“Hello, Lys.” I say.

She smiles brightly. “Hi!”

We’re both at the association at the same time, because today, Lys texted me that Squad 1 is going on a training mission.

“I got your text. You didn’t say what the mission was?”

“I’ll talk about it when I can address the whole team.”

We head inside to the common area where I can see the rest of the team.

They all stand up as they greet their new leader.

“Squad leader.” A woman says.

“Morning.” A man says.

“Hey.” A younger man says.

“… Is this the new recruit? Hunter Hunter?” The younger man laughs at the inherent joke.

“Yeah, that’s him.” She loses the bright expression on her face. “So don’t joke about him.”

“Uh… sorry.”

“Actually, I have no name, so I have everybody call me Hunter.” I explain.

“Really?” The older man says. “Anyway, why did you call us here? You said we were training today?” He asks.

“Yeah. I didn’t know what we should do. That’s why I just said ‘training mission.’”

“So you want us to discuss what we should do to train?” The younger man asks.

“Yeah. I thought that would be best.”

“Alright, well, simply put, we have two choices. One is to train for a large amount of weak mobs, and the other is to train to fight against the Guardians. That being said, there’s no appropriate training for taking on Guardians. There are no monsters on the same level as them in the wild.” The woman says.

“I don’t think that training for the weaker mobs will do us much good. Everyone here has experience in that area. Is there really no way to train for the Guardians?”

Nobody speaks up after that for a long while. I’m the first to say something.

“I have an idea.”

“What? You have a way to train for freakishly strong monsters?” The younger man asks rhetorically.

“Yes. But before that, I still don’t know you guys’ names.”

“Oh, right. Introductions. My name is Brighton. The woman’s name is Charlie, this old man is-”

“I’m not old! And my name is Ron. Short for Ronald.”

“Right~. You are Hunter, and Miss Squad Leader is Arcadia.”

“Okay. So, the place where we can train for the Guardians.”

“Where is it?” Lys asks.

“The Nightmare Zone.”

Everybody freezes and adopts a look of confusion and fear.

“The… Nightmare Zone? As in, the other side of the wall?” Ron asks. “That’s suicide! Isn’t it?!”

“It really isn’t. I’ve been inside. I know that near the wall, the strongest monster is half as strong as the weakest Guardian. It’s perfect for training against them.”

“You’ve really been inside?” Charlie asks.

“I have.”

“And you were able to escape?” Brighton speaks up.

“I was. And if we agree to train in there, I can show you how I did. We can get in the same way. And once we’re done, we can come out.”

“… I guess, all in favor of training in the wall?” Lys asks for a vote.

Everybody looks hesitant, but eventually, they all raise their hands.

“If nothing else, we can investigate what it’s like on the interior. Right?” Ron says.

“That’s right. Training and investigation.” Lys says in response. “I guess we have our mission decided now.”

…………………………………………………………………

“Welcome to the entrance to the wall!” I say, holding my arm up like I’m presenting something.

The rusty metal door looms in front of the group. It didn’t take long to come here, since we have a transport vehicle that is the property of Squad 1. It's a giant cargo truck, with seats for people in the back, along with plenty of space that we might use for carrying monsters or anything else that we need and is big.

“This is really it?” Brighton asks.

“I suppose it would have to be something like this. I haven’t heard of any other ways in.” Ron says.

“It looks like a service entrance.” Charlie says.

“It is. The door connects to that water tunnel over there.” I point over about 10 meters at a metal grate, spewing forth large amounts of water into the attached river.

“Shouldn’t there be a second grate that’s going to block our path?”

“That’s what the cutter is for.” I gesture to the truck.

We brought a cutting device just so that we could make a better hole for us to get through. It would not be easy for all of us to swim past the flowing water and not get cut by the rusted grate. Tetanus isn’t a joke, and shouldn’t be treated like one.

“Okay. We are all aware of the dangers. We are as prepared as we can be. Is everyone ready to go inside?” Lys asks.

Everybody gives her confirmation. We have our weapons and armor, food and water. Plenty of other gear. We’re ready for our exploration of the most dangerous region on the planet.

“Alright, let’s go!” Lys shouts.

I think about something without taking a single step, as the others all shuffle over the grass toward the door.

“… We don’t have the cutter.” I say.

Everybody stops and is silent for a moment. I go back to the vehicle to grab the tool.

I get it, then run back and say, “Now we’re ready.”

“Okay, let’s go.” Lys says this like she’s deflated.

…………………………………………………………………

[Level has increased by 1.]

…………………………………………………………………

“This place was incredible!” Brighton says as we exit the wall. “I levelled up five times today!”

“It’s because the monsters here are so strong.” Ron says more calmly. “You’re so weird, not being worn out.” He sighs.

“This place really is good for training against Guardians. Thank you for suggesting it.” Charlie says to me.

“I’m just glad today’s hunt went well. I’m not 100% sure about the dangers here.”

“Well, all’s well that ends well, I say.” Brighton says exuberantly.

“Yeah… So, how do you guys feel about coming back here in a few days, after we’ve all had a chance to recover?” Lys suggests.

“That’ll be good. We should get as strong as possible before challenging the next dungeon.” I state.

“I agree. We can’t be weak for a fight against a Guardian.” Charlie says.

“Then it’s unanimous. We’ll come back in three days. Be ready for then.” Lys says.

“Here’s an idea: What if we stay in there for a few days? We can take our time hunting, and in the end we’ll be more efficient. We can also explore more area.” Brighton suggests this time.

"Okay, what do we all think?” Lys asks the group.

Everybody says yes, nods their head, or otherwise agrees to this idea.

“It’s decided, then. On our next trip, we’ll stay for a few days.”

“I wonder how many levels we’re going to get! We’ll never back down to a Guardian again!” Brighton seems to be very excited.

Everybody smiles at the thought of being able to take care of Guardians without any problems. The past has proven that this would be an amazing thing.

…………………………………………………………………

“To greater strength!” Ron says.

We are celebrating today’s levelling at a bar. There's not many people around. We're gathered around a large, round table. I’m not drinking something alcoholic. Apparently, you need to be 21 years old to do it. Lys, Brighton, and myself are the ones who could not be given alcohol. Instead, we have other drinks with which to toast.

“To greater strength!” We all say in unison.

As we take drinks of our beverages, Lys finishes first and stands to say something.

“… I just want to say that I hope to be a good leader to you all. I know it’s kind of weird how the strongest person gets to decide who the leader is, but I hope we can move past that and work well together.”

Everybody is smiling.

“You’re a good leader, at least in my opinion.” Charlie says first.

“I concur.” Ron says loudly.

“I think so too!” Brighton says.

“If you were a bad leader, you wouldn’t ask the team what they want to do so often.” I say.

A look of relief comes over her face as she says, “Will I still be a good leader if I’m not the one to pay for these drinks?”

Brighton’s smile leaves his face instantly as he says seriously, “We didn’t say that. I don’t want a leader who won’t pay for celebratory drinks!”

Everybody is silent for a moment. Lys even more so, as she seems to be frozen.

At that moment, Charlie seems to be holding something back while looking at Lys.

And then, laughter. Everybody at the table is laughing.

Lys looks around at everybody before falling into her seat and saying, “I didn’t think that was a joke.”

“Of course it was!” Brighton shouts. “And your reaction was priceless!”

“As the leader, I don’t think you should treat me like that. I will punish you for it. And I think the suitable punishment is paying for everybody’s drinks today.” She says calmly.

Brighton’s face becomes ashen pale as he puts down his drink.

“I don’t have much money though… Everything I have is spent on living expenses, and stuff for hunts.”

“It’s not a big expense.” She responds.

He slinks back into himself while slowly reaching into his pocket.

“See how easy it is to make a joke that someone doesn’t get?” Lys asks suddenly.

Brighton’s face gains a little color back as his head snaps toward Lys, and asks, “That was a joke?”

“Yeah. The same one that you got me with!” She smiles.

She’s a bit scary sometimes.

Brighton heaves a sigh of relief as he places his wallet back into his pocket.

“Sorry.” He offers.

“It’s fine. Just don’t do something like that again. I don’t appreciate it.” She states, without a smile. “Besides, this is a celebration, let’s just have a good time tonight, without any jokes like that.”

“Yeah. Let’s celebrate!” Ron says, trying to clear the previous mood.

…………………………………………………………………

We stayed out until it was really late. It must have been three in the morning when I got home. Those people sure do like to party. Anyway, it’s morning now.

My phone rings. I got it after signing on to Squad 1. The association gave it to me for free, just so they could contact me with official business.

“Dungeon found. Location attached.”

A simple message, but I get what it means. Squad 1 has some business to attend to.

…………………………………………………………………

“Today’s dungeon is going to be a tough one. Dungeons with demonized animals are never easy. There’s always just so many of them.” Brighton says.

We're in the same place that I first met the members of Squad 1, the common area in the association building.

“Yeah. You’re telling me. I remember the first dungeon of this kind I had to deal with.” Ron says.

“There’s no need to worry about it. You have me.” I say confidently. “I have skills that help me in a one-on-many fight. It’ll also make it easier for the group.”

“Yeah! This guy is super strong, remember? We didn’t ever talk to him before, but this is the guy who takes care of the dungeons we can’t!” Brighton says.

“I didn’t ever ask for that guy’s name, but I do know about him. That’s you?” Ron asks me.

“Yeah. I suppose I should have introduced myself to you guys better than I did. I’m what the association calls Plan B.”

Lys laughs. “Plan B? They really call you that?”

“Not anymore. Now I’m Plan A.” I smile.

Lys laughs harder. Her intense grin makes me euphorically happy.

“Uhh… you two certainly seem close. Do you two know each other? Didn’t you two meet yesterday?” Charlie asks.

“No. We went on a date the day before yesterday. We had a good time.” I say.

Lys looks at me with razor sharp eyes, as her face gets red. “Why did you tell them?!” She whispers. Nobody else could hear the words.

“Should I have kept it a secret? They would have found out eventually, right?”

Lys sighs, “I guess they would find out sometime.” She gives in. “We did go on a date. We like each other. Now, no more talking about it.” She says with firm finality.

“Okay, boss.” Brighton says jokingly.

“What about the dungeon?” Ron asks.

“Well, I can take point. One of my skills can be used as a kind of AOE debuff. I can slow enemies down in a certain range. Besides, I use a melee weapon, so I should be in the front.”

“Okay. You can be in the front with Ron, since he uses a shield. I’ll be in the back with Charlie, and Brighton can be a free dealer. Just go around attacking enemies and help out Hunter and Ron when they need it.” Lys quickly puts together a dungeon formation.

“Understood.” Ron says.

“Got it. Let’s take care of the back.” Charlie responds.

“Free dealer! You got it!” Brighton says energetically.

“Okay. Let’s take care of this dungeon before any more monsters come out.” Lys says.

“Yeah. Together.” I say, smiling at Lys.

“Just get a room, you two!” Brighton says.

A quick fist comes from Lys towards Brighton’s side, causing him to crumple in pain. She had easy access to his side because she has been sitting next to him for the duration of this conversation.

“I said no more talking about us.” Lys says with an intangible darkness clouding her expression. “Do you understand?”

Her face lights up again as Brighton manages to eek out, “Yea…”

Yup. She’s scary.

…………………………………………………………………

[ALERT: Memory loss. Full Status cannot be displayed.]

Name:

Age: 20

Race: Human

Title: Old One

Title Effect: Grants Skill Set – Mind Over Matter

Level: 65

Experience: 12.65%

Condition: Damaged (Missing Arm [L]), Memory Loss (Severe).

Condition Effects: None.

HP: 1600/1600

MP: 63/63

Strength: 119

Intelligence: 63

Wisdom: 68

Dexterity: 116 (+28% Move Speed)

Constitution: 200 (60+140)

Unassigned Stat Points: 0

Skills

Swiftness (Passive) [F] – Lv. 28

Increases movement speed.

Sturdy (Passive) [E] – Lv. 14

Increases constitution.

Dismantling (Active) [E] – Lv. 5

Dismantles the target corpse. Higher levels increase chance for bonus materials.

Regeneration (Active) [D] – Lv. 9

Regenerate HP at the cost of MP.

Appraisal (Active) [A] – Lv. 3

Appraises the target.

Mana Blade (Active) [A] – Lv. 4

Create a blade of pure mana. Increases damage and cutting ability.

Cartography (Passive) [A]

Maps the area which can be sensed.

Mental Influence Immunity (Passive) [S]

Grants complete immunity to mental influences from external sources.

Instant Movement (Passive) [S] – Lv. 21

Reduces inertia, allowing you to alter your movements much quicker.

Inventory [Special] – Lv. 5

Grants an extra-dimensional space for the storage of allowed items.

Mind Over Matter [Special]

Matter Control (Active):

Control physical matter that you can sense with Mind Sense and physical matter you can see.

Skill Strength: 178.5 kg of force

Adept Proficiency (99.99%)

Mind Sense (Passive):

Allows you to sense your surroundings at all times. Focus on an area to sense greater detail.

Skill Range: 6.8 meters

Expert Proficiency (25.75%)

Unassigned Skill Points: 54