Chapter 70: The Crucible Awaits
The next night arrived, and a gathering took place in the bustling square. Every member from both Party 1 and Party 2 gathered, including Han, Jenna, Aaron, Eolka, and the late arrival of Shurn. The rest of the group consisted of Edis, Roderick, Dica, Asher, and an unidentified individual.
"You there."
"Yes!"
A young man with closely cropped hair responded promptly. He appeared to be in his mid-twenties, towering in level but with a lean physique. A quintessential underdog.
"When the battle commences, find a suitable position and hold your ground."
"Understood?"
"If you're looking for death, feel free to follow along."
"Ho, but..."
He was at level 3, having only a basic sword expertise at level 1. It was clear that his presence would be more of a hindrance rather than a help.
"I can fight too!"
"Is that so?"
"Why do you treat me like this, pushing me around? We're friends, aren't we?"
"I'm not pushing you around."
"He joined the party at a fairly late stage."
"If we had been given only seven days, we might have managed to assign him a specific role. Simple numbers filling wouldn't suffice. It was a matter of whether he could pull his fair share within the party. If not, he would become just a dull presence."
"But really, what are we doing here? The little pixie didn't bring us, did she?"
"She will call us soon, so don't question it."
"And you again! Acting as if you have all the answers."
I raised my gaze to the sky.
It gleamed brightly, the Ankana association outlined thirty minutes ago, silently observing the sitting area without issuing any orders.
"He's examining."
"Should we challenge the tenth floor, or should we allow ourselves a little more time?"
"Certain aspects remained incomplete. The newest member had yet to adjust to the party dynamics, and despite my level being 10, the pinnacle of a 1-star ranking, I had not achieved advancement yet."
"I hoped my predictions would prove incorrect."
"If he rushed the process, the situation would become complicated. However, if he waited for about a week, I could upgrade my skills to the maximum level attainable for a 1-star rank. It should wrap up one research attempt before proceeding. Like that, we would be more prepared to face the challenges of the tenth floor compared to our current status."
"However, Anytng's nature, as observed thus far, suggested otherwise."
"In the end, whether we perished or were completely obliterated, it would pose no issue. Yet again and again, for the master, it was just a game—a realm where heroes could be reselected and nurtured."
"For us, it was reality."
"However, to the master, it was far from it."
"Finally, the control window of Anytng became fully alert, initiating movement."
"Iselle appeared, gracefully revolving around the bustling square."
"[Oh, everyone is here! This means I don't have to shout. Party 1!]"
"Yes."
"Here!"
"[Party 2!]"
"We're present."
"[Open the crack of time and space!]"
"With a squeaking sound, the grand gate at the front of the square opened wide."
"A sense of tension emanated from the looks of the crowd. But I refrained from making a fuss, murmurs had already spread, indicating the situation that had unfolded on the fifth floor."
"Take a deep breath. Relax. We can do this."
"Jenna put a hand on her chest, controlling her breathing."
"It was all because of this master."
"[Attention!]"
"[This mission requires two parties for a medium-sized operation. If your party is lacking members, use paid or free grouping to recruit additional heroes!]"
"[Tips/By using the command center of the spatial fracture, known as the Strategic Headquarters, you can give tactical instructions to the heroes participating in the mission.]"
"The Strategic Headquarters, huh?"
"He doesn't know how to utilize it."
"For novices, it was a rather complex system."
"But before that, one moment, Iselle!"
"[Yes!]"
"Go to the warehouse and bring the items we prepared."
"Iselle nodded and disappeared swiftly and mysteriously."
"In a short while, a message appeared."
"[Ace, there are unused consumables in the warehouse. Please equip them to the heroes. The heroes will use these consumables at the appropriate time.]"
"[Tips/You can craft consumables at the alchemy lab or the magic hall. Materials can be obtained from the daily dungeons. Consumables, one of the shortcuts to victory! It's the pathway to becoming a quintessential master of pick-me-up!]"
"Understood!"
"Iselle emerged from the warehouse, pulling along a cart."
"The cart contained elixirs and various items that I had recently crafted."
"[Give Han() a Poor-quality Health Elixir to carry!]"
"Iselle tossed a glass bottle filled with a dark red liquid to me. I caught it and securely fastened it to my belt."
"[Give Jenna() a Poor-quality Health Elixir to carry!]"
"[Give Aaron()]"
"[Give Edis()]"
"There were a total of six health elixirs."
"Divided equally, each party would receive three."
"The mana elixir was reserved solely for Eolka."
"Eolka shook the glass bottle containing the liquid that sparkled with a serene blue hue."
"This is a rather expensive item. Where did you get it?"
"Don't bother asking. It's best left implied."
"Eolka playfully flicked her tongue and carefully tucked the mana elixir inside her garment."
"She seemed to have found a clever way of storing it."
"Turning to Edis, I asked, 'Are we thoroughly prepared?'"
"It's all set."
"Are these your final words?"
"If you're joking, it's still a bad joke."
"Edis chuckled and stepped forward, entering the spatial fracture."
"Dica and Asher nodded respectfully to me before following Edis, while Roderick and the remaining individual joined them inside."
"The spatial fracture remained open."
"Eagerly awaiting our entrance."
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