SSSSS-Rank: Negative Leveling-Chapter 104: Departure

Dawn arrived with coalition citizens gathering at the central plaza, more people than Luthra expected for what should have been quiet departure.

"Word travels," Misha observed, adjusting her travel pack straps, "expedition isn't exactly secret, and people wanted to see us off."

The crowd mixed representatives from every settlement under coalition protection, faces Luthra recognized and many he didn't, all gathered to witness leadership leaving for dangerous territory.

Thalia pushed through the gathering with supply additions she'd prepared overnight, her healer's instinct refusing to accept that medical supplies were already verified.

"Emergency potions, enhanced formula," she pressed the wrapped bottles into Misha's hands, "these aren't standard healing, they'll stabilize critically injured people long enough for proper treatment."

"We already have medical supplies," Misha said gently.

"You have standard supplies, these are better," Thalia's expression carried the intensity of someone who'd treated too many injuries with insufficient resources, "take them, don't argue."

Kane accepted the potions before Misha could continue objecting. "Medical enhancements are always welcome, thank you."

Thalia nodded sharply, then turned to Luthra with different energy, something that looked suspiciously emotional despite her professional demeanor.

"Come back," she said simply, "all of you, but especially you, coalition doesn't need martyrs, it needs leaders who return."

'She's worried. Actually worried, not just professionally concerned.'

"We'll return," Luthra said, recognizing the response was inadequate but not having better options.

Rennik arrived next, his approach less emotional but equally purposeful. The infrastructure coordinator carried what appeared to be a wrapped weapon, the package too large for any blade Luthra typically used.

"Traveling gift," Rennik said, his gruff voice carrying no sentimentality, "forged from the siege materials, the same stuff we found in Syndicate tunnels, good steel with bad history, Borris was working on this before he died, figured he'd want you to have it."

Luthra unwrapped the package to reveal a shortened spear, the weapon's design emphasizing versatility over specialized function.

"Spear wasn't my primary training," Luthra noted.

"Spear reaches farther than sword," Rennik said, "and your void abilities don't need close range to work, keep distance when you can, close distance when you must, that's what Borris always said about the design."

The tactical logic was sound, if unexpected from someone whose expertise focused on construction rather than combat.

"Thank you," Luthra said, meaning it more than the words conveyed.

Rennik grunted acknowledgment and departed before the conversation could become uncomfortably sincere.

---

Rebecca stood apart from the main gathering, her attention focused on the crowd rather than the expedition preparations.

"Looking for someone?" Luthra approached her position.

"Looking at everyone," Rebecca said, "all these people came to see us leave, they're not here for ceremony, they're here because they're scared."

"Scared of what?"

"Scared that we won't come back, scared that coalition stability depends on you specifically, scared that everything we built could collapse if this expedition fails."

The observation was perceptive enough to be uncomfortable.

'She's right. They're not celebrating departure, they're anxious about it.'

"That fear will become relief when we return," Luthra said.

"And if we don't return?"

"Then they'll continue without us, that's why we spent months establishing systems, coalition doesn't depend on any individual, it depends on accumulated capability."

Rebecca considered the response before nodding slowly. "You actually believe that?"

"I built it to work that way, believing it is the easy part."

Kane's voice cut through the moment with tactical urgency. "Supplies loaded, team assembled, departure window is optimal for the next hour, after that weather patterns shift unfavorably."

The gathering shifted from farewell to departure, expedition team forming into travel formation while coalition leadership positioned for final addresses.

Gareth stepped forward with words that carried political weight despite personal uncertainty.

"Coalition dispatches its strongest members toward danger for the purpose of growth and security," his formal announcement carried across the plaza, "they travel with our hopes and return with our future."

The phrasing was more dramatic than Luthra preferred, but the crowd responded with visible emotion, appreciation for words that framed the expedition as investment rather than abandonment.

Vera's contribution was characteristically direct. "They'll be back, anyone betting against this group doesn't understand what they're capable of."

'A-rank confidence. Either she means it or she's very good at pretending.'

The expedition team passed through the gathering, hands reaching out to touch shoulders and offer quiet encouragement, the physical contact expressing what words couldn't adequately convey.

Rebecca seemed to absorb the attention with something approaching wonder, her expression suggesting she hadn't expected personal recognition from people she'd never met.

"They know who you are," Luthra said quietly.

"I'm just the young hunter who happened to be in the right place."

"You're the B-rank fighter who survived siege conditions and trained harder than most adults, they've been watching your progress."

Coalition territory faded behind them as the expedition moved beyond the final settlement boundary. The road ahead connected to routes that eventually reached Phantom Forest territory, weeks of travel through increasingly dangerous wilderness.

---

First night camp established at dusk, the team falling into roles that months of preparation had made automatic.

Kane secured the perimeter with traps that would alert to approaching threats. Khorvash gathered firewood with efficiency that suggested he'd camped in wilderness more times than anyone wanted to count. Misha organized supplies and documented their position for communication relay to Jako. Rebecca handled fire duty with magic that made traditional methods unnecessary.

Luthra found himself without immediate task, the experience of being unnecessary in camp setup strangely uncomfortable.

"Leadership isn't always about doing," Kane observed, noticing the discomfort, "sometimes leadership is about being present while others handle their responsibilities."

"Feels like standing around while people work."

"Feels that way to leaders who built their positions through personal effort," Kane said, "but effective delegation requires accepting that others can handle tasks without supervision."

The fire crackled with Rebecca's magic, flames burning steadier than natural fire would manage, the void tint barely visible against the darkening sky.

"First day," Rebecca said, settling near the fire, "how many more until we reach the forest?"

"Eighteen to twenty depending on conditions," Kane answered, "terrain becomes more challenging past the border settlements, after that we're in uncontrolled territory."

"Uncontrolled meaning nobody claims it?"

"Uncontrolled meaning several parties claim it simultaneously and none can enforce dominance," Kane clarified, "monster territories, bandit holdouts, abandoned settlements, the usual wilderness complications."

Misha's documentation continued while others talked, her administrative habits extending to expedition records that would eventually become coalition historical archives.

"She's taking notes on everything," Rebecca observed.

"Evidence of expedition for future reference," Misha said without looking up, "also personal habit that I've stopped trying to break."

The night deepened with the team settling into watch rotation, first shift falling to Kane and Khorvash while others rested.

Luthra lay awake despite assigned rest period, his thoughts circling around the expedition's purpose and the challenges waiting ahead.

'Level -22. Nine-Tailed Fox. Beast-kin politics. S-rank threats. All of it waiting in a forest that kills prepared parties.'

The System remained quiet, offering no guidance or commentary on the journey beginning. Its silence felt deliberate rather than absent, suggesting observation rather than engagement.

Phantom Forest waited three weeks distant, promising power and danger in measures that couldn't be predicted.

Coalition territory existed behind them now, stable and functional and depending on their successful return.

Sleep eventually came, carrying Luthra through darkness toward dawn and the continuing journey northwest.

The expedition had truly begun.