Chapter 14: Teammates
"We need more people in the party," Nith replied instantly.
He had thought about a few scenarios before asking Kyouka for her opinion on teaming up with others. Out of all the options, recruiting more members seemed like the best choice. Inviting people to the party allowed Nith to exploit others without their knowledge. As terrible as it sounded, trusting people too much often backfired in more ways than one.
Nith's cynical view of the world forced him to prioritize his own interests above all else. Kyouka's safety and well-being came right after that.
Kyouka nodded. "Your party skill will show everyone's status. You can tell them that's as far as it goes, hiding your other compatible skills. On top of ensuring our safety, the minimap will also reveal anything valuable they spot."
She had adventured with Nith long enough to understand his core nature.
However, Kyouka didn't sound like her usual self. Speaking less cheerfully and more seriously, she was forcing herself to see potential allies more as weapons than as people.
"Yeah," Nith agreed.
While Kyouka's serious mood didn't suit her and somewhat annoyed Nith, as if he disliked sharing his role with others, their next destination was a land of the unknown. If they died there, they wouldn't respawn; they would leave the world for good.
Considering all this, Nith looked at Kyouka in silence for a moment before speaking, "I wanted to come here alone."
"You would have missed dinner, then," Kyouka replied, lightening the mood.
"But now…" Nith's face slightly twisted, "…I'm relieved that you came here with me and are even willing to go to the second floor."
After saying those honest words, which were meant to break the tense atmosphere, Nith loudly clicked his tongue and dropped his back onto the floor, hiding his face from Kyouka. He was never honest with his feelings.
Perhaps it was because of his past years, both in this life and the previous one, where he spent his formative years alone, dealing with harsh realities as a teenager without much help.
A few people, however, could still tell when Nith was being honest, much to his disbelief.
In this moment, Kyouka didn't react with her usual body language but simply lifted the corners of her lips. She still couldn't break through the last hurdle, though.
"It's your special day, after all," Kyouka replied awkwardly, her eyes fixed on the heater in front of her.
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As the darkness receded somewhat from the heart of the swamps, other adventurers began their work by leveraging their high ground. Fishing for monsters and attacking them from a distance seemed to be the standard approach, with archers and mages calling the shots.
That didn't mean people stayed on their islands the entire time. To pick up loot, strong melee classes descended by vines. Sometimes, lurking monsters would ambush them.
Netta, the muscular woman Nith had spoken with an hour ago, was currently fighting against a giant lizard down below, assisted by her teammates. Their group turned out to be a team of six members, not counting two porters, half of whom were long-distance fighters. Two archers and a mage launched their skills at the lizard.
Meanwhile, the other two engaged in conversation with Nith and Kyouka. One of them was Ramon, whom Nith assumed to be the team's guardian. The other one was their leader and the main voice of the team—a swordsman with a scar over his right eye.
While Nith didn't have any fame, Kyouka did. The team's leader recognized Nith as someone who worked under her, and her possession of many high-quality potions belted to her waist increased Kyouka's credibility.
"In other words, you want to hire us," the leader said.
Sensing that the man across from him, perched on the other island, wanted to leverage their position, aware that Kyouka and Nith needed teammates, Nith snorted.
"We haven't told you much yet, but you should be sharp enough to understand that there's more to these swamps. We found out about it, and we're inviting you to come along with us. Riches, new prospects, and whatever else can be found there—you'll get a share of it. You want more? Fine, I see plenty of potential teammates here."
Kyouka inwardly sighed. 'You could be nicer, Nith.'
"No, I understand it much better now," the leader conceded. "I'm Norman. Great to put a face to the names! Let's discuss the details on your island, how about it?"
It would have been a mistake to miss the chance to work with Kyouka, who was currently the talk of the town. That much kept Norman from letting them go.
The details he referred to were Nith and Kyouka's skills and their potential contributions to the team. While Kyouka and Nith were known to be alchemists, the specifics of what they could do remained unknown so far.
"As for my team, we're all at the first stage," Norman said.
"The same goes for us," Nith replied.
Nith had three titles, and Kyouka had six… she was the closest to reaching the second stage, where her abilities would upgrade and her title capability would expand.
A/N: Thank you for reading so far! Leave powerstones, comments, and a review! It helps a lot!