Chapter 123: The Aftermath

Return through the cracks of time and space.

A familiar circular field.

I hung my sword on my belt and raised my shield. The wounds and poison had been completely cleaned. However, the after-effects of recovery left him in severe discomfort.

Oh! I thought I was going to die!

Jenna patted me on the shoulder as she stood up. When she saw me, she burst into flames.

Oppa, you were the one who said you would give me her weird clothes, right?

Are you feeling unhappy? However, it looked quite expensive.

Clothes are clothes in and of themselves. It's even more unpleasant to go in there. They were in the trash can. And did you know that the soldiers were attacking me like crazy, and they were aiming only at me?!

Jenna grumbled, throwing her bow over his shoulder.

I smiled and opened the door leading to the plaza. The cool atmosphere unique to the waiting room enveloped me. I looked back at my party members.

Edith sheathed the dagger that had fallen to the ground, and Eorca held her breath, looking a little tired. Jenna counted the arrows in her quiver.

And Aaron bowed his head.

There are not many intact specimens.

They were acting casually, but Jenna's hands were shaking slightly as she counted the arrows.

Edith was probably the only one who was calm.

As expected.

If he had been a minute later in releasing them, there might have been casualties. The fact that no one died can only be attributed to luck.

[Recording completed!]

[Video saved! The video will be saved in the gallery. You can also watch online with other users.

I looked into it.

The sky looked white. The mission took approximately 6 hours to complete. Anytng has been watching over us for a long time because heaven is like this. If he had logged in late at night, he might have been up all night.

[Master, do you want to disconnect?]

[Yes (select) or No]

[Goodbye!]

Anytng disconnected shockingly when the message that the recording was completed appeared.

The sky has become dark. Additional staff could be seen heading to the equipment workshop on the other side of the door to the plaza on their way to work.

Is it already morning?

I said.

Thank you, everyone, for your hard work. I was able to get through the boss phase without anyone dying. Especially Edith. It would have been much harder without you.

That was natural.

Edith smiled kindly.

She was practically her MVP on this mission.

She quickly analyzed the geography of the city and provided accurate information to the group. Eliminating the soldiers and setting up group decoys would not have been possible without Edith.

Are you going back to the after-party?

That's the plan. I wasn't planning on staying long anyway. The master will put someone else in my place.

Okay.

That's a shame.

Finding a skilled thief wasn't easy.

While combat was combat, the thief class was essential to the group in other missions. She is similar to Jenna, but she is also an archer type and has not changed jobs yet. Compared to Edith, she had a lot of things she lacked.

I'll go first.

Edith, with a dagger on her belt, headed for the square.

Asher and Dika were waiting for them in the square. Edith returned to the lodgings with her two companions.

It's always so difficult.

Eorca sighed.

I think I'll rest now too. I was up all night. I feel like my skin is being damaged.

Do whatever you like. You did your best, too.

You too.

Before Eorka left the space-time rift, she glanced at Aaron, who bowed his head.

So Jenna, Aaron, and I were the only ones left in the gap. Jenna got ready and approached Aaron.

Aaron Oppa, don't be disappointed. It was just bad luck. You are not doing any harm.

Aaron did not respond.

Jenna said it with a sigh.

Well, I'll go too. See you again in the morning.

I nodded.

Jenna disappeared into the gap. I had no reason to stay here either. I needed to rest and regain my strength before thinking about what to do next.

As I was about to leave, I heard Aaron's voice.

Hyeonnim.

What is this?

Sorry. That's my fault.

I know that well enough.

I grinned.

If we were being objective, Aaron would have caused significant casualties on this mission. If it weren't for his injury, we wouldn't have been in crisis. But it was completely my decision. Even if we were wiped out, it would be because of my lack of judgment, not because I blamed Aaron.

Please refrain from doing so next time. I won't save you again.

Do you have a guarantee that you won't do the same thing next time?

What nonsense is this again?

Hyung-nim, are you going to drag me to the end?

Aaron's voice trembled.

I looked back. I couldn't see Aaron's expression as he lowered his head.

I don't think I can catch up, no matter how hard I try. The gap appears to be widening over time. Eorca, Jenna, and you, Hyeonnim.

So?

Sorry. I think I'm just talking nonsense.

Aaron shook his head, then walked past me with a heavy heart and exited the space-time rift.

When I entered the pitch, I saw Aaron's back walking toward the practice field.

Actually.

I knew what he was suffering from.

Aaron's current level is 14. He's like Jenna, and he's like me.

However, if you look more closely, there are significant gaps. First of all, Aaron's growth stat was 4, the lowest level of the 1-star tier. Jenna and I reached the 5th level along the way and occasionally moved up to the 6th level, but Aaron didn't change when he was promoted.

And when it came to skills, the difference was even greater.

Aaron had Beginner Spearmanship, Pain Resistance, and Fire Resistance skills. Of course, having a lot of skills doesn't necessarily mean being good. However, Aaron's skills were not high. His highest skill level, Beginner Spearmanship, is only level 4. Although he had solid basic combat skills, his ability to apply them was severely lacking.

We might be able to get by at this point.

But over time, the gap will widen significantly. In the end, Aaron was either kicked out of the group or died due to his lack of skill.

He had no talent.

There was nothing to say about that.

I felt a little attached to Aaron. Otherwise, I would have thrown it away without hesitation when it became poisonous. But I wasn't angry enough to force a totally useless member into my party.

He doesn't have much time to spend with us anymore, either.

If he can't keep up, I'll leave him.

This fact still holds true.

Well, rather than throwing it away, I'd rather find another role.

Coincidentally, the instructor's post at the training ground was vacant. Aaron will take on this role well.

I returned to my accommodation.

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