Forming Squad

Fighting his way to becoming one of the Paragon Knight Captain and proving himself worthy of the title was the easiest part of the plan.

One of the most troublesome parts was when he needed to choose the Paragon Knights that would be part of his squad.

If he had been back on Earth and was asked to form a special team, Liam could anticipate that numerous people would willingly volunteer to have the chance to work with him and Selene.

And with their prominent image, they could easily get their hands on specific individuals suited for the task.

Somewhat, Liam thought that with the reputation he had built in the <Mighty Tower> after his impressive display of combat capabilities, there would have been at least more than two Paragon Knights who would have volunteered to be in his squad.

If that were the case, it would have saved Liam from the laborious task of selecting members for his squad.

However, the reality was often disappointing.

The young boy who introduced himself as Aaron Williams was the first to volunteer himself, along with a humanoid boar-faced friend who tagged along with him, which eventually became the first two members of Liam's squad.

If Liam didn't have a lot of questions for Aaron that he was saving for later, he would bluntly reject Aaron after the teenager gave him an irritating impression.

Unfortunately for Aaron, his hero had little patience with annoying teens like him.

Other than those two exceedingly excited youngsters, the circumstance left Liam in a loop.

With most of the Paragon Knights already out of the great hall, Liam thought it was best to keep moving as well.

It was at this time that Aaron Williams cleared his throat, catching Liam's attention.

"Do you need assistance, Li–I mean Captain Ronin?"

Liam's eyes squinted the moment Aaron was about to speak his real name, making sure to shut the teen's mouth by his menacing stare.

Liam would have brushed off Aaron's offer if he was not having a hard time.

Unfortunately, Aaron had been there longer than he was by basing on Aaron's ID.

[Codename: Ruined Tech]

[ID: A81-69-8411-1]

'So he was the first person to qualify in this world in our batch who came from Earth. And unlike me... he didn't cheat at all. Not bad! He wouldn't survive if he underwent the ridiculous pre-trial anyway.' Liam maintained his vigilance after he took another assessment on the teen's feet, where those pieces of information were available along with his health bar.

If he remembered it right, the ciphered invitation began circulating around the month of October 2040 and an unusual series of rapid worldwide abductions and missing cases immediately followed.

Since Liam arrived in the <Mighty Tower> on the 22nd of January 2041, two days after they received Christian's missing case, Aaron might be on the <First Floor> already when Liam and Selene were still on their vacation as the first challenger in their batch from Earth.

Hence, it was only expected that he would be competent enough to aid Liam with the task of finding the right people to join in his squad.

"If you could find me more squad members, I would highly appreciate it, Ruined Tech. I am allowed to bring twenty-five Paragon Knights only in my squad. Ask for their battle traits first. I am certain I have the authority to ask for that much. Please make sure our squad is perfectly balanced. I don't wish to see a squad full of vulnerable healers, marksmen, and spell casters," Liam thoroughly instructed.

Aaron Williams did not even try to hide his excitement at having this task coming from Liam Kai Smith himself.

He had never thought that a day would ever come that he could meet the hero he admired when he was a child.

"Will do, sir! This dawg will make sure our squad will have enough tanks, damage dealers, and supports!"

Aaron Williams offered a salute to Liam, pulling his friend with him right after in search of additional members for Liam's squad.

The tremendous hall was emptying itself, the rest of the Paragon Knights leaving perhaps to go back to their post.

After a while...

"Reporting back for duty, sir."

In a matter of minutes, Aaron Williams came back with a small throng of Paragon Knights trailing after him, their metal armors resonating as they came to a pause in front of him.

Liam did not have to feign the surprise on his face.

He had to admit that the young boy left him quite impressed.

There was a balance between <Indigenous Creatures> and <Players> in the squad as well.

He didn't expect that it would be that easy, but it seemed his remarkable feats in the Light Kingdom made more noise than what he had imagined, creating a lot of opportunities for Aaron Williams to recruit Paragon Knights with various battle traits.

"These esteemed knights are honored to be part of your squad as much as I do, Captain Ronin."

"Well done, Ronin." The Light King's sudden approach had the Paragon Knights in front of Liam inclined their heads to pay their respects to their sovereign.

"It seems that you are ready to continue the quest you promised. I am looking forward to your success, Ronin. If you would need anything, please do not hesitate to come to me or Theon."

"Thank you, Milord. I would keep that in mind." Liam bowed and watched as the Light King took his leave, his mind already mapped out the places he tended to search.

It was only a matter of time before he could manage to find the missing puzzle pieces surrounding Princess Celestia's death.

* * * * *

Clang, clang, clang!

Clang, clang, clang!

Several footsteps marched in separate ways as each squad of Paragon Knights moved forward in different paths from the Light Kingdom's entrance, each led by their respective Captains.

Liam was smirking at the other Paragon Knight Captains across the road as if he was looking down on them after he skillfully beat the strongest, infuriating all of them before they decided to shift their gazes towards their paths and not pay attention to Liam's ridiculing smile.

Taking the Western portion of the thick forest to head for a <Red Zone>, Liam and his squad heard a few flocks of birds continuously sang from the surrounding otherworldly bushy trees.

Though the sun was glaring from the skies, the colorful leaves of the towering otherworldly trees stood erect along their path to protect them from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays.

Despite knowing the possible locations of the Mana Beast's lair, Liam dragged his knights somewhere far from it.