I Ascend Alone-Chapter 107: Next Plan Part II

None of us spoke for the first few minutes. The mood was serious, reflective. We were leaving behind more than a battleground—we were leaving behind a reminder of how thin the line was between survival and devastation.

Eventually, Leon broke the silence.

"You think it's always gonna be like this?" he asked, not looking at anyone in particular. "Jumping from one hellhole to the next?"

Christa crossed her arms, resting them on her knees. "As long as the gates keep opening, yeah."

I stared out the window, my voice low but firm. "Until we find a way to stop it all for good."

Darius looked back from the front. "And you believe that's possible?"

I didn't hesitate. "It has to be."

Alastair gave me a thoughtful glance but said nothing, simply returning his attention to the data in front of him.

As the low hum of the helicopter carried us through the clouds, silence settled again.

Leon leaned back in his seat beside me, arms folded behind his head like he was lounging in a cafe rather than riding home from an SSS-Rank dungeon. But I could tell his mind was working, probably the same way mine was.

After a moment, he tilted his head toward me.

"Oh—by the way," he said casually, like he was bringing up a weather report. "You remember that temporary contract you signed with Black Valor?"

I turned to glance at him, giving him a faint nod. "Yeah. What about it?"

He raised an eyebrow. "It technically ends the moment we land. You sure you're really gonna leave?Not even a second thought?"

I leaned my head back against the cool panel of the chopper wall, eyes half-lidded. "That was the deal from the start. Once the dungeon's done, I'm done. I don't plan on sticking with any guild—not yet."

Leon gave a low whistle. "Man... you're seriously sticking with the lone wolf thing, huh?"

I didn't answer right away.

"I've got things I need to figure out," I finally said. "And staying tied to a guild—especially one with that much attention on it—won't help with that."

Christa, sitting across from us, had been quiet until now. But I could feel her eyes on me.

"You could've asked to extend the contract," she said, her tone neutral. "Black Valor would've accepted. Hell, they'd probably beg."

"I don't need them," I replied, not harshly—just honestly. "Not for what I'm after."

Leon raised both hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright. Just checking. Thought maybe you'd stick around long enough to deal with guild paperwork or something normal for once."

I let out a small, dry chuckle. "Paperwork's not really my style."

Darius, seated near the front, glanced over his shoulder. "Still... walking away from one of the top guilds in the world isn't something most people do."

"I'm not most people," I said quietly.

Darius shifted in his seat, his gaze lingering on me with the kind of weight only someone in his position could carry. He adjusted his glasses slightly, his voice calm, but there was no mistaking the firmness behind it.

"If you're not joining a guild," he said, "and you don't want to work under the Association... then what's your plan, Ryzen?"

All eyes subtly shifted toward me. Even Leon, who'd been lounging moments before, sat up a little straighter.

Darius continued, "You're strong. That much is clear. But strength doesn't buy access. Without guild backing or Association clearance, you won't be able to legally enter dungeons. You'll be locked out of everything."

I didn't respond right away. Instead, I stared out the window again, the faint outline of our homeland growing larger by the second.

"You're not wrong," I muttered, my voice low but certain. "That system is the leash they've put on us. But the world's bigger than what the Association controls."

Darius's brow furrowed. "Going rogue? Is that what you're implying?"

"No," I replied, eyes narrowing slightly. "I'm not stupid. I know how that ends. But there are cracks in their system. Ways through. People willing to look the other way—for the right cause."

Christa leaned forward a little, concern flickering in her eyes. "Ryzen... you don't have to do this alone."

"I do," I said, quieter this time, almost to myself. "At least until I find what I'm looking for."

Leon let out a breath, glancing at Darius, then back at me. "You're serious about this, huh? About going off-grid... finding whatever's behind all this."

I gave a single nod.

Darius rested his elbow on the armrest and tapped his chin, thoughtful now. "You do realize what kind of attention that'll draw? From the Association. From guilds. From... other nations."

"I'm counting on it," I said coldly.

The air inside the cabin grew heavier, charged with the weight of my intent.

Alastair Crowe finally looked up from his tablet, his deep voice cutting through the tension like a knife. "Then whatever you're chasing better be worth it."

"It is," I said without hesitation. "Because if I don't find it... no one will."

No one spoke for a moment. The rotors thrummed above us, steady, as if nothing had changed.

But we all knew something had.

Leon looked over, one eyebrow raised. "Well, when the world starts falling apart again, I'll just assume you're somewhere in the middle of it."

I smirked faintly. "Probably."

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Christa didn't say anything this time—but her gaze lingered on me, like she wanted to say something more.

I looked around at them—Darius, Christa, Leon, Alastair.

They all wore different expressions: concern, curiosity, calculation. But beneath it all, the same unspoken thought lingered in their eyes.

I exhaled and leaned forward slightly, resting my forearms on my knees.

"You don't have to worry about me," I said quietly, but firmly. "I can handle myself."

Leon gave a faint scoff under his breath. "Yeah, no kidding."

I glanced back out the window for a second, watching the clouds roll past before I turned to the group again. My voice was calm, almost casual.

"If I really needed access to dungeons," I said, "I could just go ahead and create my own guild."

Before I could say another word, Darius cut in with a slight tilt of his head and a dry, knowing tone."A solo guild?"