Silence hung heavy in the room. No one spoke.
Julius's eyes were fixed on the glowing cyan quest window floating in front of him.
There was no mention of any reward, which made him hesitate slightly.
Then the man in silver armor spoke,
"If you two don't want to take the quest, that's completely fine. This mission is extremely dangerous, and I don't want anyone throwing their life away in a rush of excitement."
That hit Julius right in the ego.
He extended his right hand toward the chief and said boldly,
"We will help you clear the dungeon."
[You have successfully accepted the quest]
[Rewards: Temperature Scroll x1, 6000 Fames, 18000 EXP]
Julius thought to himself, "Temperature Scroll? This… this isn't something from any known design I've seen."
Yu Zhen smiled warmly, pulled his right hand from his sleeve, and shook Julius's hand.
"Excellent. Please, take today to rest. We'll depart for the dungeon tomorrow morning at 8. Meet me here. Also, I'd like you, Julius and Zhou Rui, to get familiar with the other three adventurers and share your strengths. That way, we can cover each other's weaknesses."
Zhou Rui nodded.
"Then Chief, perhaps you should introduce us to them first."
"Of course," Yu Zhen replied.
He gestured toward the man in silver armor.
"This is Friedrich Bauer."
Then to the archer:
"Heinrich Vogel."
And finally, to the witch:
"Anna Weber."
Anna rose to her feet with a graceful smile. She extended her hand toward them.
"Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you both."
Julius shook her hand with a smile.
"Oh, please—the pleasure is all ours."
Zhou Rui leaned in and whispered,
"You could've let me shake her hand too."
Julius smirked and whispered back,
"Nope."
Friedrich turned toward Yu Zhen.
"Chief, can we speak here about our powers?"
Yu Zhen nodded.
"Why not? It'll help me understand your capabilities as well."
Anna, Julius, and Zhou Rui all took their seats.
Friedrich looked at the two newcomers.
"Let's start with you. I'd like to hear about your abilities first."
Zhou Rui spoke calmly.
"I'm a swordsman. I can summon any sword I've acquired—whether in battle, treasure rooms, or through purchase—and wield them to their full potential."
Julius added,
"I'm a mage. Currently, I know only three Wind Magic spells."
Friedrich raised an eyebrow and scoffed slightly.
"Only three? Most mages your age know at least seven."
Zhou Rui frowned and cut in.
"Well, now that we've shared, why don't you three tell us about your abilities?"
Anna was the first to speak.
"I'd like to go first. I'm a healer. I do know two offensive spells, but my specialty is in healing magic. I currently know seven spells in total."
Heinrich followed.
"As you can probably tell from my appearance, I'm an archer. I can infuse my arrows with electric magic when I shoot."
Finally, Friedrich spoke, arms crossed, eyes closed.
"I'm also a swordsman. And yes, I possess a magic ability—but I'd rather not reveal it just yet."
Then Yu Zhen broke in with a playful tone.
"Alright then, tell me—if Zhou Rui and Friedrich Bauer were to have a one-on-one duel, who do you think would win?"
There was a smile on his lips, his eyes closed, and both hands tucked calmly into his sleeves.
The room went dead silent.
Friedrich began,
"I don't thi—"
But before he could finish, Julius cut him off,
"Of course, Zhou Rui would win."
Friedrich's pride was clearly wounded. He stood up, voice rising.
"If that was meant as a joke, it's in very poor taste."
Julius stood up to meet him eye to eye.
"That wasn't a joke. Zhou Rui is stronger than you."
Friedrich's tone sharpened.
"If that's really what you think, then why don't we settle it with a duel?"
Yu Zhen stood up quickly, stepping between them with both arms outstretched.
"Please, calm down—both of you."
Once they were separated, he slid his hands back into his sleeves, smiled again, and said with a knowing tone,
"Actually, the idea's not bad. Why don't Zhou Rui and Friedrich Bauer have a battle? That way, we can decide who should lead this party."
Zhou Rui, still seated, responded with a cool nod.
"Sounds good. I'm ready for the battle."
Friedrich answered without hesitation.
"So am I."