Chương 116: Dinner Invitation

It was a couple of days after the public ceremony commemorating the life of The Mathemancer and the other Supreme Legends who had perished on the 26 th layer of the dungeon. I sat quietly in front of the guests during this more private ceremony, under many gazes. Sitting up there in front of everyone wasn't comfortable. A statue, though, was specially requested. Even though it made no sense, the Mathemancer was in front, with the other three legends backing him. They definitely got my mother's stern glare down.

I could almost feel the disappointment radiating from the statue. The Supreme Legends who made it to the 26 th layer. That was the inscription at the base of the statue. Then they listed the names or titles of each individual along with the current date. I was relieved that I didn't have to speak. The Dean discussed exceeding limits, gaining wisdom, and being proficient. I would have discussed love, support, and unwavering resolve. The College's statue was put up only because its first Dean was The Mathemancer.

He seemed against statues at the College, and especially for Professors. Knowledge was timeless, apparently. But since an adventurer, not the Dean, reached the 26th layer, they still put up a group statue. Most of the speakers mentioned the Mathemancer. A handful of legends had talked about The Librarian and how he had maintained order down in the Last Bastion. Only one legend spoke about my mother and how she was always unrelenting and focused.

She tried to avoid civilian casualties, although she didn't always succeed. She'd take on war jobs to get money for equipment when she resurfaced. The speaker noted debates on kill counts compared to Blood Gore, but she was reasonable, unlike the Butcher. I noted that a spatial pouch, part of the statue, was strategically placed in front of Blood Gore's anatomy. I thought that disrespected what was known about his naked fighting style, but didn't say anything.

The only comment was that my mother was better, there was nothing else about him. His statue was also entirely unclothed. However, he fought like that, exposing everything he had. He was unpopular, in part, because he never bought equipment. I suppose a spatial pouch hiding things was a compromise between accuracy and not being offensive. Even if no one particularly liked them, they were supreme legends. The veneration of their accomplishments was immense.

"What did you think?" Healer Melon asked me as we relaxed in our sitting room.

"They got her glare right. Beyond that, I don't know."

"They really did. But in making the statues larger than life, she is imposing, standing there with her sword raised." We made our way back to our apartment once the ceremony was over. I felt a cloud of depression over me. Just as I sat down to rest for a bit, there was a knock on the door. Healer Melon got up and answered it. It was a staff member delivering a message. They offered that service here at the College. I didn't need to use it before. There was no one I needed to message.

"Fancy and addressed to you," Healer Melon said as the staff member left. I took the letter. My name was written on the front in Eldarin Script, which looked quite fancy. I checked the letter first, nothing concerning, and no Mana. I carefully opened the letter. Justin Burnstock, You're cordially invited to discuss adventuring and potential team formation. It would be remiss not to invite the most outstanding student and likely adventurer to such a discussion at the inception of the team.

You could consider this a formal adventuring dinner, with weapons and pets allowed. There will be a handful of other guests invited, comparable to my standing. We are planning the dinner for tomorrow at 5 PM at the Tower Club. They arranged an exclusive room for our discussion. Sincerely, Stormy Aether I handed the letter to Healer Melon, who read it slowly. He clearly wasn't skilled in Eldarin Script. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"A formal invitation for you."

"My first."

"Really?"

"Before I was under the auspices of my mother and father. An invitation would naturally include them. I could count that corporate invitation as my first, but it lacked formality."

"The Tower Club is in the main tower of the College, on the top floor. It only hosts events that are invitation-only. It isn't cheap to arrange something there."

"Well, Stormy Aether is the fourth-ranked student of our year. An elf, I think?" I looked at Healer Melon, who shrugged.

"I am not sure. So, are you going to accept?"

"Of course. I will probably not get invited to another adventuring team if I decline."

"I probably don't have to say it, but your mother would disapprove. You would do better on your own."

"I know. But I want to consider a team. They might help me with the Dark Cabal later if we come together as a team, as they have unique backgrounds to assist with such a task. I will not be gaining main-level experience until that is taken care of."

"A bold declaration and understandable. A Tier 1 class should last until you get two Tier 5 skills. After that, you must seriously think about increasing the Tier of your class."

"And after that?"

"There shouldn't be an issue. I suppose if you get multiple tier 6 skills, you will need to consider a Tier 3 class. But getting such skills is not simple or easy."

"I guess I will have to leave you behind. Send a rescue team if I'm not back by midnight," I joked. If the meeting was in the central tower of the College, that implied there would be a degree of safety. If it were at the edge, then I would have been more concerned and brought Healer Melon along just in case it was a trap.

"I will, don't worry." The following afternoon, I put on my medium armor, which I had carefully cleaned and polished. The metal plates gleamed. There was minor damage to the armor and scratches, but that was fine. This was a formal adventuring dinner. Having slightly worn armor was acceptable. My Beginner's Blade rested on my hip, and Ozy rested on my shoulder. I made my way to the central tower. I could take the elevator up to the Tower Club after confirming I was on the invite list for the dinner.

Stepping off the elevator, I got a view out of the glass windows of the College and the land beyond the wall. I had arrived one minute earlier than the invitation suggested. That was a sign of being respectful without being subservient.

"Welcome, I am Stormy Aether," an elven woman said with a smile. She was wearing battlemage robes for ease of movement and to draw in more Mana while using spell skills.

"Justin Burnstock," I said and shook her hand. That was the polite greeting for adventurers. If this had been a formal Elven event, there would have been bowing and a lot of subtle remarks.

"Thank you for coming a bit early. We are still waiting for the last invitee. Let me introduce you to the two already here," she said. A team of five, large, but not impractical. We approached a large human teen who was devouring the buffet of appetizers. He had an enormous axe on his back. He turned around as we approached and put his plate of food to the side.

"Harren Axefall." The third-ranked student of our year, one spot above Stormy.

"Justin Burnstock," I greeted him.

"Impressive, you have surpassed me. After the soul fruit my father got me, I didn't think anyone else would out-level me."

"My mother supported me quite a bit growing up," I replied, and he nodded.

"Sword, interesting. Following her path as a spellblade?" he asked.

"Yes, but I have a way to go. I see you favor the axe?"

"I am the fifth generation of Axefall. Our axe skills are second to none." A thin-looking teen approached us.

"Hello, I am Sam Whitesmith."

"The twelfth-ranked student. Or eleventh now that Xyon blew himself up like an idiot," Harren said.

"Sam here is also a skilled caster like me, but specializes in support spell skills, which is why I invited him. He is a legacy as well. Just needs a bit more work so he will be in the top 10." There was a soft chime, and another woman exited the elevator. Stormy went over to greet her while we all looked on. She brought the dwarven woman over and introduced our last guest.

"This is April Withers, a skilled dwarven craftswoman. She is pushing the boundaries of weapons." I noted several devices attached to her light armor.

"Greetings," April said and gave a curt bow. She was no adventurer, but I held my judgment beyond that.

"The seventh-ranked student in our year. Hmm, you clearly have some talent," Harren declared.

"Feel free to grab some food from the buffet, and then I will share with you what I want to accomplish with this team," Stormy said. I saw no reason to argue and got a plate of food before sitting down. It was less formal than I expected, but this was an adventurer's meeting, not some party or noble ball.

"First, thank you all for coming." Harren let out a grunt, and the rest of us made small nods at this statement.

"I want us to form a comprehensive and balanced adventuring team. The goal is to reach level 80 after graduation. Beyond that, we can discuss things over again. Harren and Justin would be our front liners, with Sam offering support and crowd control. April and I would provide long-range support," Stormy said.

"A support caster and a craftswoman?" Harren asked with a touch of disdain. I didn't blame him. Harren and I would have to do a lot of heavy lifting to cover the other team members. I also noted she was not counting Ozy in the team composition. It was acceptable since he was my pet. He should coordinate with me and no one else.

"Yes. After recent events," Stormy said and glanced at me before continuing.

"It seems prudent to look for nonstandard team compositions. Not just front liners and battle casters."

"There is a reason that the classic team composition works and has stood the test of time. Anything else reduces combat efficiency at the cost of experience gain. I know the people you picked are capable, but in high-level combat, each person has to act independently. The plan works up to the 15 th layer, but beyond that, when monsters use tactics, such a team composition will fall apart horribly," Harren explained.