Soon they were there. Flynn brought him into his office and asked if he knew what a defense type clan was.
He replied that he only knew that they went to towns and villages to intercept the demon lord's army. Flynn remarked that that was generally true. Then he'd start by explaining their rules.
Allen was slightly surprised. He hadn't expected there to be rules, either.
Flynn said that they usually operated in squads of three. These groups were formed from members of similar levels.
At the mention of groups, Allen's expression immediately darkened. Did that mean he couldn't go alone?
Flynn confirmed this, and Allen thought discontentedly that being assigned to a group would only hinder his leveling.
Flynn explained his duties. For now, he would patrol the city. He would be able to join defense missions once he leveled up a bit.
Allen didn't like this at all. Patrols were essentially just a stroll. This way, he wouldn't be able to level up, and in the city he could be attacked again by members of the Demon Lord's Legacy faction, like yesterday.
Flynn said that that was all the explanation. Did he have any questions?
He remained silent. He definitely couldn't work under such conditions. On the other hand, even if he left, it wouldn't solve the problem with the Demon Lord's Legacy faction. And if he could participate in defense missions, he would be able to distribute the weapons he created.
Noticing his frown, the man asked with a smile what was wrong.
He took a deep breath, having no choice but to agree, and said that he had no questions, but he did have a request. He wasn't particularly interested in patrols. He wanted to participate in defense missions instead.
Flynn politely declined. As long as he worked with them, he had to follow the rules.
Allen said he knew this. That was why, if he could prove his strength, he wanted Flynn to make a special exception for him.
The man became interested, and Allen offered to duel him. If he won, Flynn would make an exception for him.
Flynn smiled enticingly and said that he admired his enthusiasm, but unfortunately, he couldn't accept this request. Allen asked the reason, and the man said he didn't know what he was so fixated on, but why didn't he participate in the clan's regular activities for about a week first? If he still had any thoughts after that, he could talk to him again.
Allen agreed. It was a trial membership anyway, so if it didn't suit him, he'd leave. He knew there was no point in arguing further.
And then there was a knock at the door. Flynn noticed that they had arrived. His party members.
The two of them entered the office and asked if this was the newcomer. Flynn introduced them to him. Naoki and Hina, both spearmen. Naoki was level 55, and Hina was level 40. They both greeted him quite warmly, and he asked whether party members weren't usually selected from people of similar levels.
Flynn replied that these two were the lowest level members of their clan. After all, they were an A-rank clan.
Naoki looked Allen over and asked the master whether this newcomer was really going to be okay. He looked very weak, and his level was too low.
Hina immediately pulled his ear, telling him not to be rude. And Flynn replied that his level might be low, but it seemed he was quite famous on the streets.
Naoki looked Allen up and down again and noticed how tall he was, which meant he was skilled despite his low level. Then he saw his class, and was very surprised.
And Hina exclaimed, "Could it really be that Allen?"
Naoki asked whether that meant she knew him. She told him it was the one who had cleared Crystal Sky Castle with Melissa yesterday.
Naoki was simply shocked. A level 27 craftsman.
Flynn remarked that this was quite impressive, and Allen asked suspiciously whether he hadn't known about him.
Flynn laughed and apologized. A crowd had gathered outside the clan association, and he had just dropped in out of curiosity. Then Allen had started listing his conditions, and Flynn had turned out to be the only one who met them. He had decided that an adventurer who was attracting so much attention must be talented.
Hina, delighted, asked whether they could really be in a party with such an incredible person.
But Naoki still didn't believe in his strength, and hesitantly said that he was probably just parasitizing on Melissa. Someone like her could probably do it all alone.
Hina asked whether that meant he knew her. He told her that she was a celebrity, and Allen thought: she called herself a rising star. It seemed she had been telling the truth.
Flynn suggested that the three of them go hunting now. That way, they would get a rough idea of each other's abilities. They didn't mind.
Naoki playfully nudged Allen with his elbow, saying that if he wanted to admit that he was actually a weakling, now was his only chance.
Allen was starting to get annoyed that this man was picking on him for no reason, and he decided to just play along a little to get past it. He said that this was to be expected of an elder. He'd seen through him right away. He was right — Melissa had completely dominated Crystal Sky Castle alone. He'd just been a hitchhiker.
Flynn immediately suspected something, and Naoki was glad that he'd been right. He patted Allen on the shoulder and told him not to worry, just to rely on his superior. Allen said he would count on him, and Naoki happily exclaimed, since when had they been communicating so friendly?
They said goodbye to the master and left. After which Flynn thought: he was a terrible liar. At level 27, he wouldn't even be able to reach Crystal Sky Castle, let alone complete it. He didn't know what method the boy had used, but an adventurer who made the impossible possible couldn't be just a sidekick.
The three went to the Treant Forest.
Naoki asked if the newbie knew anything about this place, and Allen replied that he knew nothing at all. He had avoided this place in ZFO, because compared to the recommended level, it gave a garbage amount of experience.
Hina told him there were monsters called treants here, which disguised themselves as trees. Without detection skills, it was impossible to tell which ones they were.
He clarified: the two of them, being spearmen, couldn't use detection skills, right? Maybe he should create detection items.
Naoki told him not to underestimate them. Treants weren't a threat to them at all.
Then Allen sensed an enemy's presence. He warned that it was to Naoki's left. At that very second, the treant lunged, and it nearly killed them. Luckily, they managed to dodge.