Reincarnated with an SSS-rank Tamer System: My Harem of Villainesses-Chapter 60 – Mission Companions

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If we reach 100 Power Stones or receive a 500-coin gift, I’ll upload 6 extra Chapters this weekend (not including the two Chapters I’ll upload on Saturday and Sunday anyway)

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’How did I end up like this?’

Adam asked himself that question for the fifth time in the past two hours as he stared at the damp walls of the cave they had chosen as a temporary shelter.

The cold air seeped into his bones, though that wasn’t what really bothered him. What truly irritated him was the uncomfortable silence hanging between the five members of the group, so dense it almost felt tangible.

Two days had passed since that quiet morning at the academy, and now he found himself in the middle of a forest miles away, stuck with four people who barely spoke to one another.

All because of a school activity that, according to the professors, was meant to "strengthen the bonds between students of the three noble classes."

The mission was simple in theory: enter an area previously scouted by the instructors and capture at least one C-, D-, or B-rank beast.

The professors had assured them the area was free of major dangers, so the real challenge wasn’t surviving, but working as a team.

And that was the problem.

Adam let his gaze drift over his companions one by one. First there was Fernis Valehar, a brown-haired young man with an arrogant bearing who kept polishing the blade of his sword as if it were the most important thing in the world.

Next to him stood Gareth Ashwos, a blond, broad-shouldered guy who carried a spear resting against his shoulder while staring toward the cave entrance with a bored expression.

Then there were the girls.

Sophía Stormcrown sat on a flat rock, her back straight and her chin slightly raised.

Her long yellow hair fell over her shoulders, and her eyes shone with a coldness that kept everyone at a distance.

She was the princess of Thornwick, and every one of her gestures made it clear she was very aware of both facts.

And finally, leaning against the opposite wall with her arms crossed, was Lihua Tianye. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Her jet-black hair contrasted with her pale skin, and a perpetual smile rested on her lips as if she knew something everyone else didn’t.

In certain circles she was known as "Jade Wings," a nickname referring to her mastery over wind magic and her ability to soar through the skies as if she had been born for it.

Adam had done everything possible to stay away from both of them since classes began.

Sophía was one of the heroines of the original story, while Lihua was one of its most dangerous villains.

Getting involved with either of them would only bring trouble, so his plan had been simple: ignore them and focus on his own business.

But of course, fate had a rather twisted sense of humour.

Adam let out a long sigh as he rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. It wasn’t exactly a sigh of annoyance, but more one of resignation.

Because the silence itself didn’t bother him that much; what truly frustrated him was what that silence represented.

Every time they encountered a beast, the group turned into an absolute disaster. Fernis charged first without waiting for anyone, Gareth tried to flank from the wrong side, Sophía attacked with magic without coordinating with the others, and Lihua... well, Lihua simply did whatever she felt like.

The result was always the same: the beast escaped while they got in each other’s way like a bunch of amateurs.

’That’s three that have gotten away from us already,’ Adam thought bitterly. ’At this rate we’re going to fail the assignment.’

The sound of soft footsteps pulled him from his thoughts, and when he looked up he saw Lihua walking toward him.

The young woman stopped beside him and leaned against the cave wall, close enough to speak quietly without the others hearing.

"This group is full of special cases, don’t you think?" she murmured, her tone mixing mockery and boredom.

Adam glanced at her from the corner of his eye without changing position.

"What do you mean?"

Lihua gestured subtly toward Sophía with a tilt of her chin, and her smile widened slightly.

"The princess over there is far too proud for her own good. She trusts her abilities so much that she doesn’t even consider the possibility that someone else might contribute something useful."

Then she turned her head toward Fernis and Gareth, who were still lost in their own worlds. "And those two idiots just want to show off in front of us. They don’t care about the mission. They only want to impress us like we’re some kind of prize."

Adam didn’t reply immediately, though he had to admit Lihua’s analysis was quite accurate.

He had noticed the looks both boys cast toward the two women in the group, as well as their pathetic attempts to appear heroic whenever a beast showed up.

"And me?" he finally asked, more out of curiosity than anything else.

Lihua observed him for a moment, then let out a soft laugh that echoed faintly against the stone walls.

"You’ve been busy having sex ever since classes started," she replied bluntly, her tone making it clear it was a fact rather than an accusation. "The academy walls aren’t as thick as you think, you know. Rumours fly."

Adam blinked once, though his expression remained impassive. He wasn’t going to bother denying it, because there was no point.

"You’re quite well informed," he commented flatly.

"I like knowing who I’m dealing with."

Adam watched her with mild boredom for a few seconds before tilting his head slightly.

"And what about you? Don’t you have any flaws like the rest of us?"

Lihua straightened when she heard that question, and her posture shifted subtly. Her shoulders moved back, her chin lifted a couple of centimetres, and the smile on her lips gained a hint of superiority she made no effort to hide.

"No one in this group could defeat me," she declared with absolute confidence that bordered on arrogance. "I could complete this mission alone if I wanted to. So no... I have no flaws."

Adam stared at her for a moment, then simply nodded as if it didn’t matter to him in the slightest.

"If you say so."

Lihua frowned slightly at his lack of reaction, but before she could add anything else, a noise from outside the cave caught everyone’s attention.

Fernis was the first to stand, sword already in hand and anticipation written across his face.

"There’s something out there," he announced quietly. "Sounds like a beast."

Gareth immediately moved beside him with his spear ready, while Sophía rose gracefully from her rock and began gathering mana in the palms of her hands.

Lihua, for her part, simply pushed herself off the wall and walked toward the entrance with an unhurried stride, as if this were nothing more than a casual stroll.

Adam followed them in silence, though he already knew how this would end.

The beast turned out to be a D-rank shadow wolf, an agile creature but not particularly dangerous. In theory, capturing it should have been easy for a group of five trained students.

In practice, however, it was a disaster.

Fernis charged first without waiting for a signal, which caused the wolf to retreat toward the direction Gareth was trying to flank from.

The two of them crashed into each other while the beast dodged their attacks with ease. Sophía cast an ice spell that would have hit directly if Lihua hadn’t decided to fly toward the same spot at that exact moment, forcing the elf to redirect her magic at the last second.

And while they all shouted at one another trying to coordinate something, the wolf simply used the confusion to vanish into the trees.

Adam remained standing where he was, staring at the empty space where the beast had been just seconds ago.

A grimace of irritation formed on his face as he listened to his companions argue about whose fault it had been.

’How’s Piers doing, I wonder?’ he thought as he let out another sigh. ’And Evelyne?’

Because at that moment, any other group in the world seemed better than this one.