Chapter 62: Let the March Begin!

After two full hours, measured by an hourglass, Yulis traded places with the next guard.

Next was Maura.

Unlike Yulis, she didn’t seem to have any intention of interacting with Peace, though something about the suspicion in her gaze had fundamentally changed.

‘As I figured…’

‘I doubt she was asleep.’

Despite the snoring, Peace didn’t believe Ralph had slept yet either. Then again, it was hard to tell with him. Perhaps he trusted Peace not to try anything. Or perhaps he simply didn’t care what Peace did.

Eventually, Ralph’s turn came.

As Maura woke Ralph, Peace finally used the stimulant, his eyelids having grown too heavy to trust.

Instantly, his body felt well-rested. His focus sharpened, and his blood raced through his veins.

He felt ready for anything.

The Light Temple?

‘Bring it on!’

Maw of Hell?!

‘…yeah, never mind. Not anything.’

Peace didn’t see himself returning to that zone anytime soon. At least not willingly.

Ralph stirred, sitting up and promptly pulling out his rocking chair, which he turned to face Peace.

‘Is it bad… that I kind of want one?’

‘I mean, look! It’s practical! He gets to sit comfortably while on watch. And if he starts dozing off, he can just rock violently to wake himself up!’

Peace kept his expression neutral, lying back to stare at the azure sky.

‘Perhaps it’s not a waste of space.’

***

Ralph didn’t say anything.

No jokes about why Peace hadn’t slept, nor threats about the day to come.

Only when the others awoke did he break his silence, laying out the day’s plan: find the Light Temple.

They wouldn’t enter it just yet. Instead, they’d locate it, set up camp, and spend the time until the third day hunting nearby monsters to maximize their profits.

There was no restriction preventing them from entering earlier. They simply didn’t want to be inside when the spawning zone generated. Being surrounded by Tier 8s and high-class Tier 9s wasn’t exactly anyone’s idea of a good time.

After packing their belongings into their respective storage items, the group set off.

Ralph glanced at Peace’s gauntlet and sword, noting the absence of a shield.

“So, you’re a brawler type?”

Peace grumbled.

“One could say… but why does that matter? Do you really expect me to help you on some execution march? Really…?”

At the mention of an execution march, something flickered across Yulis’ face.

He looked almost lost. Torn between two answers, neither of which seemed quite right to him.

Ralph grinned.

“Oh, because you’re going to pull your weight. That’s what friends do, after all!”

‘He didn’t even deny the execution march…’

Still, Peace wasn’t going to flee. Nor was he about to lie down and accept whatever awaited him at the end of this journey.

Volkar scratched his cheek, then asked:

“Hmm. Friends, what does the word ‘execution’ mean?”

Ralph opened his mouth to explain, but Peace spoke over him.

“In this case, it means to kill. Mercilessly and without giving the target a chance to fight back.”

Volkar stopped, cocking his head to the side.

“Oh…” Then he stomped and pointed at Peace. “Why does he get to go on an execution march and not me?! I want to kill stuff!”

‘This guy…’

Ralph patted the Giant on the back.

“Don’t intrude on our friend’s special week!”

Volkar frowned.

“I guess.”

Ignoring the buffoonery, Peace asked the group:

“Well, if you want to know about me, I think it only right that I know about you.”

Ralph laughed, then said:

“That’s fair!” Without a moment’s hesitation, he continued, “As you might have guessed, I’m of the Warrior Class. Level three, and I specialize in defense.”

‘Level three…’

That meant he could possess up to three Resonances.

Quite strong for someone leading a group of Tier 9 Divers.

With three Resonances, even weak ones, he’d have met the strength requirements for a Tier 8 Diver. Whether he’d defeated one of the first floor’s four Domain Bosses, however, was another matter.

Ralph finished his introduction by patting Volkar on the back.

“Volkar here is a newbie. No Resonance yet for him.”

“Seriously…?”

‘And yet, he was strong enough to stand up to Ralph?’

Or perhaps it was Volkar’s potential.

Ralph might simply have been unwilling to strain his relationship with such a promising Diver.

Ralph began walking towards the Bright Forest, urging the rest to follow him.

“Baha! That was my reaction when I first found him as well! He must have a Trait!”

Volkar’s expression stiffened before he asked:

“What are you saying about me?”

Ralph answered without missing a beat:

“We’re impressed by your muscles!”

In response, Volkar stopped and began flexing.

“Herugh!”

Yulis went next, looking thoroughly displeased.

“An Archer. Level two.”

When it became clear that was all he had to say, Ralph shuffled over and ruffled the young Day Elf’s hair.

“Isn’t this one impressive! Level two at such a young age! It took me two years to level up, and this boy did it in three cycles!”

‘Two years…?’

That sounded painfully slow. But even assuming Ralph had entered the dungeon at every opportunity, that would’ve amounted to at least 24 runs. In the game, that wasn’t particularly bad for a newbie’s first playthrough, especially with inexperienced Diver NPCs accompanying them.

Maura, the tall, enigmatic girl with an axe strapped to her back, went next.

“Level two as well. Healer Class…”

Peace drew his head back, his eyes widening with such undisguised judgment that his entire face seemed to question her life choices.

Specifically, why she’d chosen to strap a gigantic axe to her back instead of carrying a conduit to increase her healing potency.

Ralph, looking increasingly pleased with himself, pointed at Peace and burst out laughing.

“Haha! Look at his face!”

Peace sighed and swiped a hand through the air, as though trying to mute Ralph.

“Level one, like Volkar. I have no Class, but I do possess something to make up for that.”

Ralph asked:

“Something…?”

Peace merely shrugged, a dubious smile playing across his face.

Then, rather than elaborate, he asked a question of his own:

“So, Ralph… why are you, a veteran Diver, partied up with newbies?”

Ralph turned back towards the Bright Forest. And just as the group left the Convergence Zone behind and crossed into the treeline, he answered:

“Are you really asking something so obvious?”