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A few minutes later, all three of them were back in the room where their first encounter had played out.

They hadn't said anything on the way, busy pondering on the mission that had been given to them. The assistants had whispered something between themselves, but Al hadn't really paid them that much attention.

As soon as they entered, the first thing he noticed was a blinking notification on the monitor in the room.

'Ah! So that's where it was!'

He had been quite puzzled due to the fact that they hadn't been given any information about their opponents. Typically, odysseys would give some introduction or the other about those that a group was up against, along with a list of the Divine Tools and Armaments that would come into play in the future.

He had read about how there had been experimental odysseys where this information was kept hidden, but that had always resulted in blindsided confrontations that ended as soon as a trump card was taken out. There was some appeal to such fights, too, but a unanimous decision had been reached that this should not be the case in odysseys with beginners, especially, where all those participating might not be on the same playing field.

Even if the element of surprise was not present, there was a lot that one could do if they held their cards close to their chest and only exposed them at the perfect moment. Al had already thought of scenarios where he would be able to do this with the tools he had been given, so right now, he was very curious to find out whether the heroes had been equipped with the same items, too.

His breath caught in his throat as soon as he read the first line of the message.

"Hero team name: Children of the Dragon, Team E"

'Wait… are you s-s-serious?'

He went over the name ten times, but even then, it didn't change. Still not willing to accept reality, his eyes wandered down to find the images of three individuals in a row.

The first was a heavy set, bearded, middle-aged man. His curly hair fell to his shoulders, and he was twirling his perfect mustache, his other hand folded in front of his chest. A lightning bolt was visible behind him, artfully placed to make it seem as if he was its origin.

On the image beside him was an unsuspecting girl who almost looked like a teenager. She had short, pink pixie hair and a mischievous set to her lips. A katana jutted out from behind her back, giving the entire image a menacing look that would have been absent if not for its existence.

Finally, the third image was that of a bald woman, her gender unmistakable due to the curves of her body. Tattoos were present all across her face and on her skull, with the most prominent one being those of two extra sets of eyes placed above and beneath her real ones.

All three of them were garbed in black clothes, with a roaring dragon in flight emblazoned in gold on the front. It was the symbol that did it; known throughout the world for its fame, it was unmistakable to anyone even remotely involved in the world of heroes and villains.

Beside him, he heard two gasps as the assistants also figured out the identities of their opponents.

For the first time, the arrogant countenance of the big man broke. Pointing a finger at the screen, he stuttered, "H-h-h-hey… this is a j-j-j-joke, right?"

"Nope… it's those bastards, again. Ugh, we're so screwed…"

As the woman's voice trailed away, Al remembered the illustrious story of the one who had formed the group.

He was supposedly of Asian descent, but as he always wore a mask when in public, no one was really sure. He had been among the first ten individuals on the whole planet to obtain a Blessing, among the first five to reach the known peak of power, and among the first few to be acknowledged by the demigods as the torchbearers of the human race.

The Dragon's odysseys were all classics, selling out like hot cakes each time they appeared in the market. His memorabilia were sold all over the world, his deeds were written about in multiple best-selling books, and for all intent and purposes, he was one of the most revered figures on earth.

Hence, when he had announced that he was opening an Academy where he would groom heroes, the entire world had gone crazy.

It had happened three years ago, but Al still remembered clearly just how much of a frenzy the world had been thrown into. Applications had flooded to the man in the millions, but in the end, he only chose 30.

After splitting those into teams based on his judgment of how good they were, he had trained them vigorously… until just recently, when he had announced that they would be taking part in odysseys throughout the world.

As far as he knew, the media was intently looking forward to seeing just how good the man was in training the next generation of heroes. Speculation was rife that they would ascend the global rankings as soon as they made their debut, but then… how the hell had they made their way into this odyssey?

Al staggered back, feeling all the dreams and hopes he had heaped on this odyssey come under sudden pressure.

'How can I hope to win against such powerful opponents? How can I hope to even go up against them?'

He got to the wall and let out a ragged sight that hurt his throat. He was just about to give in to the anxiety of going up against someone so powerful… but then, he suddenly remembered why he had come here in the first place.

'Wait… I don't need to win! I just have to advertise the Tools! If I walk away with this with at least the minimum amount of money I was promised, it will be a game-changer for me! This won't count as one of my initiate odysseys, either…so I should be golden!'

He imagined being flush with funds to eat as he wished, and pamper his little buddy. He imagined not having to scrimp and save just to afford the most basic of niceties, and right away, he felt all that confidence that had almost leaked away returning.

Getting to his feet, he walked forward. From what the woman had said, it was obvious that they had encountered this group before… so he saw that he should first obtain as much information as possible.

He knew the methods of the Dragon, as after all, he had studied the man's odysseys just like all the others who wished to enter this world. He was known for his straightforward means, always preferring to directly confront his opponent and finish the objective in one quick go.

Now, he had to find out whether he had taught the same to his disciples. Walking to the woman who was still crazily muttering under her breath, he asked, "Tell me everything you know about them. Did you go up against them, before?"

The scantily-clad woman answered almost in a daze, her eyes still fixed on the monitor and the faces of their three opponents.

"Yes…we just competed with them a few days ago. We were told not to tell anyone. They concealed their identities, and we heard from that they are just practicing, now, to get ready for their big debut."

"How did that odyssey end?"

The woman gulped.

"With fire and destruction. It was a damn massacre! That curly-haired bastard destroyed the building we were in before we even knew what was happening!"

Al felt a vague premonition as he heard her. He chalked it up to his concerns about going up against someone strong, at first, but then…he looked to the side, and felt his heart stop.

The big brute hadn't finished his coffee. What was left in the cup…had ripples on the surface.

There was no time to think. No time to shout. No time to explain.

So, he decided to use the best method possible, even though it was a bit cruel.

Shooting out his hand, he threw the coffee in the woman's face and hurled the empty cup at the brute, causing it to break on his face.

As both of them looked at him, askance, he screamed, "Fuck both of you! If you have a problem, catch me, first!" And ran straight for the door.