The book would have been useful if Rose hadn't already forced most of the information it contained directly into my brain. It did confirm one of my worst fears, however.

As I read further details on the class I had been forced into, Supporter, my heart sunk deeper and deeper. All my wild imaginations of heroism and valorous deeds were diminished by the harsh reality written before me. Supporters, as the name would suggest, supported the group, mostly through indirect means.

They could increase their party members statistics, such as their strength or agility. Supporters could also enhance or add new effects to their abilities or provide assistance with various utilities, which they could choose from at certain levels. The major downside was that their combat power was the lowest of any class and only the practitioner role had them beat in regards to their pitiful defences.

It’s as though the class has been chosen specifically to mess with me.

Dump a person in a world by himself and force him into a role which requires him to work with others to be effective. The utility effects might be useful, but the word ‘utility’ didn’t give me much hope for their applications in combat. The book had given me one titbit that was helpful, though.

The first advancement test at level ten was a threshold. Some people never passed it and remained commoners for the rest of their lives. Those that did pass went on to choose their class and gain the basic abilities.

But I would have those abilities before the test.

If I failed the test with that advantage in hand, I should just crawl in a hole and die. I should be able to reach level ten before the gods turned up at the very least. It wasn't clear if the power spike would be enough to make a difference, but it was better than wallowing in self-pity and dread.

“So, how’d the study session go?” John wandered over to me and glanced at the book. 

“It was helpful, I guess. What about you guys, did you get any good loot?”

“Not many drops, wind wolves aren’t great for loot. We got a few weapons and a piece of armour, but its low class.” John stuttered to a stop as he glanced at me. “I mean, low class is a good place to start. It's not that bad…”

“Don’t worry about it, I’m fine.” I glanced at his friends, who carried a sack in each hand which clinked and rattled as they walked towards us.

“Thanks.” I held the book towards Claire but she waved it away.

“Keep it, it should help you more than me.”

“Oh, right. Thanks.” I shoved the book into my satchel, which was stuffed to the brim. I didn’t mention the loot the others had gathered from the wolves. Though I had started the fight, they had finished it.

It’s not like I earned a share.

"Why did you even have this thing?" I patted the book, which took up a fair bit of my bag space. As much as I appreciated the gesture, a trained adventurer wouldn't need such an item, right?

"I train people, sometimes. Those who are trying to pass their first advancements." Claire smiled and patted her bag. "I have a few spare copies, just in case someone needs some homework."

"Oh." I shook my head with a smile. Technically, I was in the level group for her classes, though telling her that would only rekindle her fury at me.

“So, want to join us now?” Bryan waved at the area around us. I didn’t know what they had done, but all of the wolf bodies had vanished, though the marks of the short battle remained etched into the ground.

“If you’ll have me.” My delusions of grandeur had vanished. Even if the forest was dangerous, it would still be the fastest way to level up. If I carried on by myself, it would turn out to be the fastest way to die.

“Of course we will.” Claire dumped one of her bags and held a hand towards me. “Here, join us.”

Well, they have proven themselves. They saved my life, even though there was no real reason for them to do so. I'm not special, and I'm not strong. Not yet at least. Rose did say to trust them, and I do need to go further into the forest. 

After all, Rose's information had been correct. Higher level monsters existed in the forest, which meant I could level up at a faster rate if I joined up with them. I might be a leech, but they didn't seem to mind it. I reached out and held her hand. At first, I didn’t quite understand what was happening before the voice turned up once more.

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**Party Invite received. Layout: Standard. Do you wish to join?**

How do I even answer that? Is it voice-activated like abilities?

I tried to accept it forcefully within my mind, but that didn’t make any difference. Claire’s smile twitched slightly as she watched me struggle.

“I accept.” I answered out loud despite the awkwardness of it. I had finally acknowledged the voice in my mind. Now, more than any other time, I had stepped past the point of no return.

**Party Invite accepted. ‘Defenders’ joined.**

“Welcome to the club.” John patted my shoulder. “Don’t say anything about the name, we flipped a coin and Susan won the rights to name our little party.”

“Be nice, John. It’s better than anything you could have come up with.” Susan shook her head. “I don’t see what's wrong with it.”

“I think it’s fine.” I interjected before they could burst into another argument. John gave me a scathing look before he turned away, disgusted that I would stand against him.

“John’s just annoyed that when we appear on the rankings you don’t see ‘The Awesome Squad’ or something equally stupid. Ignore him.” Bryan needled at his friend one final time before his face turned serious. “Are you OK to carry on? We’re diving deeper into the forest today if you’re up for that?”

“He needs to rest.” Claire interrupted. Her face had cooled off after her friends had ceased their bullying as she once more took on the calm and composed look of a leader. “We should take him back-”

“No, I’m fine.” I smiled at Claire to soften the blow. “Let’s carry on. I’ll follow you guys.”

Claire’s mouth clamped shut. She frowned at me before she turned away. As much as my decision annoyed her, she at least yielded to my request. The others motioned for me to follow as they moved in their leader's footsteps. We left the open area and stepped once more into the thick forest.

After the ambush, my nerves were stretched taut. Any noise could be another hidden enemy, any movement another potential threat. Only after we had walked for ten minutes without any interruptions did I manage to calm down. I wasn’t alone anymore.

I appreciated the boost from the slime queen. How strong had that monster been to give me an entire level when I had to be involved in fights against thirty lower level monsters to go up one more step? Maybe my fall had done more damage than I had thought at the time.

If I had landed next to it, it would have killed me…

No, I couldn’t think like that. The past was the past, and what had happened couldn’t be changed. All I could do was silently thank the slime queen for its sacrifice and move on. We walked for several more minutes before Claire called a halt and drew her sword.

“How many?” Susan asked as she glanced at the bushes around us.

“At least ten. Get ready.” Claire stepped forward and settled into a guard stance. John moved to the rear of the group and Bryan once again moved to flank Claire. Susan gave me an encouraging smile before she turned to face the front again.

I… didn’t move. What could I do, exactly? I didn’t have any abilities to help out and if I got involved it was possible I would cause more problems than I would solve.

I’ll never get strong if I act like a coward!

I shook my head viciously and stepped beside Claire, staff in hand as I prepared for the assault.

“You sure?” She glanced at me, her face set. “This could be dangerous.”

“You helped me, I need to return the favour.” I tapped my staff against my hand. “The sooner I get used to this, the better.”

Claire nodded before she turned away. My confidence wasn’t as grand as I made out, but at least I had convinced her. As our conversation ended, the bushes in front of us parted to reveal a motley collection of monsters. Claire frowned as she saw the identities of the newcomers.

“A goblin? What’s the hell is that doing here?” Bryan shifted from foot to foot as he stared at the pack of monsters.

Several wind wolves, a few slimes and a large creature similar to a child’s drawing of a stunted man on steroids, if the only crayons they had were moss green and grey. They stood stock-still as they noticed us. As the goblin stepped forward the other monsters followed it with their eyes, which proved it was the de facto leader of their odd tribe.

“RRRUUUGGGHHH!” The goblin bashed its mace on the ground. I glanced at Claire, not sure if it was an attempt at communication or an open threat. Her tight expression proved it was the latter. She moved forwards and stood in front of the leader.

The goblin was a bizarre creature. At a glance, it looked like a stumpy human, around four feet tall with pale green skin. Its lack of height was more than made up for in bulk. If it were taller I would call it an orc, but Claire’s words proved otherwise.

The club it held was barely more than a thick branch, dented and scratched from its usage as a weapon. The creature’s clothes hid most of its body, though rips and cuts showed its veiny skin in multiple areas.

“Taunt?” Bryan muttered.

“Cooldown.” Claire said.

“How long?” Bryan asked, his voice urgent as he stared at the pack.

Claire shook her head. I knew what cooldown meant, and it wasn’t anything good. It seemed as though some abilities, once used, couldn’t be used again within a set amount of time. The book had mentioned as such but, now that I saw the results myself, I understood the danger of the system.

Her taunt had attracted the entire pack of wolves to her, which had given her companions free rein to attack without fear of repercussions. Now that safety net had vanished, the tide of battle would be much more frantic. I wanted to ask what the plan was but, before I could speak, Claire dashed towards the goblin. Her shield was held out as she sprinted towards it like a battering ram.

Bryan dashed by her. He seized the goblins' attention before he easily dodged its wild swing. That left the goblin open as Claire slammed into it, which knocked the monster into its allies. Bryan leapt into the crowd without hesitation as his swords fell onto the pile of monsters.

Claire dodged to the side and caught the left flank’s attention whilst Bryan held the middle. They had chosen their targets with care as the right-hand flank held two wolves and five slimes. That number was only around ten percent of the total forces against them, and it was up to me to hold them off for Susan and John.

Susan chanted behind me, her staff raised as she collected the energies for her attack. John show arrows at the stragglers, his attacks aimed to force them back into the crowd, or at least to hinder their movements. I ran to the right and cut off the slimes and wolves who eyed Susan greedily.

From a close fight against one wolf, I had moved on to a one versus seven duel.