"No! Don't go to this place." Ragna shouted while looking at Clovis with a face full of concern.
Clovis was surprised by such a reaction. He never thought that the peaceful meeting would be disturbed.
"So we'll be visiting these three places during the next expedition. It will be a long seven-day trip." Melody opened the map. "We've gotten several missions, but I guess there are a total of five targets that we have to kill no matter what.
"The first two are located in this forest. This forest is located not far from the city, and it's one of the most famous hunting zones for explorers. The targets are Tier 3 Gastornia and Tier 3 Megaloceros.
"Clovis and Jay will be killing one each without any help. Gastornia is known to be a 'terror bird.' A kind of flightless bird with a robust build, long legs, and a powerful beak. The Megaloceros is known to be a Giant Deer. It has long, branching antlers that can span up to 5 meters in width."
Ragna noticed something and couldn't help but ask, "They are going to kill Tier 3 beasts without help?"
"Yes." Melody nodded without hesitation as if it were the normal thing to do.
"Ah, if you're not aware of it, they're more than capable of defeating a Tier 3 beast by themselves. As we said previously, we're preparing ourselves for the competition. Hence, this will give them good training."
"That's… true." Ragna looked worried, but when he recalled their strength, they might indeed have the prowess of a Tier 3 human despite being a Tier 1 human.
Melody continued, "The second place will be this freshwater lake. If I'm not wrong, there is a Tier 4 Madtsoiidae in this place."
"What?!" Ragna dropped his jaw to the ground. "Are you serious?"
"Yes. This will be our group's main target on this expedition. Well, we don't expect to kill this Tier 4. We just want to fight it and survive. Since it doesn't have any toxins, it'll rely on physical attacks. Hence, it's easier to escape if needed."
"That's…" Ragna fell silent for a moment. "But isn't it too reckless? Challenging a Tier 4 snake when you're only a Tier 1 human…"
"I guess it's still too much." Clovis glanced at Melody. "We can't be too reckless."
"Alright. The reward is quite amazing, so I think that we can give it a shot. In that case, the target will be this Tier 3 Paraceratherium. It's known to be one of the largest land mammals to have ever existed. It has thick skin and a long neck. Because of the size, we have to avoid its stomp." Melody looked at Ragna.
This was a kind of test for him. With such a beast, even Ragna wouldn't survive if he got stomped. But he was the guardian, so he needed to have the ability to 'guard' them without blocking the attack.
Surprisingly, Ragna nodded his head, not making another remark.
"In that case, we'll move to the next destination, which is this grassland."
"No! Don't go to this place." Ragna shouted while looking at Clovis with a face full of concern.
Clovis was surprised by such a reaction. He never thought that the peaceful meeting would be disturbed.
Melody frowned. "Is there a problem?"
"That's…" Ragna bit his lips. "This place is extremely dangerous. They are much stronger than anything you can imagine. Even I have a hard time blocking a single Tier 2 beast. This place…"
Ragna's breathing became rough. Because of Clovis's curious gaze, Ragna had no choice but to blurt out the real reason. "This was the place where I messed up and got expelled by my previous group."
He was afraid that he would mess up once again.
However, Clovis stated, "That's the reason why we want to visit this place. It's because they're strong that it's going to be a challenge."
"But those beasts are…" Ragna bit his lips.
"Stronger than normal beasts? Maybe twice as strong as the ones you can find near this city?"
"!!!" Ragna raised his eyebrows, stunned. "How do you know…"
"We have gone to a similar place. Well, there are some explanations about that kind of place, but that's not really important." Clovis glanced at Melody to continue.
"We have picked another two Tier 3 beasts as the target. If the first destination is to give Clovis and Jay's good experiences and the second destination is to test the harmony of the team, this third place is to test our abilities. We're aiming to kill these two Tier 3 beasts as quickly as possible without sustaining any injuries. If someone gets an injury, they will be punished."
Ragna was dumbfounded. He never thought that these people would be so confident. Even his previous captain, a Tier 3 human, had a hard time. So, it was quite surprising that a bunch of Tier 1 explorers would dare to take up the challenge.
"Don't worry. If you mess up here, we won't terminate the agreement right away. This is just a challenge, and we'll retreat if it starts becoming dangerous," Clovis added, assuring Ragna.
Ragna still looked concerned, not knowing that this third destination was actually a challenge for Ragna, not for the team. If he was indeed capable, the only thing they had to check was his loyalty to the group.
Only after that would Clovis give him the items. In fact, Clovis had thought of several items that Ragna could use, like items that boost his 'Strength' or 'Muscle.'
And that wasn't everything. Clovis also planned to give a copy of the Star Method that his father devised for Bones Affinity.
If the group managed to overcome all the challenges for the next month, they believed they could take on the Rising Star Competition.
Ragna contemplated for a few minutes before saying with a serious expression, "I understand. I shall prepare for the expedition."
"Mhmm. We will give you the details through Skychat." Clovis nodded and extended his hand. "I look forward to seeing your performance."
Ragna shook his head, feeling the pressure from this group. He wanted to see whether their confidence was fake or not.