Ren’s eyebrows rose as he looked at Axel and Blitz, surprise in his eyes.
“What are you two doing here?”
“They volunteered to help with the harvesting,” Seraphine said before either of them could speak.
Ren sighed as he looked between Seraphine and the two pranksters.
“Do you let just anyone into the wastelands now because they volunteer?”
Seraphine shrugged. “They’re part of Razogrin’s attack team, so having them lend a hand with the loot doesn’t seem like a bad idea.”
Blitz, wanting to make things more interesting, walked up to Ren, striking a playful salute.
“Team leader, Blitz reporting in for duty!”
Axel, not wanting to be left out, did the same but with a more casual approach. “Yeah, thought we’d come check out the action.”
Ren adjusted his glasses, a thoughtful look crossing his face. “You two are the last people I expected to see here today, but now that you’re here, I suppose there’s nothing that can be done about it.”
Blitz’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Awesome! So, where did Alister go? I wanna see where he burned down that whole hor-”
“But, just to be clear, if either of you pulls anything funny, I’ll be sure to report it to Lady Aiko immediately.” Before she could finish her question, Ren interjected, his tone turning serious. The mention of Lady Aiko’s name caused Axel and Blitz to pale instantly.
Axel shrugged awkwardly, trying to lighten the mood. “N-no need to be so serious, Sir. We just wanna see some burnt monsters.”
Ren raised an eyebrow. “Better be just that, or you’ll be facing Miss Aiko when we get back.” Both Axel and Blitz turned around slowly, their enthusiasm completely evaporated. “Forget about where Alister went,” Blitz said, her voice barely a whisper.
“W-we’ll just go help the others.”
Ren narrowed his gaze, a touch of annoyance in his voice.
“Good, be gone now. The sight of you two brings flashbacks of that little prank you both pulled at the hot springs.”
“W-we’re going, sir!” Axel and Blitz yelled together, their voices echoing as they picked up the pace and ran away.
“Good riddance,” Ren said, turning his attention back to the livestream.
Seraphine chuckled. “Geez, sometimes you’re just as intense as Lady Aiko.”
“It’s only natural. She is another role model of mine,” Ren said, still gazing at the livestream.
Seraphine raised an eyebrow. “Okay, so what’s your plan?”
Ren nodded. “With this new information, it seems the good night’s rest we were all looking forward to can kiss goodbye. I’m already missing it since I didn’t have my share. Seems I’ll wake the others and tell them we need to push forward. I don’t want to bring shame to Master Yuuto again this year.”
Seraphine let out a sigh beneath her mask. “Glad you figured it out. So, I’ll go join the rest of my team with the harvesting. I’ve wasted enough time in chit-chat already.”
Ren nodded again. “The others and I will be leaving after you all are done with the harvesting to prevent any slip-ups. How long do you think it will take you?”
Seraphine paused, considering her answer as she placed her hand under her jaw thoughtfully. “Probably another three hours. You guys really did a number out here, so it could even take longer.”
“No problem then,” Ren replied. “Take your time.”
Ren turned to face the makeshift fortress, an intense look in his eyes. The news of the other guilds pushing their limits had ignited a fire within him. He couldn’t let his team fall behind. As he stepped back in, Hiroshi and Razogrin noticed him, their eyes heavy with exhaustion. “Wake the others,” Ren ordered, “It seems we’ll be moving again sooner than expected.” Goro stirred, his voice thick with sleep. “How so?”
“According to the livestream, the other guilds are still killing monsters, the reapers especially,” Ren explained, his eyes still fixed on the holographic display.
Razogrin grunted, a touch of annoyance in his voice. “Crazy bastards. I hope they break an arm or two from overexertion, chugging down those stamina potions like water.”
Ren closed the holographic window with a swipe of his hand. “Can’t really blame them. It’s a competition after all.” freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
Goro, who had been woken up by the sound of their voices, slowly rose and stretched, a pop echoing through the small space.
“Seems we have our work cut out for us.”
Razogrin let out a low chuckle, his eyes half-closed.
“You’re up early, big guy. Seems you want to get some action in too.”
Goro cracked his neck with a series of sharp snaps. “Not a bad idea if it will secure us the win. Hopefully they aren’t like this every day, or else one of us could get burned out quick.”
Ren nodded, his gaze flicking between the two. “Nice to see you’re both as alert as ever.” He turned to face the others, his voice firm. “Although it’s a bit early, we’re moving out soon.”
As the team prepared to resume their journey, Seraphine and her team worked as quickly as they could, separating valuable materials from the monster corpses.
Axel and Blitz, deciding to keep their word, helped in pulling apart the monsters and not causing any trouble.
Just as Seraphine had predicted, her team finished their task in three hours. They loaded the gathered materials into the aircraft; they were all exhausted but proud of a job well done.
Ren opened a channel to Kaida. “Kaida, wake up. We’re moving.”
A moment later, Kaida’s sleepy voice came through the comms. “Huh? It’s time already?”
“Change of plans,” Ren replied. “We’re moving now.”
Kaida yawned loudly as she stretched her arms. “Why are you waking me up now? Thought we still had a few more hours.”
“Change of plans, we’ll be leaving immediately for the next sector,” Ren explained. “But before that, we need to eat something before we go.”
Kaida considered this for a moment. “Did Seraphine bring any bigger land transport this time? It would be nice to catch up on some sleep while we drive.”