Unmotivated motivation

A Sudden Entrance

The room remained still after Mira’s grim explanation—until, suddenly, the door swung open.

Venn stepped inside with his usual bright energy, and behind him, Dylan followed closely.

"Good morning, fellow scavengers!" Venn greeted cheerfully.

Lucas responded immediately, "Good morning!"

Jake, still recovering from the serious conversation, nodded. "Good mornin—"

But before he could finish, Venn suddenly gasped, his eyes locking onto Lucas.

Jake blinked in confusion. Dylan, still standing behind Venn, frowned slightly, wondering what was happening.

Then, Venn spoke.

"Lucas, since when were you so friendly?"

The tension in the room shifted instantly.

Out of nowhere, Mira burst into laughter.

"Ha! Told you! Now pay up."

Lucas’s jaw tightened. His teeth clenched in frustration as he pulled out a small pouch of gold and tossed it toward Mira.

Venn looked between them, blinking. "Wait… Did you two make a secret deal?"

Lucas, visibly irritated from losing, growled under his breath. "Yes… We made a bet to see if the new recruits would notice my sudden change in behavior. I bet they’d figure it out first, while Mira bet that one of the existing scavengers would call me out before they did."

Jake, still feeling awkward about the whole situation, scratched the back of his head. "Uh… sorry for making you lose gold."

Lucas didn’t even look at him.

"You’re not ready to survive on your own," he said coldly. "You already failed on your first day… It’s pathetic. But luckily, whatever happens to you isn’t our problem."

Jake flinched slightly, his fingers curling into a fist at Lucas’s harsh words.

"Lucas!" Venn scolded. "Be friendlier! Try having some personality!"

Lucas remained completely unmoved. "It is not *our* problem how they feel."

Dylan, who had remained silent the whole time, finally stepped forward and walked past Venn.

But the atmosphere wasn’t one for a warm reunion between him and Jake.

Instead, he simply took a seat beside him without a word.

An awkward silence settled between the two, both feeling the weight of their failures—and the quiet shame that came with it.

After a short silence, Venn stepped forward, placing himself between Dylan and Jake in an attempt to lift their spirits.

He clapped his hands together. "Alright, come on, guys! Don’t let a rough start get to you! You survived yesterday, right? That’s already a victory!"

Neither Dylan nor Jake responded immediately.

Venn leaned in slightly, nudging Jake. "You know, some of us barely made it through our first mission. And look at us now! You just need time, practice, and maybe a bit of luck."

Jake glanced at him but still said nothing.

Venn, undeterred, turned to Dylan. "And you! You look like the kind of guy who doesn’t let a few setbacks stop him. What happened to all that confidence?!"

Before Dylan could even react, Lucas sighed loudly.

"Venn, are you done wasting your time?"

Venn scowled. "Lucas! Could you… not be yourself for five minutes?! You know how hard it is to find people willing to join the Scavenger Team! And when someone finally does… you just push them away!"

Lucas leaned back in his chair, unbothered. "I’m just being realistic. They need to understand what this life really is. If they’re not ready in any way, how are they supposed to be scavengers? I’m a survivalist—I *know* what survival is. And survival isn’t easy. It’s extreme, unforgiving… and clearly, not for them."

Mira, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke. "I have to admit… Marcus was reckless for signing two unprepared guards into this team. Their Levels don’t meet the requirements to survive outside Silivia."

Venn frowned. "Mira, you’re supposed to be the reasonable one! Why not, instead of stating facts in the most discouraging way possible, try to motivate them instead?"

Lucas smirked. "Oh, come on, Venn. If they couldn't even recognize my change in behavior, how are they supposed to detect real changes around them? Awareness is everything. A missed detail can mean the difference between life and death. If they failed to notice me, they’ll *definitely* fail to notice a hidden trap… or a lurking monster. And that? That’ll get them killed."

Venn clenched his fists. "You’re acting like they’ve already failed! Give them a chance!"

Lucas scoffed. "You can’t compare them to yourself, Venn. You were an adventurer before joining the scavengers. You already knew what survival was. You had the instincts, the awareness, the ability to detect danger. You had what it took—just not the Level or the strength. But you were prepared. They? They aren’t."

Venn let out a long sigh, trying to think of a way to shift the conversation into something more positive… but nothing came to mind.

Before he could say anything else, the door suddenly swung open again.

Garek and Silas entered.

Garek looked around the room, nodding in approval. "Good. You’re all here."

Without hesitation, he pulled out two pieces of parchment, stepping toward Jake and Dylan.

Both of them stood from their seats, meeting him halfway.

Garek extended the papers toward them. "Here. Take these, and get moving. The mine is clear—you just need to gather the required minerals. No distractions, no unnecessary fights. Understood?"

Both Dylan and Jake nodded firmly.

But before they could say anything, Lucas let out a low chuckle.

"Try not to get yourselves killed this time. If that’s even possible."

Jake’s fingers twitched, resisting the urge to respond.

Venn gritted his teeth, glaring at Lucas before turning back to Dylan and Jake with a thumbs-up, holding up both hands for extra encouragement.

"Come on, guys! Show this arrogant survivalist how a good team can prove him wrong! I believe in you! You survived once—you’ll do it again!"

Dylan and Jake exchanged glances, then nodded with renewed motivation.

Venn grinned. "And don’t feel bad about struggling. The world is hardcore now. It wasn’t always like this! This is all because of the Demon King’s corruption. You’re not weak—the world is just unfair. But keep going, and you’ll improve quickly!"

With those words of encouragement, both Dylan and Jake took their mission papers and left, heading for the mine.

As the door closed behind them, Garek crossed his arms. "They better not get any ideas about fighting monsters while they’re out there…"

Silas cracked his knuckles. "Forget them. We need to start training. Garek, you and me—let’s go."

Garek smirked. "Sure, but just so you know… I’m a Titan. You’re never going to make me fall."

Silas scoffed. "We’ll see about that."

Lucas, who had been watching the exchange, leaned back in his chair. "Hmph… Maybe I’ll come with you. Or maybe I’ll check if Alice has any quests worth doing at the guild board. You think there’s something interesting?"

Silas grinned. "Don’t waste time thinking! Get up and *do* something!"

Garek chuckled. "He’s right. Let’s go. You want to prove yourself, Silas? You’d better be ready."

Silas wasted no time—he grabbed Garek by the arm and started pushing him toward the door. "Hurry up, big guy! You’re too slow!"

Garek let out a laugh. "You’re really eager to get beaten, huh?"

Lucas smirked, finally standing up. "Fine, fine. Let’s go see what’s available."

As they exited, Venn and Mira followed at a calmer pace, letting the others go ahead.

Venn sighed. "Well, at least things are never boring around here."

Mira gave a small smirk. "You say that now. Just wait until things actually get serious."