Versatile: Alternate World

Using my newfound ability to cook like a professional, I quickly created the veggie dish Renatta and Rika wanted to eat. I eat with the three of them with my own food of course since I like meat more. We just discussed Renatta's plan while we were looking for a way for her to return to her home but since she is still indecisive on her decision, she still has no response to my question.

Since I didn't want to pressure her on this matter, I made her think more about what she needed or wanted to do whether to plan to stay in this world and adapt to life or find a way to go back to her homeworld. But since she can't decide just yet, I decided to let her be for now. Also, I suggested she wear a beanie or a hoodie if she wanted to get out of the house and explore outside. Due to her ear not being present in this world and only in the fictional world, we will have to cover her race to make her safe to which she immediately agreed.

Before I went back to my room, I asked Rika if she is going to join in the upcoming recruitment of Pioneers and she said that she is open to joining again as she enjoyed becoming part of the pioneers and exploring a new continent first before other players provide a satisfaction feel for her. Besides, it will be a good idea for her to join again as she is already experienced enough. She will log in a little bit later since she will have to do something for a bit. She just wanted me to notify her if the recruitment is gonna start already. I returned to my room after our conversation and washed the dishes and returned to playing Alternate World.

...

"[Welcome Back, Bladeheart]"

I spawn back to the vacation house's bed just like before. With my eyes slowly adapting back to the Alternate World, I noticed a message from my log. Opening it revealed that it was the text message from Sigma. It seems she is also planning to join in the next pioneer quest and asked me if I would also join in, to which I immediately replied that I will indeed participate.

Compared to before, I have no idea where the recruitment will begin but since it will be announced, I can just wait for it to appear if we follow the previous timeline's location of the recruitment, it was held in Aquagius. There is no guarantee that it will still happen in Aquagius due to how many things have already deviated from the past timeline that some of the kinds of stuff I know in the past timeline might not work anymore. I wouldn't be surprised if some things I have learned before won't work now.

However, one thing is certain. I may have been enjoying my life now without any problems except for the occasional stuff happening here and there but there is one thing I still have not done much after returning to the past timeline. And that is to mess up Kazuki on this timeline and prevent his rise up in popularity and strength. I might not have done anything major to him lately due to my busy life so he is steadily progressing but I still knew most of what he is doing as I keep an update on what he is steadily doing most of the time.

Just like the previous expedition, he will be planning on joining this one too in which I will take my chances to make him eliminated. Not because I want to mess him up more but because he will become a famous player after the situation in Luminous Continent's Expedition and he will get a massive power-up that would make him very strong. I have personally witnessed him get strong due to that and because we are acquaintances already when the expedition happened, I knew most of what is happening to his life during that time.

I may have not directly taken revenge on him directly, but I am just biding my time to torment him from time to time. That way, he won't notice that I am dealing with his important milestones and force him to an alternative or to a different route. I don't want to rush it. With what is happening with him and his family, I can only help on letting him build his power, only for me to crush it at the right moment.

Then, the moment came in. The announcement blared in the air, making everyone playing and even the NPCs hear what is being announced.

"Good day adventurers and dear citizens. This is an announcement regarding to the recruitment of Pioneers to help a problem currently occurring to a new continent who are all asking for Queen Titania's help. Queen Titania is currently asking everyone who is strong and capable of fighting to join the current quest. Pioneers from the previous expeditions are very much welcome too so please come to Aquagius Continent, Highland Plateau. The recruitment process will begin 5 hours from now. We will conduct the recruitment process and select the respective players that will be the final members of the expedition. We will be meeting you all there!"

And with that, the announcement ended. The location is also revealed and just as expected, it is in Aquagius but the place is different. Before, we were gathered in the Arena of Trees, a natural formation of trees that formed similar to an arena hence the name. As for Highlands Plateau, its an area where it is difficult to reach unless you are a very strong player. Monsters are living there and most of them are very high leveled. One wrong move and the monsters will come running towards you and kill you on the spot.

But I think it also makes sense. That means they are looking for the best of the best and since they also specified the previous Pioneers, they also wanted the previous Pioneers to participate due to the well done progression we did in the last expedition that we even recruited a queen to help us.

I opened my contacts and contacted Harmless Sparrow that the location of the recruitment area is the Highland Plateau since she isn't online yet. I am not worried of Harmless Sparrow reaching the Highlands Plateau since by now, she is already strong enough to handle the monsters present there and can already do her own decisions to reach there without dying.

As for me, it's also time. Picking up the big axe, I am now going to start my rampage and mow every enemy. It would be cheating for me if I use Leona and Mizuchi for reaching that place. If the others are going there by foot or whatever method of transport they have, I don't mind. I am just giving myself a handicap there.

Highland Plateau is located on the north from my vacation house. It's not near but I can see it in the distance. Stretching my body for a little bit, a few group of players saw me stretching. They started mocking me for doing so instead of going immediately and from the looks of it, they didn't recognize my mask which means those guys are either new players or high leveled players who only have someone boosting their level allowing them to be able to get here without dying. I can tell they are part of the players who are going to take their chances to go to Highland Plateau but for someone who don't know the dangers of Highland Plateau, I can only say condolences to them.

They can keep mocking me all day long, I can mock them later if they found themselves in a pinch.

Stretching done after a few minutes, its time to hunt.

BANG!

I dashed forward, creating a booming sound behind me created by my sudden acceleration. I don't need to think too much of the terrain as that is a secondary obstacle that doesn't prove too much trouble for me. I move so fast that the players who mocked me from earlier got easily bypassed by me. I even heard one of them shout "F*ck! Let's go! We can't just walk here and reach there last!" and also started running. Hearing that made me chuckle as they have no idea that monsters will start appearing not too far from here and will start stomping on them if they are not careful.

As for me, I finally meet the first monster blocking my way and that is the Algae Swine that is covered with green algae, allowing it to blend into the forest like a rock covered by Algae to take anyone by surprise. Before they would try to attack me, I went ahead and attacked them first. These pigs will not be a problem for me, I don't know about those players behind me though. They can try it and experience the wrath of those pigs.