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Chapter 120 A Hero's Disposition

Once a few moments of silence was achieved, Adonis turned to Grandmaster Conrad and nodded.

It was time for the second grave announcement to be made.

"The Head Warrior Brutus has yet to return from his expedition."

This announcement didn't seem like much to the students, and to be honest, it wasn't supposed to be.

"We gave him and his men three days to complete their investigation, and it's only been two days. Normally, there would be no cause for concern, but a recent development has occurred."

The faces of the twisted slowly began to twist in worry. They could detect, from Conrad's tone and expression alone, that the matter was grave.

"His Royal Badge was also destroyed, but more than that… his Life Force is barely detectable."

Lucielle slowly nodded solemnly as Conrad said this, her brows creasing to form wrinkles of worry on her usually clear face.

As the Grand Mage of the Alliance, Lucielle had a lot of Spells at her disposal.

One was a Spell to detect a person's life force.

Of course, there were conditions to be met for this to work, such as Lucielle's proximity and extensive knowledge on the person in question.

As such, while she could not detect the Life Force of the two Otherworlders who were missing, she could detect Brutus' own.

… And it was waning.

"He's dying. Or, at least, he's in a very weakened state."

Upon hearing this, the students were appalled.

They had been assured that the Dungeon, despite being safe, wasn't a fatal choice. They were also told that Brutus and Lucielle would protect them.

Yet…

"I was able to track his location, thankfully. He's at the very bottom of the Dungeon—the Last Floor."

Everyone's eyes popped wide open.

The Royal Dungeon was rumored to have about 99 Floors.

How was it possible that the Head Warrior had reached the bottom Floor in such a short period?

"It's not something that is possible by natural means. That means something is definitely wrong—perhaps the Savage Monster he was investigating." Lucielle muttered as she rubbed her chin.

"S-savage Monster?!"

"You didn't tell us about this!"

"What Monster? If it's strong enough to put Brutus in that state, then…"

Lucielle instantly realized the mistake she made by airing out her thoughts.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

The Otherworlders began to whine and complain, their voices echoed around the room like joint cries of entitled children.

Yes, they were scared. However, more than anything… they were angry.

Angry at the Alliance for trying to make them descend into the Dungeons despite how dangerous it was.

They yelled about how their current training method was better, and how the Alliance was going to unnecessarily make them risk their lives.

None of the students—or at least, most of them—understand the rationale behind the Alliance's decisions.

They only saw the danger associated with the Dungeon and began to spread their words of distrust.

And with that came chaos.

"This is… getting a little upsetting."

~VWUUUUUUMMMM!~

A sudden pressure filled the room, causing everyone to be silent.

Adonis stepped forward, his golden eyes flickering as he frowned deeply.

"Right now, our two classmates are in trouble. The man who taught us how to fight, and went to ensure our safety is also missing… and all you can think to do is complain?"

Adonis had never used such a harsh tone before, so it shocked a lot of people who heard him.

"Do you all realize what you sound like right now?" His words had no filter.

"… Selfish scum."

No one uttered a word of complaint or disagreement.

Instead, surprise and fear consumed the faces of the students who watched.

Right now, it felt like Adonis had finally snapped.

"I don't even care anymore. The students who aren't interested in helping out, or being at all useful should just leave."

Shock filled the faces of everyone in the room—even the members of the Royal Council.

"H-Hero, maybe that's a little too—"

"Harsh? Inconsiderate? Unwise? No… I don't think so." Adonis sighed, exhaling deeply.

His annoyed reaction remained, but the intimidating pressure he exuded began to dissipate

"What this world needs are saviors—soldiers who are willing to see the bigger picture and fight for the greater good."

Adonis wasn't wrong. The threat of the Dragons increased with each growing day.

The Alliance desperately needed capable warriors.

"But what I see before me are still immature children who think this is all a game and desire to be pampered."

They were only teenagers, so their previous displays of immaturity were very much understandable.

But the situation was different now.

This wasn't a time to murmur, gossip, or complain. It was a moment that required decisive action.

Yet… the very saviors of this world were not interested in any of that.

"What is the point of wasting time and resources on you if you won't do anything but complain at crucial moments like this?"

Adonis said it as it was.

"The Alliance doesn't need Otherworlders who simply want to grow strong so they don't get devoured by the dangers of the world. What they need are heroes who will brave the danger and save the world from peril."

It was a tough task, one that shouldn't be thrust on mere teenagers.

But for the people of H'Trae, 16 Years was the Legal Age for humans.

That was why the Summoning Spell had been so specific to summon high-schoolers who were that age.

The younger someone was, the more malleable they were to training, and the higher their growth potential would be.

That was why the Alliance needed their saviors to be as young as possible, but also adults.

Hence, 16-year-old teenagers.

What they didn't count on, however, was the kind of Otherworlders they ended up with.

Selfish, entitled, problematic, and self-preserving young kings who would rather ditch the world in times of trouble than save it.

"By dawn tomorrow, a team will be selected to descend to the depths of the Dungeon to rescue Head Warrior Brutus."

Gasps echoed out as Adonis said this.

"I don't expect any of you to tag along, but I am going. If I can not save just one person, or a group of people, from peril… how do I expect to save everyone?"

Right now, they were still unsure of the location of Alicia and Billy, which meant that the most urgent matter was Brutus' case.

… Especially since he was in danger of dying.

And so, while a thorough investigation would begin that very night concerning the two Otherworlders that were missing, radical action had to be taken in the Dungeon.

"Lucielle and I will lead the rescue team to save Brutus and his men." Adonis declared, his gaze cold and his tone oozing resolve.

"You all can choose to remain here, or enjoy your stay in the town for all I care. No, you could even leave the Estate if that's what you really want."

These were heavy words, but Adonis no longer held anything back.

All his diplomacy was gone.

"I will remain here, and I will do my best to save this world from the Dragons!" He roared.

Everyone was silent.

Everything was still.

All eyes were on Adonis as he walked out the door.

"… And I don't care if I have to do it alone."

*

*

Chapter 121 The First Clue

'Looks like you finally went and did it, Adonis…'

Rey's thoughts flowed as he watched Adonis storm out of the room.

Even though he expressed shock just like everyone else, Rey was actually smiling within.

'Don't blame yourself too much. This was inevitable.'

There was no way all of the twenty-eight students would be equally useful to the cause.

Most of them were going to abandon the Alliance at one point or another.

Rey thought he was probably being too pessimistic, but he knew enough about his classmates to tell that they weren't the selfless, altruistic type.

They were merely teenagers who wanted to have fun, enjoy life, and live carefreely.

The only reason they stuck around for this long was due to the perks of developing their powers and learning how to survive.

Once they could no longer gain anything from the Royal Estate, they were bound to leave.

'It's unfair, but that's just how it is…'

Only a few were going to remain, and while not all of them had the purest of intentions, Rey felt like their motivations were enough.

'Even if I leave the Royal Estate, it'll be so I can focus on getting stronger. I don't think I'll ever abandon the people here…'

After all, Rey already knew within himself that he didn't want to go back to Earth.

If this was the world he wanted to live in, then he had to help defeat the Dragon Emperor and keep everyone safe.

To do that, though, he needed power.

'Then, there are a few others that I think won't leave…'

Trisha was definitely in the list, considering her personality and how much she valued growth and strength

She was definitely going to challenge the Dragons—but not necessarily because of the people of this world.

Belle was also on the list.

'She's crazy, but she's not stupid. She recognizes that her powers will be very useful in stopping the Dragons, and she definitely desires to stop them so she can deal with Adonis and Alicia.'

As much as Rey disliked Billy, he knew the guy also wouldn't abandon this world.

His desire to be accepted by people and seen as a chivalrous individual would drive him straight into the fire.

'Plus, he has something to prove to Alicia…'

Then, of course, there was Adonis.

Rey already knew his personality, and based on what Alicia told him about their dear Hero, he already knew Adonis would never abandon H'Trae.

Hearing him proudly say it out loud now only cemented his already solidified belief.

'I'm not sure about the others. Alicia will definitely try to help, since she's a kind person, and she can see the bigger picture, but apart from her… I don't know about the others.'

Noah was a coward, so he would probably back out and hope that someone else defeated the Dragons for him.

Most of the students were like that too.

They were probably thinking Adonis would lead the way and do most of the heavy lifting while they only watched from behind.

'The thing is… I don't think Adonis minds doing the heavy lifting. I think he just wants comrades who have his back.'

But most of these students were not those kinds of comrades.

'I'm sorry, Adonis. I genuinely don't know what's going on in your mind, but…'

Rey glanced around him and saw most of the students looking conflicted by all they had just heard.

'… These people aren't the saviors this world needs.'

********

Rey returned to his room after the meeting was called off.

Grandmaster Conrad assured the students that they would update them on the recent happenings, and he also made a pathetic attempt to make everyone feel better.

He probably thought doing so would discourage the students from leaving, but Rey saw it as pointless.

Everyone already knew what was at stake this late in the game.

If the so-called saviors were still being uncooperative, then…

'It's better to nip it in the bud early. The useless ones should leave so the serious ones can remain.'

That was his simple line of reasoning.

However, the moment he entered his room and collapsed on his bed, his thoughts swiftly changed to the initial issue.

'Alicia's missing… and she was last spotted with Billy.'

To Rey, this entire line of logic didn't make sense.

After they made up in the Library, on the night after the Excursion, Alicia had told him all about what Billy did to her.

The entire incident in the Town Square was known to him, and he could clearly see the disgust on Alicia's face as she described it.

There was no way she would want to associate with Billy after that.

Rey had heard a few people whisper stuff in the lines of "Maybe they're secretly dating…"

However, he didn't believe it for even a second!

Sure, Rey was doubtful that he had a chance with Alicia, and he knew Billy seemed to be a man with better prospects than him.

But…!

'I know Alicia would never go for that snake! He's a creep, and nothing about their interaction strikes me as anything more than a one-sided obsession.'

Rey didn't doubt Alicia for even a moment.

'Billy must have done something to her. Maybe he charmed her or something…'

It was possible that he had even eloped with her after placing her under his Spell.

'I wouldn't doubt it if he was that unhinged now!'

Just thinking about Billy and the possibility of what he could have done to Alicia placed Rey in a different state of rage.

'I need to join this investigation.'

It was possible that he could make considerably more progress if he had access to the resources of the Alliance's investigation, but Rey had a different thing in mind.

'I can't trust the process. If I want to find her, I'll have to do it on my own.'

There was one thing that kept popping into Rey's mind when he thought about Alicia.

'The White Ember!'

All he had to do was find the ring, and he'd be able to know where she was.

With his first clue in mind, Rey already knew where he had to go.

'Looks like I'll be returning sooner than I expected…'

This time, however, this wasn't about business.

Chapter 122 A Dark Place

"U-uhh…"

Alicia groaned as she slowly opened her eyes.

The expanse around her was dark, and she struggled to see since her vision was still blurry. Accompanied with the surrounding darkness, her sight was a mess.

She felt her entire body ache as her head pounded. Everything around and about her hurt, so it was painful just raising her eyelids

"You're… awake… huh?" A familiar voice sounded right next to her.

She recognized it instantly, though she couldn't properly see the face of who spoke.

"B-Billy…?" As the whisper escaped her lips, she felt like her throat was on fire.

She felt too uncomfortable to do anything without it hurting.

'What happened? Why am I here? Where is this place? Why is Billy—?'

Before Alicia could complete her set of thoughts, chunks of her most recent memories began to flash in her mind.

She remembered how Rey approached her in the library, and how they went to a shady shop.

And then…

'N-no way!' Alicia's eyes popped wide open as she winced in pain.

'I was kidnapped? Set up by Re… no, that definitely wasn't Rey!'

Now that she was in this state, considering everything with the benefit of hindsight, she was a hundred percent sure that the person she met wasn't the guy she knew and liked.

It was someone else. Perhaps even…

"I'm sorry, Alicia. I… I really am…" Billy's voice echoed in the area just as she was about to think of him as the culprit.

'So it was YOU!' Her thoughts nearly echoed out through her lips.

She felt rage rise up from within her, but it was quickly suspended thanks to the pain and discomfort that swelled throughout her body.

"I just… wanted you to love me. To see me the way I see you… I…"

Alicia didn't know how Billy was able to talk so much when she could hardly leak out a few words without such stinging pain.

'It must be due to his Stats and Class.'

Alicia was jealous. If she could speak even nearly as much as he could, she would tell him to shut up.

'He tricked me and actually allowed both of us to be kidnapped! What in the world?!'

As much as she was curious about why and how it happened, Alicia didn't think she wanted to hear it from him.

The forgotten disgust she had was welling up, especially now that she remembered how he treated the waitress in the shop.

'Now that I think of it, everything makes sense now!'

Alicia always knew Rey wouldn't do the things Billy was doing, yet she couldn't disprove his identity.

Now that she was sure, it all connected.

'I can't believe he would do something so creepy…'

"F-forgive me… please…" She heard Billy murmur and groan, however Alicia didn't care much for what he was saying.

'I've been kidnapped. I need to find a way out!'

That was the only thing on her mind.

'Status Window!'

[STATUS WINDOW]

- Name: Alicia White

- Race: Human (Otherworlder)

- Class: Grand Tamer (A-Tier)

- Level: 9 (34.90% EXP)

- Life Force: 1/10 [Critical]

- Mana Level: 30 (+100) [Locked]

- Combat Ability: 23 [Locked]

- Stat Points: 0

- Skills (Exclusive): [Divine Beast Summon]. [Absolute Healing]. [Greater Ice Magic]

- Skills (Non-Exclusive): Nil

- Alignment: Lawful Good

[Additional Information]

A pet-lover who desires to return home, but can not afford to see others in a state of distress. Your Skills and Class are in perfect synergy with you.

Warning: You are currently under a Status Condition that renders you incapable of much of anything

[End Of Information]

"W-what is this…?"

Alicia could not believe her eyes. Her Mana and Combat abilities were locked, which meant she couldn't utilize them even if she mustered the strength to.

She had never experienced anything like this before, so it took a while to wrap her head around it.

"You… you've checked your Status, haven't you? I checked too…" Billy's voice echoed to remind her of the obvious.

"We can't escape…"

'Would you shut up?! Who put us into this mess in the first place?!' Alicia wanted to yell, but she knew she couldn't.

Yelling was unproductive anyway, so she decided not to suffer for it.

"Are we… the only ones here…?" Alicia finally spoke.

It hurt her to do so—both physically and mentally—but she had to gather more information.

Since he had been awake for longer, surely he'd know.

"No. There are a few others… but they were taken out… to eat."

Billy wasn't called out, and she was unconscious, so did that mean he decided not to leave her all by herself?

Alicia knew it was something that Billy could do, but that didn't mean she suddenly felt grateful.

If it hadn't been for him, she would have been reading her book in peace. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

"What's… going to happen to us?"

"…"

Seconds after Alicia croaked out this question, there was no response from Billy.

Only his heavy breathing could be heard.

"Answer me." Alicia hardened her tone, causing her to wince in more pain.

A few more seconds passed before Billy's trembling voice revealed the truth.

"S-slavery…"

As Alicia heard this, her eyes widened.

'Slavery?! We're going to be sold?!' Her heart raced, causing her body to feel much weaker than before.

"It'll be better if you don't get… too worked up." Billy murmured.

"It'll hurt more… if you struggle."

Alicia felt more and more upset as she heard him speak, but Billy wasn't wrong.

Right now, she was in tremendous pain thanks to her current disorientation.

'I can't escape in my current state, and if I don't do anything, we'll be sold to slavery.'

That was her current predicament.

'Is there a way out of this?'

There was none that Alicia knew of. It made her increasingly frustrated, but she kept her emotions in check.

She had to take her time to analyze it.

'H-hold on! That's it… TIME!' She still had no idea what the time was, and how much longer it would take before they would get sold.

Naturally, she did the only thing she could do to find out.

"How long… do we have until we're sold…?"

If they had like a week before being sold, there was a chance that the Royal Estate's search party would find them first.

The Black Market was somehow involved in this, so she knew the Royal Council would crack down on their activities to find her and Billy.

'We still have a chance of our powers returning too. I don't know how long this [Locked] effect lasts for, but it can't be forever, right?'

They just had to be vigilant and bide their time until the perfect opportunity arrived.

"Tomorrow."

"… E-eh?"

As Alicia heard this, her thoughts instantly froze.

"W-what did you just say…?"

Deep down, Alicia hoped she didn't clearly hear what Billy had just whispered.

Much to her horrors, however, her hopes were dashed.

"I heard… we are gonna be sold… tomorrow…"

Her body trembled at the news.

"I-I'm sorry… Alicia… I really am…"

At this point, Alicia was too deep in deep fear to even hear Billy.

She was too scared to think.

The only person she could think of at this point was Rey.

"H-help me…" As Alicia struggled to feel the White Amber on her finger, she couldn't.

This discovery broke her heart even more, and tears fell from her eyes.

"P-please help me… anyone… Rey…"

Even though her prayers fell on deaf ears, Alicia wouldn't stop mumbling to herself.

… Until she finally fell unconscious once again.

*

Chapter 123 Adonis' Worries

"This isn't how it's supposed to go…"

Adonis mumbled to himself as he stared at the night sky.

He didn't remember every single detail of the past, but he knew about this incident.

'The kidnapping of Billy and Alicia… it's supposed to happen way further in the future!'

Sure, a lot of things had been altered now, but he never expected such a drastic change to the original timeline.

'They'll nearly be sold at the Slave Auction a few days after being captured, but thankfully the investigation was done before the process was complete.'

As a result, the Royal Knights rushed in and apprehended a lot of criminals in the Black Market and Slavery World.

Unfortunately, this huge victory came with a great loss.

'Alicia's mental state became unstable and she became insane. Billy was fine, but he was too concerned with Alicia's health that he didn't focus on training any longer…'

Eventually, Alicia's mental health deteriorated to the point that she eventually committed suicide and died.

As for Billy, he joined her in the afterlife not long after.

Adonis didn't know the details of their relationship back then, or how they were captured in the first place, but he suspected that they were lovers.

… Or something of the sort.

'Billy still seems very fond of Alicia, but it didn't seem like she felt the same. I thought, for sure, they wouldn't ever go on that date of theirs that led to the incident.'

And even if they did, it wouldn't be anytime soon.

'So why…?!'

Adonis felt anxious—the most anxious he had ever been since his regression.

If he didn't act fast, the same tragedy that occurred last time would happen again.

'Like last time, it'll probably take a few days for the investigation to bring forth fruit. I just hope we can find them earlier this time.'

Adonis didn't know where the Auction Center was, and even if he did, the location was said to constantly change for each Auction.

With the kidnapping happening much earlier than anticipated, there was a good chance that it wouldn't be the same location as last time.

It bothered Adonis to the core that he felt useless at such a crucial moment.

He gritted his teeth and sank his fingers deep into his palm.

'Things can't start falling apart now! We've hardly even begun!'

Somehow, it felt like things were even worse now.

Sure, everyone was growing stronger at a much faster pace, but problems were arising here and there that didn't happen in the original timeline.

'… And I honestly don't know what to do.'

The most he could do for Alicia and Billy was pray that they were found earlier than last time.

And if Alicia's madness repeated itself this time, he could solve it using his extensive knowledge of H'Trae.

As long as they weren't dead… Adonis was confident that his two comrades would be fine.

'The same can't be said about Brutus, though.'

Adonis' face darkened the moment he thought about the Head Warrior's current situation.

'This is yet another change I wasn't expecting…'

In his past life, there was an investigation carried out by Brutus and Lucielle, but it wasn't anything too serious.

The students were soon able to begin exploring Dungeons and killing Monsters.

'But the timeline has changed. Apparently there's a strong monster that surfaced… one that didn't do so in the past.'

Adonis tried to think about the possibilities, and he had a few ideas.

'Right now, I should be stronger than them.'

And so, he was fairly confident that Brutus and his team would be able to subdue the monster and return.

However…

'… This had to happen.'

Adonis was puzzled to his core about so many things.

'Where did all the Mana Crystals and Monster Cores go? Our Seventh Floor Dungeon Exploration remains memorable to me because of that stash we found.'

It was a huge victory for the United Human Alliance, and it helped them greatly in their preparation for the imminent war.

But now… all those resources were gone.

But why?!

'There's a possibility that there is another class traitor. I can't rule it out completely.'

Adonis felt his heart ache, and he felt his head hurting. There were a lot of possibilities to think about, and it was a little too overwhelming for the Hero.

'And the fact that none of them are helping matters is the worst part of all this.'

Adonis never expected his classmates to suffer the way they did in the past.

In fact, the whole reason he was training so hard was to save everyone.

But… he couldn't do it alone.

'I need help. Tons of it. But none of them are being very helpful.'

Adonis thought he could be the glue that held everyone together—especially after seeing what happened the last time—

but after being so patient with them and seeing the way things were going, he had to face the truth.

Most of them were useless.

'I'd have better luck with a select few than such a crowd.'

That was why he had to save people like Brutus.

'He's a knight that's loyal to humanity, and in the near future, he'll become even stronger than he is now.'

Brutus was an indispensable asset to the salvation of the world

—something he couldn't say about most of his classmates.

"I have to save him. I have to save all of them."

Preparations were already being made to explore the depths of the Dungeon, and with the Magic Item that existed in the Royal Treasury, it was possible to directly teleport to the depths of the Dungeon.

'It's a one-use Item, though, so we'll have to climb back up once we rescue Brutus.'

Adonis wasn't sure he was currently strong enough to face all the Monsters of the Lowest Floors, but he didn't have to.

'If it's just escaping, I'm confident about that…'

Besides, he still had the Item he got in the Black Market. He would have to alter his initial plan for it; but it couldn't be helped.

'If I use it to open a rupture in space to a Top Floor, we can use that to escape.'

Even if it was the 30th Floor or something, Adonis was confident that it would be more than enough for the rescue to proceed smoothly.

Adonis leaked out a heavy breath and closed his eyes.

'I'll have Lucielle with me, at least. It'll be a close one, but we should be able to win.'

*

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