Commercial flight from Bandung to New Batavia, the capital, took about four to five hours because the plane needed a transit in Bali. However, the flight only took less than fifteen minutes for the UR plane.
When they arrived at the UR main base, the raiders gathered in a hall in the main building and were welcome by the committee. A total of 60 raiders were assembled there.
"Welcome all the raiders from the main headquarters and the branches. My name is Ellyas Pica and I'm responsible for this UR Selection. You being here means that you are considered the best candidates from each region. The Five Big Islands; Andalas, Java, Borneo, Celebes and Papua, have selected all of you. In this program, you will be trained by professional raiders. Prove your potential in this program and become the UR representatives for the joint training. In the joint training you'll be trained together with the promising raiders from the Five Top Guilds. The instructors are representatives from the UR the Five Top Guilds. All of you, whether you are selected or not, will have an opportunity to be admitted in the United Raiders Academy, the URA, and become a force of the UR."
The committee continued the explanation, telling the raiders about the schedule and accomodation. The raiders or the cadets, as they would become official parts of the UR, were given personal rooms in the facility. The UR headquarters was so big, covering more than 4,500 hectares, including an airport, a harbor, training area which has a dungeon simulation, research facility, laboratory, hospital, office and many more.
Janu went to the receptionist.
"Good morning and welcome to the United Raiders. I'm Kathryne at your service. How may I help you?" Kathryne welcame him.
"I'm Janu from the UR branch in Bandung. I'm here to see Mr. Bimo."
"Please, wait for a moment."
"Mr. Bimo. Mr. Janu has arrived. … Okay."
"Please take this card and take the elevator to the top floor. There's only one room on the top floor and it's his office."
Janu took the elevator and before he reached his destination it stopped. The door opened and a charming young woman with long black hair entered. Her gaze was deep yet calm and her look would captivate anyone.
'She gives a similar aura to Lina, but it's stronger. Is she a white mage, too?'
"Are you going to the top floor?" Asked the woman when she saw the floor number.
'Who is this man? It's rare to see some stranger meeting the leader.'
"Yes, miss. I'm Janu and I'm here to see Mr. Bimo. I was told he's on the top floor."
"Pfftt.." The woman tried to hold her laugh. It was like something funny to her, if not silly.
"Is something wrong?" Janu was curious with the reaction.
"No..no.. You can meet Mr. BIMO there. I'm Diana by the way," the woman told him with a playful tone.
The door to the office had a palm print scanner and a card identification. The young woman placed her slender palm on the device and the door automatically opened.
'The other device was supposedly for identifying cards, like what was given to me,' Janu thought.
The so-called office was large but it didn't exactly look like one. There was a sofa and a coffee table in the middle and a kitchen with a cold storage next to it was at the back of the room. The sofa was probably intended for guests. A robust man was feasting on the right not far from the kitchen. It was indeed his dining square. A long dining table enough for twelve people was full of meals, most of which was meat. The man was the only one sitting there. He hadn't reached fifty of age and his build was that of a heavyweight wrestler.
"Oh, Diana. Come sit over here."
"Thanks but no. I'll sit here," the woman named Diana, who came with Janu, preferred to sit on the sofa.
'Is that Mr. Bimo?'
"You're Janu, right? Come here, eat with me."
Janu didn't know how to respond and he only stood there without moving.
Diana giggled.
"It's fine. Just sit there and eat to your heart content," Diana encouraged him.
Janu then sat opposite the man. "Greetings, Uncle Bimo."
"That's more like it. You looked just like him. I can be at ease now." "Your father was like a big brother to us. We're at a loss when we couldn't find him. But, seeing things now, he's not someone who would die easily. We'll meet again with him. I'm sure of it."
"Yes, Uncle."
At that moment Janu didn't know how to feel. Of course, he wanted to meet his father. But, never knowing his father made him not have an attachment to the point that he would be devastated for losing someone. It would be different if it was his mother who was missing or died.
"Tell me about yourself."
"I'm awakened about a little more than two weeks ago. And..." Janu didn't know what to say about his awakening, how he got awakened, his locked class and locked skills.
"You can tell Mr. BIMO there everything. Don't worry about anything."
"Why don't you tell him about me first and after that we listen to your story," Mr. Bimo said to Diana and then to Janu.
"Mr. BIMO was his previous name. He is now known as Hungry Wolf. See those meals?"
"Be serious, will you? I still use that name, though. Captain Yuda, your father, me, Ellyas, Anton and Jono; we are like brothers."
"Can I continue? He is the President of the United Riders, the first S-Rank in the nation. He was awakened as a Knight, but then promoted to Berserker and thus became an S-Rank. He's a hybrid."
"A hybrid?"
"Normally, a Knight is promoted to Magic Knight. But in his case, he was promoted to Berserker, which is the advancement of the Warrior class. He got a blessing from Vayu, the Deva of Wind. When activating his blessing he transforms into a giant, and gains the Steel Constitution trait. And he's always hungry. Tehehe…"
"That's the drawback. But, it's rare, you know. To get a Deva's blessing. Diana also got one."
"I got Asvin's Blessing and became a Sage. My title is Divine Healer."
"You are Lina's sister?"
"Oh, you know Lina?"
"Yes, I met her during a raid. I was a miner and she dispelled the curse. We came here together, but she had to join the welcoming of the raiders."
"Wow, you're really something."
"Huh?"
"Lina is a capable White Mage and she will definitely become an S-Rank. She is kind and gentle but she has a problem with males."
'What does it mean?'
"Wait. You are an S-Rank, right? But, our nation only has 8 S-Rank… The six leaders and two vice leaders."
"Her rank is unofficial. The procedure to announce and to get acknowledged as an S-Rank is not simple. But, the nation will know about her, soon."
"She can prevent death. Cool, right? She proves to hold a key role to S-Rank dungeon raids. Now, what is your story?"
"Well, I was awakened by my father's crystal necklace. When that happened, my class was locked but I already got two skills related to Forgemaster. I got missions. I know this might sound crazy but that's what happened. Then, I obtain my subclass, Magic Enchanter. I went to Lamia Swamp, the dungeon where my father went missing. There, I got a dragon tattoo on my back and my skills got sealed. Now, I'm just like a regular awakened."
"Okay. Let me take a grasp of your situation.
Have you heard anything like this before, Diana?"
"No."
…
"Affandi… Prepare the mirror."
Bimo spoke to the air as if there were someone called Affandi there.
….
"I know you can hear me."
"Let's go to the tenth floor."
On the tenth floor were several rooms, which were used to evaluate raiders. Those rooms served different techniques. Raiders were tested using the most appropriate means and sometimes it needed more than just one type of test. Among them were using skills on an object, usually materials obtained in a dungeon, injecting mana to a crystal, having a combat simulation, and using a special artifact.
They entered the last room and there was only one thing in there. A mirror. The mirror was enough to contain the reflection of an adult. The mirror was special. It was like those from ancient times. The mirror stood on two holders, one on each side.
"We'll use that mirror. You will enter another dimension, and no one knows what it's like. It's different for each person. You might even face an enemy."
"Okay."
"Stop hiding and activate the mirror, Affandi."
"You no fun.." A man appeared beside Janu from nowhere.
'Huh.. I couldn't feel his presence. Is he an assassin?' Janu silently asked in his heart. It was quite surprising for someone to appear out of nowhere.
"Affandi is a Black Mage. Many people mistake him for an Assassin. He used Astral Gate. He..."
"Saintess Diana, with all due respect… Please," the man called Affandi wanted to protest but he just couldn't disrespect her.
"I apologize Mr. Affandi."
"That's enough. Janu, stand before the mirror."
Janu followed the instruction.
"Are you sure about this, Mr. President?"
"Just do it."
"Okay..okay.."
Affandi stood on the opposite side from Janu, so the mirror was in the middle. He took his Grimoire out and placed it in front of him.
"Truth Seeker."
Blue light flowed from the book into the mirror from the back.
The mirror was distorted and the person in front of it was sucked.
When he realized, Janu was standing on top of a volcano. Before him was a crater filled with gold-colored water. He somehow knew what he ought to do, and he walked into the water. He was still walking despite the water depth. Normally, anyone would swim in that depth. He reached the center of the crater underwater without needing air to breath. There, he found a golden chest. He inspected it and tried to open it. When his hand touched the chest, it glowed and two dragon images manifested. The images became more vivid and Janu could see the real form of the dragon shadows he encountered in Lamia Swamp.
"Kowe maneh."
/It's you again/
"Ora ngiro bakal ketemu sacepet iki. Tapi iki durung wayahe."
/Never thought we would meet again so soon. It's not the time yet./
"Ora popo ngomong saknyatane. Sakabehane ora bakal iso ndeleng marang kene."
/It's fine to tell him the truth. Here, they can't set their eyes./
"Saknyatane aku kabeh ora duwe niat nyilakani. Kowe bakal dadi kunci marang kamenangane para ratu ing perang gedhe. Poro asura uwes ngawiti penyusupan lan kowe bakal dadi inceran yen konangan. Kanuraganmu tanpa wates lan kowe bakal dadi watu sandungan kanggo rancangane kae padha."
/In truth we didn't have any ill intentions. You'll become the key to the Devas' victory in the great war. The Asuras have begun infiltration and you'll be a target if they know about you. Your prowess is limitless and you'll become a hindrance in their plan./
"Kanjeng ratu paring sabda kowe ora oleh nuwuhake rasa curiga. Kesaktianmu kudu ditutupi. Mengko yen wis wayahe kowe bakal mangerti. Saiki kowe kudu ngolah ragamu supayane yen kanuraganmu wis nyata kowe iso nggunakake kasektenmu kui."
/The Almighty One has given an order that you cannot raise suspicion. Your power must be kept hidden. When the time comes you'll understand. Now your task is to cultivate your physics and when the power that lies inside has truly awaken you can make use of it./
"Balio , ojo sumelang. Aku sakebehane bakal ngewangi kowe yen kowe wis iso mbuktekake."
/Return and worry not. We will come to your aid when you can prove your worth./
"Gawanen pusaka loro iki peparinge Kanjeng Ratu Indra land Kanjeng Ratu Khrisna. Ojo dienggo sembarangan. Pusaka loro iki iso nulungi kowe sakdurunge aku lan kowe ketemu maneh.
/Take these two artifacts gifted by Lord Indra and Lord Khrisna. Don't use them recklessly. These two can help you before we meet again./
Janu received the two artifacts without saying anything. He couldn't fully understand what he had heard. It was full of riddles.
One of them was a short staff made of a bone, whose edges have four tusks. The edges of the tusks were close together as if they were about to become one. The other was a flute made of a bone.
[Vajra
Type: Divine Artifact
Description: Lord Indra's weapon, made of a great sage's bone. It can summon thunderbolts and rain. It grows stronger as the holder gets stronger.
Skill:
- Vajra, summons divine lightning, attack 1,500 + 20% of user's Intelligence
- Mist, slows down enemies and causes illusions.
-Calamity, summon rain which causes enemies to lose HP by 10% every 3 seconds. Duration: 15 seconds. Limited to one use per day.
Bonus:
-Reduce damage from lightning elemental attack by 70%.
-Intelligence +50%]
[Bansuri
Type: Divine Artifact
Description: Lord Khrisna's flute. The sound it emanates can even mesmerize gods.
Skills:
-Shepherd's Call, captivate anyone and anything to listen to the user's order.
-Soul Lock, make the listeners unable move
-Ode to Deva, play tunes to borrow deva's power (Up to three skills)
Available skills to borrow:
-Summon Garuda (Lord Vishnu's Skill)
-
-
Gain devas' favor to borrow their skills)
Garuda
Type: Mount, Sub-DPS
Description: A mythical bird and Lord Vishnu's mount. It can help in battles.
Stats: 50% of user's stats, can grow stronger based on familiarity with the user.]
'Two divine artifacts. This is great.'
Janu came back to the surface and tried to use Vajra at that very moment. The sky turned dark and a dark cloud was starting to gather. A huge lightning bolt fell down and struck one side of the mountain.
Boom…
Boulders were scattered into tiny pebbles and debris. The damage was on the level of an explosion of 3 ton of TNT.
"Ridiculous.. "
'I can use the skill. It's unlike my skills or those of weapons. Maybe because it's an artifact. But it takes a huge toll on me.'
Janu felt weak after using that one skill. He was then brought back to the room.
"So how is it?" Bimo was curious. The other two also looked at Janu with full of anticipation.
"I'm not sure… It's beyond my knowledge and there are many things that I'm uncertain of. I need to know more."
"Did anything happen?" Diana also wanted to know.
"Yeah… Something happened. The dragons from back then appeared."
"Did they attack you again?"
"No..no.. It seems that they did what they did back then because of a certain circumstance. It's still unclear, but they didn't have ill intentions. Otherwise, I wouldn't be back in one piece."
"I got an artifact which can summon a mythical bird."
"A mythical bird?" Bimo almost couldn't believe what he just heard.
"Yes, it's called Garuda."
"Whaattt??"
"Diana."
"Yes?"
Bimo gave her a meaningful gaze and Diana knew what he meant with that.
Diana stared at Janu and her eyes were glowing gold. She used her skill to check on Janu.
In her vision, although it was unclear, there were three great Devas and some others, who knew how many, who were also considered supreme.
That vision left her mouth agape and she shivered. She couldn't believe it.
"What happened?" Janu was full of anticipation.
"She activated Omnivision." Bimo told him what Diana did.
'Omnivision?'
"It's a vision related skill. She can see what we can't. So, what did you see?" Asked Bimo.
Omnivision was an advanced skill by which the user could see almost anything; be it a blessing, a curse, a disease, a skill, or even a premonition.
"Mmm… I can't tell you. I'll talk to you later about it."
"Okay," Bimo agreed.
"Uncle, I know that Raiders are mostly dependent on their skills. It's one of those things that determine their ranks and capabilities. However, due to my condition, is it possible for me to have training in the UR?"
"Sure, I can let you in to the URA."
"No…" Diana cut him.
"Why don't you send him to Garuda Mystic? I feel that it's more suitable."
Bimo looked into her eyes, and they were so full of determination. He knew that she must have a reason. The summon, Garuda, might also have some connection with the Leader of Garuda Mystic. The URA was considered the best in the nation, but Garuda Mystic Academy also had something that others didn't: Lord Ganesha's Blessing.
"But, actually I don't plan on joining any forces at the moment."
"Don't worry, you don't have to join the guild."
Back to the top floor.
Bimo took a sphere from the coffee table. It was always there. He threw it into the air and a hologram started to appear. The silhouette became more vivid and a man appeared.
"It's a rare occasion you call me, Mr. President." The man started the conversation.
"I need a favor, Mr. Parvesh. This is my nephew, Janu. Let him join the GMA."
"Why?"
"Hahahaha…." Bimo just laughed at the questions.
'The Hungry Wolf wouldn't ask that without any good reasons. But why?'
"Alright. How long?"
"As long as he needs."
"Okay," Parvesh realized he couldn't get any answers that satisfied him, so he surrendered. "The Vice Leader is the head instructor for the joint training this time. She's at the capital and he can see her. Does it mean you owe me one?"
"Hmmph.. You wish."
"Alright.. alright.. I'll be waiting for him here."
"You'll see Jacklyn soon. I hope you get along with her," Bimo said to Janu. In his heart he was laughing at his imagination.
At Parvesh's office.
'This is driving me crazy. I hope Jacklyn didn't get mad.'
"Vijay, how's the preparation for the Mount Brahm raid?"
"We're almost ready. We're still waiting for Lakshmi and Pooja. We'll be ready tomorrow."
"Very good."
The next morning, 30 Elite Raiders led by the Guild Leader, Parvesh, assembled in Garuda Mystic headquarters. The troops moved to their destination by heavy vehicles and continued by foot when it was not accessible by vehicles. Only four raiders headed there by helicopter.
Mount Brahm was the highest volcano in the past reaching more than 4,000 meters high. A huge explosion destroyed the mount top and created a huge caldera, so it wasn't as high as it had been.
The four jumped down near the crater. It was like a huge lake with a small island in the middle. There was a cave on that island and that was the entrance to the dungeon. There the twenty six others had assembled outside the lake.
"Let's move in." The team walked down the path leading to the island. It was one of the greatest raids for Garuda Mystic; not measured by the number of raiders, but the number of executives joining it. If the Vice Leader had been present, she would have joined it.
The four led the raid. Normally, White and Black Mage would be at the back, because they mustn't be attacked by enemies at all cost. White Mages, especially, played an important role for the team's survival. However, that wasn't the case for Garuda Mystic's main team. The four, or five, executives were enough for an A-Rank dungeon. For an S-Rank dungeon, they needed to conserve their power and stamina to secure the success. The A-Rank Raiders were there to open the path to the Boss Room.
Mount Brahm dungeon was an S-Rank and Pooja, an A-Rank White Mage, was at the vanguard with other A-Rank Raiders. The other three executives were preserved for the Boss. They entered the gate and a new world emerged. Sand and dunes were stretched as far as eyes could see.
"Okay, listen up everyone. We need to keep track so we won't get lost in this desert. Follow me," Pooja gave instruction to the raiders. They moved forward carefully so as not to stray from their destination.
Brrr..brrr...brrr….
There was a tremor in the sand.
Gulugguluggulglugg…
Black scorpions emerged from under the sand and jumped into the air attacking the raiders from all sides. Their size was comparable to a rhino's. It was so sudden that some unwary raiders fell victims.