Level 4: A Foolish Tsuchiyama Tribe Challenge

*****

After closing their eyes, they came back to the dream world and seemed excited to be there again. Also no person wouldn't be excited if they have a high rarity loot or equipment in their hands when they log into their game account.  

Unlike the two boys, Ayane wasn't excited to log back in with decent equipment at hand, and she wasn't given a strong outfit and a good weapon. Learning new spells is sufficient achievement if you ask her. Nonetheless she hoped that she can join the boys in beating permission guardian asses and not be as standby as their personal healer.

"No, you'll be our support and that is final." said Keita in extreme disapproval. 

It's already risky for her being a mage and a healer at the same time, let alone being a frontline alongside them. It's gonna increase their chances of losing instead of winning them that shiny permission.

However on the bright side to cheer her up, she can be the last woman standing, their last hope if things go askew in order to make use of that Shift ability she has. That calmed Ayane for a bit. 

"Right, in order to pass some time. They should defeat some monsters in the dungeon, keep their drops, so that they can earn a few credits on the road" Yukio suggested, plus in there they can practice their newfound weapons, their newfound strength. 

Iwabe created some minor dungeons so that players can earn credits, items, expensive drops, add activity, rewards and also the death probability of players. However since this dream world is still young, kinda disappointing he hoped that there was already someone dead in this world, it sucks to be benevolent.

The party went ahead with Yukio's request to spend some time in these newly built dungeons, where they struck gold and found some mutated monsters, those that are much more stronger than normal monsters that lurk the dungeon. 

Unsurprisingly due to the rarity of the monsters they were granted good drops, then when they trade it off via the dream world's system converted it gave them five big pouches of credits that was stored in their inventory.

"Looks like we got some easy money in our hands boys." said some thugs in the distance as the three left the dungeon. It seems that the three encountered some wolves hoping for some quick buck out of their hard earned loot.

Well tough luck for them, they aren't just a weak and pathetic bunch that's willing to give up their hard earned pennies to some lazy thugs who only know how to wait.

"If that's what you want then-"

A whistle then resonated throughout the forest alongside three thuds in the ground signalling the thug's descent from the trees above.

The opportunistic thug called his buddies to help him deal with Yukio and his party, they have enhanced weapons and are of high quality too, all of those would fetch a really good value in the market should they try selling it, they'd be dirty fucking rich.

"Y'know all we want to do is just kill you three kiddos, take all the money and stuff you have as well so there's no need for roughhousing." said the leader offering them a generous death.

However, Yukio refuses to give them what they want. They aren't that cheap to give them such priceless gear and stuff and also they're not that stupid to fall for such nonsensical generosity, rather they can just scram away with their tail behind their legs.

"Attack them boys" the thug ordered his gang mates. 

Using the power of the Hokkyokugitsune, he conjured an ice mist, which was called Glacio Fog that covered a huge radius of the surroundings, which can generate up to six Glacio Clones of Yukio inside the fog. It's kinda sturdy too, being able to withstand a few blows before dissipating.

"My, my, this weapon is kinda overpowered" he said to praise the weapon, Iwabe, he meant his foster dad didn't let him down. What's more impressive is that the sword had bestowed that ability itself, so cool!!

"You're just lucky, but it won't last long and you'll definitely lose" the thug said arrogantly, and visibly angered.

"Nope, I'll definitely win. This match isn't yours to win" Yukio taunted and jeered at the thug, further infuriating him in the process. 

Yukio then encouraged Keita to give his weapon a try. "I'll do it," Keita said in reply as he activated his Hachizuki.

While that's happening, another whistle resounded throughout the forest, this time many more thugs answered the call. Now Yukio, Keita and Ayane are surrounded. But fortunately for the three, it's the perfect time for them to go all out with their abilities as they split up in three parts.

Sure enough tattoos or marks appeared on Keita's body and his stats went up, he was suddenly difficult to beat. In a moment he treated the bandits as mere test subjects for his newfound ability. They were all dead meat in Keita's eyes.

Also the thugs themselves are having a hard time, they're all incapacitated by Yukio's Glacio Clones as if they managed to kill one, it dissipates then shows again like nothing happened to it. With the clones being a perfect diversion, the real Yukio easily killed them behind their backs.

As for Keita, just by using his Hachizuki is enough to be proved as fatal to the enemies as the charm from the hilt of the Katana knocks back all enemies in front and near him as that gives him the chance to attack and slashes them and retract his katana back in place.

For Ayane, her ability never fails her as being surrounded by thugs twice the amount Yukio and Keita matched are approaching cluelessly into her, she activates her Shift. While she grows taller than the rest of the thugs they start to tremble as she suddenly became muscular and her healing magic sustained him so much that every wound she gained was regenerated in a few seconds. And she managed to solo all the thugs surrounding her. 

Yukio's party started confronting the boss who's the last one standing, holding a club in one hand that weighs like paper to him. But can deliver serious damage to the three. Judging by their aura.

Ayane goes straight to him first, he intentionally makes Ayane block the bat and then kick her to the side. When it's Yukio's turn he uses the same Glacio Fog on the boss but this time the guy was a bit a lucky as he was swatting the fake Yukios inside the fog he unknowingly hit the real one in the process this dissipating the fog as well as the clones.

Yukio retreated back to absorb some necessary elements in his surroundings to recover some health.

Keita slowly getting fond of his katana then decides to give it a further try by using a concentrated attack and when it hit the thug by first hitting it with the charm that knocks him back a bit and then slashes him and then was about to stab him when he kicks, breaks free of the sword and then punches him. Ayane recovers, she then gives a direct strike to the stomach making him fall to the ground due to pain. And with Yukio finishing him off with the handle of his katana, knocking him unconscious.

As the night fell on them, the party now realized that they urgently need to find a safe place to stay in the night as during this hour monsters leave the dungeon and roam the forests. Defending those huge amounts of credits from exploring the dungeons was one thing but finding safe refuge is a different story.

They were just talking and thinking about where to go next when a snake suddenly slithers to Ayane's feet. With Ayane being afraid of creepy crawlies and snakes she freaked out obviously, causing them to be in disarray and in chaos. They continued to be pestered to run by a scared Ayane until they stumbled upon a tribe isolated two thousand sixty seven meteres from the outskirts of the main city Dili.

The tribe was on the shorelines of the country, their territory encompassing a sizeable amount of the shore as well as about a 100 meter area of water, and a kilometer and a half worth of forests to their jurisdiction. One look was all that Yukio needed to conclude that they stumbled upon a strong tribe and a much more developed one with large traces of advancement unlike other neighboring tribes.

Everyone there was having fun in the tribe that night, until the three of them had set foot on the tribe's premises and interrupted the celebration, in the process the music and the dancing stopped, all eyes on the three teenagers. Some concerned, some confused, some with mixed emotions.

One of the more open and hospitable elders offered help to Yukio by bringing him and his party to the nearby tent.

When they arrived there under the guidance of the old lady, the old lady then made the three lie there in peace as she asked the young'uns to bring some medicine to her straight away and without any delay as soon as possible. 

"Are you really that hospitable to outsiders like us? Aren't you concerned or doubt our presence?" Yukio asked the old lady in confusion while having a face painted with concern. 

The chief of this village endorses this type of hospitality to players like him to the point that even the young'uns were told by the chief to be kind to any visitor the tribe has and help them in whatever means necessary when they're under danger or an adversity.

"Chief, the three kids are right here in this tent, come and see them" the elder told him. 

Atsuto finally arrives, seemingly confused with the sudden halt of the music and dance in the tribe and seeing most of the tribespeople in this tent.

"Please explain to me about why we're catering guests at this time and hour? The tribe is closed to outsiders at this moment." Atsuto asked, visibly confused.

The other elder told him that the kids were just lost in the forest and also it's nighttime so letting these kids go out in the wild is a death sentence also they're bruised, it's like to get themselves to a bit of trouble on the way from here.

"Alright alright they will stay" he said begrudgingly.

"Who is the chief of this village by the way?" asked a curious Yukio to Atsuto. 

"Me" Atsuto exclaimed gallantly and proudly. "I'm Atsuto Tsuchiyama, that's the name" he introduced himself, still maintaining the gallantry that he had up to this point.

"Wait, is this the Tsuchiyama tribe?" wondered Yukio. 

Atsuto reminded him that this is indeed that Tsuchiyama tribe and no tribe in Dili exists near the shore other than the Tsuchiyama tribe. Plus this tribe was built by those people before him that bestowed the name of their tribe to them that's why he's Atsuto Tsuchiyama in the first place.

He also knew that they'd been attacked by a group of thugs trying to steal their money away from them, and they were just here by pure accident because the girl, Ayane, was afraid of silly snakes. 

"If you're watching us the whole time, then why didn't you help us?". To which he answers it by calling it a waste of his own time having to fight an incompetent thug picking on three kids. It's not his obligation to save them after all, they're strong in their own right and they handled those thugs well without his intervention. And also, they aren't one of his people to be earning the right of being rescued by the tribe chief in the first place.

"What do you want here, Yukio?" Atsuto asked Yukio, now straight to the point and in a serious manner.

"Nothing" he told him as he wanted to heal and have a kind adventure in the city. 

But what's on his mind for a while is how strong he is and he wanted to fight Atsuto alongside with his team, he must test if what Akagi said to the class was true, that Atsuto was like using both wrestling and grappling as a fighting style and that those who challenged him went home with broken bones. 

And lastly, according to the data provided to them by other players and of the system, Atsuto is their main objective in this country as he holds the Permission of Timor in his hands; their key to crossing East Timor to Indonesia. So Yukio loudly announced a declaration of challenge in front of the whole tribe; a foolish Tsuchiyama Tribe challenge.

As the tribespeople heard it, they processed it for a few seconds, ran the information again before one by one they started laughing as their chief is undefeated in battle, those who are strong are worthy to be called the village chief of the tribe. Yukio asked if there was any cost if he wanted to fight. 

"Fighting me is free and also I'm bored at the tribe so you'd make a great time passer."

Atsuto, witnessing all of it while sitting on a tree, then stood up. With willingness in his eyes, he must give what the Chosen One wanted; a fight that he's confident to win at. 

"Alright, tomorrow noon, you got yourselves a fight with me. If you win, you can cross Timor and then go to Indonesia. In short, I will give you the Permission of Timor if you defeat me in a fight" he said as a challenge.

It was then followed by the tribespeople whispering into each other, about what their chief said and because he easily agreed to the challenge those 3 kids craved for.

It's rare to see Atsuto wanting to fight as those who fight him are first mocking him and make him pissed and so when he is provoked they can fight him but he was strong as they had expected from him so a few wanted to challenge Atsuto to a fight and Yukio and his friends were the first ones to make Atsuto feel happy and agreeing to fight them tomorrow.

"Oh boy you better prepare your bandages little Yukio as you wouldn't know our chief's strength in combat" a tribe elder warned then points at an island which has half a portion of a hill destroyed by him in one move, they need to be careful as Atsuto is good at fighting ever since the day he arrived at the tribe.

Now with Atsuto now wanting to at least see what Yukio is capable of alongside his trusty party members he calls as his friends. Not to mention, he has high expectations beforehand for Ren's Chosen One, so he expected Yukio to be able to give him a good fight to say the least.

He then calls someone using communication magic, all of it highly encrypted from the inside out. Suddenly, Ren's voice booms.

"What is it now, Atsuto? I'm currently at Tei's residence in Cambodia, sparring with her." He asked him if there's any urgent matters he cooked up for no reason at all in his head like the brute he was. And from the looks of Atsuto's face that's not the case. He's thrilled, like he's excited.

"Ren, you should see your kids that you're always observing of show their powers to me and then if they manage to defeat me and get my permission away from me, you'll win that wager you made on Riku and on me." he said.

But Ren was interested in something else, and not on a phony wager that he had forgotten and remembered because of him mentioning it.

"Well I should definetely see that fight and I wanna know their faults and weaknesses, I want to know them better" he said. After all, Ren is observing Yukio's growth, as well as Keita and Ayane's also.

The fight with Atsuto is a mere test for Yukio if it's according to Ren. If they fail, they need to lay some time off in Dili and go somewhere else to train and be strong for at least a week or a month. 

Everyone including Atsuto is excited about the upcoming fight tomorrow to see if Yukio could stand a chance against him but inside Yukio's heart he knows that he will win the fight against Atsuto and then get the first Permission in the dream world. He then goes to Atsuto's tent and says if they could give him another week to at least power up and be strong to face him. To which Atsuto agrees. 

**Level 4 Completed**

Notes from the author:

Hello, Lazycat here. I'm back as I now have more time to write new continuation for Yumegemu. To those who are waiting for new updates, I apologized if it took too long but here I am updating you with Level 4. Stay tuned for more updates and please leave a reaction as it would be appreciated to know what you think of this Level. ✌️😸✌️