After their meal, Bell declared, "Since we're all in agreement, let's make this our next objective. Of course, we can't just charge straight into the Grand Duchy of Augustus to confront the Demon Lord. We'll need to approach the Kingdom of Green Eagle's higher echelons first."
The plan was simple: seek a quest from the king, demand proper compensation. After all, they were adventurers at heart and couldn't work for free.
Saving the world from the Demon Lord was noble, but securing some personal gain while doing so seemed perfectly reasonable, right?
Here, it's worth mentioning how these seven individuals came together. Let's start with Bell. Three years ago, he was just an ordinary person from an insignificant Duchy. Upon reaching adulthood, he left his village to become an adventurer, motivated by the same reason as most adventurers: to earn money.
On his very first adventure, the adventurer team Bell joined was ambushed, and he found himself trapped deep within a tomb, facing certain death. Just when he thought all hope was lost, he stumbled upon the massive silver greatsword he now carries on his back.
The moment Bell grasped the sword, he felt his physical abilities multiply. As the story unfolded, he naturally used the blade to slaughter those who had ambushed him and continued his adventures, gradually earning a small reputation.
In other words, this "Warrior-Hero" hadn't just appeared recently; he had actually obtained the Warrior Divine Artifact and been active for quite some time.
Next came the Sorcerer Stephens. Like other sorcerers, he had suddenly awakened to his magical powers. That very night, a strange, transparent glass orb descended from the sky, crashing through his ceiling and hovering beside him.
The Sorcerer-Hero gazed at the orb, sensing an overwhelming, primal attraction rooted in his bloodline. When he gently touched it, the orb burrowed into his body and fused with him. From that moment on, he automatically learned a new spell almost every day.
Blessed with such innate talent, he naturally ventured out to make his mark, becoming an adventurer.
The bard Lori Gavin was an ordinary low-ranking noblewoman who had been raised as a mere ornament since childhood. Upon reaching adulthood, she was destined to be sacrificed by her family in a strategic marriage to secure their interests. Like a caged bird, her favorite pastime was perching by the window, watching the free-flying birds soar through the sky.
"If only I could be like those little birds, flying wherever I please and experiencing the wonders of the world firsthand," she often sighed.
The very next morning, as if in answer to her longing, a blank book appeared on her windowsill. As she examined the strange book, Lori Gavin was astonished to see images of birds materialize on its pages—perfect replicas of the birds she had observed in the sky!
With a mere thought, these birds flew out of the book and landed gently on her hand!
After further experimentation to understand the book's abilities, Lori Gavin committed the boldest act of her life: she escaped from her family's estate.
As for how the three adventurers eventually crossed paths, it was the wizard Bruce Bradley who sought them out individually, each in turn, and invited them to join his group.
"We are all chosen by Divine Artifacts," the Wizard declared. "Slaying Goblins and escorting Caravans? These trivial adventures are beneath us! We should be undertaking far more thrilling and legendary feats!"
It was at this moment that the three adventurers realized the items they had obtained were, in fact, Divine Artifacts. The Wizard continued his explanation, revealing himself to be a prodigious magical genius who had mastered the Seventh-Level spell Create Demiplane at a young age. During the creation of his first Demiplane, he had discovered a peculiar Magic Ship within it.
After extensive study, he discovered that this vessel could transport him beyond their world, not to another Plane, but to entirely different Worlds. The Wizard was awestruck by this revelation, but his first voyage to another world ended in disaster.
He never identified what had attacked him, but the ship sustained heavy damage, forcing him to retreat in terror back to his own world. From this ordeal, the Wizard learned that interdimensional travel was fraught with peril and that if he wished to venture into other Worlds, he would need to recruit reliable companions.
Through his in-depth study of the Magic Ship, the Wizard discovered that it emanated extremely peculiar divine power fluctuations, leading him to speculate that the ship was a lost Divine Artifact.
The Wizard wondered if there might be others in the world who, like him, possessed a Divine Artifact. He reasoned that anyone wielding such an artifact would undoubtedly possess formidable power.
He began his search with Legendary-grade individuals, but their numbers were so few that he quickly ruled them all out within days. Next, he turned to Gold-rank adventurers, whose numbers were also surprisingly limited. After nearly exhausting all leads, just as he was about to give up, he finally found three individuals who had recently gained some renown and ascended to Gold-tier: a Warrior, a Sorcerer, and a Bard.
Based on his years of studying the Magic Ship, the Wizard immediately recognized their unique qualities and extended an invitation to join his group.
Thus, the initial quartet was formed. Each member's motives were strikingly pure: the Warrior, Bell, sought to earn enough to improve his family's life; the Sorcerer, Stephens, yearned for fame and recognition, wanting to become a legendary figure whom no one would dare scorn; the Bard, Lorie, craved adventure itself, eager to witness the wonders of different realms; and the Wizard, Bruce Bradley, was driven by pure curiosity, longing to explore other worlds.
The Bard Lori Gavin sought adventure for its own sake, eager to witness diverse landscapes, while the Wizard Bruce Bradley was driven by sheer curiosity, yearning to explore other worlds.
Apart from wielding Divine Artifacts, these adventurers were remarkably "ordinary." In contrast, adventurers like Aria, who embarked on their journeys with the explicit goal of becoming a Hero and saving others, were the rare exceptions.
After forming their quartet, they couldn't simply board a ship and set sail. The other three members lacked sufficient strength, needing at least Legendary-grade power, or even surpassing that, for true safety. Fortunately, their Divine Artifacts made rapid advancement relatively easy.
Subsequently, thanks to Bruce's mastery of Cross-Plane Teleportation as a Conjuration School Wizard, their adventures weren't confined to the Material World. They ventured into the Four Elemental Planes, the Nine Hells, the Bottomless Abyss, and beyond, honing their skills in these perilous realms.
A year later, when the quartet returned to the Material World for supplies, they stumbled upon three new companions in a tavern: the Dwarf Priest Ettore, the Catgirl Ranger Reya, and the Druid Eve Perkins.
The Priest was born on the outskirts of the Kingdom of Ukel. Both his parents were slaves, and by all rights, he should have been enslaved as well. Yet somehow, his parents secretly managed to smuggle him out of Ukel and into a nearby Dwarf-ruled Grand Duchy.
After growing up, the Priest ventured back into the Kingdom of Ukel several times, only to face relentless discrimination due to his Dwarf heritage. He tried to find his parents, but all his efforts failed. He didn't even know if they were alive or dead.
Frustrated, he chose a path almost unheard of among Dwarves: he became a Priest.
Since the Forge Church was the state religion of the Kingdom of Ukel, Priests held immense status. If he could become a powerful Priest, perhaps he could finally find his parents?
He spent his savings to purchase a copy of the Forge Church's doctrines and began studying it day and night. To his astonishment, he discovered he possessed an extraordinary aptitude for the priesthood. During prayer, he even beheld the God of Forging himself!
Later, however, the god revealed that this vision was merely an effect of a necklace he wore.
He had worn it since childhood, the only thing his parents left him: a blue heart-shaped pendant. Surprisingly, it turned out to be a Divine Artifact with the power to greatly enhance the connection between the wearer and the gods.
Castorice had previously researched that a god bestowing power upon a believer required two conditions: the believer's devotion and their Perception attribute.
The former acted as the channel between the god and the believer—the greater the devotion, the wider the channel. The latter functioned like internet speed; the higher the believer's Perception, the faster the god could transmit power. Neither condition could be neglected, but the blue heart-shaped pendant bypassed these requirements, forcibly maximizing both attributes.
Thanks to this artifact, Ettore became a powerful Priest. Yet, despite years of relentless searching, he never found his parents. After finally giving up, he chose to become an adventurer, donating all his earnings to the common people of the Kingdom of Ukel in an effort to improve their lives and help as many as possible.
Then, during one such donation, the Catgirl Ranger stole his money, leading to their first encounter.
The Catgirl Ranger, Reya, was originally an abandoned orphan, but she was accidentally found by an elf living in the Great Forest and taken home. Thus, a "little wildcat" appeared in the elf tribe.
The Druid Eve lived in the same tribe as the Catgirl Ranger. Eve was a half-elf, born after her mother was abducted. Later, the elf tribe attacked the small kingdom that had captured her mother, rescuing both of them.
However, Eve's half-elf status made her unpopular in the tribe, and she was often bullied, which led her to develop a timid personality. The Catgirl Ranger faced a similar situation; aside from the elf who adopted her, no one else liked her.
Naturally, the two little ones gravitated toward each other, becoming close friends.
One day, the elf who had adopted the Catgirl Ranger died unexpectedly during a hunting trip. Without his protection, their status in the tribe plummeted. The Catgirl Ranger turned to Eve and said, "Since no one in the tribe likes us anyway, why don't we just leave?"
"Let's leave this place and fly far away!"
Before leaving, the Catgirl Ranger decided to exact a small revenge. She sneaked into the Forbidden Zone, intending to steal a beautifully crafted longbow that had been revered by the tribe for generations.
Oddly enough, the longbow, which had been tightly bound by vines and suspended in the air, suddenly came loose as she approached. The vines unwound themselves, and the bow dropped directly into her hands.
After the Catgirl Ranger and the Druid left, they found themselves penniless and resorted to stealing and robbing to survive. Eventually, they ended up stealing from the Priest.
Upon learning their situation, the Priest naturally forgave them. The three then decided to travel together, forming a small adventurer's party.
Their reasons for embarking on adventures were simple: the Priest sought to earn money to help the vulnerable, while the Catgirl Ranger and Druid had left their homes because they couldn't stand to stay any longer, choosing instead to roam freely.
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Next, they were unexpectedly encountered by the Wizard Quartet, who immediately recognized them as wielders of Divine Artifacts and invited them to join their group.
The Wizard pointed to the Priest's pendant, the Ranger's longbow, and... Little Eve, the Druid herself. "Strange," he said. "I can sense divine power emanating from you, but I can't determine what this artifact actually is. Have you ever acquired any peculiar objects?"
Little Eve shook her head frantically. "I-I-I... I don't know! I've never gotten anything strange before!"
In any case, since joining the Wizard meant traveling to more places and experiencing more exciting adventures, the Ranger had no reason to refuse and eagerly accepted the invitation.
Little Eve and the Catgirl were conjoined; when one agreed, the other naturally followed suit. The Priest, seeing his two companions agree, also joined the party.
Thus, the seven-member team was formed. However, because most of their adventures took place on other planes, they were largely unknown in the Material Plane.
Recently, with the team's power greatly enhanced, the Wizard began repairing the Magic Ship, preparing for their second voyage.
To achieve this, they needed vast quantities of magical materials, which led them to slay a dragon in the Material World—the White Dragon King Zacharias. Coincidentally, several Legendary-grade Adventurers witnessed the event.
These adventurers had also come to slay the dragon, but they had been completely outmatched by the White Dragon King throughout the battle. Just as they realized the situation was dire and were about to retreat, the seven-member team appeared and swiftly annihilated the White Dragon King with overwhelming force.
The team's exploits gradually spread far and wide.
Returning to the present, facing Bell's suggestion, the Wizard remarked, "A mere Demigod-level enemy? Didn't we just take down the White Dragon King not long ago? Perfect! I was actually worried if one Dragon Sovereign's corpse would be enough. Killing a Demon Lord too should give us time to rest while I repair the Magic Ship. Once it's fixed, we'll set sail! Let's explore other worlds!"
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PS: The Magic Ship's true function is to navigate the 'sea' of the Outermost Plane, allowing passage beyond this world to others. However, the Wizard Hero remains unaware of the Outermost Plane's existence, believing the ship's power lies in simple Cross-Plane Teleportation.
Spy- No the discord is not a cult, do not listen to the screams.