＜Saturday 12:00 noon＞ 'Sigh...' Ethan sighed and started to walk towards the exit of the academy. The past week had been quite stressful for him as he watched the footage of the monsters wreaking havoc after the attack on Nisoriya City. 'How strong those monsters are...even so many hunters can't stop them.' Watching the video, he understood one simple thing. It is a blessing to be a hunter and awaken. He saw those who had not awakened being slaughtered by monsters until the hunters showed up to rescue them. They were powerless and could do nothing in the face of the strong. However, awakening does not mean that hunters are invincible. No, rather, he saw many hunters struggling on the brink of life and death, and at that moment he understood why his father and her brothers and sisters always said that being a hunter is not as easy and cool as it looks. 'Without effort and strength, awakening is meaningless.' He himself had only recently awakened and knew how difficult it was for an ordinary person to fight against those monsters. 'I have to get stronger as soon as possible. I can't stay weak like before.' He wants to help others and clear the dungeons. Just like the father he idolized, he also wants to be a hero. This is one of the reasons why he accepted Emily's request. First, he wanted to accumulate more experience, but he didn't want to ask for help from his family. He wanted to face difficulties independently, which can be said to be his pride as a man. Secondly, he wanted to help the girl. After hearing about Emily's situation, he wanted to help her. This was in his innate character.
Now, he was heading out for his first real dungeon adventure. "Ethan. Where are you going?" Just then, he heard the familiar voice. Lucas saw Ethan walking across the academy grounds and called out to him. "I have some things to do," Ethan replied. "Ah... is it about that dungeon? Hey hey... are you invited?" Lucas teased with a naughty smile. "Tsk, shut up," Ethan muttered, obviously not wanting to be amused. "Okay, okay. Then when will you come back?" Lucas asked sincerely. "I don't know, maybe at night?" Ethan replied, his mind still on the upcoming dungeon exploration with Emily. "I see. Let's get together later then. It's been a while since we've hung out together. I want to date some girls," Lucas suggested, nudging Ethan gently. Ethan hesitated. "You know I don't like going out with girls." "Come on, give it a try. Enjoy your student days." Lucas persuaded. "Okay, okay, I'll go." Ethan agreed reluctantly. "Pin," Lucas said, sticking out his little finger. Seeing his friend acting like a child, Ethan couldn't help but shake his head. Lucas was always like this, but he was also happy that Lucas was like this. Ethan sighed and linked his pinky finger with Lucas's. "I can't promise. You know the situation in the dungeon is unpredictable." Lucas smiled. "Well... then call me when you need help." Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Do you think I'll need your help?" Lucas smirked. "You bastard, have you forgotten that you awakened later than us? Do you want me to beat you up?" Ethan rolled his eyes but couldn't help but smile. "Oh... okay, I'll call you if I need anything." "Then I'll wait for your call."
With that, Lucas waved and left, and Ethan continued on his way to the meeting point for the dungeon exploration. When he arrived at the designated location, he saw Emily and other members of the expedition. "Ah, Ethan. You're here." Seeing Ethan coming, Emily immediately walked over and greeted him with a smile. At this moment, he was in a guild building, but Ethan could see that it was very different from his family's guild. The level difference can be seen from the design and style alone. Although this guild hall looks a bit shabby, Ethan can see the determination and hope in Emily's eyes. "We're waiting for the last member to arrive, and then we can set off." Just as Emily was about to speak, she suddenly saw the person they had been waiting for. "Ah, there he is," she said, turning her gaze to the newcomer, who they saw approaching - black pants, black T-shirt, and a hooded jacket on his head. "Morse?" And those cold purple eyes. ...... After receiving the message from the Azure Crown Guild, I immediately began to prepare. From what I have read, and I don't have any experience as a hunter, they presumably waited for the others. But from the beginning, I knew that this position would be vacant. Because in the game, there was no archer in the team, and the healer was the demon contractor. So, I was prepared a long time ago. 'Silencer.' The first was to get a custom silencer for my gun. Because this was not a branded product but custom made by a blacksmith, the silencer needed to be specially made, which took some time. 'A bunch of potions, antidotes, and light bullets.' All three are necessary for the upcoming expedition. 'It ended up being a month's worth of food and water, good tents, and plenty of bullets.' These items nearly fill up my space bracelet, but they are all necessary. After everything was ready, I headed to the meeting place. Since the address had been sent to me by them, it was not difficult to find the place. Then, I got here. "Morse?" I arrived at my destination in front of the protagonist who looked a little stupid and the girl with a slightly contemptuous expression on her face. "I thought it was someone else, but it was you?" Emily said, looking over me. "......" I didn't respond, ignoring her contempt. This was what I expected. If I were her, I would also be a little angry. After all, the weakest student actually participated in the dungeon exploration that determined the future of her guild. "Ah... sorry, I've been a little stressed lately." Realizing that randomly provoking me would obviously be a wrong move, Emily sighed and apologized. 'She's clearly cut out to be a leader. ' Comparing her reaction with the other girl's, I could clearly see the difference between them.
"Come on, let's start making a plan." Emily motioned for us to follow her into the guild hall. The scene in front of us was exactly the same as in the game. At first, the place was obviously shabby, which was more due to their limited budget. 'However, this will change in the future.' I remember that this place would change dramatically in two years, which also shows their potential. Emily led us into a room to discuss strategy for our dungeon crawler. Squeak As the door opened, four people were revealed in the room, three women and one man. The woman standing in the front immediately walked towards us, looking at us with a sharp gaze. 'Anya Guzman.' I immediately thought of how she looked in the game. "Wow, you're so handsome." She would say this as soon as she saw the player. Considering Ethan's appearance, this was normal. After all, if he wanted, he could become a model and live a life of ease and comfort. "……Thanks?" Ethan was obviously confused by the woman's sudden behavior. 'Indeed, he behaved the same way in the game, because that's who he is. Bang "Hey...Sister Anya, calm down. We are not here to play." Emily patted Anya's head and turned her gaze to the other people in the room. "He's Ethan, the one I told you about before. And, this is Morse, the archer of our team." "Well... this one is not bad either." Anya said, and walked towards me. But before she could get to me, she was patted on the head again. "Didn't I just say that?" "Okay, okay." After introducing us, Emily wasted no time in motioning us to sit at the table. "Don't be so stiff... here are the remaining team members." She waved her hand, pointing to the other people in the room, who then began introducing themselves one by one. "I'm Faye Barnes. Nice to meet you." "Harry Fulton, nice to meet you." Watching the others wave, Ethan smiled back and glanced at me with curiosity in his eyes. It seemed like he was wondering why I was here, but he might be able to come up with the answer himself. With that, we walked over to the other two people sitting in chairs. Thinking of this, I began to look at the people here. Thinking back to this incident in the game, I remembered their names. 'Faye Barnes. She's 18, with an uncertain future. She's a swordsman, the vanguard of the squad. She wields a greatsword, a strange choice for someone so petite.'
I thought as I observed her physical features. She was a petite girl with a pink bob, purple eyes, but she was very muscular. At least more muscular than me. In the game, her future is unclear, as she cannot progress further as a hunter and will ultimately remain where she is. Then I turned to the next person. 'Harry Fulton. She is 19 years old. She is a self-taught hunter and has never attended any academy. As a self-taught hunter, she is very talented with dual scimitars. She has a moderate affinity for fire attributes, and she is also proficient in fire magic. She joined this guild a year ago.' She has long blond hair, ocean-clear blue eyes, and a slender figure. She is beautiful, but not as beautiful as the rest of the main cast. The third one is our captain. 'Anya Guzman. She's 20 years old. However, she had a strange disease and she started training late. She graduated from a small hunter academy two years ago and has been working for the Azure Crown Guild ever since. She's a hunter who uses a spear and a shield, and she's also an earth magician, so she'll be the tank for our team.' I pondered in my mind as I observed her figure. 'Her body has adapted to wielding a shield. The muscles in her back and core are well developed, but her legs are her strongest parts. The scars on her body show that she enjoys her work as a hunter.' As I thought about this, my eyes fell on her slightly opened top. Her muscles and strong body could be seen from her exposed tanned skin. Coupled with her brown hair and brown eyes, she exuded a strange temperament that reminded me of some race full of warrior women in the past. Finally, there was the dark-haired young man standing at the back. He had a friendly and easygoing expression on his face, but it couldn't hide the unusual aura around him. 'Fred Nelson. AKA "The Man with a Thousand Faces."' He is the target of my expedition today.