“Are you serious?”

It surprised upgrade to hear the answer from Dao after fighting with Brando. Dao just nodded. Everyone turned to Upgrade, who raised his voice as he said that. Upgrade suddenly held the chin.

“Dao, we'll continue the conversation later,” he whispered.

Dao left everyone out of the house. Elisia was curious about their conversation, which seemed to be hidden from her. With her arm bandaged and her leg still recovering from her injury, Elisia approached Upgrade slowly.

“Upgrade, what's wrong?” Elisia asked.

Upgrade turned around. “Dao only reported the fight just now to me. I have to check if Dao has any system crashes.”

“Dao has saved us just now. Without he, we will definitely be finished,” Elisia thanked.

Upgrade pulled up a chair, then asked Elisia to sit down. The man examined the wound covered with bandages while checking for other medicines. He was surprised because the wound was near the Kryptida infection site at Elisia. Upgrade was confused about how to wrap the wound. Finally, Upgrade smeared it with painkiller medicine, then covered it with a bandage.

“Now, we just need to wait for this wound to close again. It's the umpteenth time you hurt your body,” Upgrade said.

“But it wasn't on purpose because I wanted to save Christ!” Elisia answered.

“Yes, but you have us. You can ask us for help first.” Upgrade checked Elisia's legs. “If I don't ask Dao to follow you, I won't know what your next fate will be.”

Elisia was surprised, then Upgrade pursed his lips.

“What? You ask Dao to follow me?”

“Forget it. I misspoke,” Upgrade replied, who covered his honesty.

“Why did you-ahh!” Elisia grimaced as Upgrade massaged her legs.

“Keep your mouth shut during the examination, literally.” Upgrade suppressed the sore muscle, which was behind Elisia's calf bone.

Elisia covered her own mouth to prevent a whimper from escaping. But, Upgrade's massage that suppressed the sore spot made Elisia couldn’t contain her voice. This massage was the same as when Elisia injured from the practice of the first duel with Risk. The massage was finally over.

Elisia's chest continued to pump air. Her body felt weak, but the pain in her legs had disappeared. Upgrade wiped his sweat, then cleaned up the medical equipment. Then, he approached Christ.

“Christ, how did you get kidnapped and what did they tell you?” Upgrade asked.

Christ recalled the incident. “I don't really remember, but it happened after I returned to my hut. When I woke up, they bound me with my mouth gagged and my hands tied behind my back. He said he wanted to take possession of my father's land.”

“Your father's land? You mean the field across from this house?” Tevanny confirmed after listening to his answer.

Christ nodded. “He also said that my father stole his father's property, including the land he said they forced him to sell to my father.”

“Then, did he say anything more suspicious?” Upgrade dug up information from Christ.

“Nothing, but I overheard his conversation with his men saying something about power. If I heard correctly, he said Kontara,” Christ replied.

Upgrade wide-eyed, then turned around. Everyone's response was astonishing. Elisia became more and more curious about Upgrade had spoken to Dao about this incident. The man entered the room, saying nothing.

Upgrade’s behavior made Elisia even more curious. She recalled what Brando and Christ had said about seizing the treasure. The girl wanted to ask Christ about it, but she didn't dare. She also had a question about Kontara.

Name of the person?

Place name?

Elisia walked into the room to take a break from the fight. She admitted it was very stressful and full of pain, especially Brando, who had the Archer class. Elisia picked up [Hex Aegis] on the table to search for the Archer class.

Suddenly Elisia got a notification from her stats.

“New Achievement unlocked: Arrow in the Dark”

“Reward: Player EXP +300 and Skill EXP +150”

.

“Congratulations, your level up to 8!”

“Bonus: DEF +8”

.

“Max HP, Stamina, and Skill Points restored”

.

There wasn't much she could find in the book other than the explanation that Archer had long ranged attacks and served as back line support. Their major weapons were bows and crossbows, as well as arrows whose number depended on the user.

“Looks like it will be difficult to beat the Archer class since they will attack me first before I can reach them,” Elisia muttered, “Unless my moves are as fast as Dao.”

Suddenly, she realized that Risk hadn't been homecoming since morning. She didn't know where her mentor had gone, and neither did her friends. Elisia closed the book because her eyes felt heavy. Drowsiness attacked, but she couldn’t sleep just yet. After a few minutes of holding on, her own drowsiness defeated Elisia.

Something entered Elisia's mind while sleeping. Her head ached and a dream visual appeared in front of her, who still closed her eyes. She didn't know what it was, but she was in the middle of the circle of fire. The fire trapped Elisia until there was no way to escape.

Even in the middle of the circle of fire, the girl didn't feel any heat. Suddenly, her chest felt so tight that she knelt to the ground. Her head was raised, and her eyes had turned fiery red.

Instantly, Elisia woke up from the dream. She sat as holding her dizzy head. The dream felt real. Even Elisia's chest was still tight. She did not know what vision she had in a dream. Elisia checked the stats.

Elisia Naumann

Level 8 (100/1300 exp)–Vanguard

Max HP : 813 /816

Stamina : 610/610

Skill Point (SP) : 130/130

ATK : 405

DEF : 237

RES : 10.3%

Agility : 45

.

Skills

Active Skills

1. Molten Flame (level 4 (400/700 exp))

SP Requires : 40

ATK +60% and every attack gains 40% chance to ignore 17% Enemy DEF.

Duration: 29 second

2. [Unknown]

(Unlocked in Level 15)

3. [Unknown]

(Unlocked in Level 25)

4. [Unknown]

(Unlocked in Level 40)

5. [Unknown]

(Unlocked in Level 50)

Passive Skills

1. Sixth Sense (level 3 (400/600 exp))

Can see the level, basic stats (Max HP, ATK, DEF, and RES), and Skill used to other characters.

Duration : Passive

2. [Unknown]

(Unlocked in Level 10)

.

Equipment

1. Wool Jacket (not equipped)

2. Dublin Spear (used)

3. Flame Pendulum (equipped)

4. Necklace of Fortune (equipped)

5. Book of Hex Aegis (available)

6. Monstra, Book of Monsters (available)

.

Her Max HP decreased a little, but it had little an effect. Elisia got up from the bed and walked out. There is Upgrade enjoying his steamy drink. Elisia approached him and asked something.

“Upgrade, what are you drinking?” Elisia asked.

“Is this? This is Tevanny's rose tea. She asked me to try this tea, and the blend was just right. Tevanny had made more in the kitchen, if you want,” Upgrade explained.

“Yeah, I'll pick it up later.” Elisia fiddled with her fingers on the table. “Eee... Upgrade, may I ask you something?”

Upgrade raised right eyebrow. “What is that? Did you have a bad dream earlier?”

“How do you know?”

“I checked the growl that turned out to be you. I'm surprised you can dream even if you only sleep for thirty minutes,” Upgrade replied, then he took a sip of the tea.

“Yeah, I had a bad dream earlier,” Elisia continued, “Actually, that's not what I wanted to ask.”

“Just ask!”

Elisia was silent for a moment. “Why… were you surprised when heard Christ's story? Do you know anything about this incident?”

Upgrade was silent, then smiled. “Geez, you're looking like Risk. If he heard you ask that, he would definitely surprised. I want to answer it, but I'm afraid you won't understand.”

“Elisia just wanted an answer, because you made me curious about your behavior!”

Upgrade took another sip of the tea, then smiled like before. “I'll make it shorter. Brando has ties to agencies from other countries to carry out their evil plans. So, the Brando you were dealing with earlier was an agent.”

“Agent? What is an agent?”

“I had expected that you would ask this. An agent is a group of people assigned individually to carry out a mission. They can recruit anyone, including Brando, who has a high desire for revenge.”

“Is An agent very dangerous?”

“Not at all. Some of them are good behind terrible title. However, Brando is already a dangerous agent,” Upgrade explained again.

“Then why were you surprised when you heard word Kontara? Is he an agent too?”

“I think your question is too deep. I can't answer that anymore,” Upgrade replied, “Maybe you should practice.”

“Risk hasn't returned since morning. I don't know where he is.”

“So do I.” Upgrade left Elisia to enter the room.

Elisia walked out of the house to get some fresh air. There was nothing she could see but people passing by in horse-drawn carriages on the main road. She also doesn't know where everyone is. Suddenly, Christ surprised Elisia from the right side.

“Christ, you startled me!” Elisia looked at him, annoyed. “Where have you been this afternoon?”

“I just finished accompanying Miss Tevanny from the fields. Mister Dao and Mister Rhino are going to the village chicken farm. They are harvesting a lot of eggs,” Christ replied.

“Do you see Risk? He hasn't been home since morning.”

“I don’t see him. Maybe Mr. Risk looking for something in the next village,” Christ guessed.

“Alright, how about we take a walk in the village?” Elisia bargained.

“After you, My Liege!” Christ bowed. Elisia blushed.

They walked hand in hand again across the main village road. Elisia returns to nostalgia with her first date. She wasn't as awkward as the first time. Christ looked at her with a smiling face. Elisia felt comfortable with the bandit child.

“Okay, where are we going?” Christ asked.

Elisia thought. “Perhaps visiting the fountain in this afternoon would be very pleasant.”

They walked to the fountain in the middle of the village. The crowd greeted those who stared at them. As before, people looked away when they saw Christ with her.

They arrived at the village fountain, which continued to pour water from the statue in the center of the pond. They sat on the edge while enjoying the busy day in the village. Christ let Elisia leaned on his left shoulder.

In a warm atmosphere, Elisia remembered the days with Christ that she had passed. An experience that would never forget, considering that there was still a long way to go back to Gwelissa. In order to liven up their togetherness, Elisia said something.

“Christ, what do you think if I take you on my trip one day? Do you want to join?”

Christ chuckled. “You know, I also want to leave this village because my mother left a note to visit Lung country. But, I also have more important business here. I don't know whether to go to that place.”

“If you want to visit that place, you can come with us. I don't know where Upgrade will take me later, but if we go past Lung, you can either stop or keep going.”

Christ held his chin. “I think I'll stay here,” he joked.

Suddenly, an arrow shot towards them. In reflex, Christ pushed Elisia down from the edge of the fountain. Their bodies hit the ground, and Elisia's back ached. Then Christ stood up and looked for the arrow.

Elisia was curious and stood up from the ground immediately. “Christ, what’s happened?”

Christ found the arrow and showed it to Elisia. “I protected you from this thing. It looks like there's paper tied to it.”

Christ untied the folded paper, then unfolded it. The paper contained a message addressed to him.

.

“I'll admit, that fight was really fun. But, you asked for help to do. If you're brave enough, we can meet in the abandoned barn this afternoon.”

.

“Do you know who this letter is from?” Elisia asked, who also read the letter.

“I can recognize this handwriting wherever I am. It's from Brando,” Christ replied, “I have to go for him!”

“No, Christ! They could kill you! I will call for help first!” Elisia pressed the button on the bracelet attached to her right arm, but Christ stopped her.

“No need, Elisia! I'll deal with it myself. Your friends and you have helped me a lot and I am very grateful for all of that. It's time for me to face my own problems.” Christ started walking down the road that led to an abandoned barn near the village border.

“Then, I will come with you!” Elisia followed Christ, but stopped again by the teenager.

“You have better go home and don't follow me. Sorry if I forced you, but this is my business. I’m glad that we have to meet you, and thank you for making me feel love again.” Christ ran quickly, leaving Elisia alone in the fountain.

Elisia could only watch her beloved teenager leave, with no one following. She was worrying if something happened to him, considering he wasn't very good at fighting yet. The girl pressed the button on the bracelet, then walked quietly after Christ.

Elisia passed through the crowd to catch up to Christ, who had drifted away from her. Since she already knew the teenager's goal, she didn't have to fear being left behind. Finally, she arrived at the main road that ran through the forest. Elisia was a little hesitant about coming to him, but she had already called for help. She crossed that path by throwing away her doubts.

After a long journey, Elisia arrived at an abandoned barn. She jumped into the bushes to take a peek. There was a group of people she thought were village teenagers, with Brando standing in the middle. Christ was in front of them. They could hear their conversation, though it wasn't enormous.

“I already said that agreement gave the land by your father. If you don't burn my house down, I can show you the evidence,” Christ shouted for self-defending.

“That's my objective. With all the evidence destroyed, then I can carry out my plan to take back my father's land,” Brando replied.

“But why do you want to reclaim the land? It has become village land!” Christ raised his voice.

Brando tugged on Christ's collar. “Our great lord is very interested in build something in this area as it is next to the village monster cave. Thanks to your friends, he's even more happy and will come after I take possession of the land.”

“Who is your lord? Kontara? Tell him that not to disturb my father's land!”

Brando asked one of his men to hit Christ in the face. The teenager fell to the ground. Brando stomped on Christ's head.

“Who do you think you are? You're just trash to be thrown away. Your family's arrival in this village is only a disaster. In fact, you can't beat me. How determined are you to forbid our lord?”

Elisia could not bear to see their treatment of Christ. She took out a spear and counted how many people there were using [Sixth Sense]. There were fifteen of them, with an average level of 4 to 6. When she was about to take a step, a hand grabbed Elisia's right shoulder. She turned around and surprised.

...

With the unpleasant treatment from Brando and his friends, Christ could not stand up. Every time he stood up, Brando's friends would beat him with wooden sticks. Some of his limbs had injured and difficult to move.

“Looks like I'm about to finish. Thank you for knowing you, Elisia,” he muttered.

Brando heard those words. “Oh, you want to say goodbye to your loved one? Go ahead!”

“You don't have to go anywhere, Christ!” Elisia came out of the bush.

Everyone was shocked and readied their weapons. Brando smiled at Elisia's arrival. The girl looked at Christ who has badly injured, then looked at everyone in annoyance.

“To hurt the person I love in front of me, it's unforgivable!” Elisia roared.

“Wow, you came! I should have known that if I wanted to send a letter, I had to make sure you weren't there either.” Brando readied his bow. “But it doesn't matter, getting rid of you will be my priority.”

“Elisia... don't come closer...” Christ said with a mouth full of blood.

“I'll make sure you guys regret to hurting Christ and bowing down to that crazy agent!” Elisia exclaimed.

Brando ordered seven people to come up to Elisia. This time, Elisia wouldn't attack right away and let them attack first. Seven people had surrounded Elisia. Two people from the side ran towards the girl. With alacrity, Elisia could overthrow them.

The rest of the people started advancing one by one with their wooden weapons. Elisia could overthrow them easily. Brando asked five men to attack again. Unexpectedly, someone finished them quickly before they even got close to Elisia. The figure stopped in front of Elisia, who smiled immediately.

It surprised Brando to see him. “Ooh, it's you again! I'm not surprised by your great attack speed.”

“Greeting again!” Dao said hello.

“But this time you won't survive!” Brando drew a large arrow towards Dao.

Dao straightened his body and raised his left hand in front of his face. The arrow was getting closer and closer towards him at high speed. The arrows touched Dao's hand, but it shattered like they hit a hard shield. His opponent's endurance surprised Brando.

“What the?! How did you…”

“They designed Dao for combat, and resists attacks.” Dao wielded his sword and dashed towards the rest of Brando's men. With no preparation, they fell at the hands of Dao alone. Not to forget, he also took Christ away from the fight.

“Dao, you are great!” Elisia praised after seeing the action of her robot friend.

Brando was getting annoyed. “You make me angry! I will be serious this time to finish you off!” Brando drew a yellow arrow towards Elisia.

The arrow shot and split into many arrows. It surprised Elisia to see the number of arrows flying towards her. She couldn't move anywhere because a hail of arrows surrounded her. When the arrow was about to touch Elisia, a shield formed over her like an umbrella. All the arrows bounced off of it and shattered.

Elisia saw someone standing in front of her, characterized by pale white skin, tall body, and carrying a medical bag. He surprised Brando again because his opponent brought reinforcements again.

“Huh, who are you?!” Brando said, feeling cornered.

The figure opened its eyes and stared intently at Brando. “As long as it is under my vision, no one can harm Elisia!”

Elisia felt saved by that figure. “Upgrade, you came just in time.”

“I never thought I'd be dealing with an agent again.” Upgrade removed the surrounding shield.

“You can't stop me! My lord will demand you to pay for your deeds!” Brando angered.

“Who? Kontara?” Upgrade smiled. “He’s just a puppet controlled by a strong desire for power. You're just being used by him so he can achieve his goals.”

“Too noisy, I will finish you off too!” Brando drew an arrow of greater power and purple color.

Arrows started shooting, but they weren't strong enough to pierce the shield that Upgrade had made in a short of time. Brando got goosebumps seeing his opponent could break his attack.

“I'll admit, your abilities are excellent, but you lack one thing to call yourself an agent, intelligence.” Upgrade right hand lifted and snapped his fingers.

It surprised Elisia to see the description of the skill that was activated by Upgrade, as well as changing Upgrade’s class.

Upgrade

Level 56–Combat Medic

Max HP : 3789

ATK : 350

DEF : 936

RES : 85%

Agility : 10

.

Skill Used :

Extreme Painkiller

After activated, gain state (Max HP +2000, DEF +500%, RES +85%). But, he cannot use normal heal attack and agility -5. Can be deactivated.