehh, don't worry; it won't get him killed."
"..."
It is only a few minutes later that Faze comes to be again. The waiter apologizes and tells them that the 'Lemon Latte' was only developed to fit Aby's taste.
After everyone has shown their status window, Aby breaks the silence.
"You guys... You'll surpass me in no time if this continues. As your instructor, that is unacceptable to me. Just wait till we get back from this operation...."
"Oh, don't get too competitive now. We're still far away from you." Irene rolls her eyes.
"Are you for real? You just broke through to C- rank!!!!"
This shout evokes glances from many adventurers in the cafe. Irene speaks in her usual calm voice.
"But this is where it gets hard, does it not? And I don't even know how much potential I have left anyway. If anything, Alia and Faze are the most impressive ones. They broke through to D+ rank in a simple few days. I was stuck for one and a half months before I broke through to D."
"All of you are monsters... perhaps we'll have new powerhouses in our guild soon. In that case, we are to win the next Intercity Guild Competition for certain!"
"M-monsters?! L-let's just get down to the planning, shall we?" Irene seems flustered.
Maybe she has never been called a monster before.
"So now-"
"Monsters... Yes, we have to be monsters if we want to be worthy proteges of Aby," Faze mutters out loud.
Irene is about to scold him, but then Faze compliments the new lance technique she developed.
"Your new skill is very creative."
At the compliment, Irene stops the barrage of words that were about to get out of her mouth. Faze continues.
"Alia's stats are really good too, but as Aby's best student, my stats are naturally the best."
"Actually, Irene is my best student...."
"JUST STOP, YOU TWO."
Irene's voice takes a little dangerous turn, and Aby coughs.
"Ahem, I will be getting down to business."
Aby's demeanor instantly gets serious, a testament that she is a seasoned adventurer.
"The guild has accepted that proposal from The Bureau. Today at dawn, the final decision was made. The team will be smaller than before. Guildmaster, Carl, Abbel, and I will be going. Carl will be taking the elite team of the intelligence department with him, three C ranks and one C+ rank. The rest were supposed to have no teams, but I made a referral to take you guys in the operation. The guildmaster didn't agree at first, but after Carl pointed out that your capabilities exceed your rank, he relented."
"I will be going. This is a good chance for growth," Irene says. "What about you guys?"
"Of course, they will go," Aby smirks. "Right? After all, you all can be said to be the most powerful adventurers after Carl's team."