After some hours, Sakura rested in the room assigned to them. Kiyoshi, meanwhile, sat in the beverages section of the ship, sipping on a drink. His eyes wandered, taking in the surroundings, until they landed on a group of adventurers. They were a full team—five to eight members, as was common. Kiyoshi and Sakura were a team too, but they only had two members. Most teams were balanced, with a long-range type like a mage, a defence type like a tank, a close-combat warrior, a supporter like a healer or a priest, and one flexible member.
Kiyoshi activated his Eye of Wisdom to assess them. all of them were rank C except the one: a warrior, a tank, a mage, and a priest. he has a high rank be A.
The warrior, a woman named Ame, noticed Kiyoshi's gaze and smirked. "Hey, kid, are you staring at me? I know I'm attractive, but don't ogle a woman's chest like that. Oh, you're an adventurer too?"
Kiyoshi blinked, caught off guard. "I'm sorry, I was just looking at your drink. It seemed nice. Oh, you're a woman? I didn't notice. My apologies."
Ame's face flushed red with anger. Tentor, the tank of the group, burst out laughing. "Poor Ame! Don't be sad because no one's looking at you. That kid probably mistook you for a man with that flat chest of yours."
Ame shot him a glare. "I didn't ask you, muscle-brain! Why are you butting into my business?"
Ren, the mage, sighed heavily. "Now, now, stop it, both of you. Show some maturity, will you?"
Keiko, the priest, said softly, "Please, don't fight. Let's keep it peaceful."
Ame appeared to be around 23, Keiko 21, Tentor 23, and Ren 27. Tentor turned to Kiyoshi, his tone shifting to curiosity. "So, you're an adventurer too. What's your rank, kid? And what's your type?"
Kiyoshi replied calmly, "I'm rank D, a healer."
Tentor nodded. "We're Team Hakuri. Ever heard of us?"
Kiyoshi's eyes widened slightly. Team Hakuri? They're little fames, He nodded. "Yeah, I've heard of you."
Tentor grinned. "That's great. Healers are pretty rare these days."
Ren leaned forward, his tone more serious. "Are you on a mission?"
Kiyoshi nodded. "Yes, I'm with my teammate. We're heading to Elfior. I'm going to see an elf for the first time."
Tentor's eyes lit up. "Oh, man! You're in for a treat. Elf girls are the hottest. They're the best!" He leaned closer to Kiyoshi, lowering his voice. "But be careful, kid. Once, I got caught peeping into the women's public hot spring in Elfior. They tied me to a tree for three days."
Ame rolled her eyes. "Tentor, I'm sorry for calling you a muscle-brain. You're a pervert muscle-brain."
Tentor shot back, "You just don't get it because you're so ugly."
Ame's face twisted in anger. "What did you just say, you little—"
Before she could finish, Tentor received a sharp bump on the head from her.
Just then, a drunk man stumbled into the scene, barely able to stand. "Hi, guys," he slurred before collapsing to the floor.
Ren sighed. "Asahi, you never learn. Keiko, could you purify him?"
Keiko knelt beside Asahi, placing her hand on his forehead. "Oh, god, bring down your holy purification upon him. Purify…"
Asahi groaned, slowly coming back to his senses. "Ren, I swear, I only had one glass. And I have minor resistance to alcohol. If I were a normal man, I'd be unconscious for days. There's something wrong with that drink."
Keiko's eyes narrowed as she examined the liquid. "This isn't alcohol. It's some kind of potion that drains MP." As she spoke, more people around them began to collapse, one by one. Keiko quickly healed Asahi, using her MP-increasing magic, while Kiyoshi stepped in to assist with his healing abilities.
The situation was dire. Nearly half of the ship's 300 passengers were affected. Only Kiyoshi and Keiko were able to treat the fallen. The members of Team Hakuri sprang into action, searching for the culprit while Kiyoshi and Keiko stayed behind to tend to the victims.
Asahi, now fully recovered, joined Ren, Tentor, and Ame as they rushed to the food section to stop the distribution of the tainted drink. Ren cast a lie-detection spell on everyone present and shouted, "Who did this? Did anyone see anything unusual?"
A worker stepped forward, trembling. "I didn't see anyone mixing anything, but the head chef was acting strange today. He didn't let anyone near him and prepared the drinks alone."
Ame's eyes narrowed. "Where is he now?"
The worker pointed. "He's in the storage room. I saw him there."
The team rushed to the storage room, where they found the chef slumped on the floor. Tentor grabbed him by the shirt, shaking him violently. "What did you do to the food, you bastard?"
Before the chef could respond, he fainted. Kiyoshi and Keiko arrived shortly after and began treating him. Through their healing, they discovered that the chef had been mind-controlled by a man with white hair, glasses, a green right eye, and a distinctive tattoo on his neck—a red upside-down triangle inside another triangle, with a vertical slash through it.
Asahi's face paled. "No way… I think he's an inner member of the Warisus gang."
Tentor's jaw tightened. "It's him. The so-called genius of the Alchemy Guild."
Ren's voice was sharp. "Find him. Now."
They split up, searching every corner of the ship. Ame turned to Kiyoshi, her tone serious. "If you see him, don't fight him alone. He's not someone you can handle."
Kiyoshi frowned. "Who is this man?"
Ame explained, "He was one of the best students of Ramato, the Alchemy Guild Master. He's not an adventurer, but don't underestimate him. He's modified his own body using alchemy. He's dangerous."
As they searched, Kiyoshi ran into Sakura. She looked at him, confused. "What's going on?"
Kiyoshi quickly filled her in. "I saw a white-haired man heading to the top floor."
Sakura's eyes narrowed. "Let's go."
They rushed to the top floor, where they found Daichi, the alchemy genius, holding a magic core that was glowing ominously. The core was sucking magic from the air, draining the energy of everyone who had consumed the tainted drink.
Asahi shouted, "You bastard! You're stealing their magic!"
Daichi smirked, his wild grin sending chills down their spines. "Oh, dear, anything is possible with knowledge."
Ren stepped forward, his voice steady. "You're surrounded. Give it up."
Daichi chuckled. "You think you can stop me? I have no time to play with you. The core is almost full."
Asahi suddenly collapsed, clutching his chest. "He's draining my MP!"
Kiyoshi activated his Eye of Wisdom again, analyzing their opponents:
Name: Daichi
Rank: #-rank
Name: Kenji
Rank: B-rank (Level 9)
Type: Necromancer
Kenji bit his thumb, letting blood drip onto the deck. "I, the master of death, order you to rise from the depths of hell!" he said sharply. Shadows moved fast, and undead broke through the floor—11 E-rank goblins, small and bony, darkest green with glowing red eyes; 4 D-rank water lizardmen, dark grey scales slick and shiny, red eyes burning, tails whipping harder; and 3 C-rank green orcs, almost black now, red eyes glaring, tusks bared as they roared louder than ever. They were way more aggressive, charging fast, and the deck shook under their stomping.
Ren shouted orders. "Ame, Tentor, take him down! Keiko, heal Asahi! Kiyoshi, Sakura, support us!"
Ame and Tentor ran forward, weapons ready. Ame swung her sword at a goblin—it snarled, dodging quickly, but she caught its head, slicing it off. Black blood sprayed as it dropped dead, but another leapt, red eyes locked on her, claws tearing at her leg deep and fast. She yelled, kicked it hard in the gut, and stabbed its chest, killing it, blood soaking her boot. Tentor swung his mace at a lizardman—it hissed, red eyes flashing, and took the hit to its arm, scales cracking. It swung its tail back fast, slamming his chest hard—he grunted, staggering—then clawed his shoulder, ripping skin as he swung again, barely keeping it back.
Ren aimed at an orc, firing a spell. The fireball hit its dark chest—it roared, red eyes wild, and charged him, club swinging down fast. Ren jumped aside as it smashed the deck, wood breaking apart. He shot another blast at its leg, burning the dark skin, but the orc didn't stop, smashing its fist into his arm. Ren stumbled back, wincing, holding his bruised arm.
Sakura moved quickly, daggers out, fighting full force. She stabbed a goblin in the neck—its red eyes dimmed as it fell dead—but a lizardman rushed her, red eyes glaring, tail swinging hard. She ducked, slashed its side—it hissed, blood dripping, but stayed up—and it clawed her arm deep, blood running down. She gritted her teeth, stabbed its chest three times with all her strength, and it finally fell, but its tail smacked her side, knocking her back with a groan.
Kiyoshi stuck by Ame and Tentor, healing and swinging hard. A goblin charged, red eyes glowing, claws out; he cut its arm—it screeched, slashing his leg before he stabbed its chest, dropping it dead. An orc stomped close, red eyes locked on him, club raised—he dodged, but its fist grazed his shoulder, sending him spinning with a grunt. He touched Ame's leg, healing the claw marks, then Tentor's shoulder—his hand glowed, fixing the cuts—but a lizardman's tail hit his ribs hard, making him gasp as he doubled over.
Daichi's barrier blocked every hit aimed at him, flashing blue when Ame's sword bounced off and Tentor's mace thudded against it. Kenji's monsters fought together, wild and mean—goblins swarming with fast scratches, lizardmen slashing claws and tails, orcs smashing clubs and fists, cracking the deck. They were brutal—Ame took a goblin claw to the arm, blood trickling; Tentor got a lizardman slash across his back, yelling; Ren caught an orc club to the hip, limping; Sakura dodged an orc fist but a lizardman tail tripped her, slamming her down; Kiyoshi healed quick but a goblin bit his hand, teeth sinking in.
Keiko knelt by Asahi, chanting, "May god grant you his blessings, Agayo Kasariyo!" Her hands glowed white, boosting them up. Asahi coughed, getting to his knees, but the monsters kept coming.
Kenji smirked. "You're too slow."
Daichi checked the magic core—it glowed bright. "Kenji, the core's full. Let's go."
Kenji frowned. "Come on, Daichi, I was just starting to have fun."
"Next time, I'll let you kill them all," Daichi said firmly. "Now, come."
A red circle appeared under their feet, flashing bright. They vanished, and the undead collapsed—goblins falling apart, three dead, the rest twitching; lizardmen dropping, only one killed; orcs thudding down, barely scratched, still snarling 'til the end.
Tentor yelled after them, "Where are you running, cowards?"
Ren wiped sweat off his face, holding his hip. "We're lucky they left. If they'd stayed, we'd have been monster food."
Kiyoshi healed everyone one by one.
Kiyoshi was in shock this was the first time he had got into a real life-threatening fight.
he turned to Sakura: she was looking at her leg the wound that healed just now.
Tentor came near to Kiyoshi, tapping his head, "Kiyoshi looks like this is your first time being someone who protects is hard.
we may not always encoder enemies who are weaker than us. so be always prepared for worse."
Sakura, Hearing this while sitting down, thought, "I lose track of pain when I am protecting Kiyoshi; I can't think of him being wounded."
Asahi bowed his head, "I am sorry guys if I had been there I could have done something other than just holding you back."
Ren, "Asahi it's not your fault that we are weak."
The group regrouped, exhausted but victorious.
ame came to the centre: "Now don't get the mood off by it, let's get some drink to celebrate that we just got out alive."
Kiyoshi turned to Ren, his expression serious. "Can you tell me more about the Warisus gang?"
Ren's face darkened. "They're an evil group. I don't know their goals, but they're dangerous. The tattooed ones are inner members. If you see someone with that mark, run and report it to the guild. They're stronger than they look. Daichi was once a respected alchemist, but he betrayed the guild and joined Warisus. Their leader, Namura, is a mystery. No one knows his rank or face."
The next morning, Kiyoshi woke up to the soft light of dawn streaming through the window. Sakura was still asleep, a peaceful smile on her face. He couldn't help but think, She's so cute when she's sleeping.
He checked his status:
Name: Kiyoshi Cari
Rank: D [Level 6]
HP: 100%
MP: 200
Skills: Luck (Rank B), Healing Kiss (Rank B), Eye of Wisdom (Rank A), Back Sword (Rank B), Purification (Rank B), Night Vision (Rank E)
Storage: 4
Title: Holy Sword Healer
Type: All-Type
Sakura stirred, waking up with a yawn. "Good morning, Kiyoshi."
"Good morning, Sakura. We've arrived at Elfior."
Sakura checked her status as well:
Name: Sakura
Rank: B [Level 6]
HP: 100%
MP: 500
Skills: Hide (Rank B), Target (Rank A), Lightning Speed (Rank B), Night Vision (Rank E)
Storage: 6
Title: Lightning Reaper
Type: Assassin
After a few hours, Kiyoshi and Sakura stepped onto the land of Elfior for the first time. They bid farewell to Team Hakuri, who were heading back to Ramiya.
Tentor pulled Kiyoshi aside, his expression shifting to a mischievous grin. "Hey, come here. I've got a gift for you," he said, his voice low and conspiratorial. Kiyoshi raised an eyebrow, curious but wary. Tentor leaned in closer, his tone dripping with playful secrecy. "If you happen to visit the hot springs in Elfior, listen carefully. There's a wooden wall separating the women's and men's baths. But here's the thing—on the 12th wooden plank, just under the waterline, there's a small hole. A very strategic hole."
Kiyoshi's eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to protest, but Tentor cut him off with a knowing smirk. "Don't share this with anyone else, got it? And while you're at it, don't forget to make a move on Sakura. Life's too short to waste opportunities, kid."
Kiyoshi chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah, well, it doesn't feel good to get stabbed by her dagger, you know. She's not exactly the type to take that kind of thing lightly."
Tentor grinned, his eyes sparkling with mischief as he punched Kiyoshi lightly on the chest. "Be a man of culture, bro. Trust me, you'll thank me later."
Ame, who had been watching the exchange with a mix of amusement and exasperation, rolled her eyes and stepped forward. "Stop filling his head with your perverted thoughts, Tentor. Not everyone wants to end up tied to a tree for three days, you know."
Tentor shrugged, unfazed. "Hey, I'm just sharing wisdom. Someone's gotta teach the kid."
Ren chuckled, shaking his head at their antics. "Well, this has been… enlightening. See you two around. Take care, Kiyoshi."
Keiko smiled warmly, her gentle demeanour a stark contrast to the others. "Goodbye, Kiyoshi. Stay safe, and good luck on your journey."
As they parted ways, Kiyoshi couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation. The journey ahead was uncertain, but he was ready to face it—with Sakura by his side.