Margaret "That was.... so COOL!"

Gala "Which part, my dear?"

Margaret "All of it, Azan's strategy and the duo's unique fighting style. The other storybooks are too vague about the specifics of their powers!"

Gala "Really? I never noticed that. You have a keen eye for details, Margaret. Just those heroes."

Margaret "Maybe I'm like their descendant! Do we have any human blood in our family?"

Gala "Sadly, no. Despite the Xeno Integration Pact from decades ago, our family never formed any relationships with humans."

Margaret "That is so strange. Didn't you say my great ancestors were friends with the heroes?"

Gala "Yes, but perhaps over time, our family's perspective changed. The fact can be seen with your great grandfather who was Xenophobic till death."

Margaret "Why can't people of all kinds just get along?"

Gala "It's a challenge faced by every society. This next story will illustrate that further."

Margaret "Okay... let's continue. Sorry for making things sad."

Gala "No worries, dear. Let's dive back in...

A heroine watches the window, her mind calculating each second... it must be around 12 hours now. Confident in her timing, Diana's large arms reach out, gently shaking her companions awake. Sarah fixes her hair and crawls out of bed while Sai shifts her tendrils out of sight before jumping down from the top bunk.

Sai "What happened last night? I remember suddenly falling asleep and- Ugh! My head hurts!"

Sarah "Dude, there was like a weird 'A' symbol on your forehead. I think one of your ops placed a spell on you?"

Sai "Ops? You mean Oppositions... that's a good acronym. Hmmm, I don't think any of the brutes are capable of casting such a sleeping curse. If it's from the upper echelon, maybe, but I don't recall encountering any of them."

Diana "Come on, Sai. There must be something you remember."

Sai "... Yes! There was that one time when I was scavenging near the library outskirts, I met a strange person in a cloak and fell asleep after that. All I could remember were stars."

Sarah "Vague and mysterious. I'm getting major eldritch vibes here!"

Diana "Guys, We just scored an additional 1000 coins from that."

Sarah "How? I didn't even see the coins appearing."

Diana "Sorry, my mind is simple. I see coins, I collect coins. Anyway, what's our next move?"

Sai "If we're planning to ascend to higher floors, we need to aim for merits. Easier said than done."

Sarah "That's hella tricky. We don't even know how many we need to level up, Sai."

Sai "True, the amount of merits required varies, and some say it changes every year. I've heard of Mindens spending their entire lives studying various books and still failing to ascend."

Diana "Either the shit is rigged or the required amount is stupidly high."

Sai "Our only viable option is The Five Great Truths. These books contain knowledge so profound that people have ascended after reading all five. However..."

Sarah "It's dangerous as hell, and no one has completed it in ages. Am I right?"

Sai "Yes, but there is an additional issue... actually three issues. Two of The Great Truths are guarded by the leaders of each faction, and the last three have incredibly vague locations."

Diana "Shit, I guess we'll have to rough them up, huh?"

Sai "What?! Are you out of your mind?! We can't just take on an entire faction with only the three of us!"

Sarah "No, but with the right prep and approach, it might be possible. You said the Combat faction respects power and strength above all else, right?"

Sai "Yeah... Wait, are you suggesting we challenge the leader for their position?!"

Diana "We can take them. We are strong as fuck. Right, Sarah?"

Sarah "Yep. Once we take over, we get access to the book and the army. Then we use that leverage to pressure the production peeps."

Sai "You two... are... completely delusional. Fine! If we're doing this, I need to test your strength first! There's a book I know just for this scenario."

Diana "Looks like we've got ourselves a quest, Sarah."

Sarah "What's it about?"

Sai "It's a story that not even the entire Combat faction could conquer. Tales of Nine Dragons is about a peaceful land facing a dreadful prophecy of being attacked by nine different dragons over nine days."

Diana "Dragons? Now that's a fucking challenge! Let's go!"

Sarah "They'd be perfect for our training. I bet Kanji and the others are getting stronger by the minute."

Sai "Wait, there are other humans?!"

Diana "Yeah, our boss is in Ordan, and there are two of us in each place—Oh shit, we just got 5000 coins from that!"

Sai "Of course, this knowledge is huge! A lot of Walteran higher-ups would pay a ridiculous amount of money just to know that. But don't worry, I won't tattle on my two new friends."

Diana and Sarah hug her before lifting the Minden onto Diana's shoulder.

Sai "I feel like a giant up here."

Diana "Glad you like it."

Sarah "Where is this book you are talking about?"

Sai "It's... Err... just across the border. I'll make a map for us."

Diana "Girls, I think there's a group outside."

Sai "Shit... I see them. Oh no, it's Priscella."

Sarah "I can't see! Who?!"

Sai "One of my former friends and the daughter of the production leader. She likes to pick on me daily."

Diana "Oh yeah, I think the roles will be reversed this time!"

She shoves the twin doors open with such force that a gust of wind pushes a group of silver-armored Mindens back, their eyes widening from behind the slits of their round helmets.

Priscella "Ah! What the hell was that?! Why did you, brawny idiots back away- Is that a fucking giant?!"

Diana "The name's Diana, you spoiled brat! I heard you're here to mess with my little buddy."

Priscella "Your little buddy? You mean that useless seaweed on your shoulder? Pft! HAHAHA! Hey, how about you work for someone who actually contributes to society? Here!"

The rich Minden steps forward, revealing her appearance in full detail. Her head tendrils, a striking shade of yellow, are tied into an elegant ponytail. She dons a glamorous light purple mermaid dress, adorned with stylish star-shaped ribbons that cascade diagonally across her chest. Her arms are encased in long, silky gloves, and each finger is decorated with a diamond-encrusted ring, glittering under the light. As she approaches, she pinches her nose disdainfully, then with a flick of her wrist, tosses a heavy bag of coins onto the floor before them.

Diana smirks and kicks the bag straight into Priscella's face, causing her nose to bleed.

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Priscella "Y-Y-You! YOU BITCH! KILL THEM!"

Diana "Oh, bring it on! You fuckers! Can I handle this one by myself, Sarah?"

Sarah "Sure, go ahead. I'll be watching!"

Five of the armored Mindens charge forward with their lances, piercing through Diana's shirt. However, her golden chest proves impenetrable, blocking their attacks. Diana's fist tightens, and with a powerful overhead strike, she smashes one of the soldiers, reducing him to a pancake of flesh and metal. The remaining soldiers scream in terror, their hands shaking as they struggle to maintain control of their lances. Suddenly- the leader shouts and at his command, they rally, surrounding Diana on all sides.

This time, they charge at her all at once, aiming for her flesh. But alas, her skin proves too tough for their lances to penetrate.

Diana "What the hell?! Are you idiots trying to poke me with sticks?! If you don't get serious, then I will!"

Sai "Diana! You can kill the soldiers, but not Priscella! As much as I hate her, if she dies, things will get complicated."

Diana "Don't worry! That bitch is already running! She won't get caught in this! FULL POWER SWING!"

Her muscles tighten, and a yellow, spiky aura forms around her right arm as she begins to spin.

The immense air pressure expands, crushing the torsos of the soldiers into dust from the sheer force. However, it doesn't stop there; it continues to travel further, hitting every bookshelf along the way. Yet, a forcefield manifests around the objects and easily blocks the impact. Eventually, the attack catches up with Priscella, but the force is weakened, only managing to push her onto her knees. Sarah sees this and throws her spear.

With perfect timing, she jumps and rides the weapon toward Priscella, landing beside her.

Priscella "Who are you monsters?! What was that power?! Answer me!"

Sarah "You ain't getting a single cent from me, you rich bitch. Sai told me not to kill you, but I can make you feel a little pain!"

Priscella "Hah! You think I'm defenseless! You should've brought that ogre here then you might have had a chance!"

The ring on Priscella's left pinky glows, and she conjures a bolt of lightning into her hands. With a flick of her wrist, she tosses it toward Sarah's head, but Sarah easily tilts to dodge the attack. Startled, Priscella conjures more bolts, hurling them one after another, but Sarah dodges them with ease. Seeing that her attacks aren't working, Priscella activates the ring on her left ring finger and summons a rapier. Sarah responds by pulling out her daggers. They clash, but Sarah notices a couple of ethereal copies sprouting from the crossguard of Priscella's weapon.

They thrust at once, and one manages to stab Sarah's liver.

Sarah "Argh! What the fuck was that?!"

Priscella "Not feeling too arrogant now, huh?! Bitch!-

Sarah steps back and flings Nezha's Ring, but is surprised to see an invisible wall reflecting her attack. At that moment, she spots the ring on Priscella's right pinky glowing briefly before quickly fading. Without hesitation, Sarah throws the ring again, slicing off all of Priscella's right fingers. As Priscella reels from the pain, Sarah dashes forward, delivering a powerful palm strike that sends her crashing into a nearby bookshelf. For a split second, a white curtain covers over her opponent's eye, before the ring on Priscella's left thumb glows, waking her back to consciousness. However, Priscella's attention is drawn to the blood pouring from her dismembered hand.

Priscella "B-B-B-Blo-Blood!-

She is knocked back into unconsciousness, leaving Sarah with a disappointed look.

Sarah "Well, that was anticlimactic. Didn't expect her to be hemophobic."

Sai "Gosh, are you alright, Sarah?!"

Diana "I think we should worry more about the rich brat."

Sai "That's a lot of blood. At this rate, she'll die! Do any of you have bandages or anything that can help?"

Diana "Don't worry, sister. I got this."

Diana pulls out two bandages from the Universal Storage and expertly wraps the injured Minden's hand. Sarah quickly gathers up all of the rings and Priscella's outfit before the group exits the scene with haste. On their way out, Sarah takes a syringe and fills the puncture wound on her liver. They return to the group of soldiers and loot two of the armor, along with two strange emerald-blue stone tablets. Sai guides them through the maze, and they cross the border. Here, the flooring changes from the clean and polished wooden floor of the Production Faction to rough stone tiles, which Sai explains are difficult for the average Minden to walk on, but the two warriors barely notice the difference.

Sarah "Yo, what are these rings? They were pretty broken."

Sai "Oh these are rings of powers. It costs an insane amount of Cientia points just for one of them. Here is the map to where the book is. While you guys travel, I'll take some time to decipher the exact abilities of these rings."

With a nod of agreement, the group travels through the maze without encountering any members of the combat faction, thanks to the guidance of the map.

Diana "Yo, what the fuck are these?"

Sai: "Oh, those are tele-boards. They're one of many communication devices, but they only work one way, so you can't use them to call someone. It's ridiculous, I know, but that's how the higher-ups operate here. They don't want people talking back or complaining from a distance."

Sarah "Shit, there goes our plan for contacting the others."

Diana "Don't worry, Sarah. I believe in Boss! He'll find a way!"

Sarah "Heh... yeah. Anyway, how much farther is this place."

Diana "It's just right around the corner."

Sarah "Cool, what about the rings?"

Sai: "I just finished the analysis. Priscella had five weapon-type rings and five power-type rings. Weapon-type rings are infinite, but only one can be conjured at a time, while power-type rings have multiple uses but can be used simultaneously. The five weapon rings are The Thunder Bolt Ring, The Phantom Rapier Ring, The Gravity Hammer Ring, The Flying Sword Ring, and The Poison Daggers Ring. The power rings are The Ring of Consciousness, The Ring of Nullification, The Ring of Sudden Speed, The Ring of Sight, and The Ring of Jumping. All of these have one use and refresh every day. Do you guys want some?"

Diana: "Nah, I think you need them more than we do. By the way, our coin count is now up to 12,000."

Sai: "Damn, if we split that between us, then we'd be middle class."

Sarah: "Wow, how fitting. Hey... take this dress and gloves, Sai."

Sai "Wha?! Why?"

Sarah "Cause you'll look great in it, especially with your purple hair tendrils! Better than that rich bitch."

Sai: "Okay, but I can't just undress out in the open."

Diana "Don't worry! I got this!"

Diana carries a bunch of books and creates a makeshift hut, signaling Sai to come in. Nervously, she steps out through the entrance, and Diana blocks it with a pile of books. The light filtering through the gaps in the hut provides enough vision for Sai to undress and change into her new attire. Sai pushes the books aside and steps out, feeling transformed.

Diana: "Girl! You look gorgeous! Straight out of a model magazine!"

Sarah: "She's got that Cinderella drip. Those rings make you look like the big boss of the gang."

Sai "Thanks, guys. I err- Oh fuck!"

They turn around to see a group of scouts wearing feathery camo suits, riding what appears to be giant blue bulls.

??? "Hey! Who are you?! Identify yourselves!"

Sarah: "We don't need to tell these fuckers shit! Let's fold these idiots!"

Sai: "Hold on, can I try fighting them? I want to prove that I'm not just a burden."

Diana: "... Fine, but if things go south, we'll step in. You got it?"

Sarah: "I recommend ignoring the bulls altogether and aiming for their heads. These guys seem organized, so you should find a way to disturb their formation."

Sai: "Leave it to me! I won't let you girls down!"

The Ring of Jumping activates, lifting her out of sight and confusing the scout group.

Sai equips the Gravity Hammers and plummets down to the center of the formation. The force of the impact pushes the riders off their mounts, scattering the bulls in panic and they sprint out of the scene. She then activates The Ring of Sudden Speed and wields the Phantom Rapier, thrusting it into half of the staggered scouts. The remaining scouts quickly regain their composure and retaliate by firing darts at Sai. With sharp reflexes, she commands the phantoms to deflect the incoming darts, but the continuous barrage slowly drains her stamina.

As she starts to tire, the scouts switch tactics and draw their long swords, circling her. Sai manages to dodge four of the blades, but two find their mark, striking the back of her legs and causing her to collapse to her knee from the pain. Fighting back tears, Sai summons The Flying Sword and commands it to spin rapidly around her, slicing through her opponents. But amidst the chaos, there remains one scout standing.

The scout suddenly appears from the air behind her and plunges a strange knife into her neck.

Sarah/Diana "SAI!!"

The pair rushes forward and delivers swift punches to the scout, one to the liver and the other to the chest. Feeling overwhelmed, they deploy a smoke bomb and escape from the fight.

Sarah "Shit! That cowardly pussy son of bitch! Damn it!"

Diana: "Don't worry about that! Sai is dying over here!"

Sarah: "Oh, sorry about that! Those wounds look really bad. We're going to need three syringes for this."

They deploy three flesh syringes, which fill up the open wounds, but... Sai remains unconscious.

Diana "Shit, she's not waking up!"

Sarah: "It must be some kind of sleeping drug or poison from that knife the scout had."

Diana "What do we do now? Without Sai, we don't have a guide!"

Sarah: "Calm down! First, let's deal with those guys, then we need to find a place to hide. I think we should stay behind a row of books on that shelf."

Diana: "Yeah, they look big enough for us to hide behind."

Sarah "It's settled then."

Sarah takes one of the camo suits, and they make a fair distance away from the scene. Carrying Sai, they jump halfway toward the ceiling and cling onto a shelf. They grab some of the books from the back and put some of them into the Storage, while the rest are placed into rows, granting them perfect coverage. Sarah and Diana decide to lay out their loot on the floor— two full-body silver plate armor, two round silver helmets, 20 iron lances, and one camo suit.

Feeling the vibe of the camo suit, Sarah switches it with her current clothes. The feather coats every inch of the suit and adapts to nearby objects. It's a onesie with a hood shaped like an eagle, but as cool as it looks, she feels really comfortable being naked under it, so she wears her old outfit inside excluding the hoodie. Not wanting to be left out, Diana wears the plate armor but decides not to wear the helmet.

Diana: "I feel extra tough in this armor, but I don't think it'll be much help."

Sarah: "Dude, it's all about the style, Diana. Or the drip."

Diana: "Again with the 'drip'. Is that some lingo I don't know?"

Sarah: "No, not really. I just thought about it on the spot, and it kinda rolls off the tongue."

Diana: "It sort of does. How long do you think she'll stay like that?"

Sarah: "Hopefully not too long. The only thing left to do is pray or somehow contact Gwen or maybe Claire. They might have a cure."

Diana: "The chance of that happening is fucked, since these stone thingies are one way. Plus, we can't even get better stuff to call people because we just beat the snot out of the Production Chief's daughter."

Sarah: "Yep, we are screwed— Wait, are those tablets glowing?!"

They lean over, and a smile spreads across their faces when they read the name "Kanji Kimura" etched into the stony surface of the devices.