Unlimited Power 02 - The Ranger's Domain

"Now, if you don't mind, I would like to ask you about the fight you had with the boss last night," Yahiko said. "I have some predictions about the creature you faced, but I need to confirm it."

Ryan also wanted to learn more about the creatures in the other dungeons, so talking now would help him in the short term. While Ryan still wanted to work alone, he didn't need to work against Yahiko.

"Titania, huh," Yahiko said. "As expected, we didn't help you last night because Oberon, the king of fairies, left his dungeon and tried to interfere in your fight. Just as I mentioned before, I held him back and his army in the South."

"You failed at killing him?" Ryan asked.

"Fighting a boss without leaving this domain is possible, but very unlikely," Yahiko replied. "Right now, I don't have someone I can trust with all the power of the dungeon master system. A single instant is enough to cause a lot of trouble and put the entire population at risk. That is why I used summoned monsters to stop Oberon."

"Is that so… By the way, why did those four dungeons appear around Tokyo?" Ryan asked.

"I assume they want my power as a dungeon master," Yahiko said. "With my domain stone, the bosses would have the perfect terrain to create a new base on our planet."

Ryan nodded since it made a lot of sense. He saw more than a few kids playing around, and it looked like they never saw a monster in their lives. While Yahiko probably had to pay something to have such a high defense level, it was worth the cost.

"I believe you still want to clear those dungeons," Yahiko said. "As you already know, I watched you from afar and heard a lot from Haruna, so I can understand that you would rather work alone, but for the sake of efficiency, we should split the work."

That wasn't a bad idea. While Ryan liked a challenge, there was no need to make things difficult. Besides, he was a stranger in those lands, so at the very least, he should consider Yahiko's proposal in the matter.

"I guess that is fine," Ryan shrugged. "What do you have in mind?"

"Right now, the most troublesome opponent is Oberon since he can control the vermillion birds, also known as Suzaku," Yahiko said. "So, we should deal with him as soon as possible before Titania finds a way to intervene in the fight. While you just cleared her dungeon, we can't underestimate them. I am not a bright strategist, and while I have some experience while fighting, I never cleared a dungeon, so the best thing I can do is give you some soldiers that will obey all your commands."

Ryan sighed… that wasn't what he had in mind. Until now, he only had the experience of a single large-scale battle while 'leading' people. That was when he was facing the succubus, and Alissa began to fly to fight the bosses. During that time, all he did was shout angry and call her soldiers' names because they couldn't fight while keeping their attention on their surroundings.

"I am not someone who is appropriate to lead others," Ryan shrugged.

"Mmm… that might be a problem," Yahiko rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "In that case, I will call Haruna to be the second leader of this operation, and she will be the one who will give the orders to my soldiers."

"Why her?" Ryan frowned.

"She knows you to some extent, right?" Yahiko asked. "Based on what she knows about you, she will give the orders. Also, she is a pretty good leader. She managed to keep her friends from joining the monsters' side for quite a while, and the number of losses her group had over the last six months is quite small."

That was a pretty solid argument, and Ryan knew that Yahiko was telling the truth since he knew Haruna to some extent. So, his worries were eased a little bit. Since everything was more or less ready, Ryan decided to wait for the others who would go with him on the Southern side of the barrier.

"I will be waiting for them in the outskirts of the city," Ryan said and then turned around.

"You really live at a crazy pace," Yahiko laughed. "Just one more thing, Ryan. I believe we can cooperate more often, so I would like to open a telepathic channel with you. Given how much you like to travel, I would like to ask you to connect with other people who might help us in the future on this channel."

In the end, Ryan didn't even think of refusing since the other channel wasn't bothering him in the slightest. While it would be useful just to put Yahiko on the first channel, Ryan wasn't the one who created it, and Gustavo said clearly that he only wanted people who could transform into dragons on that one.

"All right," Ryan said.

All in all, that conversation had been quite fruitful. However, Ryan was still left with a worry in his head… it was Yahiko's position in the ranking. He was the fifth strongest human, and that was strange given the way he obtained power and the skills that he had.

"It is time to make for messing up last night, Femradiel," Ryan said. "The enemies this time are firebirds… essentially. You have the elemental advantage, so I am expecting great things from you."

"How odd, given your usual tactic of solving everything by yourself," Femradiel said.

"This time, I am not alone, so I don't have to follow my code of honor that strictly," Ryan said.

"Code of honor, huh…" Femradiel said. "That really fits you."

Furball barked as if Ryan had forgotten about him, and then he patted his head. While Furball was reliable, the matchup this time was quite troublesome since the enemies could fly. Maybe it was time to upgrade Furball's skill list…