13.

The world of Pangeku is a place where everyone is given a chance to live a life that they never had. It will vary how you utilize those opportunities that are already presented to you. But of course, when everyone has freedom, others will be tormented by it. Survival of the fittest? Or is it the fortune of luck? Either way, it’s the one who moves forward will reach the top.

Dark past of misery has been uncovered. Most of them anticipated the rough times that Kane had but no one expected to be this horrifying. None of them can even imagine how hard it is and if they can pull the same feat that Kane did if they were on his shoes. After the story telling, everyone paused for an hour, Ryuu and Akari tried to light up the atmosphere until everyone was a little more comfortable. They climbed up to the surface and annihilated the mobs every level. Looting every mineral that can be gathered. The party let Broko and Mista tag along for the whole week. It’s been tough for them to act normally again after the commotions but that does not stop them from grinding more experience.

The third day of the summer expedition started, the party went to the hill to hunt Giant red shrooms.

“Fireball!” Akari casted.

“Ryuu, the rear!” Reiko instructed as she cast water spears.

“On it!” Ryuu sprinted and lured the Giant red shrooms using mist.

“Double my target’s speed, HASTE” Mista buffed Broko.

“Earth smash!” Broko slams his sword in the ground.

“Oy captain, aren’t you gonna help?” Ryuu asked.

“No” Kane answered.

“He already soloed the Elder dragon, let him rest” Akari added.

“Ooohh, how thoughtful Hinata-chan” Reiko teased.

“Please focus Reiko-chan” Akari said.

“hai , haaai” Reiko replied.

“These shrooms are annoying, splitting them in half makes another version of themselves!” Ryuu complained.

“They can also remove its burnt parts and then regenerate it” Akari added.

“What should we do?” Broko asked.

“Can you dig a huge hole?” Reiko questioned.

“Not big enough but I bet those shrooms will fit”

“Yosh, now follow my lead” Reiko said.

With Reiko’s lead they now initiate the plan. Broko dug a hole to trap the Giant red shrooms. Since Ryuu is known for his speed, he was assigned to lure them to the trap.

“I thought I’ll be running but this is…. Boring” Ryuu said.

“I know that they are slow but I never thought that they will be this slow…” Akari disappointedly said.

“Broko, Don’t you think that the trap is too far?” Mista asked.

“Reiko-san said it” Broko said.

“My bad, I miscalculate this part…” Reiko embarrassedly said.

*after 2 hours*

“You are almost there!” Akari cheered.

“How long are we waiting here?” Broko asked.

“If it wasn’t for its regeneration, we could have killed them by now” Reiko said.

“At least we found a way to kill them, I think?” Mista added.

“We are still not sure if that pool poison in that hole will kill them” Reiko said.

“This island has almost everything on it, I suppose” Akari said.

“How did you know that those fruits have poison inside?” Broko asked.

“There are some dead birds lying on the ground, they must have drunk the fluid inside of those fruits” Reiko answered.

“Woah, you are quite an observant Reiko-chan” Mista praised.

“She’s popular in our guild because of her brain… aaaand her body as well” Akari bragged.

“I suggest that we should leave Ryuu here, he can follow us when there’s a problem, let’s level up somewhere nearby” Reiko suggested.

“OY, NEE-SAN!” Ryuu shouted.

“Will he be okay?” Mista asked.

“He’ll be fine, I’m sure” Reiko answered.

“I’m fine with it” Broko added.

“ASK CAPTAIN ABOUT THIS?” Ryuu complained.

“I agree” Kane replied.

“CAPTAIN!!” ryuu shouted.

“Byeeee, we’ll see you later” Reiko said.

“Just shout when you need us” Akari added.

“This bullying keeps getting worse...” Ryuu murmured.

Since they already form a party, the experience shared across the members can be gained within 100 m circumference. To efficiently level up faster, they split up for a while.

“Those wolves are exhausting” Broko said while catching his breath.

“They are surprisingly faster compared to the regular wolves, good thing we beat it already” Mista replied.

“Red wolves are faster during daylight, they always hunt in the morning because sunlight boosts their movement speed” Reiko added.

“Their skin looks like a reflective material or some sort, no wonder why my fire attacks do not deal any damage to them” Akari noticed.

“Good thing we have water magic on our side, though ice magic would be more effective” Broko stated.

“I cannot learn ice magic anymore since I focus on the healing path, my water magic can be converted to heal someone, but I think Ryuu can learn it since he mastered mist” Reiko replied.

“But that means he needs more magic aspect in him to cast one right? I haven’t seen him cast a magic spell” Mista asked.

“He lacks magic aspects but I believe someday he can cast magic too” Reiko answered.

“Speaking of Ryuu, I wonder how he was doing…” Akari mentioned.

“Aren’t you worried about Hokori-san?” Broko asked.

“W...why would I worry about him?” Akari stuttered.

“But we usually think of our special someone once we get separated, especially on adventures” Broko added.

“He is not my special someone!” Akari shouted.

“We thought that you and Hokori-san are in a special relationship” Mista surprisingly said.

“W..what makes y.. You think that way?” Akari nervously asked.

“I mean, you two are sweet and have a different vibe at your party” Mista replied.

“Y..you.. Are just imagining things, we are not in a special relationship” Akari stated.

“Yeaaaaaahh right” Reiko commented.

“So you are not in a special relationship... Mista you still have a chance!” Broko shouted.

“OOOYYY BROKO!” Mista shouts while blushing.

“Ara, you like Hokori” Reiko asked.

*Mista shyly nods her head*

“Don’t be shy, they are not in a special relationship after all, I’m rooting for you!” Broko encouraged Mista.

“Broko, Stop it already” Mista blushed.

“You better move faster, there’s a lot of fish in the sea” Reiko whispered to Akari.

“You keep teasing me Reiko-chan” Akari replied.

“I do commend that hug last time” Reiko teased.

“Aaaa…… th...that was…. Unintentional… I… I just want to stop him. That's all” Akari defensively said.

“I know, let’s go back, the shrooms are probably dead by now” Reiko said while smirking.

“You’re mean Reiko-chan” Akari murmured.

The party meets up with Ryuu and as they thought, the poison kills the Giant shrooms. The grind for experience is successful, everyone raised 4 levels on that day only. They were also able to collect some tradable items.

The night comes, they sit around on a bonfire. The harmonious peaceful night suddenly turns into a serious atmosphere when a certain topic is opened up for discussion.

“You two, what are your plans after this?” Kane asked.

“Well, we will go back to our homeland once this expedition is over. We’ll give Trundle a proper burial there, he’s my childhood friend after all…” Broko answered.

“My brother loves that place and I’m sure that he wants to rest there” Mista added.

“Where is your homeland?” Akari asked.

“It’s on Graspmoon, north side near Mechtown” Broko answered.

“Wait , if I’m not mistaken, that is on the mountain side right?” Ryuu asked.

“It is. Every night, it feels like the moon is within our grasp because it's too near. That’s why the place was called Graspmoon in the first place” Mista replied.

“How about the 3 of you? Now that you know I’m seeking vengeance, do you still want to tail with me?” Kane asked.

“I know that it’s been rough, but my decision does not change” Akari said.

“If I was stronger, I could have prevented that scene… That night, I realized that the stronger ones take the responsibility. Captain, I want to take the responsibility as well.” Ryuu stated.

“Well I’ll go where my brother goes, someone needs to look after him” Reiko added.

“Oy, I’m not a kid anymore nee-san” Ryuu replied.

“You sure?” Reiko sarcastically answered.

“There you have it! Don’t worry, next time we won’t be a deadweight to you, we’ll apprehend them instead of killing those guys” Akari softly said.

14.

Akari, Ryuu and Reiko started as level 20 when they first stepped on the island, after several days, defeating the Elder dragon 4 times alongside Broko, Mista and Kane, they were able to reach level 30. The vast efforts paid off, the gap between Kane and the rest of them is slowly shrinking.

The Summer expedition turns out to be successful. Mista is quite uneasy due to the death of her brother, but the rest of the party is there to cheer her up. They spent their last day relaxing and enjoying the shore. At night, Kane taught Broko and Mista how to manage their mana flow, They meditated on a peaceful dark cave with blue fireflies that luminated the place. Kane advised that they should repeat this at least once a week or after using tons of mana, it will replenish the irregularities in their mana flow.

The following day, the party heads back to the steamship. They report the happenings last time to Kyap. He then apologized for letting the bandits pass their security and boarded their ship. Kyap promised that the party will be compensated and they will tighten the security for the next expedition.

“Kyap-san, Can you use storage magic?” Reiko asked.

“Yeah, I use that to easily load the ship and sometimes store fresh meat” Kyap answered.

“Is there something you want to try Reiko-chan?” Akari asked.

“I was thinking if Kyap can store the body of Trundle so that they can bury him on Graspmoon…” Reiko replied.

“Woooaahh, I think that will work, storage magic keeps the body frozen while it's inside and the smell won’t be a problem as well” Ryuu added.

“I haven’t tried it that way, but I guess it’s worth trying, is it fine with you Broko, Mista?” Kyap asked.

“Of course! I will be grateful if you can help us bury my brother in our homeland” Mista answered.

“I don’t have a problem with the plan as long as Mista agrees,” Broko added.

“HAHA! Then that’s settled, to compensate you in this trouble, I shall accompany you to your homeland and bring peace to your brother’s grave. That’s the least that I can do for now.” Kyap said.

*Mista burst out with tears*

Kyap and the party went back to the place where they buried Trundle. They dugged up and tried storing the body, luckily, the plan worked. They head back to the steamship to rest and eventually, they sail back to Mechtown, Summer expedition comes to an end.

After some time, the ships docked at Mechtown, Kyap will meet up with Broko and Mista after he report the incident to the local knights of the town. Kane said that he will catch up with them at the inn after he checks Taurus. Ryuu asked if he could join him but Kane declined. Broko, Mista, and the rest of them decided to enjoy their meal at the most luxurious resto in town.

“Are you sure Kane would not join us?” Mista asked.

“We are kinda used to this setup, sometimes, we just let Kane have his own space” Reiko answered.

“Yeah, but it doesn’t mean he’s angry at us or something, he is just that kind of person” Ryuu said while eating.

“But are you not worried that he’ll ditch you one time?” Broko asked.

“No, we have full trust in him, he could have just said no if he really did not want us when we first asked him” Akari said.

“Are you sure you don’t like Kane?” Broko curiously asked.

“Yeahhh, she’s sure” Reiko sarcastically answered.

“Oy Reiko!” Akari blushed.

The dinner is filled with laughter as they celebrate both success and their farewell, hoping someday their fate will cross once again. They split up after their meal and wished each other luck for their journey. Akari, Reiko and Ryuu go back to the inn and when they enter their room, they are stunned by what they have seen.

“A...ahm… Hokori-san… w.. Who is that man? Why is he tied up?” Akari nervously asked.

“This man was the one who ordered those bandits, it’s actually hard to believe that 100 bandits just passed the security easily and simply boarded the ship” Kane said.

“Wait… so you are investigating earlier, CAPTAIN! WHY DID YOU LET ME HELP” Ryuu said with teary eyes.

“That will be too obvious if both of us are missing, and I don’t want to raise random issues out of speculations.” Kane said.

“Plus you might ruin the plan, wise decision Hokori-kun” Reiko added.

“OY!” Ryuu shouted.

“So how did you do it? Do you get any answers?” Akari asked.

“I tried investigating the crew, I figured out that there is a rotation in checking the ticket to the summer expedition. Replicating the ticket is hard because the stamp has a seal on it. Stealing the ticket is impossible because they need to hunt a hundred or more adventurers to have those tickets. So the most realistic way is someone let them through with fake tickets and scattered them on the 5 steamships.” Kane explained.

“So you’re saying that someone on the crew let them enter during a certain point of the rotation…” Ryuu mentioned.

“That explains the crowdedness on the ships…” Reiko added.

“Wait, do Kyap-san know about this?” Akari asked.

“No” Kane replied.

“But why?” Akari added.

“Kyap will probably ask the crew to line up and make them confess, that won’t work and most probably any action from Kyap will make the crew on their guard, it will be harder to investigate” Kane answered.

“So what’s up with that guy?” Reiko asked.

“He is the one who let those bandits through, though he did not spill any more details about it. All I get is that someone is controlling all of this and keeps empowering those bandits” Kane said.

“WOOOAAHH! CAPTAIN YOU’RE SO COOL! So how did you know that he is the one who let them through?” Ryuu asked.

“There are 5 persons rotating morning to afternoon, they switch every hour until the steamships will set sail. Entering at a random time will detect their fake ticket, so a specific time is the best fit.” Kane explained.

“But it is also possible that 2 out of the 5 person rotating might let them through, right?” Akari asked.

“Indeed, that’s why I investigate the 5 persons involved to prove my speculations, I ask a crew on the maintenance about the details on this Summer expedition, he said some of the crew are not part of the guild in Mechtown, they are short handed this time that’s why they recruited some adventurers outside of the guild. He gave me a list that shows whose part of the guild and whose not. 2 among those 5 persons involved in the rotations came from other guilds. I watched their movements since they are the primary suspects.” Kane answered.

“Wait, that crew you mentioned just simply gave you the list? Is it fine to just give info?” Ryuu questioned.

“We actually know each other, he is the head on the maintenance department. He’s been there since Kyap started to be the captain on the expedition. I said that I’m investigating something, that's why he gave me those info” Kane explained.

“Never thought that you have plenty of connections” Reiko mentioned.

“So what happened next?” Akari asked.

“I followed the movements of the other guy, he just slept for more than an hour. I decided to follow the movement of that guy instead, then I saw him panicking about something. He was talking to himself and kept saying what he should do, his boss is going to kill him” Kane said.

“His boss? Well that’s shady” Ryuu commented.

“After some time he started talking to someone to deliver his message, he said that their plan failed and the Nightreaper is on their tail. I managed to corner the messenger but he detonated himself before I could even make him spill information. I expect that this guy will probably gonna do the same, that’s why I apprehended him instantly” Kane said.

“Well I doubt that he’ll be telling us anything” Akari mentioned.

“I’ll just kill him then” Kane suggested.

“THAT IS NOT WHAT I MEANT!” Akari shouted.

“Eeeeeee what should we do about him?” Ryuu asked.

“For now keep an eye on him, we could use him as a hostage someday. I’ll discuss this with Kyap. See you guys tomorrow” Kane ordered.

“Wait CAPTAIN!” Ryuu shouted.

*Kane cast a shroud and disappears*

“Aaaaaaaaand he’s gone, is he a ninja?” Reiko sarcastically asked.

“So should we take turns in duty? We can prove ourselves this time!” Akari optimistically suggested.

“Yosha! I’ll watch him ‘til morning!” Ryuu eagerly shouted.

“I guess he absorbed only half of what Hinata said, fine let’s do this!” Reiko said.

“LEZZGO!” they all shouted.

*the morning rises*

*Akari slowly woke up*

“Everyone is sleeping? Wait.. if everyone is sleeping… who is incharge of… GUYS WAKE UP!” Akari panicked.

“Good Morning” Reiko said while yawning.

“I wasn’t sleeping at all!” Ryuu shouted while eyes closed.

“THE GUY ESCAPED!” Akari shouted.

“Oy Ryuu, you’re the one incharge in the second rotation, why are you sleeping as well?” Reiko madly asked.

“I was so fired up last night that I couldn’t sleep while both of you were on watch, when it was my turn, I eventually fell asleep hehe…” Ryuu shamefully said.

“YOU MORON!” Reiko shouted.

“I’M SORRY!” Ryuu responded.

“Oy guys, what should we do? Kane will be here any minute right now” Akari worriedly asked.

“Let’s look for clues for now, ahhm… search the surroundings!” Reiko suggested.

*knock knock*

“Ahm…. what should we do?” Akari nervously asked.

“DON’T OPEN THE DOOR, I AM NOT YET READY TO FACE MY FAILURE!” Ryuu shouted.

“Let’s pretend we got beat up?” Reiko confusedly said.

*knock knock*

“OY WHAT SHOULD WE DO?” Akari panicked.

“Thank you for this wonderful blessing, I am ready to leave this world now, I pray that my spirit will rest in peace” Ryuu chanted.

“OY COWARD DON’T DIE JUST TO ESCAPE YOUR FAILURE!” Reiko shouted.

*knock knock*

“He… here we go…” Akari slowly opened the door.

“Why won’t you open the door?” Kane asked.

“Aahmm…. Because… ahh..” Akari stuttered.

“Goo..good morning… Ho...kori-kun hehe” Reiko nervously laughed.

“Forgive thy sins, as we all sinful, regrets shall be a lesson and all shall be forgiven” Ryuu continued chanting.

“TAKE ME WITH YOU RYUU!” Reiko said.

“Why is everything in shambles?” Kane asked.

“Please don’t be mad at us... the… the… the guy escaped…” Akari embarrassedly said.

“I know” Kane responded.

“What did you just say?” Ryuu asked.

“I thought that someone might be listening to our discussion last night, I anticipate that someone will try to rescue that guy, he is probably one of the big fishes out there” Kane replied.

“So you anticipate that he will get rescued? But why did you let them escape?” Reiko asked.

“I found this magical item here in Mechtown while you guys were training last time. It’s like a tracker that shows the location on this enchanted map.” Kane answered.

“Wait, there are items like that here in Mechtown? I did not see it when we were looking around” Akari mentioned.

“It is not for sale, that's why we did not see it. They use it on delivering forged items to different countries so that they can track if the items were safely delivered. They said it was a countermeasure for thieves.” Kane explained.

“But how does it actually work?” Ryuu asked.

“It is a seal that can be attached to different things, they usually attach it on the cart. When the seal is destroyed, the light from this enchanted map will disappear. I put a seal under that guy’s foot while he was unconscious, he wears shoes so it will take time before he notices” Kane clarified.

“How did you get one?” Akari asked.

“I trade them Magistones, it is a mineral that is actually rare here in Mechtown, though a cave from Bysstal has plenty of those. For now, I stock some Magistones, Enchanted maps and Seals. They might get handy.” Kane replied.

“HA HA HA, IT’S ALL ACCORDING TO PLAN” Ryuu boasted.

“How can you recover so quickly after accepting your death?” Reiko questioned.

“What happened to your discussion with Kyap-san?” Akari asked.

“We agreed that for now he will accompany Broko and Mista while I investigate the incident, he will also tell the guildmaster alongside the head of the maintenance team to give me all the information that I needed.”

“What should we do now?” Akari asked.

“They are still here in Mechtown, don’t know why they are not moving out yet. For now, you and Reiko will go to the blacksmith and get us new weapons, buy some potions as well, we might get into a big mess soon. Ryuu and I will investigate more” Kane ordered.

“You are calling them by their first name and you are not calling me by my first name” Akari whispered.

“By the way, drop the formality, we will start using the first name of each other, there are spies that might target your family line when they know your surname, we don’t want others to get involved here. Now, start working” Kane said.

“Let’s go!” Reiko, Akari, Ryuu shouted

*Akari blushed*

15

With a strategic plan, the party prepared for their journey. Akari and Reiko prepare the necessary items and stock some foods as well. On the other hand, Ryuu watches the movement of the target from a distance, while Kane collects information with the head of the maintenance team. The plan is to let the target move out, since they don’t have any leads. Tracking him will be the best option that will give them more information. Kane also gave them Magistones fused with seal, and copies of the enchanted map. This will help them to track the target and also know each other’s location for safety purposes. Once the preparation is complete, the plan is to group up at night in the inn.

“Update” Kane ordered.

“We got this longsword for you and double daggers for Ryuu. Me and Reiko got these new staffs, all are made from obsidian” Akari stated.

“Since I have healing magic, we bought more mana potions rather than the health potions, we only bought a minimal amount of health potions for emergency purposes” Reiko explained.

“Good, How about you?” Kane asked Ryuu.

“HAI! They were hanging out at the bar earlier, they are 4 of them in total, not sure what they were talking about but I do recognize one of them was part of the crew on the expedition last time.” Ryuu reported.

“Well obviously, the target was part of the crew, we already know that” Reiko responded.

“I mean besides the target, there is another guy that I remember because I bump into him while I’m exploring the ship during the trip. Though I don’t know the other guys” Ryuu replied.

“It feels like this is something bigger than we thought, why would he communicate with the target if he is not part of the murder on the Netherave. They are kinda ordered to do different tasks…” Akari hypothesized.

“Another question that comes to my mind is that no one was talking about the expedition, especially the incident itself. Usually someone will definitely ask what happened when they know that we are part of that expedition, it feels like they don’t know what’s happening” Reiko mentioned.

“Well to be honest, if only I knew that those kinds of things happen on Summer Expedition, I won’t be taking that ticket” Ryuu said.

“That is actually the main reason why only the Guild masters from different places are the ones that have this information. Spreading that kind of news will make the adventurers stop from participating in the event. I experienced that before but no one knew about what really happened.” Kane answered.

“But why are they still operating yearly if they already knew that those things would happen?” Akari asked.

“I think that the killing and robbery did not occur yearly as well, maybe they do that randomly that’s why the Expedition still continues” Reiko suggested.

“Or they could do it silently, I mean there’s no person like Kane yearly on that ship right? Unfortunately for them, this year was different” Ryuu argued.

“That is also possible, besides it would be hard to infiltrate and be part of the crew instantly without getting a background check. They are probably doing this for some time now coz they are used to it.” Reiko responded.

“Kane, they are probably connected to what happened to you before…” Akari said.

“Then we will find out” Kane replied.

The meeting ended, A lot of speculations arose. Every single one of them was bothered about the things that were about to unfold. Injustice, too much freedom, lack of security, that is all part of the survival of the fittest. Once you realize how things actually work, you will never be able to close your eyes again. But the real question is, can they still find peace and happiness even though their eyes are widely opened this time?

I know you are having a hard time, but at least we are a step closer in ending your nightmare. I hope I can see that soon.