The True History

Chaos Era, Year 1814.

"Xia Lun, let me see! Hurry up!"

Liyana snatched the silver-edged iron badge from Xia Lun's hand.

The front of the badge displayed simple information, while the back bore an emblem—a pair of outstretched wings sheltering a half-risen sun.

This was the insignia of their adventuring party, Dawn's Wings. Xia Lun had just finished registering the team at the Adventurers' Guild.

From now on, they could operate as official members of an adventuring party.

As party members, they would enjoy many privileges—free lodging and meals provided by the guild upon arriving in new cities, for instance. Top-tier parties could even secure exclusive campsites.

Compared to lone adventurers, parties could also take on more challenging quests… some of which were reserved only for the strongest groups.

"Adventuring party rank, Lv.1… Huh? Xia Lun, why are we only rank one? You and Aina are so strong!" Liyana grumbled, clearly dissatisfied. "With your skills, even if we’re not Lv.5, we should at least be Lv.4, right?"

Adventuring parties were ranked from Lv.1 to Lv.5, with higher ranks indicating greater strength and better benefits.

"Pretty sure you’re the one dragging Dawn's Wings down," Moke teased, covering his mouth with a smirk.

Liyana gritted her teeth. "You bastard, how dare you say that?"

Moke shrugged. "I dismantled plenty of traps… Though, honestly, with Xia Lun’s strength, he wouldn’t have needed an archer’s cover anyway."

Liyana scoffed. "Ha! What kind of logic is that? With Xia Lun’s power, he could barrel through those trash traps without a scratch!"

The elven girl and the cross-dressing rogue glared at each other.

"Enough," Xia Lun sighed, already accustomed to their bickering. "We’re a newly formed party, so of course we start at Lv.1. Besides, party rank isn’t based on individual strength—it’s earned through completing quests and accumulating merit."

"Then let’s take on a quest that’ll shoot us straight to Lv.5!" Liyana declared loudly.

"You really have no common sense, do you?" Moke snorted. "There’s no such quest. Most parties take fifty years to reach Lv.5!"

Liyana almost retorted that fifty years didn’t sound so long, but then remembered that despite being an elf, she wasn’t even twenty yet. She swallowed her words.

"Now, now, Moke, don’t be so absolute," Musen chuckled, shaking his head. "Have you forgotten? There is one quest with enough merit to instantly elevate a party to Lv.5."

"Really? Musen, what is it?" Liyana perked up instantly.

Musen grinned. "Slaying the enigmatic Demon King of the Demon Clan."

Aina’s figure stiffened slightly, her face hidden beneath her hood, betraying no emotion.

"Ugh—what a letdown!" Liyana groaned. "No one even knows if the Demon King really exists… And even if they do, we’d have to face the demon race’s million-strong army!"

"You actually considered it?" Moke deadpanned.

Liyana crossed her arms. "Well, if the Demon King ever wandered into human territory alone, maybe Aina and Xia Lun could take them down together… Right, Aina?"

Aina replied coolly, "Possibly."

Xia Lun pondered seriously. "Hard to say without knowing their true strength… but maybe."

"The Demon King would never come alone to human lands. They’re not an idiot," Moke said, then suddenly felt Aina’s icy gaze on him. A chill ran down his spine.

Liyana tilted her head. "Maybe they just wanted to sightsee?"

Moke rolled his eyes. "Your perspective is… unique."

"Xia Lun, you’d better train hard. Who knows? Maybe one day we’ll actually run into that scenario," Liyana said, clapping him on the shoulder.

Xia Lun shook his head. "If we could talk, I’d rather avoid a fight. A peace treaty would be ideal."

Liyana huffed. "As if it’d be that easy! Even if the Demon King agreed, they’d probably demand outrageous terms… Right, Aina?"

Aina: "…"

Aside from Liyana, Aina was the only other girl in the party, so Liyana often sought her input.

Seizing the moment, Xia Lun snatched the party badge back from Liyana. "Enough speculation. For now, let’s focus on leveling up. Reaching Lv.2 won’t take much merit. I found a suitable quest and wanted to discuss it with you all."

"Why bother asking? We’ll follow your lead," Liyana said, waving a hand.

Moke and Musen had no objections, and Aina’s silence implied consent.

"But this quest might be challenging, so I wanted everyone’s input," Xia Lun insisted.

Aina finally spoke. "What quest?"

Her interest was piqued—if Xia Lun called it challenging, it might reveal his true strength.

"The Lord of Olie City posted a request to gather Dragonblood Blossoms from the Dragonblood Mountains," Xia Lun paused. "We might face a pureblood dragon."

"Whoa! Our first quest as a party, and we’re taking on a dragon?!" Liyana’s eyes sparkled with excitement. "Only you, Xia Lun."

"That’s why I wanted to discuss it," Xia Lun sighed. "A plague has broken out in Olie City. The blossoms are needed to brew an antidote…"

"A large-scale plague? That could become a catastrophe if unchecked," Musen muttered, brow furrowed.

Moke studied Xia Lun. "Captain… are you confident?"

"It should be manageable, especially with Aina’s help." Xia Lun glanced at her, and she gave a slight nod.

"Fine. I’ll handle the flower gathering," Moke said.

"This is gonna be epic! I’ll shoot the dragon’s eyes out!" Liyana bounced eagerly, fearless.

"I’ll keep our supplies ready," Musen added, cracking his knuckles with a fierce grin—though it made him seem more like a brawler than a support.

Xia Lun looked at his companions and smiled. "Then let’s move out."