I Was a Loner, but My Class Got Summoned to Another World…-Chapter 352: Preparing the Crew

"So, tell me how you finished your quest," Logan asked, waking beside his silver-haired girlfriend. "I tested your healing yesterday, and I've gotta say—it's improved by a mile."

He'd waited for Lisa for over half an hour before she finally stirred. During that time, Logan had busied himself with his terminal. He now had hundreds of creatures, thousands of citizens, and millions in coins.

Not bad for someone who started with nothing.

His kingdom was thriving.

All that remained was finishing this painfully long quest.

"Well, the first part was mostly fighting. You know all about endurance—surviving a barren wasteland and killing thousands of monsters," Lisa replied, stretching provocatively. Logan chuckled and scooted closer as she spoke. "I was given a spear and shield, but I don't think I was ever in real danger. It felt... calculated."

"And after that? What was it—some purity test or something equally cheesy?" Logan teased, trailing kisses along her neck before locking eyes with her.

Her golden irises sparkled now, radiating with energy like they held galaxies within.

"Yeah, that part was about converting raw mana into light elemental magic," she said, smiling softly. "After learning how to manipulate your crystals and making a room full of them, it was easier than it should've been."

She kissed him—slowly, deliberately, lingering a little longer than necessary.

"After yesterday, I already thanked you enough," she added with a playful glint. "So let's get ready. You need this kind of power too."

Lisa sat up, her ethereal wings briefly flickering into view before fading again.

"Seems I can't control my wings like before," she muttered, tilting her head. "They just appear naturally now—like they're absorbing energy from the world instead of pulling it from me. That was part of the third trial's reward."

She paused, her voice softening.

"I was drawn into a strange dream... had to fight myself. I think it was meant to show whether I truly understood who I was—if I really desired peace in this world. I managed to defeat my former self. After that, I met the Great Spirit of Light."

She blinked slowly, as if trying to piece together the memory.

"I don't really remember what happened after that. Just… woke up, and this bracelet was on my wrist."

She lifted her arm, revealing a band of liquid gold that shimmered and shifted like living metal. It flowed subtly with her movements, yet pulsed like a portal mana crystal.

"It helps me recover mana faster," she added.

Logan studied the bracelet with interest, then returned his gaze to her.

"So… The only place left that we know of is the Temple of Darkness," Lisa continued. "As for the Wind Temple—Marie and Silvia are almost done with their new project. Once it's finished, we'll be able to find it... and maybe uncover more about the demons, too."

She hesitated, her gaze lingering on Logan. But whatever she was thinking, she kept it to herself. If he didn't already know what the others were planning, then she wasn't going to be the one to spoil the surprise.

"Yes, well, they told me to wait until we return from the Darkness Spirit Temple to know what they were doing, so we should leave today to find that island." Logan groaned as he pretended to struggle while getting up. Truthfully, he was still tired—but more than that, he just didn't want to leave Lisa's side. He had missed this warmth over the past few days.

"Hurry, before I call in Murk," Lisa warned playfully as she began putting on her clothes. "I heard he was causing trouble near the kitchen last night. You need to set some boundaries with him."

"Ugh… that probably wasn't even his main body. I didn't feel the connection yesterday," Logan muttered, rubbing his face. "I'll have to have a little talk with our new slime friend today."

Still groggy, he forced himself up and began getting dressed. Thankfully, his gear had been cleaned and prepared—armor, clothing, all ready to go.

Once the two of them made it downstairs, they were greeted by several others who had also started their day early. It was already nearing eight—a bit late for some, but with no school or urgent missions besides training, most of them came down around this time anyway.

"So, who's joining me on this long trip?" Logan asked, glancing around the dining hall. "Silvia, before you volunteer yourself—I think you should sit this one out. When I get to the temple, I'll place an array so you can teleport there. Finish what you need to do here in the meantime."

Silvia, already dressed and sitting neatly in her usual seat, had just been about to raise her hand. She paused at Logan's words, blinked, then gave a thoughtful nod.

"Alright, that's fair," she said, returning to the book she had been skimming. "Just don't forget I need to visit the Darkness Temple too. I have business there."

Logan gave her a faint smile and settled into his chair, waiting for breakfast to be served. The day was just beginning, and the Temple of Darkness awaited.

"I think I want to go this time…" Yui said quietly, her voice sharp and clear despite the calm tone.

The Phantom Shinobi stood with her arms crossed, her expression unreadable. She had already reached level 80 and needed to begin her next quest. Part of that involved acquiring dark-elemental items—blessed by shadows—to complete her class advancement.

Logan turned to her and nodded. "Alright… you'll need it for your dark-elemental class. Who else?"

He looked around the table, scanning the faces of his allies. Most of them didn't move—either uninterested or already assigned to other tasks. Just as he was about to speak again, one hand shot up from across the table.

A familiar one.

The hand belonged to Emary, who was in the middle of swallowing a huge bite of pancake.

Logan smirked. "Alright, I can guess your reasoning, Emary. You probably want a strong darkness creature to add to your collection. Makes sense—you've only got electric and fire types so you need variety."

As he said it, Logan mentally began cycling through which creatures he might bring. He didn't need all of them since they'd be traveling by ship, but he did want to bond more with a few he hadn't had much time with lately.

"So far that's Yui, Lisa, Serana probably, and Emary… for creatures… Regal… the unhatched egg, Kryst…

He was just about to finalize the lineup when the dining room doors swung open with a gust of energy.

"No way we're letting you leave without us this time," a familiar voice declared.

Kai stepped in, dressed in full Royal Guard attire. Beside him was Chloe, wearing her own signature battle gear—practical, but elegant, perfectly tailored by Ruben for both defensive and perfect in the looks department.

Logan grinned. "I missed you two. Sure, I wouldn't mind having you in my pirate crew."

He knew he wouldn't be the one leading this voyage—Lady Elara would most likely take command of the ship. But having reliable fighters with him made things easier.

"Thanks, Logan," Kai replied, his smile shining. "We've prepared enough and trained more than a few replacements. We've got knights capable of taking over our duties here, so we can leave knowing the city will be safe."

"Yes," Chloe added, her tone dry. "And remind me again who trained all of them while you took your sweet time playing around in the labyrinth?"

She shot Kai a glare sharp enough to pierce armor, as for the boy, Kai cleared his throat and looked away.

Logan chuckled. "Good to see some things never change."

The two were a well-known couple now—and respected by nearly everyone in the kingdom.

"My father is already at the Pearl Isles," Rubina said as she flipped through a stack of reports, her tone calm but direct. "He mentioned he has two new creatures to show you. They were brought in by Miles. As for me… I'll be going too. I'm close to hitting level 76, and I'd like to close that gap."

She looked up, locking eyes with Logan. "Besides, I can't be the only one left behind when Chloe and Kai are going, right?"

She was seated to Logan's left as always, the spot practically hers by default. The documents she was reviewing detailed recent monster biomes and movement patterns, but she set them aside for now.

"Sure thing. Thanks, Ruby," Logan replied, nodding appreciatively. "Hopefully, we find some monsters strong enough to help with leveling… and if possible, maybe we can also do something about those darkness crystals."

He paused for a moment, his thoughts drifting toward the temple.

"If we can bring the Temple of Darkness back under our control, it'll be useful for more than just quests. I'll need it eventually."

Logan tapped his finger lightly on the table, thinking about Earl Rosengard's message. He had mentioned something important waiting for him—but hadn't specified what. There was also Septa, the jeweled tortoise he'd yet to properly deploy. Logan was sure its time would come soon.

"Well that is almost everything, we will be leaving in two hours, everyone get their stuff ready, we will be taking a long trip this time."