Assembly

"Damn it, this place is wrong, the formula is off again. It seems Fourier transforms aren't the way to handle this node model; I'll have to try another method. Hell, why are fourth-circle spells so complex? I'm going to go bald at this rate." Ryan gritted his teeth as he stared at the spell model of "Dimension Door" floating before him. The jagged magical lines and scattered spell nodes suspended in the three-dimensional space gave him a splitting headache. Being stumped like this reminded him of the deep despair he felt back in his previous life when he was dominated by the impossibly difficult Mathematics I exam during his postgraduate entrance studies.

In the spacious and comfortable room at the Hearthfire Tavern, Ryan leaned against a round stool meticulously carved from Huanghua Wood. He was using his spare time to try and fully grasp the "Dimension Door" spell model as soon as possible, hoping to inscribe it into his spellbook.

Although he had already successfully copied the spell into his spellbook, the limitations of his fourth-circle spell slots meant Ryan could only cast "Dimension Door" once per day. Ryan still felt this wasn't stable or reliable enough, so he was trying to add an extra layer of insurance through his Planeswalker abilities. One could never have too many trump cards for survival.

However, even though Ryan had already transcribed it once, he had underestimated the complexity of the fourth-circle spell model. He analyzed and modeled it from dawn till dusk, yet his progress remained painfully slow.

Time flies like a white horse passing a crack in a wall; when one is buried in a task, time always seems to slip away like flowing water. As Ryan buried himself in his magical studies, the day of the full moon arrived once again.

Having agreed on the time and place to meet Jelona early on, Ryan still arrived at the designated room in the Hearthfire Tavern ahead of schedule to scout the area just to be safe. After carefully checking the room to ensure no one was tailing or monitoring them, and confirming everything was foolproof, Ryan raced against time to continue his unfinished work using the system functions he carried with him.

"Thump, thump, thump." A series of heavy, hurried footsteps pulled Ryan back to reality from his frantic brainstorming. Regaining his focus, Ryan stared vigilantly at the door.

"Hahahaha, Arata, you blockhead! I told you to behave yourself, but you wouldn't listen. You just had to go to the tavern to challenge people to drinking contests, and every time you get drunk, you cause trouble. Look at you, you got beaten up this time!" A hearty, booming laugh echoed from the hallway outside the room.

"I didn't get beaten! I knocked that bastard down! He only succeeded because he played dirty and ambushed me!" Ryan heard the barbarian Arata's indignant roar from far away.

The familiar voice made Ryan relax. He canceled the spell he had been charging in his hand. There was still about half an hour until the agreed-upon time, and Ryan figured Jelona and the others had also arrived early to prepare. He couldn't help but marvel at his good luck; it was rare to encounter such a reliable and steady adventuring party.

With a "creak," the heavy solid wood door was pushed open by the half-elf ranger walking in front.

"I'm telling you two, can you please settle down? And Kasla, stop laughing. You've been laughing since we met. Although—pfft—Arata looks hilarious right now, he's already had a rough time, so stop mocking him."

The half-elf ranger chattered on while trying to persuade her bickering companions, though she couldn't help but giggle herself. She immediately caught herself, however, straightened her face, and continued speaking as she pushed the door open.

Sensitive and relying on her keen perception, the half-elf sensed the presence of someone in the room the moment she pushed the door open. As she peered cautiously into the room, her hand reached toward her waist to draw her sharp short blade.

Ryan, who had been resting his chin on his interlaced fingers, watched the guarded Jelona with interest, curious about what had caused the adventuring party to laugh so hard.

Meeting the curious, probing gaze of the blond youth, Jelona froze for a moment. Recalling her own behavior just now, a faint blush crept onto her delicate face. She scrambled to sheath the dagger back into her belt and greeted him in a fluster: "Ryan, it's you. Why did you get here so early?"

"Oh, I didn't have anything else to do, so I came early. I heard your voices from a while ago—what happened to Arata?" Ryan asked curiously.

Jelona walked into the room, her expression stiffening at the mention. Too embarrassed to speak, she hesitated and replied, "This... sigh, see for yourself."

Just then, the dwarf shield-bearer and the barbarian pushed and shoved their way into the room. Seeing Ryan, the straightforward dwarf shoved the hulking barbarian aside and greeted him: "Ryan, long time no see! I figured you were a reliable companion and was wondering when we'd work together again. Didn't expect to see you so soon. Don't you worry about this mission; us dwarves are always reliable!"

Ryan nodded with a smile in response, while his gaze shifted to the barbarian, who was standing quietly in the corner like a wallflower as usual. Ryan hadn't noticed when he first walked in, but now that he looked closely, he nearly burst out laughing.

The tall, rugged barbarian's thick, black, upright hair was still full of vitality, except for a patch on the top of his head that looked like it had been gnawed on by a dog. The shiny, bald scalp stood out starkly against the surrounding black crew cut.

Furthermore, on that rugged, savage face, two dark, bruised fist-marks were imprinted around his eye sockets. He looked like a panda with two massive black eyes, which, combined with his fierce face, created a unique sense of comedy.

Ryan suppressed his laughter, finally understanding the source of the argument he had heard earlier. He thought to himself, Hahaha, nobody can pull off a monk's tonsure hairstyle. That is just too unlucky, hahaha.

Although his inner joy was overflowing, Ryan's excellent facial control allowed him to maintain a calm, breezy exterior as he greeted the barbarian: "Arata, nice new look."

The barbarian, who had been silent since entering the room, looked at the smiling group with frustration. He touched his scalp and said indignantly, "Laugh if you want. That dog was just too despicable and shameless. He only went for the face, and damn it, he even pulled out my hair like a woman."

"Pfft, hahahaha." As soon as he finished speaking, the dwarf burst into unrestrained laughter. Ryan couldn't help but chuckle, and even the half-elf beside them covered her lips, her eyes crinkling with amusement.

"Alright, alright, stop teasing Arata. At least he won, didn't he?" Once the boisterous laughter in the room died down, Ryan began to comfort the aggrieved giant, who was silently drawing circles in the corner.

"Hahaha, that's right, Arata is a good man. Next time, you can try to pay him back." The dwarf, true to his nature as a "bad influence" and a brother-in-arms, praised him while still managing to get in a dig.

Jelona watched her bickering companions with a smile. Once they had finished their row, she spoke in a soft yet serious tone to get down to business: "Alright, don't forget we're here for a job. Ryan, why don't you introduce the specifics of this mission?"

Hearing this, Ryan stopped smiling. He interlaced his hands on the table, his expression turning solemn. He looked at each of his companions in turn before speaking slowly: "Due to the nature of this mission, I cannot explain some of the inside information to you. However, you need to know that this mission is not as simple as it appears. You must, must be careful."

Although Alexander had sworn to Ryan that the Mages Guild had conducted a preliminary survey of the ancient ruins and had roughly figured out its operating mechanisms—which was why they dared to let the younger generation of the guild enter for trials—Ryan remained skeptical. It wasn't that he didn't trust the old mage, but the content of their previous conversation had truly shocked him.

Ryan couldn't imagine what kind of preparations a predecessor who could build a Gundam and an Evangelion in another world might have made, but he was certain it wouldn't be as easy or simple as Alexander estimated.

Based on Alexander's claims, Ryan silently surmised that if this big shot could achieve such feats with steel constructs, then his work in biological modification must also be at the pinnacle. Ryan wouldn't be surprised if he encountered Tyranids, modified half-orcs, or magically mutated dragon-blooded goblins in the ruins.

Thinking of these entities—which were completely different from the style of Faerûn and were terrifying, even cataclysmic—Ryan felt his blood pressure rising. Am I a newbie facing a Demon King-difficulty dungeon the moment I step out the door? Isn't that a bit excessive, DM?! Ryan complained silently. He would have preferred to grind levels until he was a legendary swordsman before venturing out, but unfortunately, he had reasons he had to go.

Having finally encountered information related to his homeland, Ryan would absolutely, under no circumstances, let this opportunity slip by. Even if the path ahead was murky and the risks unknown, he would brave fire and water to push through. Besides, Ryan had been preparing for years, and all his trump cards were on his person; he still had confidence in his ability to survive.

"Arata, how are your injuries? Has your berserker rage recovered?" Despite the countless thoughts flashing through his mind, Ryan asked about the team's status with a straight face.

"I'm fine. Whenever you need me, I'm ready." The barbarian warrior, though still feeling dejected, gave a firm guarantee.

Ryan's gaze shifted to the dwarf, who was already sitting to the side, cracking open a bottle of ale. Kasla wiped his mouth with a thick palm, patted the sturdy tower shield leaning against his chair, and declared boldly: "I'll protect your front when the time comes. Don't worry, a dwarf's shield is always trustworthy."

Ryan nodded, feeling relieved that none of them had wasted their time during this period. He turned to Jelona, who was sitting beside him, and leaned in slightly: "I have a few enchanted arrows. I'll give them to you on the road; make good use of them."

Feeling the trust in Ryan's eyes, Jelona nodded slightly and replied: "Don't worry, I won't let you down."

Sensing the fighting spirit and confidence in every member of his team, Ryan stretched lazily. A sense of heroic spirit welled up within him. Figuring it was time to head to the Mages Guild, he said: "Let's go, everyone. The adventure begins."