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"This is my Status Window. I'm at level 3, probably because I managed to kill some Goblins at the first gate. I guess these stats are pretty good for the beginning of the game. If this is truly the same incident as in that novel, then I have a long journey ahead with this system—and from now on, there's no such thing as a normal life!"
Some people were preparing themselves and searching for weapons that could be used to kill any monsters that might appear again from the gate.
I asked the soldiers stationed at the post for a weapon to fight the monsters. Among the various weapons they offered, I chose an AK-47 and two daggers as my weapons.
While waiting for the next Quest to appear, I rested to recover my stamina. But then, a system window appeared—one that only I could see.
[Congratulations! You are a reader of the novel The Failure of Five Heroes. You've completed the Tutorial. The novel serves as a guidebook for the System. You are entitled to bonus EXP.]
"Bonus EXP? My level increased to level 5. So the novel is actually a guidebook from the System!? I'm so lucky to have read it. This is a huge advantage for me. Alright, now where did I keep that novel? I think it's in my bag."
I was really happy to gain additional EXP, reaching level 5 even though I'd only completed one Quest. I looked for the novel to make sure it was still with me.
"Oh no, my novel is gone! Did it disappear because of the EXP gain? I really liked that novel. Well, it's fine—I still remember everything that happened in it." I was a little disappointed that my favorite novel had vanished into EXP.
"Jay? Is that you, Jay?" someone called out to me.
While I was resting, a man with a tall, muscular build approached me. It turned out to be Bima—my high school friend. We hadn't seen each other in almost five years since graduation, each of us busy with our own lives.
"Bima!? It's great to see you again. It's been so long."
"It sure has. You haven't changed much since the last time I saw you, Jay. Haha…" Bima joked around.
"And you've changed a lot—especially your body and those muscles."
"Haha, you know I loved working out back in high school. Even at the Military Academy, I kept training hard." He flexed his large arm muscles.
"That's awesome. So, what are you doing here?"
"Eh, you don't know? Right now, I'm helping those who've been injured because of this disaster. I joined the rescue team as a volunteer to help the wounded, the elderly, women, and children. How about you? Are you hurt? Am I interrupting your rest?"
"Oh no, Bima. Don't worry. I only had a few minor injuries, but they seem to have healed."
"That's good to hear. Do you need anything right now, Jay? I'll help however I can."
"No need, Bima. I'm just resting for a bit to regain stamina. I already have weapons with me, just in case the monsters come back."
"You're right, Jay. In less than two hours, another gate will appear—with terrifying monsters. We all need to be ready to fight them."
"Bima, Bima, where are you?" a woman was calling for Bima.
While we were talking, a woman called out to Bima. It seemed like she was looking for him.
"Over here, sis," Bima waved to her.
She walked over after seeing Bima with me. Turned out, she was Bima's older sister.
"Oh yeah, Jay, this is my sister Dyah Pitaloka. And sis, this is Jay—my high school friend."
"Hello, nice to meet you. My name is Jaya Kusuma, just call me Jay."
"Hello Jay, nice to meet you too. So you're Bima's friend from high school? I guess this is the first time we're meeting. I was often out of town back then, so I didn't know his friends."
"It's alright, sis. I didn't go to his house that often either. We met more in class than outside school."
"No need to be formal, just call me Loka."
"Alright."
"I need to talk to Bima for a bit, may I borrow him?"
"Of course. We've finished talking anyway. I'm sure Bima has lots of things to do here."
"Thanks, we'll meet again later, okay?"
"Jay, I'm heading off. Let's chat again later, and don't leave this place, alright? See you."
"Sure, Bima. See you later."
After Bima and Loka left, I wandered around the area out of boredom. I noticed many people looking anxious—probably because another Quest was coming. The medical post was still treating a lot of people. Others were preparing for the next Quest, gathering together to discuss strategies.
Feeling a bit hungry, I headed to the food post to grab something to eat. There was still about an hour before the Quest, so I decided to eat first.
The food post was crowded with people enjoying the meals provided. Even though the meals were simple, everyone was eating heartily. You never know—it might be the last meal you'll ever have.
At the dining area, I ran into Bima and Loka again, who were also about to eat.
"Hey Jay, we meet again," Bima greeted me.
"Hey, I didn't expect to see you two here too."
"We just finished helping out with the meals here."
"Yeah, now my sister and I are taking a lunch break."
"Can we sit with you, Jay?"
"Of course, have a seat. I just started eating. Let's eat together."
We all sat and enjoyed the food. People around us were starting to smile again. The anxiety from earlier slowly faded away—just by having a good meal together.
After we finished eating, exactly one hour before the Quest started, a new system window appeared, showing the Quest requirements:
[Quest! Form a party with a minimum of 5 players.]
"So this is the Quest requirement. But… who should I invite to form a party?"
"Jay, are you looking for party members? If you don't mind, would you like to join us? My sister and I don't know many people, so it might be best if we team up." Bima invited me to join a party with him and Loka.
"Of course I'd love to—especially with someone like you, a soldier. But would your sister be okay with me joining your party?"
"It's totally fine, right sis? We'd actually be grateful if you joined."
"Why not? We need more people too. And since you know Bima, you're more than welcome to join us, Jay."
"Alright, if you both don't mind, then I'd love to join your party."
"Great, let's fight together!" Loka shook my hand.
"Yes, let's help each other."
"That's just three of us—we still need two more people," Bima said.
"I might know someone we can ask, though I'm not sure if he'll join us."
"Of course, who is it?"
"Let's go find him. I think he's somewhere nearby."
We began looking for him—Arya, my former manager at the company. He fought impressively at the last gate, so of course I wanted to recruit him. The stronger the party, the easier it would be to defeat monsters and complete the Quest.
After a while, we found Arya at the guard post. The three of us approached him.
"Manager Arya—I mean, Arya!" I ran up to him.
"…Jay?" Arya looked at me.
"His sword… is glowing with a black aura?" I thought to myself.
I noticed Arya's black sword radiating a dark aura. I didn't know what kind of aura it was, but it made me uncomfortable. I didn't mention it to Arya. I simply spoke to him and asked him to join our party.
"We're forming a party—me, Bima, and Loka. Would you like to join us?"
"Actually, I'm also looking for a party for this Quest. Alright, I'll join you. But I have one request," Arya said.
"A request? What kind of request?" Bima asked.
"I want to be the party leader."
The three of us discussed whether we should accept Arya's request. After a moment, we decided to agree.
"Alright Arya, we agree to have you lead the party. That makes you part of our team now."
Arya and I shook hands as a sign of agreement.
"Let me introduce you—this is Bima and Loka. Bima, Loka, this is Arya."
"Hi Arya, nice to meet you."
"Now we just need one more person to complete the party. But who?" Bima wondered.
We all thought about who to recruit as the fifth member. We were stuck—none of us could think of someone suitable.
But suddenly, a girl approached us as we were about to search.
"Excuse me, sorry to interrupt. May I join your party?"
.
.
.
To Be Continued