(Leon's POV)
The adventurer's guild was alive with noise, louder than usual. The chatter was all about the mutant E-rank beast lurking in the outer forest. I couldn't stop smiling. This was it—our chance. We were finally going to be more than just a bunch of unranked adventurers struggling to make a name for ourselves.
"This is it," I said, leaning back in my chair. "Our shot at becoming real adventurers. You know what this means, right?"
I glanced around the table at my party. Derrick was sharpening his shield—if you could even sharpen a shield. Marie was twirling a tiny flame in her hand, clearly in her element. And then there was Lina, looking like she'd rather be anywhere else.
"We're really doing this?" Lina asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the table. "Come on, Lina. We've trained for this. And we're not going in alone. There's a full party of E-rankers and a D-rank leader to back us up. We just have to handle logistics. No big deal."
Lina frowned, not looking convinced. She was always cautious, but I could understand her nerves. This wasn't just another low-level hunt; this was a mutant. And mutants didn't play fair. But still, we weren't fighting it head-on. All we had to do was support.
"It's more than that," Marie chimed in, her eyes practically glowing with excitement. "This is our chance to make connections, Lina. Think about it—if we do well, the higher-ranked adventurers might start recognizing us."
Derrick gave a slow nod, his massive shield leaning against his leg. "And if they see us holding our ground, it'll open doors. Just stick to the plan, and we'll be fine."
I glanced back at Lina. She still looked like she was debating whether this was a good idea, but I could tell she was coming around.
"Look," I said, leaning in, "this isn't just a job. It's our chance to rise. Do you want to keep picking off unranked monsters forever, or do you want to move up?"
(Lina's POV)
Rise, huh? I knew Leon was all about proving himself, but I wasn't so sure. The last time we went into the forest, we barely made it back alive. And now he wanted to chase a mutant?
I didn't say it out loud, but the idea of venturing out with a party that had never fought anything close to this level made me nervous. More than nervous. My stomach was doing flips. But what could I say? Everyone else was excited—determined. I'd just look weak if I backed out now.
Marie was still talking about all the advantages this raid could bring us, but I was barely listening. My eyes drifted across the guildhall, and everywhere I looked, I saw seasoned adventurers preparing for something big. They were tough, experienced—everything we weren't. They had scars, better weapons, and most of all, confidence.
And me? I wasn't ready for this.
But Leon was grinning like he'd already won the fight.
"We'll be fine," Derrick said again, like that was supposed to be comforting. "Just stick together."
Right. Stick together. No one ever got picked off when they stuck together… except when they did.
I sighed, keeping my thoughts to myself. Maybe this was a bad idea, but I was in too deep now.
(Leon's POV)
I stood up, ready to go talk to Harlan and get everything locked in. The D-rank leader was sitting at the counter, looking over a list. When I approached, he didn't even glance up at first.
"Harlan," I said, standing straighter than usual. "You've got our team down for the raid, right?"
He gave a nod without looking up. "Yeah. You and your party are support. Logistics and equipment hauling."
"Right. Got it," I replied, forcing my excitement to stay in check.
Harlan finally looked up, his sharp eyes locking onto mine. "Listen, Leon. This is a mutant we're hunting. Don't get any ideas about glory. Just do your job, stay in your lane, and everything will go fine."
I gave him a cocky smile. "Of course. We'll stick to logistics."
Harlan nodded, then turned back to his list. I took that as my cue to leave.
As I walked back to the table, I couldn't help but grin. We were in. This was happening. Tomorrow, we'd be on the road, and in a few days, we'd be standing over the corpse of a mutant.
(Lina's POV)
When Leon returned, he looked like a kid on his birthday.
"We're set," he announced. "We leave at dawn."
I bit back the urge to ask again if this was a good idea. Instead, I nodded and looked at the others. Derrick was already packing up his gear, and Marie had that look in her eye—the one she got when she was about to throw herself into something reckless. How could I say no when they were so set on this?
But in the back of my mind, I couldn't help but feel like we were getting in over our heads. The guild was buzzing with talk of the mutant, and I had overheard a couple of experienced adventurers mentioning how dangerous it could be.
(Leon's POV)
As the sun set and the guild started to quiet down, I couldn't shake the excitement bubbling inside me. This was it—the raid that was going to put us on the map. I'd been waiting for something like this, and now, it was right in front of us.
As I lay down that night, I couldn't stop thinking about the mutant's mana core. They were rare—one in a hundred beasts had one. Mutant beasts have a higher chance of possessing a core, and even at E rank, a mutant core is rare. There's a chance that whoever absorbs it could gain one of the monster's skills, and a mutant's skill would definitely be more powerful than that of a regular beast
And if we brought something like that back, we'd be famous in the village—heck, even nobles might hear of our achievement. A mutant core with a powerful skill? That's the kind of thing that could change everything for us.
No more low-level hunts. No more scrapping for small rewards. This was the start of something bigger. All I had to do was stay focused.
(Lina's POV)
Meanwhile, I tossed and turned in bed, trying to ignore the feeling of dread creeping up my spine. Maybe it was just nerves. Maybe it was more than that. But whatever it was, I wasn't going to back out now. I'd made my choice.
Tomorrow, we'd be leaving for the raid. And with any luck, we'd all come back in one piece.