“It’s this way. I’m sure of it.” Robyn said to her teammate. She was in the middle of wandering through a dense forest. Trees went on for miles. There was no telling how far she had walked. Each step only brought her deeper into the forest, but she refused to admit that she was lost. Her partner, on the other hand, was more than eager to point out the truth.

“The map says we shouldn’t be here,” Nicholas said. He’d been staring at the map while following Robyn’s shadow. There was nothing wrong with where they were going. The map warned about heading north due to known dragon nests, but the duo was heading south. Still, he knew little about the destination. The quest didn’t give an exact location, so the team had to search the old-fashioned way.

“Map shmap. I got this. I’m an [Animal-Loving Peasant], remember? Nature’s, like, my thing.” Robyn said, mainly to reassure herself. She had no idea what she was doing. She’d never played video games before, so being thrust into one was a different experience, to say the least. Her over-reliance on the others left her with little to learn from. She wanted this adventure to be one that she completed all on her own. Nicholas was only allowed to come along after enough nagging from the team. The other two were off on their own adventure.

“Then, I trust you,” Nicholas said. He really didn’t, but he would have said that regardless. A little white lie was fine now and then. Robyn was clearly trying her hardest, so he was going to support her as much as reasonably possible. Of course, he’d immediately take her back to town the moment things got difficult.

“Great, now we can-” Robyn stopped herself mid-sentence. Her brisk walk immediately came to a halt. Her eyes stared forward in both wonder and horror. Nicholas, who was still staring at the map, bumped into her. He looked around in confusion before noticing what froze Robyn.

It was a large creature. A prominent and muscular lion's body stood at attention. The head of an eagle stared at the new presence. Massive wings spread in a sort of stretch. The griffin stepped forward and locked eyes with Robyn. An air of nobility surrounded the beast. It bowed its head to the two. Robyn and Nicholas cautiously returned the motion. They visibly flinched the instant Genesis spoke.

“NOTICE. A NEARBY [GUARDIAN] HAS GRANTED THE SKILL [SPEECH: ANIMAL]

“Why are you in my forest?” The [Guardian] said. Its voice was an odd combination of male and female. Each word echoed several times, using different tones. The question was an honest one, but the two adventurers were beyond nervous. They’d never seen such a creature. The [Guardian] was practically oozing power. It was no wonder that someone could stop himself from answering.

“I find it hard to believe this is your forest,” Nicholas regrettably said. He hung his head in shame. To think, it would all end like this. A beast, well outside of his level, would soon smite him. The question was simple. Why couldn’t he answer differently? At least, in a way that didn’t upset the creature powerful enough to bestow a skill upon him. Fortunately, the griffin didn’t seem the least bit slighted.

“Your words mean nothing if your heart does not believe them,” the [Guardian] replied. Its words resonated with Nicholas. It was the only one who truly understood him. He couldn’t stop himself from lying, and he finally met someone who knew that. The other members of his team still thought it was a continuous joke, but the griffin immediately saw through the ruse. Just as Nicholas was about to say something, Robyn interjected.

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“Hello, eagle? Lion? I’m sorry, what do we call you?” Robyn asked with a smile. As an [Animal-Loving Peasant], she was fond of all creatures. She had a knack for treating animals. In her original world, Robyn was the type of person who would talk to animals even when they never responded. Now, she was finally able to have a conversation with one. She could hardly contain her excitement. The griffin may have been intimidating, but Robyn still found herself captivated by the creature.

“I am Shen, the guardian of the Echoed Woods,” the griffin said. Its name was somewhat odd, but that wasn’t what the two adventurers latched onto. They were concerned about their location. South of their home was the Evergreen Forest, which is what they intended to explore. The Echoed Woods was known by locals as a magical realm. It was extremely difficult to find, even for seasoned adventurers. Only those with a high affinity for magic, or extreme luck, could enter. Additionally, the area was guarded by an extremely powerful being that immediately killed any intruder.

“Cool, so, we’re just about to leave. We don’t want to overstay our welcome. I’m sure you’d like to get back to the whole guardian thing.” Robyn said while stepping back. She would have loved to continue the conversation, but all of her instincts told her to run. Shen was clearly the guardian warned about in the town’s fables. It could easily eliminate the pests within its domain. In fact, there was no reason not to leave. Robyn grabbed Nicholas and quickly scooched back.

“Did you not come searching for power?” Shen asked with a tilted head. It was confused. Most who entered the Echoed Woods came for magical enlightenment or other-worldly powers. Shen was used to swatting away these types of intruders, yet these newcomers clearly had no ill intentions. Why did they enter this realm only to immediately leave?

“We did not. Good day.” Nicholas said with a blank statement. It was both a lie and the truth. They did come to increase their strength but not to the Echoed Woods specifically. The two were perfectly fine hunting in the Evergreen Forest. Nicholas visually displayed that thought by pulling Robyn back as Shen approached.

“More lies. They will not work on me, small one. I can bestow power upon you both, but you must prove yourself worthy of such a gift.” Shen said. It was interested in the duo. They seemed to have good hearts. If the two could prove themselves, Shen was more than willing to grant some more skills to them. Of course, that reward would not come easily.

“How do we do that?” Nicholas asked. It was obvious that they couldn’t back out of the realm. Shen was likely keeping them there, deciding what to do with the intruders. The team’s best option was to play along.

“Best me in combat. Do so and I will-”

“Activate [Lesser Animal Attraction]. [Command Animal]: All nearby animals must attack Shen, the guardian of the Echoed Woods.” Robyn said, immediately activating her skills.

“Wait, but-” Shen tried to say. A swarm of bugs burst from the ground and enveloped Shen. Birds flew down to peck at the superior griffin. Even the squirrels got involved by throwing their precious acorns at the guardian. The onslaught was enough to force Shen to step back, and Genesis was ready to announce its own reward for such a feat.

“[ANIMAL-LOVING PEASANT] HAS LEVELED UP. NEW SKILLS ACQUIRED. ADDITIONALLY, [ANIMAL-LOVING PEASANT] HAS REACHED THE MINIMAL LEVEL TO COMMENCE A CLASS CHANGE. PROPOSED CLASS: [COMMONER]. DO YOU ACCEPT?”