POV: Rai Shinsei
Stepping inside the classroom, there were only my teammates along with Rylie inside as their gazes immediately fell onto me, but despite their focus, I quickly observed the outfits of my team as I approached them.
Aria was adorned in a black sweater with a white polo shirt underneath it as she wore a burgundy scarf wrapped around her neck.
As for her bottomwear, she wore a short pleated black skirt with two black belts wrapped around her waist and black lightweighted running shoes that were complemented with long, thin black socks which ended just below her skirt line.
Arthur's outfit was similar to my own with the exception of his jacket being unzipped as he wore a white shirt underneath instead—along with an extra belt on his waist for his katanas.
Everett's outfit was fairly casual as it consisted of a gray long-sleeved shirt with his sleeves rolled just below his elbows, beige cargo shorts with a brown belt that held a dagger on the back of his waist and gray running shoes.
As for Sarah, I never looked at her clearly, but despite her brattish attitude, her looks were rather decent as she stood around the same height as Aria with a pale complexion, sharp purple eyes and long, wavy olive green hair that was kept in a ponytail as she wore unique leaf earrings, although, her outfit was also casual, consisting of an oversized olive green hoodie with a similar skirt as Aria's and black boots paired with black scrunched socks.
She didn't come prepared at all.
"Alas, he finally arrives." Sarah remarked in a sarcastic monotone as Rylie sighed.
Two weeks had also passed since my conversation with Rylie and since then, her attitude towards me remained the same as if our conversation had never happened.
"Now that Rai is here, I'll explain the mission to you all now." Rylie said grimly as she pulled out several papers from a yellow envelope.
"There's been a change in your mission specifically due to unforeseen circumstances. Your mission is now a rescue operation that will involve several A-Class heroes supervising you." Rylie added as Aria raised her hand with the intent of asking a question.
"May I ask why there was a sudden change in our mission?" Aria questioned with concern, but I was also curious to know of the reason behind the sudden change.
"There have been reports of children being kidnapped from the countryside and the villains who we assume to be the perpetrators are classified as a Level Three Threat. We are currently lacking heroes at the moment and because the Hero Association initially wanted to test Arthur, common interest aligned and brought us here today." Rylie answered as I noticed Everett fidgeting with his fingers anxiously.
Villains are categorized differently than heroes as their power is evaluated by what we call a Threat Level Chart.
The Threat Level Chart ranges from Level One through Level Five, but for villains whose power exceeds that of an S-Class hero, they are either deemed as a Disaster Level Threat, Catastrophe Level Threat or the absolute worst case scenario…
A World-Ending Threat.
From what I heard from Ryan, there was only one case of a World-Ending Threat in the history of Jiyu, but our mission is only a Level Three Threat, meaning that it should only require a few C-Class heroes at most, but since we have Arthur, who is undoubtedly as strong as an A-Class hero, we should be overqualified for the supervision of several A-Class heroes.
She must still be withholding information.
"You all must be confused, so let me continue explaining."
"The villains you all will encounter consist of seven criminals that have committed heinous crimes such as robbery, vandalism, kidnapping and even manslaughter. They are cold hearted murderers who are responsible for the "Hero Massacre" that took place a few years ago as they are known as…"
"The Cardinal Sins." Rylie explained gravely as Everett, Sarah and even Aria, broke out a cold sweat as Arthur and myself remained unfazed.
That's strange.
Why would the Hero Association practically sacrifice the lives of students for the sake of witnessing Arthur's potential?
Rylie said that the Hero Association was short on members, but it would only require a single A-Class hero to complete this mission.
Although I despise the Hero Association, they don't usually make irrational decisions regarding student missions.
Something isn't right.
"We don't know what their intentions are with the kids they've abducted, but the Hero Association has managed to locate their base within the Exterel Mountains and the location will be sent to each of your phones directly." Rylie said as all of our phones received a notification amidst her explanation.
"Now let me explain the objective of the mission and inform you all on each member of the Cardinal Sins."
"Your mission will be to solely rescue the children. You all are not permitted to engage in any fight regarding the Cardinal Sins, despite your strength and if the worst possible scenario arises, then the heroes supervising you all will be the ones to fight them, not you." Rylie stated sternly as she laid seven bounty posters across her desk and placed her finger on one of them.
"First, we have the weakest member of the Cardinal Sins, Gluttony, who is considered a Level Two Threat and shouldn't be an issue for your team if worse comes to worse. Her Aspect is a Unique-Type Aspect called Aura Absorption, which allows her to absorb any attack that uses aura, but other than Aria and Sarah, who solely use aura-imbued attacks, the rest of you should be relatively fine."
"Next, we have Envy, who is also considered a Level Two Threat. Her Aspect is a Unique-Type Aspect called Power Shot, which allows her to increase the force and velocity of any projectile depending on how much aura she imbues into it. She's very prone in close-combat, but is fairly skilled in ranged combat, so please be aware if you're forced to engage in combat with her."
"The third member is Greed, who is considered a Level Three Threat. He has a Unique-Type Aspect called Drain. Which allows him to heal himself by siphoning energy through physical contact, so avoid close combat with him at all cost as engaging him with ranged combat is a much safer option."
"We then have Sloth, who is also considered a Level Three Threat. His Aspect is a Unique-Type Aspect called Hypnosis. If your will is weak, then his Aspect will render you utterly useless unless you have the Aspectual Force to overwhelm him or the resolve to inflict yourself with pain amidst the hypnosis."
"Lastly, we have Lust, who is the strongest among the five and is considered a Level Three Threat. She has a Unique-Type Aspect called Telekinesis, which allows her to control any object with her mind alone, so please fight her with caution if facing her is your last option." Rylie explained as the classroom stood in silence until Sarah cleared her throat.
"If these villains are only as strong as C-Class heroes, then how come they haven't been captured yet?" Sarah asked as her question seemed to be on everyone's mind.
It's a good question.
There are many high-ranking heroes on this continent, so it shouldn't be a problem capturing a few villains who are on par with a C-Class hero, unless…
"That's because the leaders of the Cardinal Sins are on a completely different level than the rest of the members. They are the sole reason why the Cardinal Sins are still able to wreak havoc freely." Rylie answered as Sarah's face tensed with apprehension.
"Do you have any idea of what Wrath's and Pride's Aspects are?" I asked.
"Unfortunately, we don't have any information on Pride as no hero has ever survived an encounter with him, but as for Wrath, the Hero Association was able to deduce that he uses an Elemental-Type Aspect." Rylie answered as she gazed at the five of us with concern.
"I know the sudden change in the mission is daunting, so if any of you want to back out now, please let me know." Rylie added as Arthur and I glanced at each other.
He's accepting this mission without a second thought.
"I'm sure you already know my answer, teach." Arthur replied with a grin.
"I'm also accepting this mission." Aria replied with determination brimming within her eyes.
"Same here." Everett replied nervously.
"My answer is also the same." Sarah replied nonchalantly as everyone shifted their gazes onto me, waiting for my answer.
It seems they're prepared to risk their lives.
If I'm being honest, there's no reason for me to accept this mission as not only is the premise of the mission odd, but I have nothing to gain by participating in this mission, although…
"I'll go." I replied as Rylie sighed deeply.
It would leave a bad taste in my mouth if something tragic were to happen to any of them.
"I wish you all would have backed down, but I guess that's the heroism flowing through your veins. Once you group with the heroes on standby, your task will be to solely rescue the children and escape immediately. If any member of the Cardinal Sins appears, abandon the mission and if you're unable to run away, then fight for your lives. You all should be strong enough to handle them without their leaders, but we can't afford to lose any more future heroes." Rylie said with a smile as she handed Aria the bounty posters of the Cardinal Sins and walked us out of the classroom.
"There will be staff members to direct you to the vehicle that will be transporting you. I wish you all the best of luck." Rylie added as she stood by the entrance of the classroom and watched us head towards the exit of the academy.
"I didn't know you were a swordsman also, Rai." Aria remarked as I glanced down at the sheathed katana on my waist, relishing in a moment of nostalgia.
"I wouldn't call myself a swordsman, but a sword was the first weapon I learned how to use." I replied as Arthur glanced at me skeptically.
Amidst our walk towards the exit, many thoughts began to course through my mind, ranging from nostalgic memories along with unsettling thoughts, but upon stepping outside, I looked up into the cloudy, early morning sky and allowed the crisp flow of wind brush across my face in hopes to clear my mind.
"Are you okay, Rai?" Aria asked with concern as I noticed my team was waiting for me to enter inside the assigned vehicle with them.
"Yeah." I replied as I approached the vehicle, rolling up the sleeves of my jacket.
There's no need to overthink.
We're all going to make it back alive.