"Hi, it’s nice to see you again," I greeted Lector and Ferna with a polite smile.
"Likewise," Nodded Lector in response.
"Congratulations on graduating, by the way," Smiled Ferna, before adding as she gestured to the other two Hunters, "This is Will Thorne, he’s a Detector, and this is Elicia Lanning, a Lightning Mage."
"Nice to meet you," Grinned Will cheerfully.
"Yeah, I look forward to working with you," I replied, before chanting quietly and using Appraisal on him.
Let’s have a look:
Personal Details:
Name: Will Thorne
Age: 26
Gender: Male
Height: 5’8"
Weight: 81 KG
Hunter Details:
Type: Mage
Class: Detector
Attribute: N/A
Spells: Short-Range Detection, Mid-Range Detection
Skills: N/A
Stats:
HP: 107
MP: 244
Strength: 105
Agility: 92
Vitality: 111
Perception: 96
Mana Level: 244,000
Power Level: 125,500
Potential: 136,700
Not bad, his Mana Level likely put him among the best Q-Ranked Support Mages. But looking at his build, it doesn’t seem like he can fight.
He had thick, curly black hair that was trimmed short, black eyes, a dark complexion and a pretty average build.
I then glanced at the Lightning Mage, who let out a slight mutter as she met my gaze before looking away with a huff.
Yeah, she’s definitely not happy about this. But to be fair, if I was asked to babysit some random noob, I’d be pretty annoyed too.
"Hey, come on, don’t be rude," Frowned Ferna, giving her a nudge.
"Whatever...nice to meet you," She responded curtly, barely looking at me.
"Yeah...nice to meet you too," I replied awkwardly, before mumbling under my breath, "<Appraisal>."
Alright, let’s have a look:
Personal Details:
Name: Elicia Lanning
Age: 22
Gender: Female
Height: 5’6"
Weight: 71 KG
Hunter Details:
Type: Mage
Class: Lightning Mage
Attribute: N/A
Spells: Lightning Bolt, Lightning Arrow, Lightning Slash, Lightning...
Skills: N/A
Stats:
HP: 96
MP: 248
Strength: 90
Agility: 124
Vitality: 102
Perception: 120
Mana Level: 248,000
Power Level: 130,000
Potential: 135,200
Wow, besides myself, I think this is the smallest gap I’ve ever seen between someone’s Power Level and Potential. Her Agility and Perception in particular are about as high as they can get for a Q-Ranked Mage.
She had long blonde hair that went halfway down her back and was pushed back from her forehead with a pink hairband, light pink eyes, a fair complexion, and she had a slender, attractive figure, with an agile build.
She had a spear with a short handle strapped across her back, and a staff with a short handle latched onto the left side of her belt, with a dark blue Mana Orb at the end of it.
She wore a knee-length dark red leather-armored dress with long sleeves and a metal breastplate, black tights on her legs with dark brown boots that went halfway up her calves, and black gloves with metal knuckles.
Anyway, it wasn’t long before we got in the transport to take us to the Dungeon, which was an hour’s drive from the Sanctuary...this is it, I’m about to make my debut as a Hunter!
Gotta say, on another note, I enjoy the rides to the Dungeons, the sights of the ruined and devastated remnants of my old era fascinates me.
"The Chairwoman informed us that you’ll be the Captain of our party, and she told us to get the details from you, about the formation and how we’ll be operating," Remarked Lector, as we drove out of the Sanctuary.
"For the formation, I’ll be up-front, then you and Miss Elicia at the mid-line, and Miss Ferna and Mister Will at the back," I replied, as he nodded thoughtfully.
"Got it, sounds good," He responded with a thumbs up.
"As for how we’ll be operating, well...I’d like to do as much of the fighting by myself as possible. I’d like you guys to deal with any Monsters that get past me and target the back line, but other than that, I don’t want any support unless I’m in real danger. Basically, I’d like to see how much I can accomplish alone," I explained.
"Well, it is a bit risky, but-...," Began Ferna.
"Are you kidding me with this shit? Come on, guys, there’s no way this is okay. He’s just going to get himself killed, we can’t just go along with this idiocy," Spoke up Elicia in disbelief, looking around at the others incredulously.
"Calm down, Elicia. It’ll be fine, it’s just a Mid Level Dungeon," Responded Lector appeasingly.
"Hey, don’t talk to me like I’m a kid!" She shot back indignantly, before turning her attention to me, "As for you, whatever your name is-..."
"Kai."
"Whatever. Listen, Hunting isn’t all fun and games. I looked you up in the Registry and saw that you got great scores at the Academy, and based on your physique, you clearly train hard too, which is commendable and all, but the fact is, you’re only a J-Rank.
It doesn’t matter how skilled you are, you simply aren’t powerful enough to tackle a Dungeon by yourself.
That’s the harsh truth, you can train all you want, but at the end of the day, your Potential and Power Level matter more.
It isn’t fair, but such is life. So, unless you want to end up rushing into an early grave, let one of us lead the party and hang back during the raid," She advised me grimly.
Huh, I can appreciate what she’s saying. Even if her tone is harsh, her words are rooted in empathy. Of course, she’s basing it on faulty info, so naturally, I’m not going to take her advice.
"Sorry, but I’m not going to do that...there certainly is a lot of truth to what you said, but ultimately, you never know until you try. Still, I appreciate the concern, ma’am," I replied with a polite smile.
"Huh? The fuck did you just call me?" She growled icily, a chill running down my spine as I met her gaze.
"I, uh-..."
"You trying to call me old or something, you little shit?"
What? No! I was just trying to be polite!
"H-Hey, take it easy. It definitely didn’t seem like he was being insulting, and I wouldn’t say ’ma’am’ is an insult, anyway," Pointed out Lector, tentatively patting her shoulder.
"It totally is, you usually only call older women ma’am!"
"Maybe so, but don’t you think you’re overreacting? Think about it, is this really something worth getting this riled up over?" Chimed in Ferna.
"I-...damn it," She muttered as she slumped back in her seat, a grumpy look on her face.
"U-Uh...sorry, I really didn’t mean to offend you," I remarked apologetically.
"Whatever..."