One of the men had an ordinary appearance but a very tall and sturdy build, with black hair and brown eyes. Wearing rugged leather clothing, he sat there motionless, as if merging with the environment. He had the air of an old monk in deep meditation, which made people feel quite favorable toward him.
The other man left a far worse impression. Although he was handsome and not short, his hair was a dull, lifeless grey. More importantly, he was jumping around and chattering incessantly, making himself quite an annoyance.
Cain sat at the head of the table. Seeing that everyone had arrived, he coughed twice to draw their attention.
"Please, our newly arrived heroes, take a seat. This old man might be a bit long-winded later, so I ask for your patience."
Once they were settled, Cain began his briefing: "Since you are here, it means you are all heroes willing to face danger. Please introduce yourselves briefly so that I may get to know you."
Thales was very competitive and stood up without hesitation, being the first to start the self-introduction: "Thales, Hero in Green, the number one archer of the Amazons. It won't be easy for the weak to earn my recognition."
The white-haired youth was also somewhat defiant and immediately stood up after her, his face full of pride: "Max, Hero in Blue. I've already collected the full three-piece set of the Infernal Tools."
"Pfft." The sharp-witted Shika couldn't help but let out a laugh.
"Don't look down on me! Although on the surface I have Blue potential, it's not because my ability is lacking, but because I chose to specialize in the Summoning tree," Max originally wanted to get angry, but seeing that the one mocking him was a pretty older sister, he explained with a flushed face, "I already have 12 powerful summons. The number one summoner among Necromancers—that would be me, Max."
The youth finished with a smug look. Seeing that Shika was preparing to say something else, Leo gave her a tug to stop her.
The sturdy man, seeing that his companion had successfully killed the mood, stood up to give a warming speech: "Hello everyone. Please pay no mind to Max's nonsense; though he is a bit immature, he isn't bad at heart. I am Buckle, Hero in Blue. I am a Druid majoring in Elemental and minoring in Summoning. It's a pleasure to meet you all."
After speaking, Buckle performed a Druid's salute to the group. Seeing how polite this giant of a man was, they all returned the gesture. Buckle sat back down, taking the opportunity to hold down Max, who wanted to continue causing a stir.
Leo smiled and gestured toward Inceyste; ladies first.
"Inceyste, Hero in Dark. A warrior." Inceyste was as concise as ever, completing her introduction in a single sentence.
"Hahaha! Did you hear that? A warrior with Dark potential? Among Practitioners, is there even such a nonsensical class?"
Leo turned his head to look; as expected, it was that white-haired brat. For a Sorcerer to dare provoke this type of Assassin-style warrior—he truly had a death wish.
Inceyste directly drew her longsword halfway, speaking calmly: "Max, your insult to my honor will not be settled just like this. Shall we have a battle later?"
"If you want to fight, then let's fight! Who's afraid of a crazy Sorceress like you? But it's a deal, okay—you're a warrior." Max was originally extremely arrogant, but seeing the badge on Inceyste's chest was indeed Unique Gold, he had a sudden brainstorm and used words to corner her.
Inceyste sheathed her sword, still speaking at a measured pace: "As you wish, Necromancer without a shred of honor."
"Leo, Hero in Green. A Paladin majoring in various auxiliary auras, specializing in protection." Leo stood up to introduce himself, breaking the awkward tension caused by the two's confrontation.
"Majesty, Hero in Blue, majoring in the Traps tree." Majesty was still unaccustomed to crowded settings; after a brief introduction, she immediately sat down.
"Oh, Majesty! Your name is as beautiful as a dream; it leaves me intoxicated. You are even more beautiful in person—you've simply overturned my understanding of goddesses. Please, will you be my girlfriend? You are my most precious secret treasure." Max was like a male dog in heat, kneeling on one knee and incessantly spouting nauseating words.
"Max, if you want to pursue my sister, you must first obtain my approval. After you finish your duel with Inceyste, let's have a practice session together." Seeing his sister's embarrassment, Leo sneered in his heart. Although his sister was 1.7 meters tall, she was only 14 years old. This beast actually dared to harass her; he would let him know just how formidable he was in a moment.
Seeing the atmosphere at a standstill once more, Gerdie stood up with a smile to ease the mood: "Gerdie, Hero in Blue. Unlike typical Barbarians, I major in the auxiliary tree. I'll have to rely on everyone for the combat aspects in the future; leave the logistics to me."
"Everyone, the old man is going to start rambling now," Old Man Cain finally stood up to speak.
"You should all know by now that this Guardian World is a projection world. However, a projection does not mean it is exactly the same as the original world; even a reflection in a mirror has its left and right reversed, let alone a completely new world. Thus, the projection world is only similar to the real world in general; many details are different. Our mission this time is built upon this theory.
In my former home, Tristram Cathedral, there should be many secrets left behind by the Horadrim order. Your mission is to travel to Tristram, enter the Cathedral, and bring back these secrets. I believe these secrets hide the method to defeat Hell.
As a reward, I will tell you a secret—a secret I discovered through my research that involves every single Practitioner."
There it is. It was another main quest from the game, except instead of being issued by Akara to go to Tristram to save Cain, it was issued by Cain to go to the Cathedral to scavenge data.
"Lord Cain, the journey to Tristram is so far; how should we travel there?" Like a seasoned veteran, Leo played along to give Cain an opening.
"The stone circles in the Stony Field contain a lost teleportation array that can transport you to Tristram, but the method of using it has been lost. You need to cross the Stony Field, find the Underground Passage that can cut through the mountains, and then reach the Dark Wood on the other side. In the Dark Wood, find the Tree Inifuss; it records the method to open the teleportation array. Create a rubbing of the method, and Lady Akara will help us decipher it.
This mission will take a long time. These are special Town Portal Scrolls given to me by Lady Kashya. When you find a suitable place to establish an outpost in the Stony Field and the Dark Wood, open them. The Rogues will come to build the outposts and small teleportation arrays. As a reward, you will obtain the chance to rest and the right to use the small teleportation arrays."
After speaking such a long string, Old Man Cain was breathless with fatigue: "This is a temporary party contract. Personally, I suggest that Leo act as the captain. After all, usually, a Paladin becomes the core of a squad, and currently, Leo's squad has the largest number of members. Now, it depends on whether you agree with this old man's suggestion."
The group considered for a moment and agreed to Cain's suggestion. Only Max jumped out to stir things up: "I have no objection to Master Cain's words, but how can a captain be weak? Beat me in a match later, and then I'll agree."
Leo nodded with a smile, signifying his agreement to Max's suggestion.