Reaching the glade and not feeling up to crawling through the thicket, Lan decided to walk around. He was almost all the way around it when he came face to face with the deer… It felt like a year had passed since he first saw the odd beast, and looking at it now, he thought he had a good idea of what had made the scream that had drawn his attention.

Lying on the ground and breathing slowly. Lan saw an animal covered in cuts with an arrow sticking out its hindquarter. Thinking back, he could guess how he had been able to fight the Goblin Knight without the other goblins interfering. They had been chasing the deer.

‘Looks like we both made it.’ Lan said, getting the deer’s attention; its eyes widened in recognition as it saw him before returning to normal. ‘Well, it looks like I owe you one.’ Lan added as he looked for a leaf.

Once he had a Large enough one, Lan walked over to the deer who, lowered its head and didn’t even try to move. It reminded Lan of the Ornithall before he pushed the thought aside as he looked at the deer's leg.

From what he had seen, the goblins’ arrows weren’t barbed, and Lan guessed the occasional twitches of the deer’s leg were a good sign that the damage wasn’t too bad. Not knowing much about human anatomy, let alone deer anatomy, Lan just hoped what he had was enough.

So with one more look at the deer that looked willing to allow him to do anything. Lan placed his left hand on the deer's leg and pulled the arrow with his right.

Lan got his confirmation that the scream had been the deer when it let off a short cry before dropping its head.

‘Sorry.’ He said, finding the fact that he had caused the animal pain, even if he had tried to help it, hard to bear.

Once the deer settled, Lan poured some of his potions onto the leaf and pushed it under the deer's head. He wasn’t sure how much or if it would help, but it was all he could do. And as the deer started to lap the red liquid, Lan felt that he could move on.

‘Light, when I asked if you were going to save the kingdom, I didn’t mean it,’ the red-haired guard said as he and the older guard looked at Lan as if he had walked through the Gates of Shail. Which thinking about it, he had.

‘Not yet.’ Lan said without thinking, making the two guards look at him oddly. Lan thought about telling them for a moment, but what he had to say was a little more complicated than just a Goblin Swarm now, so it was better to let the Guildmaster spread the information, he thought before shaking his head to clear it. He needed to focus.

‘In any case, you look like you need a healer.’ The older guard said.

‘Yeah, I think that’s a good idea.’ Lan said, placing his tag on the Keystone and nodding to the two guards before starting towards the guild.

‘Did… did I just see a Wisp following him.’ Lan heard the older guard ask.

‘How could you focus on anything other than his eyes?’ the younger returned.

Lan didn’t know what that was about. He just waved over his shoulder when the younger guard reminded him to see a healer. After a few moments, Lan learned that Tyr wasn’t hiding, as people started to gasp and make the sign of prayer. Luckily it only lasted for a moment before she seemed to spot something interesting and took off after it.

For a moment, Lan almost went after her, but it wasn’t like anyone could harm her, and it wasn’t like she wouldn’t come back, So Lan let her explore as he headed up the main road looking down so he didn’t trip and fall as he was sure that he wouldn’t be getting back up if he did.

‘Lan?’

Hearing his name, Lan looked up and felt his already low mood drop through the ground as he was greeted by the last people he wanted to see.

Standing there with stunned looks on their faces were Eliza and Lawrence, along with Eliza’s friends Dara, Mai and Charlotte, his old friends Aaron and Oris and Ganin. All of them, even Ganin, looked at him like they had seen a ghost.

Just when it looked like Eliza would say something, Lawrence burst out laughing, cutting her off and drawing more eyes to them.

‘Eliza, when you said that he had become an adventurer, I thought you were joking. Now I see that the only joke is the fool standing in front of us.’

‘Stop it, Lawrence, he looks hurt.’ Eliza tried before Dara butted in.

‘This has to be his first adventurer job, and just look at him. I bet he was attacked by a horned rabbit, and it almost killed him,’ the annoying girl squeaked.

‘Well, Lan. Come now, why don’t you tell us about your first hunt?’ Lawrence grinned victoriously as if he had won without even having to fight.

Lan just blinked at them; after what he had been through, all this just seemed… stupid. So with a sigh, Lan started passed them without even acknowledging that they were there.

‘Lan?’ he heard from Eliza before it was replaced with the sharp sound of steel meeting steel, bringing him to a stop.

Lan looked down, finding the tip of a rapier pointed at his armour. The sight was so jarring Lan felt his eyes open wider in surprise.

‘I see you didn’t learn from the last time you tried to ignore a noble, I don’t care how many times I have to teach it to you, but you will learn your place.’ Lawrence whispered. Although it wouldn’t have mattered if he screamed because Lan barely heard him as his blood began to race, the feeling that battle brought filling him and driving away the pain in his body.

Every instinct told Lan to strike down the threat in front of him as he straightened to his full height for the first time in a while, making the noble have to look up at Lan as he towered over him.

Through cold, calculating reason, Lan realised if the noble attacked him now, he would answer in kind no matter the consequences. After fighting for his life, again and again, his body was screaming for him to strike the moment the noble moved. But as Lan dropped his head to the noble's eye level so he could stare into them, he found none of the killing intent that the Razerwolves or the Goblins had had and felt disgusted with the failed excuse of a noble.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

After seeing Lord Oscar cow a prince of another land with just his will, seeing sadistic joy turn to fear and uncertainty in the eyes of the weak man who could only rely on the power of others in front of him made Lan angry.

Lawrence's face went white as if he could see Lan’s thoughts through his eyes.

‘Lawrence, you should stop,’ someone said, but Lan paid little attention to them as he stepped forward, making the noble’s blade tip slide along his chest plate until it caught on a crack and locked into place.

‘Lan!’ the voice went on as Lan looked at the sword and took another step, making the handle of the sword jab into Lawrence’s chest as his eyes widened and his strength fled him.

‘N-no wait…’ the man managed before Lan pushed forward, and the noble scrambled back and over his feet.

Lawrence’s sword hit the stone and skittered off, forgotten as the noble looked up at Lan, still trying to process what he was looking at.

‘You should watch your step, my lord. Otherwise, you might get yourself hurt.’ Lan warned as Lawrence's blank expression quickly twisted into one of humiliated rage before Lan looked at the others. Their stunned looks had turned to those of sheer horror in all but Ganin, who wore a look of twisted pride as if all his work at finally paid off.

Eliza looked both hurt and guilty, but to Lan, she was just one more of the faces.

‘Lan…’

Finding that none of them planned to stand in his way, Lan continued.

‘Lan! You’ll regret this!’ Lan heard the noble roar before one of the girls tried to console him.

Stepping into the Guild Hall, Lan was greeted by a packed lobby, all the tables were filled, and there were still a good twenty groups standing around and talking while making sure not to block the reception desks.

One of these groups, who noticed the quickly quieting hall and turned to find him was Locke and the others. When their eyes fell on him, all had a look of surprised amusement before they registered the state that he was in. Then they rushed over to him as if he could fall at any moment.

‘Lan! What the hell happened to you?’ Locke said, grabbing him by the shoulders while Drevin and Sora moved to his sides, ready to catch him if he was to fall.

‘It looks like you got run over by a pack of Oxhounds.’ Drevin said, taking his arm.

‘You need to see a healer.’ Olivia added, placing her hand on his chest as a gold light radiated from her hand.

[Targeted spell activated: Calming light – A warm light that can numb pain for short periods of time.]

The moment the magic took effect, Lan felt both drunk and as if he had just had a well-rested night.’

‘I knew you would be back.’ Cassandra chimed in with a nod.

‘Oh… o…okay.’ Lan said, taken aback that someone could look oddly proud while being completely stoic.

‘I’m so glad you’re okay.’ Vulk sniffed as he wiped away an unexpected tear.

‘What?’ Lan blinked, looking around as the others crowded around him. ‘I…’ he managed before Locke frowned at his eyes.

‘Olivia.’ The party leader said, and in a blink, Lan found his face cupped in the hands of the beautiful mage. Maybe it was because his senses had been working on high alert or the magic she had just used on him, but the softness of her hands shocked him, and the little serious pout on her face was a little too distracting.

‘Hmm, he’s fine,’ She sighed, ‘whatever it is, it’s coming from his body and not the effect of a foreign spell or status debuff.’ Olivia said, looking at his face before quickly looking away. At this, the others sighed along before staring at him.

‘Still, it’s a little off-putting, don’t you think.’ Vasha said, getting nods from the rest.

‘I think he broke his mark.’ Sora laughed, and the others joined him. Although to Lan, it seemed more like a laugh of relief than real humour.

‘What! What are you talking about.’ Lan asked, his whole reason for being there momentarily forgotten.

‘Sorry, it’s easy to forget that you are still new to all this,’ Locke started. ‘It’s said that sometimes you can see the sign of the Hunters Mark in the eyes of those with it as a small light in their pupils. Mostly in the heat of battle or in moments of strong emotion.’ Locke finished with a shrug, not saying if he believed it or not.

When Lan looked like he was still not getting it, he got his answer in the form of a mirror that Olivia conjured like she had before, although it didn’t help him understand what he was looking at any better.

It was a young man that looked like himself, only his face wasn't sunken or had his pale skin, instead having a healthy complexion. Although his hair was still a little wet and hung around his head. It looked almost like Obsidian, and that was to say nothing of the young man’s eyes. They looked like Lan’s, only a rich deep blue that he had never had, even as a boy, and the odd little flecks of gold that had made him once stand out now catch the light like molten gold.

But even that change was nothing compared to his pupils, which were now alive with a pure light framed by the black edge of his pupils.

Even with all this, it took a moment for it to sink in that Lan was looking at… himself. Sure, he had some points in charisma now, but it didn’t explain the night and day change. Even though he had been out for two days and his clothes and armour were a mess, he looked better than he had in years.

Lan wondered how much of this had to do with the Light mark and how much was it him finally looking as he was always meant to, as at least now he could start to see his charisma stat take effect. Most of it seemed to be the same features he shared with his father, only sharpened and enhanced by his mother’s own. He would have said he was handsome if he could bring himself to be a little more vain.

‘What happened to you?’ Vasha asked. ‘Most people don’t come out of the forest looking better than they went in.’ the Archer added, reminding Lan of what he needed to do and that the whole guild seemed to be looking at him.

‘Right, sorry, but I need to speak with the Guildmaster.’ At their concerned looks, Lan went on. ‘There something going on in the forest.’ just that was enough to spark something in Locke and the others, who shared a look before turning back to him.

‘That’s why there are so many of us sitting around. I think everyone here has noticed something off and was here to report it.’

‘You’ve seen the black mass too? Lan asked, thinking getting the others to believe him would be easier than he hoped.

‘Black mass?’ Locke frowned, ‘No, but I wouldn’t say that something like that isn’t out there with everything going on. Is that what left you like this?’

‘What? No,’ Lan said, shaking his head. ‘I spent the day running from Goblins only to end up being captured by a Goblin Swarm.’ Of course, this was enough to turn Locke and the others pale and get the attention of anyone who wasn’t already listening.

‘After interrogating me, they planned on having me fight goblins until I was killed, but before that could happen. Just when it looked like I was done for, a darkness fell on the Goblin Swarms camp, robbing the light and sound from the land it touched. In a moment, all the goblins, including the king and mage that had questioned me, were gone.’

Once Lan was done, he saw that the others were looking at each other with worried expressions, if not precisely believing ones.

‘What a load of horse shit!’ a voice Lan hadn’t heard before called from a group to their left as Locke and the others’ expressions changed to one of varying levels of hostility.

‘That’s enough, Bell.’ Locke warned

‘Come on, Locke, you’re telling me that this piece of trash was able to survive something that killed an entire Goblin Swarm. How…’ the man, Bell, trailed off as a golden light filled the guild hall.

Absently, Lan realised he could sense where Tyr was, even when she was a good deal away, as far as the other side of the city, which she had already been to and back before coming to find him.

Once again, she seemed to be examining him without a care for those staring open-mouthed at her now.

‘Uh… Lan. Is that a Wisp flying around you?’ Locke asked, for the first time since Lan met him, looking like he had been caught off guard by something. The rest were the same, and Lan started to feel like he had walked out of the house without his trousers or had spent the whole day walking around with a pair of red glowing lips on his face, he added begrudgingly as he looked to the now dumbfounded mage.

‘This… this is Tyr. She’s a Wisp.’ Lan added as if none of them could see that for themselves. ‘She’s the one that helped me get back, and her light was able to stop the darkness from enveloping me like it did the goblins.’ Lan said, waiting a moment for the information to sink in. ‘Oh, and she will be hanging around from now on.’