--- Somewhere else

“Stage one of the plan has been completed. The bait has been placed, it’s now only a matter of time…” – ???

“Good.” – ???

--- [Alex’s perspective] A few days later, the group is looking for a new mission

“Let’s see… Shin picked the last one, so it should be your turn to pick now, Alex.” – Lett

“Don’t pick anything too difficult, okay? I’m tired…” – Shin

“You should have thought about that last night when you decided to stay up so late…” – Alex

“I know, I know…” – Shin

“I feel your pain, buddy. I think I had a bit much to drink…” – Illian

I let out a sigh.

“… Do you want to wait until tomorrow instead?” – Alex

Shin and Illian make eye contact for a second.

It’s as if they’re sharing their thoughts.

“No, it’s fine. Just pick something chill and we’ll be fine. I’ll let you pick for me next time, alright?” – Shin

“Fine.” – Alex

Now then…

What will I pick?

There are so many options.

There’s a 5-man E-rank dungeon not too far from here.

Hmm…

No, that’s probably a little too hard for them in their current condition.

There’s a 2-man E-rank dungeon too, but the pay on that one is really low.

Split between the four of us, and we get practically nothing.

I have an entire village I must provide for after all…

If only Leo could return soon…

It would make everything so much easier.

Oh well!

I know that the mission he is on is very important, so this is the least I could do while he’s away.

Anyways, what other missions are there?

Hmm…

That one looks interesting…

Cleanse a well that was cursed by a monster…

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I guess a monster must have escaped from a dungeon nearby and attacked the village.

Its ability was probably what ‘cursed’ the well.

That sounds perfect.

I’m sure I could absorb it with my specialty.

I reach up and pull the flyer off the wall.

“This one.” – Alex

“Hmm… Isn’t that maybe a bit too easy? You could probably do that on your own.” – Shin

“Probably, but it pays well. We’re always together, so I see no reason to suddenly split up now. I don’t mind sharing the reward with you guys even if I do all the work.” – Alex

“Aight, I don’t mind it being a quick mission. It’s more fun to tag along with you guys than staying here alone anyways.” – Shin

“Alright then, let’s go.” – Alex

We walk over to the reception, and they accept us taking on the mission.

--- A couple of hours of travel later

We’ve finally reached Phasma village.

It’s bigger than Minima, but it’s still a fairly small village.

I wonder where a village of this size in the outer area got the money to pay for a mission like that…

They must be really desperate to get rid of that ‘curse’…

We walk around for a few minutes, exploring the village.

“Comparing this village to the large cities in the middle area is like night and day… Is this what Minima is like?” – Shin

“Minima is actually even smaller.” – Alex

“Wow… I can’t imagine living in a place that small. No offense…” – Shin

“Heh, none taken.” – Alex

“It’s wild how big the difference actually is; why is it that some people get to live in mega cities where their every need is met with a snap of their fingers, while other people have to work their asses off just to survive?” – Illian

“Yeah… If I could help, I would, but the underlying issues are too deep rooted for someone like us to be able to make a difference…” – Shin

“…” – Illian

“Anyways, no need to be all doom and gloom. We should visit your hometown some time, Alex.” – Shin

“There isn’t that much to do there; I don’t think you’d like it very much.” – Alex

“That’s fine. If you show me around there some day, then I’ll show you around in Magnum. Deal?” – Shin

“Sure.” – Alex

We continue walking around for a while, until we suddenly hear a voice.

“Hey you! Are you the hunters we hired?” – Man

“Yup!” – Lett

“I see, it’s nice to finally meet you!” – Man

He shakes our hands as he greets us.

“I’m Edward, I’m the one that made the mission request.” – Edward

“It’s nice to meet you, Edward! I’m Lett, and this is Alex, Shin, and Illian.” – Lett

“Yo!” – Shin

“Nice to meet you, Edward.” – Alex

“There’s no need to worry. Whatever the problem may be, you’re in good hands.” – Illian

“I see, that’s certainly good to hear!” – Edward

Edward points behind him with his thumb.

“The well is that way, I’ll explain on the way.” – Edward

“Aight.” – Shin

He turns around and starts walking; we all follow him.

“This all started a few weeks ago… While out picking berries in the forest, one of the villagers noticed a dungeon. They reported it to the authorities, and the authorities reported it to a guild; in this case The Red Knights.” – Edward

Okay, this just sounds like standard procedure for now…

“But for whatever reason, maybe because we’re just a small village in the outer area, it took a while for the authorities to report it to the guilds, and by the time The Red Knights had made it a mission, it was already too late… Although it was just one, a monster had escaped the dungeon without anyone knowing. A few days later there was a group of hunters that accepted the mission and cleared out the dungeon. They did a good job, but the problem was that they, just like the rest of us, didn’t know that a monster had escaped…” – Edward

I see…

It’s as I thought; it was an escaped monster that did it.

“The monster eventually made its way here, and it started wreaking havoc… By sheer luck, it all happened right after the hunters left. They heard what was going on, and they rushed back to the village. We’re only alive to tell the tale because they were so close, and we’re eternally grateful for that. However, our village did not come out unscathed…” – Edward

Wow…

Imagine if those hunters had left just moments earlier…

So many people could have died…

“The monster wielded a large greatsword, and its swings left behind a trail of darkness. A few villagers ended up touching it… All of them died. Unfortunately, one of its targets was our water source; the well. The darkness remained in the water, even after the monster was defeated. It’s undrinkable now, and it has been like that for too long. People will die if this keeps up… We need you to save us, get rid of whatever that darkness is.” – Edward

“Don’t worry, Edward. We got this. You have my word.” – Alex

“Thank you…” – Edward