Daybreak arrived, and once it was approaching noon, all the Otherworlders gathered together.
There was only one reason for such; especially after formal training had been discarded in favor of personalized training and duels.
Since Brutus and Lucielle had gone to the frontlines—including all the competent Mages and Warriors available—the only ones left weren't competent enough to train the Otherworlders
Plus, since they were only nine now, the Capital had more than enough resources to support individual training.
Hence, pending the time for the Raid, it was agreed that this would be the new training method.
However, today was different.
All the Otherworlders were here, along with the two members of the Royal Council, to meet with none other than the Dark Adventurer himself.
—Ralyks!
"Sir Ralyks, we are so pleased to have you with us." Conrad smiled at the masked man.
"Indeed." Vida emphasized.
The Dark Adventurer shrugged despite their display of high regard for him.
He had no use for formalities.
"So these are the nine who will descend…" Ralyks spoke, turning to the nine who stood before him.
They were of different heights, builds, and many other factors.
However, if they all had something in common, it was this—
"You're all young. Weak too."
Indeed. Ralyks had called them the very word that no one in the Royal Estate had ever referred to them as.
Expressions of disbelief washed over the faces of the teenagers who stood before him.
No, by this world's standards, they were pretty much adults.
Their faces clearly depicted surprise.
"Haha! It is as you say, Sir Ralyks. That is why they need your guidance." Conrad added oil to the flames by his patronizing remarks to the Dark Adventurer.
This was the very same man who had told them they were special, and that only they could save the world.
Right now, he was bending over backwards to an absolute stranger; albeit one who killed a Dragon and saved the Capital.
So, yes… Conrad was onto something.
"I'd like to be left alone with them, if you don't mind." Ralyks looked at both Conrad and Vida as he spoke.
They nodded instantly.
"Understand. Well, we will be taking our leave now."
"Make sure you listen to everything Sir Ralyks tells you."
The two Councilors left the nine in the hands of a man they barely knew—not even showing the slightest hints of hesitation.
The reason was simple,
They had to attend to other important affairs—like the Mana Crystals that had been mined already, the production of ingots and raw materials meant for the Items they planned to bestow upon the Otherworlders, and finally the issue with the Criminal Underworld.
These were all issues that required immediate attention, so they were happy to be excused.
"Introduce yourselves." Ralyks spoke aloud, his voice as deep as the blackness of his garment.
And so, they began.
"My name is Adonis Levi."
Ralyks nodded as soon as he heard the name, looking at the rest for their words.
"I'm Alicia White."
"Justin Blake."
"Just call me Clark."
"I'm Eric."
"My name is Trisha."
"R-Rey… is my name."
"Billy… McGuire… sir."
"I'm Belle. Nice to meet you, Sir Ralyks."
Once they were done with their introductions, the Dark Adventurer nodded in satisfaction.
"If you think you are strong… step forward." He said.
No one moved an inch.
How could they? After seeing the full might of a Dragon, who could dare say they were strong?
After suffering the humiliation of nearly being sold as slaves, not even Alicia or Billy could move their still legs.
But… that wasn't all.
After witnessing the power of the man in front of them, sensing the power that oozed from his body alone, how could they even compete with his power ?
The answer was that they couldn't.
They were all weak—at least, compared to the standard they strived for—so no one had enough hubris to exert their strength.
In the eyes of the man who was truly strong, they were nothing.
"It's a good thing you all know your place. But there's no need to have such downtrodden faces, though."
As Ralyks said this, he got surprised reactions from everyone.
"There's nothing shameful about being weak. We all start out that way. The true shame lies in remaining that same way after being given the opportunity to improve."
There was an opportunity standing in front of them right now.
He stretched out his hand as he continued.
"The Royal Dungeon is more dangerous than ever, but it'll make you strong. You all have a choice. To remain as weak as you are, or to step forward and choose to be strong."
His words echoed in the air as he narrowed his crimson eyes.
"What will it be?"
The first trembling leg stepped forward. It belonged to none other than Adonis.
"I choose to become strong!" He yelled with a passion.
The next step was from Trisha, as her beautiful face gave off sheer resolve.
"I also choose to become strong!"
One after the other, the rest followed. Justin, Eric, Clark, Alicia, Belle, Billy… and Rey.
They were all prepared for the task ahead.
"Good." He nodded.
"You all need the right set of gear to go into the Dungeon, and based on my discussions with your superiors, it'll take a few more days before they're prepared."
That meant they still had a bit of time to grow stronger—before they entered the jaws of death.
"In the meantime, I will be supervising your training. I'll be teaching you how to properly act in a Dungeon."
Attack. Defense. Strategy.
Everything necessary to succeed in a Dungeon would be taught by the man before them.
Since he had Summoning Magic, he could always bring out monsters and teach them the best ways to subjugate them.
There were no downsides to his tutelage.
"But first… I need to know just how strong or weak you currently are." Ralyks threw aside his cape and hood, leaving only his mask and black garment underneath.
"All of you will attack me at the same time." He made a battle stance and looked at the weaklings that were determined to be more.
Something about their bright eyes made him all the more assured of his instruction.
"Go ahead. Don't hold anything back."