Arriving in Castor Town at midday, we found it surprisingly cool and comfortable despite the scorching sunlight.
The branches and leaves of the Ancient Tree cast a wide shade over the entire town, evoking memories of summer days spent peacefully napping beneath a large tree.
While the immense tree initially took me by surprise, I never anticipated that my friends would be so captivated by its majestic beauty.
"Is this for real?" Rain exclaimed suddenly.
"It feels like a town from a fairy tale," Claire remarked.
Amidst everyone's focus on the Ancient Tree, a familiar voice caught my attention.
"Welcome to Castor Town," Earl greeted us.
"I believe many of you are already familiar with him, as he played a crucial role in rescuing all of you during the incident in the quarry.
Allow me to reintroduce my cousin and the current leader of Castor Town, Earl Brooks," I declared.
My friends nodded their heads in gratitude for Earl's assistance.
"Thank you for saving us," Ash expressed.
"We apologize for not being able to properly thank you earlier," Claire added.
"Those Stone Walls really saved us, and that lightning spell was amazing! What is it called?" Neil exclaimed with enthusiasm.
"It's a spell called Chain Lightning," Earl replied.
"Big Bro, who is this beautiful lady?" Earl suddenly inquired.
I noticed Dia's face turning red, clearly flustered by Earl's comment. I responded, "She is Diana Eisenhawk, a friend of mine from the US."
Earl skeptically commented, "Friend, huh?"
"Is she part of your team in the US?" Earl suddenly asked, catching Dia off guard.
"Yeah, she's our sniper," I replied.
Earl observed Dia's eyepatch and remarked, "Then she's strong."
Dia, surprised by Earl's question, asked me, "I thought you never told your parents?"
I replied, "I never did, but I did tell my cousin."
"Just in case the effects of the drugs suddenly kick in, and somehow I kick the bucket, someone will know why," I continued.
Dia glared at me as if she were about to punch me in the face.
She never got over the fact that I embarked on a mission alone while she was still in a coma for a few days due to her injuries.
"Don't worry, I won't die," I reassured her, patting her head.
Although unintentional, Earl being aware of Dia’s capabilities would certainly save me some time in explanations.
"What's the current situation, Earl?" I inquired.
"The light on the Ancient Tree crystal is already dim, and it will probably be gone by tomorrow, Big Bro," Earl stated.
"I believe it's better if we hold a strategic meeting with the others at the Castor Inn," I suggested.
"That's a great idea, Big Bro," Earl replied.
The Castor Inn is just several blocks away from the Castor Town’s Transport Gate.
In a few minutes, we arrived at the inn.
Earl appeared troubled the entire way.
"Don't blame yourself for not being able to gather enough Corundum to make a protective wall," I said, patting my cousin's head.
"But, Big Bro, how are we going to protect the town?
Monsters will flood on all sides, and even if we can defend two sides, monsters could probably slip through," he continued, expressing his worry.
"Don't worry, I have just the idea," I reassured him.
I almost forgot that Earl is just in his early teens, and being a leader in a town is taxing, even for an adult.
As Earl pushed open the inn door, the establishment was filled with resilient warriors donned in Iron Plated Armor and equipped with Steel Swords.
The formidable warriors rose from their seats and approached us gradually.
"Bro Asriel, you've truly come to aid us, just as the leader mentioned!" exclaimed one of the warriors.
"You're quite famous, aren't you, Riel?" Dia exclaimed joyfully.
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"It's been a while, guys," I responded to the warriors.
"Who are the beautiful ladies and handsome lads?" one of the warriors inquired.
"They're my friends, and they will also assist Castor Town in the upcoming Monster Siege," I replied.
My friends were a bit flustered by the remark.
"And don't annoy them, especially Dia, because she might literally shoot you in the back," I added, making a playful joke.
While the last part could be seen as a warning, she pouted and said, "You're being mean, Riel."
I chuckled a bit before suggesting, "Let's commence our strategic meeting and wrap it up before dinner."
By the time we completed refining the defensive plan for tomorrow's Monster Siege, it was already late in the afternoon.
Neil and Earl headed to the outskirts of town to begin casting Stone Walls that would serve as the temporary wall of Castor Town.
It was already evening when Earl and Neil returned to the Castor Inn.
Upon their arrival, we had just finished our dinner, and Neil appeared drained, seemingly depleted of mana and exhausted.
Earl inquired, "Are you guys planning to stay for the night?" to which I responded, "I've already rented two separate rooms."
Despite the inherent risk of staying in Castor Town with only protection against monsters, I doubted anyone would attempt an assault.
To be safe, I asked Dia to protect Rain and Claire, as I planned to stay in a different room with Ash and Neil.
"I just want to play it safe because we don't know if the Transport Gate will still work tomorrow when the light on the Ancient Tree is gone.
After all, Castor Town is a few kilometers away from Maceria," I explained.
"You're really something, Big Bro, considering even the Transport Gate," Earl remarked.
Earl bid farewell as he headed home.
"When was the last time we had a sleepover together?" Ash suddenly asked as we entered our room.
"I think it was a few years ago, just before I went to the US," I replied.
"I wonder how Leo is doing right now?" I mused, recalling our past sleepovers.
"He's probably leveling like crazy," Ash said with a smile.
"Yeah, he probably is," I agreed as we both laughed, reminiscing about our good old friend Leo.
"Where is Leo now?" Neil asked curiously.
"We really don't know. He transferred to a different school after Asriel left," Ash answered.
"And we never heard from him again," he continued.
"I kinda miss the old times, just playing arcade games, and Leo being too competitive most of the time," I said as my head rested on the pillow.
"I hope we see him again," Ash said with a yawn.
I smiled at the thought of meeting an old friend, and with heavy eyes, I drifted off to sleep.
The sun had just graced the horizon when I awoke, my gaze landing on the two unoccupied beds, indicating that Ash and Neil had risen earlier than me.
Descending the stairs, I spotted a group of people looking at me – my friends, already settled with their breakfast.
Taking a seat beside Dia, I noticed my usual morning dish awaiting me.
"Looks like you took your sweet time sleeping, Riel," Dia whispered with a chuckle, evidently relishing her chance for payback after my past teasing about her waking up late.
"It's just too comfy here," I awkwardly replied.
Dia seemed satisfied with her revenge and dove into her breakfast.
Ash and Neil, still yawning, suggested that Dia had roused them too early.
Claire and Rain shared a soft chuckle before beginning their breakfast.
I was about to finish eating my food when Earl suddenly entered.
His eyes were frightened as if he had just seen a ghost.
“Big Bro our scout just spotted a monster and from his report, only one monster is coming to Castor Town.
A serpent that somehow resembles a chicken”, Earl stated.
“ A chicken?!”, Neil asked in confusion.
“A basilisk, a mythical creature with the hybrid of a serpent and a chicken”, Dia exclaimed.
“Wasn’t that the same boss monster we fought to unlock the guild mounts? Riel”, Dia asked.
“Yes it probably is”, I answered a bit wary of our situation.
“Then we are probably in trouble”, Dia stated.
“What do you mean Diana? Rain asked”.
“Basilisk is a Superior Class Boss Monster in Arcadia, threat rank B+ , with a staggering level of 60, and is supposed to be cleared by at least a group of 10-15 Advance Class players”, Dia answered.
“I’m surprised you still remember it, Dia,” I said.
“That chicken killed me so many times that Yui scolded me”, she said while pouting.
“Although we eventually defeated it back then, our group was composed of five level 60 plus and one of us is a shielder”, Dia stated.
“Right now we only have Big Bro Asriel and Miss Dia, I’m still ten levels below 60”, Earl stated a bit flustered.
“And we don’t have a tank, since Riel probably never puts any stats on vitality”, Dia stated.
“Typical of Big Bro”, Earl agreed.
“I could probably tank it”, I said while scratching my chin.
“But Big Bro! Blade Dancer has a very low status and elemental resistance compared to Shielder”, Earl suddenly stated knowing my class weakness.
“We just need to kill it before Claire’s Holy Sanctuary ends”, I suggested.
“You mean defeat it in a minute or two”, Earl asked.
“With three people?” he added with a bit of confusion.
“But what about the Basilisk’s Death Gaze”, Earl asked.
Death Gaze is Basilisk's ultimate skill that kills everyone near, in a fraction of a second using the gaze of its eyes.
“I just remember, why every time we failed to defeat it, you and Dakarai were the only ones surviving?”, Dia asked curiously.
“I can understand why Dakarai survives since he is a Shielder and he is immune to Instant Death but your Class back then doesn’t have that ability”, Dia continued.
“The Death Gaze only works when the Basilisk can see you, I said.
Earl looked at me asking if he just figured out what I was up to.
“Then we only have a minute to pull this off” Earl concluded.
“We have roughly five people to deal damage excluding Miss Claire who will cast Holy Sanctuary the whole fight”, Earl stated.
“Five?” Rain suddenly asked.
“I’m afraid that Bro Ash and all the warriors in the Castor Town won’t be participating with the battle with Basilisk”, he replied.
“Big Bro Asriel will be the only one in front taking the aggro of the Basilisk” Earl continued.
Ash looked sad which made me a bit worried.
But suddenly he’s stated,” while you guys fight the Basilisk, I’ll just watch and help to protect the town’s people in case some monsters suddenly appear.”
It seemed that he had matured these last few months, he even considered the possibility of more monsters showing up suddenly, I thought to myself as we started heading outside to confront the threat to the Castor Town.