Every member of Ironmight was perplexed by the sudden appearance of Alviona, let alone her announcement.

“W-what did you just say?!” Asked Salia, her face bearing a resemblance to a ghost. The woman was not able to analyze the information that streamed into her head. “Who is this girl, why is she here, and what does she mean by knowing of our problem?” These were the questions that flooded her mind.

“Mistress, may I speak on your behalf?” Asked Solomon, getting nervous about Alviona possibly giving out more information than necessary. Under no circumstances was she allowed to reveal her identity to commoners. Mira was correct in instructing him not to let this scenario developing.

The girl smiled and nodded.

Okie, she told him mentally, stepping back a little but not letting go of his hand.

“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I would like to apologize for our sudden intrusion; however, we have some business with you. Is it possible to speak to you privately, away from eavesdroppers?” Asked Solomon, turning to face Ironmight after Alviona’s permission was granted. His tone was carefully chosen to display respect, caution, and seriousness of his words. After all, he was speaking on behalf of a goddess.

Ironmight fell into thought.

“I understand, but this is too sudden. Do you mind giving us one hour? We will discuss amongst ourselves, and after we can meet up at your camping place. How about it?” Asked Brunor, tossing a glance at the members of his party. Everyone seemed to agree.

“In that case, we will wait for you,” replied Solomon, bowing once and taking his leave with Alviona.

Seeing them exit, Brunor relaxed a little.

“W-what was that?!” Asked Lucas, whose mouth was in paralysis all this time.

“That was an otherworldly beauty,” replied Hayden who found herself in the same situation as the comrade next to her. “Brunor, the man that talked in the girl’s stead. What do you think of him?”

“Hm,” fell Brunor into thought. “I think he looks like a strong warrior. Judging from his stature, I would not be surprised if he can wield a massive sword and cleave off multiple heads from his foes. His gear cloak appeared to be in tatters, and he seems to be missing a right limb. However, I do not doubt his combat prowess.”

“What of the girl then? She said she knew of our problem. To make it worse, she has seen us? What?! How is that possible?” Asked Salia confused.

“I do not know what to say about that case. I can not assess the girl either. She wore simple leather armor, one that novices purchase as their first item. Heck, I do not even know if she is a magician, rogue, assassin, archer or healer. Whatever her class is, she is a mystery,” said Lucas, who had sharp eyes when picking out recruits.

“So, what do we do?” Asked Hayden, who was getting impatient.

“Isn’t it obvious? We can not do anything with the given information. Recruiting newbies in such a place is dangerous. Did you forget that Janek died?! However, I can not deny that the girl is something odd. She possesses information that we have not shared with others yet. I think we should, at the very least, observe her,” replied Salia, looking at Brunor and waiting for his decision.

“I agree with you,” replied Brunor after some time. “Ironmight should display courtesy and let the two of them know of our decision. Perhaps we can give them a trial run? Anyone that objects, raise your hands.”

Seeing that nobody did so, Brunor grinned and stood up. The rest of Ironmight followed their captain towards the residential area, where camps were set up by various adventurers. Looking for some time, they found that the people of interest were not far away from Brunor and Salia's tent. The guard had told them that only one new group entered the encampment.

“Whoa! Fancy tent,” said Lucas, pointing at the carriage that belonged to Mira. However, the people of interest seemed to be absent.

“Well, where are they?!” asked Salia.

“Are you looking for someone?” Asked a voice that came from inside the tent.

“Y-yes. You arrived an hour ago right?” Asked Hayden, trying to peek inside the carriage.

“That is correct. Who are you looking for?” Asked a young woman that came outside and leaned against the door.

“Uhm, that… Good morning. My name is Brunor. I am the captain of Ironmight, a group under Adventurer’s guild. We are looking for a girl named Alviona,” replied the man, trying not to sound suspicious or rude.

“Oh, I see. The girl just went outside the camp to hunt some goblins alongside her grandmother. You will find them there,” directed Janine, who was left behind to rest as she was exhausted from driving the carriage for nearly five days now.

Brunor thanked the girl and led his party outside the encampment. The morning was still young. Most adventurers were having their breakfast or were exploring the dungeon. Nobody was visible in the vicinity. However, as the party kept moving, the sight of goblin corpses came into their view. Following the trail, Ironmight located their person of interest.

------------------------------

“Alviona, stop trying to hug a goblin!” Ordered Mira to the child, who has been trying to pull off every type of shenanigan that one could imagine.

“B-but these goblins are nice,” said the girl, an arrow launched towards her that she nimbly avoided. “See? They are trying to greet me with their sticks.”

*Special Head Chop*

“Owie! That hurts! Meanie! Why?!” Demanded Alviona, quickly covering the head that was not aching but did not feel pleasant at all.

“Mistress! Pay attention! That goblin is not trying to play with you. Those sticks it is launching at you are meant to harm you. The arrows are coated with poison,” said Solomon, pointing towards the tip of the arrow that had an odd alloy applied to it.

“H-harm me?! Aaw, I thought you were a good creature!” Said the child with her eyes broadened, disappointed by the inappropriate actions that the assailants committed. “Mr. Goblin, You are a meanie! I will punish you!” She continued, randomly waving her hands around.

Mira had asked Solomon not to interfere with Alviona’s training and learning experience, so he was unable to cast any spells. However, both of them were teaching her what to do.

“Child, do not let any of those arrows hit you. You must learn how to protect yourself by utilizing the given equipment, known abilities, and your surroundings. Remember, anything can be used offensively and defensively. Just recall the boulder you summoned when fighting the wolves. Think, how can you close the distance against the ranged opponent without endangering yourself. Perhaps try using [Agility]? While I am not familiar with Martial schools of magic, the theory behind it is to boost the speed at which you move,” said Mira, teaching her granddaughter to the best of her knowledge. Only one week remained before arrival at the academy, and she had to ensure that Alviona would know as much as possible before enrolling.

The girl was moving around, swiftly and nimbly dodging arrows while thinking of ways to close the gap.

There are a total of four meanies. Two archer thingies, one with a sword and a shield, and one support. Grandma told me that eliminating supports is hard because they have barriers to reduce incoming magic damage, and can even nullify it at times. My equipment consists of a shield, a sword, and a dagger. I need to test them out first, so I have to make a frontal assault.

Thinking this, Alviona rushed towards the goblins. Arrows were still flying her way. Since the distance shortened, the archers were finally able to hit their mark. However, the girl was unharmed. The shield she held in front of her was extended as far away from her body as possible, resulting in arrows piercing through the wood but never reaching any vital spots. The boss part also helped against incurring any damage to the hand that held the defense.

Alviona attempted going in on the archers to land thrust at them with her gladius. However, she was stopped from doing this as the front-line goblin rapidly closed in on her. The creature halted her action with its shield, deflecting the attack, and pushing the girl back with its sturdy body. Despite its small size, the goblin proved to be a very formidable opponent when it came to strength.

“Mira, I should help her! She is not handling it well!” Exclaimed Solomon, who was only watching up to this point. The man was getting agitated.

“No. Do not worry, and please do not interfere. I cast a protection spell on Alviona so even if the goblins bash her with a hammer, it will be futile. Just watch. It is her first time experiencing real combat. She is against opponents that can think quickly and adapt. They have plans and strategies. You can not underestimate them, but I still think she will manage it,” replied Mira, silencing the man and resuming her observation.

Alviona attempted to slash at the goblin’s body, but her sword was useless against the steel armor worn by the creature.

Hm, this is not good. I can not fight it in close combat. Furthermore, the support keeps casting some spells to strengthen the archers, as the speed at which they launch their arrows at me have increased. They are small but work well together. Aaw, so cute! I want to hug one goblin. No! Alviona, hold it together. They tried and still are actively trying to hurt me. It means that they are meanies! I don’t want to play with them, thought the child as she analyzed ways to deal with this tough situation.

Aaw, I wonder if the goblin feels hot inside that metallic armor. It must be really uncomfortable. Wait, heat… Heat! Aha! I got it! But first, I need to stop the support. How can I accomplish that? If I launch a fireball, Mr. Meanie will notice it and block it with barrier… Block… Notice… Hm, I think I have an idea. Let me experiment a little, thought Alviona, devising a method to deal with every opponent simultaneously.

*Tock, Tock, Tock, Tock, Tock*

[Creating instructions: Utilize Earth element to create a stone that can penetrate the body of the goblin > Analyze launching trajectory > Target: Goblin Support > Calculate kinetic energy required to pierce the target > Calculate required force that needs to be applied for the desired outcome > Launch > After impact create a flame > Heat the projectile to 800 degrees in Celsius. Total Mana cost: 473]

In two seconds, a small rock shaped like a needle made its way towards the support. The goblin did not notice the projectile but did feel a minor jolt of pain as it pierced the abdomen, firmly planting itself within his intestines. An odd sensation was going through its mind as the object started heating up, rapidly reaching the desired temperature, and searing the insides of the target.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack! Kyak, kyak, ACK ACK ACK KYAAAACK ACKAKCAKCAKCACK KYYYAKK KAKAKAKAK KAYYAAA AAACK!” Screamed the goblin from the received shock; desperately trying to cast [Self Heal] but to no avail. The object was still inside, causing significant internal damage to its intestines.

The nearby comrades quickly shot a glance at the commotion and got confused.

Seeing that the archers had their attention moved elsewhere, Alviona decided to make her next move. She decided to store her sword and shield into the . Satisfied, she quickly stepped out of the goblin’s way

*Deep Inhale*

As she inhaled the air, Alviona cast a flame in her hands, giving it a shape of a [Fireball] but not launching it. A-ha-ha-ha-ha! This will be an exciting experiment. Let’s see if I can make it work. Grandma will surely tickle, pet, and hug me when I show that I learned something. Now then, let the thrilling spectacle commence! … Wait, I do not know what these words mean… Regardless, let it begin!

The flame gently lingered in Alviona’s soft, elegant, and delicate hands before moving it closer to her mouth and exhaling with all of her might.

Mira and Solomon, alongside Ironmight who was secretly observing her, thought that something like a hurricane would occur. However, nothing like that happened. Instead, the image imprinted in their mind was of a girl blowing out birthday candlelight from a cake. It was quite cute, and nobody could take their eyes off her. If a painter were present, one would most likely capture this moment of beauty and tranquility because what followed afterward was devastating.

Nothing happened at first; however, the next second it all changed. Alviona’s adorable exhale carried mana, set of instructions, and pure force. The moment the fireball faded away from the palms of her hands, everyone except the user got blinded for a brief moment. Upon recovery, they witnessed only one thing: A fireball that expanded in size as it quickly accelerated towards its target with high velocity, passing through every goblin, and setting them on fire. The earth left behind in flame’s wake was scorched, and the grass in the small area around it was ablaze.

“Kkkkyaaayayayayayayakkkkkkkkkk,” screamed the goblins from the damage and shock inflicted to them by an unknown type of spell.

Alviona did not stop there. Satisfied with the results from her experiment, she retrieved the gladius and moved towards the front-liner whose armor became a softer metal. As a result, her sword thrust through the first meanie like butter. Not stopping, the girl repeated the process against the archers and, finally, the caster. Once they goblins were all dead, water splashed down on their bodies.

Yay! Alviona – 1; Meanies – 0. Thought the child as she began jumping around the area, chuckling, and humming from the excitement.

Solomon was mesmerized by what he had seen. Before long, he was silently singing praises of his mistress: “All hail the goddess! All hail Alviona!”

Mira was surprised from seeing such a fireball. However, it was within allowed boundaries. She had witnessed things far bizarre from the child and questioning something this small would be a mockery at this point.

The party that was secretly observing the developments thus far, on the other hand, was utterly flummoxed by the presented turn of events. How did the girl pull off such a fireball? How did she make items appear and disappear? What was with the moment of blindness? Furthermore, one versus four? Why did her comrades just watch?

“Brunor, what do you t-think?” Asked Hayden who was first to speak up.

“I think that if the girl offered us help in clearing the dungeon, we should not turn it down. She alone can face the goblins that we lost to the other night. I am sure of it.” Replied Brunor immediately.

“I am of the same opinion,” said Salia who was not keen on taking newbies into the team.

“I am concerned about few things… First, can we really gamble this much?! Not to offend anyone, but we met her less than two hours ago. Second, if we were to accept her into our party, just how much payment would we provide her? Remember that we do not even know if the loot we obtain there will be good or not,” said Lucas, who was all for it as long as the end reward was worth it.

“No! Recall what Kornel said the other night? There are a lot of treasures within that dungeon, and nobody has claimed it yet! During the day, the adventurers had told us a story that some of them found the Uncommon and Rare type of equipment. I heard from Flamethorn group that they had obtained a class advancement token too!” Interjected Hayden instantly.

“All right, all right. I get it. Treasures are bountiful, but so is the danger level. Especially during the night.” Said Lucas, raising his arms in defeat and attempting to cool of Hayden’s slight anger.

“Then, it is decided. So… uhm, how do we approach the girl? What do we say to her? “Hello, we are Ironmight, and we decided to accept your help?” That would be too horrid for our reputation, no?!” Asked Lucas with mocking laughter. However, his words had a point.

“I’ll go, I’ll do it,” said Salia, stunning the party members with her words.

“Salia?! Who are you and what happened to the real girl?” Mocked Hayden upon hearing her words.

“Shut up, Hayden! Stop teasing me!” Exclaimed the girl, irritated by her comrade's words. Hayden had a tendency to always pick on, mock, and tease Salia. It was not out of malice, and the girl knew it. However, knowing someone is irritating you because they are playful by nature does not ease up the feeling. Besides, Hayden did this all the time.

*Smooch, Smooch*

“Do you really want to kiss her that bad?! Perhaps you want to replace Brunor with her? Or could it be… Oh you naughty girl, I did not think you liked that sort of thing,” giggled Hayden, not ceasing her behavior at all.

Salia opened her mouth to reply, her face turning red like a tomato from embarrassment, eyebrows furrowing up, and face twisting clearly showing expression of anger. The killing intent was being emitted from her, further causing Hayden to choke in laughter.

“Oh my, are you telling me that you would not make love to her if an opportunity were to present itself?!” Asked a voice not belonging to Salia.

Ironmight turned around; their weapons being drawn as a reflex.

“Huh… W-who are you?” Asked Lucas, confused from who he saw.

“I am not quite sure if you have a right of asking that. Did I give you permission to speak? Swallow your tongue and only talk to me when I tell you to. Now then, what was it you were hinting at doing with my granddaughter?” Asked Mira, her beautiful smile displaying no hint of malice until she opened her eyes and released the killing intent.

“What the hell! I…” Lucas could not finish speaking as his mouth was wholly shut by Mira who waved her wand around, casting [Paralysis].

“I do not like repeating myself twice. So then, back to our business. Who are you and what do you intend to gain from my granddaughter?”

“M-may I speak?!” Asked Salia, who understood that the woman in front of her was the same elf that sat alongside the man, and observed the child.

“Ah. Splendid, splendid. You have some manners. Yes. You may do so, child. You have my attention,” replied Mira, elegantly moving her hand to her chin.

“T-thank you. First, allow me to apologize for the rudeness displayed by my companions. We did not realize who we were talking to at first. The girl beside me, dumb she may be, did not say any of her words out of malice or intentions to actually harm Alviona, and Lucas was most likely late to catch up. Can you please undo your spell?” Asked Salia while bowing with her upper body.

“Is that so? Good girl. I like you. Very well. You are forgiven,” replied Mira with a warm smile, performing a curtsy, and lifting the man’s condition. “The name to me is Mira, and I am the grandmother to the child you just spoke of. If you have any business with her, you must talk to me first. So then, how may I be of service?”

Before anyone could speak up, the child in question was seen running towards her grandmother.

“Grandma, grandma, grandma. May I play with them too?” Asked the girl pointing towards a giant worm, excited from seeing such creature for the first time in her life. “Pretty please?” She continued as she bumped into Mira, hugging the elf in the process.

“Child, what can I ever do with you? Yes. Yes, you may.” Replied Mira.

“Yay! I will ask Mr. Solomon to Dzzzz them,” said Alviona ecstatically, landing a kiss on Mira’s cheeks and not leaving until her head was patted. The child quickly ran back to her servant, and less than ten seconds later, a sound of electricity rampaging through the worm’s body was heard but not seen. Something under the lines of “Yay, Dzzz it more” was also heard, and a minute later, the girl returned back alongside her companion.

“Grandma, Mr. Solomon did Bzzz and then Dzzz. The worm was singing too! But it dug itself underground and ran away. I think we scared it with all the sparks. However, it was fun!” Said the child, her face displaying delight and happiness.

“I do not doubt that,” replied Mira, recalling what she witnessed Solomon do with the golem inside the Great Forest of Javl less than two weeks ago.

I do not understand. Why is that girl acting so childish right now, when she was so firm and more serious earlier this morning? Thought Salia who paid an extreme amount of attention to the developing situation. This girl was indeed a mystery.

*Cough, Cough*

“Oh, you are here! Hello again, how are you this afternoon? Did you think about the offer that Mr. Solomon gave you? Will you let me play alongside you?” Asked Alviona, who finally picked up on the situation and noticed the members of Ironmight. Her face was lit up with excitement.

“Huh? Play? Alviona, do you know them?” Asked Mira who seemed to be puzzled.

“Oh yes!” Came a quick reply. “I went to them this morning to ask for permission to play alongside them. I heard them say something about “Dungeon Raid?” I do not know what that means but if they are going to play with the goblins from yesterday, then I want to go too.”

“I see,” said Mira, picking up on what Alviona alluded to. The elf was quick to understand what she meant and was even relieved to find out that the child allowed herself to fly. If it were night, nobody would ever notice her jet-black wings. Sooner or later, Alviona would need to appease her natural urges. After all, the limbs were part of her body. Having it hidden 24 hours for five full days was somewhat unfair. Recalling the bathing session and remembering the child talk about the itchiness and discomfort, it was apparent. As such, Mira did not scold her but instead, sympathized with the girl. However, the elf did shoot an electric gaze at Solomon, causing the man to shrink in size.

“So then, you sought out my granddaughter because of her proposition to party up with you earlier today, and judging by your faces, you liked what you saw. Am I correct to assume that you witnessed her combat the goblins?” Asked Mira, ridden of any silliness and being completely serious.

Brunor nodded.

“Yes. We wanted to inform your granddaughter that Ironmight does not recruit newbies, but after seeing the man beside her, I thought that he would be quite potent. So we decided to allow for a trial run. However, witnessing the girl’s performance, I can say without hesitation that I would like to hire you. All three of you” replied Brunor, without even the slightest hint of hesitation visible in his words. Looking back at his party members, nobody seemed to object either.

“If we were to agree, may I ask you what the compensation would be?” (Mira)

“Why, certainly! I would pay you thirty gold coins for helping us in clearing the dungeon and retrieving treasures. Ten gold per member. If any of you are supports and can adequately heal, then I am willing to increase that to sixty gold.” (Brunor)

“And what of the equipment loot?” (Mira)

“We would like to keep any Rare equipment drops that are related to our team composition. However, I am willing to allow you to keep 15% of the Loot,” replied Brunor.

“Hmm, that is a good deal for an average hired mercenaries. I like the fact that you are treating us as such, for you seemed to have noticed that we are not part of any guilds yet. Very well, consider yourself to be in luck. I have a class of a Druid and am dedicated support. The man over there is Solomon. He is the guardian of this granddaughter of mine. You already know her name, but allow me to introduce her again. This is Alviona, my granddaughter. She is half-demon as you can see by her horns. If any of you have a problem with that, step in front of me, and we can talk it out.”

Ironmight members shook their heads.

“We do not care about race much,” stated Salia.

“Excellent. Then we will work it out just fine. Also, a few things to consider and take into account: 1) My granddaughter is overly curious. So if she asks you questions regarding items, please answer her. 2) She is a newbie, and it is her first ever dungeon raid. I would actually like to step down about the loot offer. Instead, give this child the two items that she desires. Whatever it may be.” (Mira)

Ironmight asked for a moment to discuss this within themselves.

“So, what about it?” (Salia)

“I think it is an outstanding offer. As long as the items picked are not related to classes that we want, and is not the equipment that we desire,” replied Lucas.

“I agree with Lucas.” (Hayden)

“All right, Mira. You have a deal. We will allow the girl to keep any of her desired two items, so long as they do not conflict with our interests,” replied Brunor to Mira after a moment of silence.

“Splendid. That is completely fine by me. However, there is one more thing I need to tell you. If you talk, joke, or hint about something inappropriate with my granddaughter, I will ensure to permanently paralyze your mouth. Do you understand, child?” Asked Mira, her gaze directed towards Hayden who was forced to gulp her saliva in fear as she shrunk in size. Why was this elf so imposing despite her good looks? “Good, I am glad that we came to terms with that.”

“I would like to add something,” said Solomon whose voice was not carrying any hint of courtesy exhibited previously. “Listen to me well. If you betray us and decide to backstab my mistress even once, I will slay every single one of you just like those worms over there,” stated the man with a loud voice, pointing towards the earth where he and Alviona were fighting the giant poisonous worm a few minutes ago.

Ironmight did not understand what he meant, for nothing was visible. Didn’t the girl say that the worm escaped?

However, Solomon silently formed his ability [Submerged in Water], slowly ordering the bubble to move towards the said earth. A moment later, the ground vibrated, and fifteen worms sprung out. Not even two seconds after, they exploded into a gooey paste only to be devoured by flames until nothing but ash remained.

Ironmight stared at the man dumbfounded.

“You do not need to speak. Your expressions already tell me of your answer. I am glad that we have come to terms,” replied Solomon with a bright smile.

Coming back to their senses, the written contract was formed. And so, Alviona’s first Dungeon Raid commenced.