It wasn’t like Aidan didn’t know what he was putting himself through when Nina suddenly demanded he fight against three veterans out of nowhere. In one way or another, this was a good way to test just how far he had gotten ever since he focused on training himself for the battles to come.
And in another sense, he was also looking forward to how he could match against higher-level veterans. Perhaps it was his ego boosted by his powerful magic and talent, but he grew to like the idea of fighting with his various abilities.
Boy, did he receive a wake-up call.
That little stunt the blond-haired girl pulled nearly killed him right then and there. He had never expected anyone to have a tool that could actually cancel magic. Or at least active magic that wouldn’t work for a short while.
It was just a short span of time, but during his time battling against the veterans, even just a single second could be fatal if he wasn’t careful. That was just how fast the battle was going, especially against that white-haired kid that almost decked him good.
He definitely knew that the kid had a talent, the kind that focused on manipulating lightning or perhaps even generating the magic itself. He wasn’t sure which one it was, but it felt almost precise and focused rather than explosive and dangerous.
Judging by how the white-haired managed to fight with his sword, Aidan ventured that he had a Warrior Class, his stats leaning towards a more physically agile build. What truly made him shine was the lightning coating his body, making it nearly impossible to deal physical damage without suffering some kind of push-back.
He also knew how to deal with mages from a distance, using his increased speed thanks to the lightning attribute making him as fast as… well, lightning. The only reason he was able to keep up with the kid at all was only due to his soul, which sang in a way that made Aidan rock to his very core. It was destructive and heart-pounding, making rhythmic tones that helped Aidan figure out where and when he would strike.
He could only match it thanks to his Sense Vibrations being at Steel rank, the highest ranking he had alongside Craft.
He was even using Craft to disrupt the kid’s movements, but he recovered too quickly and realized how he was fighting, as if the kid’s own senses were sharpened by lightning. He knew that the human brain usually sends out bioelectricity across the nerves or something, so perhaps the kid’s talent made it so that his senses were sharper and were able to react quickly.
So when that blond-haired girl took away his major spells, including Craft, Infuse, and Phase, he thought he was done for. Thankfully, he had Vanish on hand and managed to get away, which was also thanks to the cloak he had that made his Agility score jump ahead to reach the same score as his Intelligence.
Fast enough to get away, and stealthy enough to get past the party and keep himself out of harm’s way. He realized then that his other spells that he wasn’t using were still active, so he kept using Rend to keep the party separated as he made his plan.
Once his spells recovered from the strange item’s influence, he quickly took down the male veterans, even having to pin down the kid with swords just to keep him occupied so that he could take out the girl. He noticed how she was planning on pulling something else out of the bag, and Aidan wasn’t having it.
He wasn’t really planning on killing them. Not really. But his do-or-die mindset forced him to keep fighting. It was possible that they could kill him, so he refused to back down. He was thankful that Nina wasn’t the sort to just outright kill people just because they pissed her off.
No, instead, she was the sort to push them into signing away their livelihoods and acting as slaves under her authority. Surely, a much better outcome.
Jokes aside, the contract was a little different compared to the ones given to him and Haley. It was essentially an agreement to hire contractors for the sole purpose of defending the city rather than directly being under Nina’s authority. If the contract given to Aidan and Haley were to make them servants for her, then the contract for the Wise Guys would be to make them servants for the city. There were still some clauses, such as always deferring to Nina whenever something happens to the city itself, but it wasn’t nearly as constricting.
Since she had bad luck recruiting the people she knew from the underworld of Forontia for the sake of fighting the demonic threat coming for the city, she decided to have this party known as the Wise Guys (a pretty funny name in Aidan’s opinion) to work for the sake of the city instead. Of course, that meant explaining to them exactly what was gonna happen to Forontia in who knows when, making them ask all sorts of questions.
“How exactly do you know when this is coming?” The blond-haired girl, Nicky, asked. She wasn’t exactly in a great mood ever since signing the contract, her tone sharp and almost condescending. “I can’t exactly believe you without solid proof.”
“Yeah, this is starting to sound a little sketchy,” Bill, the masked crossbow user, asked.
The white-haired kid, Ander, kept silent. According to his soul, he really wasn’t all that surprised, or even upset about their party signing a contract against their will. It was actually singing a very calm and peaceful tone, as if ready to go to sleep at any time.
Dude’s made of fucking steel, Aidan thought, just utterly impressed. He only locked in when he was fighting, making Aidan want to fight him again somehow.
That was the first time Aidan ever felt like fighting again. Rather than getting afraid, he wanted to learn more about how to fight with his sword like Ander did. It was clear that he had a lot of experience fighting difficult battles compared to Van, and his ability to use his talent along with his techniques made him want to study how other people with talents use them in combat.
“You can believe me or not, but it is the truth,” Nina simply said. “If you don’t, just remember that Aidan is the one who saw a vision about the attack coming. If you have any complaints, throw them at him.”
The moment she said that, the party grew quiet in response. Aidan could tell that their souls reacted pretty well from her words, becoming almost hesitant and now fearful of what was to come. Aidan wasn’t sure how to feel about being used as the stick before the carrot, but Nina knew what she was doing, and since all she wanted to do was to protect the city, he was more than willing to become the boogeyman to scare them into helping.
“...How strong is this cursed demon?”
For once, Ander spoke up, his eyes showing keen interest. His soul rose in anticipation despite his cool demeanor, making Aidan want to respect him more.
“Strong enough that I’m nowhere near ready to fight it yet,” Aidan answered instead. “That’s why I came here to level up and get stronger.”
“Even you?” Ander asked, getting Aidan to nod. “Damn. That does sound pretty bad. Is there anyone else that’s joining the defense?”
“Unfortunately, only you three are involved, including everyone else here,” Nina answered, pointing at herself, Aidan, and the two siblings had come in beside him.
Once the battle was clearly over, Van and Haley approached their side now that the veterans were under Nina’s control. Van had that complicated look on his face while Haley looked almost guilty from being a part of this. Aidan wanted to assure them, but he didn’t want to show anything to the party yet.
“...Not exactly an impressive lineup,” Ander answered honestly. “Except for you, of course.”
“They’re mostly here for emotional support,” Aidan joked.
“Gee, thanks,” Van muttered.
“You know I say it out of love,” Aidan smirked. “That includes you too.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Haley smirked. “You’re kinda right, though. I’m nowhere near fighting ready. And after what I just saw, I know I’m just gonna get in the way.”
“Then why are you here then?” Bill asked, pointing at her. “No offense to you, girly, but you don’t strike me as someone who’s prepped for dungeon exploration.”
“She has a rare talent that lets her seek out treasures,” Nina said, stumping both siblings and Aidan from the reveal. The Wise Guys all looked at her in shock as she continued. “She’s here because she can sense rare treasures, and we brought her along to basically loot the entire dungeon while we’re here.”
“Wait, you’re serious?” Nicky asked. Her soul nearly screamed in greed as her eyes lit up.
“Nina…” Van growled, staring daggers at her. “What are you doing?”
“Hold on, Van,” Nina said, facing him. “As long as they’re under my command, they won’t do a thing to her. It’s better to have more capable bodyguards defending your sister rather than just leaving it to you and Aidan, wouldn’t you agree?”
“...I mean, I guess,” Van instantly cooled down after hearing Nina’s proposal. Even Aidan had to agree that it sounded like a good argument.
They were resourceful, and seeing that they were on the third floor of the Crystalfang Dungeon guarded by a notorious criminal gang, they clearly had the connections and resources to keep going into dangerous locations and come out unharmed. With them, protecting Haley from outside threats was getting easier by the minute.
“And you’re willing to share the treasures you find with us if we help you protect her?” Nicky asked, pointing her devilish looking eyes at Nina.
“If we find anything worthwhile, maybe,” Nina teased. “But the thing is, we’re under a time limit. We don’t exactly know when the attack would come, and I’m afraid I can’t let Aidan here keep checking the place while looking for treasures at the same time. So how about this? We separate from here, leaving Aidan alone while the rest of us focus on finding treasures. Once we loot the entire floor, we’ll go to the next one together and have Aidan clear out any monsters. Once he clears it and gets some experience, we’ll repeat the process. Any proceeds we find, we’ll discuss and then hand out according to our specific needs. That should be a decent deal for us, right?”
Aidan kept quiet as the mood turned silent, the Wise Guys looking back at each other during the silence. It was clear they were practically speaking with their eyes in that moment, while Van and Haley instead looked over to Aidan.
“Hey, are you okay with that?” Haley whispered. “Leaving you alone?”
“That’s what I was intending to do at some point,” Aidan answered truthfully. “Honestly though, finding treasures that could make us stronger sounds better than just helping me get experience points. And with these guys, you wouldn’t have to worry about anything attacking you.”
It sounded more and more like a good idea in Aidan’s head. Nina was clearly going for Aidan having the most experience gain while his party focused on gathering resources without the worry of monsters coming after them. Since Aidan can technically lock down a floor if he focused hard enough, he could easily make way for his party to go around unhindered.
Eventually Nicky asked for a short meeting with her party which Nina graciously allowed. After a short moment of discussion, their souls reverberating in unison as the moments passed, the party came to a conclusion as Nicky approached Nina.
“Alright, we have a deal. Not like we got much other choice, but we can work with it,” Nicky said, pulling her hand out.
“I’m more than pleased to work with understanding adventurers who have high value,” Nina said, putting her hand on Nicky’s. “It’s only natural to reward than to punish.”
After shaking hands, it was decided. Aidan said his goodbyes to Haley and Van, wishing them well and promising them that no matter what happens, his swords would always be there to check up on them. That was more than enough for Van, but Haley still seemed hesitant on leaving Aidan alone.
“Don’t worry, Haley,” Nina said, coming up to her. “You’ve seen how he fought. I would be surprised if he couldn’t at least get himself out in time.”
“...Yeah, you’re right,” Haley nodded. “Just be careful, okay, Aidan? You can be as badass all you want. I just want you to stay alive to enjoy it all.”
“Thanks Haley,” Aidan said, genuinely glad to hear that.
With that, the party separated, leaving Aidan alone. Finding himself in his lonesome, he realized that he wasn’t actually alone.
With his speed and using Craft, he could easily head straight to his party as he could just sense where they were with Sense Vibrations. It was no wonder Nina had no worries leaving him alone. However, it wasn’t as if she fully planned on just leaving him with nothing. Before they separated, she handed him a device that might as well be like a pager in his old world.
It was a cube that could fit between his fingers, with small intricate markings that glowed faintly if he looked hard enough. Scanning it proved that it was a valuable device that only Nina would have on hand.
Long Distance Communi-Cube (Rare)
A small cube made with rare alloy enchanted with precise sound-based location magic. It sends a ping strong enough to travel hundreds of kilometers to its available twin, sending a ping back to the source to communicate between the individuals who carry them. Requires a small amount of mana to activate.
Mana Cost: 5
With this, Nina can send a short ping telling him to come to her side in case anything were to happen to the party. He can also do the same, but if he wanted to be with his party, he could just come to them easily.
Everything prepared, Aidan sent his swords out into the air, returning back to his grinding mindset as he could feel the monsters already preparing to spawn back between the pathways. He grinned as he could feel their experience ready to be taken.
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