Soon after finishing their breakfast, Gideon wiped his mouth with a napkin and stood up. "You slow punks are taking too much ti. Do you want to stay up to lunch as well or what?! Hurry up and let’s move."
Nobody dared to refute. All of them began rising from their seats in a hurry. Ronald adjusted the long spear, strapping it to his back. Jessi shoved the last bite of her bread in her mouth and stood up quickly. lissa and Luna followed along.
Gideon’s authority was sothing else. Sotis it wasn’t even intentional but it always felt overbearing due to his size.
He placed a few silver coins on the table to pay for everyone’s al. "Let’s go."
Everyone nodded and followed him out of the tavern.
They exited the hunter guild together while the morning sun was shining softly above their heads.
Logan looked toward the stables. "I’ll get my horse..."
"No need," Gideon cut in. "We’ve got a wagon for our party. Good enough for minimum ten people."
Logan blinked in surprise. "Really?"
"Yeah. Easier to travel together. Saves energy before a raid," Gideon explained.
"Sounds good," Logan nodded.
The group walked together toward the west side of the guild, where several wagons were parked. One of them stood out in the midst of all... sturdy, dark-wood fra with canvas cover and large wheels. Two brown horses were already harnessed to the front.
Ronald climbed up in the front to take the reins, while the others climbed in the back.
Logan stepped up last, taking a seat near the rear, close to the opening so he could see the road behind them.
As the wagon started moving, the wooden wheels creaked slightly, but the motion was smooth. The wind blew gently through the open sides, and the city slowly passed them by.
After a few minutes of silence, Jessi broke it.
"So," she said, turning slightly toward Logan. "Where are you from?"
Logan didn’t answer imdiately. His gaze was fixed on the passing scenery.
"And why the mask?"
At that, everyone turned to him... even Ronald at front tilted his head slightly to listen.
Logan gave a small sigh under his mask. "For personal reasons," he said calmly. "I can’t go into details."
Jessi raised an eyebrow but didn’t push further.
lissa leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "Then at least tell us how you got this strong. Are you really just Tier 1?"
"Actually..." Logan glanced up. "I found out this morning that I’m Tier 2."
Everyone blinked.
"That explains a lot but still doesn’t add up to you being a C-class hunter. How the hell did you get that strong, that people are claiming you to be?" Jessi asked with eagerness.
Only Gideon from this party had watched Logan fight during the hunter test. Others? They only heard from others. First they all thought it was all just rumours. How could a twelve year kid who was only Tier 1 beco a C-class hunter? That wasn’t just shocking, that was totally unheard of.
But then they started hearing news again. The sa kid cleared an E-class dungeon the very next day. Then one more the next day. And it kept coming. In just one week, ten E-class dungeons cleared.
"I trained hard. Every day. Pushed myself. That’s all."
lissa tilted her head, curious. "But why? What are you trying to achieve?"
Logan’s expression softened slightly. "So I can protect those I care about."
Luna was moved hearing those words.
She didn’t say anything, but her cheeks flushed faintly. That answer... it hit sothing deep inside her.
lissa noticed instantly. She leaned in and whispered again, "Yup. Definitely blushing."
Luna shot her a glare. "I’m not!"
Gideon cleared his throat. "Well," he said, "if we want to work well together, it’s best we know each other’s strengths."
He nodded at Logan. "Since you’re new, let give you a rundown."
He raised a hand. "I’m A-class. Tier 5. Affinities: Fire and Air."
Ronald called from the front, "B-class. Tier 4. Lightning affinity."
lissa raised her hand next. "C-class. Tier 3. Fire and Gravity."
Jessi followed. "B-class. Tier 4. Water."
Finally, Luna hesitated but then said quietly, "E-class. Tier 2. Fire and Lightning."
Everyone looked at Logan now.
He calmly answered, "C-class. Tier 2. Fire and Water."
There was a brief silence.
Jessi muttered, "Tier 2 but C-class... that’s insane."
lissa whispered, "Almost unheard of."
But Logan just smiled politely. "I just trained hard. And got lucky."
No one said anything for a while. But the sa thought echoed in all their minds.
No way that’s all. There’s sothing he’s not saying.
Still, none of them pried. It wasn’t polite. If soone didn’t want to share their secrets, you respected it....especially in the world of hunters.
The wagon rolled along the path out of Solvane, taking them toward the outer forest.
The city slowly faded behind them. Open fields stretched on both sides of the road. Birds chirped. The sky was clear.
About an hour later, trees began lining the road. The start of the forest.
"Almost there," Gideon said.
Soon, they reached a small clearing where a stone marker stood with a faded emblem. A sign that this path led to a dungeon.
"This is it," Gideon said. "Ti to go on foot."
Ronald brought the wagon to a halt and hopped down. Everyone followed.
Logan took in the surroundings....dense trees, light fog in the distance, and an old trail leading deeper into the woods.
They left the wagon secured to a tree and began walking toward the dungeon gate.
No one spoke for a while. Each of them focused on what lay ahead.
It was just a D-class dungeon.
But everyone knew.... no dungeon should be underestimated.
Especially after what kept happening for last few months. Rumours about monsters acting strange. As if suddenly they have started thinking like humans.
Soon they reached in front of the dungeon gate.
The dungeon gate stood tall between the trees, its surface jagged and covered in moss. Faint pulses of blue light ran along the cracked stone, as if the gate itself was breathing. A swirling mist hovered at the entrance, making it impossible to see what lay beyond.
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