"What? A rank drop?"
"Yes. Due to the failure of your last mission, we've had to remove five of your stars."
Five stars. That's a lot, a punishment heavy enough to make most crack. But I get it. When we fail, civilians die. It's that simple.
"Uh, is there a way I can earn more stars faster?" I ask, even though I know the answer. One star per mission—it'll take forever to catch up to the rest of the party.
"I'm sorry," she says, almost robotic. "But for a Guardian, experience matters more than rank."
She's right. Rank means nothing without the battle-scars to prove it. The less experience I have, the more likely I am to fail again. There's no shortcut. Only one way out—more quests.
The harder the flame hits the iron, the faster it turns to a sword. Not the worst thought.
"Hey, where'd you hear that line?" I mutter to myself.
No time for answers. I turn toward the quest board.
Just one more mission. One more star, and I'll get my Iron badge back.
---
[Bronze-Level Quest] Target: Collect 5 Goblin heads
Max Party: -
Reward: 10 Silver
Time Limit: -
[Bronze-Level Quest] Target: Gather 10 Herbal Plants
Max Party: -
Reward: 80 Bronze
Time Limit: 4 Days
[Bronze-Level Quest] Target: Obtain 20 Slime Essence
Max Party: -
Reward: 1 Silver
Time Limit: -
The only one that'll sharpen my skills fast is the goblin hunt. The others are coin without growth. So I rip the goblin quest from the board and hand it over to the Guild staff.
Verde Forest should have what I'm looking for.
"Ken!"
"Ken!"
I know those voices.
"Lloyd. Seth."
They're still together—the party I remember. I always wondered what they've been up to since the first Demon Wave. I thought they'd be stronger now, chosen as part of the [Hero] party.
"Wait… Ken, what happened to your neck?" Seth points straight at me.
"Ah, uh…"
I touch the side of my neck. There's a burn—hand-shaped. My guess? From Yoren.
"Just something I picked up fighting bandits during an escort mission," I lie, keeping it simple.
"You two alone?"
"Yeah. The others are still busy in the city. Haven't teamed up with them for a while."
Serina and Ash are taking their time. Figures.
"Did you already pick a quest?" Seth asks, eyeing the slip in my hand.
"Yeah, just now." I hand it over.
"Oh, by the way, I haven't seen Lenia. Where is sh—"
Before he finishes, Lloyd covers his mouth.
"Ahaha, wait here a sec, Ken. I need to talk to Seth," Lloyd says, dragging him outside the Guild.
"I forgot to tell you. Don't bring up Lenia around Ken."
"Why not?"
Lloyd explains—Lenia's not part of the party anymore. That came from Ken himself.
"Shit. Then shouldn't we invite him to join us instead?"
And just like that, Lloyd and Seth return, shooting me an offer.
"Ken, let's make a party again."
"What?"
We go to the quest counter and register our team. Despite the difference in our Ranks, we're allowed to form a party. Lloyd and Seth won't get bonus stars from low-level quests, but that doesn't seem to matter to them.
It's been a long time since we fought together, it reminds me of when I first became a [Guardian].
"Why are you two doing this? You won't get anything out of it."
"Because it's about time we did quests together again. Besides—" Lloyd nods toward my badge. "You only need one more star to get back to Iron, right?"
"Yeah…"
All this time, I've only run quests with Lenia. And the last time I formed a party… it ended in disaster. Maybe joining a familiar one again isn't such a bad idea.
Before we leave the city, I make one quick stop—clothing shop.
I need something that covers my neck.
「Why cover it? A scar is a warrior's pride.」
'Shut up.'
Stattlich's voice grates in the back of my mind. I take back every nice thing I've said about this old gryphon. He won't shut up, and he sure as hell doesn't understand subtlety.
I search through racks, shelves, displays. Nothing long enough to hide the mark on my neck. So I settle for a bandage. Something basic. Cover it up, move on. I grab a few shirts too—simple, nothing flashy.
"That'll be 10 Silver and 15 Bronze."
I pay and shove everything into my pack. No time to waste.
We hit the road. Headed straight for Verde Forest.
"The quest's just for five goblin heads, right?" Seth breaks the silence.
"Yeah, but we should hunt more. Sell the extra to a merchant, make some coin on the side," Lloyd grins. "Two birds with one stone. Honestly, I'm hoping to find a Hobgoblin. Heard they can use elemental attacks."
Hobgoblins, huh…
"Hey, Ken, did you know Lloyd joined a Hero party?"
I look at Lloyd, then force a smile. "Really? That's awesome. I'm kinda jealous."
I already knew. But it's better to play dumb.
"Wahaha! Of course you are! You're talking to a legend here," Lloyd laughs, puffed up with pride.
Seth's thinking exactly what I am. Great. His ego's inflated already.
"But I wonder… has the Hero been summoned yet?" Seth muses.
"Not sure, maybe they only reveal the Hero when it's time to storm the Demon King's castle," Lloyd shrugs.
If my theory's right, then the summoned Hero didn't come from Earth. Which means people summoned before me might be from completely different universes. Makes me question all those isekai novels I read—where every other hero's a Japanese high schooler.
We reach the city gate. I hand over the quest slip for verification.
"Be careful in the forest," the guard warns. "The Dooms cult's been active again."
Dooms?
「A demon-worshipping faction. You really don't know anything, do you?」
'You know about them too, Stattlich?'
「Of course. They're a pain in the ass, even for me.」
Even an elemental king says they're trouble. That's… comforting.
We step beyond the gates and follow the dirt path into Verde.
Every new region, every border crossed, means one thing—show your quest slip. It's bureaucracy with swords. I hand it over again at the forest trail checkpoint.
Finally, we're in.
It's quiet. Too quiet.
"Two goblins at two o'clock," Lloyd whispers. "Ken, Seth—ready?"