After successfully locking the dimensional door 5450 connected to dimension 6782, Hina and Frima returned to headquarters to report. Once they arrived, they headed straight to the operator room to meet with Chief Rhaze.
However, when they got there, Hina didn't see Rhaze and immediately asked Ray.
"Ray, where's Chief Rhaze?" she asked, puzzled.
Ray, who was busy typing up a report, replied casually without looking up.
"Chief went out for a bit. Probably something important."
Then Ray turned around and grinned mischievously at Frima.
"Yo, Frima! You used to be a business consultant, right? Then why were you so quiet when meeting the King? Hina's personal approach was way better than yours."
He chuckled and shook his head. "And she's not even a consultant like you! You totally got outclassed. What a shame, hahaha."
Frima immediately looked annoyed, his expression turning sour from the teasing.
"Shut it," he muttered.
But deep inside, a question crept into his mind, "How does he know what happened when Hina and I retrieved the key in dimension 6782?"
A few minutes later, Chief Rhaze returned and walked over to where they were in the operator room. He greeted them with a small smile.
"Yo, welcome back. Looks like you're done. So, how did the mission go?" he asked, arms crossed.
Frima pulled the dimensional key from his pants pocket and handed it to Rhaze.
"Here it is, Chief. The key to the dimensional door," Frima said as he offered it.
Rhaze took it and gave Frima a light pat on the shoulder.
"Well done. Great job, Frima. You've successfully completed your first mission and secured the dimensional door."
But Frima shook his head slightly. "Actually... Hina was the one who obtained the key. She handled everything."
Rhaze nodded slowly, his expression turning more serious—but still smiling, this time with a tone of respect.
"Heh~ so honest, aren't you? Very human of you," he said with a wide grin.
Frima returned the smile. "Yeah, because honesty breeds sincerity."
Rhaze raised an eyebrow, looking intrigued. "Breeds sincerity? Heh~ where'd you get that line from?"
Frima let out a small laugh. "Ah, that... it's from the school pledge."
Ray, who had been listening, suddenly stifled his laughter and looked down.
"Pfftt! Oh god… the school pledge," he mumbled, trying not to crack up.
Frima shot him a glare. "Hey! What's your problem?"
Ray quickly turned his face away, pretending to be innocent. "Nothing, seriously."
Frima turned back to Rhaze, then asked enthusiastically,
"Chief, does that mean I've leveled up to level two?"
Rhaze shook his head slightly. "Not yet. You'll need to complete an E-rank mission first. Then you can move up to level two. Got it?"
Frima nodded in understanding. "Okay, got it."
Rhaze gave a small smile and issued the next mission.
"Since you've completed your first task, I'll now assign you your second—an E-rank mission."
He turned toward Hina and gave an order.
"Hina, accompany Frima again for this one."
Hina nodded quickly, looking genuinely happy. "Yes, Chief. I'm ready to team up with Frima again."
Seeing her enthusiasm, Rhaze could only smile. He then handed them the mission location data.
"This is the location of the next door. The second door is in dimension 10051, connected to dimension 2021."
Frima and Hina accepted the mission data and quickly made their way toward the dimensional door room. But as they were walking, Rhaze's voice called out from behind.
"Frima! Hold on a sec."
Frima stopped and turned around, looking confused. "Yes, Chief?"
Rhaze approached him and handed something over—it was a katana, solid yet elegant in design.
"This… is for you. This katana will help you in your upcoming missions," he said as he passed the weapon to him.
Frima accepted the katana, eyes lighting up. "Thank you, Chief Rhaze. I'll use it wisely."
Rhaze gave him a thumbs-up with a wide smile. "Good. Best of luck."
Frima nodded enthusiastically. "Definitely!"
With the katana in hand, Frima and Hina proceeded to the dimensional door room. Without wasting any time, they stepped into dimension 10051.
Upon arrival, they found themselves in the middle of a dense forest. The air was cool, and the distant chirping of birds and wild creatures filled the background. Frima glanced at the coordinate scanner in his hand, then looked at Hina with a slight frown.
"Hey Hina, are you sure the door is to the west?"
Hina nodded calmly. "Yes. The coordinates point west. Let's finish this mission."
"Alright," Frima replied with determination, gripping his new katana tightly.
They began navigating through the forest, pushing past thick shrubs and tall trees as they followed the coordinates. After about fifteen minutes of walking, a bright light shone between the trees.
Eventually, they emerged from the woods into a vast open field. The wind gently swayed the waist-high grass. In the distance, an old stone structure stood in the middle of the field, surrounded by a strange, mystical aura.
"Finally, out of the forest," Frima said, stretching his sore limbs from the long walk.
"Yeah, and the dimensional door should be just up ahead," Hina replied, eyes fixed on the field.
They made their way toward the center of the grassland, where the dimensional door was supposed to be. But as they arrived, they came to a sudden halt. Right in front of the door, a group of goblins had gathered—small, green-skinned creatures seemingly drawn by the door's strong energy.
Frima and Hina instantly unsheathed their katanas, ready for battle.
"Frima…" Hina said in a quiet but firm voice. "I'll take care of most of them. If you want to fight… pick just one."
Frima turned to his, brows furrowed, slightly offended.
"Huh?! Just one? Why?"
Hina sighed. "Huff… Do you really think you can take on a whole horde of goblins by yourself?"
Frima answered honestly, "I don't know."
Meanwhile, back at headquarters, Rhaze was watching them through a dimensional magic CCTV. His eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"Heh~ I wonder what Frima's going to do this time," he muttered with a smile.
Ray, watching over his shoulder, didn't seem too convinced.
"You really think he can take on a goblin race from another dimension?"
Rhaze just glanced back calmly and said, "Let's watch… we'll see soon enough."
Back in the field, the goblins roared and charged toward Frima and Hina without hesitation.
Hina didn't waste a second. She dashed forward, swinging her katana as she shouted her attack:
"Okami Ryuu: Okami no Tsume Giri!"
A fierce and precise slash flew from Hina's blade—its movement like a wolf's claw tearing through prey. In an instant, several goblins fell, unmoving.
Frima, stunned, could only gape in awe. "Heh~ Is it because Hina's from a fantasy world that her attacks have those anime-style visual effects?" he thought.
But before he could process it any further, a goblin suddenly lunged at him. Frima quickly got into stance, gripping the katana Rhaze had given him.
"Alright! I won't lose either!"
Frima charged at the goblin, swinging his katana at its head. But the goblin swiftly blocked the strike with its wooden club.
Frima grinned, brimming with confidence.
"HAH! I'll split you in two—club and all!"
Unfortunately, reality wasn't as kind as his imagination. The katana struck the club and got deeply lodged in the wood… completely stuck.
Frima's eyes widened in shock.
"Eh?!"
The goblin looked at him and snickered triumphantly.
What followed was anything but heroic—Frima and the goblin ended up in a tug-of-war, each yanking on their respective weapons, struggling like kids fighting over a toy.
Rhaze, watching the ridiculous scene from the operator room, just squinted, his expression a mix of disbelief and amusement.
Ray, on the other hand, burst into uncontrollable laughter.
"HAHAHAHA! My stomach—Frima looks like a little kid fighting over a toy!"
At that moment, Saito-sensei happened to walk past the operator room. He glanced at the monitor, watching Frima's chaotic fighting style. With a long sigh, he muttered:
"Huff… Chopping wood that thick isn't as easy as cutting tofu."
Rhaze turned and greeted him, "Ah, Saito-sensei. So, what do you think? How's Frima's goblin-slaying technique?"
Saito replied flatly, "Terrible."
Rhaze chuckled and then said seriously, "That's why, Saito-sensei… I want you to train him. Until he truly masters swordsmanship."
Saito narrowed his eyes, face expressionless. "And if I refuse?"
Rhaze's expression sharpened, his tone laced with pressure. "Hah… do you want me to make you regret saying no, sir?"
Saito sighed deeply, then finally nodded with a reluctant look.
"Fine. I'll train him…" he muttered as if already regretting his life choices.
Rhaze grinned in satisfaction. "Thank you… for accepting my request."
They returned their gaze to the magical screen. After Hina finished off the last goblin, she turned to Frima.
"So, Frima. You done yet?"
But when she saw him, Hina froze, unsure what to say.
Frima was still struggling to yank his katana free from the goblin's club. With one final tug and a determined grunt, the blade finally came loose. Without wasting a moment, he slashed at the goblin and brought it down.
Panting, he stood up, katana in hand. He looked toward Hina—only to see her staring at him with a puzzled expression.
"What?" Frima asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Ah, nothing…" Hina replied, shaking her head slightly. "Let's go in and retrieve the key."
"Alright," Frima answered, still a bit confused. His eyes narrowed slightly as he thought, "Was it because of what just happened? Is that why she looked at me like that? Who knows…"
They stepped into the dimensional door. Upon arriving in dimension 2021, they found themselves inside a cave. Frima looked around, confused.
"Are we… in a cave now?"
Hina replied casually, eyes still forward. "Yeah, it's a cave."
They continued their search for the dimensional key, exploring every damp, narrow, and dark corridor. After several minutes of searching, they finally found the key—firmly embedded in a large stone in the center of a chamber.
But just as they reached for it, a swarm of earth slimes emerged from gaps in the cave floor. Their gelatinous bodies wriggled and pulsed as they reflected the faint glow of the stone walls.
Reflexively, Hina and Frima immediately readied themselves, drawing their katanas.
"A bunch of earth slimes, huh?" Hina said casually. "Looks like an easy fight for you, Frima."
"Yeah, finally," Frima replied with a confident grin. "Time to show off what I can do!"
Hina glanced at him, her expression a mix of doubt and mild curiosity.
"Have you ever fought slimes before?"
"Nope," Frima answered cheerfully, still grinning wide.
The battle began. Hina dashed forward first, slicing through the slimes with ease and elegant movements. Every swing of her katana cut through them like a hot knife through butter.
Meanwhile, Frima…
He was struggling a bit. The basketball-sized slimes made it hard for him to swing down properly. He ended up waiting for them to jump so he could slash them mid-air—or slipping on the slime trail they left on the floor.
After dealing with the first group of earth slimes, Frima looked exhausted, panting and bracing himself on his knees. Hina, on the other hand, wasn't even out of breath. She just sighed quietly.
But the real problem was yet to come.
Suddenly, four large earth slimes emerged from beneath the ground. Their movements were slow, but their presence was intimidating. Hina turned to Frima with a serious warning.
"Frima… Please, just stay put this time. Let me handle them."
But Frima ignored her. Full of spirit, he charged straight toward one of the large slimes without a second thought.
"Frima! Wait—those things aren't that easy to—" Hina tried to stop him, but it was too late.
With a fierce look and a confident grin, Frima stabbed his katana into the body of the massive slime.
"—beat," Hina finished flatly.
Instead of falling, the slime absorbed the katana—and Frima's hand along with it.
"Eh?! Wait a second—what the hell is this?!" Frima panicked as his sleeve began to dissolve inside the slime's body.
He yanked his arm and katana back out and shouted, "HEY! You trying to eat me or what?!"
Hina just stared in silence, expressionless.
Frima, frustrated, tried to kick the slime. "Let go of my arm and sword already!"
But as soon as he kicked it, his foot got swallowed too.
With a flat stare and a squint in one eye, Frima muttered internally, "Seriously… my foot too?"
The other three giant slimes began to approach.
Seeing the situation, Hina dashed forward and drew her katana.
"Okami Ryu: Okami Giri!"
Slashes rained down on the slimes, precise and relentless. In seconds, all four were defeated.
Hina turned toward Frima with a sharp, unimpressed gaze.
Realizing his mistake, Frima averted his eyes and muttered, "Sorry."
"Huff…" Hina sighed. "Next time, don't rush in blindly. Listen to your partner."
Frima nodded obediently. "Yeah… I won't do that again."
Then, they both climbed up onto the large rock where the dimensional key was embedded.
"All right, Frima. Go ahead and take the key," said Hina.
Frima tilted his head, glancing at Hina with hesitation. "Hey, Hina… are you still mad at me?"
Hina shook her head. "No. This is your mission. You deserve to be the one to claim it."
"Oh… I thought you were still upset about earlier, hehe." Frima scratched his head sheepishly.
"Don't worry," Hina replied with a small smile.
Frima approached the key, pulled it from the stone, and used it to lock the portal between Dimension 10051 and Dimension 2021.
With their mission complete, they headed back to headquarters to report to Chief Rhaze.
On the way home, Hina turned to Frima with a gentle smile.
"I'm looking forward to seeing you reach Level Two."
"Huh? Really? I mean… it's just Level Two. And I messed up a lot," Frima said, sounding unsure.
"It's okay. You're still a beginner—making mistakes is normal."
"Really?" Frima looked at her with a hint of relief.
Hina smiled warmly. "Yes. That's why—keep smiling."
Frima returned the smile. "Thanks."
After the long journey, they finally arrived back at headquarters and went straight to the operator room to report to Chief Rhaze.