Empress' Evolution

Standing before Mirsha, who was about to leave for the Raid of the Scorching Forest, "Is this about the thing with the shoes, and my clothes, mom? I told you, it's okay, I don't need any new clothes or shoes, I just want you and dad to be—"

It was only 5:30 am, but Lucia was already up. Mirsha smiled at her daughter.

"It's okay, I'm going to be fine; your mom's a great Hunter and Mage. If she begins trying, I can rise to the ranks like an unstoppable comet. Do you know what that means?"

"…"

"That means I'm the strongest, and no one can beat me, so you can rest assured and stop crying, okay, Lucia?"

The gentle fall of her voice caused the child to embrace her mother she didn't even know will return.

The trembling body and the raggedy of her breathe while she tried her best to contain the overflowing dam of emotion... she was afraid.

Just before sunrise, Mirsha left; her destination was the back parking lot of the Hunter's Association.

"Hooh, this is quite the lineup," Mirsha commented at the sight of the reasonably popular names on the B+ Hunter Rankings.

"The people gathered here are all B and B+ Rank Hunters," Baek said with a proud smile on his face. He looked around and pointed at different people who Mirsha should utilize in this Raid.

There was Piskis and Fold the Shadow Dwellers, known for being a veteran scout and assassin.

They were experts in watching the perimeter, ensuring the Raid Area would not be messed with by other daemons. A Dungeon that does not take place inside a Gate was perilous, depending on the location.

Especially when the Dungeon Core (Boss Monster) has wide range manipulation in an open field. There were multiple roles in a Dungeon Raid, like the Tank, the Close-Range Fighters, the Mages, the Supports, the Scouts, the Controller, the Leader, and many more that appear in different situations.

In this Raid, Mirsha would be taking on both roles of "Leader" and Controller, who will take charge of the attack and the defense.

Baek would be a part of the attackers who would fight the daemons head-on.

"Are you going to be the leader of this expedition, Hunter Mirsha?" a man wearing bulky armor walked towards Mirsha and Baek with heavy steps.

"No, it would be Baek who'll take the lead," Mirsha answered.

Gander raised his brows as he looked at Baek, "Um… with all due respect, I know Mister Baek is a capable Hunter, but… after seeing Hunter Mirsha's name in the list of participants, I really thought you'd be the one to lead us."

"Well, that's just how it is, kid," Baek snarked.

Gander, a well-known B+ Rank Guardian popular for his aggressive tanking. He'd only been a Hunter for about two years, but he's already at this level. He reached Lv. 112 only months after graduating from the academy.

This young man used to be a brute and somewhat of an asshole in Mirsha's eyes. When he first appeared before Mirsha, he was cocky and looked down upon her, but after undertaking a mission together and saving his life several times, Gander holds Mirsha in high regard.

"That is enough, you two. I'm going to be helping Baek plan this out, but he'll be the one others would refer to as the leader. Also, I thought you'd have signed to a Guild by now." Mirsha said.

"Well, I received an offer from the Sword of Skies, but none from the Skull Guild yet, so I'm going to use this Expedition to spread my name some more and get their attention. If I want a good offer from a good Guild like you said, I need to have bigger achievements under my belt."

Gander's a young prospect that's been doing a lot of advertising to make his name known.

The three broke away from each other, and as they did, many took the opportunity to approach Baek; they wish to become better acquainted with their leader. Baek had already fostered a friendly relationship with many of the Hunters here, but the reasoning of the Hunters approaching him this time was different.

They were trying to get close to her so that they wouldn't be turned into sacrificial pawns later. In Raids, deaths were inevitable. Even if the plan's infallible, the chances of death could never be ruled out of the equation.

But there were documented instances where leaders turn their members into dispensable members for the Raid to succeed. It does not often happen, but the chances remain the same.

Due to this, the members greet the leader before they depart to show they're willing to participate. Watching them, Mirsha could feel the sentiment, for she too was well aware of their worries. After all, these people have families of their own.

Mirsha shares their desperate attempt to come return.

The group left the City through the City's main gates, parading themselves to the people. They simply showed the people of their departure, and as they did so, Mirsha watched the news of their departure through her HNP.

-The Group from the Hunter's Association has left; their goal is to exterminate the mysterious danger in the Scorching Forest. The Extermination Rank of this mission shrouded in mystery is Rank B+, and the attempts made before have all ended in failure, but we shall see how they will fare. - Mirsha watched the news and then went to read the articles regarding the whole Stronghold.

'Oh, the S and A Rankers are finally attempting clearing the S-Rank Dungeon? Good luck with that. Though the A-Rank Dungeons have been relegated to a lesser danger, this dungeon is beyond this Stronghold's capabilities. Will they finally move?' Mirsha was finely analyzing the situation to see what will happen next.

'Should I leave this Stronghold after clearing this Raid?'

The journey from their City to the Scorching Forest took a while. They traveled in large numbers, and they carried several pieces of equipment with them, thus their slow progress. They were not some rampaging beasts that could power through the terrain.

But as soon as they reached the edge of the Scorching Forest, their eyes widened in amazement as if they had not seen it multiple times already.

"It takes your breath awake, doesn't it?"

The red ground separates itself from the green plains beyond the forest, the air that's filled with the elemental mana, the mutated trees, the leering eyes of the fiery beasts, and so many more.

Upon entry into the Scorching Forest, the world seemed much different. Mirsha stepped out of the heavily armored vehicle and got a feel of the air; her mana moved and twirled with great vitality as though they have found a home.

'This place is truly blessed.'

With her surroundings filled with the elemental mana of fire, Mirsha could feel herself being energized. She moved her mana about and recognized the increase in her mana; though it may only be half a notch up, it was still a significant increase.

"We're setting up camp here for the night! We will first gather information and then move in tomorrow." Baek announced,

It was already the afternoon when they finished.

"So, have you already finished crafting the mission details?" Baek asked.

"I would love to, but the information we have is terribly lacking, other than the fact that it has something to do with some sort of village, we know nothing." Mirsha had been looking over the provided information for the past few days.

But to her dismay, she's yet to think of anything concrete, "If we do not know anything, we won't be able to plan our attacks. We need concrete evidence, or at the very least just what kind of beings they are, only then we'd be able to do this right."

Mirsha said with dedication and rationality, they would die if they don't do this right.

'From what we gathered, the enemy is in the middle of the forest.' Mirsha rested her back on a tree; her mind was wandered throughout the vastness of her imagination, searching for the answer she so sought after.

But to her dismay, she failed to notice the eyes peering over their camp with prying eyes.

In fact, none of them felt the presence of these eyes, which talked within the shadows.