Dragged Into Another World Because of My Otaku Friend-Chapter 38: Mission Start

Kiwi then got closer to us and put his hand forward, offering a handshake.

"As we are together in this mission, let’s work together and forget our previous conflict," he said with a smile.

I looked at his hand, then at Bob. He shook his head, telling me not to shake it.

This guy really has trust issues.

I reached out and shook Kiwi’s hand firmly, nodding at him in agreement. In any other situation, I might have been skeptical, but right now, we need all the help we can get. And Kiwi was reliable. I knew from the moment I first saw him that he was different from the other bandits.

He then turned to Bob, offering a handshake. Bob hesitated at first, but eventually accepted it.

Suddenly, a notification appeared.

---

[Kiwi joined the Party!]

[Bond formed with Advanced Martial Artist. Class card obtained: Martial Artist!]

[Received bonus when Martial Artist in Party:

1. Add Composure and Reflex stat.

2. Increase Composure and Reflex stat by 25%.]

---

A flood of information appeared on our status screens.

As I expected, we obtained a Class Card by interacting with others, especially those who already had a class. But the bonus... that was unexpected. A new stat, and a 25% increase? That’s incredibly high.

I tapped on my stat panel to check my current composure and overall status.

---

Composure: 12 (+4)

Reflex: 8 (2)

---

Pretty neat. So that means if more people join our party, the bonus will get even better.

Imagine, if Bob and I led a hundred men, no one would be able to touch us.

"Darling, do you have to go?" a voice called out.

I turned and saw Liam and his little family. Ria was crying, while Kel clung tightly to his father’s leg.

"It’s alright, Ria. This town needs me," Liam said gently, kissing her forehead.

He then crouched down and hugged Kel. "Take care of your mother for me, alright, Kel?"

"Hmmm." Kel nodded, tears welling in his eyes, though he fought hard not to cry. Then he noticed me and the others.

"Uncle Bob! Uncle Alan!" he called out, running toward us.

"Please protect my father" he said, his eyes glistening with tears.

"Of course, Kel," Bob replied, puffing out his chest proudly. "We’ll protect your dad and bring him back to you."

I crouched down and patted his head.

"Yes, Kel. We’ll try our best. Please pray for our safety," I said with a smile.

Kel wiped his eyes, but then,suddenly, he held up his middle finger.

Bob and I froze, startled.

Why is this kid making a rude gesture?

"Promise?" Kel asked, pushing his finger closer toward us.

I was speechless. Then Kiwi stepped beside me, casually raising his own middle finger toward Kel.

"Alright, Kel. We promise," he said, flashing a charming smile.

Kel look delighted. "Thank you, another uncle" he ran back to his mother

"Another... uncle?" Kiwi blinked in confusion.

I was still in shock from what I just witnessed.

So... in this world, a pinky promise was done with middle fingers?

That’s a serious cultural shock.

If that boy had done that in my world, he would’ve gotten punched in the face.

"I’ll go first," Liam said as he said goodbye to his family.

Ria hugged him one last time before guiding Kel into the tunnel.

Kel and Ria waved at Liam until they disappeared into the shadows.

Tears welled up in Liam’s eyes, he was scared this might be the last time he saw his wife and son.

He inhaled deeply, then exhaled, wiping his eyes. He had to focus now.

He approached us, where we were waiting. With a firm nod, he signaled that he was ready.

He carried a bag containing the book and the key to the ancient weapon.

We nodded back, then made our way toward the mayor’s front gate.

There, waiting for us, were the mayor, Lukas, and Ted.

"Take these supplies. Hope they’ll help," Lukas said, handing us a bundle of Life and Mana Potions.

We didn’t really need them, after all, we already had some [Mana Potion] cards from slime loot, which were far better, but we accepted every bit of help we could get.

"All the best, Liam. Come back to us in one piece. You still owe me a drink," Ted said as he pulled Liam into a friendly hug.

They’d been friends since they were kids. Ted hoped his friend would return safe.

Liam smiled. "See you later."

"Good luck on your mission. We pray for your success. The fate of Lily Town rests in your hands," the Mayor said, placing a hand on my shoulder. He looked over all of us and sighed. "I’m sorry to put this responsibility on outsiders like you, but you are our only hope." His eyes closed briefly, as if regretting having to send us into battle.

"It’s okay, old man," Bob said confidently. "We’ll come back victorious. Just be ready to celebrate with us."

The Mayor blinked in surprise. "Did you just call me old man?"

Bob grinned.

The Mayor chuckled and smiled. "Is that so? Then we’ll be waiting."

The three of them then walked toward the back of the house, heading into the tunnels.

We waited at the front gate, standing tense until the barrier dropped, the signal to begin our dangerous, near-suicidal mission.

After a minute, the barrier started to fade. The bubble-like shield slowly diminished until it vanished completely. Now, nothing stood between us and the dangers ahead. It was kill or be killed.

We moved forward, following Liam. Our eyes burned with determination and focus.

---

In the tunnel, Ria was still crying. Kel walked in front of her. The tunnel was narrow, allowing only one person to pass at a time, so a long queue of people stretched behind them.

"Don’t worry, Mother," Kel comforted her gently.

"Father will come back to us. I believe in Uncle Bob and Uncle Alan." Kel smiled confidently.

Ria wiped her tears and looked at Kel.

"They’re very strong because...they’re heroes," he said, his wide smile lighting up his face.

---

We were running through one of the streets on the west side of town, heading toward the southeast area. Liam’s plan was simple, sneak around the south part of town, hit the inn there, then cut through the southeast, bypassing the central region, which was basically a monster hotspot.

So far, the monster count was surprisingly low. But there was one creature worth mentioning, a spitting baboon. Imagine a primate with the attitude of a gangster, this guy spat a corrosive, foul-smelling green goo that ate holes in every house it hit.

Luckily, I had the "Barrier" skill from my mage class. While me and Kiwi distracted the baboon with some smooth talk while waving our hands, Bob snuck up from behind and beheaded the rude guy.

After that, we ran into another mantis. This time, I decided to take it down solo with my gunblade, partly as revenge for the trauma that other mantis gave me before. Bob gave me that weird look, like I’d lost my mind, after I demolished the insect.

Honestly, I don’t even know how to explain it, but I felt way more relaxed and chill facing these monsters. It was like I’d fought them a hundred times before. Maybe it’s that composure stat and the bonus kicking in? I swear, I felt like I could take on anyone who tried to mess with me.

Kiwi also felt different. His reflexes were sharper, and he could track enemy movements with much more clarity. ’What is this feeling?’ he wondered. He’d never experienced anything like this before.

"Woohoo! I’m in the zone, baby!" Bob shouted as he pulled his weapon from the head of a bat-like humanoid monster. This guy was definitely benefiting from the boost with his wild, maniac battle style. His movements were faster, and the enemies couldn’t land a hit on him.

But Bob’s excitement quickly turned to despair. "What? Still no loot? Such a waste." The monster hadn’t dropped a single thing, leaving both me and Bob a little bummed out. I couldn’t figure out why this one didn’t drop any loot either.

Finally, we reached the southernmost part of the town. Most of the buildings here stored farm products like wheat and so on. But what awaited us was pure hell. Literally, because this area was on fire. Everything was engulfed in flames, with no way to get through.

"Alan, can you use a water spell to put out the fire?" Bob asked.

Great question, genius.

"Do I look like a firetruck to you?" I replied. "We’d need at least a thousand gallons,or more, to clear this blaze.I’d probably dry out my fluid body trying to do that."

Liam moved forward, trying his luck to find any path through the flames, but there was none. He then opened the map and shook his head.

"There’s no choice," he said, pointing to the burned road. "The only way to bypass the central area is this way."

"If this path is blocked,seems we have to go through the central plaza."

I swallowed hard.

Heading into the central plaza meant facing hundreds of monsters. This was truly a suicidal mission.

"Then let’s go," Kiwi said, leading the way.

I forced myself to follow.

After five minutes, we finally arrived at the central plaza. We hid inside an abandoned house and peeked through a hole in the wall. Outside, monsters roamed like a zoo of grotesque beasts, and more kept pouring out from mutiple glowing portals.

I squinted my eyes, trying to make out what I saw. There, in the middle of the monstrous gathering, stood a strange structure.

"Look," I whispered to the others. Everyone’s attention focused on the figure. It looked like a crystal thrusting upward.

"That must be the Kaoslith," Kiwi said.

"Kaos-what?" Bob whispered, his voice a little too loud.

"Shhh, quiet!" I shushed him. This guy really had no sense of stealth.

"The Kaoslith, the Oblivion Crystal from the Abyss..."