After contemplating the rewards for a moment, Shoun turned to look at his companions, most of whom seemed surprised.
—It's a pretty... good reward—Deuz said tentatively, returning Shoun's gaze—Though the difficulty certainly seems higher than what we can handle. Could you ask about it?
—Sure... Liam, is the difficulty adjusted so that we can complete this mission with our current strength?
—The difficulty of each mission is adjusted to each rank in such a way that if you are at the indicated rank, it should be relatively easy or without many complications to complete. It is not personally adjusted to each participant in the mission.
—I see... So, guys, what do you think?
—The rewards are good enough to take the risk. I vote we accept it.
—I agree with Deuz. Besides, how hard could it be to retrieve some simple documents?—Ignoring the fact that Sein had just jinxed them, Shoun turned his gaze to Kaze, who simply nodded.
—Alright, it's decided. Liam, we accept the mission.
—Understood, secondary administrator—After Liam's words, a wave of new information flooded the minds of each participant. They all felt a certain pull toward a specific location in the mirror world.
—Alright, it's time to head out. But before we do, should we use the Alpha Brute's body to create an artifact or upgrade some gear?—As soon as Shoun said this, the expressions of Sein and Deuz turned grim, while the masked boy just looked away—...Guys, what's wrong?
—Well... let's just say that after your attack, Kalgoros's corpse wasn't in great shape—explained the small boy. Seeing the confusion on Shoun's face, the boy with the beret added:
—Basically, most of the body was unusable. There's not enough left to even make a simple amulet. But Liam explained that if we provide additional materials, they'll be combined with what's stored to create a stronger artifact—At this explanation, Shoun could only sigh. After a bit of self-pity, they all left the base and set out toward their new destination. It was a moderate distance from their current location, but the problem was that it passed through an area Kaze recognized as belonging to the Brutes, so they had to move slowly to avoid those remnants.
—Phew... that was close—At that moment, the four of them were in an alley after having avoided a couple of Brutes roaming the area—Anyway, we're just a few blocks away, right?
—Indeed. How's your energy, Kaze?
—...Give me a couple of minutes, and my core will be full—The easiest and quickest way to avoid any remnants they encountered was by using Kaze's Wind Cloak, though it drained a substantial amount of spiritual energy, forcing them to stop for a few minutes every now and then.
When Kaze gave the signal, they all resumed their journey with their respective weapons in hand. As they advanced through the empty, faded streets of the mirror world, they began to notice small piles of dust gathering in certain spots, motionless due to the lack of wind.
These piles became more frequent as they progressed, until they finally reached their destination. They all stopped in unison to take in the sight before their eyes.
—This... isn't this a bit too literal?—Before them stretched a path completely covered in ashes. Among the ashes were homes, similar to those in more rural towns, completely out of place with the architecture that characterized New Caven, making them think this place might have been copied from somewhere else and pasted into the mirrored version of the city. Additionally, the ground was covered in ash everywhere within the so-called City of Ashes.
—Wow, this place is pretty depressing!—At the questioning looks from his companions, the small boy quickly explained—I mean, who would take the time to build in all this ash? It's like trying to build in a desert!
—It's certainly not the most efficient. This place is called the "City of Ashes," right? That could mean two things: either it was actually built on all this ash, or the ash came later and the name was given afterward.
—Isn't it unnecessary to wonder about all that? The documents probably explain or have more information about this place anyway—Shoun questioned Deuz's thoughts, who simply shrugged.
—I guess you're right. Sometimes I let my curiosity wander. Anyway, we should probably get moving—Shoun and Sein nodded at Deuz's words, so the three young men began to walk. However, Kaze, unlike them, stayed behind, admiring the City of Ashes. They quickly realized their masked companion wasn't following and stopped.
—Kaze... is something wrong?...—Seeing that the masked boy didn't react to his words, Shoun approached and touched his shoulder. Instantly, Kaze startled and noticed all eyes were on him.
—...It's nothing... I just wanted to observe this place a bit more—Kaze dismissed the feeling the City of Ashes gave him and quickly joined his companions, who began to traverse the ash-covered path ahead.
Walking through the ash was an... unpleasant experience for most of the young men. They had to stop constantly because Shoun couldn't stand the discomfort of having so much ash in his shoe.
—Seriously, how can something that doesn't even move and barely qualifies as dust be so annoying! Damn thing...—While the boy cursed incoherently, both Sein and Deuz began to admire the nearby houses.
—Despite all this ash, it seems like it was a cozy place, don't you think, Deuz?
—Yeah... I wonder what they used to build all these structures—Both approached the various houses, looking for small details they might have missed earlier and touching them. It wasn't until they were about to enter a house with its door slightly ajar that Shoun stopped them.
—Hey, what do you think you're doing? It could be dangerous in there.
—Relax, Shoun. When was the last time you got to see the architecture of what's probably an extinct civilization?—The boy with the beret quickly dismissed these concerns and entered the small house, followed by Sein, who added to Deuz's words:
—Exactly!... Though it's not like anyone here has seen architecture from anywhere other than New Caven.
—Ugh...—Grumbling, both Kaze and Shoun stayed outside, waiting for the two to finish exploring. It was then that Shoun finally noticed how the masked boy kept turning his gaze, seemingly uneasy as he observed the City of Ashes—Are you okay?
—Yes...—As if those words snapped him out of it, Kaze stopped looking around and waited with Shoun for Deuz and Sein to come out.
—...You know, you've been acting a bit strange since we got here... more than usual, at least.
—...Maybe. I'm not sure. I feel something... off.
—Hmm, do you think it's related to your lost memories?
—Maybe? I'm not sure if it's that. It's just... I think this place unsettles me a bit—Despite the lack of emotion in his voice, the boy was still surprised that Kaze openly admitted to feeling something.
—I see... You didn't have to keep that to yourself, though. Remember, we're in this together. Don't worry, we've got your back.
—...Understood—After Kaze responded, both young men patiently waited for Sein and Deuz to come out of the house. When they did, they were covered from head to toe in ash.
—Cough cough, that was definitely not a good idea.
—It really wasn't!
—Did you find anything useful?—Shoun asked as he watched them brush the ash off their clothes and hair.
—Nothing at all. The only thing in there was ash... I know the city's name already implies it, but seriously, did it have to be all ash?!—Sein complained to the air. When they finally resumed their journey, delving deeper into the City of Ashes, the more they entered, the more alien the mysterious city seemed. Soon, they arrived at a new building, more like an ancient mausoleum they had seen in movies.
—It seems the documents we came for are inside. Stay alert... it looks like our peaceful journey is coming to an end—Shoun announced as Iron Serpent coiled around his right arm. Slowly, they all entered the mausoleum.
Unlike the rest of the city, save for the entrance, the mausoleum seemed almost free of ash, though that certainly didn't mean there wasn't plenty scattered across the wooden floor.
—It's going to be really dark in there. Do we have a way to make a torch or something?—Sein asked as he looked at his companions. Shoun didn't respond and simply injected a bit of electricity into Iron Serpent's "head," which began to glow, pushing back the darkness with its faint blue light—...Nice.
Without saying much more, they all fully entered the mausoleum, guided by Iron Serpent, which clung to Shoun's palm. Like the other houses and structures they had seen along the way, the only thing inside was ash, surrounding places where there had apparently once been furniture or even people.
They all felt they were getting closer to their objective. Turning a corner, they found the frame that separated one room from another, but before the boy could take a step forward, a pair of bright eyes locked onto the group with a piercing gaze. Despite the darkness in the room, the eyes glowed faintly, intimidating the group of four.
They all used Inspect on the creature at the same time, revealing the rank of the being hiding in the darkness.
—(Alpha Brute)—Swallowing hard, Shoun stared intently at the remnant's eyes, which stared back. Surprisingly, it hadn't launched an attack yet. Before Shoun could do or say anything, he felt a hand on his shoulder slowly pulling him back. Turning slightly, he saw it was Deuz, signaling for him to retreat. He didn't refuse and, without a word, backed away through the hallway before returning to the previous intersection, where they all ran out of the mausoleum—Haaa... haaa... that felt... no, that was dangerous.
—Indeed. Not even Kalgoros with his ability made me feel that intimidated.
—Even I felt that way, so it wasn't a curse or something similar that intimidated us—Sein was drenched in sweat as he leaned against the mausoleum wall.
—Damn, it seems that thing is exclusively guarding the archives. It also doesn't look like it's going to move from there without provocation... Tch, no wonder Liam said this was Dominator difficulty. I don't think we can beat that thing... not yet, at least.
—Let's not give up just yet. Kaze, can you get close to that thing and retrieve the documents?—At Deuz's question, the masked boy shook his head and explained.
—It's too close. There's very little space to try to evade. We have no choice but to kill it.
—Ugh, then I guess we'll have to put this mission on hold for now.
—Until when?
—...I guess until you or Shoun become Apprentices. When that happens, depending on what ability you get, it might be feasible to kill the remnant. If that doesn't work, we'll have to wait until Kaze or I become Dominators.
—Bah... I guess the goal is the same as always, right?—Without even clarifying, everyone understood what the boy meant by his words, nodding in agreement—Alright, let's go kill some Brutes. After all, I didn't walk all this way to leave empty-handed.
And so, the group spent the entire weekend around the City of Ashes, killing remnants that appeared in the area. They repeated this the following week, and the week after that, all leading up to the Friday after their last hunt.