The horse carriage started moving away from the village of Grasswood, which gave them many stories, especially for Elisia. Every second was precious in a small village that had almost become a field for criminals to established colonization. Elisia saw a beautiful hairpin in which there was an image of love. The girl clutched the harpin as she closed her eyes.

With a horse carriage covered by a tarpaulin tent, Elisia and her friends could rest in it with fresh vegetables that Mr. Pata delivered to Tanggon. Dao sat beside Mr. Pata to ensure the safety of their journey.

“Risk, what are we going to do in Tanggon later?” Elisia asked, breaking the silence.

Risk turned around. “We will meet my acquaintances there. I had my doubts at first, but it turned out to be my friends. They will greet us when we arrive at the nearest village in Tanggon.”

“How do they know if we're close?” Elisia asked.

“I asked them to trace Dao. He's the only human with an iron component in it.”

“So you used Dao to track our location?!” Upgrade exclaimed.

“Yes, and Dao agreed to my request after all,” Risk replied.

“Did someone summon Dao?” Dao said from the front.

“Nothing, we were just talking. Carry on with your work!” Upgrade replied.

Elisia looked back at the forest scenery that graced their journey. The carriages passed each other toward Grasswood. She saw several people in full uniforms standing on several streets. It could not have felt well the howling of the wind in the rather stifling carriage.

Elisia checked the stats to learn something inside it.

Elisia Naumann

Level 9 (800/1400 exp)–Vanguard

Max HP : 832 /832

Stamina : 620/620

Skill Point (SP) : 136/136

ATK : 420

DEF : 247

RES : 10.4%

Agility : 45

.

Skills

Active Skills

1. Molten Flame (level 7 (Max level))

SP Requires : 36

ATK +75% and every attack gains 40% chance to ignore 20% Enemy DEF.

Duration: 31 second

2. [Unknown]

(Unlocked in Level 15)

3. [Unknown]

(Unlocked in Level 25)

4. [Unknown]

(Unlocked in Level 40

5. [Unknown]

(Unlocked in Level 50)

Passive Skills

1. Sixth Sense (level 5 (Max Level))

2. Can see the level, full statistics, and all skills of other characters, including their weakness

3. Duration: Passive

4. [Unknown]

5. (Unlocked in Level 10)

.

Equipment

1. Wool Jacket (equipped)

2. Dublin Spear (saved)

3. Flame Pendulum (equipped)

4. Necklace of Fortune (equipped)

5. Love Hairpin (equipped)

6. Book of Hex Aegis (available)

7. Monstra, Book of Monsters (available)

.

Elisia took [Hex Aegis] book in search of abilities that might be unlocked next. She flipped through each leaf, from mastering [Molten Flame] to the max, to using battle tricks with [Sixth Sense]. There was a lot of undisclosed information.

After searching like a clueless person, Elisia found a name that seemed to be the name of the skill that would unlock if she reached level 10.

[Overheat Substitution]

Such a strange naming, but Elisia understood the meaning. Seeing its name made the girl think that this ability could turn the heat that was often emitted from the pendulum into something like power. Not much information from it other than this skill would be unlocked after reaching level 10.

Elisia closed Hex Aegis book and put it back into the pendulum. The girl was curious about how the new [Sixth Sense] skill worked. She tried to look at Risk, who was beside her.

Risk

Level 41–Swordman

Max HP : 2107/2107

ATK : 972

DEF : 353

RES : 20%

Agility : 70

.

Skill:

Active

1. Blade of Calamity

ATK +70% and deal damage twice. After deal damage, Target will be deal 3.5% of target max HP per second.

2. Art of Sullivian

After activated, stop attacking and heal 3% of max HP per second for 10 second. When duration is over, release a mega slash that deals 200% AoE Art Damage. (After skill ends, ATK and DEF -90% for 40 Second)

3. Mirror of Morality

When activated, stop attacking for 5 second and create a . Clone have 60% original ATK, 40% original DEF, and will follow the original movements. (Can only use once per battle)

Passive

1. Master of Aura

Can see the target’s aura

2. Blood of Sullivian

When not attacking and activate the skill, heal 0,5% of max HP

.

Weakness:

1. [The Fractal] = A Obsidian that have unlimited energy, but deal 60% true damage to everyone near the object.

2. His Kryptida, have reduced Agility and ATK in random situation.

.

Elisia didn't understand Risk's stats, but his weakness made Elisia feel sorry for him. She also worried that Krytida's infection in her right arm would affect her fight. The pain caused by the friction of the Kryptadium pebbles growing on her skin interfered with her activities. However, she wouldn't feel it if she took off her [Wool Jacket].

As time went on, Elisia felt an incredible sleepiness in her eyes. The tedious journey and nothing to see made Elisia's eyes heavy. The girl wanted to hold it in as best she could, but the drowsiness invaded her head.

“Elisia, sleep if you are sleepy! This journey will be long and tiring,” Upgrade ordered, who saw Elisia.

Finally, Elisia obeyed Upgrade's words. She leaned her head against Risk's right arm. The man was a little surprised, but didn't care. He stroked Elisia's head to feel comfortable in her sleep. Quickly, Elisia immersed in a dream, even though her body could still feel the vibrations of the horse carriage.

...

This time, Elisia was in the middle of a burned building. The girl couldn't see anything and her breath was a little tight. She crawled on the carpeted floor to avoid the flames that lay above her. It was boiling there, but Elisia didn't sweat.

After crawling quite a distance, a white door bearing something in it stopped Elisia. She remembered that the symbol had been present in a dream before. The girl pushed open the very heavy door, as if something was holding it from behind the door.

The ceiling of the building rained down on Elisia. With her remaining strength, Elisia continued to push the door. The door opened, and a fire that had surrounded her from all sides greeted her. Among the flames there were two silhouettes of people within. They seemed resigned to the surrounding flames.

Elisia wanted to save the two of them, but a sword slashed at them with great force. It split their bodies into two pieces and fire burned them. Elisia knelt down sadly, looking at the two people who failed to be saved. From the huge embers, a sword silhouette emerged that was walking towards her.

Without hesitation, Elisia took out a [Fire Spear] and stared at the silhouette with blazing fire eyes. She stood up and immediately ran towards him...

...

Elisia opened her eyes slowly. She felt dizzy, hard to stand. She looked at her friends, who seemed to prepare their luggage. The girl felt the carriage slowing down until it finally stopped. Risk touched Elisia's head.

“Elisia, wake up! We have arrived!” Risk called.

Elisia, whose consciousness had not recovered yet, just nodded and tried to move. Her dizzy head hindered her movement, but she had to get down. Elisia also set foot after a long and tiring journey. They had removed all items from the horse carriage.

“Fine, I can only take you all the way here. I will also approach the shop at the end of this street and try to avoid the bandits,” the old man said.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Pata. We are very grateful for your help,” Upgrade replied.

The old man got into the carriage again. “I hope you are doing well in this region.”The horse carriage started moving again.

“Are… have we… arrived?” Elisia asked, who was still dizzy.

“It seems you slept very well earlier,” Risk replied. “Yes, welcome to Tanggon!”

Elisia rubbed her eyes to get a better look. Risk gave Elisia a bottle of water to drink and wash her face. After that, the girl looked around. There was nothing interest in Tanggon, other than ordinary buildings made of wood, residents who are always silent, until the streets crowded.

They walked along the main road. They had only taken a few steps when they saw a group of bandits robbery at a food shop. Elisia and her friends couldn't do anything, just like the people around the shop who could only watch.

“Risk, when will your acquaintances pick us up?” Upgrade asked.

“They need time to get here. The most important thing is we have to keep walking until we find Ho Shei's shop,” Risk answered.

“Alright, keep going and mind nothing near you!” Upgrade command. “Elisia, walk between Risk and Rhino!”

“Yeah, you should be under our watch! This place is very unsafe for visitors,” Rhino continued.

Elisia complied with Upgrade's orders. They kept walking even though a lot of strange people were approaching them and looking annoyed. Risk and Upgrade could handle it easily. There weren't many stats that Elisia saw along the way. They all normal.

They continued along the main road of the area until they arrived at the village roundabout. Elisia saw a shop sign with the name of the place written on each building, namely the Tanin region. They took a break in front of a shop for a drink. Elisia sat on a common chair.

Elisia felt that the surrounding people were constantly watching her. The girl felt something odd, like something big was about to happen. She pulled Risk's black robe sitting beside her. The man turned.

“What's the matter, Elisia?” He asked.

Elisia brought her head closer to Risk's ear. “It seems like everyone here is paying attention to me. Is that a good sign?”

Risk looked into every eye that was watching Elisia. They immediately looked away. Elisia could see Risk's suspicious expression on the surrounding people.

“Dao, come here!” Risk called.

Dao came to him. Risk asked Dao to stand to Elisia's left, with her eyes slightly glancing at the little girl who was with them. Dao nodded and stood up straight to Elisia's left.

“Risk, did your friend tell you where Ho Shei's shop is?” Upgrade asked.

“No, they asked me to find it myself. It seems they still remember my navigational skills,” Risk said.

“Did they give any hints? We can't go around this area. Too dangerous for Elisia.” Upgrade paid attention to the surrounding conditions that were not conducive.

“We can't stay here either. The bandits can attack us.” Rhino continued.

In her vision, Elisia saw a large group of armed men approaching her. They immediately surrounded Elisia and friends with sharp weapons as swords and maces. The girl looked at some of their stats.

And one big bandit carrying a club hammer.

Elisia and friends were immediately on standby with their respective weapons. The girl would use this opportunity to improve her abilities, considering her opponent was strong enough for her.

The bandit leader walked towards Elisia, but Dao blocked him. He smiled evilly, then asked some of his men to surround Dao and Elisia. Rhino started releasing [Solid Defense] to create a shield for protection. One bandit swung his sword, the weapon reflected off the shield.

“I know you guys are wanderers carrying precious treasures. If you want to survive and be able to continue your journey, hand over the girl!” The Bandit Leader threatened.

“If not, then why?” Risk asked defiantly.

The bandit leader swung his club hammer once at the shield. The defense was so close to cracking that Rhino had to endure it as best he could. He laughed, followed by all his men. Elisia suddenly trembled with all these bandits. They didn't seem like the usual bandits she’d fought at Glomouth and Grasswood.

When the Bandit leader was about to swing his club hammer a second time, something unseen hit his face. His body fell to the ground. His men were immediately furious and ran to their leader. Elisia saw something moving fast, but she couldn't see the stats.

It didn't stop there; the figure hit the other bandits in the back row until they fell. Seeing this opportunity, Risk and Dao put up a fight by attacking the rest of the bandits standing near them. Elisia also followed her two friends and overthrew 6 people. Elisia continued by attacking another bandit, now her score was 12 people.

The ever-growing number of bandits overwhelmed them. The super-fast figure continued to run until it defeated the rest of the bandits. From their right side, a group of bandits was running towards them. A bomb exploded in the middle of the crowd, knocking everyone out. Elisia defeats the remaining bandits who survived the bomb.

The fight is over. Elisia defeated about 20 people with the status of ‘Full HP’. A message appeared in front of her.

“Battle is over!”

“Result:”

“Bandit Rookie × 17”

“Bandit Elite × 4”

“Total kill = 21 targets”

.

“EXP reward”

“Bandit Rookie : 100 × 17 = 1700”

“Bandit Elite : 300 × 4 = 1200”

“Total EXP = 2900 EXP”

.

“Congratulations, your level up to 10!”

“Bonus: DEF +8, Max HP limit +16, Stamina Limit +10, Skill Points +6”

“Max HP, Stamina, and Skill Points restores”

.

“New Achievement unlocked: Battle of Tanggon”

“Reward: ATK + 50, DEF +10, Player EXP + 500”

.

“Congratulations, your level up to 11!”

“Bonus: ATK +5, RES +0,1%, Max HP limit +16, Stamina Limit +10, Skill Points +6”

.

“New Skill Unlocked: Overheat Subtitution”

.

Elisia got many more rewards from her battle results. She had reached level 10, which meant one of her skill had been unlocked. She wanted to check, but everyone was standing near them. Elisia saw their expressions wary of their surroundings.

The Bandit Leader stood up from his stupor and looked at them with an angry expression. “I will come back again!” He ran into an alley.

Everyone sighed and kept their weapons. The super-fast figure stopped in front of them. Another figure also seemed to jump from the building and landed right in front of them. Rhino and Dao gripped their weapons, but Risk walked over to them. Elisia saw the uniforms of the two figures, which were like Risk.

“You guys are late. You should have told them the location of the Ho Shei shop so you don't have to approach us." Risk told them.

The super-fast figure pointed at the building where Elisia and friends rested. Everyone turned their heads, apparently it was the Ho Shei shop they were looking for. Upgrade sighed in annoyance, followed by Elisia's flat expression.

“Sorry, guys! I didn't notice it earlier,” Risk said.

“Doesn’t matter. After all, we purposely covered up the shop sign so that Risk would use his navigational skills.” The other figure approached Upgrade. “My name is Violet, the explosion specialist. It's Zach, the infiltration expert. We are at one party with Risk. I hope Risk's annoying attitude all has not bothered you this time.”

The person called Zach waved his right hand. Upgrade was approaching Violet.

“Perhaps you can lead us to a safer place. We have to protect our youngest member.” Upgrade points to Elisia.

Violet surprised when she saw Elisia. “Isn't she...”

“I think you already know.” Upgrade smiled.

“Alright, this way!” Violet turned around and started walking. “Zach, please clear the way!”

Zach nodded and sprinted into an alley. It amazed Elisia to see the running speed of the man. If estimated, his agility may be higher than Risk and Dao. They started walking through a rather narrow alley. No one was sitting in the street until Elisia saw several people who looked weak, as if they had been beaten.

On the way, Elisia could hear Violet and Risk's conversation in front of her.

“You're still as great as ever, Risk! Your friends are great too, especially your young members. She reminds me of Spearman.” Violet praised Risk and friends. Elisia blushed.

“Yeah, I'm lucky enough to meet them. If Spearman was here, Elisia's abilities would amaze him. I raised that child,” Risk replied proudly.

“So her name is Elisia? Elisia Naumann?”

“Yes, that's my name,” Elisia answered from behind.

Violet turned her head slightly. “Oh, I've heard your name, and maybe we'll discuss it at our place.”

Elisia quite stunned because someone knew her. She felt that she was quite famous in the Tanin region. The bandits must had known her too. Elisia remembered what Risk said about her status as a princess. She also thought that she was famous because of her status, although she didn't know the truth about the status yet.

After walking quite a distance across the alley, they arrived at a side street that looked different from before. The street was quieter and a few homeless people could see lying on the edge of the shop. Elisia saw how shabby this area was, which seemed almost untouched by the main road. They stopped for a moment on the way.

“Hey, why did we stop?!” Rhino asked.

Suddenly, Zach braked in front of them. He raised his thumb and pointed somewhere. Violet asked everyone to walk in the direction Zach pointed. Arriving at the place, a dark-skinned man with a burly body greeted them. He stood with his back to Elisia and her friends.

His body immediately turned to see their presence. The face with stitches on the forehead looked at them with a straight face. Elisia got goosebumps looking at the man. Risk approached him and they looked at each other. After that, they shook hands with each other and smiled.

“Risk, it's nice to see you again after so many years. You must be happy with my new friends.” The man said happily.

“I'm glad to meet you too, Captain Hans! Sometimes, I miss our comrades,” Risk replied.

Captain Hans glanced at Risk's friends, especially Elisia. “Maybe you can introduce your friends to me. We can be good partners after this.”

“Oh, almost forget. Introducing, this pale man called Upgrade. This big man is Rhino, and this is Dao, the assistant and bodyguard of Upgrade. Then, this little girl named-“

Captain Hans approached Elisia. The girl became a little worried about the big man. Unexpectedly, the man bowed before her. It surprised everyone when see him.

“It is my honor to meet you, Princess Elisia! Sorry if we have to take you to a shabby place like this.” The Captain said who was respectful to Elisia.

“Eh, I'm not a princess. I'm Elisia Naumann, an ordinary girl. Please don't bow before me!” Elisia became awkward at Captain Hans' behavior.

The Captain straightened his body. “Sorry for my rudeness. I think you must be tired after the long journey to get here. Let's go inside and have some sodas!”

Captain Hans and Violet stepped into a sizable building, followed by Risk. Upgrade suspected Hans's attitude of respecting Elisia, even though he also knew who the girl was. Rhino asked Elisia to come in first. After everyone entered, Zach closed the door.