"Why don't we split into groups of two?"
The words echoed faintly through the ruined street, bouncing off shattered walls and broken windows.
Isabella slowed her steps and turned toward him, platinum blond hair swaying lightly. Her brows rose with clear curiosity rather than concern.
"Oh?" she said. "Why do you think that? Aren't we doing just fine as it is?"
Jordan hesitated for half a second. His confident posture wavered just enough to look natural.
"I don't mean to be rude, Miss Isabella," he said carefully, a nervous edge slipping into his tone. "But… you're the only one doing great."
Isabella blinked.
Jordan continued quickly, as if afraid to lose momentum.
"I was trying to bring this up earlier, but you've been killing all the monsters by yourself. And don't get me wrong, I'm totally fine with that."
He gestured behind him, his voice turning apologetic.
"But as you can see… my friends here—Marco, Arlo, Atlas—and I'm sure even Arthur… they aren't really able to gain any experience like this."
He turned his head toward the three lackeys.
Marco reacted instantly.
"Y-Yeah!" he said, nodding hard. "We're really falling behind."
Arlo chimed in just as fast. "Exactly. We came here to fight too."
Atlas crossed his arms, lifting his chin. "It's not like we're weak or anything. We just don't get the chance."
They all nodded in unison, eyes flicking toward Jordan like loyal dogs waiting for praise.
Jordan spread his hands. "See?"
Isabella exhaled softly through her nose, then shifted her gaze toward Arthur.
"What about you, fan boy?" she asked flatly. "You think the same?"
Arthur straightened slightly, his expression earnest and sincere.
"Jordan is absolutely correct," he said without hesitation. "I was thinking the same thing."
He lowered his head a little, his voice humble.
"Miss Isabella is simply too strong. We can't grow if everything ends before we even react."
Isabella stared at him for a long moment.
Then she sighed.
"What was I expecting…" she muttered.
Jordan smiled.
'Too easy to manipulate,' he thought.
Isabella met his gaze again. "Alright then. How do you want to split us up?"
Jordan's smile widened.
"That part's easy," he said. "We divide into two teams."
He lifted one finger.
"One team takes on the boss of this dungeon."
Then another.
"The other team goes a different route, fights smaller monsters, gains experience, and gathers whatever loot they can find."
Isabella considered it for a moment.
"Sounds reasonable," she said at last. "As long as I get to fight the boss, it doesn't really matter how we split up."
She shrugged casually.
"I can even go alone if you're not comfortable."
Jordan reacted instantly.
"I can't allow that," he said firmly. "As a man."
He straightened, his voice filled with practiced sincerity.
"A dungeon gate is full of dangerous and unpredictable things. I can't let you face the boss alone. Miss Mala also put her faith in me, trusting that I'd support you as someone from the great Blue Magic Tower."
Isabella clicked her tongue.
"Alright… alright."
She glanced toward Arthur dismissively.
"At least the weaklings here won't slow us down anymore."
Arthur's mouth twitched.
"Yeah," he replied calmly. "I can also make do without overconfident fools."
Isabella's face twitched sharply.
"What did you say?" she snapped. "Weakling?"
Arthur stepped closer, his eyes sharp.
"Do you have bad hearing too? On top of that terrible attitude?"
Before things could escalate further, Jordan stepped between them.
"Alright, that's enough," he said, clearly annoyed, though he masked it well. "Let's stay focused."
Isabella and Arthur both looked away at the same time, muttering under their breaths.
Then Arthur spoke again, turning toward Jordan.
"Actually," he said, "why don't we do it this way?"
Jordan looked at him.
"You and that overconfident girl can go take down the boss."
Isabella bristled.
Arthur continued smoothly.
"I'll go with Marco, Arlo, and Atlas. We'll take care of the smaller monsters, gain experience, and gather all the loot we can from this place."
Jordan's face lit up.
"That's exactly what I was aiming for," he said, barely containing his excitement. "This makes things much easier for me."
He turned to Isabella.
"Are you alright with this, Miss Isabella?"
"As long as I don't have to pamper him," she replied coldly.
Arthur opened his mouth to retort.
"Let it go," Jordan said quietly, stopping him.
Arthur clicked his tongue and turned away.
A twisted smile crept across Jordan's lips.
'Perfect,' he thought. 'Now I can take care of both of them at the same time.'
Jordan's voice rang out, practically bristling with excitement.
"Alright, it's decided then."
He clapped his hands together once.
"Me and Miss Isabella will form one team. Arthur, Arlo, Marco, and Atlas—you'll be the second team."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Jordan turned toward Arthur, his tone suddenly warm and reassuring.
"Arthur, you don't need to worry too much about danger while fighting," he said with a friendly smile. "Marco, Arlo, and Atlas are all very capable hunters. You can learn a lot from them. Just follow everything they say."
Arthur shifted his gaze toward the trio.
Marco's lips curled into a polite smile that never reached his eyes.
Arlo nodded, his expression stiff.
Atlas crossed his arms, a lazy grin plastered on his face.
"Don't worry," Marco said. "We've got your back, newbie."
Arthur could see it clearly.
The disdain.
The impatience.
The fake courtesy.
Still, he smiled brightly.
"I already feel so safe," Arthur said sincerely. "Thank you so much, guys."
Inside his mind, a familiar presence stirred.
[ You're planning something, right? ]
[ That's why you're letting Jordan out of your sight. ]
Arthur kept his expression calm.
'Just a hunch,' he replied internally. 'That guy definitely got a quest involving Isabella. That's why he's glued to her side.'
His eyes flicked briefly toward Jordan and Isabella.
'If everything works out the way I'm imagining… we're going to profit a lot from this.'
The system responded after a short pause.
[ You're putting her in danger. ]
[ Even though she saved your life. ]
[ You really are evil, aren't you, Host? ]
Arthur scoffed internally.
'How rude of you,' he replied. 'This was planned. Kind of.'
He continued calmly.
'I'm just trying to gain as much as possible. After all, both of our survival is on the line, so we'd better make the most of it and gain as much as we can from both Jordan and Isabella. Also, Isabella is strong, so I don't need to worry about her.'
A brief hesitation.
'Probably.'
Jordan's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Alright," Jordan said. "Let's split up and move."
Isabella didn't spare Arthur another glance as she turned toward the massive ruined skyscraper ahead—the one radiating oppressive mana.
Without hesitation, she strode forward.
Jordan followed at her side, confidence oozing from every step.
The two figures quickly disappeared into the shadow of the towering structure where the dungeon boss awaited.
Arthur watched them go.
Then he turned around.
"Alright!" he said cheerfully. "Let's go hunt some weak monsters!"
Marco snorted.
"Yeah. Weak ones," Atlas echoed.
The four of them headed in the opposite direction, moving deeper into the broken streets and collapsed alleys.
Their footsteps echoed softly against cracked stone.
Unbeknownst to Arthur—
Marco slowed slightly.
With a subtle flick of his fingers, he slipped a folded piece of paper into Arlo's hand.
Arlo blinked, then casually passed it to Atlas.
The three of them exchanged a quick glance before unfolding it.
The handwriting was neat.
Precise.
Familiar.
Jordan's.
The message was short.
'Kill Arthur.'
Arlo's lips curled into a thin smile.
Atlas's eyes darkened.
Marco met their gazes and gave a small nod.
Atlas let out a low chuckle.
"Well," he murmured, his voice dripping with menace, "orders are orders. Right?"
Arlo smirked.
"It's not like this is our first time killing someone on command. And he will definitely reward us generously for this."
Marco's smile widened.
Ahead of them, Arthur kept walking calmly.
His pace never changed.
But his lips curved faintly.
'They could at least try to tone down their killing intent a little,' he thought. 'It's almost insulting, even for an F-ranker. Well, it's not like it's my first time getting insulted.'
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A/N:
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