Chapter Five: Echo Squad

After leaving the manor and walking nearly half a kilometer downhill, they arrived at the edge of East Hamlet near the pasture, where an open-air gathering place with stone brick walls stood.

The Weeping Peninsula was a remote, borderland region, lacking a dedicated adventurer’s guild; only a gatherers’ guild operated here.

This was the liveliest spot in the area.

Among all the gatherers’ guilds on the Weeping Peninsula, this one was the most established. Hamlet town lay at the peninsula’s entrance, connected to the inland port city called Haven. Whether transporting goods, resting after long voyages, or resupplying for dragon-hunting parties, travelers inevitably passed through Haven—and passing through Haven naturally meant stopping in Hamlet to make purchases.

The only advantage of such a remote area was the low purchase price of raw, natural materials.

Dried dragon scales fetched about 100 scales per one gold lei here, while in the kingdom, the price would rise to 65 scales per gold lei.

Dragon’s blood was even cheaper because, unlike scales that were easy to preserve and maintain their vitality, dragon’s blood lost its potency rapidly. The local price differed from the market price by a factor of two and a half.

Near each gatherer’s stall, special ventilated small fur tents stood, housing thick fur armor. These were the stall owners’ own clothing: casual seaside attire during the day, fur armor at night—an adaptation to the peninsula’s high altitude, coastal location, and the unique climate shaped by the solitary mountain terrain.

Noticing Melina’s gaze drifting toward the inexpensive materials, Sonia gently tapped her arm.

“We’ll be staying here a while longer. You’ll have plenty of time to explore on your own.”

“I’m just observing the local social structure,” Melina replied casually.

Sonia shrugged. “Never mind, then.” Her expression shifted as she waved ahead. “Ah, here we are.”

Melina looked forward and saw an elderly man clad in Gothic ore armor approaching. Known as Ore Orc Armor, his armor gleamed brightly. He bore a salt-and-pepper Greek beard, was slightly taller than Sonia, clenched a cigar between his teeth, and carried a shield on his back. At his left waist hung a steel flail, its spiked ball adorned with silver dragon scales.

Two short twin girls with blonde pigtails followed him. They wore modified ore orc armor, with thinner chest plates and thigh guards featuring additional gaps and cutouts to lighten weight. One carried a two-handed war hammer, the other a two-handed axe. This combination of massive weapons with petite frames granted them agility uncommon to wielders of such heavy arms, though their fragility meant a single strike from a black dragon—the weakest among the four dragon types—could knock them out.

Melina also noted that although all wore ore orc armor, the old man’s was noticeably shinier, while the twins’ had been darkened.

The tactic was clear: shield and hammer to draw fire, with heavy two-handed weapons striking opportunistically.

On their waists, each carried a curved blade, a segmented short spear, and a bundle of throwing knives.

This was a blunt-force team, as described in the academy. Their secondary armaments formed a bleeding team—very professional. Enemies resistant to blunt force feared the bleeding weapons, and vice versa. Of course, this setup was ineffective against dragons, super dragons, or super terrestrial dragons, due to the shield’s weak frontal defense and the twins’ fragile builds.

While Melina was still assessing them, Sonia stepped forward and suddenly struck a pose, frowning as she slammed her left fist downward. The old man reacted quickly, punching upward with his right fist. Their gauntleted fists clashed loudly. The next moment, they began a series of flashy fist bumps and high and low slaps.

Sonia roared in a startlingly loud, prairie dog-like voice, “Senpai!”

The elderly man shouted back similarly, “Kohai!”

The twin sisters simultaneously shook their heads and sighed in unison,

“Two idiots.”

Noticing Melina’s gaze, and seeing that she was about their height, the elder twin smiled warmly and greeted her.

“Hello. Please excuse our newcomer’s behavior.”

“Hm? Newcomer?” Melina blinked, suddenly realizing—

Isn’t that man the team leader? He looks ancient, yet he’s a newcomer?

Melina was puzzled.

The old man glanced at her and tugged his beard. “And you are?”

“She’s my kohai, Melina,” Sonia said, then pointed at the old man. “This is Jo Don Quixote, my senpai. Melina, you’re in the elite class and share only one major course with me, so you might not know his reputation at the academy. Life isn’t always smooth sailing, nor is it only about giving up after falling. Senpai entered the academy around twenty, quit midway due to various reasons, then returned at seventy and graduated five years later.”

An explorer in their seventies was not uncommon. Thanks to magical factors enhancing the human body, even those not belonging to certain races could greatly extend their lifespan and maintain peak condition.

Melina nodded thoughtfully.

Sonia then pointed at the blonde twin girls.

“The twin with the left pigtail is Rae, and the one on the right is Joan.”

The twins glared at Sonia in response.

Don Quixote tugged his beard again and nodded firmly. “Melina kohai, just remember: the blonde on the left is Rae, and the twin pigtail on the right is Joan.”

“Hey!” Rae’s eyes widened, and she huffed loudly, showing her fiery temper.

Joan grabbed Rae’s hand and gently winked at Melina.

“I’m the younger sister, and this is my elder sister. If she says anything foolish, please forgive her. Our Echo Squad will give this mission our all. We ask for your precious trust.”

Leaning on her parasol, Melina nodded slightly.

“I appreciate your efforts. You have my personal trust.”

A strange sound came from nearby. Sonia covered her mouth with both hands.

“Such a reliable and cool kohai.”

Don Quixote made the same gesture.

“Such a cool and dependable senpai.”

...

The hiring fee had been settled, though Melina’s arrival was unexpected, so an extra charge was required.

“Just one extra person, and you want 300 gold lei? That’s too expensive!” Sonia argued.

“That’s very cheap. Out there, no team would take you into the Red Dragon hunting grounds at a lower price!”

Joan—somewhat meek but the leader of Echo Squad—held the pricing power and bargained harshly, even saying, “You’re just a fresh explorer, practically a nobody. Taking you along is a burden, and now we have to protect an extra member...”

Melina glanced at them and thought about Sonia.

It seemed Sonia wasn’t fully certain she would come... So before her rebirth, they weren’t that acquainted?

Another strange sound came from nearby.

“Oh, kohai!” “Oh, senpai!”

Sonia had thrown her arms around Joan in a manner that screamed “call the authorities,” while Joan looked utterly embarrassed but pleased—it seemed the price had been agreed upon.

...

The two were now sprinting at full speed down the main road, with the three from Echo Squad ahead.

“How much did you pay?” Melina whispered to Sonia.

“200. She started too high; it could have been around 180, but since we rely on them, better to avoid trouble and pay a bit more.”

Sonia smiled brightly.

From East Hamlet to the wilderness, traveling on foot was sufficient.

But explorers don’t walk—they do “long-distance sprints.” Despite carrying heavy loads, Echo Squad ran easily, chatting as they prepared to leave the town and enter the wild.

This extraordinary, overqualified squad (three plus two) sprinted past two wild boar-riding rangers patrolling, leaving them behind amid admiring glances from the gatekeepers as they exited Hamlet.

Once they reached a certain speed, their bodies released a feeling of freedom without restraint.

It was as if consciousness had immersed itself atop the clouds.

When their speed matched that of a full-speed dragon-turtle carriage, magical factors automatically condensed before their eyes and front bodies, isolating the wind and sand while allowing oxygen to flow through the wind pressure to maintain breathing.

After crossing the town’s pasture and approaching the wilderness, Echo Squad slowed down. Their pace suddenly dropped to a mere jog.

Though Melina had studied explorer manuals and adventure logs day and night, she didn’t understand why they slowed, and looked to Sonia for answers.

Sonia slowed further, her black ponytail bouncing with youthful vigor. Turning her head to meet Melina’s gaze, she matched her pace.

“What’s wrong, little Mel?”

Her post-exercise voice was sweet and clear, like honey iced tea on a summer day.

“Why slow down?”

“Well,” Sonia pondered, “to maintain our field of vision.”

“Field of vision?”

“Yes. When running full speed, our gaze instinctively locks straight ahead. Slowing lets us keep our vision wide, capturing most information. In gaming terms, we’re entering the phase of slowing down to gather materials.”

Books only went so far.

Curious and eager to learn, Melina watched Echo Squad casually scatter along the path, occasionally picking flowers, bones, and stones to stash in their packs.

However, such brazen looting along the way would invite retribution—dragons ruled this borderland beyond human civilization. The overly loud noises of uprooting plants, chopping wood, and mining stirred them to hunt.