This was a lot of information to take in all at once for Guan Yu and Zi Yi. Although it was a bit easier for Luna and Halls, it still affected them a great deal.
However, when Luna and Halls remembered the type of person Izroth was, they believed that he would not purposely lead them to their demise. Needless to say, they trusted him.
There was one thing, without exception, that Luna, Halls, Guan Yu, and Zi Yi were a bit uneasy about. It was the failure that Izroth had told them about called an existence wipe. To lose all the progress they've made up until now would be detrimental to them.
Coins, weapons, equipment, items… There was a chance for them to lose it all in one go!
However, everyone understood that because an existence wipe was listed as the failure result, the Chaotic Dogma Realm must have some pretty amazing stuff inside of it. Not to mention the fact that they would receive an epic rank piece of equipment! Not rare, but epic! No one within all of RML had an epic piece of equipment yet.
In the end, everyone here was confident in their own abilities. If they were not, then Izroth would have never bothered inviting them to join him in the first place.
"Hah, an existence wipe? So what! That only makes things more interesting!" Guan Yu said as he became fired up and ready to go.
"Well said! Who cares about a little existence wipe? I've already made a promise to go where you go, even if it's within this Chaotic Dogma Realm you speak of, I'll follow you until the end." Halls gave his response.
"While it would be unfortunate to lose everything we've gained up until now, it would be even more regrettable if we missed something that has the potential to shift all of RML into a different direction. I believe such a risk is acceptable." Luna spoke in an unrushed manner.
The only one who had yet to say anything was Zi Yi.
Everyone looked over in her direction. At the moment, Zi Yi looked as if she was in deep thought. For someone like her who always weighed out the acceptable level of risk, this was a bit much to decide on so suddenly. After all, she knew that Guan Yu was powerful and most likely Izroth as well due to his past achievements.
However, she had no clue as to how strong Luna and Halls were. It was safe to say that they should be considered powerful players due to Izroth inviting them, but that was mere speculation. If there was one thing Zi Yi did not like putting her faith in, it was speculation.
The more Zi Yi thought about things, the more difficult the choice became. One of her good yet bad traits was overthinking everything. Sometimes it was good to be that thorough, however, at times one had to just charge forward, even in darkness.
"Our fears will always outnumber our actual dangers. Creating fear and worry often gives a small thing a big shadow. Do not make such a mistake." Izroth spoke in a carefree manner. When he had seen how undecided Zi Yi appeared to be, he decided to give her a slight nudge.
Izroth's words were enough to snap Zi Yi out of it. She had to admit that he was correct. One of the most common mistakes when overthinking things is that you may often create fears that are never really there. She understood the rewards and consequences, now she simply had a choice to make.
This may be the only way for Zi Yi to have access to the palace library. Such a treasure trove of knowledge was something she was unwilling to pass by. Speculation? She decided to push that to the back of her head and trust in her intuition about those around her, something she would never normally do.
"This may be the only shot I get to enter into the palace library. Also, the rewards will not be small for our accomplishments. Therefore, I have no choice but to accept everything, including the risk and potential consequences." Zi Yi finally stated her answer.
Izroth nodded. He could still sense how tense everyone was about the whole situation, despite some of their words. However, he could also tell that none of them were lying when they said that they were willing to follow him into the Chaotic Dogma Realm or accept the risk.
The first thing Izroth did was share the SS-ranked quest with everyone present. He also decided to share the SSS-ranked world quest with Guan Yu and Zi Yi. The two of them were shocked when Izroth shared the quest, but of course, they accepted it. That was an SSS-ranked quest! The rewards were unimaginable.
If they were willing to come along with him into unknown territory and face the dangers he faced, then Izroth believed that the two of them were worthy of receiving his trust and the SSS-ranked quest. However, there was one thing that bothered Izroth. They had no magic damage dealers!
'If there are monsters within the Chaotic Dogma Realm that have high physical resistance, then it'll be quite difficult to get past them without a magic caster. However, there's only one magic caster I've been in a party with so far and there were too many unknowns about her.'
Izroth was, of course, referring to Scarlet. Though even if he did have her on his friendslist, which he did not, he believed it would not be a good idea to invite someone with unknown intentions on such a dangerous mission.
'I suppose we'll just have to make due.'
There was nothing he could do about it but hope that he happened to come across a powerful magic caster before the portal into the Chaotic Dogma Realm opened. But, the chance of that happening was highly unrealistic.
Izroth removed four Five Cycles Pills from his inventory. "This is called a Five Cycles Pill." He held one of the pills up clearly for them to see. "This will help improve our chances of success." He then gave one pill to everyone present.
The pills were light purple in color with a gentle aura around them. They gave off a strong and sweet medicinal scent that resembled candy or some type of sweet treat. It was very easy to mistake it for something that a confectioner would make.
When Luna, Halls, Guan Yu, and Zi Yi received a Five Cycles Pill, they were all stunned. This was a grade three pill! But, how did Izroth manage to get his hands on something like this? Or rather, why would he willingly give away such a valuable pill? One had to know that only rank three apothecaries could create a pill like this.
There should not be any rank three Apothecary players within RML at this time! So how could they not be surprised? If they sold one of these pills they would be able to make a huge profit. But, would any of them be so foolish as to sell a grade three pill?
After all, this was a gift from Izroth so that they would have an edge within the Chaotic Dogma Realm. Not only that, but it was unclear when and if they would receive another grade three ranked pill in the near future, and so no one was willing to pass up this opportunity.
"This pill is amazing!" Guan Yu and Halls said at the same exact time in synch. To melee fighters like them, especially for Halls who was always at the front of every attack, this kind of pill would allow for them to reach new heights! They were extremely grateful to Izroth for such a marvelous item.
Luna and Zi Yi had the same thoughts, however, they were more reserved and did not just blurt it out like Halls and Guan Yu did.
"What a wonderful pill. I did not think that I would be able to consume a grade three pill this early on. With this, the timing of my heals can become even more precise and exact than before." Luna took a moment to appreciate the beauty of the pill itself.
Everyone thanked Izroth for his generosity and even wanted to pay him for the pill itself, however, he turned down their offers. He was doing this for his own benefit as well and so there was no need for any kind of payment. Also, a small gesture would go a long way. This would be a moment all of them would not soon forget.
Zi Yi finally started to see why Luna and Halls remained so calm after Izroth mentioned certain astonishing things. They must have already been used to it! It appeared that every time she blinked, Izroth would come out with a new way to surprise them. After a while, one had no choice but to build up a natural immunity or resistance to it.
This pill was perfect for a ranger-type class like Zi Yi that depended on a level high of accuracy and their ability to hear their surroundings. A 100% increase in her sight and hearing senses was like giving a pair of wings to a tiger!
The four of them consumed the Five Cycles Pill and immediately felt as if their entire surroundings became even clearer than before. It was almost like observing the world around them in a different fashion.
"So this is the strength of a grade three pill…" That was the one thought going on through everyone's mind. They felt as if a wave of energy was constantly pulsing throughout their entire bodies and enhanced their overall sense of perception.
"We still have a bit of time until the portal has the prospect of opening. However, if it does not open immediately, then we cannot afford to wait around for it to do so." Izroth did not want to waste time waiting around when they would possibly have to wait another 20+ hours for the portal to open.
Therefore, he felt that even if they traveled quite a bit of distance away from Amaharpe, as long as they started heading back once the Izroth received the alert that it was open, then there should be no issues since the 24 hours time limit would not start until that moment.
"Since the chances of it opening immediately are pretty negligible, then may I make a suggestion?" Zi Yi said. There was something she wished to bring to Izroth's attention that should improve their overall odds of success.
Izroth had no problem listening to suggestions and so he nodded his head to show his approval.
"This will be the first time we have all been in a party with one another and we are aiming to complete an SS-ranked quest. This would be challenging even for a party of veteran players that have been together for a long time." Zi Yi explained.
No one disagreed with Zi Yi's statement. Even a normal S-ranked quest was difficult. So much so that Izroth, Luna, and Halls ended up fighting a rare boss during their last S-ranked quest.
If not for Izroth unleashing that powerful skill at the very end and the help of the Boundary Sealing Sphere, then it may not have ended so well for them.
Zi Yi then continued, "I suggest that we take the opportunity to work on our teamwork. Even though we won't obtain a perfect level of teamwork in such a short period of time, at least we'll have a general idea of each other's abilities. That way, we can be prepared for the worse to come."
"Even if it means potentially losing a couple of hours in the process, I believe it would be a fair exchange. Of course, there will be nothing to lose if the portal does not open while we are outside of Amaharpe. Since there is the chance that it will not be open for another possible 20+ hours." Zi Yi gave her view and opinion on the matter.
Izroth agreed with Zi Yi's point of view and suggestion. It would be unreasonable for them to have perfect teamwork, however, it was still possible to at least find a certain balance and have a basic understanding of each other's current capabilities.
Going through a dungeon a few times would not take up too much time and would enable them to keep leveling up in the meantime.
"Since you've suggested it, I assume you already have a dungeon in mind?" Izroth asked.
Zi Yi shook her head, "The closest dungeon to Amaharpe within our level range is under the control of the guild Cross Haven. While that would be the most ideal situation, we could always substitute that method for questing. Either that or we have to travel a bit further away to the next nearest dungeon."
