Chương 44: Solo Mission - Robert (1)

How does it feel to go on a solo mission to another planet? Countless emotions and feelings would surely be involved, such as excitement, ecstasy and a sprinkle of nervousness. It was impossible to list all of the emotions circulating around my body at that point; I was being sent to a foreign planet by my idol and favourite protagonist ever, and I had to complete the missions and claim the planet all on my own. Despite this, I had been labelled the weakest out of everyone in my group.

Theo and Ben had enhanced strength whilst Maya had courage and determination. But what did I have? Yes, I had some determination in me, but not as much as Maya. I had a defensive main skill but I couldn't use it in attack. Instead, I just wanted to spend my whole life reading and potentially writing web novels. I wanted to live a life where I could spend all day on my phone reading.

And here I was, living like I was in my favourite novel, being sent to the hardest planet to claim relative to the other planets my idol had chosen for my friends. Planet 505. I didn't know what to expect. What was the weather going to be like? Will there be native humans living on the planet? Were there going to be any other Hoppers trying to claim the planet at the same time I was? A myriad of questions streamed up into my brain.

I tried my utmost best to suppress these unanswered questions, but eventually, I failed. All I could hear were the questions in my head as I let the purple smoke engulf me whole and take me to Planet 505. I thought about what kind of planets my friends had been sent to. Were the conditions similar or completely different to Planet Earth? What were the mana beasts like? How many missions did they have to complete?

And most importantly, could they complete all of their missions, claim their respective planets and make it back alive? Suddenly, I felt an emotion I had never felt before: empathy. Since this was the first time I ever had friends, I had never empathised with anybody before in my 17-year life. I felt nervous, I felt tense, my heart was thumping like a drum and my stomach was churning wildly. Worst of all, I couldn't consciously stop all of these actions.

All I could do was stand in the middle of the portal, bask in the purple smoke, fill my head with questions and wait for the portal to transport me to my intended destination. You'll be going to Planet 505. I suddenly remembered the motivational speech Cayman delivered before he sent me on my way. Listening to that speech made me feel like I was his star student. You're the weakest in this group, so I want you to listen carefully. This is the hardest planet to claim out of the four I have selected.

I want you to take it slowly, use your mana crystals wisely and ignore any other Hoppers wishing to claim the planet. Out of all the planets I have selected, the one you're going to has the most failed expeditions, but don't let that weigh you down. You'll be fine. All the best on your mission, Robert Ryan. He had wished me luck on my mission. He had told me more information about the planet I would be going to compared to the rest of my friends.

He thought I was going to be fine despite sending me to the planet that in his opinion was the hardest to claim. And most importantly, he had provided me with advice on how I can survive on this planet implying that he was trying to prioritise my safety. He's a good guy, I said to myself in my head. He really was a good guy, Cayman Grace. Forget the encounter I had with him on the day he first appeared in school. That was a clear outlier.

Cayman was a kind, gentle and understanding person, and these were some qualities that he possessed in Night Hoppers. That was one of the many reasons why all of my friends liked him. Soon, the purple smoke began to dissipate, revealing a room beyond the portal. Initially, my vision was blurred, but after a while, it cleared up, and I could clearly see a portal room in front of me. All portal rooms are the same, I thought to myself when the portal room came into view. I should be on Planet 505 right now.

As I stepped out of the portal, it was easier for me to get my bearings. The portal room I was in was identical to the one back on Earth, with its high stone ceilings, stone walls and torches placed at equal distances from each other. I wasn't going to make the mistake of thinking I was still on Earth for a second time. With my heart still beating like a drum at the back of an orchestra, I scanned the perimeter of the room for any signs of a ladder leading up to the surface.

Cayman did mention that the planet I was going to had the most failed missions out of the four he had selected, which meant that there should be a ladder somewhere in the room. And it didn't take me long to find it.

"That takes care of the hardest part of the mission," I said aloud. I had always been a man of very few words, but since I was alone and there was nobody in the vicinity, I didn't mind opening my mouth and uttering a few more words than usual. In front of me, in all its glory, stood a ladder. It looked like it was very well-built and sturdy; the frame and the rungs were all made of rusted metal. I put my hands on the frame and tried to shake it, but it didn't move.

Hoppers had been on this planet before, so the presence of a sturdy ladder should be expected. Out of all the planets I have selected, the one you're going to has the most failed expeditions. That meant none of the Hoppers succeeded in claiming the planet. Then of course there was going to be a ladder leading to the surface!

"Lucky me," I said.

"I forgot to bring the materials needed to build a ladder." I had been let off the hook. Without having second thoughts, and after clearing my mind of any unanswered questions about my friends and what this planet was going to be like, I began climbing the ladder. Clank! Clank! Clank! I could hear the sound of metal reverberate as I climbed the hundred-foot long ladder up to the surface. Clank! Clank! Clank! I didn't know what to expect on the surface. Clank! Clank! Clank!

What kind of mana beasts would I have to defeat on this planet? Was there going to be another legendary-level beast like back on Planet 501? Surely not. If that was the reason why there were so many failed missions on this planet, then I would simply be toast ready to put on the toaster. Just don't think about anything else, I said to myself internally. Think about this when you reach the surface. Clank! Clank! Clank! I didn't look behind me. At that point, I had climbed about eighty feet.

I wasn't overly scared of heights, but I knew that if I were to fall eighty feet into the portal room, then that would surely be the end of me. Clank! Clank! Clank! Finally, I see daylight. I was about to reach the surface. Just a few more steps left! Climb! Finally, after what felt like hours, my shoes were touching solid ground. I was on the surface of Planet 505, and I could finally see what I was working with.

"Damn. I wasn't expecting this." I inhaled deeply. What awaited me was something I didn't expect even in my wildest dreams. I thought I would be dealing with a desert or a never-ending dense forest, but this was out of my expectations. My feet were touching green grass on the edge of a vast forest, but beyond that forest was an imposing, monumental valley. On either side of the valley were tall, precipitous cliffs, each with numerous caves arranged in a messy order. It was a city of caves.

I pushed aside some bushes to try and get a better view of the valley. And when I did, I saw something I definitely didn't expect to see; I was captivated by it. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

"That can't be…" I never thought I would be seeing life on another planet aside from Planet Earth and Planet Zero. But here, on the soon-to-be Planet 505, I was seeing life. In the middle of the valley, in between the two towering, almost vertical cliffs, was a town. A settlement. It wasn't even a small town; it was a reasonably-sized town cluttered with houses that almost reached the bottom of the cliffs. The town appeared to be gated, since there seemed to be fences surrounding it.

It looked like something out of the Middle Ages. Naturally, the best thing to do at this point was to visit the town and see what was going on, since I hadn't received any system messages about potential missions yet. I forced my way around the bushes and soon realised that the forest I was in was on a hill. I had been looking downwards at the town, and it looked like I had to do some walking to get down to it. That meant I had to walk downhill. Clomp! Clomp! Clomp!

The feeling of walking downhill on the grass was completely different to climbing up the ladder. It wasn't as steep as climbing a ladder, and it also wasn't as scary; it didn't make me feel tense and uneasy. Clomp! Clomp! Clomp! As I travelled down the hill, I realised that I wasn't the only person walking towards the town. There were people from all directions walking towards and away from the town.

"Do people really live here?" I asked myself.

"Does human life naturally exist on this planet? Or is this just a town for Hoppers to reside?" That could be another reason why the town existed. It could be for the Hoppers exploring the caves to potentially stay the night if they cannot complete all of their missions during the day. Whatever the reason was, getting to the town was the thing at the top of my agenda. When I reached the bottom of the hill, I could clearly see that the town was being guarded and fenced off from the rest of the planet.

A long queue formed outside the town's main gates, where the guards were telling people to come in or to come out. Soon, I was able to hear different people's conversations.

"That was a successful hunt."

"I know. I got a truckload of mana crystals from just that one beast."

"We'll definitely be rich. Will you be using those mana crystals or exchanging them for money?"

"Exchanging them for sure."

"It's a shame we haven't run into the boss of this planet yet."

"I know. Once we do, the person who kills it gets the whole planet." Based on the topic of their conversations, the people surrounding me seemed to be Hoppers. Maybe this was a town for Hoppers after all. But which planet were these Hoppers from? Were they all from Planet Zero? Or were there some from Planet Earth? They were all speaking the same language as me, but that wasn't implying where they came from. Maybe people from Planet Zero also spoke the same languages as people on Planet Earth.

My social awkwardness, which hadn't been present since our expedition to Planet 501, was starting to kick in again. I wasn't used to there being so many people around me since I used to spend almost all day reading novels in my bedroom.

"How much longer are you planning to stay on this planet?"

"I don't know, about three more days?"

"Sure. I'll probably leave tomorrow." Conversations from other Hoppers began to fill my brain like a water tank. It was making me feel slightly queasy. As soon as I reached the long queue, I got in line and waited. All I could do to ease the boredom was listen to other people's conversations.

"Any signs of there being a boss beast anywhere?"

"Sadly not. I'm afraid cave number 32 is a bust." A wave of sighs erupted right in front of me. Soon, the queue was getting shorter, and I was nearing the front. I only had to wait a few more minutes. And then-"Next please!" After a while, I didn't realise I was at the front of the queue until someone shouted and I flinched. Apart from the guards surrounding the gate, I was the closest person to the town's gate.

"Hello, Hopper. Are you new here?"

"Huh?" I thought I had gotten over my social awkwardness. I thought my phobia of social situations had broken out of my brain and flown away like a bird, but here it was, ready to eat my brain again.

"Y-Yes," I stuttered.

"I am new."

"What's your level?"

"Basic. Stage 4." The guard at the gate then stared at me from head to toe as if he didn't believe what I just said. Then he said, "OK. Just wait here for a bit. I'll get someone here to ask you more questions and take you into the town." What was going on? I thought this was going to be just a normal planet with no man-made structures. But here I was, about to enter a town that was teeming with foreign Hoppers and makeshift buildings. Did Cayman know about this? Did he purposefully send me here for that reason?

Did he want me to overcome my social awkwardness and that was why he sent me here? More and more questions began to accumulate in my brain as I waited for the guard to return. Sure enough, after a few minutes, the guard did return.

"OK. I've brought someone here to take you around town. He'll be your guide for today. Try to stay with him." I nodded solemnly.

"Don't get lost. He'll tell you everything. I have to get back to my duties now. Next please!" I studied the person standing in front of me. He was a man presumably in his early twenties who was around the same height as me.

"Hi," said the man, who looked like a teenage boy.

"I'm Jake. I'll be your guide for today, just like the guard said."

"Robert," I replied bluntly.

"Nice to meet you. Before we continue, I have to give you this." Jake reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a credit card. Printed on the card in bold black ink was a number: 33.

"You can't go into the town without this," Jake said as he handed the card to me.

"It's sort of like an identity card. This card tells you which cave you will be going into. The number on the card represents the cave where you will be completing your missions." So it seemed like the missions I had to complete were all going to be in cave number 33.

"Before you head off into the cave, I need to take you to your lodgings." When Jake finished speaking, he turned around and started walking into the town. My instincts told me that I had to follow suit. I couldn't believe what I was seeing; as we walked along the narrow streets of this bustling, hectic town, I could see floods of people walking in both directions, trying to squeeze their way past other people, and on either side of me, buildings were made of wood, iron boards, concrete and bricks.

The materials were stacked on top of each other to create makeshift houses. It was like walking around a slum.

"It might take a while for you to get used to your surroundings. There are some people who stay on this planet for weeks, even months, creating a civilised society similar to that back at home." It took a while for me to process Jake's words. If Hoppers were willing to stay on this planet long-term, then they might literally be doing everything in their power to try and claim the planet for themselves.

And if they heard that a lowly nobody like me at the lowest level of the skill user system had claimed the planet, it might not sit well with the Hopper community on this planet. We continued to walk deeper and deeper into the mayhem. There were Hoppers on balconies drying their clothes and there were some just lounging on chairs watching as the chaos in front of them ensued. This seemed more like a temporary town rather than one for permanent residents.

Once somebody claimed the planet, I bet the whole town would be completely empty. As we walked, Jake continued speaking.

"A lot of new Hoppers ask me why there are so many Hoppers here and why this town exists. The short answer is that there are a multitude of caves to work with, and we haven't been able to find the cave that houses the boss beast. So basically, all of this killing we do is futile if we can't find the cave the Boss lives in." I nodded, understanding Jake's point.

"We've been going at this for almost ten years. It's gotten to the point where this town is so large that navigating around it is a challenge in itself and there are around a thousand Hoppers living on this planet hoping to claim it one day. But nobody has claimed it yet. I've been on this planet for almost eight years now trying to claim it, but I haven't gotten lucky yet." Jake sighed. He continued speaking, but I wasn't in the mood to listen. I just wanted to drift off into my own world.

After countless minutes of listening to Jake's monologue, Jake stopped in front of a building that was around thirty feet tall. It was made out of concrete and bricks, and there were bars adding an extra layer of protection to the windows. From the outside, the building looked derelict and poorly maintained.

"This is where you'll be staying," Jake said, opening the front door and escorting me inside.

"Your room will be on the top floor of this building. Follow me." Clank, clank, clank. The sound of the stairs reverberated in the narrow hallway. All around me, I could see yellow walls. It felt like I was inside a large banana. Clank, clank, clank.

"The way to unlock your room is to use the card I gave you. As I said before, it's like your identification card while you're on this planet. It signifies that you're a Hopper and that you've been allowed onto this planet." I held out the card that said '33' in front of me. Then Jake lightly grabbed my hand and moved it towards the door handle. The card tapped the door handle lightly, and afterwards, I heard the sound of a lock turning. Click!

Jake released his grip on my hand, turned the door handle and pushed the door open. This experience was akin to being in a hotel, with Jake acting like a receptionist. Tentatively, I followed Jake into the hotel room. Just like when I first stepped foot on the surface of this planet, I didn't have any expectations of this hotel room. All of the buildings outside were derelict and dilapidated and I couldn't believe people were living in places like that.

However, what I was seeing looked like the polar opposite of what my expectations should have been. I was greeted by a double bed facing the large window which was clean and neatly made. The floor was tiled and was smooth to the point of producing a reflection. I was surrounded by white walls on all sides. The window looked like it could be opened, leading to a balcony.

"Enjoy your stay," Jake said after I was wholly in the room.

"If you ever need anything, just come and find me. I'll be at the front gate if I'm not off completing missions. Oh, I forgot, I've got this for you." Jake reached into his pocket again and threw something on the neatly made bed, which I picked up. Printed on what appeared to be ancient, archaic paper was a map of the town.

"Thanks," I mumbled in a quiet voice thanks to my poor social skills.

"I'll be heading off now. If you ever need me, you know where to find me." Slam! Jake closed the door behind him. I could hear his eerie footsteps as he travelled down the stairs. Finally, I was all alone again. I couldn't believe what was going on. The planet that Cayman had sent me to was completely different from what he had described it to be. He didn't mention the presence of a town nor did he mention this community of Hoppers gathered in such a small area to the point where it was so densely populated.

I sat down on the bed, wanting to contemplate. I didn't know when I should leave my hotel room and venture into the enigma that was the town of Hoppers on Planet 505. I didn't know when I should start exploring the city of caves. Being in a town like this was not even in my wildest expectations. Meeting other people, such as Jake, was something I didn't consider, and it was something I didn't want to do at all. I just wanted to be alone. I wanted to complete my missions in peace.

The hotel room I was in, although it was clean and tidy, felt dull and gloomy. It filled me with immense boredom. I couldn't read Night Hoppers in this room since phones were unlikely to work on another planet. Did people on Planet Zero even use phones? There was no mention of phones in Night Hoppers, so I presume they didn't. Since I couldn't satisfy the growing boredom in my brain, I decided to leave the room. I had to prove my worth. I had to claim the planet and make Cayman proud.

I had to show all of these Hoppers who the real boss was. And after just a few minutes of doing nothing in the hotel room, it was time to leave and defeat the beasts of this planet. I had officially embarked on my solo mission.