They sat quietly around the table in their common room. Before them, their touch-screens were filled with the endless file that was their prep material for the jungle domain.

Nar sighed and stretched his back, his eyes gritty, and checked his UI as he did so.

Almost midnight. The cilices will activate soon again, he thought, trying not to grimace at the thought of the two bands wrapped around his biceps. And then back to more dungeons tomorrow.

This time, the week would be filled with nothing but dungeons. They would sleep, wake up, do the first dungeon, take a break, do the second, take another break, and finally run the third, before heading back home. And there, Tys would be waiting for him, ready to keep instilling in him the discipline he needed to earn the two passive skills of self-healing and pain tolerance while he was in the Brightnight.

And then the Master of Blades in the mornings before the dungeons, he thought, as the golden man had insisted on continuing their training, no matter how early it had to be done.

It was bleary eyed moments like these that made him question everything he was doing. The elite delving. Being Tys' disciple. Not moving on from his dad… Everything. But somehow, he always managed to keep back from plunging into that whisper of a promise of liberation that was the temptation to give it all up. To just…

What? He thought, shaking his head.

He still didn't know, and two weeks from then, they would be heading into the sweltering jungles of the Brightnight…

Kur looked up from his screen with a sharp intake of breath, and the others around the table looked up as well, drawn away from their own prep work.

Jasphaer, Gad, Nar, Mul and Kur. They were the last ones left awake.

"I don't want to say that this is the hardest thing we've ever done, considering we're Climbers. And no offense to you, Jasphaer…"

"None taken. My grandad used to tell me stories passed down from our ex-Climber ancestors," the furry healer said. "They were terrifying."

"Hmm," Kur said, nodding. Then he placed his hand over his tablet. "But this? This Brightnight domain? This is going to be hard."

Mul rubbed his eyes. "We kind of expected that."

"Not this much," Kur said, shaking his head. "Jasphaer?"

"Yeah… No comparison for me. This is going to be the wildest think I've ever done in my whole life," he said, scrolling idly through his screen. "Not only are these beasts going to be a challenge, but the jungle itself is going to be our enemy. It's going to be incredibly hot, so we'll need to keep hydrated and make sure to take plenty of breaks. The rain is going to be heavy and last for days or weeks on end, meaning, watch out for our mental condition. And that is all without mentioning about the leeches in the rivers, the venomous insects, the ticks, and the mosquitos riddled with jungle diseases… Plus infections and parasites! Genahu have mercy… This place is a healer's nightmare!"

"The number of things we can eat is also incredibly small," Gad said. "We can try to kill some aether prey and wait for the aether to dissipate, but then we'll be risking calling in predators from all over the place."

Kur massaged his forehead. "I'll be honest. I'm seriously debating dropping those extra rewards."

Nobody around the table spoke in opposition.

"I know that they're going to help us, but Crystal! On top of the 5000 tokens we'll need, an extra 1000 tokens per head for common rewards, an extra 5000 for uncommon ones, then another 10k for rare rewards and an extra 25k for the epic ones?" he shook his head. "It's just not feasible. I don't see how we could do it in just four months."

"Not unless we hunt those rare beasts," Nar said, his voice dragging with exhaustion.

He didn't even know why he was so tired. He hadn't done anything that day, as Tys had given it to him as extra rest, probably out of pity or worry that he might break soon otherwise.

"Unfortunately, I have to agree…" Gad rumbled. "Unless we have more people, I don't think we can aim for anything past uncommon."

"More people?" Mul asked, frowning. "But that would mean even more tokens are needed, no?"

"Yes. But it also means more people collecting them and more people being able to fight stronger and more valuable beasts. And faster," she said. "In the end, I think this domain rewards those who work together, and it's a shame they're not pairing us up with another party. If we could go in with Row's people, I think we could've pushed it up to the rare rewards. As it is, uncommon might be our ceiling."

"And we could've coordinated on the gathering and harvesting requirements too," Kur muttered.

"And another healer would have helped a lot," Jasphaer added.

Mul relented, spreading his arms across the table. "Fine. Fine… I see it. But we don't have anybody else. Not unless we invoke the Crystal's Mercy. Is that what you're hinting at?"

Kur shook his head.

"You get penalized for invoking it without grounds," he said. "Which means that uncommon really is the best we can do…"

Nar nodded alongside the others. It was disappointing, but it was reality.

From everything he had read up on the domain, it would be enough of a feat to just exit that dungeon alive and with everything they needed to get, and even grabbing anything extra to fund their future delves was going to be enough of a complication they would have to solve.

"We're going to need a lot of meds," Jasphaer said, looking at Kur with bloodshot eyes. "I can heal, of course, but my aura is limited, and having meds to fight some of these things will go a long way to make things smoother and ensure my aura is reserved for when we really need it. And I really think we should buy those water purifiers like it's recommended. They're expensive, but you have no idea how dangerous it is to drink water that has not been properly purified."

"I know…" Kur said, sighing. "Those purifiers are definitely on the list. As are a few lights, and all that recommend camping gear. Crystal, a month in the jungle would've been an intense task already, now imagine four! And we can't even keep our combat gear on all the time!"

Gad reached across the table and squeezed his arm. "We'll find a way, Kur. We always do. For now, though, I think everyone should get some sleep. Things always seem worse when you're tired, so let's just have another look again tomorrow."

"Fair… Alright, everyone, the meeting is adjourned. Off to bed."

*********

Half-shaped thoughts raced through his mind as he brushed his teeth.

Gathering and harvesting requirements…

Rewards.

Gear needs.

Health concerns.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Kur sighed and bent over to spit his toothpaste.

And that's not all, he thought, his mind flashing to his [Apprentice Seal of Authority], and its [Worthiness] stat.

 

Worthiness: 0 - 10%

Grants a bonus to buff and debuff skills based on the leadership capabilities of the wearer.

 

So far, he hadn't been able to tap into even 1% of that potential 10%...

He shook his head and bent down again to splash some water into his face.

And this Brightnight… he thought, water dripping down his features. This is going to be the test of a true party leader.

And he did his best not to ask the question that had been burning him ever since that day when they had faced the illatrian in that corrupted dungeon. The day that for the first time since leaving the B-Nex, he had truly issued out orders that he knew could've gotten people killed. His people…

"Hey."

Kur startled and looked behind him.

"Mul?" he asked. "What are you doing still up?"

Wolfie popped out with his customary flash of blue, and Mul raised the little green, flat bucket that popped out and that he used to clean up the little cub.

"This late?" Kur asked, frowning.

"Yeah. Come on. The faster we start, the faster we'll be done," the brawler said.

"What? Mul, we need to sleep!"

"Kur. Get in the shower," Mul said.

And there was something in his tone that made Kur stop questioning the brawler and follow after him. He frowned as the brawler dropped the bucket on the floor and took off his pants.

"Do it, unless you want yours wet," Mul said.

In his underwear, the brawler rolled up his sleeves and pulled out the little shower head attachment hidden in the wall.

"Go on, it's not that hard," Mul said. "He just makes a mess of everything."

He passed a hand over the green bucket and a bottle of washing gel and a brush appeared within.

Wolfie yapped in delight and jumped into the steaming and slowly filling bucket, and immediately proceeded to splash water around, getting them both wet.

"Here," Mul said, handing Kur the bottle. "Just squirt a little bit of that into the bucket. Not too much, though."

"Right…" Kur said, looking between Mul and the blue bottle he had been given.

Exhaling heavily at whatever this was, he took off his pants as well and rolled up his sleeves. Then he got down on one knee and squirted some of the liquid soap into the bucket. Foam began to form immediately, and Wolfie pawed at it in delight.

What is going on? Kur asked himself, wondering if he had gone delirious from tiredness and worry.

"Right, take this brush and start scrubbing," Mul said, passing him the brush. "Be careful with his belly. It's very sensitive."

Unsure of what he was doing, Kur started by scrubbing Wolfie's back, and the little cub offered it to him of his own volition, growling lightly as Kur brushed him.

"He's very well behaved," Kur said, a smile spreading across his lips despite the ridiculousness of the situation.

"That, or he just likes getting washed and scrubbed," Mul said, grabbing another brush and getting started on the wolf's head. "But I think I've tested your patience, enough, eh?"

Kur shrugged. "I mean… I'm alright if you need help. But… I don't think you would be doing it this late."

"No, I wouldn't. Come closer," Mul said.

Frowning, Kur did so.

"I can't be the only one thinking that there's something going on that is not quite right, am I?" Mul asked him, his tone low.

Whatever hesitation Kur had was washed away by a sudden onset of cool lucidity.

"What do you mean?" he asked, keeping his tone down as well, disguised under the noise of the shower.

"I mean with Nar, Kur. What else?"

Kur's stomach tightened into a knot.

"You… What do you mean?" he asked again.

"Well, for starters, they have no idea what his class is. All that endless data in their fancy computer and not even a single mention of his class? Not even what the word "champion" even means, and not even after they requested information from Tsurmirel's endless, cold archives?" the brawler asked, arching an eyebrow at him. "And yet, despite this, somehow, his potential is enough to draw the attention of two masters who so far seem to know exactly what they're doing to achieve the best results for his unknown class?"

The brawler shrugged. "I may be wrong, but when the Master of Throwing Weapons told the shit brains that he had no idea what to do with him, he actually seemed to mean it. He had to go and research and find that Thousand Blossoms or whatever for Tuk to learn."

He turned Wolfie around and proceeded to scrub down his neck with a second brush. By now, Kur's brush had been entirely forgotten in his hand, and he was staring at the brawler with his breath stuck on his throat.

"In comparison, the Master of Blades seems to know exactly what he's doing, and that even without knowing what Nar's affinity is going to be. Isn't that weird? And for all we know, it's the same with the Master of Aura… I mean, I at least haven't heard Nar voicing any concerns about her. Have you?"

"No…" Kur said. "And then there's his A-Chat too…"

"Which it's still not working," Mul said. "And, you know, that's still happening for some other people, so fair enough, it's not super suspicious. But that's until…"

"Until you add the COO to the mix," Kur whispered, his eyes widening. "And the Master of Emotions, who also wants to take Viy on as her disciple."

"Boom!" Mul said, then shook his head. "These people are supposed to be at the very top of fighting rankings, and Tsurmirel is supposedly making a push into the Deep Deep and the uncharted areas of the Deep Zones and all that. That much is clear to everyone, even in the 2NET. I found all sorts of threads about it, so it's not a secret to anyone."

"But instead, they're both here… Two of the guilds top delvers are here, playing babysitting to us," Kur said. "One, it happens, but two? And Viy said the Master of Emotions replaced the previous one at the last minute."

Mul increased the strength of the shower head and pointed it at the opposite wall, generating a louder, echoing and splashing sound.

"Is that why we're here?" Kur asked, frowning at the stream of hot water. "Do you think they are listening?"

"I don't know, but what I do know is that this is a lot worse than you think, Kur," Mul said, his expression deadly serious. "This whole thing stank! And the more I thought about it, the worse it did. So I went digging in the 2NET… If for some reason Nar is being kept from registering for his account, then maybe they are hiding something else."

Kur almost didn't want to know. "And are they?"

Mul nodded.

"There was nothing about Nar awakening his [Presence] anywhere, Kur. In a popular dungeon like Haven, and with everyone having an implant in their heads that allows them to record anything and upload it right away… For there to be nothing at all?" he shook his head. "And before you ask, I found loads of awakening videos. Loads, Kur. It's rare, but in a Nexus of quadrillions, what does rare even mean anymore?"

"Crystal…" Kur said, his expression devoid of color.

"And there's more… I went back all the way to our Ceremony recordings," Mul said. "There was nothing of Nar in there. Nothing about us either! Even the moment when Row's party came for us is nowhere to be found, and there's nothing about the Raid Boss getting back up again… Which is very strange considering how Tuk went around taunting Nar about him becoming famous, isn't it? People watched it, Kur, but it's all gone now."

Kur nodded. "I remember that. The healer and the HOUNDS' member… They had both seen it on the aetherwaves, and they said something about Nar becoming a local celebrity… But there was nothing? Are you sure?"

"Nothing. And I was very exhaustive in my search."

Kur lowered his other knee to the wet floor, not worried about getting wet anymore.

"I've tried searching for "champion" before. Nothing came up," he told Mul. "But there's no way of telling if it's because there's nothing there or… Or because they're blocking it."

Mul snorted, and Wolfie growled happily as the brawler began to carefully scrub his stomach.

"Be real, Kur. There's nothing new in the Nexus, remember?"

Kur groaned and rubbed his temples, not caring for the soap in his hands.

"So, what are we saying? That the Scimitar is keeping Nar… What, hidden from the Nexus?"

"I think it's probably Tsurmirel itself," Mul said. "Seems like a big operation was needed to scrub all of that footage from the 2NET."

"Do you realize how insane this sounds?" Kur asked. "Only the Church has the power to do that!"

"Officially or…"

Kur groaned.

"There's a lot about the Nexus that we still don't know. And you can't convince me that there's a whole shady layer to all the legal stuff we've learned about," Mul insisted. "And I just can't get past this! You know that I don't trust people, and something here is screaming in my head!"

"... And what do we do?" Kur whispered. "This is a guild with billions of people that we're talking about!"

"That I don't know yet," Mul said. "But I just thought that you should know what I found. And I know that you're busy enough as it is, so I'm happy to keep an eye on things going forward."

Kur inhaled slowly, stilling his mind.

"Technically, that should've been Jul's role," he said.

"Rogue or not, I think I'm better suited for it," Mul replied.

"Yeah… I agree," Kur said. "Alright. Then, please, keep an eye on this. And let me know if you find out anything. There's nothing we can really do about it for now anyways, just as there is no telling if this is just an elaborate OP to keep a promising disciple hidden."

"I thought about that," Mul said, scrubbing Wolfie's tail. "But there's two disciples now… And on our party, of all places."

Kur sighed.

"I won't do anything crazy, don't worry. And hopefully, this turns out as me just being paranoid," Mul said. "But the last time I ignored this feeling, we almost ended up as food, so forgive me for listening to my skepticism going forward."

Kur waved off his apology. "I know, Mul. I know. And it's never bad to be aware and careful. So, please, keep an eye on it. Alright? But let's not tell Nar… He's got enough going on as it is."

"I thought the same…" Anyways, let's get this little shit washed and dried. I don't want people to start wondering what the two of us are doing here for so long, eh?" Mul said, grinning.

Kur snorted and leaned forward again, and chuckled as Wolfie sprayed water and foam everywhere.

But inside, the vortex within his mind had only grown larger and stronger.

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