Lost World-Chapter 46: Meeting Teammates

"No, it’s good money and should be straightforward. Level 10-12 undead, mostly mindless skeletons and zombies. Nothing much." Kenneth hesitated. "Though I heard you seemed... frustrated with team dynamics. During the goblin nest, you apparently kept wanting to break formation."

"Ninia, I guess?" Yamamoto asked with a sigh.

"W-well..."

"I’m used to working alone," Yamamoto sighed. "Team coordination is slower and less efficient."

"But safer," Kenneth countered. "Look, I get it. Solo adventuring has appeal—you move at your own pace, keep all the rewards, don’t have to compromise with others. The guild doesn’t forbid solo work. Plenty of members take solo contracts."

"But?"

"But the guild strongly encourages team operations, especially for dungeon work. Safety in numbers, better survival rates, mutual support when things go wrong." Kenneth’s expression grew serious. "I’ve seen solo adventurers come back from dungeons broken, or not come back at all. The work you can do alone is limited by your level and skills. The work you can do with a team... there’s almost no ceiling."

"Yeah, yeah, I understand the logic."

"It gets easier," Kenneth promised. "Give it time. Learn to trust the team, let them trust you. Cole’s a good leader—if you follow his calls and do your part, you’ll be fine."

"Can you just kill it already? I’m trying to eat here." Yamamoto said, a little annoyed, though Kenneth could tell there was no hostility, so he just laughed it off.

They finished their meal talking about lighter topics, surface-level conversation, but comfortable.

As they walked back to the guild afterward, Kenneth clapped Yamamoto on the shoulder.

"Thanks for dinner. I mean, I paid, but thanks for the company. It’s good having someone to talk to who isn’t constantly making jokes about the lack of women in the guild."

"Markus and Reed?"

"Those guys," Kenneth confirmed with a laugh. "Good guys, but they’re just too obsessed. Anyway, see you later, I better go catch some shuteye, I have a rather rough day tomorrow."

"Alright, goodnight."

"Goodnight."

...

In the blink of an eye, two days went by in a blur of training. Yamamoto’s one-handed swordsmanship had crossed into Adept rank by then.

At the time, however, he was away from training and waiting for his teammates to go on a quest, the same one Kenneth had mentioned a few days ago.

Taking the condition of his body into account, he had to use a healing potion to make sure he wasn’t feeling sore or stressed during the mission, so he could be at his best.

Not long after, the rest arrived.

Cole took some time to brief them of the dungeon again before they left. Yamamoto couldn’t help bu reminisce as he studied them—the determined expressions, the nervous energy barely concealed beneath bravado. They were talking themselves into confidence, psyching themselves up for a challenge that was, frankly, above their current capabilities.

Back in his gaming days, despite being a solo player, he had a few people he played with, and this was almost always their state of being whenever they teamed up with him. Despite their level and all, playing with him meant playing risky and dangerous, which meant high possibility of death, and that meant a few unwelcomed penalties. In the end they’d still play with him. It was an honour to play with the #1 player after all.

All that aside, though, he couldn’t help but feel like this was going to be a waste of time. They’d only end up coming back without achieving anything. Not to mention, he didn’t know this dungeon, so outside general undead tactics, he didn’t know what to expect. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Are we certain this is wise?" Yamamoto asked carefully. "Level 14-16 is a considerable step up. Perhaps we should—"

"We’ve got this," Cole said, though his grip on his shield was tight. "The guild ranked this as a Bronze-level quest. We’re all capable Bronze-rank adventurers, even if we haven’t formally advanced yet. This is how we prove ourselves."

’Except half of you are still level 9 or 10,’ Yamamoto thought to himself.

Well, he’d learned that much about team dynamics—sometimes people needed to make their own mistakes.

Silas, standing apart as usual, scoffed. "If the newbie is already doubting, maybe he should sit this one out. Go back to practicing your pretty sword forms."

"Silas," Cole said warningly.

"What? I’m just saying—we’ve been doing this for months. Yamamoto’s been an adventurer for what, two weeks? And he thinks he knows better than us?"

Yamamoto met Silas’s glare with neutral calm. "I’m simply suggesting caution, but if the team is committed, I’ll support that decision."

"Tsk, how magnanimous," Silas muttered.

He said it under his breath, so no one heard him clearly, and Yamamoto didn’t care.

...

They went on foot, and after a bit of traveling, they soon arrived at the location. Just before they entered, voices called out from behind them.

"Cole? Is that you?"

A group of five adventurers approached—another team, by their coordinated gear and easy familiarity. As soon as he saw who it was, Cole’s face brightened in recognition.

"Marcus! I didn’t know your guild was running this area." He said.

The lead adventurer, Marcus, was a stocky man in his thirties wearing the bronze wolf insignia of the Fang Brotherhood—a smaller guild than Iron Vanguard but well-respected. His team looked experienced, their equipment well-maintained and battle-worn.

"We just finished a contract nearby," Marcus said, clasping Cole’s hand in greeting. "Please tell me you’re not planning to run the Collapsed Mine."

"We are," Cole said. "Why? You clearing it too?"

"No, we’re heading back to the city. We scouted it yesterday—it’s doable, but it’s tough. Level 14-16 enemies, tight corridors, trap rooms, the info was right. Look, I’m not saying anything, alright? But if you’re just looking to challenge yourselves, there are safer options."

"We can handle it," Cole said, his face radiating a level of confidence contrary to before.

Marcus’s team exchanged glances—the kind of look experienced adventurers gave to eager novices about to learn hard lessons, but they didn’t press the issue.

"Your call," Marcus said. "Oh, who’s the new face?"