...
{3rd POV}
Today was a truly significant and weighty day, one that felt important not just for a few individuals but for the entire Aurora Familia and the whole Shawn Village.
Every member of the Familia had gathered at the center of the village, forming a large crowd that filled the plaza.
With steady, deliberate steps, Aurora walked up the short staircase and ascended the raised platform built specifically for large announcements.
She paused for a moment at the top, letting her gaze sweep over every face below the podium—Adventurers wearing the crest of her Familia, villagers standing shoulder to shoulder, elders and young people alike.
All of them were gathered here for the same purpose, sharing the same anticipation and tension.
"I give my thanks to all the villagers and all my Familia children who have gathered here today," Aurora began, her voice firm and clear, carrying easily through the open space.
"Because today is an auspicious day! A day that will undoubtedly be carved into the tablets of Shawn Village history, a day that will be remembered and spoken of by the generations that come after us!"
Her words hit heavily, and the expressions of every person listening grew more serious.
Some straightened up instinctively; others tightened their grips on the weapons they carried.
The atmosphere felt charged.
"Since thousands of years ago, monsters have escaped from the Dungeon and caused destruction across the lands of Genkai," Aurora continued, raising her hand slightly for emphasis.
"And recently, as many of you already know, one of the Three Great Monsters—Behemoth—has been rampaging across Genkai without restraint. Even at this very moment, countless individuals, warriors and ordinary people alike, are struggling and fighting to protect mankind!"
As Aurora spoke, her words drew a vivid picture of chaos and danger.
The villagers could almost imagine the massive monster tearing through cities and plains, the smoke rising, the fear spreading.
Every person present felt their posture stiffen and their hearts tighten as the tension in the air increased.
"I am fully aware that we are not the grand heroes who will bring an end to this massive disaster," Aurora declared, her expression shifting into one of exaggerated disappointment, as if she were lamenting a truth she had already accepted. "And I also understand that we are likely not going to be the names sung by bards or written in future records. In the coming days, months, or even years, no one will remember how much effort we put into protecting our homeland. But regardless of how much or little recognition we receive, we will still play our part in this struggle against Monsterkind!"
Aurora looked genuinely troubled—almost theatrically so—acting as if the future generations' lack of appreciation was the greatest tragedy of all.
"Goddess! We will remember! We won't forget how you fought for us!" a villager suddenly shouted from the crowd, his voice cracking with emotion.
Tears streamed down his cheeks, shining in the daylight.
More villagers joined in immediately, fired up by his outburst.
"Yes, Goddess! We will never forget the effort you and the Adventurers put into keeping us safe!"
"We will honor the ones who stood before us and admire every bit of their courage!" another villager added, practically shouting with the same passionate energy.
Aurora clenched her fists dramatically and raised her voice as well.
"Yes! We shall carve the sacrifices of our brave predecessors—their sweat, their struggles, their loyalty to this village—deep into our souls!"
Just when the atmosphere felt heated and unified, a man in the crowd hesitantly raised his hand.
"Goddess… forgive me if I'm misunderstanding something," he said awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.
"But if this day is supposed to be remembered forever, then how is it that no one will remember how much effort the Adventurers put into defending the village?"
Aurora's eyebrow twitched hard enough to be noticeable from the platform.
With a straight face and zero hesitation, she shot back, "Tell me, am I the Goddess here, or are you the Goddess?"
The man froze for a moment, stunned at the sudden question.
"O-Of course you are the Goddess!" he replied immediately, as if the idea of him being one was absurd.
"Then just listen to what I say and keep your mouth shut!" Aurora snapped bluntly, leaving the man speechless.
His face reddened in embarrassment as he quickly lowered his hand and closed his mouth, not daring to say another word.
"Ahem! Now then, where was I?" Aurora said, clearing her throat dramatically as if the previous interruption had never happened.
"Ah, yes! Listen well—because this is important! For the first time in the entire history of our village, our whole Familia will be going on a full-scale expedition together!" she announced loudly, her voice booming across the gathering and instantly drawing an even louder wave of applause.
The villagers cheered with renewed enthusiasm, clapping and shouting as excitement filled the air.
However, in the midst of the crowd, a young boy tugged on his mother's hand and asked innocently, "Mama, didn't you tell me that our Familia already had dozens of expeditions throughout the village's history?"
The mother's eyebrow twitched so hard she nearly winced.
Forcing a smile that looked far too sweet to be genuine, she leaned down and whispered, "Honey, this situation is… a little different, okay? Mama will explain everything later, so let's just listen for now, alright?"
The boy nodded slowly, still confused but trusting his mother.
He didn't realize at all that she had absolutely no intention of explaining anything and had simply tricked him to keep him quiet.
Aurora continued passionately, raising her voice to keep everyone's attention.
"I understand fully how difficult this will be. All of you will be fighting for seven full days and seven full nights, and even during the short breaks between battles, you'll still have to stay alert and guard the village. This is not something we can negotiate or avoid."
She clenched her fists dramatically, her expression tightening as though she was deeply pained by the harsh reality she was describing.
"Monsters have raided countless villages, destroyed livelihoods, wiped out livestock, and shattered families beyond repair. They do not kill because they need to survive—they kill because it brings them satisfaction. Because they exist as nothing more than living disasters, heralds of destruction that care for nothing but chaos and suffering."
Everyone couldn't help but feel a jolt of fear after hearing Aurora's grim declaration, the tension in the air thick enough that even the more seasoned adventurers looked uneasy.
Sensing this, the Goddess spread her arms wide and raised her voice, attempting to rally their spirits with typical dramatic flair.
"Tell me, all of you—are you afraid?! Are you afraid of pain? Are you afraid of fighting those filthy, revolting monsters that threaten our home?!"
Before anyone else could respond, a small boy in the middle of the crowd suddenly shouted, "Yes! I am afraid!"
His innocent honesty instantly silenced the entire gathering.
Every head turned toward him, the villagers and adventurers staring as if they weren't sure whether to be impressed by his bravery or horrified by his timing.
The boy looked like he was on the verge of tears as he continued in a trembling voice, "I… I am scared of pain. And I'm scared of monsters."
His words hung in the air like a pin dropping in a quiet room.
Aurora froze for a moment, then let out a long suffering sigh.
A visible twitch formed at the corner of her mouth as she muttered, "Sweetie… you were supposed to say I am NOT afraid of them. That was the whole point of my speech."
The boy blinked several times, completely confused.
After a moment he straightened up slightly and said, "Uh… I am not afraid?" even though it sounded more like a question than a declaration.
Aurora immediately clapped her hands and burst into triumphant laughter.
"See that?! Even a child is not afraid!" she said, acting as if this had been her plan the entire time.
She then raised her voice even louder, pointing towards the crowd with dramatic intensity.
"Now I ask again—ARE YOU ALL AFRAID?!"
"Nooooo!" the villagers and adventurers shouted back in unison, their voices amplified by Aurora's theatrics and the boy's accidental contribution.
"What shall we do with the monsters that have stolen our lands and dared to trample on our homes?!" Aurora thundered dramatically, pointing at the horizon as if the monsters were already standing right there.
"We shall drive them away!" the crowd roared back, raising their fists with growing excitement.
Aurora's eyes sparkled with a dangerous level of enthusiasm.
"We shall FUCK them together!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice echoing across the village square.
"Fuck them!" a villager shouted immediately, fire burning in his eyes as if he had suddenly awakened to some glorious purpose.
"Kill them!" an adventurer bellowed next, his voice filled with the kind of determination one would expect from someone about to charge straight at a dragon.
"We shall bathe in their blood!" Edward declared, unsheathing his sword dramatically and pointing it toward the sky before swinging it around like an overly excited maniac.
"We shall tear out their entrails!" Jason yelled, even making a violent pulling gesture that made a few villagers flinch.
"We will break their asses!" Marthon added proudly, not realizing—or simply ignoring—how incredibly questionable the phrasing sounded.
"Cut off their penises!" Maria suddenly shouted with full enthusiasm.
And just like that, the entire area went silent.
Every single person—villagers, adventurers, even Aurora—slowly turned their heads to stare at her in stunned disbelief.
It wasn't that they disagreed.
They were just… trying to process the escalation.
Maria blinked innocently.
"What? Wouldn't it make them suffer more?" she asked as if it was the most logical and reasonable suggestion in the world.
Everyone exchanged glances—then slowly nodded as if, yes, actually, it did make some level of sense.
"YEAHHHH!" they shouted together, the crowd exploding back into chaos.
"KILL THEM!"
"FUCK THEM!"
"BATHE IN THEIR BLOOD!"
"CUT OUT THEIR ENTRAILS!"
"BREAK THEIR ASSES!"
"CUT OFF THEIR PENISES!"
"Cut off!"
"Cut off!"
"Cut off!" the crowd began chanting like some deranged execution cult.
Aurora beamed proudly at their rising bloodlust, hands on her hips as if she had masterfully orchestrated all of this insanity.
"Let's do it, my children! For Shawn!"
"For Shawn!" "For Shawn!" "For Shawn!" the crowd echoed, their spirits blazing with a mix of patriotism and mild insanity.
"For Glory!!!" Aurora added, clenching her fists dramatically.
"For Glory!" "For Glory!" "For Glory!" they shouted back.
"For the Shawn Village! Repeat after me—Shawn the Village! Shawn the Village!" Aurora commanded loudly, waving her arms to push them into an even louder frenzy.
And the entire crowd erupted like thunder.
"Shawn the Village!" "Shawn the Village!" "Shawn the Village!"
"Shawn the SHEEEP!"
Suddenly, everything froze.
Heads turned in perfect unison.
Standing there was Ember, lips twitching, face slowly heating up as he realized he had accidentally said that out loud instead of keeping the joke in his head.
"Ah—sorry, couldn't stop my urge," Ember said, scratching the back of his head as he tried to play it off.
He already knew nobody here would get the reference, which only made it more awkward.
Aurora puffed her cheeks at him in annoyance, clearly frustrated that he had derailed the dramatic atmosphere she had been carefully building up for the last several minutes.
Just moments ago, she had practically whipped the entire crowd into such an intense frenzy of confidence that, honestly, if confidence alone could kill monsters, even a battalion of Black Dragons would have been wiped out on the spot.
Meanwhile, Chad stared at the roaring crowd as if witnessing something truly bizarre.
"Is this really what I think it is?" he asked, his voice flat with disbelief.
"Because this looks like a full-blown cult preparing to purge an entire species off the face of the world."
Bosh nodded seriously, crossing his arms.
"Indeed. If I didn't know any better, I'd say the village is about to start one of those old witch trials you read about in history books. You know—the kind where everyone is shouting, waving weapons, and ready to burn someone at the stake for breathing wrong."
Ember exhaled deeply, rubbing his face with both hands as if physically tired from the collective stupidity around him.
"Honestly," he said, "if we're being real, a familia is just a fancy, polite-sounding name for a cult. Think about it. You follow every instruction of a literal God, get their blessing, become stronger by killing other beings, and your long-term goal is basically making an entire race of creatures extinct. That's cult behavior by every metric."
He shrugged as if presenting the most logical conclusion in the world.
Hearing Ember's blunt statement, everyone froze as if someone had just slapped them across the face with pure, unfiltered truth.
The entire group stared at him in collective shock, their expressions slowly twisting into ones that resembled an existential meltdown.
It was clear that his words had hit everyone much harder than expected.
"Damn… why didn't I realize this earlier?" Amalda muttered, grabbing both sides of her head as if she were physically trying to hold her sanity together.
She looked genuinely distressed, her eyes wide in disbelief.
All her life she had grown up thinking that cults were groups of crazed followers worshipping deranged or malevolent Gods while committing horrible crimes.
But now that she actually thought about it… every familia really did function in nearly the exact same way—just wrapped with better public relations and a less suspicious label.
And considering the way everyone had been acting just moments ago—frothing with zeal, shouting violent slogans, rallying under Aurora's speeches—the comparison felt disturbingly accurate.
If an outsider walked in right now, they wouldn't think "Oh, what a noble group of adventurers."
They would absolutely think, "Yep, this is a cult ready to commit war crimes."
Now, anyone hearing this situation would probably wonder what in the absolute hell was going on to have an entire village questioning their religious structure.
The reason was surprisingly simple.
Ember's plan to eliminate all the monsters surrounding the village had officially been added to the day's agenda.
Since this was no small task, he had also contacted his friends from Argon to lend support.
Considering his Argon companions were a full Level 2 party, their firepower would be more than enough to ensure the safety of Aurora Familia's mostly-surface-trained members.
In short, what was supposed to be a simple monster-clearing mission had escalated into a rally that somehow snowballed into a pseudo-religious awakening, a war anthem rehearsal, and now a collective identity crisis.
All thanks to Ember opening his mouth.
...
Finally, after what felt like an unnecessarily long and chaotic discussion, a plan was drafted where the entire Aurora Familia would participate in the upcoming monster-clearing hunt.
The structure was simple enough, but still somehow complicated because of how many people were involved.
The first half of the entire Aurora Familia would head out to start the hunting operation.
Then, once the injured or extremely exhausted members—roughly a quarter of the total force—returned to the village, another quarter of the familia would be summoned and sent out to replace them so the pressure on the monsters wouldn't drop.
After that rotation, the people who had been waiting earlier, the other quarter, would come back from the hunting grounds, and yet another fresh quarter of the villagers would take their place in the ongoing battle.
This created a constant cycle of hunting, resting, switching out, and keeping the momentum going so no one collapsed from overwork.
Meanwhile, the earliest group that had returned—the first quarter—would have already rested enough to take on a different role: they would protect the village from any stray threats or monster stragglers that slipped through.
In addition, all the villagers who were not part of the active rotations would help the tired and injured Adventurers recover by assisting with first aid, providing food, water, and whatever basic treatment they could manage.
Since the Aurora Familia consisted entirely of people from this village—except Ember, who was somehow involved in practically everything—they were all participating in this large-scale hunt whether they liked it or not.
Basically, the entire damn village was being mobilized for this battle.
Now, speaking of people getting dragged into things, there was also Chad's party.
Yes, literally named THE CHAD Party.
A name so hilariously stupid and over-the-top that no one with functioning brain cells ever used it out loud unless absolutely necessary.
No wonder even Ember kept forgetting the name of their party; he never had to use it anyway, since he already knew almost everyone in Argon Town personally.
Honestly, it was a miracle that the party members themselves didn't forget it.
"Anyway, everyone, I want to sincerely thank you all for sticking around and coming here to help me," Ember said, genuinely moved.
He hadn't published any official task or request for assistance; instead, he had personally traveled to Argon and asked his friends for help directly.
To his surprise, and admittedly with a sense of relief, they all refused any form of compensation.
They insisted that simply participating in the expedition would be enough to improve their own parameters and skills, which for them was reward enough.
"Nah, no need, Tet," Aika, the fighter centaur, said with a wide, mischievous grin.
"Asking a friend for money when he only came to ask for help… that's just not Chad at all!" she added, her words carrying a teasing tone.
Apparently, after hearing Aschelois' divine preaching about honor, bravery, and the meaning behind the word 'Chad,' she had finally understood why their so-called 'Chad' didn't fit the true definition in the slightest.
"Indeed," Ember replied with a small smile, acknowledging her point.
Then, turning to the group, he raised his voice with renewed energy: "Anyway, everyone, let's show those monsters exactly who the hell they're dealing with!"
Chad, ever the showman, grinned broadly and pumped his fist into the air.
"Aye! Let's do this, boys!" he shouted, and everyone around him, fired up by his enthusiasm, raised their fists and shouted back in unison, "Aye! Aye, Captain!"
The members of the Aurora Familia, watching the Chad Party's energy and excitement, couldn't help but grin themselves, feeling their own spirits lift and their determination strengthen.
For this expedition, Edward was appointed to take the lead, managing strategy and issuing commands, while Chad would handle coordination on the battlefield, rallying the troops with his characteristic charisma.
Ember, despite having a natural talent for leadership and commanding a group, deliberately chose not to take any leading role.
He wanted to focus solely on the fight itself, on honing his skills, and on dealing with the monsters directly, leaving strategy and orders to those designated leaders.
He knew that his strength would be most effective when fully concentrated on the action rather than splitting attention between command and combat.
The roles for the expedition were clearly defined from the start.
The Aurora Familia was primarily tasked with handling the bulk of the Level 1 monsters that roamed the forest, while the Chad Party, including Ember, was assigned to engage the stronger and more dangerous creatures.
To prepare for the journey, they had stocked ample supplies, including potions and other essential items, all brought from Argon Town by Ember during the return trip alongside the Chad Party.
This ensured that both parties were well-prepared for the extended expedition ahead.
As they ventured deeper into the dense forest, the group encountered a wide variety of monsters.
Goblins and kobolds appeared frequently, along with swarms of aggressive killer ants that moved in coordinated packs.
The party worked seamlessly together, using strategy, strength, and magic to slay one monster after another.
Hours passed as they continued their trek through the forest, maintaining focus and constantly staying alert to any threats.
Eventually, they decided to take a short break, spreading out some rice balls and other simple provisions while drinking water to replenish their energy for the battles yet to come.
Ember, as usual, munched casually on some dried meat jerky, observing the surrounding forest with a calm and calculating eye.
Suddenly, a wild, thunderous roar echoed through the trees.
The sound instantly froze most of the Aurora Familia members in place, their eyes widening in sheer fear.
Only the stronger Level 1s and the Level 2 adventurers, like Edward, remained unfazed, their battle instincts kicking in immediately.
Everyone turned toward the source of the noise and saw massive, pig-like monsters emerging from the dense foliage.
These were no ordinary beasts—Orcs, among the most dangerous creatures that Level 1 adventurers could encounter.
Even Level 2 adventurers had to exercise extreme caution when facing them.
For many of the younger and less experienced adventurers, the sight of these hulking creatures caused their blood to run cold, a palpable chill spreading through their veins as the reality of the threat hit them full force.
However, Ember remained completely unfazed, calmly taking a sip of water as if nothing unusual was happening around him.
He then extended the water bottle to a Level 1 member of his familia who was frozen in sheer fear, unable to move or even speak.
"What the hell… Wait, are you planning to go face them alone?!" the young adventurer shouted in shock, his voice trembling.
Meanwhile, Edward quickly assessed the situation and ordered everyone in the vicinity to step back, creating a safe perimeter.
The Chad Party had already gone on high alert, positioning themselves strategically and drawing their weapons, ready to intervene if anything went wrong.
Ember, however, remained completely composed.
"Guys, let me handle this," he said quietly, almost casually, as he started walking directly toward the approaching Orcs.
From where he stood, he could see that there were at least several of the massive beasts, their eyes glinting with fury as they let out deafening roars.
Without any hesitation, Ember drew his sword smoothly from its sheath, the blade catching the faint light filtering through the forest canopy.
As one particularly large Orc charged straight at him, roaring in rage, Ember met it head-on.
Slash!
His sword cut through the creature's flesh with deadly precision, cleaving through its chest and piercing its belly.
The Orc collapsed instantly, lifeless before it could even comprehend what had struck it.
The remaining Orcs let out even louder, more frenzied roars, their anger and bloodlust driving them forward like a herd of maddened boars.
Yet Ember moved with inhuman speed and deadly accuracy.
Before anyone else could even process the battle, he had already taken down every single Orc.
The forest fell silent once more, save for the soft rustling of leaves, as the Chad Party and the Aurora Familia members stared in stunned disbelief.
In just two seconds, Ember had slain all the Orcs, demonstrating a level of skill, speed, and power that left everyone around him completely speechless.
"Fuck… He's gotten stronger," Chad muttered, his eyes fixed on Ember's display of overwhelming prowess.
As a Level 2 adventurer himself, Chad knew he could have taken down the Orcs, but it would have required nearly a full minute to dispatch all of them, and that was assuming nothing went wrong.
Considering the unpredictable nature of combat, it could have taken even longer, leaving him exposed to danger.
Aika was equally stunned by Ember's incredible skill.
The sheer ease with which he had slayed the Orcs left her mouth slightly agape.
"I guess that's what happens when you max out your parameters before leveling up," she murmured, a mixture of admiration and disbelief in her voice.
Mika let out a low, impressed sigh, while the other members of the party nodded solemnly in agreement.
It was no secret among them that Ember had truly pushed himself to the limit, reaching maximum potential in all his parameters before ascending beyond Level 1.
Having efficiently eliminated the threat, Ember calmly walked back toward the young man to whom he had handed the water bottle moments ago.
The man, still trembling from fear, nearly stumbled to the ground the moment Ember approached.
He was only saved from a painful fall by Ember's quick reflexes as he grabbed the man's arm firmly but gently, steadying him.
"Be calm," Ember said in a calm, reassuring tone, his presence alone helping to steady the young adventer.
The man's face flushed bright red in embarrassment as he realized just how easily someone from his own familia had performed such a display of absolute power.
Edward, standing nearby, chuckled softly at the scene and commented, "Lad, don't be too shocked. Even though I'm the leader of the Aurora Familia, Tet here… Tet's the strongest. There's just no comparison."
"Is this what a Level 2 actually looks like?" the young man muttered under his breath, still wide-eyed from witnessing Ember's overwhelming display of power.
Chad let out a short, amused chuckle at the comment.
"Nah, Ember's built differently. A normal Level 2 would usually need a full minute or two just to deal with monsters like that," he explained, shaking his head slightly in disbelief.
The young man slowly nodded, the enormity of the difference between Level 1 and Level 2 hitting him like a wave.
More importantly, he realized that even among Level 2 adventurers, the disparity in skill and raw power could be enormous.
If Chad, who led a Level 2 party and was considered exceptionally capable, admitted it would take him a minute or two to singlehandedly eliminate those monsters, then Ember's feat—killing them all within two to three seconds—was nothing short of astounding.
He glanced over at the members of Chad's party, feeling an intense surge of motivation and inspiration coursing through him.
'I want to become an Upper-Level Adventurer too!' he thought passionately, a fire of determination burning in his eyes as he clenched his fists.
Meanwhile, the monster hunt continued with precision and coordination.
Each member of the Aurora Familia and supporting parties seamlessly executed their assigned roles: one group would venture out to hunt the monsters, another would rotate in to rest and recover, a third group maintained the vanguard, and yet another kept watch over the village to ensure its safety.
This systematic rotation, coupled with Ember's unparalleled strength and the CHAD party, ensured that every task was handled efficiently.
For seven long days and seven exhausting nights, they battled tirelessly, their collective effort gradually purging the surrounding lands of any lurking threats.
By the end of the relentless week, every last monster in the vicinity of Shawn Village had been eradicated, leaving the village safer than it had ever been before.
To be continued…
(A/N: My old laptop is vibrating like a landslide, fan's at full speed and I am barely running windows 10 and browser(I had upgraded ram of this bitch to 16gb and storage's an NVME 256gb), and it is heating... Makes me remember in the first place why I brought new laptop.
*SIGH*)