The gates of Newborn Town slowly closed behind them.
The late-July sun hung overhead like an enormous furnace, pouring down scorching light. The air was thick enough to suffocate.
Even so, the party's morale was higher than it had been on their last departure.
Ora Stonebeard was undoubtedly the most eye-catching member of the party that day.
He wore brand-new enchanted plate armor that reflected a fierce, cold gleam beneath the blazing sun. At the center of his breastplate, the Golden Sail Merchant Guild's three-masted ship emblem stood out clearly.
Although cooling runes were inscribed inside the armor, his face was still flushed from the heat, and sweat dripped down his carefully braided reddish-brown beard.
Following him were five peak third-tier knights from his Shatterrock Knights, joining this expedition as the main force tasked with killing the giant crocodiles.
Their equipment was nothing like Ora's heavy armor. They wore composite armor of layered chain mail and hardened leather, favoring agility and speed.
Hand axes and longswords hung at their waists. Their steps were light and steady, like five cheetahs stalking through the jungle-a stark contrast to Ora, a steel bear that bulldozed through everything.
"Hey, little mage," Ora boomed like thunder. With his expensive enchanted warhammer over his shoulder, he deliberately paced around Leo, his heavy footsteps making the mud bubble.
"Can that magic ring of yours whip up a cool breeze for me? In this damned weather, you could fry meat on my armor!"
Leo ignored him entirely.
Now dressed in a well-fitted mage's robe, the young man looked much more composed. He simply followed silently beside Veylin, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the ring Master Valerius had given him while he focused on mentally rehearsing his prepared spell models.
Being ignored left Ora feeling as though he had punched