Chapter 33 – The Crossroads of Promotion (1)

– Clap clap

I looked at myself in the mirror and gave my cheeks a couple of slaps.

Today was the day of the showdown, and I needed to be ready and vigilant.

Apart from being physically fit and mentally stable, I also had an additional advantage: I had memorized all the characteristics of the Kumdo monkeys and was aware of the points to be careful of.

After leaving the bathroom, I began to put on my gear.

A familiar feeling washed over me, like the one you get when you first enter a dungeon. 

It was a mix of excitement and tension that pulled at my body, not necessarily pleasant, but thrilling nonetheless. 

I decided to embrace the feeling and let it fuel me for the battle ahead.

“Whew.”

I took a deep breath and fastened my weapon onto my waist before I glanced around the room.

This was a place of attachment, one I had been indebted to since starting my life as a hunter.

My older brother had offered for me to come and live in his building several times, but I had always refused, hugging this place instead.

It was my home - a place where I felt comfortable.

I opened my mouth, trying to control my anxiety as I spoke to the empty room, "I will be back."

Perhaps, a promise to an empty room with no one in it might not mean much to others, but for me, it was a promise I had to keep no matter what.

After a moment, I turned around, opened the door, and headed to the meeting place.

****

When Starchis arrived at the place, everyone was gathered.

The strange tension in the atmosphere was palpable.

The more tension there was, the more confident and casually Starchis acted.

“Is everyone here? How have you been doing?”

“Great.”

“I’m okay.”

As everyone agreed, his heart beat slightly faster. The words that should have been reassuring made him nervous. The fact that everyone was in good health only meant that the mission would proceed - The water had already spilled over. There was no going back now.

Starchis nodded and said, "Our first B-class mission is regarding the Kumdo Monkeys. Have you ever heard of them?"

Lily replied, stroking her hair, "Is this a group of monkeys carrying swords?"

The unpleasant pressure on her chest had eased as she decided to wait for Starchis’ break-up, playing the long game. It felt like she had changed her sport from sprinting to marathon. Even if she lost now, she would not lose in the long run.

“Yes, that’s right, Lily Noona. We won't be fighting just one monster today though, it's a 'party'," Starchis explained.

“If it’s fighting against a lot of monsters at once… I’ve experienced it a few times.”

Lily thought of the old times when she and Starchis ran away from the peck of Tiger Wolf. Of course, they were creatures outside the dungeon, so it was hard to call them monsters, but even then it was challenging to deal with them.

"No, Lily Noona, you have to think differently. It's said that they use swordsmanship. Think of it like we're going to fight a party of humans specialized in swordsmanship, led by a captain who is among the best swordsmen in the same class. You've never experienced anything like that before, have you?"

The three party members realized that their previous common sense didn’t work on a B-class mission; a B-class mission was a new type of challenge and it had to be treated as such. Starchis had already experienced such a feeling a few days ago.

“Then, the goal is to bring back the demonic sword of the captain?”

Luss’ face turned serious.

Demonic sword… It was a weapon that Luss, who used a sword, had heard of many times. She also knew how dangerous it was to bring it back.

“Right. The target is the captain’s sword.”

While talking, Starchis assessed the party members. Vienna seemed more stable than yesterday, Luss had all her equipment as clean as new, and Lily appeared calm.

It seemed like everything was well prepared - perhaps because he had asked them to do so.

"But there is something to be aware of. It’s about the Demonic Sword. Luss may already know, but it’s not called a Demonic Sword for nothing; you guys must be careful of it."

"How so?" Lily asked.

“If the demonic sword’s demonic energy seeps into the wound, the bleeding cannot be stopped until the demonic energy is driven out.”

Luss, who knew the weapon, replied with a worried look on his behalf.

"Even if I dress the wound tightly with a bandage?" Lily was not convinced.

Starchis shook his head. "The bleeding will not stop; the bandage will just be soaked with blood. That's why Noona is important. Our goal is to avoid fighting the captain as much as possible."

“…Yes?”

“To be precise, Luss and I should not fight the captain as much as possible.”

Lily seemed confused. "So… are you suggesting that only I should attack the captain?"

“Yes, Noona.”

“Should I kill the captain?”

"Correct. You must do it."

“What if I run out of mana while fighting, Starchis?”

"You need to catch it before the mana runs out. It has to be done quickly. You should save your mana unless it's the captain. Your role is the most important, Noona. If you fail, Luss and I will have to catch it unscathed, and I don't think that will be easy."

“… Use magic only on the captain…?”

“Unless there are special circumstances, yes.”

Lily nodded her head in understanding.

“Vienna, you should also save the holy power to purify. I don’t know how things will turn out.”

As if Vienna understood her task, she looked straight at Starchis and nodded her head.

"Finally, Luss, our only goal is to protect. You don't even have to go forward. Just fight off the other monkeys that approach while Noona attacks the captain."

Luss asked, "Do we have to follow any strategy, Chis?"

“You and I don’t need that, do we? Let’s deal flexibly with the situation while fighting.”

At that, Luss nodded her head. She was vigilant and her face was still serious, but the corners of her lips slightly lifted involuntarily in a gentle smile.

A rough briefing was over.

After making minor preparations, the party approached the dungeon gate.

Before the gate, a man stopped them and asked:

“Your Dungeon pass.”

Starchis handed over the pass.

"How are you, Mister?"

Even though they personally didn’t know the gatekeeper, he asked because it was a familiar face; now in their second year of partying, the gatekeeper was the same.

"I’m okay. What else are you trying to catch this time…um?" the gatekeeper frowned as he looked at the papers Starchis had handed him. He seemed to be making sure he was reading correctly.

Starchis spoke in a reassuring tone, "The dungeon we plan to enter today is different."

"...Naville Dungeon? Are you sure? It's a place where monsters ranging from A-class to C-class are known to appear."

“We’re going to take on B-class quests from now on.”

The gatekeeper who alternated between the papers and the party said a few words to the staff next to him. Soon after, the color of the gate darkened, indicating the danger within.

“…Good luck.”

****

Emerging from the dungeon, Starchis found himself in a jungle. 

The air was damp and humid, with occasional drops of water that startled him as they fell from above. 

The distant cries of unknown monsters echoed through the dense foliage, occasionally mimicking the sound of human screams. The trees towered high above, their branches stretching out like the webs of spiders. It was not uncommon to see a huge monster appear from behind a tree in an instant or to fear being attacked by small creatures with deadly poison at every step.

Starchis took a deep breath, tasting the air. For some reason, even this refreshing air felt dangerous - it had a lingering B-class scent.

Turning to Vienna, he said, "You know what to do, right?"

Vienna nodded, telling that she would memorize the path ahead. While the jungle was new territory for the party, Starchis trusted Vienna’s memory.

"Alright, let's move out. Keep an eye out for any signs, and follow the trail left by the Kumdo monkeys," he said in a low voice. The last thing they needed was to attract the attention of an A-class monster by making unnecessary noise.

There was no reason to be cautious enough to have to be quiet right in front of the gate, but Starchis and the rest of the party were new to B-class missions; they did their best and remained vigilant.

Soon, Stachis led the way, with Luss bringing up the rear.

.

.

.

.

-Swish Swish!

They pushed through the thick foliage, Stachis occasionally swinging his weapon to clear the path. However, the cut grass and leaves easily returned to their original positions, with no significant impact.

The party walked in silence, unlike the C-class missions where they had grown accustomed to joking and discussing details.

Tree roots, boulders, and small pits littered the path, forcing them to navigate the undulating jungle terrain.

The dense foliage seemed to stretch on endlessly, with Vienna’s burden of memorizing the path increasing with each passing moment. Occasionally, she would leave large marks on trees with a small stone, to help guide them back in case they got lost.

Vienna would periodically signal Starchis to stop and close her eyes, retracing her steps to ensure they were still on the right track. 

They were told if they were to get lost and couldn't make it back to the gate entrance, a rescue team would come looking for them after seven days. Even if the entire party was wiped out during the quest, rescuers would still come to check. But they remained cautious as no one among them wanted such a thing to happen.

Suddenly, Starchis raised his hand, signaling for the party to stop. Luss drew her sword and shield, while the others readied themselves for what was to come. With everyone lowering their stance, Starchis focused on figures in the distance, obscured by strange plants and trees of various shapes. 

It was the same even when he squinted his eyes, trying to get a better look.

Not succeeding, he glanced at the party member behind him to see if they were ready.

Seeing their nod, he carefully began to approach the figures, moving slowly so as not to make any sound.

– Swoop, swoosh

Carefully so as not to make the sound of breaking the grass. He turned his head little by little, trying to find a right angle to see the figures more clearly. But when he saw the figures weren’t moving an inch, he decided it was the best opportunity to move in for a closer look.

And as they got a little closer, Starchis realized that they weren’t Kumdo monkeys as he had initially expected.

Starchis stood up.

The other party members were also taken aback and poked out from behind him to see for themselves what he had seen, then got up in the same way.

“…This.”

Everyone realized that those they had seen from afar were not Kumdo monkeys, but dead humans.

It appeared that they were hunters who had failed the quest. Seeing that some bodies were even missing armor - Helmets, gloves, boots…Etc, their faces turned grim.

Starchis thought that the rescue team had ripped off the armor as evidence.

Vienna slowly approached them. Kneeling, she began to pray for their eternal rest.

.

.

.

.

After walking for a while, the humid air became difficult to breathe. Starchis heard the weak gasps of Vienna and Lily and decided to take a rest. Maybe they could even camp here, as the day was drawing to a close.

“Let’s rest here for a while.”

Starchis spoke, trying to sound cautious but not scared.

If he was full of confidence, the party members would be too. It seemed that the previous incident had dampened their morale a little.

Luss and Vienna sat down. And Lily, like a habit, activated her magic eyes, trying to survey the area, but Starchis stopped her.

“Noona, I will scout and come back. Save your mana.”

“… I’m sorry. I forgot.”

“It’s okay. You have nothing to be sorry about.”

After saying that, Starchis left to scout the area.

Luss, who was also not tired just like Starchis, began to check her equipment. She looked at the shield, then checked her armor, then pulled out the sword, and checked the blade.

“Vienna, I also decided to wait until Starchis’ and Elza’s break up,” Lily suddenly said.

She took out a water bottle from her waistband and took a sip of water. Then she smiled benevolently. She seemed more relaxed than before.

Vienna looked at her in surprise. She hadn’t told anyone what was on her mind, and she couldn’t guess how Lily knew.

“What… Uh, how…”

“How did I know? If you have that expression on your face throughout the dinner, who will not notice?”

“…”

Vienna rested her head on her knees. She felt ashamed that she had been exposed just like that.

“It’s a good choice. I only got hurt when I kept investigating this and that,” Luss said, holstering her sword.

She pretended to be calm, but she was considering whether she should wait too.

Lily suggested, "So…so that it hurts less, you should stick around and wait until they break up... All the way - Perhaps for a long time."

“… What if they don’t break up even after that?”

Vienna asked the question she feared the most. She wanted to know what Lily’s answer would be.

“Haha… I will still wait.”

But Lily also didn’t have the answer she was looking for.

Luss, who had been listening quietly, wanted to change the subject. Because her mind was also getting complicated.

“If you are going to stick around for a long time, focus on the mission. Don’t you know that if we fail, Chis will disband the party?”

It wasn’t that she wanted Vienna or Lily to hover around her Chis for so long, but she didn’t want the party to disband even more.

-Tapadtapadtapad

Suddenly, they heard the sound of something speeding through the grass.

In an instant, everyone was prepared for battle.

“Guys…!”

Fortunately, it was Starchis.

He was talking quietly, almost in a whisper.

“I found it… Their trace.”

– – – End of Chapter – – –

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