The ship bound for the Northern Quadrant sailed steadily across the vast ocean, its wooden frame creaking softly beneath the endless rhythm of the waves.
The salty breeze drifted through the air, carrying with it the distant cries of seabirds overhead.
Mathew lay flat on the deck with his hands beneath his head, staring silently at the cloudy sky above.
Beside him, Nice rested lazily with one leg crossed over the other, humming a random tune to himself as though he didn’t have a single worry in the world.
After a moment of silence, Mathew finally spoke.
“You said your friends were going to be here soon, so where are they?”
Nice glanced sideways at him before letting out a small chuckle.
“Those guys somehow enjoy making grand entrances,” he replied.
“So expect something ridiculous before they arrive.”
The moment those words left his mouth, a deafening bang erupted across the ship.
BOOOOM!
The entire deck shook violently beneath them as wooden planks splintered apart.
Several passengers screamed in panic while sailors rushed around in confusion.
Mathew instantly got to his feet, his sharp blue eyes narrowing toward the source of the impact.
A massive hole had been blasted straight through the deck.
Nice slowly closed his eyes and sighed deeply.
“…Here it comes.”
Through the smoke and broken wood, several silhouettes emerged one after another.
The first was a massive man with tanned skin, brown hair, and an enormous muscular frame.
A gigantic battle axe rested casually against his back as though it weighed nothing at all.
Beside him stood a young man around nineteen years old with blue hair and matching blue eyes.
Unlike the giant beside him, his build was average, though the exhausted look on his face suggested he had already lost patience with the others.
“Come on, guys,” the blue-haired young man complained while dusting off his clothes.
“I told you that was a terrible idea.”
“But it was fun,” the muscular man replied with a booming laugh.
Soon after, two more figures stepped out through the damaged opening.
One was a short girl with light pink hair wearing a long elegant gown.
She brushed dust from her sleeves with an annoyed pout.
The second girl appeared slightly older than Mathew himself.
She had blue hair, green eyes, and a petite yet graceful figure.
Her beauty immediately drew the attention of nearly every man standing on the deck.
The pink-haired girl turned toward her.
“Big sis, whose idea was it to arrive like this?”
The blue-haired girl calmly placed a hand on the younger girl’s head.
“You already know it was the muscle-head’s idea,” she said flatly.
“By the way, where’s Nice?”
The group quickly gathered together and began scanning the ship.
Nice raised his hand lazily from across the deck.
“Over here!”
The moment the pink-haired girl spotted him, her eyes lit up.
“Master!”
She sprinted forward before throwing herself directly at Nice in a tight hug.
“I thought you’d be late,” she said excitedly.
“Nah,” Nice replied proudly.
“I actually arrived extra early this time.”
The muscular man suddenly walked over and slammed a heavy hand against Nice’s back before locking an arm around his neck.
“You finally arrived early for once,” he laughed loudly.
“I’ve officially seen everything this world has to offer.”
“You don’t have to sound so shocked,” Nice grumbled.
“I do arrive early sometimes.”
Immediately, every member of the party turned and stared at him silently.
Nice blinked awkwardly.
“…What?”
The blue-haired girl stepped forward next, her face remaining completely expressionless.
“As they said,” she stated calmly, “I’m honestly shocked to see you arrive early for once.
But it’s good.”
At that moment, the blue-haired young man finally noticed Mathew standing nearby.
“Hey, Nice,” he asked curiously, “who’s this?”
Nice suddenly grinned before grabbing Mathew by the shoulder and dragging him toward the center of the group.
“He’s a new acquaintance I made today,” Nice announced proudly.
“Everyone, meet Grey.”
Mathew kept his expression neutral as several pairs of eyes landed on him.
“It’s nice to meet you all,” he said calmly.
The muscular man immediately wrapped an arm around Mathew’s shoulders and laughed loudly.
“Well, any acquaintance of Nice is an acquaintance of mine!” he declared.
“Name’s Bullard.”
“Likewise,” Mathew replied.
The pink-haired girl slowly stepped forward next.
The moment her eyes met Mathew’s, her face instantly turned bright red.
“N-Nice to meeeet you…” she stammered nervously.
“M-My name is Ellie.”
Mathew stared at her for a brief moment before replying calmly,
“Good to meet you, Ellie.
I’m Grey.”
The girl squeaked softly before immediately running behind Nice to hide herself.
The blue-haired boy rushed forward next with excitement practically radiating from him.
“I’m Frank!” he said quickly.
“Good to meet you, Grey!”
“Likewise.”
Frank leaned closer almost immediately.
“So where are you from?
What do you do?
How old are you?
Are you traveling alone?”
He fired questions nonstop without giving Mathew room to answer.
“That’s enough, Frank,” Nice sighed while pushing him away.
Frank pouted dramatically.
Finally, the blue-haired girl with green eyes stepped forward.
Even up close, her expression barely changed.
She extended her hand calmly.
“Good to know you, Grey.
You can call me Altier.”
Mathew shook her hand.
“Likewise.”
For a few seconds, the two simply stared at each other in silence.
The awkward tension was eventually broken by Bullard’s loud voice.
“Wait… where’s Quiver?”
Nice looked around the deck.
“That’s true.
I haven’t seen him yet.”
“Maybe he’s still below deck,” Frank suggested.
The moment he finished speaking, a young man with white hair and vermillion eyes suddenly appeared directly behind them without warning.
Several members of the party jumped in surprise.
“There you are!” Frank exclaimed.
“Where were you?”
Quiver ignored him completely.
Instead, he walked straight toward Mathew.
“Hey!
It’s rude to ignore people!” Frank complained while following after him.
Quiver paid him no attention.
He stopped directly in front of Mathew and stared at him silently for several seconds before finally speaking.
“I like this guy, Nice,” he said calmly.
“Is he a friend of yours?”
The entire group froze.
Even Nice looked genuinely stunned.
After all, Quiver was the last person anyone expected to openly admit liking someone.
“Y-Yeah,” Nice replied awkwardly.
“He’s a new acquaintance of mine.
His name’s Grey.”
Mathew slowly stretched out his hand.
“Good to meet you, Quiver.
I’m Grey.”
Quiver took his hand firmly.
“Likewise.”
Soon after, Ellie let out a tired yawn.
“I’m going to rest,” she muttered sleepily before heading below deck.
Bullard and Frank followed shortly after, leaving only Mathew, Nice, Altier, and Quiver standing beneath the cool night sky.
Altier rested her gaze upon the dark ocean ahead.
“So,” she asked calmly, “what are your plans in the Northern Quadrant?”
Mathew answered with the same lie he had already prepared earlier.
“I’m just going to visit a friend.”
Altier continued staring ahead quietly.
“Must be nice,” she murmured, “to do something so simple.”
Mathew leaned against the wooden wall nearby.
“Yeah,” he replied softly.
“It is.”
After a brief pause, he spoke again.
“I heard you guys are going there to raid Night Dungeons?”
“Yes,” Altier answered.
“So why the Northern Quadrant specifically?” Mathew asked.
“Why not hunt in the Western Quadrant?”
Altier turned toward him slightly.
“The Northern Quadrant is considered a red zone,” she explained.
“It has the highest concentration of high-level Night Dungeons in the world.”
“And high-level dungeons mean better materials,” Quiver added calmly.
“For making stronger Blessed Objects,” Mathew concluded.
“Yes,” Altier replied.
“That’s basically it.”
Quiver shifted slightly before speaking again in his usual calm tone.
“We’re also searching for someone while we’re there.”
Mathew’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Someone?”
“A bounty target,” Nice answered casually.
“Apparently someone tried to kill the Pope of the Great Cathedral in the capital.
Now there’s a massive bounty on his head across all four quadrants.”
Hearing those words, Mathew’s expression remained calm, but inwardly his thoughts darkened.
So the Pope is really going this far just to eliminate me…
Good thing I never revealed my real name to these people… even if they do seem like decent people.
Mathew quietly exhaled before speaking.
“Well, I hope you guys have fun.”
Nice smirked while staring toward the endless sky above.
“Oh, we definitely will.”