Chapter 11: Party Members

Klein arrived at the meeting place before dawn and was surprised that he was not the first one to arrived.

He didn't expect Adventurers to be so punctual.

Though after thinking about it, Klein concludes that it does make sense. Adventurers are basically freelancer. Aside from their performance, their work ethic is also considered before they are employed. There are too many Adventurers but too little jobs. They always have to be in their best behavior.

Klein observes his soon to be companions.

They are doing their own separate things. They were separated from each other by quite a distance. Klein can feel that they have set some sort of invisible line marking their own territory.

Nobody was dumb enough to cross this line that will surely aggravated the other party. They won't actively start a fight so close to the start of the mission.

One is lying on a thick branch of a tree and sleeping.

Another one is doing a one finger push up.

Two people, who looked like brothers, are training. The younger one is shadow boxing while the older brother is teaching.

Three people are huddled in a corner. Klein can easily tell that they belong in the same gang with the matching tattoo in various part of their bodies.

Klein looked at the last figure and was delighted to see that it is a familiar face. It is Kruce.

Klein briefly considered walking towards her and teasing her, but he decided against it. He'll have more chances during this trip.

He is sure that after he approached her, her anger may flare up. Sure, he can dodge all of her attacks, but it may involve the Adventurer in their surrounding.

Klein doesn't want to leave a bad impression to his future companions. He doesn't want to be seen as a troublemaker.

"Newbie, you're here."

'Looks like I'm not the last one to arrive,' Klein thought in consolation before he looked back to see who called him.

He saw a familiar face.

His name is Eric Leaf. Klein became his acquaintance after he tried tracking the pickpockets who stole his money.

Because he isekaid, Klein still has the mentality that the world revolves around him. And with that frame of mind, he thought that the incident of losing his money is a plot progression. He needs to follow the plot to get the rewards at the end.

Klein pictured that the pickpocket who stole from him is a beautiful female thief. And she is a part of his capture targets, a part of his would be harem.

Klein can't help but salivate at the image that formed on his mind. Her long and flexible legs that tell untold possibilities. Her leather outfit that fit snugly over her toned sexy body. And her sadistic expression as she brandished her whip.

In short, Klein is fantasizing about this world's version of Catwoman.

While indulging in his fantasy, he set out to catch his adorable cat burglar. Of course, he started by tracking the most famous thief. A no named thief is not enough of a match for a protagonist. It doesn't follow the template.

But Klein's fantasy crumbled when he finally caught up to Leans City's most famous thief. It is because the thief is not a she but a he. He wasn't even the one who stole Klein's money.

Though his greatest disappointment didn't come from both of this reason. But because the 'most famous thief' is not even a thief. He is a grave robber.

And this Grave robber is Eric Leaf. You can't help but hate him because of his occupation. He doesn't steal from the living, but he does sure steal from the dead.

No wonder why the citizens hate him. Even calling him a thief on his face.

And after thinking about it, he stopped cursing those aunties that gave him false information.

Though because of this, Klein became acquainted with another NPC, Eric.

And with his help, Klein managed to find the true culprit. It is a scrawny beggar that is young enough that his age isn't even in the two digits.

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But what makes Klein feel really helpless is that these kids are run by a syndicate.

He can't get his money back.

What can he do? He's too weak.

Destroy the syndicate? Sorry, his strength is only five. His two abilities are basically curses. Weak essence is useless against a person. And Weak Point is useless against a group fight.

Beat the kids up to alleviate his anger? Sorry, even though the kids are only NPCs, he can't do that. Klein may be shameless but he still have his humanity.

So he left the syndicate alone for now. But being left alone is not the same as forgetting. Someday, he'll crush that syndicate who dare to steal from the protagonist.

But back to the present...

Klein was surprised that Eric is a part of this group. He has no fighting ability. In fact, he is even weaker than Klein.

"Old man Hus must really like you. Huh," Eric said with a hint of envy. "He even save you a spot for this high paying job."

"Nah. I'm the guide. I'm supposed to lead the way."

"Hmmm.. that does make sense. Wait, it means that you're the one who found the site. You must be really lucky. I heard the pay was quite high. Come on, when will you treat your old pal."

"Depends... Tell me about them first," Klein said as he signals his head toward their other companions.

As a thief with no fighting ability, Eric is quite knowledgeable. He practice the art of prudence. He should be careful in his action because he didn't want to offend the wrong people.

"All of them?"

"Yah. All of them. Start with that guy on the tree."

"Hmmm... What an odd group?" Eric mumbled to himself after assessing everyone.

"He's Lasgole. He can be considered the best hunter here in Leans. Nobody can match his skills with a bow"

"That's somewhat assuring," Klein nodded. Even though Klein is a safe from Beast agro, having a strong companion is a plus.

"But he's someone you don't want to befriend. Not at all!" At Klein's look of inquisition, Eric continued. "He's a sexual deviant. He likes to grope girls without permission. The barmaids, the waitresses, the florist, a girl walking down the street, nobody is exempted."

"Really, if he was really horny, why not go to a brothel."

"Hahahha, that's the thing. He is banned from the brothels because of unpaid tabs."

"You said that he's the best hunter. How come he doesn't have any money?"

"You're too naive in your thinking Klein. Those girls that he groped have husbands, fathers, brothers or sons. He may be good with a bow but he can't deal with an angry mob. His earnings are used to appease them. Though, they only accept the money after giving Lasgole a good beating. Some even think that some girls purposely bait their bodies. You know, easy money."

"A pitiful guy."

"Yah, a really pitiful guy."

Klein really pity that guy. If you wanted to be a pervert at least do it in private. Even Klein knows that a pervert should appear gentlemanly on the outside.

"Next, tell me about him." Klein said pointing at the guy doing one handed push-ups. Klein can barely continue looking at him.

He does believe that being fit and muscular is a good trait to have as a man. But there are limits.

The man doing the push ups has bulging muscles that looks like it may burst any minute now.

"Oh, muscle freak is also here. His name is Saita. He believes that the human body is the ultimate weapon that God have bestowed in the world. Swords, spears maces, those manmade weapons are just cheap tricks. Following this belief, he does 1000 push-ups, 1000 sit ups, 1000 squats and a 100KM run everyday."

"That's harsh man. Giving someone a nickname like that. Really, Muscle freak?"

"Wowowo, I'm not the one who coined that term. Everybody calls him that. It wouldn't be a problem if he kept that belief to himself. The problem? It wasn't below him to use force and threaten people in doing his extreme training regime with him. Rumor has it, someone even died of exhaustion. Worst of all, Saita would sometimes parade the streets naked, displaying his 'Perfect Body' . Fuck... my eyes... Why would you make me relieve that?"

"Fuck you. Nobody told you to. Why would you implant that kind of image in my head?"

Eric and Klein spent a few seconds trying to erase that image in their memory before continuing.

"As for those two, they're your mortal enemy. The older one is Togu while the younger is Guro. They're the enforcers of the syndicate who controls those kids that stole your money."

"Really?" Klein asked as he rubbed his palms delightfully.

'I can finally have my revenge. This must be a side quest generated by the system. Hehe... It wasn't strange if someone was to vanish deep into the forest, never to be seen again.'

"That guy inspecting his sword is Kruce. I don't really have much information on him. All I know is that he came from the Capital. He must be a drop out. He's also a trouble maker having been involved in quite a few brawl."

"Yes, Kruce. I know him."

"As for those three over there, I don't really know them. But I'm sure that they are part of the Axe gang."

'Axe gang? Haven't they been already decimated by St*phen Ch*w? No name? I'll just call them Ed, Edd and Eddy then.' Klein thought to himself.

"Really, what an odd group." Eric repeated, voicing his opinions. "It's as if someone gathered all the troublemakers here."

"Suspicious, suspicious. Nobody would care if all of us died in this mission."

Klein and Eric stare at each other seriously. It lasted a few seconds before they both laugh.

" Hahahahha, Klein! I haven't peg you as a conspiracy theorist. Hahahahha"

They both find this conclusion surreal.

For Eric, he doesn't believe in conspiracy. He believes that their odd team composition is a product of coincidence.

And Klein thinks that it is also a coincidence. He has a high favorability with Hus Tomper, the quest giver. He wouldn't include Klein in a quest that is doomed to fail.

"How about our client? Do you know anything about them?" Klein asked.

"Nothing really. All I know is that there are three of them and they are all mage. And they're not Local."

And speak of the devil and they shall come. The three mages arrived covered in dark robes and dark hoods, obscuring their features.