When I reach the front gate, I see two carriages waiting. The members of Death Hunters and Silver moon are already gathered.
"You are late." (Lyra)
Lyra, the leader of Silver moon, says this the moment she sees me.
"How dare a human make us wait? Do you have any idea how long we've been standing here?" (Amy)
One of the Silver moon members snaps. I don't know her name yet. Hearing this, Lyra folds her arms and glares at her.
"Mind your manners. Even if he is human, he is still a Guild Master. As long as we are in human society, we will show respect to this man." (Lyra)
Man, Lyra is so cool. She's a bit taller than me, with very fair skin and those long, elegant ears. It really feels like I'm in a fantasy world. Oh, wait—I am in a fantasy world. I loved her character in the novel, but she's even better in real life. Seeing the tension rise, Olivia steps in.
"Our leader is late, but fighting about it now will only make us later. Let's go." (Olivia)
"Olivia is right. We can't waste any more time here. We should move." (Lyra)
"Olivia is incredible. I still can't believe that human man is her brother." (Kerry)
Another member of Silver moon whispers. They clearly have massive respect for Olivia's talent as a mage. As the Elves climb into their carriage, I walk toward mine where the rest of my party is waiting.
"Good morning, Kafka." (Sophie)
First to greet me is Sophie. Just like her older sister, Luna, she is totally in love with me and wants to marry me. She's an Alchemist—technically the weakest hunter class—but that doesn't mean she can't fight. She's probably stronger than I am. She's shorter than me, but her figure is the total opposite of Luna's: short pink hair, a flowing robe, and a very "developed" chest.
"Good morning, Sophie." (Kafka)
"Good morning, Master!" (Lia)
Lia is Luna's apprentice and a member of Rising Sun. She's a Level 4 solo hunter who dreams of joining Death Hunters. She admires me a little too much. She's cute, but she's still a teenager, so I won't make a move on her anytime soon... though eventually, who knows?
"Good morning, Lia." (Kafka)
I greet everyone and climb into the carriage. The first thing I see is Mark's statue. Man, he's really having a rough time. Even as stone, he's gripping his wooden sword like he's ready to cut someone down. Don't worry, dude; we're going to Slyvaris to find a cure.
The only reason he has a wooden sword is because he's way too aggressive with real steel. I gave him the wooden one hoping he'd stop cutting everything in sight, but that freak thought it was a "special training method" I invented. He trained so hard with it in the treasure dungeons that now he's the capital's strongest swordsman—able to slice through anything with just a stick of wood.
I sit inside the carriage with Luna and Sophie on either side of me. Opposite us are Olivia, Lia, and Elara. Olivia doesn't talk to me unless it's important, calling me "Leader" instead of "Brother" like she did when we were kids. She isn't my blood sister, but she grew up in my family and used to be stuck to my side. Now it's the opposite. Maybe it's a rebellious phase? I'll keep my distance for now.
Outside, Ansem is walking because he's three meters tall and built like a fortress; he simply can't fit in the carriage. After traveling for a while, Lia speaks up.
"I heard there were many bandit groups in this area, but we haven't encountered a single one." (Lia)
"If any bandits show up, I'll crush them all." (Luna)
Bandits, huh? Well, I'm surrounded by monsters, so I'm not worried.
"You won't get the chance, Luna. We won't run into them. No bandit group is foolish enough to stand in Kafka's way." (Sophie)
"You're right, Sophie! Master is like a god. No one dares block his path." (Lia)
So, just because of my reputation, no one will pick a fight? How convenient. I can just relax.
"How much further to Slyvaris, Elara?" (Luna)
"I don't know exactly; it's my first time too. We won't reach Slyvaris directly because of the magic barrier. We're heading to the 'Drifting Road' using this special compass I received from the Elves after I told them Kafka found the Ring of Malakor. We'll meet our guide there." (Elara)
Elara explains. It sounds like she's already been talking me up to them. That's fine, as long as they don't expect me to actually do anything. Suddenly, the carriage jolts to a stop.
"Huh? What happened?" (Kafka)
"Kafka, we can't go any further by carriage. The compass shows we're close, so we have to walk." (Elara)
"Fine by me. I was getting bored of sitting anyway." (Kafka)
"If Kafka baby wants to walk, then we all walk!" (Luna)
We leave the carriages and trek for a few minutes before Elara stops again.
"Kafka, this is it. We're supposed to meet the guide here." (Elara)
"Hah? There's no one here." (Luna)
"Well, if the guide isn't here, we'll just move forward without them. We can still use the compass, right?" (Kafka)
"No, we can't. The compass has stopped working... and I'm getting a bad feeling." (Elara)
"If Kafka baby says we move forward, then we move forward! He's always right!" (Luna)
Luna's voice is loud and commanding. Lyra steps forward, looking annoyed.
"Hmph. Humans really are barbaric. You can't just force your way into Slyvaris." (Lyra)
"What did you just say?" (Luna)
Great. My one suggestion started a heated argument. I should have just kept my mouth shut.
"We gain nothing by standing here and fighting. Even if we can't force our way in, we have to keep moving forward as far as possible." (Olivia)
"Olivia is right." (Lyra)
Once again, Olivia steps in and solves it. She's so reliable. It's funny, though—what she said and what I said were basically the same thing, but Lyra only agrees because Olivia is a powerful mage. Talk about discrimination.
We walk for a few more minutes until Elara suddenly hits an invisible wall.
"What happened?" (Kafka)
"This is the barrier protecting Slyvaris. We can't cross it. This is the end of the Drifting Road." (Elara)
"What do we do, Kafka?" (Sophie)
"What now?" (Lyra)
How should I know? It's my first time here too! Everyone is staring at me, expecting some incredible wisdom, but I don't have a clue. Is this a mistake on Slyvaris's part? I can't say that in front of the Elves, so I just put on a serious, deep-in-thought expression.
Suddenly, something emerges from the invisible wall. It's a spherical, slimy creature with eyes on top.
"Is it a slime?" (Kafka)
"No way it's a slime, you human idiot!" (Amy)
"Amy, behave yourself. That is a spirit, and a powerful one at that." (Lyra)
How was I supposed to know? It's my first time seeing a spirit. Also, looks like Member 1's name is Amy.
"Wait, someone is inside! It has a captive!" (Kerry)
There's an Elf girl trapped inside the slimy spirit. The creature starts moving toward us, destroying everything in its path. It's on a rampage. As the leader, I'm supposed to give orders, but I've got nothing. I'll just stick to the novel's script. It's using magic, so Olivia is the best bet.
"Olivia." (Kafka)
She immediately stands beside me, staff in hand.
"Hailstorm!" (Olivia)
She unleashes a massive vortex of water and ice. It's a powerful spell that holds the spirit in place for a moment, but as the intensity of the storm fades, the spirit remains. It hasn't taken much damage.
What now? The spirit has already healed and is advancing again. If we don't do something, we're dead.
"Hailstorm!" (Olivia)
Again? Olivia attacks with an even bigger storm than the last. It stalls the creature, but the moment the spell ends, the spirit heals instantly. Now, it's standing right in front of us.