“So you’re saying there’s a broken relic?” Bram asked, chin resting on his knuckles.

Levi nodded, his foot tapping the tavern floor with a restless rhythm. The thought of losing such an important item had robbed him of any sleep. It took every ounce of his willpower to remain seated, his anxiety simmering just beneath the surface.

“And you’re saying that you lost it in a cave?”

Levi pouted and nodded again.

Bram chuckled. “And you’re wanting my help to receive it?”

“If it was something else, then I would try and claim it for myself,” Levi explained. “But for something so important, I’d be a fool not to ask for help.”

“Of course I’ll help,” he replied, standing up. Levi quickly followed suit. “But I won’t get it for you, that’ll be up to you. I’ll stay outside the cave. This is a valuable experience and you can’t have it ruined by me getting in the way.”

“But what if I lose it? I’d be much more comfortable if you could just get it for me.”

“And where would be the fun in that, Levi? You said you wanted to grow on your own, and now that you've met with a perfect situation for doing so, you want me to get it for you?” Bram smiled. “I’m afraid that’s not happening.”

“Alright,” Levi said after a breath. “I’ll get my hands on it, definitely.”

"That's the spirit.”

Levi shopped around for various supplies, including rope and deep cave candles used for delving. He also purchased more food and medical supplies. During his shopping spree, he couldn’t help but reflect on Bram’s words. Perhaps Bram was right. If he didn't manage to get the book, it was because he was too slow to obtain it in the first place. He didn’t deserve it.

Shaking his head, Levi returned back to the cave in record time, moving far faster than normal. The last thing he wanted was for a common beast to get their hands on it. Or worse—someone else. His fears came true when he heard chatter coming from ahead.

Breaking out of the tree-line, Levi halted in panic as he saw a group of people, around 6 in total, standing in front of the cave. One of the young men in the front with long curly hair was holding a strange device. It almost looked like a mobile phone that beeped at a slow pace. Clenching his hands, Levi looked at Bram in panic.

Bram frowned. “Young master Maerd.”

“Who’s he?”

“He belongs to the Lorpal family of Ironvale. Rich. Powerful. The device in his hands is a Relic Meter. Its use is to find Relics. This is rather bad timing.”

“You think?” Levi replied. “What do we do now?”

“Afraid of a little competition?” Bram said with a smile.

“Oh come on.” Levi grinned. “You know I’m not. Fine. I’ll stake my claim.”

“I’ll be rooting for you in the shadows, Levi.”

“Sure you will.”

Levi stood out from the dark forest. The people standing in front of the cave quickly brandished their weapons in defence. Levi looked shocked and put up his hands in quick surrender. Noticing the age of Levi, the others looked at eachother, then sheathed their blades.

“What are you doing here?” Maerd asked, putting away the Relic Meter. “This is no place for a child.”

“My–” Levi paushed, then said after a moment, “my dog—Bobby—ran into that cave. I’m here to rescue him.”

Maerd’s lips curled. “You don’t have to worry about that. We’ll find him for you. Just stay put.”

“Young master Maerd,” a younger lady said. She had short brown hair and was wearing slender metal armour. She had a curved blade sheathed at her waist. “We can’t leave him out here all alone. There’s monsters lurking everywhere.”

Maerd’s lips twitched. “No, I guess we can’t. Alright, what’s your name, little boy?”

Levi stepped forwards, approaching his side of the river. “Derek,” he lied.

“Derek,” the young lady said. “It’s good to meet you–”

The young lady introduced herself and the others. Her name was Delila. Their leader was quite clearly Maerd, and then there were Brian, Rupert, LLoyd, and another girl named Agnes.

“It’s good to meet you,” Levi said with a relieved smile. “And thank you so much for helping me rescue Bobby.”

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“It’s quite alright,” Delila said with impeccable manners. “We should head back, Maerd. Cut the trip short.”

“Are you crazy?” He spat back. “We’ve picked up a Relic signal, Delila. It’s been what, years? If you think any of us are heading back now, then you’re insane.”

Delila looked at the others. Just like Maerd had said, they had no intentions of leaving this hunt. A Relic was something far too rare to give up on.”

“The signal is weak,” Maerd continued, “but even a low tiered Relic will fetch us incredible wealth. Just have Derek in the middle. He’ll be fine.”

After a bit of back-and-forth, Delila finally relented. Levi could sense that she was a kind person with strong values. Even from these brief interactions, he already knew where the others stood. Most of them, except for Delila, cared little about actually keeping him safe.

Maerd was only going along with Delila's wishes because she was a lady of high standing. It was just a guess on Levi’s part, but he felt confident he wasn’t wrong. There was a lot one could discern from body language. The way Delila stood, walked, and talked reminded him of Sera. Either that, or he just had a thing for her. He didn’t blame him, she was a beauty.

After hopping over the river, Maerd and a few others entered the cave. Levi glanced toward the forest where Bram was supposed to be but couldn’t see him.

“You’ll be okay, Derek,” Delila said, resting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “I’ll protect you. I’m a Tier 2 warrior, you know?” She flexed her muscles with a playful smile, the skintight clothing stretching around her arm.

Levi nodded with a smile. He and the rest of the party entered the cave, walking in the middle of the group. They descended down the cave’s right side, where Levi had previously spotted a safe path. With the river to their left and the wall to their right, the large walkway started to narrow as they travelled further down.

All the while, Levi kept his gaze upon the river and its edges. If the book appeared, he’d snatch it right from under their very noses. If it would make him stronger, to hell with alliances. He looked at the others, inspecting them. Although he had the idea of robbing what was rightfully his, apprehension grabbed hold of him.

If they were good fighters, then Levi would be in trouble. Levi had to discern what his opponents were capable of.

It didn’t take long to find out what he needed. As they descended into the darkness, Maerd’s lantern illuminated a large opened cavern. The fast flowing river that followed them settled into a pond at the bottom. The calm body of water stretched all the way to the other side of the cavern, until it descended into the abyss once more.

Levi still didn’t see the book, but Maerd’s Relic Meter was beeping more intensely now.

“Stop,” Brian warned. He had a bow in hand. He was obviously their scout. “Monsters up ahead.”

Squinting his eyes, Levi made them out in the darkness–

A large lance-like tongue pierced the veil of shadows, lancing straight for Maerd. The startled young master raised his shield in haste, the solid tongue clanged against the metal, sending Maerd reeling. He recovered after a few steps, only for another tongue to clatter against him once more.

Only when one of the party members illuminated the area did Levi see the monster. It was a frog, or toad, that was the size of a medium-sized dog. It had two horns sticking out from its head, and armour-like boils covered its body.

Finally, his team reacted. Brian fired his arrow, Ruper shot out a bullet of water from his staff, and LLoyd and Agnes readied their blades.

The ensuing battle was a mess. It was clear that Maerd and his team had only hunted with each other a few times, if that. They lacked cohesion like Levi was used to seeing with Gregory, Sera, and Bram. Moreover, they even got in each other's way sometimes, almost stumbling over.

LLoyd had stepped too far out and Maerd had to overextend with him to protect him. It was looking a tad hairy. But they won in the end, all thanks to their powerful Ingredients and powers.

The more Levi watched, the more his confidence grew that he’d be able to escape with the book if he was careful. Of course, he was under no delusion that he was more experienced than these people. He was certain if he joined the fight, he’d be just as clumsy as they were.

But as an onlooker, it was always easy to judge.

Defeating the monsters, they decided to pause and rest for a while. The magic users had blown most of their mana without reservation. And those at the front had accumulated injuries. Maerd was massaging his shield shoulder. The frogs appeared to hold great strength in their tongues.

Levi made it a point to avoid it no matter what. He may have strong defensive capabilities because of his golden armour, but it still hurt.

Maerd stormed up to Lloyd and grabbed him by the torso. “What have I told you on the training grounds? You need to stop overextending,” he spat, pushing Lloyd back.

“I–” Lloyd bit his lip and shook his head. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

“It better not,” Maerd replied coldly. “This isn’t a controlled hunt like the previous times. This is real. Make a mistake, and we’re dead. Got it?”

“Got it.” Lloyd dragged himself to the side and plopped himself down against a rock, head hanging. Instead of the leader Maerd, it was Delila who approached to make sure he was alright.

Levi understood Maerd’s frustrations. And he was right. One mistake and it wasn’t just an injury they’d be walking away with, the possibility of death was high.

After 15 or so minutes, they continued down into the cave.

Levi's nerves were pulled taut. He had no intention of letting these people protect him. His mana was practically bubbling within him, craving to burst out at any moment. He felt the fire just beneath his palm, ready to blast anything that targeted him into a million pieces.

Maerd had positioned all the warriors in the lead, leaving Levi with the ranged users. Levi didn’t agree with this arrangement. There were many dark spots in the cave with potential openings. Maerd should have at least one person guarding the rear.

Thankfully, nothing leapt out.

Upon entering a smaller cavern, Maerd and the others shone their lanterns ahead. Levi's eyes widened. There it was. The book lay on the cave’s floor, surrounded by at least eight of the dangerous toads.

Maerd and the others showed visible struggle on their faces. Eight toads were just the ones they could see; there could be more lurking in the shadows.

Levi's hands itched as he waited for Maerd's decision. Would he forge ahead and endanger his entire party, or retreat and prepare further?

The young master made his choice. His command echoed through the cavern.

"Attack!"