It had been a couple of hours since our two groups had departed from the bustling guildhall. Now, the atmosphere had shifted. We were standing quietly at the edge of the Emerald Forest, a dense, emerald-green expanse that stretched far beyond the horizon. The wind rustled the trees gently, causing shadows to dance across the ground beneath our feet. The silence between our groups was heavy—not uncomfortable, but thick with that awkward tension that comes when strangers are forced into cooperation.
I adjusted the straps of my combat outfit, the material snug and worn in all the right places. My usual gear—form-fitting black cloth with reinforced joints—offered maximum mobility. At my hips, the two white katanas gleamed in the sun, each one strapped with a crosswise loop to rest diagonally along the back of my waist. I didn't have to say anything for people to understand these weren't for show.
Beside me stood Kayda—well, Kay, as she preferred to be known in disguise. She wore the same elegant-yet-practical attire she had on when we first met at that restaurant: black pants, a fitted crimson top, and a lightweight dark cloak that fluttered softly in the breeze. Her hair was tied back, keeping her horns subtly obscured. From a glance, no one would think she was anything more than a standard adventurer.
After several long moments of silence, I finally sighed and decided to break the ice.
"Well," I said, clearing my throat and offering a relaxed smile, "why don't we introduce ourselves?"
The five adventurers across from us shifted a bit, standing in a rough semicircle. Kayda was still beside me, arms crossed loosely, eyes cool and unreadable.
"I'll go first," Kayda said in a calm, confident voice. "My name is Kay. I'm a Fire Sage. A high-level one."
She gave a nonchalant shrug and continued, "I'll be keeping my guild rank private. I'm only here to supervise this troublesome fox." She ended with a sideways glance at me before giving my shoulder a light smack.
I blinked and dramatically placed a hand over my chest, right above my heart.
"Such a heartless Dragonoid you are," I said in mock pain, staggering back half a step. "Wounding me so publicly!"
Kayda just stared at me. Deadpan. There was not even a twitch of amusement on Kayda's face.
I held the pose a few more seconds. Nothing.
"You really are heartless," I added, letting my arms drop with an exaggerated sigh.
Clicking my tongue, I turned back to the others with a more genuine smile.
"Well, you guys can just call me Nova. I'm a Dual Warrior, low level. Same guild rank as all of you."
I tapped the hilts of the two ice-forged katanas strapped to my waist and gestured casually.
"Ooooh! Two exotic classes? That's so cool!" The girl with twin daggers at her thighs exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She bounced in place like a kid at a festival. "I feel so honored to be fighting alongside you two!"
She gave a flourishing bow. "I'm Mary! Assassin class, mid-level, and C-rank."
"I'm Nat," said the boy beside her. He was dressed in simple red robes with faint flame symbols embroidered along the hem. His expression was stoic. "Fire Mage. High-level. Same rank."
The golden-armored man beside him puffed out his chest theatrically, placing his fists on his hips and lifting his chin toward the sky.
"I am the wonderful and most powerful swordsman in the capital! My name is Dalton!"
"Dalton, can you not?" The silver-haired man next to him sighed, rubbing his temple with visible regret.
He turned to us, offering a small bow of apology. "Please ignore this idiot. My name is Gaby. I'm the tank of the team. High-level. B-rank."
I eyed the enormous tower shield strapped to his back and nodded.
"Cool," I said honestly. "Never seen a tank in action before."
"And that leaves me," said the last girl with a warm smile. She was shorter than the others and wore brown and green robes with earth-toned accents. "My name is Catrina. I specialize in Earth and Wind magic."
She gave a polite bow, her robes swaying slightly.
"Alright, now that's out of the way," Kayda began, pulling a paper from her cloak and holding it up for all to see. "We're here to eliminate five orcs. It's a quest normally meant for a ten-person party, but given your collective rank and strength, it was approved for a smaller group. I'm not included in the fighting, so you six will handle the actual engagement."
"Wait… only five?" I asked, blinking in disappointment. "That's it?"
"Don't underestimate them," Gaby said, his tone serious. "They're strong. Even if you're an exotic class, you'd need to be at least level 400 to take one solo."
I tilted my head slightly, thinking. "So… about 1700 in strength and defense stats?"
"More or less," he said with a nod. "Speed's a bit lower. Around 1300."
"Don't worry, though," Dalton chimed in with a confident smile, his teeth sparkling like some overzealous anime character. "I can handle one easily."
He gave me a wink.
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and rubbed the back of my neck with mock embarrassment. "Ha… I murmured under my breath, "I'm not surprised that they are slow."
Mary leaned in toward Catrina and snickered behind her hand.
"It seems Dalton has charmed another maiden."
"Charmed?" I said, raising an eyebrow. "Sorry, but I don't swing that way. Better luck next time."
Mary and Dalton both froze, wide-eyed.
"Wha—!?"
Before they could say anything else, I lifted my shirt slightly, revealing the defined lines of my six-pack.
"Oh my~," Mary and Catrina said at the same time, noses almost twitching.
The boys looked at me with complex expressions—somewhere between impressed and jealous.
'Hehe. That got them.'
"See? I'm as close to a male body as you'll find without the third leg," I said, letting my shirt fall back down. "So… does 'maiden' still apply, Mary?"
Mary tilted her head, grinning. "Hmm, you're still adorable in your own way. I bet a ton of girls would line up to date you."
She gave me a thumbs up, then turned to Dalton and patted his shoulder.
"Seems you lost this one."
"Can we please move on?" Kayda said, visibly annoyed. Her tone made it clear the banter had gone on long enough.
Mary, never one to miss a beat, smirked. "Huuuuh? So you're—"
"She's right. Let's go," I interrupted quickly, stepping past the group and into the forest's shaded trail.
"Aww, I wasn't done talking!" Mary whined, following me with a dramatic pout.
"Just let it go," Catrina said, bopping her lightly on the head.
"Fiiiine," Mary sighed, trudging along.
I glanced over my shoulder at the group as we walked deeper into the woods.
'At least Catrina has a level head… even if she's only a sage around level 400. Gaby's probably the strongest, clocking in at 530. Still, it's weird to call that high level. Is the social structure here just that different from the Black Ops system?'
Kayda's voice cut into my thoughts, soft and low.
"Yes. Don't compare adventurer levels with Black Ops. It's like comparing farmers to assassins."
I blinked, glancing to my left to see her walking a few meters away.
"Why are you walking so far from me?" I asked, confused.
"I'm only here to observe," she said quietly, avoiding eye contact.
I raised an eyebrow. "Kayda… Are you shy around new people?"
Her eyes went wide. "I—uh…"
"Come on, just admit it," I said with a teasing grin, moving closer and slinging an arm around her shoulders. With my other hand, I proudly pointed at myself.
"You don't have to be nervous. I'm here, after all!"
She groaned, slipping out of my grasp with ease. "You seriously are… ugh."
"What?"
She just kept walking.
Before I could follow up, a scream pierced the forest—high, panicked, and definitely human.
"AAAHHH!"
My ears twitched. Kayda and I both froze, then looked at each other.
"Oh no, someone's in trouble!" Catrina yelled, already sprinting past me.
The rest of the group followed close behind, weapons drawn and expressions grim.
Kayda tapped my shoulder. "Come on, Nova. We've got to help."
"If you say so." I sighed and took off running beside them.
After fifteen solid minutes of sprinting through uneven terrain and tree-lined trails, we reached a clearing.
It looked like a battlefield.
Trees were snapped and scorched. The earth had been churned up. Broken weapons and torn armor lay scattered. At least a dozen bodies were on the ground, some motionless, others groaning in pain. The smell of blood and smoke lingered in the air.
The forest beyond was lined with crushed trees, forming a tunnel of destruction where something massive had clearly charged through.
"Gods above…" Mary whispered.
"Hey, are you okay? How can we help?" Catrina knelt beside a man clutching his stomach, blood pooling beneath him.
Dalton stood over another, blinking. "Guild employees? What were they doing this far out?"
I stepped over bodies, scanning for breathing. "Why do I always find chaos wherever I go…?"
"I count about twenty-three people," Kayda muttered grimly.
"Huh…" I muttered, squinting at the ruined path ahead. "Wonder if we follow that—"
WHAP!
Kayda smacked the back of my head.
"Can you not?" she said with a glare. "We need to help those still alive."
"Does anyone have a way to get them back to the capital?" Gaby called out, already coordinating with his team.
"No healers," I whispered to Kayda. "Two options: You transform and carry them to the capital, or I do… and reveal what I am."
She frowned, clearly torn.
"There are sixteen that can still be saved," I said, glancing around. "The rest are either already dead or too far gone."
"You'd freeze them to my back?" she asked.
"Exactly. You'll have to leave us here."
"I don't like it…"
"If I go, we leave the others defenseless. Something's going to smell this blood soon."
Kayda hesitated… then nodded.
"Fine. I'll be back within the hour," she said and stepped back.
Then, she began to transform.
Her form shimmered, light bending and swirling as leathery wings unfurled and her limbs shifted. Scales rippled down her body, glowing faintly with magic.
Gasps erupted around us.
"Woah!"
"A—A dragon?!"