Just as the first light shined in the sky, Ryner woke up, tears wetting his face. Rubbing the marks left on his cheeks, he got up and looked around, confirming that he was the only one present on the small island. Behind him stood the crystal pillar and in front of him was Hossylei Nac. Silently basking in the roars of the waterfalls around the city, he took a deep breath and recalled yesterday’s activities.

Ryner had met the dwarves who didn’t go extinct, the amazons who were trying to act nice, and Rosaminta who wanted to eat his energy. Although it ended as a series of sparring matches with the female warriors, he managed to get something out of his meetings with the dwarven race and the Gatekeeper. Afterwards, he followed Meirith to a place full of crystal trees in the middle of Hossylei Nac and left for the island he was currently on. But, before everything else, he had recovered the last Heaven’s Blade that was inside the elven ruin.

“… Well, time to go.” [Ryner]

As such, it was about time to leave.

“(I’ll need to grab Mi and get Rosaminta to open the gate.)” [Ryner]

Just as he had decided to do so, he felt someone’s presence. Gingerly approaching him was a dark elf that had her long, silvery white hair tied in a ponytail.

“H-hey.” [Dark elf]

Clad in a green robe with a cape that was fashioned like two wings of a dragonfly, the woman in her early twenties cautiously greeted the human.

“… Who are you?” [Ryner]

In response, after staring at her with his half-closed eyes, he tilted his head, wondering who she was.

“… We already met twice.” [Dark elf]

“We did?” [Ryner]

“Yes. Here. You saw me in a s-swim… Ugh… A swimsuit.” [Dark elf]

The dark elf said as her cheeks turned a bit red out of shame at the recollection.

“Oh yeah. You’re the girl that ran away scared.” [Ryner]

“I wasn’t scared.” [Dark elf]

She quickly denied as anger began to override her fear and shame before sighing.

“Look. You’re the human that’s allowed in our city. People are looking for you and since I’m the one that reported where you were, I was asked to take you back up.” [Dark elf]

She unhappily explained to him the situation. The sun was rising, which meant that, currently, she should be in bed, like all of the other dark elves. But, in the end, she still accepted the mission.

“Well, that’s some perfect timing. Take me back then.” [Ryner]

“… Just follow me.” [Dark elf]

Like so, the dark elf was in charge of bringing Ryner up the waterfall and back into Hossylei Nac. Using her magic, they stood on a rock platform that was rising thanks to a tower of water gushing out of the lake. The two didn’t exchange a word and only, occasionally, yawned.

“… Hey.” [Dark elf]

But, the dark elf, who was glancing at Ryner a few times, finally spoke again.

“Are you… Okay?” [Dark elf]

Sadly, it was about something that he currently didn’t want to hear.

“Last night, you seemed, well, you know… In pain.” [Dark elf]

“(I really need to get out of this place.)” [Ryner]

Ryner thought as he proceeded to bluntly lie.

“I’m fine.” [Ryner]

“Huh? Wait, what’s with you? Is this… Rejection? Are you mad at me for something?” [Dark elf]

The brown-skinned woman asked, unsure of what she was sensing from the human’s Pulse. She wasn’t acting hostile, despite him being a human, and even showed him concern. After all, she couldn’t forget the state that she had met him in yesterday night. His volatile emotions were clashing against each other, eroding, overflowing, and it felt like he would drown in them. It was why part of her had agreed to escort him so that she could meet him again. Yet, for some reason, her Sense told her that he was annoyed at her.

“No, I’m just grumpy in the morning.” [Ryner]

“… You humans are weird.” [Dark elf]

The dark elf said, a bit miffed since she knew that he was lying.

“By the way, you look great in a bikini.” [Ryner]

“S-shut up!” [Dark elf]

The dark elf said, a bit flustered since she knew that he was telling the truth.

Once the caravan reached the swampland, they encountered multiple deadly beasts. Usually, when people, such as merchants, pass through these dangerous lands, they always made sure to have ample security with them. As such, many experienced guards would be hired to protect them. It was the same for the caravan. However, there wasn’t a single person that looked like a merchant. In fact, everyone seemed used to the battlefield as those riding the wagons and carriages kept calm despite the monsters surrounding them. While tightly grabbing their weapons, they focused on moving forward as those in charge of dispatching the threats repelled the beasts before they reached them.

“We should arrive as planned.” [Lovel]

Lovel said as she watched her men fight through the carriage’s window. Whenever an enemy appeared, they faced it in groups of four. Often, there was one person in the back launching magical attacks at a distance.

“Though we are maintaining caution, the wagons are advancing at a steady pace.” [Lovel]

Before her eyes was a big, black spider with eight long legs and two pincers like those of a crab. Three men ganged up on it, cutting off its legs and warding off the pincers and spider web. The fourth person finished his incantation and shot a lance made of flames at the monstrous Arachne. The spell flew through the sky, leaving a trailing blaze behind, and upon hitting the spider, it burned a hole through its head. The monster’s screeching abruptly stopped and it fell down, dead.

“Thus far, there has been no casualties.” [Lovel]

On the other side of Lovel’s carriage, a giant frog had caught a person with its tongue. The multiple feelers at the tip held his arms and legs. The man was groaning with pain as he gritted his teeth because he could feel the muscles in his limbs being forcefully torn. Despite reinforcing his body with mana, the frog was slowly overpowering him. However, before he became limbless, one of his allies rushed up to the beast from the side like the wind and instantly sliced it up.

“Are there any good ones in the bunch?” [Gerard]

Sitting next to her, Gerard asked as he watched a flaming lizard with four arms pounce on one of his men. But, before it managed to touch its prey, a lump of ice that was the size of a boulder crushed it under its weight.

“Only the obvious ones. Let’s see, amongst the people chosen for this mission, there is Peter Marshall.” [Lovel]

Lovel answered as she flipped through a document containing information on the men and women that were currently under Gerard’s command.

“An expert swordsman who wields two swords forged from dragoon fangs. Has an S rank mana pool, one of four in our group. Though he’s learned some basic spells like Fireball, he prefers to use Body Strengthening for close-ranged combat. So, more of a magic user than a magician.” [Lovel]

Coincidentally, the person she was talking about could be seen fighting outside of her carriage. It was a man in his early thirties that possessed orange hair and brown eyes with a vertical scar on his left cheek. He was nimbly moving between four giant frogs that were shooting jets of water from a water ball floating above their heads. However, they couldn’t hit him while he unleashed several attacks in quick successions using his two swords. Like a deadly whirlwind, whenever he moved passed one, six deep cuts would be left on its body.

“He used to be a skilled knight in Stornith and racked up quite the record, but the man was only good at fighting and didn’t take orders well. Moreover, he was feared because of his obsession with cutting his opponents as much as possible so that they’d die of blood loss. He got sick of his superior’s attitude who was a nobleman that looked down on him for being a commoner and killed him. Afterwards, he escaped from his pursuers and the Order picked him up.” [Lovel]

The four frogs had tried to crush their prey with their bodies, catch him with their tongues and slice him up with jets of water that could crush boulders. But, Peter was unscathed, except for the blood covering his body and his two swords. The mana beasts, who were covered with numerous cuts, fell down and succumbed to their wounds. The former knight, covered in blood, looked at his work with a satisfied grin before moving to find his next opponents.

“Gawain Ajax. Rank A mana pool. Magic user. Knows a few basic earth spells. Former A rank adventurer and fourth class. Fights using a heavy tower shield. We outfitted him with one possessing dragoon scales. In his old party, he was in charge of defending his teammates and distracting the enemies. Except for him, everyone was annihilated during a subjugation quest.” [Lovel]

Just as Lovel finished talking about Gawain, the broken, bloodied bodies of three skinny dogs with alligator heads flew through the sky. The man in question, Gawain, appeared before Gerard’s eyes. Seemingly in his mid-twenties, with pink hair and red eyes, he had a gentle look on his face despite his well-trained build. As two four-armed lizard pounced on him, he readied his tower shield and blocked the blows. Even as the mana beasts released a fiery explosion, the man stood his ground, endured the attack and swung his shield. The two flaming lizards were sent flying with broken bones and twisted limbs.

Right after, Gawain rushed in front of his allies that were about to get hit by a jet of water that was shot by a giant frog. Using his shield that was strengthened through magic, he blocked the attack and protected those behind him. Seeing how ineffective its magic was, the mana beast tried to catch the human with its tongue. However, Gawain batted away the spear-like tongue, closed the distance between them and slammed his shield into its head, crushing its skull.

“Gary Shaw. S rank mana pool. Pure magic user, and by pure, I mean that he doesn’t bother with learning any other spells besides Body Strengthening. He’s the self-proclaimed strongest man on earth. Whenever he loses in a fight, he blames his opponent, saying that they used other weapons besides their muscles. You should know since he fought and lost against you. Still, when it comes to pure, physical strength, he is the best in our group.” [Lovel]

“HAHAHAHAHA!!!” [???]

Hearing loud laughter, Lovel and Gerard looked outside the window, only to see Gary running around and punching any opponents to pieces with his fists.

“WEAK!!! TOO WEAK!!!” [Gary]

The large-bodied man in his late thirties had green hair, blue eyes and a big grin across his face. Furthermore, his torso full of muscles was bare. As such, while pulverizing his foes, he was fighting half-naked. It didn’t seem to affect his prowess in battle though. When a four-armed lizard caught him and tried to burn him to a crisp, Gary merely laughed and proceeded to tightly hug the reptilian beast back. He tightened his grip until he crushed the flailing creature’s bones and pulverized its organs.

“COME BACK AFTER YOU’VE TRAINED YOUR MUSCLES!!!” [Gary]

Seeing him catch a frog’s tongue and happily swing the mana beast around like a toy, Lovel sighed and put a hand on her forehead.

“Though strong, Gary has issues, not just because he eschews shirts and armor. For example, he became an adventurer and accidentally killed one of his party members after getting in a fight over a woman. Afterwards, he became a mercenary and killed his leader for being, according to him, arrogant and cocky despite lacking muscles.” [Lovel]

“I still wonder why the Order put him on this team.” [Gerard]

“The man is like an animal, and like any other animal, he will listen to the strong. The Order most likely predicted that he would obey you after losing. What concerns me is this person…” [Lovel]

Lovel unhappily looked at the paper in her hands.

“Marilyn Snowhorn from the Snowhorn noble family. A rank mana pool. A magician that specializes in ice magic. Despite being a noble, she chose to become an adventurer. During a guard quest, the woman failed to stop a group of bandits from taking some of her clients as hostages. Since the bandits were going to capture her as well, she ended up freezing all of the bandits and clients alike. Afterwards, she reported to the guild that her clients died by the bandits’ hands. The Order discovered the truth and soon recruited her for her talents in magic and ruthlessness.” [Lovel]

“Ignoring all of the issues I’ve just heard for now… Specialized in ice magic. She sounds like you.” [Gerard]

A violent wave of water suddenly rushed passed the carriage on Gerard’s side and swiftly turned into ice. Trapped inside were several four-armed lizards, frogs and spiders. The one who unleashed that powerful spell was Marilyn Snowhorn, a beautiful, grey-eyed woman in her mid-twenties with long blue hair. When she noticed that Gerard was looking at her, she smiled sweetly and blew him a kiss.

“… The woman is only interested in improving her magic and testing it in combat. But, lately, she has shown some interest in you and wishes to have my position. Interacting with her is… Tiring.” [Lovel]

“Is that jealousy I see?” [Gerard]

“Moving on.” [Lovel]

After lightly hitting a grinning Gerard’s side with her elbow and clearing her throat, Lovel flipped through the pages of the notes in her hands.

“The last one I’ve found noteworthy is Airmed Linea, the healer among us. She possesses a healing skill and an A rank mana pool. A magic user and a magician, can handle both close-ranged and long-ranged combat. Prefers to use a dagger. Although she has a gentle personality and the men quite like her…” [Lovel]

As Lovel was having a hard time explaining to Gerard, Airmed could be seen outside the window. She was in her early thirties, possessed short black hair and eyes as well as tanned skin.

“Ah… Right…” [Gerard]

“… Her ‘hobby’ causes those who feel some form of attraction towards her to keep their distance.” [Lovel]

The smiling woman was currently keeling in front of a dead, scrawny dog with an alligator head and dissecting it using her dagger. Cutting up the corpse and pulling out its guts, she was creepily giggling to herself while covered in blood.

“As you can see, Airmed possesses the rare healing skill, but prefers mangling dead bodies over healing others. Having her stay in the back to treat injuries requires persuasion.” [Lovel]

“Our group really is full of competent, but troublesome people.” [Gerard]

Gerard said exasperatedly as he put a cigarette in his mouth.

“Speaking of troublesome, how’s Hames doing?” [Gerard]

“That boy will not die from facing mana beasts of this level and is enthusiastically clearing the way. More than anyone, he wants this mission to succeed.” [Lovel]

“… Yeah.” [Gerard]

The dark grey-haired man nodded to Lovel’s words as he turned his hand into magma and heated steel, using his index finger to light his cigarette. Narrowing his eyes, he didn’t look too happy. In fact, he appeared sad, reluctant. Noticing the change in his mood, the blonde-haired woman spoke up.

“Hames won’t lose control so long as you keep him on a leash. He worships you. Or, are you not worried about him, but about the mission?” [Lovel]

“You certainly know me well.” [Gerard]

Ignoring her superior who was smiling wryly at her, Lovel looked outside the window and into the swampland.

“This place is filled with vicious monsters and mana beasts. Yet, the inhabitants can pass through these dangers alone or in fewer numbers than ours thanks to their magic. Their spells are powerful and they never run out of mana.” [Lovel]

“I know.” [Gerard]

“According to our unfriendly guide, the daughter of their leader, in other words, the equivalent of a princess, can easily waltz through these lands by herself. Furthermore, her father is even more powerful.” [Lovel]

“I know, Lovel. I’ve done these kinds of jobs before.” [Gerard]

Gerard blew a long trail of smoke as he looked up at the ceiling, seemingly lost in thought before muttering.

“… How is she, anyway?” [Gerard]

“The guide? Being protected in a carriage since she holds the key to our escape. Literally. You’re not falling for her, are you?” [Lovel]

“No. Just, wanted to make sure. The last thing we need is her running off or dying on us.” [Gerard]

Gazing outside, he took a deep breath and crushed the cigarette in his hand.

“Ok, ok, ok… Ok. I’ll go out and help a bit.” [Gerard]

“Will you be alright against animals?” [Lovel]

“It’s scary, but it’ll look bad if the boss doesn’t take the front. Besides, the sooner we get there, the better.” [Gerard]

Opening the carriage’s door, Gerard jumped out and joined the fray. As Lovel quietly sat alone, she could feel the earth trembled slightly as if a giant was walking. Soon after, the orange light of a blaze flashed for an instant and her men started cheering. The smell of burnt flesh hung in the air.