Multiversal Ascension-Chapter 60: First Military Mission

He felt her hungry gaze on him but continued to ignore it as he quietly changed. When he was done, he saw the lost look in her eyes.

He approached her and hugged her, which she eagerly reciprocated. Looking into her eyes, he said, "I won't be away for long. I'll complete these military missions, and then I'll come back with a gift just for you."

"Don't worry, I'll wait for you," she said, tracing her fingers along his chest through his t-shirt. "But be quick, okay? I can't stand being apart from you for long." As she spoke, her eyes grew darker. "If you don't come back, I don't know what I'll do... Okay, D-A-R-L-I-N-G?" Her voice dropped into a dark tone, her eyes intense, like black holes.

To a normal person, it might have been creepy, but he honestly just found her cute in her possessive, yandere ways. He leaned in and gave her a soft, chaste kiss on the lips before pulling away. "How could I stand being away from my lovely Kiara for long? Don't worry, I'll be back soon!"

At his words, a small shiver ran through her body, and she clung to him a little tighter. Mikael was stunned. 'Did she just...?' He thought, incredulously. 'Really, yandere types are built differently...'

Kiara stayed standing, acting like nothing had happened, but Mikael noticed the sweet scent in the air and the liquid on her thighs. He pretended not to notice and simply said, "I'll go now. Bye." With that, he exited the room, and for once, Kiara didn't try to stop him.

Once he was gone, her face turned red as she murmured, "How embarrassing... lucky he didn't notice anything." She clearly was in denial, as it was incredibly obvious what had happened. But she was wired differently. She quickly cleaned her underwear using her 'powers' as an AI, since her clothes were considered part of herself—she could clean them or change them as she pleased.

Once satisfied, she smiled but pouted, thinking, 'It would've been better if he had taken me while I was changing. I even exposed my butt to him—why didn't it work?' She inwardly questioned before returning to her computer, determined to do some research and figure out how to ensnare him in bed so he wouldn't have the energy to even think about another woman let alone visit them. She wanted Mikael all to herself!

Meanwhile, Mikael left the training room, brushing off the events with Kiara. He before entering his apartment where he declared, "Records, I want to take the military mission!"

[Request understood. Mission transferred.]

[Military Mission: Goods Protection

Minimum power level required: Tier 1

Recommended power level: High-Peak Tier 1

Details: This mission entails safeguarding goods being transported by ship from potential attacks. The attackers are estimated to possess a power level of up to Peak Tier 1. Additional details will be provided upon entering the mission world.]

[Accept this mission. Yes/No?]

He took a moment to review the mission's details, though they were sparse. Confident in his abilities, he decided to proceed. The danger level didn't faze him; even if he wasn't necessarily the strongest Tier 1 ever, his high stats, combined with his Blade Tempest and the newly developed Explosive Style, made him confident in his capabilities.

[Mission accepted. Teleportation to the waiting room in 3... 2... 1... 0.]

As the timer reached zero, he was enveloped in a bright light and vanished. When he felt solid ground beneath him again, he opened his eyes to find himself in a small, white room.

The space was unremarkable—there were no doors or windows, just blank walls. Mikael didn't dwell on the peculiar design, attributing it to the practicality of teleportation rendering such features unnecessary. His attention was soon drawn to a faint message in the corner of his vision.

[Waiting time remaining: 00:48:12.]

Seeing the countdown, Mikael realized he had some time to kill. Knowing he couldn't afford to waste a single moment if he wanted to grow stronger, he adopted a meditative pose, preparing to engage in mana and aura-intensive exercises. His goal was to deplete his reserves to around 80%, a strategy that would allow them to grow while maintaining enough energy to react to any immediate combat situations.

However, he suddenly remembered that he was no longer in the Dirarnia world. This meant that performing such training here would be a waste, as there was no ambient aura or mana to absorb and expand his capacity. He could regenerate his reserves, but they wouldn't grow.

Frowning, he thought, 'I completely forgot about that. When I get back, I should study arrays that can solve this problem. For now, there's nothing I can do!' He shrugged off the thought, still determined to make progress.

To avoid squandering the time, he retrieved an advanced control puzzle from his inventory. With focused intent, he began training his control, determined to make good of the short training time.

Time continued to pass uninterestedly. Soon, another flash of light illuminated the room. Mikael looked up to see a man clad in heavy steel armor with a hammer strapped to his back appear. After a brief glance, he returned to his training, uninterested.

The heavily armored man surveyed the room, noting its stark white walls and the small futuristic cube occupying Mikael's focus. He took a step forward, seemingly to approach, but upon realizing Mikael's preoccupation, he decided against it and instead seated himself on the ground to wait.

As time passed, more people began to arrive in flashes of light. By the time there were only ten minutes left on the timer, the room held a total of eight people, including Mikael—five men and three women.

At this moment, a relatively handsome man with blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing pristine white steel armor that gave him the air of a knight, stepped forward. With a confident tone, he addressed the group, "Hello, everyone! Why don't we introduce ourselves so we can cooperate better during this mission?" His words caught the attention of the group before he continued. "I'm Tristan Corcino, an elite member of the Blue Fire Guild. For those unfamiliar, it's a pretty powerful guild with several Tier 2 members. I'm a Peak Tier 1 and specialize in close combat."

As he finished, he gestured for the others to follow suit. One by one, they introduced themselves.

"I'm Valerie..."

"Jason..."

The introductions continued until it was Mikael's turn. He gave a curt, disinterested response. "Name's Mikael. I'm a Peak Tier 1 and specialize in close combat." With that, his introduction ended, making it the briefest of all.

Tristan maintained his smile and, now that the introductions were complete, proposed, "Since we all know a little about each other now, why don't we elect a team leader for this mission? I propose myself. With my Peak Tier 1 abilities and leadership experience, I believe I'm qualified to lead. What do you all think?"

The group nodded in agreement, except for Mikael, who remained disinterested. Noticing this, Tristan directed his attention to him. "And you, Mikael, do you disagree?"

The room turned their gaze to Mikael, but he remained unfazed. "Not really. I'm just planning to go solo, so if you want to form a team, go ahead, but count me out."

A small twitch appeared on Tristan's face, though he quickly masked it with a smile. He had hoped to unite everyone, especially Mikael, who was also a Peak Tier 1, as his inclusion would significantly increase their chances of success.

Tristan tried again. "Going in as a team of eight will be much safer than being alone, especially in an unknown world against an unknown enemy."

"I'm aware," Mikael replied, his tone confident. "But I trust my strength. Acting solo will undoubtedly yield more Military Points than being in a team."

Seeing Mikael's firm resolve, Tristan shook his head and relented. "If you change your mind, you're welcome to join us." With that, the small group moved aside to begin strategizing.

Mikael's decision wasn't solely about gaining more Military Points. He was confident in his abilities. During his time in Dirarnia, he had developed a sort of sixth sense that allowed him to approximate an opponent's strength. Despite Tristan's being a Peak Tier 1, Mikael could sense that his actual power was slightly below Amelia's—a person Mikael regularly bested in combat. Coupled with his stats that weren't limited anymore and the newly developed Explosive Style, Mikael saw no reason to rely on a group of weaker individuals who might hinder his progress and reduce his rewards.

As the timer counted down to zero, the remaining group finalized a rudimentary plan. No additional people appeared in the room.

Finally, as the timer hit zero, the eight individuals disappeared in a flash of light.

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He felt the familiar pull of teleportation, and in the blink of an eye, the world around him shifted. He landed on soft ground, and before he could fully take in his surroundings, the salty scent of the sea hit him, followed by a system message.

[You have entered a world for a military mission! Starting from now until the end of the mission, all usual rules of the Records are deactivated. Extraction isn't possible until the mission is completed. Good luck, and do your best while keeping in mind that everything you do will count toward your grade.]

As he quickly scanned the message, he heard a sound of awe.

"Whoaa..."

Mikael turned his head toward the voice. He saw that he was standing on a beautiful beach, the golden sand stretching out before him, and a calm sea as far as the eye could see.

While taking in the scenery, he heard a voice call out, "Lord, and ladies are you the ones sent by the Akashic Records?"

The speaker was a middle-aged man. He wore a crisp, navy-blue sailor uniform with a double-breasted jacket adorned with brass buttons, paired with wide-legged trousers and a white cap perched neatly on his head. Strapped to his back was a flintlock musket, its wooden stock polished with great care.

This was the latest model of firearm, at least in this world, and undoubtedly extremely costly! "Yes, it's us," Tristan replied, stepping forward and assuming the role of leader.

The man smiled. "Please follow me. I'll be your guide," he said with a bow before beginning to walk. The group of eight followed him, and as they did, he spoke again. "I don't know what you know about this protection mission, but I have some additional information to share. This mission will involve protecting cargo that will be transported by ship."

"What is the cargo?" someone asked.

"Unfortunately, I can't share that, as it's classified," the man replied with an apologetic expression.

He continued, "What I can tell you is that this mission will last approximately five days. During that time, you'll stay aboard the ship and protect the cargo. As for what you'll be protecting it from..."

"It could be pirates, but the most likely threat will be sea beasts."

A wave of uncertainty rippled through the group. After all, fighting sea beasts aboard a ship could be terrifying.

A young woman, looking to be around 18 or 19 years old, dressed in mage robes and with caramel-colored skin, asked with a slightly trembling voice, "H-how strong a-are these sea beasts?"

The middle-aged man's expression turned thoughtful. "Hmm, it's difficult to say exactly their 'strength', but generally, we can expect sea beasts up to 10 meters in length at most."

Hearing this, the group's anxiety grew. Fighting monsters on land with a group was one thing, but battling giant sea creatures on a ship was a completely different challenge.

Seeing the unease spreading among the group, Tristan kept his own worries under control and spoke confidently, "Don't worry, everyone. We've got this. If we're careful, we'll be able to take down these sea beasts."

"Yeah, he's right."

"I think we can do it."

The group's morale began to rise as their fear diminished. The middle-aged man smiled inwardly, noting Tristan's quick leadership. He also observed Mikael, who was the only one in the group showing no signs of fear in response to the mention of sea beasts.

Author Note:

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