Extra Pages: The Author's Odyssey

Throughout the conversation between Evelyn and Carlo about Evelyn's father, I didn't learn anything new.

Somewhat Evelyn was reluctant to talk about her father as if she was guarding a secret or trying to conceal certain aspects of their relationship. Carlo's probing questions hinted at an underlying tension, but Evelyn's responses remained vague and evasive.

Despite my curiosity, I didn't press further into Evelyn's patterns. It was clear that she wasn't comfortable discussing her father, and I respected her privacy. However, her guarded demeanour only piqued my interest further, leaving me wondering about the true nature of her relationship with her father and the reasons behind her reluctance to talk about him.

As the conversation shifted to more neutral topics, I couldn't shake off the lingering sense of intrigue surrounding Evelyn's family situation. It was a puzzle, one that I couldn't help but feel compelled to solve, even though I knew it wasn't my place to pry into her personal affairs.

"Ah, sorry, I'm done now."

At that moment, Sia came back.

"Anyways, Carlo, what's our next schedule?"

Sia's voice seemed somewhat sharp.

Sia's abrupt return and her sharp tone caught my attention, breaking the tension of the moment. It was clear that something was amiss, and her sudden change in demeanour only added to the growing sense of unease that hung in the air.

***

The next task on the Guild Experience Program was deployment.

A deployment referred to Heroes intercepting monsters that invaded civilian territory.

However, such occurrences were rare in Seoul, so we took a Portal to Grace of the Lycon branch, which is very far away from the Eldoria main branch, where several deployments happened every day.

"Carlo is here. I just arrived in Lycon [1] If there's an incident nearby, let me know first. Ah, I have cadets with me, so anything above intermediate rank [C] will be difficult."

Carlo let the branch know that we arrived, then turned towards us. With a big smile, he spoke.

"While we wait for the deployment order to come, let's eat. I know a good restaurant nearby."

Carlo then led us to a fancy, traditional restaurant nearby.

"Four people, please."

We were led inside by an employee. While we were waiting for our food to come, Carlo glanced at me and asked.

"Cadet Lucas, how tall are you?"

"Me? I'm 183."

Chae Nayun then cut in.

"So not that different from me."

"What? I'm a lot taller than you. You're 171."

Evelyn was 171.3 exactly.

"...What."

It was something I said thoughtlessly but Evelyn made a strange expression in response. She narrowed her eyes, then asked.

"How do you know how tall I am?"

Hearing that, I froze. There really was no explainable reason for me to have her height memorized, not unless I was a stalker. I only blurted out thoughtlessly because I'd seen it written somewhere, but I couldn't reveal that without raising more suspicion. Instead, I tried to play it off casually.

"Oh, um, I think I remember you mentioning it before," I replied, trying to keep my tone light. "During one of our previous conversations."

Evelyn's gaze lingered on me for a moment, her expression unreadable. For a moment, I worried that she might see through my flimsy excuse, but thankfully, she seemed to accept it without further questioning.

"Ah, I see," she said with a small nod, her tone neutral. "Must have slipped my mind."

Carlo, sensing the tension in the air, quickly changed the subject.

"So, Lucas, Evelyn, what do you think of the Guild Experience Program so far?" he asked, flashing us a friendly smile.

I took the opportunity to shift the focus away from the awkward moment, grateful for the chance to steer the conversation in a more comfortable direction.

"It's been really insightful," I replied, eager to share my thoughts. "Getting to see firsthand how the guild operates and being able to learn from experienced Heroes like you and Sia has been incredibly valuable."

Evelyn nodded in agreement, her expression softening as she chimed in. "Yeah, I've learned a lot too. It's definitely been an eye-opening experience."

Carlo nodded, seemingly satisfied with our responses. "I'm glad to hear that. The Guild Experience Program is designed to give cadets like yourselves a taste of what it's like to be a Hero. It's a challenging path, but a rewarding one."

At that moment food arrived, I looked towards the food with anticipation, eager to dig in and enjoy the meal after the tense moment earlier. The aroma of the dishes wafted through the air, tantalizing my senses and reminding me of just how hungry I was.

As we began to eat, the atmosphere around the table lightened, and the previous tension seemed to dissipate with each bite. The food was delicious.

Despite the earlier awkwardness, I found myself enjoying the company of my fellow cadets and Carlo.

In any case, while we were continuing with our meal... a voice rang out from Carlo smartwatch.

—Deployment order for high-intermediate rank Hero, Park Sangho. The coordinate is...

"Let's go."

Sia said as she got up in the middle of eating. Carlo, Evelyn, and I quickly followed after her.

After running out of the restaurant without even paying, Sia kicked off the ground and stormed forth. Carlo and Evelyn chased after her similarly.

As we hurried to keep up with Sia, a sense of urgency washed over me. The sudden deployment order signaled that there was trouble brewing, and we needed to act quickly to address it. My heart raced as we raced through the streets, the adrenaline pumping through my veins.

As we reached the designated coordinates, we found ourselves faced with a chaotic scene. A horde of monstrous golems had invaded the area, terrorizing civilians and wreaking havoc on the city streets. Without hesitation, Sia leaped into action, leading the charge against the monsters with Carlo and Evelyn close behind.

Evelyn continue to fire the electric arrow from her bow as she continues to kilo each golem.

Golems just blast away as soon as the arrow hit them.

Looking at her i couldn't help but admit that Evelyn gotten stronger, a lot stronger then before.

The golem were [D-] rank and it's difficult to distroy them, maybe she is using an [Bow Art].

Her mana must depleting quickly too.

A new golem was approaching Emma.

The golem was short, being about 2.2 meters tall, making it look somewhat humanlike.

Evelyn put her bow down and pulled her dagger out. She seemed to be thinking that she could take it on with her dagger since it was short for a golem.

However, limestone golems had a special ability that differentiated them from other golems – self-compression.

The smaller they were, the studier and stronger they got.

Koong—!

Evelyn's dagger clashed with the limestone golem's fist, limestone dust scattering into the air.

Evelyn fought normally. After parrying the golem's fist to the side, she aimed for the limestone golem's weak point, its ankle.

However, the limestone golem responded to her attack smartly, kicking Evelyn with its foot, an uncommon attack for a golem to make.

"Uk!"

Evelyn was covered in a qi reinforcement, but it was a golem's attack. Evelyn fell back, grabbing her stomach with her hand.

The limestone golem didn't give her any time to rest. It bolted towards her in a flash, then slammed its fist down on her head. Evelyn froze, struck by her fear of close-ranged combat and taken aback by her lack of combat experience.

When the golem's fist was about to make contact with Evelyn... something grabbed her by the waist.

It took me a moment to realize that it was... Shadow, By instinct my, Myshadow grabbed Evelyn waist

Then pulled her towards me. It must have read my mind, which was screaming, 'I need to help her—'.

"...."

Before I could fully comprehend what happened, I found Evelyn in my embrace. I stared down at her silently.

To be completely honest, I had a brain lag.

My shadow... did the right thing. If Evelyn got hit, she would have been critically injured. It was just that... My shadow did things a bit awkwardly.

—Gulp.

Evelyn swallowed hard.

Feeling like I had to say something, I did.

"Are you alright, Evelyn?" I asked, my voice filled with concern as I held her close. "That was a close call."

Evelyn nodded, her expression a mix of surprise and gratitude. "Y-Yeah, thanks to you... and your shadow."

"Oh that? It's just skill of mine don't worry."

Evelyn just silently nodded her head.

Relieved that Evelyn was unharmed, I gently released her from my embrace, though my shadow still hovered protectively nearby.

"Sorry about that," I said sheepishly, feeling a bit awkward about the whole situation. "My shadow tends to act on its own sometimes, especially in moments of danger."

Evelyn gave me a small smile, her eyes softening with understanding. "It's okay, Lucas. I appreciate your quick thinking back there. Thank you for saving me."

With the immediate danger passed, we turned our attention back to the ongoing battle against the golems. Sia, Carlo, and Evelyn resumed their attacks, focusing on taking down the remaining creatures and protecting the civilians caught in the crossfire.

As the battle raged on, I couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude for the opportunity to work alongside such skilled and courageous Heroes. Despite the challenges we faced, we stood together as a team, united in our goal to protect the city and its inhabitants from harm.

With each passing moment, I grew more determined to become a Hero worthy of standing beside them, ready to face whatever challenges the future held. And as we fought side by side, I knew that no matter what obstacles we encountered, we would overcome them together.

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