A stone fortress in the distance. Undead monsters lining the rocky cliff leading up to it, and a rickety bridge as the only access point.

Odelette frowned and said, "This seems harder than the other ones..."

Hao Win tossed a cigarette to the ground and said, "What do you expect? This mission is worth 40,000 points."

Leorda knocked an arrow on his bow and then turned towards me. "What's the plan, Jihu?"

I stared at the terrain and hummed. "It depends. You guys want to practice tactics or techniques?"

Tong Chai shrugged. "Techniques can be trained any time, but tactics would be better to learn now before Paradise, would it not?"

The Indian man with a turban nodded. "I agree."

"Tactics? Boring..." Odelette frowned and then turned back to me. "Can't we just blast through it like last time, Jihu?"

"I could. But that defeats the point of the party, doesn't it?"

"But I want to ride a buuusss!"

Hao Win laughed. "As convenient as that would be, Miss Delphine, we can't rely on Jihu all the time."

The brown-haired female teen sighed and said, "Fiiine. I suppose that's true."

"Well, Leader." Hao Win looked to me and said, "What's the plan?"

I scanned the immediate area. There was a rocky cliff with a steep drop off to the side. Living armors lined the entire way, patrolling.

At the moment, they weren't reacting to us. But the moment we moved, I was certain that they would.

"Hm. Odelette. Did you pick up the air blast I mentioned yet?"

The female magician nodded and held up her right hand, causing a swirling of wind to emerge. "This, right?"

"Good." I glanced at Hao Win and said, "You feeling up for a blitzkrieg?"

"Hoh?" He drew his sword, a curved blade like a dao, and then said, "Going in guns blazing this time?"

I nodded and drew my own sword. "To seize a fortress, we have three methods. One, overwhelm with overpowering force... But that's not likely in the real world."

Leorda nodded, adjusting his armor. "I agree. An ace like you won't always be here."

"Number two," I said. "Sneak in and then slowly dismantle the group."

Tong Chai nodded, the professional assassin agreeing. "I can see that... but it will be hard to do so with such enemies."

"Right. The undead can't be tricked that easily. So then there's the last option, something left for elite small groups."

"A blitzkrieg." Hao Win finished.

"Right." I drew my sword and stepped forward. "A blitzkrieg. Of course, this all fails if the group doesn't work together well and the individual members aren't matched up in skill... But we don't have that problem, do we?"

Everyone grinned.

I smoothed my expression and then nodded. "On three, we charge. Odelette, blast them away. Hao Win, with me. Leorda, covering fire. Tong Chai, keep an eye on the overall battlefield and intervene as needed. Karna, stay with the group and heal. Three, two, one... Go!"

A howling wind blew through the air as Odelette's spell screeched towards the enemies. A muffled explosion sounded as it exploded, sending galeforce winds scattering across the cliff.

Armor clattered as a bulk of the living armors patrolling the ridge were sent falling below.

I dashed forward, making sure to not out pace the group. Hao Win ran at my right side, keeping in lock step with me.

One of the living armors turned, spinning a pike. Seeing our approach, it charged, slashing through the air with the blade.

I stomped on the ground and lashed out with my left hand, blocking the attack by grabbing the pole.

The living armor staggered.

Arrows whistled through the air, colliding with the living armor's helmet, sending it staggering more.

Hao Win ran past me, leaping through the air.

Arrows flew in response, aiming towards him.

A gust of wind emerged in front of Hao Win, blowing those arrows away and clearing a path. Odelette's doing.

Hao Win fell down, slashing his sword at the armor's neck, severing it.

With a clatter, the armor collapsed.

Another gust of wind blew it to the side and we advanced.

Wind, arrows, steel. We charged forward like a storm, blowing apart everything in our path.

And then, when we reached the fortress...

"Explosion!"

Odelette swept out her hand, causing an explosion to erupt from the fortress.

Rocks and debris flew, bones scattered, steel shrapnel shot out-

And then we were back in the lobby.

I sheathed my sword and smiled. "Good job, guys."

Hao Win grinned and put his sword away as well. "That was fun as always." He shook his hands, as if to get rid of the adrenaline, and then turned towards me. "You never disappoint, Bro."

Leorda sighed, putting his bow back. "You enjoy thrills too much, Hao Win. That was far too close for my comfort."

"Oh don't be a downer!" Odelette smiled and said, "We did great, didn't we?! And did you see that last spell I did! Kaboom!"

Tong Chai nodded. "That was indeed an educational experience. Though, I wonder how often we will get to do such a thing in Paradise. It is rare to find a team that coordinates so well."

Silence fell on the group.

"That's right..." Odelette muttered. "We'll have to split up after the Neutral Zone is over, won't we?"

Hao Win shook his head. "It's not like we're dying or anything. We'll all still be alive, won't we? If fate has it, I'm sure we'll meet up again sometime. Or were you planning on being a stranger, Miss Delphine?"

"Of course not!"

I watched the group bicker a bit and then smiled.

We had been working together for half a week now. Since that time, we'd cleared all of the Very Hard missions at least once.

Of course, that meant we were busy.

Since there wasn't much time left, between breaks to rest and eat, all of us pretty much were on a mission grind, trying to squeeze as much as we could out of the Neutral Zone.

As for myself specifically, between the missions with my party, I did a few on my own. Mostly to train in preparation and focus my abilities separate from the group.

It wasn't that I didn't trust them, but it was never wrong to be a bit careful.

After a while, Odelette turned to the last mission on the noticeboard that we hadn't attempted. "We've done them all except for that one, huh?"

Silence as everyone in the party stared at the last slip.

[Seige (Remaining number of attempts: 1/1)]

Within 48 hours, annihilate the race of Guardians protecting the "Sanctuary" and destroy this impenetrable fortress!

Difficulty: Impossible

When successful: +172,800 SP, a one-time use VIP store coupon (1 per person)

When unsuccessful: Death

Cooperation possible: up to 6 people

Hao Win frowned. "...I don't think we should attempt it."

Tong Chai nodded. "As skilled as we've gotten and as strong as Mister Jihu is... My intuition tells me that we wouldn't succeed. Not at least without casualties."

"I agree." Leorda stared at the mission and said, "A 48 hour time limit, the unknown 'Guardian' race, an impenetrable fortress... If we had an army, it might be possible. But with just us six..."

Odelette sighed. "I know, I know. I was warned about it too. Even so... Can't we try it just once?"

Karna, the Indian man with the turban, shook his head and said, "We would only be able to try it once. And if we failed, it would be over."

In short, the risks were too great.

Odelette sighed again. "...Fine." She stretched and then walked off. "I'm going to go have some tea and biscuits."

Leorda nodded and said, "I am going to train some more... Tong Chai?"

"I will accompany you." With that, the two Archers walked off.

Karna hummed and said, "I wish to have some time to relax. Excuse me, gentlemen." Nodding his head at me and Hao Win, Karna walked off.

"Well... looks like it's just us." Hao Win took out a cigarette and lit it before taking a long puff.

"Hm?" I glanced at him and said, "Nothing to do?"

"Not really, but you do, don't you?" He let out a breath of blue smoke from the cigarette and said, "Isn't it about time you talk with that maid about your woman?"

"Yun Seora isn't my woman... but you're right. We should probably get that over with."

There was only a little over a month left in the Neutral Zone. If I wanted time to train the group properly, we'd need to get the Ceremony done as soon as possible.

Even so.

I sighed. "But it's not up to me to decide when to do that."

Right. Maria said that she would come by when she was prepared and that I shouldn't be looking for her.

"Mm. Right. I guess we wouldn't want to bother the person doing such a big favor for you... Then how about we grab some drinks, just you and me, Bro?"

"I'm not one for alcohol... But sure."

xxx

Time passed. Our group continued doing missions to wrack up points, but for the most part we focused on honing our abilities.

And then it was time.

Maria stared at me, her lips pursed and carrying a bundle of items in a bag.

We were standing in front of my room.

"...You owe me big for this."

I nodded. "I do."

"Don't even think about running away back to Earth! Even if you've got that Kim Hannah to protect you, I'm still going to get what's coming to me, one way or another."

"I know."

"...Hmph." The blonde priest sighed and then marched up the stairs. "I'm going to have to leave the moment the Ceremony is over, so I'll say farewell right now. Don't die before I can collect... Is what I would say. But if someone as strong as you dies out the gate, then we're pretty much all doomed anyway, so..."

Was it because she was trying to make excuses or because she was covering up not wanting to say goodbye?

Either way, I gave her a bright smile in return and said, "Thanks for everything, Miss Maria."

She huffed and turned her head away, walking up the stairs. "Damned guy... he's lucky he's cute."

...I pretended to not hear the last part.

A firm arm wrapped around my shoulder, followed by a gruff voice. "Finally time, huh, Bro?"

I glanced over to see Hao Win standing there.

He smiled and then stepped back, lighting up a cigarette. "In a bit that girl of yours will be fully healed." He looked at me and said, "Think about what you're going to say to her yet?"

"Not really. I'll just be glad that she's alright."

And I would be. The fact that she was injured so much, that such a thing happened to her... it wouldn't have happened had it not been for me, after all.

If it was the real Seol here instead of me...

Well, I suppose there was no point thinking about that.

"Geez, how dense can a guy be...?"

"Hm?"

"Nothing, Bro. Anyway..." Hao Win took a puff from his cigarette and then said, "You've just gotta match my timing. I'll set things up, so you just swoop in for the kill, alright?"

"...What are you-"

Suddenly, white light and a surge of mana- No, Divine Power from above.

I glanced up, something followed by Hao Win doing the same.

"Looks like it's over," he said.

I made my up the stairs.

The Yi siblings were standing in front of my door when I arrived.

"Hyung!" Sungjin called out first. "You're back- Ah. Who's that?"

I glanced back to see Hao Win had followed me. I shrugged and said, "A friend. What happened?" I shifted my attention back to my room and said, "I saw the lights."

Yi Seol-Ah shook her head. "I don't know. Miss Maria just walked in a few minutes ago with two other maids, and then there was light and-"

Before she could finish the door slowly creaked open.

xxx

Hot and stuffy air rushed out from the open door, accompanied by the acrid scent of blood and sweat.

On instinct, I activated my insight.

[Partial Divine Domain (fading)]
The remnants of the descent of a god, using a priestess as the medium.

"Fuuuuck." A low and weak female voice echoed while a figure stepped out from my room, accompanied on both sides by maids.

My eyes widened when I saw that.

Maria's entire body was drenched in sweat. Not only that, blood stained her white priestess robes, dripping from her mouth, ears, and eyes.

Not only that, but there were still faint wisps of divine energy radiating off her body.

The blonde priestess looked at me with weak eyes, but managed to send a fierce glare. "Don't forget!"

"I won't."

With that, Maria's eyes closed, and she was led down the stairs by the two maids helping her.

I watched her leave, making sure that nothing went wrong due to her condition.

After she disappeared, a few shouts of joy echoed from inside the room.

Following that, a hand slapped me on my back. Hao Win grinned and said, "Time for the main character to make his entrance. Come on, Bro."

xxx

Hao Win watched as Jihu walked into the room. The usually confident young man was uncharacteristically hesitant. But after they entered the room, Hao Win could understand why.

A beautiful young woman sat on a luxurious bed, leaning slightly against the wall for support. Pristine white skin, delicate but sharp facial features. With wide eyes, she carefully raised her right arm and lowered it.

Following after Jihu, Hao Win mused to himself. 'Indeed, I see why he fell for her.'

Seol Jihu was still hesitant, standing a bit away. The two others that were waiting outside had already run up to the young woman, but the star himself seemed to hesitate.

Seeing that, Hao Win sighed and pushed him forward.

Jihu stumbled, causing Yun Seora to look his way. When she met his eyes, she flinched.

Seeing that, Jihu sighed and then stepped forward confidently, as if that timid appearance before was a lie. "How are you feeling?"

"..."

"Is your arm fine now? Are there any problems?"

"Ah..." Yun Seora's small but shapely lips slightly parted before closing again. Countless emotions flashed in her eyes, but her lips could only softly tremble. Judging from her small and nearly indecipherable hand gestures, it seemed like she desperately wanted to say something, but at the same time was at a loss on how to proceed.

In short, it was a lovely and heartwarming scene.

'Man!' Hao Win deeply admired the sight, allowing a wide smile to show on his face. Or at least, he started to. But before he could-

"...How did you pay for it?"

Seol Jihu blinked. "Hm? What do you mean?"

Yun Seora stared at Seol Jihu, her gaze steady and yet regretful. "The 120,000 points for the Ceremony. How did you pay for it?"

"That's-"

Hao Win quickly stuffed a cigarette in his mouth and then shoved his hands down his pockets. That done, he cocked his head exactly at 30 degrees and jutted his chin out, as if looking down at the world. With that prepared, he walked forward and placed a hand on Seol's shoulder.

He paused and glanced back.

But more importantly, those others turned to look at him. Especially the beautiful young woman Seol saved.

Staring at her, he nodded and said, "I see you're all nicely healed and stuff. You can move your arm now, yeah?"

"Y-Yes?" Yun Seora blinked and reflexively answered.

"Good. Good. But..." That said, he looked at Seol and said, "We've held up our side of the bargain, so it's your turn to keep your side of the promise, no?"

Seol blinked, but he nodded. "Of course. I won't go back on my word."

"Great." Hao Win stepped back and crossed his arms, glancing briefly at the others. "You see, I just wanted to make sure. If you somehow forgot, things might have gotten a bit troubling for both sides."

Seol paused and then slowly nodded. "That's right... It would be bad if that happened."

"Mmhm."

Yi Seol-Ah looked between Seol and Hao Win and frowned. "Um... Excuse me. But what promise are you talking about?"

"That's-"

"Nothing much." Hao Win cut him off and said, "It's just a deal we made to help him out. A bit of give and take, you know? We saw him standing out in front of the mission board with the resolve to throw his life away, so we decided to hear him out."

"I don't think it was that extreme... It'd take a lot more than a few missions to kill me off, Hao."

Seol brushed off the words as he usually did.

But to the others, taken into context with Hao Win's actions, it seemed like something else. Like he was acting tough.

Yi Seol-Ah's eyes widened and she muttered, "Mister Seol..."

Hao Win smiled and shrugged an arm over Seol's shoulder. "It was such a moving story. He said there was a girl he had to save no matter what, and then he talked about how he had to work to repay the debts he got from protecting her. Cool, so cool! I was so moved that I even asked my family to pitch in to help clear up his debt."

This time it was Sungjin who reacted. His eyes widened and he looked at Hao Win. "Y-Your family?"

Hao Win stood up and turned his back around. As he did, he sensed Seol's gaze on him. But he had already gone too far with the act, so he followed through playing the tough guy role.

Glancing back at Yun Seora, Hao Win said, "But here's the thing, little lady. We aren't running a charity here, so we reached a proper business agreement. Know what I mean?"

Deathly silence. Again, Hao Win felt Seol's gaze on him, but it seemed that the man quietly sanctioned Hao Win's little play, so he continued with it.

"Oh well." Hao Win sighed and said, "For today, celebrate away! But from tomorrow onwards..." He trailed off and then shook his head. "In any case, you've got a lot of work to do." With a wave, Hao Win walked off and said, "Tomorrow morning. Don't be late."

Seol finally spoke up. "I won't."

"Good. And..." He glanced back one last time at Yun Seora. "Your name... it was Yun Seora, right? Thanks a bunch."

Her gaze sharpened. "...What do you mean?"

"Thanks to you, the number one man in the Neutral Zone landed in my hands... It'll be a great help to the Triads later on."

Yun Seora's eyes widened.

Hao Win let out a sinister smirk and then walked out of the room. As he did, he tossed his cigarette aside and said, "Still got it... And now it's just up to you, Bro."

With a bright smile on his face at the thought of how lovey-dovey that girl would get with Jihu, Hao Win walked off, whistling an off-key love song.

xxx

I glanced at the shut door and sighed.

That guy... I thought something was up, but he really liked playing up the criminal organization boss role, didn't he?

I thought about stopping him before he got too far into it, but since there wasn't a good time to interject, I decided to wait until he left to clear things up.

Now that he had, it was time for just that. So I turned back around to everyone else and started to talk- And then was forced to shut my mouth.

Yi Seol-Ah and Yi Sungjin were standing stock still, their eyes glistening.

"O-Oi." It was an unexpected reaction. "What's wrong with you two?"

"I... I thought it was strange." Yi Seol-Ah sniffed and said, "Mister Seol is great... but to get that many points so quickly... I was curious. To think that..." She sniffed again and her voice caught in her throat. Not a moment later, thick teardrops fell down her cheeks.

My eyes widened and I shook my head. "No. It's not like that- Sungjin! Back me up-" I shifted my gaze to the male teenager, but then had to stop when I saw him.

Yi Sungjin clenched his hands together, his gaze lowered. "H-Hyung... To go that far... To risk your life

to protect all of us...!"

"Oi. Oi, oi, oi!" I crossed my hands together and said, "It's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!"

Yi Seol-Ah wiped her tears away and said, "A misunderstanding...?"

I nodded. "That's right."

Yi Seol-Ah paused. "But the points... Didn't that guy say he helped you clear your debts?"

I paused and said, "It's true that they helped me out to get points back after I used up all of my points, but-"

I froze, suddenly realizing how that sounded.

Suddenly, Yi Seol-Ah's elegant facial features began to crumble, breaking apart as she started to sob. Shaking her head, she brought her hands to her face and hid it.

"H-Hey! It wasn't that bad. I only killed a few guys, so it wasn't like I had to do a lot to cover it- Wait. That doesn't sound good. Um..."

I glanced at Yi Sungjin, only to see that he was trembling in rage- No. If it wasn't for that, he'd be crying just like his sister.

I let out a deep sigh and pinched my nose.

What a headache...

"Well." I shook my head and turned to Yun Seora. "At least you-"

Seeing her reaction, I was speechless again.

The young woman whose expression had always been cold and aloof, whose gaze had always been indifferent. Looking at me now, biting her lips, her eyes watering... the previous girl was nowhere to be seen.

And I felt my headache get worse.

A quiet sob. Yun Seora couldn't hold it back anymore and covered her face with her hands. "I'm... I'm sorry..." Her frail shoulders began to quiver ever so gently, moving in time with her sobs.

Seeing the choir of tears and sobs, I let out a deep sigh.

...That-

xxx

"-Motherfucker."

Hao Win held up his hands and said, "Hey, is that anyway to treat your Bro?"

Early the next morning. After somehow consoling the three, I managed to escape. Unfortunately, that meant I didn't get a chance to sleep.

Normally, that would be fine, but when I had to deal with the headache from handling those three...

Odelette looked between me and Hao Win and said, "Ooh. Did you two get into an argument after we left last night?"

Seeing Hao Win's shameless grin, I sighed and shook my head. "...It's nothing."

We were back in front of the mission board, as always. There were other survivors around too, but as if a custom, they stood off to the side, waiting for us to act first.

Leorda frowned and said, "Whatever it is, I hope that it won't affect your performance on the mission."

Hao Win laughed. "As if something like that could even hold a candle to our Ace here. He's probably able to clear most of these missions with his eyes shut."

I paused. "...Not a bad idea."

Awkward silence.

I blinked. "What?"

Odelette sighed. "I really am going to miss working with you all... And Jihu's ridiculous ability."

Tong Chai rolled his shoulder and said, "I am the same. If only there were at least two more of you, Jihu, life would be much simpler."

I coughed and said, "In any case... What mission should we start with today? We have... What, a month left, right?"

Karna nodded. "Indeed. Although with our clear speed, is there much more point to doing missions?"

"Of course there is!" Hao Win slung his arm around my shoulders and said, "It's to soak up as much experience and insight from this guy as we can!"

"And it's also to practice my magic!" Odelette smiled and said, "Oh right! I figured out how to do the barrier like you said, Jihu!"

I shrugged Hao Win's arm off.

He smiled and stepped back.

Seeing that, I turned to Odelette and said, "Did you?"

After the last mission, I pondered over the idea of creating a wind shield to divert projectiles and melee blows. Something like that was simple for me, but for others it might have been harder. Because of that, I tasked Odelette to try and figure it out. Or rather, I casually mentioned it.

But to think that she figured it out already...

"Well then, should we try a mission to test it out?" I glanced at the notice board.

We had gone through most of the missions already, leaving only the impossible mission alone.

Of course, that included the orc army one. Still, seeing that there was only one attempt left...

"How about we cut loose a bit today?"

"Hm?" Leorda looked at me and said, "What do you mean?"

"Well, we've pretty much gotten used to as many tactics as we can. Not only that, but our coordination is top notch. That's great right now, but later on..."

"Ah." Tong Chai nodded. "Such experience will become poison."

Odelette blinked. "I don't get it."

"Our leader's saying that we need to get used to working with people that aren't as good as we are." Hao Win looked at me and said, "Am I right?"

I nodded. "That's right. We're going to part ways in a month. As much as I'd love to keep working with you guys out in Paradise too... You all have your places to head to, right?"

It was something that hadn't been talked about yet. The sort of unspoken rule. Even so, it was something that continued to exist in the backdrop.

Odelette frowned. "I suppose that is true... Wait!" She looked to me and said, "Jihu! Can't you just-?"

"Now Miss Delphine," Hao Win said. "We can't keep our leader all to ourselves. I'm sure he has his own objectives as well. Don't you, leader?"

"...I do have some plans, yes." I nodded.

Mostly preparing for the inevitable encounter with the Parasite Queen and increasing my own strength.

"Then let's make the most of this while we can." Hao Win nodded. "You said 'cut loose'... I'm guessing that you're planning to just have us act on our own?"

I nodded and grabbed the orc mission. "That's right. We'll still keep an eye on each other... But this is a good time to train our fundamentals. And... Well, not to brag, but I have fairly good insight into how to make people improve."

Leorda smiled, a thin expression on the usually stern face. "In that case... I have no objections. No, I am looking forward to what you have to say."

"Shall we go then?"

Seeing everyone look at me, I ripped the paper in half.

xxx

An open field. A mass of orc warriors in the distance, marching across the grassy plains.

Odelette spoke up first. "Alright! Watch me, Jihu! I'll show you what I've learned!"

Hao Win unsheathed his curved sword and scanned the troops. "Hm... A hundred should do."

Leorda knocked his bow with an arrow and said, "Confident, are we? Then again..." He stepped forward, a smile on his face. "I'm excited as well."

Karna sighed and pulled out a staff. "You battle junkies... Though I suppose it will be essential to know how to defend yourself even as a priest."

Tong Chai spun a knife around in his right hand. "Orders, Leader Jihu?"

"Nothing much. Cut loose, strain your limits. I'll stay back and offer support. Ah, but I guess it's a bit dangerous like this. So..."

I stuck up my left hand and focused.

"Mm?" Hao Win stared at me and said, "You got a trick up your sleeve still, Bro?"

"Always. And lightning."

The skies instantly darkened, crackling with light. Then, in the next moment, a thunderous roar broke the air, followed by a blinding flash in the midst of the orc army.

They scattered, obviously.

After that, I lowered my hand. "Well, that's your cue, guys."

Odelette stared at me and pouted. "...That's not fair. Sooo not fair!" Still, while saying that she spun around and ran towards the orcs. No, as if to get rid of her irritation, she gathered wind and fire in her hands and caused a massive firestorm.

Hao Win laughed and then ran forward. "I'll trust my back to you, Bro!"

xxx

"...And that's all I noticed."

A small and private cafe on the eighth floor with an entry requirement of a thousand points.

There, our party of six were seated around a round table.

I was drinking a fruit smoothie, relaxing a bit after the mission.

As for the others...

Odelette frowned and put down her pen, having finished writing her notes. "I have a question though, Jihu."

"Yes?"

She tapped at her page and said, "You mentioned converting mana to the elements- No, that elemental magic was just a conversion of mana to physical phenomenon. But that can't be true, can it? What about spatial magic and other things? Not only that, but how can it be possible to use magic without casting?"

"It's not the *only* way to use magic. But for us, since we came from Earth, using our logic to structure magic is a good shortcut. You're right though in that it's not the exact way it works." I paused and thought about how to answer it. "From what I can tell and my tests, mana is just another sort of energy. In this world, it's also something everyone can use. That's why warriors, archers, and the like all have mana sensing as one of the class missions. The distinguishing factor is the intent behind it. As for what that means..." I frowned and said, "Well, I could explain how I see it, but I think that's something best learned for yourself."

Hao Win nodded and placed his notebook down as well. "Kind of like those old wuxia novels, right? Your own 'path' or whatever."

"That's right." I nodded. "It's pretty similar from what I can tell and from what I've heard."

Tong Chai paused. "Hm..." He flipped through his book and said, "If that is the case, I wonder if it might be possible... Hm."

Leorda stretched. "Whatever the case may be." He looked up at me and said, "I have to say that you are amazing, Jihu. To have noticed all of this information while maintaining the battlefield... What rank were you again in the army?"

"Just a cadet."

"A cadet? At such a level...?" Leorda shook his head. "What a heaven-sent genius. If you were in the warring eras... I wonder what would have become of the world?"

I shrugged.

Karna tucked his book away and bowed his head towards me. "I thank you yet again for this, Mister Jihu. This as well as your aid."

"Right, right!" Odelette nodded and said, "Even though we're going to party with other people for a while, you can't be a stranger, you hear me?"

"Of course. And if you guys need me, you know where to find me."

Leorda shook his head. "As if we could forget, Mister Number One."

Odelette frowned. "I do regret it a bit though." She looked at me and said, "Are you suuure we can't do the impossible mission?"

"We can..."

"Can we?!"

"...But one of us will die for sure. Specifically, one of you guys." I frowned and said, "You all probably feel it too, right? The sense of impending demise when staring at that mission."

Hao Win frowned. "Yeah. I wish we could scope it out though... but from what I've heard, it would take a team of sixty level fours to even think about surviving, let alone clearing." He paused. "Wait. But you think we can clear it, Jihu?"

"Not without someone dying." I paused and said, "If there were a way to revive here or if the penalty wasn't death, I would say we all give it a shot. But as it is..."

"No dice, huh?" Hao Win muttered. "Well, I suppose it can't be helped. Not like there's anything that useful in the VIP store anyway."

Karna looked at Hao Win and said, "Are you not interested in the divine elixirs?"

He waved his hand. "Those things are great, but you know the saying: easy come, easy go. I don't think it's a good idea to use them... At least, not for me."

"Hm..."

"Argh... We're being too serious!" Odelette swept her book away and then focused on her food. "We're here to celebrate our last major mission together, right? Then let's celebrate and not worry about those things!"

Tong Chai nodded. "Miss Delphine is correct. Let us enjoy this tranquil moment while we can."

xxx

After enjoying our meal and going over the last questions on the notes, our party disbanded.

Odelette said she was going to focus on training her magic alone, swearing to catch up with me in the future.

Tong Chai and Leorda decided to devote the last chunks of time to training their physique.

Hao Win... Well, he gave a wave and said he'd keep in touch before going off to do who knows what.

With that done, I headed back to my room.