Floating Island - Triple S Talent

The young man with the headband then submitted his application for the recruitment. After sending in his application, he waited calmly, his gaze shifting to the large holographic board displaying various missions.

As a level 1 youth, he had no real combat experience. He had only fought a few wild animals in the mountains around the city of life. However, those were just battles on the forest's edge; he had never been brave enough to enter the forest's depths, filled with dangers from both wild beasts and other hunters.

His motivation this time was to find a team that could help him venture into more dangerous areas. He knew that, with his level 1 and minimal experience, joining a stronger team was the only way to gain experience and improve his abilities.

***

In the corner of the Star Guild hall, a group of four sat around a round table. Among them, a woman with a black sword leaned back in her chair, staring seriously at a green-haired man who was busy typing on his phone.

"Ravon, what about the other team members? Have you chosen who will join?" the woman asked, her eyes fixed on Ravon.

The woman with the black sword asked the green-haired man sitting across from her. The man had an oval face with sharp eyes. His gaze was currently focused intently on the screen of his phone.

Ravon, with his oval face and sharp eyes, paused his fingers over the screen for a moment. "Hold on... There are many applicants, but none have explained their talents," he muttered while continuing to type.

Suddenly, a message appeared on his screen. The message read, "I want to apply. I'm still level 1, sword user."

Ravon typed a quick reply, "No problem. You can join, but what is your talent?"

It didn't take long for a response to come, "My talent is level B. I can change the element of my sword for a certain amount of time."

Ravon stopped typing and stared at the message. After a few seconds, a wide smile spread across his face. "I found a suitable team member," he said while sharing the message in their team chat.

"Who? What's their talent?" asked a middle-aged man with a large shield beside his chair.

Ravon's three friends immediately looked at the message, and their reactions were similar. Excitement was evident on their faces.

"A level B talent? I didn't expect someone like that to apply to our team," said a middle-aged woman holding a long staff with elegant carvings.

"Our leader only has a level 3 talent. This is incredible," she added.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the hall, the young man with the brown headband received Ravon's reply. He felt excited, even a bit nervous, as he read the instructions to meet them at table #B12.

"Where's that?" he muttered, his eyes searching for the table number displayed on the holographic board.

***

After a few minutes of searching, the young man finally found table #B12 in a quieter corner of the hall. The four people waiting immediately recognized him from the description they had received through the chat. The young man walked closer, hesitating but full of enthusiasm.

"Are you the team looking for members?" he asked politely.

Ravon smiled as he stood up from his seat, shaking the young man's hand. "Yes, we are Ravon's team. I'm Ravon, and these are my friends—Fira, Reynor, and Liana."

The young man introduced himself, "My name is Irsan. I'm a sword user, still level 1."

"That's fine. We've already read about your talent. Sword element, right?" said Fira, the woman with the black sword on her back. She looked at Irsan with great interest.

Irsan nodded. "Yes, but I haven't fully mastered it yet."

"Don't worry, that's why you're joining us," said Reynor, the middle-aged man with the large shield.

They then sat down together and began discussing the mission they would take. On the holographic board, many mission options were displayed, ranging from simple tasks like escorting merchants to more dangerous ones like hunting wild monsters in the forest.

"There's a mission to hunt mountain tigers in Verdin Mountain," Ravon pointed to one of the missions. "It's located south of the City of Life. How about we take that one?"

"Mountain tigers? They're known to be strong, especially in the Verdin area," muttered Liana, frowning.

"But we need a challenge, and the reward is pretty big," replied Fira.

After some discussion, they all agreed to take the mission. With enthusiasm, they went to prepare. Each team member bought some healing potions, protective charms, and supporting tools like ammunition as well as food and drinks for the journey.

One by one, they boarded the public transportation, a levitating vehicle that quickly took them to Verdin Mountain. The 20-minute trip felt short, though a tense atmosphere began to creep into their hearts, especially for Irsan, who was embarking on a real mission for the first time.

In the distance, the peak of Verdin Mountain, shrouded in mist, loomed high with dense forests surrounding it. They knew that's where the battle against the mountain tigers awaited.

Time passed quickly, and they finally arrived at the hunter association post for the Verdin mountain area. The hunter post was a 10-story building, and in front of it, hundreds of small teams consisting of 3-5 members were gathered. They were all hunters looking to complete missions in Verdin mountain.

"Finally, we've arrived. Let's go," said Ravon to his friends. He was the first to step off the bus and quickly headed to the hunter post to complete some administrative steps.

Irsan, the young man with a level B talent, followed them nervously from behind. He had prepared himself for all of this, and he had also gathered information about the hunter missions and what they would face.

But he was still very nervous. He wasn't sure why. "Do I really not have the talent for combat?" he asked himself.

"Irsan, hurry up... what's going on?"

From afar, Fira called out to Irsan, who was lagging behind. She also noticed that he seemed a bit nervous.

"Ahh, yes... I'm coming."

Irsan quickly ran to catch up, trying to control his nerves, attempting to be more enthusiastic and brave.

It didn't take long for the team to register at the hunter post. Of course, Ravon, as the team leader, was the one to register.

"Welcome, sir. Please input your hunter ID," the female receptionist directed Ravon to register on the holographic panel on the table.

Ravon, as if used to this, entered his ID into the holographic panel. Afterward, information about him appeared, similar to the system panel, though not as detailed.

[STATUS]

- Name: Ravon - Tier 1

- Hunter ID: Ravon007

- Level: 12 (2%)

- Class: Swordsman

- Team: No team

- Active Mission: None

Ravon then entered the mission ID they were going to take into the holographic panel. Afterward, the mission details appeared on the panel.

[Mission]

- Mission Name: Hunt Mountain Tiger

- Location: Verdin Mountain

- Reward: 10,000 energy crystals

- Mission Goal: Collect the fangs, tail, skin, and heart of the mountain tiger

- Requirement: 5-person team (at least 1 Tier-1)

- Mission Description: Hunt the mountain tigers in Verdin Mountain, south of the City of Life. The better the materials collected, the higher the bonus. Beware of the mountain tiger packs' abilities.

After ensuring everything was correct, Ravon approved and completed the registration.

"Thank you, sir. Please take this mission badge."

The receptionist handed Ravon a silver bracelet. The bracelet would serve as the team member's identifier and contain the mission details they had taken.

Ravon returned to his friends, who were waiting near the hunter post's entrance.

"All done, we're ready to go," he said, showing the bracelet with a smile.

"Good," replied Fira, looking at the bracelet curiously. "Let's get moving."

They then walked toward the towering gate of Verdin Forest in front of them. The forest was notorious for its many monsters and wild beasts, including the mountain tigers, their mission target. Hundreds of other hunters filled the area, each preparing for the mission they had chosen.

Ravon walked ahead, leading his team. "Listen up, we're entering a dangerous area. I'll be the main attacker. Irsan, you'll support from behind with ranged attacks using your sword element. Fira and Reynor, you'll protect us with your defensive abilities. You all know what to do."

Reynor, the man with the large shield on his back, nodded in agreement. "I'll make sure nothing gets past our defense line."

Fira also nodded, adjusting her sword. "I'm ready."

Irsan, though a bit nervous, tried to calm himself. "Alright, I'll follow the plan," he said with a slightly trembling voice. This would be his first real battle.

They stepped through the gate, and the dense Verdin Forest stretched out before them. The air began to feel cooler and more humid, adding to the eerie atmosphere of the forest. Sunlight could only pierce through the gaps between the tree leaves, casting strange shadows on the ground.

Along the way, they passed several other hunter teams. Some consisted of three members, while others had five or even six. Most were hunters of a higher level than Ravon's team. But that didn't lower their spirits.