Click! Click! Click! Click! Many feet step together in unison, a small group of shadows moving side-by-side with one another down the road. White tracksuits, fitted with black outlines; the uniform for the rookie group!

Tulod Hazewhirl in his massive stature marched behind the group to not cast a shadow over all of them, and to defend against any surprise attacks from behind! "The Squad Leader's up ahead, please behave yourselves." He cautions.

Jade Moss wearing a matching outfit, though hers somehow highlighted her curvaceous body even more, walked a bit in front of Tulod. "We aren't a group of delinquents or anything, Tulod. I think we'll be fine." Waving her hand through the air lousily, she brushes Tulod's concerns aside. The tall man was always cautious.

Zaiden Morrison and I, Roshia Qinlen, walk side-by-side, bickering over something stupid. "Zaiden, you can't fight that woman! We don't even have a clue of what her ability is! All of the Vanquishers seem like monsters!" I roared into his ear to ensure he understood my warnings.

My forewarnings went out the other ear, sadly. "My sword will cut through whatever power she has! Just give me a bit of training!" He scowls, clearly upset about the outcome of the prior meeting.

A while ago, Zaiden was flung out of the hospital room by seemingly nothing. I've had too many things to think about recently to concern myself with the nature of Alice's ability. What I have considered, though, is that it's assumably more powerful than Toy Cesta's. There's no way to confirm this, but cause and effect sounds too strong to ignore.

Rightfully, Zaiden is upset with the way Alice treated him and is thinking of new ways to get back at her. I was against getting back at such a monster of a woman. Zaiden isn't the kind to listen to warnings, however.

"You'll end up making an unbeatable enemy if you keep this up, you know?" The difference in levels has become something noticeable and problematic, to me at least. It's irritating, knowing that I have to level up and grind harder than most people just to get to comfortably fight without concerning myself with powerhouses dragging my face across the soil. I can warn Zaiden as much as I'd like, but I don't think he'll listen to me. Unlike me, and most other people, he didn't consider the gap in levels to be a factor whatsoever.

"Do you think that those swordsmen, the greatest ones, would quit just because there was someone stronger than they were!?" Zaiden retorts. It's becoming clearer that he has no intention of backing down against Alice, whose moveset remains unknown. It makes me wonder, in a world where different people can get abilities that are so dreadfully powerful, just how could they be countered? If someone could cut through anything regardless of its shape, how wouldn't that make them the strongest in their respective spot? 

I think back on my conversation with Anaphiel...

"The Red Mother? Who's that?"

Anaphiel warned me that I'd been noticed by the Red Mother, yet I hadn't the slightest clue who or what it was.

"I can't spare you all the details, but just think about it! The girls with red hair, all of them are sisters, and they're absurdly powerful! I think you get the picture, don't you?" Anaphiel's finger taps me on the head with each point.

Her next set of words is far more disturbing than an enigmatic entity watching over me. "If I were you, I'd die now. If your ability works how I think it does, you'd be better off dying and taking up a new identity before that woman finds you." This came as a surprise to me, I'd never thought that Anaphiel was capable of saying such things. She didn't appear like the kind of person who'd recommend you to die.

"I don't plan on rolling over and dying, Anaphiel. This life has been good so far, especially with all of the fantastical things looming about. I've been getting used to this life and things are getting interesting. I thought I'd spend eternity doing the typical video game grind, but I've thought of a few ways to spice it up!"

My ability is incredible, thanks to Anaphiel. I can steal the abilities of the enemies I kill depending on the gap in power between us. For now, I will level up and grow my strength until I can freely take the abilities of all lesser enemies.

"Roshia, I understand how you feel, but this situation is beyond your understanding. You are in danger. That woman, she is not of 'this world'." Despite her concerns, I can't help but wave her off. Even if this woman is as dangerous as she says, I won't give up now.

Those words could mean anything. Anaphiel is keeping some major details from me, obvious by the way she's speaking.

"Calm down, Anaphiel. If something bad happens, I'll take care of it myself. I can't have you covering me all the time, can I?" Brushing my annoyance aside, I offer Anaphiel a smile of comfort. The look of worry on her face seemed way too uncharacteristic for the girl who was almost always smiling. It'd be like Zaiden becoming unmotivated, or competent.

"Besides, have you seen how strong I've gotten!?" My HUD pops up in front of the two of us, showcasing my current stats and abilities! Farming the dungeon had its rewards after all!

"For starters, it looks like my [Intelligence] went up naturally. I probably won't need to distribute stat points into it. The rest of my points were randomly distributed into [Strength] and [Speed]. At some point, I may be able to distribute them myself." I present my thesis to Anaphiel, imagining a pair of glasses that I can adjust over my face. She rolls her eyes in response, likely aware of all of this already.

"I acquired two skills from killing those goblins. [Short-Bladed Weapon Mastery] which is self-explanatory, working with things like Daggers and Shortswords. Then there's [Weak Presence], which from what I've researched, means that I'm so weak that most things or people won't detect me from afar unless they are actively searching for me. It doesn't work all the time, unfortunately." Anaphiel lets out an 'oooh' in response, lingering over me, upside down.

SLAP! I feel something hit me in the back of my head. When I look up, Anaphiel is looking a bit agitated. "I think I should go, sorry about that." The pain from the slap goes away, and Anaphiel disappears before I can even say anything. I thought she was interested, but what was up with that reaction at the end? I can only assume it's because I disregarded her warnings. I'm immortal in the end, right? I shouldn't need to worry about being hunted by another mysterious woman. Surrounded by some of the most powerful Awakeners in the country, my safety should be the least of my concerns.

I didn't mention it to her, but some of my skills also leveled up since I used them on Mind who was significantly more powerful than I was. My Danger Sense skill in particular has leveled up a lot, mainly because of the clear danger such a monster posed to my life.

Snapping out of my flashback, we've arrived at our gathering point.

When we arrive, Alice is standing on the shoulders of a towering figure, a man taller than Tulod! He's exactly 8 feet tall and visibly muscular. His hair was well-kept, his spiky brown hair slicked back. His arms were crossed, the sunglasses concealing his eyes and making him look stern even though he was holding a short-stack girl on his shoulders. "You've finally made it, fresh meat!" Alice speaks down to us pridefully, forcing us to look up at her.

"Miss Alice, do you mind getting down?" A soft voice came out from behind the mountain of a man in what was a few pitches short of a whisper. Behind Alice is a small girl wearing the same tracksuit as the rest of us. She looked young, undeniably the youngest among us. Her hair was shining a vibrant blonde, reflecting the light from its surroundings.

"Uh, who's that kid?" Zaiden questions, pointing at the girl absentmindedly. 

Zaiden's pointing wasn't very well received by Alice. His body suddenly collapses through the cement, an invisible force warping him beneath the earth. There is a powerful gust of wind that follows shortly after and an audible, painful groan from Zaiden's muffled lips.

"M-Miss Alice! Please don't do that!" The girl shouts up at Alice, some sweat dripping down her face in nervousness.

"So cute..." I say under my breath, hearing Jade say something similar as well. Just like at the hospital, Zaiden was standing back where he once was, like what'd just happened never occurred. He blinks, just as clueless as the rest of us.

Alice leaps from the giant she'd been standing on who remained firm even as she landed in front of him. "You young corpses are going to be clearing a [Dungeon] with us today, especially you." It takes a few seconds but then I realize that Alice is pointing at me. I end up pointing at myself too, visibly confused.

"I've heard about your ability, you'll be a whole lot more useful than everyone else if we take you into a more dangerous dungeon. We'll weaken all of the enemies and you'll finish them off. Since we're a party, we can share rewards as long as you contribute." Alice explains, tapping me on the forehead a bit harshly. I rub my forehead, unconsciously whimpering. 

"Huh...?" An unfamiliar pleasure ran through my body from her tapping me, something that shouldn't have happened from my forehead being touched. I have a sneaking suspicion that she just used her ability on me. "What did you—" Alice cuts me off by clapping her hands together.

Alice starts, "All of you will stick close to me, or else you'll probably-certainly-surely die inside of that Dungeon." The tone of her voice changed to one that seemed far too childish, matching the unsettling bright smile she'd created on her face. I didn't even think such a threatening woman could look that way, she looked like a wholesome girl, somehow!

Then she continues. "First, we need to do some introductions. Behind me is our [B-Rank Tanker], Leopold Dolton." So the tall man behind her was a tanker. That must explain his massive appearance. It's unsettling thinking of him as a swordsman or assassin who swings greatsword about.

She continues to point to the girl who is hiding behind Leopold. "That child is our [A-Rank Pathfinder], Lulu Burns." 

"A-Rank!?" Jade can't keep her surprise hidden when I barely manage to myself. "That's incredible, but she's so young!" I half-expected Alice to give Jade a slap across the face but instead, she chuckle at the remark.

"Lulu is 11 years old, but thanks to her rare class she's been allowed to assist us in our work at a young age. In return, our guild financially supplies her and her family, I'm in charge of looking after her." Alice steps around the massive Leopold, softly petting Lulu on top of her head. "Usually, she'd be forced to go through the [Awakener Academy] for young children who've awakened early."

The [Awakener Academy] is a school for young children and teens, functioning similarly to normal schools. Because of the nature of [Awakeners], it's become too dangerous to keep them in school with normal people, so a school for awakened children was founded by Vallie Bekhon. I don't know much about Vallie, but I do know that she is one of the only S-Rank Awakeners in the world who hasn't joined or created a guild.

"In other words, if she gets hurt, we'll get into even more trouble, right?" Tulod speaks up, earning a smile from Alice who doesn't answer. Everyone must've assumed he was right on the money with his assumption.

Again, her smile is enough to send a chill down my spine. I don't know how many times I have to say it, but Alice is a frightening young woman. To think that I'll be sharing a team with her for a while makes me worry for my well-being. Thankfully, she seems extremely loyal to Toy so I'm guessing she won't bring too much harm to us as long as we're useful to her.

"We'll show you our skills in battle so you don't have to worry your pretty little heads about getting hurt." Alice flicks a finger through the air at me, and I feel that weird pleasure run through my body again. This time it's a lot more overwhelming, causing my knees to press together. "Uh... Miss-" Before I can finish my sentence, I'm cut off by Alice clapping her hands.

"Follow us, meat shields!" Alice is now on top of Leopold again — who continues to stand firm despite the obnoxious girl standing on him. The mountainous man must've been unbothered by any weight that didn't compare to a few dozen skyscrapers.

☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆

We'd spent the past 30 minutes walking nonstop.

If not for the fact that I was in a body that was fit for fighting against literal monsters, I'd have been in serious pain.

Actually, I am in serious pain! I have no clue how we ended up ascending the side of a mountain, but I've never regretted my decisions more in my life! Worst of all, I somehow even found myself with Lulu on my back!

More specifically, I couldn't resist offering to carry the small girl halfway up the mountain. Even though she wasn't exhausted, I still wanted a reason to have this girl close to me. It was the closest thing to an embrace I'd get in this situation.

"Say, Lulu." I tilt my head to speak to the girl behind me a bit more directly. "Why'd you decide to work as an Awakener? Couldn't you have stayed in school and lived a normal life for a bit longer?" It didn't sit right with me seeing a child partaking in these expeditions. 

"It felt like I had to. My mom would always come home looking terrible ever since my daddy disappeared. Sometimes I'd hear her crying in her room and I wanted to help, this was the only way I could. I'll make lots of money so I can get my mother whatever she needs to be happy." Lulu explains to me, clearly trying to conceal the sorrow in her voice.

"Well, I think you're brave, Lulu." Rewarding her with some reassurance, I reach one of my hands back and pat the small girl on her head. She wasn't heavy at all and her reasoning made sense to me.

This was a strange world I found myself living in now. A world where children were using their gifts to help their families. It made me wonder what'd happened to my family years prior... I don't think they could've survived.

My mother wasn't a very nice woman, honestly. She claimed to care about me and it showed periodically. But outside of those times, I was doing everything on my own. Hell, the only reason that I was able to afford my own car was the life insurance money that we'd collected after my dad passed away. He was a terrible person, downright. It sickened me to think of the abuse he'd put my mother through. I never experienced it personally, but torturing my mother with screaming and physical abuse was the same as hurting me, right?

I'm shoved out of my deep thoughts by hands slapping against both of my cheeks. "Ouch! What's happening!?" I'm frantically looking around, trying to figure out what's happening when I hear Lulu giggling behind me.

"Miss Roshia looked like she was sad! Whenever I'm sad, I have to smack myself out of it!" That's sure as hell one way of doing it. I chuckle in response, shaking my head. "Try calling my name next time, heh." 

After several more minutes of walking, our group is soon standing in front of a large [Gate] at the entrance of a cave.

"Did the rift do this...?" Zaiden questions. Behind the rift, the cave seemed to go endlessly, possibly burrowing far deeper than the length of the mountain. Lulu leaps from my back, Alice doing the same thing; leaping from Leopold's shoulders.

✦ You've identified an [Orange Gate], Roshia Qinlen! Please proceed with caution, your life is at risk! ✦
✦ Due to [Corruption 1], the Quest [Awaken the Siblings] has been activated! Please reach [Level 10], or [Die]!  ✦
✦ You are expected to slay the [Abysmal Shaman] within this [Dungeon]! Failure will result in an [Invasion]!  ✦

My eyes scan around me for a reaction from anyone else, but I find none. I am the only person who received this notification, evidently. It makes sense since the notification is popping up on my HUD. In my mind, I hear a distant voice whispering to me, enticing me to enter the Dungeon.

"Come, our Master... Free us." The voice of a little girl speaks to me, startling me initially. Believing it to be some kind of strange effect from the rift, I manage to brush it off.

"You are needed, Master..." Then, the voice of a little boy speaks to me as well. This time, I can't ignore it. It's been two times now that I've heard the voices and that's one time too many!

"This Dungeon is easy for us which is why none of you have armor. In this world, you won't always need armor to protect yourselves. It becomes useless for anyone who isn't a tank at some point." Alice's explanation doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but I guess it's her way of saying that you can still look fashionable while becoming an absolute monster. "Follow close behind me. As I said, I can't keep you alive otherwise." Without warning, Alice heads to the [Gate], not even waiting for us.

...

When we get inside the Dungeon, I'm completely disoriented by the sea of blue and white before me. The sky and clouds that I stand on are like a painted floor. But the actual sky above us consisted of greenery with some blue, the ground. "Are we... standing on the sky!?"

Coffi

I'd like some thoughts on the story so far! Not counting the side story, I wonder if things still seem interesting! Maybe it's a bit too slow-paced? I plan on speeding things up eventually, but right now I'd like to the correct point before having the real major things kick off!