An elevator, wide enough to fit a small vehicle arose from the ground in a forest area, and the door opened to reveal the same three individuals that went in just a week and some days ago.

Throughout the elevator ride, Sunfire hummed something to herself, while Roy asked Master Abraham stupid questions. What kind of abyss creatures do you think we’ll see? Will they have unique powers? And might the Witherflower have a demon in its army? Questions of the like.

However, Master Abraham answered each one, albeit tiredly.

The three stepped out, and Sunfire didn’t wait in ceremony. She stepped forward and looked up to the sky past the branches and leaves, scanning the skies for any flying abyss creatures that may hinder her flight.

"Alright. I don’t know how long it’ll take, but I’ll be back in one to two days. Though I’m sure you’ll be done with your side of the job by then, Black Zero," she said that last part with a hint of jealousy.

"Sunfire," Black Zero called out. His expression was as stoic and stiff as ever when he was out on the battlefield. "When you return, I have a letter for you."

Roy’s eyes widened, and he folded his lips to control his laughter. ’Is that letter what I think it is? Pfft! What in God’s name is this crazy man thinking?’

Sunfire knitted her eyebrows, unable to peer through the thoughts of this complicated man to know what he was planning. She didn’t believe it would be anything good, though.

She shrugged and flipped her hair. "What is it about?"

"A deal. You will know when you read it," Master Abraham simply said.

Sunfire noticed Roy’s attempt not to burst out laughing and felt this was some joke. So she asked, "Why can’t you give me now?"

Abraham’s attention was on his surroundings and not on her, as he answered, "Now is not the time. I will give it when you return."

Sunfire clicked her tongue. She was already convinced that it was some sort of trick he was going to play on her again, just like back when they were in Irregular Academy.

"Whatever. Good luck."

Woosh!

A heavy gust of wind blew outward from where Sunfire once was, ruffling the leaves and blowing Abraham’s overcoat and cool, natural hair. It was the same for Roy.

"What was that about?" Roy asked with Sunfire now gone, holding a sneaky and knowing grin. "Are you going to confess to Sunfire?"

Black Zero turned to Roy and stretched out his hand with the hi-tech pistol, but just as Roy tried to grab it, he pulled his hand back.

"What?" Roy asked.

Abraham put the pistol back on his quickly materialized Array. "You’re not going to shoot anything today, since you are yet to learn to mind your business in the matters of grown-ups."

"Hey! That’s not fair!" Roy protested and said a lot more things, but Abraham didn’t listen once bit.

Master Abraham just recited the mission direction.

"Before the undead arrive, there are two species of abyss creatures in this area that will pose an issue if they’re turned undead. The first are Strange Beasts, a kilometer northeast, the Antsnakes..."

Roy wanted to point out the rhyme, but it was no longer time for jokes.

Abraham displayed the image of a human-sized ant that had the body of a snake and the head and feet of an ant. The data said they walked on six legs and had mandibles, like regular ants, but when they spot an enemy, they fall on their belly and slither forward with immense speed, like snakes on nitros. Their bite sends one into instant paralysis, and they cut their prey into chunks for easy transportation back to their nest.

"This is why they’re a problem. If they get turned, their poison might contain the undead virus, and its paralyzing trait will turn any executioner immobile after a single bite. The undeadening fever will run its full course, and they won’t even be able to restore their health with their consumables."

Roy recoiled subconsciously and asked, "What about the second species?"

The image displayed on the dataPad changed to a walking bipedal creature with leaves growing out on its large head, with a stem-like body made of stone and a tree trunk. Handing down from its forehead was a red fruit that looked incredibly delicious. It walked about blindly, as it had no eyes, with hands that shot out like roots.

Black Zero explained, "These are Mutated Monsters, called the Treewalkers. They are ingenious. If they become undead, they will grow the pollen of the Witherflower and become worse and more intelligent. We can’t have that."

Roy nodded and felt his hand tremble.

"And I really can’t have the pistol?" He asked, raising his face to Abraham’s with worry written all over it.

"Not today. You have to think of your true arsenal," Abraham explained. "Mine are these chainswords, hi-tech guns, and explosives. Chainswords, because they cut deep with the least effort, whilst maintaining maximum speed. Guns, because I never miss. Explosives, because I spot structural weaknesses that I use to my advantage. Everything aids my skillset, Roy."

"But they aid mine too!" Roy was dumbfounded. The pistol has been serving him for quite some time now. What was the point of the change?

"No. You actually don’t need any weapons. Even that dagger. But I understand you haven’t gotten to that level of realization about your powers yet."

Roy’s eyebrows twitched. "But Master Abe, you took the gun from me because I was asking you about the Blank Love Letter, not all that."

Black Zero just glanced at Roy and shrugged. "I have multiple reasons for everything I do." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"This is not fair!" Roy cried out and complained some more, but their journey had just begun.

Their first hunt was for the Antsnakes. On their way, they stumbled upon a few weak abyss creatures, either alone or in a small group, which were easily dispatched by Abraham and Roy.

From them, Roy gained a mere 120 EXP, since he only killed six weak creatures.

Not long after, though, they arrived at the Antsnakes’ nest.