Acquisition requirement fulfilled. [Instant Heat Ignition], [Inferno Coating] gained. 7950 SP remaining
Mutation acquired. Merging [Instant Heat Ignition], [Inferno Coating] into unique racial skill [Hellblade Dragon]
“Congratulations, you have earned enough rank points to take on an advancement trial for rank C. The test is to show the guild that your abilities are genuine, where you will face a registered examiner of an appropriate rank — in this case, C rank hunters.” That was the first thing our group heard after we handed in the two B rank Quests we had done for Muraina. The monetary rewards were impressive, but what our group wanted was the rank up points.
Apparently, this exam was included as a way to weed out adventurers unworthy of advancing beyond D rank. The official reason for this rule was to give the guild a way to test the adventurers’ abilities before advancing, since higher ranked Quests were naturally more difficult. Since the mercenary and hunter’s guilds needed to maintain the trust of their clients, the guilds had to be sure their members would be up for the task. Too many failed Quests would be unacceptable.
But from what Muraina told Ellaine and me on our way back to Griffonpeak, it was to stop the rich and influential from advancing up the guild through their resources and connections rather than their proficiency and reliability. Aristocrats and rich merchant children were known to hire people to help them complete Quests, and, while cooperation was normally something the guilds encouraged, it could become a problem if not managed.
This was why there were these exams. We accepted the exams, of course, and it seemed Muraina had already prepared everything in advance once she heard Saori, Tasianna, and Grimnir made it back to Griffonpeak.
Hunters trusted by a local branch were allowed to register themselves as potential examiners. For every exam they finish, they would be allowed to request suitable compensation, usually money. Otherwise, they may have the guild acquire a certain item for them if it didn’t exceed the examiner's pay. A give-and-take relationship.
“I shall be your examiner, ladies!” A well-built man in his late twenties appeared before us and stated that with full confidence. We asked where the other two examiners were, but he answered he would be enough.
Normally, only a single examiner would be needed if the guild wanted to test an aspiring D rank party. Experienced C rankers were people who could go toe-to-toe against orcs and young garms, and would be able to slay trolls with their party. Comparing the scars on his face and hardened biceps to my rather slim build would probably make spectators worry for me.
Well, the issue was? They would be only looking at the cover.
“The rules are simple. Impress me and don’t try to get yourself hurt too much, kid.” On the training ground behind the guild, the same man stood in front of me with his sword drawn, holding it leisurely. On the other hand, all I had was my catalyst. “Okay, so let’s begi— WAAHHHH!”
And the fight ended in less than two seconds, since I dashed in front of him before he could react. Swiping his sword hand to the side, I tripped one of his legs and put some pressure on his chest, pushing him effortlessly onto the ground before snapping my finger to ignite a fire. Holding the flame in my hand, I crouched down and asked him, “Want to give up?”
“U-Uh, I-I… Yeah, congrats…” After hearing that, I grinned and helped him back up before showing a thumbs up at the others.
“Good work, Hestia!” Ellaine clapped with an elated face.
On the other hand, Grimnir looked grim, shaking his head. “Poor fool.”
Needless to say, Grimnir’s words were like an omen for the poor guy. When it was Saori’s turn, the man tensed up, looking as if he wasn’t fooling around anymore. Saori’s more mature face and professional outfit intimidated him immediately.
When Saori’s exam began, the man attempted to close the distance between them, but, just like with mine, Saori’s exam ended in less than two seconds. Imitating the same moves I used, she ended her trial in the same exact way, even copying what I said while holding a black spark between her fingers! “Want to give up?”
“…”
Saori, the poor guy…
At this point, I had the feeling we were just bullying him, but I didn’t expect what Tasainna would do with him. Agreeing to test Tasianna, too, since he’d “promised the Guild Master” that he would be enough, he couldn’t back down. I had the feeling Muraina was bullying this guy as well.
When our examiner and Tasianna faced each other, the man was sweating at this point, tensed to the point it looked like he gained a few more wrinkles. Tasianna gave the poor guy a bow a moment before the air around her started to plummet in temperature. A magic circle appeared behind her, summoning a giant [Ice Spike]. Using her [Cryomancy], the giant spike slowly inched towards his face, stopping right before the poor examiner, where Tasianna pressured him with, “Want to give up?”
“…”
“Mister?”
“…”
After a few seconds of his silence, another adventurer to the side checked on him, informing us that he had frozen in place out of stress and fear.
… Did we just give this guy a trauma?
“H-Holy shit, I didn’t think Saori and her crew would be this strong. Damn, Brandon should have listened to us when we warned him they’d just handed in two B ranked urgent Quests.”
“And he talked so smack about showing those girls what real adventurers are. Jeez, and I heard Hestia and Saori were mages, too.”
Hmm, maybe we attracted too much attention. Whatever.
Anyways, with that miscellaneous quest done, we returned to the receptionist desk where Saori, Tasianna, and I were promoted to C rank. Woohoo. After that, we also took the time to use the guild’s free Job change privilege. For every rank we advance in the guild, we get a free Job change.
Weekly Job Change Limit: 3/3
Previous Jobs: [Caster], [Mage], [Fighter], [Cleric], [Brawler], [Spearman], [Aggravator], [Taunter], [Freelancer], [Earth Mage], [Wind Mage], [Scale-Dust User], [Crimson-Scaled Dreadgiver], [Hellblade]
Main Job: [Infernal Hellblade]
Available Jobs
[Adventurer] [Spearwielder] [Pyromancer] [Terra Sorcerer] [Aeromancer] [Storm Sorcerer] [Lava Mage] [Lightning Mage] [Holy Mage] [Space-Time Mage] [Magus] [Healer] [Priestess] [Shrine Maiden] [Synergist] [Warrior Priestess] [Mage Guild Initiate] [Toxic Blader] [Pugilist] [Ravager] [Flying Fighter] [Bard] [Scout] [Worker] [Academic] [Noble] [White Pyromancer] [Corrosive Pyromancer] [Usurper] [Champion of Aurena] [Crimson Saintess] [Idol]
Hmm, let’s see what’s new since the last time I checked my list in detail. The new Jobs include — [Adventurer], [Spearwielder], [Terra Sorcerer], [Storm Sorcerer], [Lava Mage], [Lightning Mage], [Mage Guild Initiate], [Toxic Blader], [Pugilist], and [Flying Fighter].
The upgraded versions for [Crimson-Scaled Dreadgiver] and [Infernal Hellblade] aren’t there yet. I thought leveling [Infernal Hellblade] would do the trick, but it doesn’t look like it. Do I have to level [White Pyromancer] and [Corrosive Pyromancer], too? Well, I would have to do them eventually anyways.
There was still a large backlog of Jobs that I still had to take on, and each of them would not only increase my stats but also increase the proficiency of my skills, potentially leveling them up. The issue was there were a lot, and I could only change Jobs three times per week.
There was also the additional problem that our party didn’t have a [Crystal of the Divine System] of our own. We had to return to the city each time we’d finished leveling our current Main Jobs, which wasted time, and the more advanced Jobs required more experience for each level and also had a higher level cap. Without tough enemies, it would be impossible to level them up in a single week.
“Hmmm, Hestia? What is wrong?” Saori called out to me, wondering why I was frowning.
“Oh, nothing much. I was just thinking how, since we will be touring soon, that it would be nice to have a crystal in the RV so we don’t have to return to a city or town every time.”
Having listened to us speaking, Ellaine interjected herself into the discussion while shaking her hand. “No, no, don’t say something silly like that, Hestia. Don’t you remember how much you need to pay to borrow them from somebody? The monthly fee to keep it with us is far too much for us to afford. We need that money for other stuff, like the enchantments for our catalysts and Sir Farron’s medicine.”
Well, there goes that idea out of the window. I forgot borrowing them is already a huge hassle since only the largest guilds can afford the deposit and rental fees.
Noticing my sigh, the foxian receptionist smiled and attempted to cheer me up with a tip, “If buying or borrowing a crystal is too difficult, there is always the option of gaining the materials to make one, Lady Priestess.”
“Ah, right, there was that option,” Grimnir exclaimed. “But, isn’t that a bit too mischievous of an idea, lass? Dungeon destruction Quests are extremely rare since the adventurer guilds wish to control them. Even then, those Quests are usually pretty competitive, dangerously so.”
“Hmm, you know about it, Grimnir?” I asked.
“Yeah, but I’ve never experienced one myself. Think of it as you braving a mostly unknown dungeon without any prior information to destroy the dungeon core. The issue is that most of the time, the guilds wish to monopolize the dungeon instead of destroying, so dungeon conquering Quests are more common.”
I still remembered that [Crystals of the Divine System] were made using the shards of drained dungeon cores through alchemy. These crystals were so hard to acquire for the reason Grimnir had just mentioned. Why would you want to destroy a dungeon, a moneymaker, just to create one single, mostly utility-based, crystal?
Aside from that, you also had to be careful of how you destroyed the dungeon cores. If they were shattered without first being properly drained, they would explode like nukes, leaving some devastating fallout behind. It was a heavenly taboo, quite literally. The adventurer guilds and the gods; not good options for people to make enemies with.
Maybe there will be an opportunity in the future, but for now, let’s concentrate on something more important. My Jobs, for example.
Job: White Pyromancer
Requirements: [White Flames]
Acquisition Benefits: Mana increase, Intelligence increase, Agility Increase, [Holy Magic] proficiency, [White Flame] proficiency
Main Job Benefits: [Flames of Purification]
Huh? Only one benefit? Mana Eyes.
Flames of Purification
A skill that enhances the white flames of the sky, enabling it to purify even the vilest of corruptions and viruses. Enables the [White Flames] to heal abnormal status effects above the Major stage. The strength of the [Flames of Purification] is determined by the user’s own knowledge of the ailment and the level of [Corrosive Fire], for rejuvenation and decomposition are but two sides of a single coin
Hmm?! What is this?!
Was this the first skill that was affected by the level of another skill? Technically speaking, it was, though you could make the argument that the [X Amp] and [X Magic Efficiency] skills only functioned as support for their respective elemental magic skill. However, [Flames of Purification] directly required another skill to be leveled up to function better.
But what interests me the most is this point — ‘vilest of corruptions and viruses.’
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Those words reminded me of Amadeus Chezaic — the eldest son of House Chezaic, who not only had albinism but also a genetic disease that hindered the healthy growth of his mana paths, a severe detriment to him since he was born with innate mana potential worthy of a noble. With how his mana paths would burst open, damaging his body, whenever he became excited or strained himself, it was a bane to his ability to live a proper life.
Theodore somehow managed to help him using an elixir made with some of my blood to alleviate some of the symptoms, but since he was deported to the church in Aureolis after the Davison incident, I have no idea how he’s doing. Hopefully well.
However, after finding out that my healing spells weren’t enough to help him, I’ve been wanting to gain a spell or ability which allows me to heal things like birth defects. Aurena isn't called the Goddess of Miracle without a reason. With [Miraculous Grace] through [The Light] and now this, it seemed my progress as a healer would soon continue.
Jeez, Shiterno, actually, I should probably call him Danterno this one time. This is a pretty nice gift. Hmm, but what about [Corrosive Pyromancer] then?
Job: Corrosive Pyromancer
Requirements: [Corrosive Fire]
Acquisition Benefits: Mana increase, Vitality increase, Wisdom Increase, [Earth Magic] proficiency, [Corrosive Fire] proficiency
Main Job Benefits: [Virulent Corrosion]
… Mana Eyes.
Virulent Corrosion
Grants [Corrosive Fire] a piercing attribute towards abnormal status resistances, granting the flames the characteristic to ignore status resistances against its toxic attribute. This toxin will have a lowered effectiveness as such. The effectiveness of the pierce attribute is determined by [Corrosive Fire]’s level. Also allows the toxin of [Corrosive Fire] to spread at the wish of the user
It was fitting, no? Only one potential mutation skill from each of the two non-unique [White Flames] and [Corrosive Fire] skills and both were focused on improving those individual traits. It was similar to [Fire Abnormal Effect: Dread] and [Inferno Coating] from my last two draconic Jobs. They improved the effects of my fire in some way.
While [Flames of Purification] made sure that I could cure everybody if I accidentally poisoned somebody with my venom, [Virulent Corrosion] enabled me to infect anybody with it, even if they had [Poison Resistance Lv. 10]. Honestly, am I turning into a blight or plague princess or something?
Taking that, definitely.
Individual [Sunfang Dragonewt, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor] has switched her Main Job to [White Pyromancer]
Main Job benefits have been updated due to Job change
White Pyromancer Level: 0/15
Proficiency requirement fulfilled. [White Flames Lv. 3] evolved into [White Flames Lv. 4]
Now, why did I do that? After all, until I finish this portal system to help Ellaine get out of school, our party will have some trouble touring. Leveling weaker Jobs would be better since I could just go out of the city for an hour or so and hunt some wolves or goblins.
Still, I wanted this Job now, since Ellaine and Tasianna still needed to level up their abnormal status resistances. With [Flames of Purification], I wouldn’t have to worry about accidentally infecting them with something I couldn’t cure. Also, you were allowed to change your Main Job to a previously purchased one for free, so it’s whatever.
After me, Tasianna, Ellaine, and Grimnir took their new Jobs before finally time came for Saori to get hers. While looking over her options, Saori began frowning. When I asked her what was wrong, she sighed and told me, “It would be better if I just showed you it. Here,” and showed me her Jobs.
Weekly Job Change Limit: 3/3
Previous Jobs: Scout, Rogue, Caster, Fighter, Dagger Fighter, Mage, Dark Mage, Freelancer, Brawler, Ravager, Academic, Worker, Cook, Chef, Ranger, Tamer, Shadow Rogue, Shadow Warrior
Main Job: [Howling Lightning]
Available Jobs
[Adventurer] [Space-Time Mage] [Magus] [Mage Guild Initiate] [Warrior] [Duelist] [Pugilist] [Bloodthirster] [Spy] [Executioner] [Hunter] [Shadow Ranger] [Bladedancer] [Acrobat] [Monster Master] [Wolf Tamer] [Slime Tamer] [Trader] [Restaurateur] [Teacher] [Scribe] [Shadow Alpha] [Blood Shadow] [Shadow Assassin] [Stygian Thunder] [Grim Herald]
Jeez, Saori, why do your Jobs always sound so edgy and brutal! Damn, it’s metal.
Each of the Job options listed after [Scribe] were similar to mine, revolving around Saori’s unique skills and titles. [Shadow Alpha] came from her being [Belzac’s Successor] and having the [Shadow pack] skill, [Blood Shadow] came from [Stygian Blades], [Shadow Armament] created [Shadow Assassin], and lastly, [Stygian Thunder] was the evolved version of [Howling Lightning] and came from [Stygian Voltage].
However, what made Saori worried was one of her newest Jobs — [Grim Herald].
“It was not there back when I was in Firwood or Cedaraille. This is the first time I’ve seen it in my available list,” she recalled. “I wonder what caused it to appear? I have not gotten a new skill or anything like that.”
“Maybe it has something to do with your title? You know which one,” I suggested, staying vague due to being in public.
“Then why is it only showing up now? Was it because I leveled [Howling Lightning] up? The description does not give any further information, outside that it improved all my unique skills,” she contemplated but ended up shruging after a few seconds. “Whatever. Not important for now, I will think about it another time. Hmm, I will take [Monster Master] for now.”
With our new Main Jobs selected, we decided to take a look at the Quest board. Since Griffonpeak had a dungeon, maybe accepting some Quests there would be nice for some levels, although we wouldn’t be going in deeply. As we walked over to the board to take a look, however, the guild’s front door suddenly opened up with a loud thud, as if somebody kicked it and slammed it open.
“Argh, shit. Here they come, again.”
“Dammit, why couldn’t they have just died in their Quest?”
“Not like it matters with that manablood. I didn’t see him go with the four others.”
With all the commotion, it naturally attracted our attention, and when we did, our mood just turned extremely sour.
“Yo, bottom feeders, we’re back. Hope you didn’t miss us too much after leaving for another glorious Quest; after all, who could forget about our leader’s glorious magnificence?”
Four men, alternatively in full leather or metal armor with scales attached to them, barged into the guild, acting and showing off as if they were the greatest pop stars in the world. Their pompousness surely tried to persuade me to think so. Their behavior really reminded me of the four ruffians who tried to kill Uno and the other garms for a stupid quest. Actually, wait. These were the same exact bastards.
“What are you fuckers looking at, huh? You want me to show you where your place is, huh?”
“Hey, Agram, how about youse stop that for now. Boss and Jonathan are coming in. Can’t rile the people up to cause a fuss. Get yous’elf in trouble with the guild master, again,” two of those idiots discussed. The former was loud and rambunctious while the latter seemed to be calmer but showed a rather punchable smirk as he looked at the other adventurers.
“Huh?! ‘Jonathan’?!” However, what surprised us the most was the name the latter man suddenly uttered. “Jonathan,” that was the name of Ellaine’s brother.
“Quiet. Get in your position. Gotta greet the boss correctly.” As if they’d rehearsed this multiple times until perfect, all four straightened their posture, placed their feet together, and moved their hands to their back.
““““We greet the Goddess’s proud new champion! Lord Charleslyt!””””
With that announcement, two white magic circles appeared at the top of the door, casting the [Light] spell to illuminate not only the four adventurers below them but also everything else in the vicinity. It reminded me of my initial attempts to create a spotlight.
Under this light, two men in full-plated silver armor walked through the door. The difference in quality of armor between the two, however, was quite drastic, it must be said. The man in the front, hailed as this “boss,” was wearing armor fully engraved with golden attachments. It was stylized to look imposing with its wing-like pauldrons and eagle-head gauntlets, but it still retained that holy knight appearance.
Behind him, the silver armor he was wearing was less decorated and looked more practical and less “fantasy” like the former. It reminded me of the knights Marquess Sirius had around him, as they looked more like medieval knights with their simple armor design and tabards. This young man’s armor looked similar to them, only missing the tabard and crest.
With a sword on his hip, a wide kite shield on his left arm, and his helmet under his right, he walked into the guild with the confidence and strut of an “I am the best” attitude. With the wide smile a superhero would wear, he brushed his light green hair back before ordering everybody to walk over to the reception.
He pulled out a piece of parchment from his belt and handed it to the receptionist, speaking sweet words as he did so, acting courteous and flirtatious. After it was done, he received a pouch of money and handed it to the leader of the four idiots before moving to the Quest board… And that is where we first met face-to-face.
“Ooh, hold on. Crimson hair, horns, predatory eyes, scales, and a tail? My, my, excuse me for not noticing you earlier, Lady Hestia.” As if he was plenty used to it, he bowed slightly and held his hand forward, gesturing to me for a “kiss on my hand.”
“…”
“…”
But the problem was that I wasn’t here as a princess or lady, I was currently outside frolicking as a normal girl. I might have given him my hand if we were at an official event, but right now, all I could see was somebody making the mood awkward.
“A-Ahem, I apologize for making you uncomfortable, My Lady. This Charleslyt has sinned against our Kingdom’s honored guest. May I receive your forgiveness?”
I was flabbergasted, I had no idea how to handle this guy right now, so I said whatever I could to dispel this situation. “… Not like there is a need to forgive anything. Please, you don’t need to act like that, uhm—”
“Charleslyt. Charleslyt Louis Equevanna, second son of Duke Equevanna, but for today, I am only the adventurer Charleslyt.” Even after my cold reception, this guy did not drop his politeness. “I also attended the royal ball, but I sadly did not have the opportunity to speak with you. My father asked me not to approach you for some reason, but I have no idea why. Please, forgive me. I would have been honored if I had the chance to dance with you.”
From what I heard from King Drangleic, outside of certain people like Farron, Ellaine, and Muraina, he informed me how he had to tell my secret to his seven dukes and that they were allowed to reveal my secrets to their heirs. From what Ellaine had told me before, Charleslyt was not the Equevanna heir, rather, it was his elder brother. Meaning, he probably doesn’t know much outside of what happened at the ball.
“I also attended your musical performance, and I must say, it was brilliant. I even found the light you created fascinating, so I imitated it with the [Light] at the entrance, haha,” he laughed. “I also see your dance companion during the second song here. My Ladies, it was a joy to listen to you sing and watch you dance,” he looked and mentioned Tasianna, reminding me of the duet I had with her at the concert.
Oh, he’s pretty cool. Is he a fan?
As if my mood improved, my neutral smile slightly curved up, acting a bit warmer. “Oh, is that true? Well, thank you very much, Lord Charleslyt.” I curtsied. I had to agree with Ellaine now, he really was a smooth talker.
But that moment ended pretty quickly when I suddenly noticed the glares the four idiots gave. They weren’t aimed at me, but at Saori and Grimnir.
“…Hmm?” Charleslyt looked confused when I frowned, following my eyes to his companions, which led him to Saori’s. “Is… something the matter? Do you four know this fine woman?”
“We—” They wanted to reply but they were quickly interrupted by Saori herself.
“No, I apologize if I acted rudely, My Lord. We do not know each other, but they were leering at me a bit too much, making me uncomfortable,” she answered.
“Oh, is that so?” Charleslyt looked surprised, quickly turning around to his party members. “Now, my friends, as my fine knights and party members, we should make sure not to cause the fairer sex so many issues, for we are gentlemen. As a champion candidate for the merciful Goddess, I must make sure to conduct myself properly.”
Going from glaring, to surprised, and finally to a wide, proper smile, the man acting as the leader was very capable of switching his expressions up. “Ah, you are too right, Boss. Haha, our commoner background showed itself, and for that, we apologize. Madam, we apologize.” Without any complaints, all four bowed in apology.
“As should I, I apologize to you four fine ladies for our rude behaviors.” Charleslyt bowed. “Now, as I can see, you four are all adventurers, right? Are you here for the Quests?”
As I understood what Saori was doing, I shook my head as a response. “No, no, we have already finished our business here. We weren’t interested in any of the Quests on the board, since most of them will take too long for us to do. I wish you luck, Lord Charleslyt. It was a pleasure to meet you, may the Goddess bless your path with light.”
“Haha, the pleasure was mine. Our Kingdom will benefit greatly if you can put a good word to Loatryx for us, Lady Hestia. May the Goddess banish the shadows away from your beauty.”
And with that, our two parties passed each other. It didn’t go unnoticed to me that the young man in the very back had put his helmet on his head the moment he noticed us. The blond hair similar to his mother, Arcaliess Marianne Helvas, was a dead giveaway — it was Jonathan.
Once we were outside, I spoke with Saori, “Was it really okay not to confront them about it?”
“It would have been bothersome, Hestia. In that situation, it would have just been better to give up on it and let it pass,” Saori replied with a sigh. “Also, what about you? Your attitude made a sudden 180, huh?”
“Oh, jeez, give me a break. He was a fan, and as an idol, I should be polite to him. Although, I did find his behavior a bit over the top. He was a bit too polite and his entrance was just filled with the gusto of a proud noble. Ah, whatever, hopefully, I won’t have to meet that flirt again.” After letting out a deep sigh, I turned towards Ellaine, who was being comforted by Tasianna at this moment. “Ellaine? How are you?”
“… I’m fine. That was Brother, right?”
I nodded.
“Haaaaa, not even a greeting. Did he really have to hide his face from me with that helmet?” A frown formed on Ellaine’s face, clutching her hands in frustration. “Dammit, Brother never acted that way to me before last month. I knew he was avoiding me at the academy and at home, but it seemed like he isn’t even acknowledging my existence…”
“Hmm, but at the very least, we know the lad is safe, right?” Grimnir interjected himself, stroking his beard as he tried to comfort his apprentice. “The armor he wore is new, it hasn’t been used yet. Not only that, but it seemed it was made with some proper blacksmithing techniques, probably made in the Groushia duchy. Those four fucktards also weren’t treating him too badly, so it doesn’t seem like he’s a pack mule or something.”
[“True. You want to know what the boy was feeling, dear?”] Klea’Hatma added, making her ability to feel emotions known again. Ellaine nodded to her offer after thinking about it for a few seconds. [“Regret. Envy. Jealousy. Obvious enough since we made that clear before, but his regret really intensified when he saw you, dear. I could feel some elation, happiness, to see you, but it was drowned out when he put that helmet on. Take this information as you will.”]
Tasianna placed her hand on Ellaine’s shoulder, shaking her a bit. “Don’t worry about Jonathan, Ellaine. Don’t forget your father’s words, ‘the two of you changed positions.’ I am sure he is very much aware of you, but he can’t show it yet.”
“… Yeah, you’re right.” Ellaine placed a hand on her forehead, sighing deeply with closed eyes. She then clutched her whipsword tightly, and then nodded. “Alright, thank you, everybody. I know I act too much like a child, and that I should worry less, so thank you very much for being patient.” Seeing her warm smile, I was glad that Ellaine was slowly strengthening her will.
“Good!” I clapped… before my smile disappeared. “Okay, let’s take care of some rats, everybody.”
Our group then rushed forward, dodging people as we traversed through the crowd of the middle district until we found an alleyway. Darting into it, Saori clad us all in her [Shadow Armament] and used [Shadow Dash] to transport us into the shadow world.
[Shadow Armament (Full Body)] inflicted on [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor]
After a few moments inside the shadow realm, Saori began pointing out footsteps. They weren’t exactly clear to us yet, but the moment three men showed themselves in the alleyway, looking around frantically to find us, Saori pushed us all out of the shadow.
“What?! Arck!” Grimnir grabbed the first, disarming him before smashing him onto the ground.
“Shit! Ru-Argh!” And the second was captured using Ellaine’s whipsword, entangling him in her whip.
“Wha-?!” Finally, the third was rushed down by Saori the same way she handled our examiner, only this time, she wrapped him up in her mana threads.
After we captured all three and had them immobile in mana threads, we threw them next to the wall. Tasianna then cast [Air Shield] around us while Grimnir and Saori scared away any potential witnesses.
“Well, Mister Rats, whose spies are you?”