Chapter 29: 29: The Appearance of New S-Rankers

And so, a week passed... 

The days got colder, the clouds got more plentiful, and each resident began bundling up more and more. 

The week was a blur, one day the Ass Clap Associates were in the training grounds, the next they were questing. However, throughout the week, Kaitlyn tried to be there for their quests along with popping by to help with their training. 

On one particular day, a day that Kaitlyn was busy while the ass clappers were questing, Damien whispered to Oliver, “Doesn’t it seem... Rachel is a little uhm... down...?”

Nodding in agreement, Oliver shrugged, mouthing that Damien, ‘Shouldn’t mind it’ and that ‘Rachel’s just simping... happened before back in uni.’

“Ah...” Damien murmured, nodding with new enlightenment, going back to scouting for the monsters they were supposed to be fighting. 

Beyond the otherworders, a plethora of important movements were happening in preparation for the expedition to the dungeon discovered by Kaitlyn not too long ago. Dexter and Jayce had communicated a time where they’d be free, so throughout the week both blazed through as much work as they could, freeing up enough time and more for the expedition. 

For Kaitlyn, she just hung out. 

Another large movement was the summoning of a couple of high profile S-Ranked Adventurers. The two that ended up being summoned, people who were of good character, powerful, and also free, were Nao and Alix. 

Nao, who had been working in a nearby city was nicknamed the Sword of the Sky, with people proclaiming that he had walked the furthest along the path of a single sword. Being older than Kaitlyn but still younger than all the others in the previous party that killed the Demon King many years ago, Nao had been alive and was a soldier in the army during the war. That’s where his story began, becoming a popular story among the populace for being a commoner living in poverty to climbing to the top of society. 

Alix on the other hand, was a famous adventurer who had risen to prominence recently for their electrifying fighting style... literally. Wielding a pair of daggers, one long and one short, their fighting style was unique in its extreme speed, giving them the nickname Lightning’s Haze. Having just hunted down a runaway giant mammoth that had been trampling through several villages and the surrounding wilderness, they joined Nao, making their way over to the capital. 

As they met up, Kaitlyn, also during the week found a new cafe that served some delectable beverages, and began going there every few days to enjoy the atmosphere. 

So as the week came to an end, with Nao and Alix arriving at the city, Jayce, Dexter, and Sasha all freeing up their schedules, along with Kaitlyn... being free, all the parties met up at the guildhall.

In one of their meeting rooms, having learnt that Dexter’s office was not an ideal meeting room, the 6 people gathered. 

Sat around a circular table, Kaitlyn sipped her drink, one that she had gotten from her new favorite cafe, watching as awkward conversation ensued between the others around her. 

“Ahem...” Jayce cleared his throat, deciding to shelve catching up for after the meeting, “Obviously this meeting is to discuss the upcoming plan for taking down the dungeon that Kaitlyn has found.”

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“Yeah, sorry, I’ll put it away...” Kaitlyn coughed, a slight pink blush climbing onto her face, putting the cup down under the table, behind a table leg where no one would kick it over. 

Suppressing a laugh, Sasha continued Jayce’s train of thought, “We also just wanted to see some people again, in preparation for Chelsea’s monster wave gathering. We wanted to reestablish some connections so that the gathering will go just that little bit smoother.”

Looking back over towards Nao and Alix, Kaitlyn was amused to see small smiles on their faces when talking to those three historical figures, a stark contrast from their usual confident and self-assured poise. 

Nao Garnet, having risen to fame in the recent years post-war, was a famous S-Ranked Adventurer working out of his hometown. With a distinctive look almost every common citizen would recognize him with his long curved sword, handsome face, and long, always tied back, dark-blue hair. Being the object of many affections he remained unaffected, continuing to dedicate himself to his sword, even opening a nationally renowned sword school. However now, in the face of not only the guild’s leader and royalty, he was also meeting with the party that had defeated the demon king, breaking down his confident visage and revealing an inner giddy fanboy.

Alix Hyacinth, although around the same age as Kaitlyn, only a few months older, had risen to fame only recently, and as Josephine proclaimed earlier, was an “absolute non-binary icon”. With their hair in an undercut, Alix also had a look of wonder, sitting there in silence, not knowing what to say for fear of making a bad impression on their childhood idols. Similar to Nao however, Alix was also popular among the larger populace, having been seen as a promising up and coming prospect, and now being seen as an acclaimed adventurer and leader of the new generation. 

With the discussion being clear and concise to the point, the six discussed their plans to set off the next day while also reviewing several guild reports written by the reconnaissance agents that were dispatched to keep an eye on the developing situation. 

Fidgeting with a pen having put away their weapons, Alix murmured, “I think we can probably conquer this dungeon without much danger, but that mysterious voice still worries me.” 

“Yeah... It probably means someone has completely taken over the dungeon,” Kaitlyn agreed, her face on the table as she regretted her decision to sleep late the night before, “We should be fine though.”

A grim and serious expression on Dexter’s face, he added, “I’ll have some A-Ranked Adventurers guard around the entrance to the cave, not only to act as clean up, but emergency backup if need be.” 

Nodding in approval with the other measures Dexter had prepared, Sasha pointed out, “I feel like they wouldn’t be a very good backup though... if we all go down like... that’d be very worrying for the countries of the world.”

“Certainly,” Dexter chuckled, pushing aside some paperwork he had prepared for the logistics of this expedition, “We could beat the old Demon King with this party, but like.. Just in case we get hurt by a trap and need someone to bring us out.” 

“I-... I certainly hadn’t thought of that,” Sasha confessed, laughing while leaning back in her chair, “Reminds me of the old days, forgive me, I’ll let you do the thinking again.”

Flicking a paper towards Sasha, Kaitlyn laughed, her cheek still smushed against the table, “Welcome back to the club of laziness... we can just be here for the ride...”