The Five Losers

"Listen Luciel, I got to the City of Mara Alone, I confronted alone my examiner and lost, I was feeling sad and lonely, and then I met Clinton, and a few months later, I would have already a party, we were not only a party of comrades, but we were also brothers, we were the Five Losers, and yet, we never failed a mission."

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In my first weeks as an official Adventurer, I did most of my missions with my best friend Clinton, we were both City Elites, so we didn't have problems doing F-Rank and E-Rank Missions, so we quickly reached Rank E, and were fast approaching to become Rank D Adventurers.

We also start doing so training with Gladius, of course we paid him for the lessons, but still, the experience and teaching of a veteran pro like him were priceless.

It was me and Clinton against the world, but then, we took a mission request by a town very close to the Great Dark Forest, the Town of Hope, known for being the northernmost town of the Kingdom of Arcadia, and the closest town to the Great Dark Forest.

The mission of Rank D was simple, we would just have to hunt down a monster that have been terrorizing the town's fishermen who work in the nearby river, the River of Hope, the river that gave the town its name. The monster who already had killed 13 fishermen was a Great Wild Dog, a D-Rank Threat Monster.

A D-Rank Monster were monsters on par with City Elites, and even strong D-Rank Monster could fight against County Masters. So, for us who were in the middle-high of the City Elites ranking, the Great Wild Dog was a serious threat for us.

Not only that, but the Town of Hope was very closed to the Great Dark Forest, only one kilometer of distance between the north wall of the town, and the dangerous zone.

More yet, it was close to the Month of the Horde, known for being a month were historically there where many hordes' attacks from the different dangerous zone; although the last horde attack from the Great Dark Forest took places in the Year 9732, more than 200 years ago, it could happen at any moment, you never know what could take place from a dangerous zone.

Honestly, everything was in favor of not doing that mission, but, if we worked together, faster, and hunted down the monster, we would not only obtain a good sum of money for the reward, but we be one step closer to obtaining the Rank D.

Being D-Rank Adventurers was the starter line of the Experts Adventurers, it was in this rank when one could obtain a Title giving by the Guild, a Noble, or from another Adventurer.

A Title gives prestige and fame to adventurers, so everyone wants to have one, only the best prospect of rank D could take one and starting from B-Rank almost every adventurer already had one title.

So, we accept the mission, and a few days later we would reach the town, a peaceful and beautiful town whose views of the Great Dark Forest, the Range White Mountains of Ganbus, and the River of Hope give at Magnificent Sight for every newcomer.

In our first day we also realized that we were not the only adventurers who took the mission, there where other eight adventurers who came to do the mission.

Five were a D-Rank Party, and I knew the other three who can alone:

Great Archer who never miss, Lapz, a D-Rank Adventurer.

Rank D Adventurer, calm, and good martial artist. He was blinded, and yet he could kick your ass if you do not take him seriously, Pak.

From the ten adventurers who we came to the Town of Hope, he was the oldest and most experience, a C-Rank Adventurer who was know for his brilliant mind and his skill with his spear, the Old Man Lino.

I have the pleasure to not only known them, but also have spent so time in the Guild's Tavern talking to them, all three were great adventurers and good people.

The three were happy to see us, so we spent our time together, joining for the time to hunt the dangerous monster. We stayed at the Golden Chest Inn, the only inn in town, a little bit expensive but manageable.

The days passed, and the monster did not appear, it was as if it had disappeared after feeling our presence, so I spent my time walking through the town, getting to know every place, getting to know its people, and loving the beauty and peace that this place emits.

I met the Captain of the Guards, part of the National Guard, and a City Elite, Glenn, a good man of thirty-one years old, and who told me a little bit about Hope.

The Town of Hope was a town who grew and prosper with a bursting popularity a century ago until a few decades ago, thanks to the adventurers who came to test themselves in the Outer Areas of the Great Dark Forest. Even so, with the passage of time, and with the enormous number of adventurers, even adventurers of A-Rank and one S-Rank Adventurer who never returned, fewer and fewer people came to this distant town.

The death rate was so great that almost not normal adventurer came here to then enter the dangerous zone.

"After the adventurers stop coming, this town have started to decline year after year, but with, the Hope people still lived here, waiting for the next age of prosperity that we know will be back one day, after all, with all have hope for that to happen." – said Glenn to Armando.

Many days pass without problems, and then, three weeks after we arrived, it was noon when I was eating in the Golden Chest Restaurant, a good but a little expensive restaurant, when we heard the noise of painful screaming, and the barks of monsters.

"What?!" – Lapz, was the first one to seem from afar what was happening, it was until we arrived at the entrance of the town, that I saw a hundred meters away the party of D-Rank adventurers dead, and their killers: One Alpha Great Wild Dog, two Great Wild Dogs, and nineteen Wild Dogs.

An Alpha.

'Shit.' – an alpha was a terrifying existence, monsters who were alfas where different than normal monsters, a Great Wild Dog who was an alpha had dark red fur instead of bright red fur and was half a meter bigger.

Not only that, but it was also a beast who was on par with multiple County Masters, so, a C-Rank Threat Monster, a monstrous being who not surprising was follow by two Great Wild Dogs and many Wild Dogs.

I was scared, but before the thought of escaping pass in my mind, an arrow flew until it hit and kill a wild dog.

Then, I look at Lapz who already had another arrow prepared to be shot.

"One Shot!" – he shouted, and then another arrow killed a wild dog, he looked at us and said: "Come on, Attack!"

With his words and actions, we drew our weapons and prepared to fight, being serious, we were not rivals for the monsters, but then, we heard from behind some noises, I looked back, and saw Captain Glenn with other twenty-some Guards.

"We came to help!" – said Glenn, who look at me and nod.

We our numbers increased, we have more probabilities of winning, so, we took that chance and start fighting.

Lapz quickly one-shot kill many wild dogs, meanwhile Pak and Clinton took on a Great Wild Dog, and I and Captain Glenn fight the other; Lino was the MVP who took by himself the pression and danger of fighting alone the Alpha.

Pak and Clinton eliminated first the D-Rank monster, and went to fight the Alpha, giving Lino a breath, with the help of Lapz, Glenn and I also took down our enemy, and then, we put everything we have to take down the alpha meanwhile the rest of the guards took care of the remaining wild dogs.

"Victory!" – shouted out Glenn when the last monster, the Alpha Great Wild Dog died, it seems it was recently upgrade to the status of an alpha, so it only needs one County Master and Five City Elites to defeated it.

After a night of celebration, the next morning we depart, I said goodbye to Glenn, also congratulating him for his soon to be marriage.

The five of us, after the dangerous fight, and the days we spent together in the Town of Hope, we became good friends, more yet in our deep bonds talks in our way back to the capital of the County.

Two days lates since we returned, Lino was the one who reunite us to carry on a mission together, days later, in the 48th Day of the Month of the Horde of the Year 9945, officially – and after three successful missions together – the Party of the Five Losers registered with the Adventurer's Guild, and our days together working as an official Party begin.

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"Hahaha, you know Luciel, I thought that Old Lino would be our leader, after all, he was not only the oldest, but also the one with highest rank and vastly more experience as an adventurer, a great strategist and with good leadership skills, and yet, that idiot said to me that it was too much of a burden and that I have some talent as a leader, so the idiot nominate me as the leader, and of course the idiot of my best friend vote for me, and then, Pak and Lapz didn't have more choice that follow the old ones decision and a became the Five Losers Party Leader."

The old man who was sicked and laying on his bed said with a smile.

"Yes… I still remember with much affection those day where I spend my time doing missions, drinking, and eating, and having fun with those four morons… yes, the Five Losers never fails a mission despite the party's name, because we stay together, work together and trust each other; together, we were stronger…"