Aside from being discovered by Lawrence, Silver Faceâs plan to leave Dream Maker to go north had gone unnoticed.
Before they set off, they made sure all their equipment was in good condition. They would be traveling by hang glider and on foot. Hikaru had confirmed the value of hang gliders, so he trained Lavia and Paula how to fly back in Vireocean.
Since the two of them had stealth-type set of stats as well, flying in the air would not be a problem. However, reckless movement could lead to serious injury, so they would be moving safely.
I feel like we should put more points on Stealth, but better save points for now. Thereâs a chance we run into some special kind of magical interference or even poison. If that happens, I gotta use the points to counter their effects.
ăSoul BoardăHikaru
Age: 17 Rank: 55
3
ăVitalityă
ăMagical Poweră
..ăManaă1
ăPhysical Strengthă
..ăStrengthă3
..ăWeapon Masteryă
âŠ.ăThrowingă10 (MAX)
âŠâŠăHeaven Shotă0
ăAgilityă
..ăPower Burstă8
..ăBalanceă1
..ăStealthă
âŠ.ăLife Obfuscationă5 (MAX)
âŠ.ăMana Obfuscationă5 (MAX)
âŠ.ăImperceptibilityă5 (MAX)
âŠâŠăAssassinationă3 (MAX)
âŠâŠ..ăSnipeă3 (MAX)
âŠâŠăGroup Obfuscationă5 (MAX)
ăIntuitionă
..ăInstinctă2
..ăDetectionă
âŠ.ăLife Detectionă1
âŠ.ăMana Detectionă5 (MAX)
âŠâŠăDetection Expansionă3 (MAX)
ăSoul BoardăLavia
Age: 16 Rank: 35
6
ăVitalityă
..ăStaminaă3
ăMagical Poweră
..ăManaă15
âŠ.ăMagic Principleă2
..ăSpirit Affinityă
âŠ.ăFireă6
âŠ.ăMagic Creationă1
ăAgilityă
..ăStealthă
âŠ.ăLife Obfuscationă3
âŠ.ăMana Obfuscationă3
âŠ.ăImperceptibilityă3
âŠâŠăGroup Obfuscationă3
ăSoul BoardăPaula Nohra
Age: 19 Rank: 22
8
ăMagical Poweră
..ăManaă7
âŠăMagic Principleă1
ăAgilityă
..ăStealthă
âŠ.ăLife Obfuscationă2
âŠ.ăMana Obfuscationă2
âŠ.ăImperceptibilityă2
ăWillpoweră
..ăFaithă
âŠ.ăHolyă4
âŠâŠăHealing Magică8
âŠâŠăSupport Magică1
While Hikaruâs rank had remained the same, Lavia and Paulaâs ranks had gone up by 1 and 3, respectively, after killing monsters back in Vireocean.
As Hikaru expected, it wasnât easy to increase ranks when youâre over 50. Of course, he could grind up a lot faster if he killed monsters all day every day.
Hikaru set his guild card job class to Greater Angel and equipped five classes. He found that he had two new classes since the last he checked.
ăServant of Light God: Light Bringeră4
ăDragon Exorcism God: Slayer of Evilă4
When he discovered them, he let out a groan. The classes probably appeared when he was in Dream Maker months ago. The âservantâ one bugged him.
This sounds like Iâm being employed to work for the good of the world.
Hikaru had no plans to do that at all. He slayed dragons of his own free will. So he ignored Light Bringer. In the end he chose:
ăHigher Class Heavenâs Messenger: Greater Angelă5
ăStealth God: Darkness Wandereră2
ăThrowing God: Deadshotă2
ăWide Area Detection God: Grand Sonară4
ăWoods Strolling God: Forest Walkeră4
ăDragon Exorcism God: Slayer of Evilă4
Lavia and Paula set their classes ăFlame Spirit God: Flame Magusă4Â andăHealing Magic God: Extra Healeră3Â respectively.
Lavia seemed like she would get a three-character class if her Fire stat was raised, but since she boasted immense power at this point, Hikaru decided to save her points for now in case of an emergency. He was worried that she didnât have any points on Immunity stats.
As for Paula, Hikaru would have to spend points in unlocking her Vitality board, which he felt was a waste of points. While he only had three points available, he was more worried about the others. He also thought that with Paulaâs Healing Magic, they could overcome any ordeal.
Healing magic wasnât as potent in neutralizing poison as it was in mending external wounds. It was even less effective in curing diseases. If any of them was rendered unable to fight, they would have to retreat.
Since Paula was basically their lifeline, Hikaru decided that the Healing magic stored in his bullets should be used for her.
ăThe revolverâs not looking too goodâŠă
The gunâs barrel was not in good shape after excessive use.
I gotta be more careful in using it, Hikaru thought. It could break at any moment.
In that sense, it was the right call to bring Lavia with him. If the revolver stopped working, he wouldnât be able to kill hordes of monsters. Lavia herself could kill them as long as she had manaâand her mana replenishes as well.
Slaying the evil drakon was their objective this time. They would essentially be ignoring monsters along the way.
ăLavia, Paula, are you ready?ă
ăYeah.ă
ăYup! All good to go!ă
At dawn, Hikaru and the girls stood on the ramparts. The wind blowing from the east would pose no problems for flight. Paulaâs bodyguards watched from below as Hikaruâs party spread their gliders.
ăWeâre leaving. Iâm counting on you!ă
ăUnderstood!ă
Galixon brought his fist to his chest as a salute, and the rest of the squad followed suit.
ăAll right, then. Letâs go.ăHikaru said and jumped from the wall first.
Lavia and Paula followed. Their figures seemed to blend in with the background. If you lose focus for even a moment, youâd lose sight of them for sure. They had activated their Stealth.
Likewise, Hikaru had also activated his Stealth, so Lavia and Paula couldnât see him. He couldnât directly see the girls either, but with his maxed-out Mana Detection, he knew their exact location. Because they couldnât see each other, they had to designate a landing spot in advance.
ăPaulaâs good.ă
When Paula first started practicing hang gliding, Hikaru found out she had the knack for it, much to his surprise. She made remarkable progress because of her interest in flying. Lavia had a fear of heights, so her flying style was somewhat awkward.
The forest looked majestic under the light of the morning sun. It was hard to believe that monsters tainted by evil lurked down there.
ăThings should go back to normal if we kill the root of it all⊠I think.ă
The question was: could he defeat the drakon? Hikaru believed he could, considering he was able to take down the Gray Noble Drakon, but what if the Evil Drakon was far more powerful?
ăIâll just have to do what I can.ă
As they headed for their first landing spot, Hikaru put an end to his doubts.
The three of them disappeared, quite literally. Galixon had his eyes on the walls.
ăAnd off they go.ăa member of the bodyguards said.
ăYeah. I really wanted us to protect the Goddess, but nothing we can do about it now. Weâll just have to do what we can.ă
The elite bodyguards fell in line and returned to the city. They, too, were getting ready, with plans to scout the nearby Roots and take out the monsters in the vicinity. They werenât going to destroy the Roots themselves, so as to not mess with the armyâs share of the dragon stones.
Galixon frowned. It was early dawn, yet there were a few soldiers outside the headquarters of the Allied Forces, the doors left open. With a large conference room for holding consultations, representatives from each country visited the place day and night. It was also where Dream Makerâs central government office was located.
ăOut of the way! The Vice Commanderâs carriage is here!ă
Hooves rumbled in the distance, and a carriage arrived. There were sounds of multiple footsteps. Many people were coming to the headquarters.
Sensing that something was up, Galixon and his comrades made their way to the headquarters. Since they were treated as adventurers, they couldnât enter, but staying outside was fine. There he heard some words he wasnât completely familiar with.
ăMy lordâŠă
It wasnât too difficult to understand. No doubt that there was an emergency at hand.
ăIs it true that monsters took over Lands Harvest?ă
ăSounds like it. Then again, no oneâs there, so I guess itâs not really that hard to believe.ă
ăI heard giants as big as mountains appeared.ă
Hikaru said the enemy would send Yamamanekis if they wanted to launch a full-scale attack. It was clear that they wished to crush humanity.
ăWeâre leaving right away to destroy Roots.ăGalixon said.
ăAre you serious, Captain? If the enemyâs coming for us, weâd better fortify our defensesâŠă
ăYouâre looking at it the wrong way. Itâs easier for the enemy to attack if we concentrate our forces. Weâre gonna go around destroying Roots to divert the the enemyâs forces. The more we destroy, the more the enemyâs forces spread. Thatâs exactly the role weâve been given.ă
ăAre you sure? The armies all want the dragon stonesâŠă
ăAs long as we save Dream Maker from certain downfall, I donât care if they will hate us for it. I donât want to see the Goddess sad.ăThe image of the masked boy flashed in Galixonâs mind. ăBoss. Looks like things are moving faster than you thought.ă