I wake up to the sound of Lance still training. He has focused on leveling up his new growth skill the entire time I was sleeping. When he sees me awake he comes over and talks.

“Classes. Which ones do you think I should learn?”

“...If I was being honest… I would say, it might be best to wait to learn more until I unlocked more myself. That way I could give you the best classes… I doubt you want to wait though… I would say you have three choices now. You can continue to go down the tanking path, learn some damaging classes or go for magic ones… Any path you choose could be the right one for you.”

“Well, can you go over each path more? As in which classes do you think would be best for each.”

“For tanking, I would suggest barbarian, monk and samurai… Damage I would suggest fighter, berserker and ninja… Lastly for magic I would suggest red mage, blue mage and spell thief… Sort of like utility instead of full on magic. You might not be able to learn these classes though. We'll only know for sure when I try to teach you.”

“Can you pick classes… That don't overlap with Trice's?”

“So that would take away blue mage and spell thief… Would you be okay with time mage, red mage and… Let me try to teach you true elementalist.”

It takes five hours of trying to teach it… No, it seems teaching these awakened classes might be impossible. I'll have to make sure completely first. Once a few of my other generals break through the class limit, I'll try teaching them both my awakened classes. Lance looks bored and a little upset he couldn't learn it but that is understandable. He breaks the silence.

“It's fine… I didn't really want to learn magic anyways. I want to continue down the path I started. The path of protecting everyone around me. Let me learn the tanking classes.”

I teach him the three classes he wanted to learn. Barbarian will give him constant rage regeneration, which is very helpful for his classes. Monk to give him chi, he will also get the merged skill complete defense, which will help him out. He'll have to meditate from now on, which seems weird for Lance. Finally samurai gave him a mana resource class to use plus allows him to convert the mana into chi. I see him doing far more often than meditating. Perhaps if he uses it similarly to how I use it. For big attacks... I don't see Lance as the patient type of person who will hold onto his chi though.

So many new classes for him to master. He'll become far stronger once they level up a bit… I doubt I'll remain ahead of him in fighting ability for very long now. He gets back to training, teaching him took more than normal but not nearly as much as teaching him the class linked to his awakened class. Leon approaches me right after that.

“Hey… I've broken the class limit...”

“Oh great. Which class do you want to learn?”

“...I've already learned ninja… But I couldn't get any skills for it… It says I need a teacher.”

It starts to make sense now. I remember Leon sitting by me when I taught Fast the ninja class. Why he was so angry that he wasn't getting stronger. Ninjas can't level unless you have a teacher. He should have come and asked me about learning more… I would have taught him… I teach him everything I can with ninja. He couldn't learn any of the animal skills I gained… Why are all my generals idiots?

I decide to dive back into Lust's memories. I still need to finish that… It just takes so much out of me to do it. I always feel… Not myself when I do. Lust begins to speak.

“You told me to warn you when you were getting close to bad memories… Just thought you should know so it doesn't sneak up on you… Just, don't overreact to it… That was a thousand years ago to me so… I'm over it completely.”

“Thanks for the heads up I guess...”

Kite going through Lust's memories

It has been another 2 years of me collecting money for my attempt to finally break off and become my own woman. I've collected an entire gold to buy adventurers gear, that is more than enough to get started. With that gear, I can ask at the local adventurers guild for a support or healer position. Until I collect enough money to start my merchants job.

Me and my father head towards a city close by… The moment we enter I break away from my father and head towards the local blacksmith. I've met him before as we've done business with everyone in the next few cities many times. It takes awhile, I copy my mother. Flirting with him, he is an old man but it doesn't matter to him.

I talk him down an extra 10 silver on the cost of a knife, dagger and sword. Not for myself but for future familiars I summon. The weapons they're formed with are far below iron in quality so these weapons will be an upgrade. I hate to leave my father but taking baby steps to start adventuring will end with me never doing it.

I buy more things I'll need on my adventure, some healing and mana potions. I already have most supplies I need for long journeys. I've been practicing another job, enchanting to help with future business. All self tutored because no one in my village had known it. I myself had to buy the book on one of my fathers trips. I've learned enough to make myself a mana regen ring. The equipment I have are the heirloom staff and robe.

I enter the adventurers guild. It stinks like beer and sweat, I've never had a drop of it but maybe I will in the future. I head to the counter and talk with the attendant until I finally get my membership. It isn't a card or anything, sort of like a sheet of paper. I kind of thought it would be a cool card though... I'm not supposed to lose it or I will have to start back at rank F. The sheet has statistics for me. 0 missions complete, 0 missions accepted, healer/support role, 0 experience in dungeons. From what I was told, it isn't a magical sheet of paper. Every time I complete one of the things, I have to come back to have it updated with proof I did accomplish those things.

It takes ten missions to move from rank F to E. Which doesn't seem like much, some missions give more than one point towards completion. They are ranked but you are allowed to go above your rank, the rank of the mission is more along the lines of suggested rank than anything. I move towards the board before a handsome man cuts me off before I get there.

“Hello there beautiful, I've seen you around here before and know that you are a healer. I'll let you know that our group is looking for one of those. Any chance you would like to accompany us into a tier 2 dungeon?”

“H-hello! Umm… Yes! I would really like that!”

He is very handsome. A smile was smeared across his face. traveling with his group I know now that the smile rarely fades from it. I learn everyone's name. The handsome man was a thief, he had short black hair that looked well maintained. Slightly pointed ears showed signs of elfish heritage, he is at least half elf. His gear seemed higher than that of a new adventurer. I have a feeling that he brought me into the group because he is liked me… Which I'm fine with… Just a little nervous now. His name was Mex.

The tank of the group wasn't nearly as attractive, he still had a charm about him, just not my cup of tea. He had long blonde hair, adorned with heavy armor that looks worn down, as if it was passed down through his family. Most likely a knight. He still looks young, even younger than myself. He has a sword to big to use with one hand accurately but he still tries to use it. His name was Owen.

The archer of our group was the only other female. Short length pixy styled red hair. Fancy leather gear that looks more suited for decoration than actual combat. Like Mex, she almost always had a smile on her face. Her name was Fiora. She was almost always happy, even too the point of annoyance but I quickly became friends with her.

The final member of the group was another new one to the group. He looked like… I'm not sure what he is exactly. A mixture of tattered cloth, leather and heavy armor gear. Three different weapons, on his back is a longsword. A crossbow on his belt and a short spear on his other hip… What the hell is this person? Besides his weird equipment, his face is covered in scars. Scars show over every part of his body that is showing skin. No hair covered his head and every time I see him look at me I feel slight fear… His name is… He didn't say, so I'll call him the unnamed man.

We make our way to the dungeon close by. Only a few days of travel, we're attacked by a few monsters but the group is far too strong to have been bothered by them… No one has had to do anything besides the unnamed man…

We enter… It is a very mysterious feeling. Both excitement and fear are mixed in. The group pushes through. Most of the enemies are rock type ones. This must be a rock dungeon or something… I'm not sure, I haven't really researched dungeons that much. This dungeon is far below what this group can clear. We easily make it to the end boss.

He is a huge rock elemental, rocks shift around a core that would normally be difficult to hit without being pelted by the rocks circling around it. The unnamed man picks out his short spear and crossbow. Firing both simultaneously, both striking the core… Defeating the boss instantly… What a powerful man.

We leave the dungeon. The gear and gold dropped are both being held by Mex. We're heading towards another dungeon. This time tier three, in our travels I finally talk with the unnamed man. One night sitting around a campfire I finally speak with him. At least more than a single word or two.

“So… What's your story… You seem far to experienced for this sort of group.”

“… I might be… I'm just sick of fighting… I want to take a break from my life constantly at risk...”

“What did you do before you started traveling? What could leave so many marks on you?”

“… To the north of here… There is a city with a coliseum… Inside the coliseum you can fight for money… But also for cheers and applause… I've made my fair share of money doing that… Enough for me to never need to work again in my life… But the feeling of… Fans cheering is more than I could leave behind. I just… My body is so worn down… I needed a break… We gladiators tend to watch our own backs but... You should be careful with that thief… He's going to break your heart.”

That night we slept, I wondered exactly what he meant with that last line he spoken… We continue onwards, towards the next dungeon and after a few days of travel. The entire time traveling I've been flirting with Mex. He initiated and after some time I started to respond back. I don't think I love him but… I could see myself being with him in the future. I asked the unnamed man a few times what he had meant but he wouldn't answer.

We head inside the dungeon. This time the floor is covered in water. Not much but enough to be an annoyance… I slow the group down the most, I need to constantly rest. I wish I had been keeping up with exercises or walking along the caravan of my fathers. All that travel and I'm still so slow in comparison… I'll have to improve my fatigue points so I don't feel like a burden to everyone else.

Once again, we easily clear most of the dungeon. The unnamed man is just far too strong. We are only there for cleanup of the enemies he doesn't slaughter with his longsword. We see an item trap. The unnamed man looks closely at the trap. It appears to be a sword, one that would help Owen far more than the unwieldy one he currently has. The unnamed man begins to speak.

“This trap looks like it will be a difficult one to deal wi-.”

Mex pulls the sword off the trap. The door closes behind us, as the holes inside the room start pouring water into it. The unnamed man speaks.

“YOU FOOL! YOU JUST KILLED US ALL!”

The room fills slowly… This is it then… The unnamed man slams against the door. It is a thick wooden one. It would take hours to be able to cut through it… That is if we didn't have a monster in our group. Swinging so fiercely he sinks a few inches of his longsword into the door. He continues doing this until he starts to finally chip holes into the door. Something that should be impossible to do in the time we have isn't for him.

He beats through the door. Gallons of water come rushing out along with us. The unnamed man walks over and beats the ever loving shit out of Mex. Breaking his nose, swelling his eye closed and knocking out a few teeth. It takes all three of us to pull him off of Mex. I start healing him but his nose has a permanent crook in it now. A small scar from the swelling near his eye is also not healable.

“W-w-what the hell was that for!?”

“ARE YOU SERIOUS!? You almost got us all killed even after I warned you! You're lucky I didn't fucking kill you on the spot when you pulled that off.”

I see fear inside Mex's eyes. He knows the unnamed man wasn't lying. We sit in silence for a few minutes… The unnamed man finally breaks the silence.

“We still need to finish this dungeon. Let's move on before the mobs respawn on us.”

We continue towards the boss. It is a giant water slime which absorbs water. Normally hard to kill but with the unnamed man we finish it off without much trouble. Leaving the unnamed man speaks again.

“Give me my share now. I'll leave the group since I don't respect its leader.”

“We can split the money once we make it back to a town.”

“Give me… My share… Now...”

Mex doesn't try to talk him into continuing with us. He hands over the portion of money we've collected for the dungeons. It isn't much, 30-40 silver per person. Still a good amount for a beginner. He takes his money and leaves.

We are traveling back towards the city. I become a nurse towards Mex, healing his injuries as much as I can. One night while traveling back Mex seduces me. When I wake up in the morning, all of my equipment besides my heirloom robe and staff are gone… All the money I had been saving up, all the items I... We had gotten and even my mana regen ring was stolen… Three of us remained… Mex was gone… He had stolen everything…