Hasya directed his silver owl down. The bird landed with the sound of heavy wing beats on the white sand. Before it truly stopped, Hasya leaped down. He immediately ran fast toward Rasie who was still standing near the monster’s carcass.
"Rasie, Rasie, Rasieeeee!" Hasya shouted while waving both hands. "You were so great!"
Hasya spread his arms wide. He lunged forward with the intention of hugging Rasie. His face was beaming with excitement. "I am proud of you!"
"Come here, hug me!"
"Shut up, shut up, shut up you idiot!" Rasie shouted. She immediately stepped back quickly to avoid Hasya’s lunge. Rasie twisted her body to the side, moving away from the reach of Hasya’s arms. Her face which was originally dirty with dust now turned bright red.
Embarrassing, embarrassing! Truly embarrassing! Rasie cursed in her heart while clenching her fists tightly.
"What was that earlier? What kind of dance was that?" Hasya asked with eyes sparkling enthusiastically. He stood right in front of Rasie who was still trying to calm herself.
"Hah? No! I was not dancing!" Rasie said. Her voice rose because of embarrassment. She looked away and refused to look into Hasya’s eyes. Her hands trembled as she held the handle of the greatsword on her back.
"The dance was like this." Hasya began to bend his knees and shake his shoulders and hips to the right and left. He imitated Rasie’s dancing movements earlier with a wide mocking smile. "I want to learn too!"
"Haaah?! Enough, shut up, shut up!" Rasie lost her patience. She drew her greatsword quickly. The metal blade pointed straight at Hasya’s chest. Rasie’s eyes glared sharply, contrasting with her cheeks which were still flushed red.
Hasya laughed softly. He shifted his feet to the side, tilting his body casually to avoid the swing of Rasie’s sword. Every time the sword swung, Hasya only moved slightly to avoid it without letting the smile leave his face.
On top of the owl’s back, Cyhas who watched them could only laugh softly. She covered her mouth with her palm. Her shoulders shook slightly.
"They are so funny."
Hasya suddenly stopped his movement. He stretched out his right hand toward Rasie. His palm was open.
Instantly, Rasie’s body felt like it was being pulled by an invisible force. Rasie’s feet were dragged over the white sand until dust flew. In an instant, Rasie’s body was already in Hasya’s arms. Hasya then lifted Rasie’s body and carried her like a sack on his shoulder.
"Oi, you idiot! You—"
"Agh, whatever! Whatever!" Rasie finally stopped struggling. She exhaled a long breath and let her body go limp. She hid her face in Hasya’s chest so Cyhas could not see her expression.
Hasya walked toward the silver owl. He jumped onto the bird’s back with Rasie still in his carry. Once at the top, he put Rasie down right next to Cyhas.
"Congratulations, Rasie," Cyhas greeted with a gentle smile.
Rasie turned. She tried to regulate her breath which was still a bit messy. She replied with a small nod and a thin smile.
"Thanks."
"Ah, the crystals, the crystals!" Rasie suddenly remembered something. She tapped Hasya’s shoulder who was standing in front and pointed at the monster’s corpse below. "Take them! Take them!"
Hasya turned his head. He brought his face closer to Rasie with a teasing look.
"Give me a kiss first, then I will take them for you."
Rasie snorted in annoyance. She rolled her eyes.
"Tch, never mind. I will just take them myself."
"No, no. Just kidding, Rasie." Hasya laughed lightly. He redirected his hand toward the two clear crystals lying on the sand.
The crystals rose from the ground. The objects flew fast through the night air and landed right in Rasie’s palm. Rasie took the crystals. She rubbed the cold surface with her thumb. There was a clear spark of pride in her eyes as she looked at her loot.
The silver owl flew back into the sky. They glided toward the sector where Zaefal was located. From a distance, they saw the figure of Zaefal lying still on the white sand.
"Oi!" Rasie was startled. She stood at the edge of the owl’s saddle. Her eyes widened looking at Zaefal’s body that was not moving. "Is he dead?!"
"Is he dead?" Rasie repeated with a louder voice.
"Zaefal?!" Cyhas also panicked. She gripped the edge of the saddle with a pale face because of Rasie’s words.
Hasya laughed out loud until his head tilted back.
"You are too much, Rasie."
"Just so you know, he finished his fight faster than you," Hasya said after his laughter subsided.
"Faster? What is the difference in minutes between me and him?" Rasie asked. She frowned.
"A few minutes," Hasya answered briefly. He directed his owl down slowly.
"Minutes?" Rasie’s pupils slightly shrank. She clenched her fist until her knuckles turned white. She bit her own lower lip. A feeling of not wanting to lose began to burn in her heart.
"How about the purple-haired guy?" Rasie asked again. Her voice sounded a bit hesitant.
Hasya’s face instantly changed. His cheerful smile disappeared, replaced by a serious and slightly cunning gaze. He looked toward the night sky decorated with purple aurora.
"He..."
"He is beyond my expectations."
"Beyond your expectations?" Rasie muttered softly. She bowed her head. Her red hair covered part of her face.
"Still not enough," Rasie muttered. Her voice was almost drowned out by the sound of the wind. "They are faster."
"Still.."
Before Rasie finished her sentence, Hasya reached out his hand. He stroked the top of Rasie’s head gently. The movement was slow and calming.
"Do not be too hard on yourself, Rasie. You have done your best."
"I am proud of you."
Rasie stood frozen for a few seconds. She felt the warmth from Hasya’s hand on her head. However, she quickly brushed the hand away roughly.
"Who cares if you are proud or not!"
"Idiot! Hasya is an idiot!" Rasie turned her face away. Her earlobes turned bright red. She sat back in her place with both arms crossed over her chest.
Down there, Zaefal opened his eyes when he heard the sound of the giant bird’s wing beats. He saw the silver owl land not far from where he was lying.
It is them, Zaefal thought.
He stood up and patted the white dust sticking to his black clothes which were now stained with blue blood.
Hasya got off his owl and walked toward Zaefal.
"Good job friend, good job!" Hasya praised while giving a thumb up. "Congratulations on your level increase."
Zaefal nodded slowly. He wiped the sweat on his temple.
"Thank you."
"How are the others?" Zaefal asked.
"They are as great as you," Hasya answered. He pointed at the clear crystals on the ground with his chin. "Take those. Good for your collection."
In another sector.
Fyar was sitting cross-legged next to a cold crystal pillar. He held a small piece of cloth and used it to rub his katana blade. The sound of metal friction was heard rhythmically in the middle of the night silence.
Fyar stopped rubbing. He put his katana back into its sheath. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his adventurer card.
"41," Fyar muttered softly. He stared at the metal numbers glowing on the card.
"Fast enough."
Fyar chuckled to himself.
"No, is this too fast?"
He exhaled a long breath. Cold air came out of his mouth forming a thin steam. He leaned his head against the giant crystal behind him.
"It is still a mystery why I was sent here."
Fyar looked at the sky. His thoughts drifted far away.
Should I ask Hasya about human history? He might know something since he is not from the human kingdom.
Zaefal said human history here is tightly closed and forbidden to be studied. Why? What are they trying to hide?
And it is still a mystery why the kingdom knows so much about me. Even when I level up from killing enemies, they have already prepared the documents as if they already knew I would go up.
Is that just a coincidence? Fyar wondered in his heart.
Whoosh!
Fyar’s daydream was interrupted by the sound of a strong wind whistle from above. He turned and saw a large shadow covering the white sand around him. A giant silver owl glided down from the sky.
Fyar saw Cyhas, Rasie, Zaefal, Hasya, and Illya on the bird’s back. They were all looking at him.
Fyar stood up. He patted his dirty pants. A thin smile was carved on his face as he saw his friends return safely.