Three days passed in a blur.

It was the day of the appointment and Leon and the other members were already waiting in Zone [F].

"So this is the [F] zone?"

Evelyn looked around with wide eyes. In their view lay a luminescent forest, emitting a deep blue glow that starkly contrasted with the dull grayness of the surrounding world. In a sense, it added to the ominousness of the area.

Bordering next to the Yellow Region, it was the most dangerous Zone within the Black Region.

Leon looked around before turning back to look at the others.

"Be careful. Do not stray too far. I can sense multiple strong presences deep within."

"Your senses are that sharp?"

Aoife asked while she leaned on a nearby tree. She closed her eyes and tried to sense her surroundings, but after a while frowned and shook her head.

".....I can't sense anything."

"I'm a knight. That's why."

"I am too."

Aoife didn't seem to be satisfied with the answer but left it there.

There was a fundamental difference between those that belonged to the [Body] category and those that belonged to the [Mind] and [Elemental] category.

To be classified as a knight, one had to belong to the [Body] category which focused on enhancing the human body.

Aoife was proficient in both [Mind] and [Body]. However, unlike him, she focused most of her attention on [Telekinesis] which belonged to the [Mind] category.

It was understandable that his senses were sharper than hers.

After all, his only talents lay in the [Body] category.

"Isn't he late? How much longer are we supposed to wait for him?"

A voice suddenly broke Leon out of his thoughts. When he looked back, Wesley, who was similarly leaning against a nearby tree, frowned.

"It's been an hour since we arrived here and he's still not here. Are we sure he's coming?"

Leon frowned but still answered.

".....He should be coming."

"Uh, well, if you say so."

Leon thought he'd leave it at that, but he suddenly continued.

"You don't think anything happened to him on the way?"

"....."

"I mean, he did go by himself. And like I said, he's not very strong. It wouldn't be out of the question."

"...."

"What if he got hurt and can't make it? How much longer should we wait for?"

'He talks too much.'

It was starting to become more and more apparent to Leon. This hadn't been the first remark he had made toward Julien.

For the past three days, he had been throwing random jabs at him.

Nobody said a thing considering that they were a group and none of the group members had anything to say about him.

But...

It was starting to grow on Leon's nerves.

"You, c"

Rustle

A gentle rustle halted Leon mid-sentence as he turned his head in the direction of where the sound came from.

Then, a figure slowly emerged from the other side of the trees.

"This..."

"Ah."

The moment he appeared, the expressions of all those present changed. This was especially so for Wesley who couldn't help but cover his mouth.

"Pftt. "

***

A weird mixture of expressions greeted my sight the moment I managed to clear the forest and arrive at the meeting area.

I couldn't blame them.

While I wasn't injured, my clothes were a mess with tears all over the place. Dry blood stained my attire, adding to the disarray.

I had been so immersed in my training that I had almost forgotten about the meeting.

Thankfully, I managed to make it in time.

"Pftt."

A certain sound caught my attention and when I looked up, I found someone staring at with me a look of mockery.

'Who is this guy?'

With long black hair, hazel eyes, and handsome features, he appeared somewhat familiar, but I couldn't quite put it where.

"You're here."

My attention shifted away when I noticed Leon approach me.

He sported a small frown on his face but didn't say anything about my clothing and started to brief me on the situation.

"Near here there's a Nyxfernal nest."

I raised my brow.

'Nyxfernal nest?'

Having studied the books before coming here, I was well learned on Nyxfernals. They were an underground creature that loved to dig tunnels. Highly toxic, and nimble with sharp claws, they were monsters that the Academy recommended avoiding.

....So why was he telling me this?

"I've already scouted the area beforehand, and there's only one Junior ranked one. The rest are infant ranked."

"And?"

"Within the nest, there is a handful of Lumicore Fungi."

"Ah."

"It may not be useful for you, but it can fetch a high price if you were to sell it on the market. If you help us, we will give you a share of the gains."

"...."

I didn't answer immediately. Staring into Leon's eyes for a brief moment, I proceeded to lower my head.

Lumicore Fungi. I knew about them. They weren't exactly useful for me. They were resources more fit for those who practiced the [Body] category.

However, that didn't mean they were worthless.

No, rather, they were worth a lot of money. I wasn't sure exactly how much, but each gram was worth at least multiple dozen Rend.

I was in desperate need of money.

To become stronger faster, I needed more resources. Money was the key to gaining access to such resources.

I had no other choice but to accept.

And when my thoughts paused there, I looked up to Leon and nodded.

"Alright. I'll accept."

Just briefly, I noticed Leon's lips pull up slightly. But it left as fast as it came, and I had a hard time figuring out whether I had seen it wrongly or not.

In the end, I let it be.

"....Get ready. We will be leaving soon."

*

Located deep into the [F] Zone was a certain web of tunnels that one could enter from a few spots above.

Somewhat familiar with the area, Leon guided us toward a dark cave that one couldn't see the end of.

"Is this the place?"

Luxon glanced around with a frown.

"Do we have some light? Or do you-"

"There's no need."

Leon casually looked back before stepping in.

"You'll see once we reach deeper inside."

"Uh..."

His figure disappeared into the cave. Aoife followed right after him. Though confused, Luxon sighed and followed right after. I was just about to follow when someone turned to face me.

He appeared friendly.

"Make sure you stay behind me."

"....?"

"I have no idea why Leon wanted you to come, but..."

He lowered his head to scan my body.

"....I can protect you if you stay behind me. Since you seem to be struggling so much, I thought it'd be best if you stayed with me. I'm a sharpshooter so I've got great eyesight."

What is this guy...

"If you stay next to me you won't get in the way of others and might even be able to contribute."

Every word that he spat was spat with a friendly smile, and yet... All I felt was a strange sense of disgust.

I was just about to respond to him when he turned around and entered the cave.

"Just make sure you listen to me. It'll do all of us good."

"...."

I stood in silence for a short moment before lowering my head to stare at my hand.

Struggling?....Might be able to contribute?

This...

"Hah."

I almost laughed.

What sort of situation was this? I wasn't even mad. I was just baffled. He couldn't even hide his own dislike towards me.

I shook my head.

I had thought people would finally leave me alone after what I had done, but there were still a few who were not convinced.

Most likely, he had some basis behind his confidence. Given that I could somewhat recognize him, he must've had some strength to back up his confidence.

Still...

"What a pain."

Just when was it going to be enough?

Scratching the side of my head, I entered the cave and embraced the darkness. I had just taken several steps when I stopped.

The air was thick with the scent of earth and dampness, and the sound of dripping water echoed softly in the distance.

"Hm?"

However, off in the distance I took notice of a strange glow.

I didn't hesitate to follow the light and soon enough I was left shocked by the sight that greeted me. Covering the walls and ceiling of the cave was an unusual blue moss, emitting a soft glow that illuminated the entire cavern.

'Wow.'

It looked like a scene straight out of a movie and I had to take a moment to observe the area.

"Julien."

I only looked away when I felt someone call my name. Looking up, I saw everyone looking at me. I briefly paused my gaze on the black-haired kid before turning it back to Leon who pressed his hand against his mouth and nudged me forward.

"We're near the nest so be careful. If you"

BOOOM!

".....!"

The cavern shook all of a sudden. Unable to keep it steady, I lost my footing and fell against the ground.

I was the only one that fell as almost everyone was able to keep their footing.

"Hiek!"

Someone else did fall on me as my vision was covered by a set of purple hair.

The moment she fell on me, I felt her body turn rigid and our eyes met. I hardly reacted given that I knew that this was an accident, but she didn't think so as her eyes darted all over the place but me.

Then, just as she was about to say something, I caught sight of a massive figure headed in our direction from the distance and I pushed her off of me.

"....!"

A tremendous pressure that made it hard to breathe emitted from the creature's body as I tried to get my bearings.

Just as I was about to move forward, a hand pushed me back.

"Don't interfere."

"Get ready!"

Leon's voice reached me shortly after. With his glowing sword, he pushed his feet forward and dashed forward.

His figure blurred forward as it headed toward the distant creature. Following him right behind was Aoife who was just a tad bit slower.

The others also got into position as they readied themselves to face the creature.

I was the only one who did nothing as I met a pair of hazel eyes.

"We discussed it before, right? Stay with me so that we don't interfere with them."

"...."

Just then, I deeply stared into his eyes. He met them back. As if he was trying to challenge me. However... that didn't last for long.

He soon started to grow uncomfortable with my gaze. So much that his eyes started to dart away from me.

"...."

I kept at it until he couldn't bear it anymore and finally looked away.

I knew then the reasoning behind his attitude.

.....He was afraid of me.