Expedition Crew

Aria's eyes widened with curiosity as she explored the intriguing interface of Nexus Mission Center. The ethereal glow of the room seemed to reflect the infinite possibilities that lay before her. The holographic screen materialized in front of her, revealing a variety of missions available to choose from.

"First... let's take a closer look at 'Space Milk'," she murmured to herself.

[Space Milk - Difficulty 4 Stars]

[Location: Dimension A-201: "Astrovaque"]

[A dimension unlike any other. Its most distinctive feature is a vast and enigmatic ocean of stellar milk that stretches across the landscape. Instead of water, stellar milk flows like a luminous stream that bathes the entire dimension. The skies are illuminated by three moons that emit a soft, clear light, although at certain times of the day, the light turns blue.

This dimension is filled with islands in an archipelago-like formation, scattered throughout the stellar milk, and its fauna is accustomed to this environment.]

[Objective: Find the "Royal Milk"]

Aria was astonished by what she saw; the information was detailed beyond measure, and below, there were options showing the fauna that appeared in this dimension and its dangers.

It was much more useful than she had anticipated, although she couldn't help feeling somewhat uncomfortable knowing that it was something implemented in her mind by Nexus.

Aria was seated in the waiting room; it seemed Hilda had to ensure everything was in order before they could begin the mission.

"Information," Aria muttered, causing the menu to switch to a single tab displaying information about herself.

[Aria Everhart]

[Grade: 1]

[Synchronization Level: 10%]

[Score: 50]

[Alert: Insufficient grade to unlock further information]

Seeing the displayed information, she realized it was exactly as Hilda had explained before they departed.

Nexus "ranked" Realmwalkers who worked for him using a "Grade" system. This system bore great similarity to the "ranks" used in games or even e-sports of the present. The grade was determined by a person's skill, synchronization level, and the points they had gathered for Nexus.

The higher the Grade, the stronger the Realmwalker was considered to be, making it a reliable way to discern an individual's capabilities. In Aria's case, she was at the lowest point, being someone with little experience in completing missions.

"Even so... my synchronization level increased, I imagine it's related to the use of 'Forging' as Hilda said," she whispered to herself, bringing her hand to her chin.

Forging, as Lumis had explained, was indeed about shaping one's individuality to use it for combat. The gloves that Hilda had used during the battle with the Araespecter were her Forging, though these weapons bore unique names given by each individual's subconscious.

But, as always, Hilda never quite finished explaining things, and before Aria could inquire further about the uses of Forging, Hilda disappeared to speak with the guild leader.

A sigh escaped Aria's lips.

Aria reclined in her seat, realizing she still had a long way to go. Her mind drifted back to the recent battle with Yuka. A small flashback played in her thoughts, transporting her back to the intense confrontation they had just experienced.

Yuka's Grade, according to Hilda's words, was [Grade 3]. This greatly surprised Aria; she had assumed they were on equal footing, but the revelation of Yuka's higher Grade caught her off guard. How could she be so powerful? What had she been hiding?

She recalled a bit of her conversation with Hilda as she closed her eyes.

"Thinking about the battle, huh?" Hilda said with a playful smile.

Aria nodded, still processing the information about Yuka's Grade 3. "I was surprised to know she's Grade 3. She seemed so confident during the fight."

Hilda chuckled. "Oh, she was confident, that's for sure. Too confident, I'd say. Yuka is a skilled fighter, no doubt about it, but she underestimated you. Only when you pushed her to her limits did she try to use all her power."

Aria furrowed her brow, trying to make sense of it all. "So, she was holding back during the fight?"

"It seems so," Hilda replied. "She thought she could take you on without using her true abilities, but you caught her by surprise with that sudden increase in your capabilities."

Aria shook her head in amazement. "I had no idea I had that within me. It just happened in the heat of the moment."

Hilda gave her a firm pat on the back. "Sometimes, that's when our true potential shines. You have a lot of untapped power within you, Aria. It's just a matter of learning how to harness it."

Aria nodded, feeling a mix of surprise and excitement. "I have to keep improving if I want to find my sister."

Hilda smiled, pleased to see the young girl's willingness to keep growing.

***

"Ah! So, here you are, Aria." a familiar voice pulled Aria from her thoughts, and she looked up to see Hilda standing in front of her.

A faint smile appeared on her face as she rose from her seat. "Is everything ready then? I suppose we are good to go," Aria said confidently.

As she stood up, she noticed more people behind Hilda. Her green eyes were drawn to the most striking figure among them; a massive man towering over Hilda, with long black hair and a gigantic sword that extended above his head. His dark appearance and cold gaze, dressed entirely in black, caught her attention.

"Is this what my sister called an 'emo'?" Aria thought to herself, observing him.

His black eyes locked onto Aria's, slightly squinting as if analyzing her, but then he seemed to lose interest and turned his gaze away.

"This is Blade, our expert swordsman," Hilda announced, presenting the imposing man in black. "He's not much of a talker, but his strength and combat skills are unmatched."

Aria nodded, impressed by Blade's dominant presence and aura of power. He seemed like a mysterious individual. But who dressed like that in broad daylight? Perhaps it wasn't appropriate to judge him before getting to know him better.

Behind Blade, Aria noticed a young man with blond hair and blue eyes, who greeted her with a wide smile. "Hey! I'm Ezra, the scout of the group. I'm excited to work with the rookie who defeated Yuka. This is going to be fun!"

Aria smiled back, feeling relieved that at least one of her companions seemed normal at first glance. "Nice to meet you, Ezra," she said with a relaxed voice.

Next to Ezra, a man with a mechanical exoskeleton on his back greeted her with a broad smile. "I hope to be of help to everyone," he said.

"This is Nico, he's an engineer. They focus on using Astraforge to shape objects and give them special qualities," Hilda said, patting Nico's shoulder. "His tools will be very useful for this mission."

Aria went to shake Nico's hand, but before she could do so, a third person forcefully pushed her hand away.

Her green eyes locked onto that person, a black-haired man with a sour expression and a strange scar on his face.

"I can't believe we have to drag along a [Grade 1] just because she showed some intelligence against dumb Yuka," he said, stepping right in front of Aria, mere inches from her face, looking down at her condescendingly.

His disdainful gaze and disrespectful attitude indicated to the white-haired girl that she wouldn't have a good relationship with that individual.

"Kieran, that's enough," Hilda exclaimed, and the man responded with a dismissive click of his tongue before backing away. "Sorry, Aria, Kieran has always had this kind of attitude."

Despite those words, Hilda smiled amiably. In a way, she understood that both he and Yuka were people who relied only on results and didn't trust someone of lower Grade for such a relevant mission.

"A-ah... Y-you're A-aria, right?" a new voice reached Aria's ears, sounding fragile and soft, but not unpleasant.

Her gaze settled on the owner of the voice, a girl with long reddish hair whose appearance exuded elegance. She wore a long dress adorned with lunar details.

"I-I'm Lyra... It's a pleasure," she said nervously, visibly shrinking.

Aria, however, responded with a smile and extended her hand. "Aria Everhart, pleasure to meet you," she said with a warm smile, causing the young Lyra to blush slightly before smiling back and shaking her hand.

"Um!" Lyra exclaimed, a sound of affirmation.

The team was complete and ready to depart. Hilda briefly explained the action plan and how they would proceed once they were in that place.

To accept the mission, they needed to mentally say, "I accept the mission," and they would be transported to the designated dimension. Aria watched as her companions were enveloped in a golden glow before disappearing.

With a deep sigh, Aria looked at the mission details on the menu. "I accept the mission," she exclaimed with excitement in her voice, and slowly, the golden glow enveloped her, making her disappear within seconds.

...

....

[Space Milk - 4 Star Difficulty]

[Space Milk - $%!# Star Difficulty]

[Error detected in the dimension, reconfiguring difficulty]

[Space Milk - 6 Star Difficulty]