System's POV

Chapter 589: One Day, I Will Surpass You

As soon as Erica discovered that Zion wasn't inside his room, she hurried to Sherry's and Shana's room and woke them up, telling them what happened.

"So this is why he said that he wanted to be alone last night," Sherry said after reading the teenage boy's letter. "He planned to enter the Temple of Courage on his own."

"Damn right!" Erica fumed. "If I catch him later, I'll make sure to give him some peace of mind!"

Shana, who had just finished reading Thirteen's letter, had a frown on her beautiful face.

"The Wanderers all agreed to challenge the Temple of Courage at around ten in the morning," Shana said. "Even if we try to follow Zion now, we still need the others to ensure that we all pass safely. Also, we need the guides from the Absolutes, or we might take a longer time exploring the different floors of the Temple.

"As much as I want to look for Zion now, it is best that we wait until everyone is ready to depart."

Erica clicked her tongue because she understood that she couldn't solo the Temple of Courage on her own.

Thirteen was capable of it because he had a monster army that could help him deal with his enemies.

Sherry understood this very well. But what she didn't understand was why Zion needed to do it alone.

If he only waited until morning, they would form the strongest party that was guaranteed to conquer all the floors of the temple, allowing them to arrive safely at the 13th Floor.

'Just why did he go alone?' Erica pondered. 'He never does anything without a proper reason. I'm sure that he didn't decide to fight solo just because he could. Zion would not hesitate to take the lead if this meant that everyone would be able to pass the test safely.'

Sherry, who was also thinking along the same lines as Erica, was also wondering why the teenage boy did what he did.

In the end, she couldn't think of any other reason, so she decided to just return to her room to take a bath and make her final preparations before entering the Temple of Courage.

Erica, who was at a loss for what to do, remembered that Tiona's clone was still in Zion's room.

Because of this, she hurried back in fear that the black snake would no longer be there when she returned.

Fortunately, Tiona's clone remained where it was, making Erica breathe a sigh of relief.

"You can communicate with your Master, right?" Erica asked.

The black snake nodded to confirm the Sorceress's statement.

"Then tell him this—if I catch him, he's dead!" Erica declared. "Oh wait, don't tell him that! If you really tell him that, he would definitely speed things up because he wouldn't want to be captured by me."

'Too late. Tiona's clone has already told me everything.'

Thirteen's telepathic reply reached the young lady's mind.

"Damn you, little brat!" Erica grabbed the black snake and shouted in anger. "Why did you leave without us?!"

"Because there's something that I need to do," the Black Snake replied. "Also, tell everyone that fighting Solo is not advisable. Two squads should move together to clear every floor up to the 7th Floor.

"Starting from the 8th Floor and above, three to four squads are advisable. The monsters here are Rank 3 to Rank 4 Monsters, and some groups are led by Rank 5 Alpha Monsters. The Boss Monster on the 7th and 8th Floor are both Rank 5 Sovereigns, so the Hero Party must step up to kill those Bosses."

Erica frowned as she listened to Thirteen's words, but she didn't interrupt until the teenage boy had finished talking.

When he was done, it was now finally her turn to speak.

"So, are you currently on the 9th Floor?" Erica inquired.

"Yes," Thirteen replied. "I'm sure that the Guides from the Absolutes will help you climb the Temple faster, so you will reach this point after a few hours. Still, don't let your guard down, and don't be too overconfident.

"There is a reason why the Absolutes were unable to clear this Temple, so you guys better not underestimate your opponents."

"Wash your neck," Erica said. "I'll strangle you when I catch you."

"Ah… what… did… you… say?" Thirteen asked. "The… connection… is getting… choppy… I… can't…"

After those words were spoken, no more reply came from Thirteen, which made Erica's face turn red in anger.

Clearly, the teenage boy was merely pretending that the connection was choppy to end the conversation.

Still, Erica didn't doubt Thirteen's words even for a second, so after much deliberation, she headed back to her room in order to prepare for their expedition.

There were eighteen Squads under Thirteen's command.

Each squad was composed of fifty individuals, including their Squad Captain.

Eighteen Squads, Eighteen Squad Captains.

This was the current number of people under Thirteen's Battalion.

When the Squad Captains heard that their Supreme Commander had entered the Temple of Courage on his own, all of them were shocked. None of them expected something like this to happen.

"Everyone, please listen," Roland said in a serious tone. "I will now tell you the raiding plan for the Temple of Courage."

Everyone quieted down to let the young man speak. Roland was the Hero of the Hero Party, so he commanded a certain degree of respect among Wanderers.

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"My Party and I will lead the first and second squads to enter the Temple," Roland said. "After that, the Third and Fourth Squad will team up, then the Fifth and the Sixth, and so on and so forth.

"There will be two Squad Captains working together to clear each floor. Every team will have a guide to show them the fastest way to the next floor.

"The difficulty of the challenges that we will face will also grow in each floor. But the spike of difficulty will be truly felt on the 7th and 8th Floor. As for the 9th Floor… it will be best if four Squads work together to clear it."

David, who was paying close attention to Roland's statement, raised his hand to voice his opinion.

"If we will form four Squads on the 9th Floor in the end, I think we should just enter the Temple with four squads each," David stated. "Not only is there safety in numbers, but we can also clear it faster. Lastly, it will save time because we no longer have to wait for the other squads to arrive before challenging the 9th Floor.

"With four Squads from the start, we will no longer have any problems in the long term. Lastly, since there are only Eighteen Squads, the Hero Party can follow their original plan of bringing two Squads with them."

Roland pondered a bit before agreeing to David's proposal.

"Good," Roland nodded. "We will follow your proposal. Aside from my team and the two squads that will follow me, the rest of you form four squads each."

David smiled because he knew that Roland wasn't a narrow-minded person. His suggestion was the best way for everyone to pass their last trial while ensuring that the majority of the Wanderers would be able to return to Pangea.

It was not a matter of pride or whatnot.

After everything they had gone through in this mission, the bonds they shared with their Battalion were something they would cherish for life.

"Return to your Squads, and inform them about the things we discussed," Roland ordered. "Tell them to make their last-minute preparations. We will enter the Temple in exactly an hour from now."

"""Yes, Sir!"""

After the Squad Captains left the meeting area, Roland shifted his gaze to the tower, which would lead them back home.

Although not many understood Thirteen's decision to challenge the Temple on his own, Roland had a vague understanding of the reason why the younger boy did it.

'He's treating us like greenhouse flowers,' Roland sighed internally. 'Sometimes, I don't know if meeting Zion is a blessing or a curse.'

After getting beaten by the teenage boy, Roland realized that he had many weaknesses.

He always believed that no one could beat him on the same rank, but after his battle with Thirteen, not only did he lose to someone whose Rank was weaker than him, but he was even trained by the same person for a month.

This humbled him very much, which made him no longer underestimate anyone, especially those weaker than him.

'One day, I will surpass you,' Gerald vowed. 'Just you wait, Zion.'