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Age of Others
Chapter 2: Raid in the Heart

Chapter 2: Raid in the Heart

'Grow up, kid! Your whole village died because of your stupidity.'

Those words are the first thing he remembered when he came to.

The pain in his back was ever present. The severity of the situation is what he feared the most.

Reeve knew that if he doesn't get help then he'd die right here.

The life returned to him would be in vain. With that resolve, he tried standing up but someone smashed his head onto the ground.

"Don't stand up, idiot! Do you wanna die?"

He quickly recognized that it was a voice of a girl. When he looked up, she noticed her staff glowing.

It looks like she was healing him. After a few seconds, the pain gradually lessened as the blood stopped and the wound closed.

The girl had saved him from certain death, she is exceptionally beautiful, with silver hair and light brown eyes.

She wears modest garments and carries a long staff. Judging from her attire, she appears to be a mage.

"Thank you."

He was once again saved by someone. He understood that there wasn't any difference from who he was before the incident.

He was still cocky and overconfident. It made him feel pathetic.

"You sure got guts, huh? Fighting all those by yourself.

If you have a sword skill then I take that you also know of Battle Aura?

Why didn't you use it? Did you forget? Or are you retarded?"

He remembered that he had that skill, but he didn't know its purpose.

It seems like Battle Aura is something that can be used during battle.

"Wait, you also used magic. Does that mean you're a mage?

Then how the hell did you get a sword skill? What's your class?"

'Mage? Sword Skill? Class?' These are words from the hud. It would only mean that this person is an.

"Otherworlder.. Are you an otherworlder?"

Reeve said in a cold distant tone. His mood shifted from being grateful to being disgusted.

'The otherworlders are people you cannot trust.' He said to himself.

"Yeah got a problem with that? Aren't you one too?"

Reeve didn't reply. He didn't even look at her anymore.

Being saved by an otherworlder left him with conflicted feelings.

"Not replying? Not that grateful, huh?

Well whatever expect no help from me in the future."

The girl left him lying there still resting. Reeve can't believe he got saved by them.

Otherworlders are evil, he knew of their true faces. The greed behind the mask of lies.

He felt his strength was coming back, so he sat up.

A message showed up in front of him.

You have gained a level.

+3 Strength

+1 Constitution

+2 Dexterity

+3 Magic

+2 Charisma

+1 Skill Point(s)

Skills levels updated!

Cross Cut gained 1 level(s)

Earth Bullet gained 1 level(s)

Sprinting gained 1 level(s)

Intermediate Sword Mastery gained 1 level(s)

Basic Earth Mastery gained 1 level(s)

Detection gained 1 level(s)

Enhanced Reflex gained 1 level(s)

Quick Counter gained 1 level(s)

Near Life and Death Bonus gives you 5 extra skill points!

It seems as though the battle not only made him level up but also gave him a skill update. Add to that the near death bonus he got, he basically has a large amount of skill points he can use if he ever needed a new skill.

He was surprised that he didn't get any attribute points after leveling up because it was automatically distributed.

If battles are the only way to gain levels then he wanted to kill many monsters in order to gain strength.

He wanted to reach the nearest settlement to get better gear if he's gonna hunt monsters.

It proved in the last battle that normal clothing would get you killed. He wanted to avoid a serious injury in the future.

Wyewood has a series of low stone walls that divides and encircles the village.

This village was larger than Erdale by two fold.

It was almost at the state where it could be called a small town.

The most prominent tavern in the village is The Scoundrel's Mace.

Thankfully, it was still open when Reeve arrived at the village.

His purpose here is to gather information but it was too early for the local guild to be open so he stayed at the tavern to kill time.

Several people were also at the tavern, some are drunk, some sleeping, and some are waiting like him.

The owner didn't mind the customers as long as they bought something.

Reeve ordered bread and water to sate his hunger while waiting.

Dawn is almost upon them. He would not wait for long.

"Hey guys Willes is recruiting again. If you want to join the raid then come with me quick!"

The young man who came in was Alas, he has matted auburn hair and blue eyes.

He wears a chain mail and wields a long sword and shield. Signs of his youth showed in his actions.

Reeve followed them outside and saw numerous people lining up for a dungeon raid.

Raiding parties like this might've started on another village but hop from village to village in order to get more men.

Since conquering dungeons is quite difficult, the success of the raid depends on how many men you have with you.

Several people lined up to enlist for the raiding party. Reeve approached one of the recruiters.

"Oh hey! Wanna sign up? After we finish raiding the dungeon, at least 1 gold will be given to you!"

1 gold is a huge amount but it's just a fraction of what you can actually earn during a dungeon raid.

Every contribution you make in the successful completion of the raid will increase what you actually earn.

The gold coin is the insurance if the raid is declared failure.

The primary reason why people go there is because of the mana crystals that form deep into the dungeon.

These crystals are used to make catalysts for magic. It seems that there is a huge demand right now.

Monster parts are also taken and sold to alchemists and mages. There are even rare ores that can be found inside.

The dungeons both scream danger and profit. One cannot exist without the other.

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"When will the raid take it's course?"

"We'll be leaving today actually. The dungeon is not far from here and this is our last stop."

"I see then sign me up."

The raiding party is named 'Valiant Blades', a newly formed party that is formed by experienced warriors.

Reeve was assigned to the frontlines partly due to him asking if he could be there.

The reason he joined is because of the opportunity of raising his level by fighting monsters.

There will be a lot of people in the front so he won't be easily ambushed like last time.

He also wanted to test his skills during battles.

"Okay it's a done deal! If you don't have an armor or a weapon then you can go request one from Leiver.

Just tell him that Kurn wants to lend you one." The raiding party is generous enough to lend weapons.

This is the norm when it comes to raids. The group will supply the weapons so that none will come unprepared.

They might as well be walking corpses if they don't have one to begin with.

"Alright thanks." Reeve headed to the party's armory. There he saw a line of people inquiring about weapons.

The line was populated by ten people including Reeve. The others are now just waiting until the party moves.

To his estimation, the raiding party had almost eighty people in it.

The elites of the group had armors you can only get at cities and the mages in the group had expensive looking staves.

Dusk creeped in as the moving party began it's journey. They walked through the forest and are not following the dirt path.

Occasionally, goblins will attack in numbers but they were wiped out. People around these parts are used to fighting off goblins.

Reeve was part of the left wing in the front lines. With him are almost fifteen people.

He took a iron sword and a wooden shield from the party's armory and when he has an opportunity to practice it, he takes a couple of swings.

He wanted to get used to the feeling of wielding a sword fast.

None in his group knew that he can also use magic but it wasn't that important to tell them he thought.

The forest grew thicker and thicker as they traversed through it. Screams coming from the feral wild can be heard from a distance.

The party grew anxious as they enter the heart of the forest. It was there that a cave below ground exists.

It's been there for years, several people tried exploring it but none who dared going to the bottom returned.

Some tried mapping the first parts of the dungeon and they sold it for a hefty amount of money. And that is how the party was formed.

After reaching the entrance, the party set up camps and stations. This will be the base of operations during the raid.

They will try mapping the place until they reach the end of the dungeon.

It will take a while for them to finish conquering the dungeon so they brought along a huge amount of supplies.

Reeve ate the food serve to them. It was only a hot soup and bread but it was alright for him.

While eating a girl suddenly talked to her from the back.

"You really have a death wish huh?"

Reeve looked back and saw the girl that saved her with her arms crossed making an imposing stance.

He guessed that she was taking part of the raid to also raise her strength.

He didn't want to acquaint himself with otherworlders so he plans to ignore her until this is all over.

"Don't talk to me. I'll pay you back for saving me in the future."

He put some distance between her and him while eating his meal.

"Why do you hate me that much? Did you really want to die back then?"

"Yes, so go away." Even talking to otherworlders was difficult for him.

He was reminded of the slaughter everytime he sees her.

"Suit yourself! I don't even care anymore." She left his sight and went into one of the tents.

"Haha! You have balls boy! She even approached you and you turned her down that easily!"

The man talking to Reeve was named Jeor. He was the captain of the left wing responsible for people like Reeve.

Tomorrow, the left wing will be in his hands.

"She's an otherworlder. She can't be trusted." Reeve didn't care that he divulged that information.

Whether or not the information about her being an otherworlder was important is trivial to him.

"Oh I see! Well that's lucky for us! They say they are stronger than us. I'm gonna have to prove them wrong I guess! Haha."

He showed his biceps while saying that. The man in front of him had dark hair and brown eyes.

Judging by the scars all over his aging body, it seems that he had his own fair share of combat.

He has a steel axe strapped which covered most of his back. His most prominent feature may be his hand which had two missing fingers.

"Don't underestimate them. They're monsters in battle."

"I see.. I see.. Well that's good news for us right? Having a 'monster' like that in our party means less trouble."

Jeor thought that what Reeve meant by 'monsters' is that they excel in combat.

"I'll watch my back if I were you. People like her don't care about us." Reeve finished eating and had decided to go to one of the tents.

He wanted a good night's sleep before any of the battles start. He left Jeor there without even hearing his reply.

"Why did you talk to that kid? He looks a bit antisocial." The one who approached Jeor was the head cleric of the group, Lei.

"I think he'll be a great asset in the raid." Jeor looked at Reeve as he entered the tent as if he's appraising him.

"Why would you say that?"

"I have this feeling that he's not normal. He's like us. He faced close to death situations. You can see it in his eyes."

"I see.." The two had been working together for decades.

Lei trusted Jeor's words. They had faced many deadly situations before and his instinct never failed him.

She would't even dare going to the dungeon if Jeor wasn't around that's just how important Jeor is for the raid.

"You should get some sleep. We scout at dawn."

"Who will you be taking?"

"That kid and the mage girl too. I'll also take Kurn's son."

"Only three?" Lei was clearly worried, she didn't want his old friend to die so soon.

"Don't worry we already have a map of the first part of the dungeon.

We're just going there to confirm the legitimacy of the map.

The worst thing that can happen to us is if we accidentally enter a goblin's nest and even then I could get out without a problem."

"Just don't underestimate a dungeon."

"Yes ma'am."

And with that the plan to enter the dungeon has been set.

The less people you bring to a scout, the higher mobility you have.

That is why Jeor only wanted a few people to come with him. Any more and it will attract attention.

He looked forward to seeing the ability of Reeve and the girl. They were by far the most promising of the recruits.