Selestra found herself sitting on top of fallen column, enjoying the cool breeze that brushed against her cheek. The scenery of the forest, sky, and ruins brought about a striking image. When she was growing up at her family's home, there would be plenty of artwork on display. She remembered running through her family's garden, hiding behind the statues as she hid from the servants. That kind of upbringing was very insulated, giving her the feeling that everything in the world could someday belong to her. With Selestra's father being a Duke, there was no end to those who tried to curry favors with their family. Princes would visit her home, and dance with her at the various balls. Going to the palace wasn't something unusual for her.
Thinking about these memories also brought up recent memories, where she was almost eaten by a monster. Her wet undergarments reminded her about how frightened she was. Before being eaten, a dashing hero, like those inside fairy tales, appeared and slew the beast. Then, with the power of a god, her hero vanquished the creatures and kissed her passionately. Before that moment, Selestra didn't know she had such a great classmate, the way his eyes seemed to draw her into their bottomless depths. His strong arms that held her dearly, not allowing anything to harm her.
She felt her face heat up, thinking about how his body felt against hers. It was such a perfect image, her being in danger and then being rescued. This pleasant memory also made her remember how arrogant she sounded, as she accused him of being a coward and leading her to show off. If she weren't so arrogant, there would not have been as many deaths as there were. At least four nobles were killed during the event. Thinking about those who were killed, made her realize how close to dying she was. Hunting monsters here wasn't like how it was with her father's guards and adventurers there to protect her.
After Yi had killed the remaining monsters, they had headed back to the junction to meet with the primary force. Yi had carried her in a princess carry, cause her legs were shaking so much from experience. She had tried to walk on her own, but when her legs gave out, Yi had quickly grabbed her, before she hit the ground. Without a word, he lifted her up into his arms and carried her the entire time.
When they returned to the junction, their teacher asked them what they were doing back, so soon. Yi had explained that they encountered thousands of monsters, deep in the tunnel, and how the creatures were stronger than what they were led to believe. This was especially true, considering how magic thrown by her students seemed not to affect them. Ha Yoon had then ordered them to head back to where they camped earlier. Upon returning, they were told to rest while their teacher tried to figure out what they should do. She invited Yi and some of the upper nobility to discuss what they were going to do. Selestra could understand why their teacher looked so distressed about these events. Monsters in these woods were not supposed to be above E-rank. This meant that all of them should have been easily able to kill these monsters. The fact that such high-level monsters were located here meant that something was wrong. With such a large number of monsters inside a nest said that they were breeding faster, and developing their strength. This usually only happened right before an Overflow, which still had several years to occur.
As a kid, Selestra had witnessed what happens during an Overflow. The city that her house ruled had reinforced all entrances and brought in all the farmers that were living outside the city walls. Each city was always prepared for siege or Overflow, so there was sufficient amount of provisions. When all preparations were finished, the sky had looked as if it was drenched in blood. During this time there were waves of monsters that roamed beyond the city walls. If you looked outside of the walls, it appeared as if the city existed in an ocean. City guards had to fight off monsters day and night, never knowing when it would all end. Each Overflow was never the same as the past event, so such an occurrence could last days or months. Eventually, they were able to fend off the creatures and make it to the end of the Overflow.
In the historical texts, there was an Overflow that lasted for an entire year. When the people of the world thought that they would be swallowed up by monsters, the gods had stepped in and smote them. The armies of the gods were endless, and each of the gods seemed to possess mighty powers. Their armor glimmered like the sun, and their weapons shot out destructive force. This event then created the current faith that the populace worshiped.
Since then, there has never been an Overflow that lasted as long as it had in the ancient texts. But the problem was that if an Overflow were happening soon, it would be far too early. Especially after the Empire had invaded them, and attacked Leafly village. The Kingdom is, likely, hesitant to retaliate against the Empire for this exact reason. An effort needs to be put in to resist the waves of monsters and the red sky.
Selestra clenched her fist in frustration, her magic ability which she was so proud of was powerless. What was she going to tell her father? Thoughts of doing training and getting stronger ran through her mind. Earlier, she thought about how going to school was a waste of time, and how the pace she was going was enough. There was no need for her to take on quests, like an adventurer, cause her background was sufficient to justify her path.
Glancing over, Selestra was torn from her thoughts, as she saw Yi walking past her. Jumping to the ground, she ran over to Yi. "Yi, how was the meeting with the teacher?" She asked, not caring about the meeting.
He looked back at her, smiling, and said, "Ha Yoon stated that we would be heading back to the city. Considering how powerful the monsters are, we are not prepared to fight them."
"But... W-with how powerful you are, surely, we could fight those creatures?" She stammered.
Yi placed his hand on her cheek, looking deep into her eyes, and replied, "I was able to bring out such strength cause I could not bear losing you. Protecting you helped bring out such strength."
Selestra could feel her face getting hotter, and begin to move towards him. His words seemed to cloud her thoughts and only reminded her about the feel of his chest and arms around her. When her body was nearly against his, a voice said, "Master, we will need to head back to the city, soon."
Startled, she looked at the source of that sound and noticed his servant looking at her. The way she looked, her mature looking body and beautiful face, caused Selestra to feel a tightening in her chest and anger deep within her. Instead of moving away from Yi, she stared back at his servant.
"I am sorry, Selestra, but I will need to get ready to leave. The class looks like it is almost finished preparing and ready to depart. I am happy to see that you are feeling better." Yi casually said, walking away with his servant in tow.
Realizing that she didn't thank him or suggest that they travel together, she cursed at the missed opportunity. Thinking about that hussy of a servant, getting in between her Master and Selestra's conversation, she gripped her fist tightly. Thinking of him hanging around such a beautiful woman wasn't acceptable in her book. A part of her understood that she was acting ridiculous, but she couldn't help but feel drawn to him. The way he easily defeated the monsters, while she was held in his powerful arms.
Selestra shook her head, banishing any more thoughts from her head. There were still things she needed to do, to get ready to head back to the city. She wanted to talk with Ha Yoon and learn if there were methods of increasing the power of her magic. Seeing the teacher's tent, where Yi and the others spoke, Selestra walked towards it. Before she entered the tent, she heard a voice yelling in anger, "You fucking slut, how dare you have us retreat! I will not run away from such a great opportunity, to demonstrate my great powers!"
Inside the tent, Selestra could hear her teacher's voice, whimpering, "But, Master, there are too many inside the nest. I am only doing this out of concern for you. Please, forgive me!"
A smack could be heard coming from the tent. "Do not talk back to me! I see that more training is necessary, considering how you are so willing to disobey me." The voice sounded cruel as if they enjoyed the thought of what was yet to come.
"Master, I can do better! There is no need for such training!" Ha Yoon's voice shrieked.
The voice began laughing, loudly. "You body seems to be saying otherwise. I bet you look forward to these sessions. I made sure to bring in new supply, which I know you enjoy greatly. When we return to the city, you will get to experience how displeased I am with you. I do not care what father says, you are mine, and I will do what I wish with you." Footsteps were heard heading towards the entrance.
Hearing the voice walking towards her, she quickly ran to the back of the tent and hoped that this voice did not hear her. Though she didn't think there was any reason to be cautious, considering her father's power, the experience inside the nest had given her a sense of understanding that overconfidence can lead to one's downfall.
Going back to the front of the tent, she walked in and saw Ha Yoon's back facing towards her. Her teacher's shoulders were moving oddly, so she cautiously asked, "Teacher?"
Ha Yoon jumped in surprise and whipped around, to look at Selestra standing at the entrance. Her teacher's face was red, and she stammered, "S-S-Selestra, what b-brings you here?"
"Teacher, I came to ask for your advice," Selestra asked, trying to ignore the awkward atmosphere, within the tent.
"What can I help you with?" Ha Yoon managed to regain her usual demeanor.
Feeling a little ashamed for having to ask this, she said, "I was wondering if there are ways to increase the power of my magical spells?"
Ha Yoon gave a sigh, and thinking about it for a minute she replied, "There is no easy way to increase an individual's magical power, I am afraid. Is this about what happened inside of the nest?"
Looking at the ground, Selestra nodded. "Inside the nest, I was close to being eaten as I watched all of my classmates fight. When I was staring at the monster before it was about to eat me, I thought about all the things I regret not having done. Having those types of thoughts are not what I want to experience again. Yi was able to save me, and I want to be able to be there for him." She blushed at the last part, feeling embarrassed at her feelings.
Her teacher stood there, mulling over what she had said. "If you are serious about becoming stronger, the best way is to increase your practical experience. This is the reason why our Academy puts such an emphasis on all our students going into the field. The problem is that, though our academy does value practical experience the amount of increase you are likely hoping for is not possible inside of the Academy." Seeing Selestra's sad expression, she hurriedly said, "but if you are okay with it, becoming an adventurer would help build up your strength. Many adventurers quickly develop their talents, going on quests and taking on requests from various nations."
Hearing this, Selestra felt ecstatic that there was a method for her to become stronger. Before going on this school trip, she had never considered the life of an adventurer as being something that was in her possibility. Who ever heard of a Duke's daughter going out and subjugating monsters and demons? "What would I do about school and classes?" She asked her teacher.
"You would likely take time off from classes, but you would not lose your acceptance into the school. Depending on the requests you take up, as an adventurer, you would receive credit towards graduation. It is a convenient method that was developed." Ha Yoon explained to Selestra.
Hearing her teacher's explanation, Selestra headed out of the tent. They discussed minor things, mainly tips on doing well as an adventurer. Watching the other students make their way out of the ruins, she followed after them. Considering that there were no monsters inside the forest, and weren't doing any training, they headed towards the city, together.
Selestra walked into her home, within the city, and felt a sense of relief. With her status, she was allowed to move into one of the housing units and bring her servants with her. In front of the house, several guards were assigned by her father to look after her residence. They tried to come with her, into the forest, but she was adamant about not needing them to protect her. With her strong magical powers, Selestra was confident that she would be able to defeat monsters that even a D-ranked adventurer could handle.
When she remembered that moment, her legs gave out a little. "My Lady! Are you alright?!" A guard asked her, rushing to her side.
"I am alright, Charles. Thank you. I guess I am a bit tired after arriving from the class trip." She lied, not wanting to tell other people about it.
"Oh course! Please, come inside, and one of the cooks will prepare you a delicious meal." Charles escorted her inside, worried that she was going to collapse.
Seeing how earnest her guards were about her safety made Selestra happy to be back home. At the same time, there were thoughts about how she was living inside of a bubble and surrounded by those who protected her from the reality of the world. Within her house, there were ten guards, five maids, three cooks, and two landscapers. Though this may look like a lot, it was something she felt like was needed to reflect her status. Now, coming back home it seemed like unnecessary fluff.
Seeing what was out there had woken her up to the current situation. Though guards usually surrounded nobles, there may be a situation where there wouldn't be guards to protect her. She would need to be capable enough to defend herself. Monsters and demons were not the only things she needed to defend herself against. There were plenty of political enemies that would, and have, tried to harm her. When she was a child, Selestra was kidnapped to apply pressure to her father. Selestra remembered how she had cried, asking them to let her go but they ignored her and provided only a little amount of food. Thinking that no one was going to come and save her, she fell into depression. Shortly after, her father's men had crashed into the abandoned building and rescued her.
"My Lady, thank the goddess that you were able to arrive safely!", the head maid cried out, holding her tightly.
"Meredith, there was nothing to be afraid of. I told you that the monsters were not that powerful." Selestra tried to reassure her head maid.
Meredith continued to cry into her chest, holding her as if she would never let Selestra go. When she stopped crying, Meredith got back up and fixed her clothing.
"The Lady needs to eat something, she is looking a little fatigued from her travels," Charles told Meredith.
Nodding her head in agreement, she went back to the kitchen to have the cook prepare a meal. Selestra took a seat at the table and relaxed on the comfortable chair. Being back in the city was preferable to her time in the woods. This would be something she would need to break if she was going to become an adventurer.
Once the food was prepared, it was carried over to the table. There were various dishes, like roasted pheasant, salad, and soup. Selestra dug into the food with gusto, savoring the different flavors. The taste was vastly better than the travel rations she ate. When she started to feel herself getting full, she looked up at Charles and Meredith. "I need to talk to you two about something," Selestra said in a serious voice.
Seeing the determination in her eyes, the two of them just nodded their heads.
"I have decided to put my schooling on hold, and become an adventurer." She held up her hand when she saw them begin to protest. "This is not an easy decision that I have reached. Going on the school trip has taught me that I am not ready for what is out there in the world."
"There is no reason for the Miss to need to become an adventurer! Us, guards, are here to protect you and make sure that you are safe from harm!" Charles tried to reason with her.
"Charles is correct! The Miss needs not worry about the dangers of this world, and instead, should continue training to earn a title or marry into another family!" Meredith exclaimed, looking at Charles for him to stop her from making such a rash decision.
"Things such as titles and honor does not mean anything, especially in the face of those with more power than you!" Selestra slammed her fist on top of the table, trying to keep it from shaking. "For me to just rely on my magic, at its current strength, is not a smart decision, on my part. I understand that the two of you are worried about me, but this is something I need to pursue."
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"Miss..." Charles reached out towards her, concern in his voice.
Standing up, Selestra started to head towards her bedroom. "I am tired and weary after my journey. Tomorrow, I will be going over to the Adventurer's Guild and signing up to become an adventurer."
Waking up from her restful nap, Selestra stared up at the ceiling. As she laid on top of her comfortable bed, with her many pillows around her, she wondered whether if this was the best choice for her. As a noble, there were many paths she could take instead of what she was heading towards. What sealed the deal, in her mind, was the look the creature gave to her as it was about to devour her.
Getting changed, she walked out of her room and headed towards the dining area. Charles and Meredith were waiting for her, with her food already placed on the table. She could never figure out how the food was prepared for her when she woke up. This was likely the product of the many years her maids trained for.
Sitting down at the table, she quietly ate her food. Charles and Meredith could sense that she didn't want to talk about the matter of her going to the Adventurer's Guild, so they stayed silent on the issue.
Inside of the Tower, Selestra walked over to the kiosk marked "Adventurer's Guild" and approached the woman. The worker looked a little older than her, with straight black hair and glasses. She would be described as petite if guys were to look at her.
The woman looked at her and smiled, saying, "Welcome to the Adventurer's Guild. Are you here to complete a request or to pick up a new one?"
"I am here to sign up and become an adventurer," Selestra told the woman.
Not looking surprised by this request, the woman asked, "As a student of the Academy, your Student ID will be used as your adventurer ID. "
When Selestra had handed over her ID to the woman, she placed Selestra's ID over a device. It was similar looking to the various scanners all throughout the Academy. The scanner was the size of a person's fist and as thin as a finger. From what she knew of this device, the scanner had the ability to read the sequence of mana flowing through the card. All magic was built from a series of varying strength of mana. This explains how mana inside of a person knows whether it should be a fire bolt or firestorm.
Once the process was complete, the woman handed her card back to her. Looking at her card, she could see that the information was updated to include the new information.
"Though you are lower B-rank, I would recommend that start off at D-rank missions, to get used to the difficulty level in a request. The biggest mistake that new adventurers make is not getting used to the ranking level, so they take on a request that they are not ready for." The woman explained to her.
"I appreciate your suggestion, and will take it to heart," Selestra responded, understanding the weight of the woman's words.
"If you are looking for a team to work in, we have several groups that are looking for a powerful mage, such as yourself. You can view the various teams on the board behind you. On the other side are the requests for this area. Each of the different guild branches will have different requests. Behind me, you will see any requests that are requesting adventurers, not within the local area. These are usually requests that are looking for A-rank and above individuals." The woman further explained. "For any additional questions, my name is Sally. I am one of the workers at the Academy branch." Sally introduced herself.
Thanking Sally, Selestra moved toward the board and looked at papers which had a broad range of groups looking for different roles. Some teams were looking for someone that could scout and look for traps, while others were looking for a strong individual that could take on a lot of damage for drawing in the enemy. Reaching out of the board, she used her finger to check each flyer. Selestra finally found a flyer that asked for a mage. They even included a ranking range that they would accept. She just barely scraped by, considering they were looking for someone between lower C-rank to mid B-rank. The paper said they would be meeting up at around noon, each day, before heading off to do training.
The meeting place was the entrance into the city. This would give her enough time to gather some supplies and update her armor. Usually, a mage wouldn't wear too much armor, but Selestra now understood that the world was never predictable. Just because an area was meant for a particular rank, it didn't mean that this would be the case.
Stopping by her place, she informed Charles and Meredith about what she would be doing. They were still unhappy that she decided to become an adventurer, but they were relieved that she would be joining a group. Charles requested that he should go with her when she was looking for equipment, so the two of them headed off to the outer city to visit stores selling armor and weapons.
When she reached the entrance into the city, Selestra was wearing light plate armor. The armor wasn't the type that knights would wear, but would fit her fighting style. Her chest was completely protected, along with her shoulders, thighs, shins, and forearms. The areas that didn't have plate was covered in a flexible leather. Compared to the school trip, she was more heavily armored. With the amount she was wearing, Selestra could feel more comfortable going into the world. Also, the armor would help her to increase her strength and endurance. At the store, she also picked up a new magic staff to improve her fire magic and defend herself with and a one-handed sword.
After she had been kidnapped, her father had ordered the guards to give her some rudimentary fighting skills. Being a mage, she received some training in using a sword but mainly in using a magical staff. This is how she should have initially gone in, but she allowed her arrogance to blind her. Though she may be a strong mage, compared to adventurers, she was still weak.
While checking herself, she heard a group of people approaching. Looking up, Selestra saw a team of six individuals heading her way.
"Are you here, in regarding the notice that we place at the Adventurer's Guild?" A well-built man, wearing heavy armor, asked.
"My name is Selestra, and I am a B-ranked student at the Academy." She answered.
A couple of the adventurers looked doubtful about her abilities. The heavy armored individual, who looked like the leader, asked, "for a mage, you're wearing a lot of armor." When he saw the expression on her face, he quickly said, "it's just unusual to see a mage with so much on."
Trying to hold back a big sigh, Selestra responded, "I have gained some experience fighting against monsters, and learned not to assume a situation to be as easy as it seems. It is always better to be overprepared for a scenario than to be left in a position where you are in trouble."
Hearing her response, many of the ones that doubted her began to nod their heads in agreement. "It's good to hear you say that. Many new adventurers go out into the world thinking everything will be easy." A bunny eared woman said to her.
Based on her light gear and bow on her back, Selestra thought she was the scout of the group. The rabbit people were well known for their hearing ability and quick reflexes, so she would have an advantage when it comes to finding enemies and getting back to the group.
Once they had finished introducing themselves, they followed the road away from the city. Unlike her class, they didn't head towards the forest, which made her relax. "I heard that the forest is filled with low-level monsters. Are we not heading towards there?" She asked, trying to learn more about that place.
"You should stay away from there. It may have been a good place to train, but now it has become an odd place where many adventurers have gone missing. It hasn't become so severe where the Guild will step in and put our a special subjugation request, but it's slowly becoming known as a place that new adventurers should stay away from. We are hoping the Guild finally recognizes this, so that people stop going there." Albert a swordsman, who uses magic to boost his fighting ability, told her.
"We only know this because many of our friends have never returned, after heading there to gain experience." Sarah, the bunny-eared woman, informed her. Her face looked depressed as she remembered her comrades.
"There is a field that monsters tend to congregate. The monsters there tend to be around D-rank, so it's a good place to visit for developing teams." Frank, the heavy armored leader, told her.
Seeing Selestra look a little anxious, Sarah placed a hand on her shoulder saying, "Our group is large enough where it's not easy for us to be overwhelmed. We understand how dangerous being an adventurer is, so we tend to be cautious."
Hearing Sarah tell her this, Selestra was able to relax a little bit. It was very different from how nobles acted, overconfident in their abilities. She felt like it was a good thing for her to join a group, instead of going out on her own.
The trip to their destination was relatively long, the sun getting ready to set. Frank informed Selestra that the group would need to camp for the night, instead of going directly to the field. "This is a relatively safe area, so we won't have to worry about stray monsters or bandits. We'll still set up a night watch, just in case. You'll be paired up with Sarah for the first shift." Frank let her know, as she was pitching her tent.
Away from the city and out in the open, the stars looked beautiful the way they filled the sky. Selestra and Sarah stood ways away from the camp, looking around them and listening to any signs of an intruder. The dark looked ominous the way it seemed hide everything. With the stars out, there were plenty of shadows that seemed to move around. She kept imagining creatures lurking around them, which didn't help her experience in the dark.
"What made you decide to become an adventurer?" Sarah asked her, suddenly.
Startled by the sudden noise, Selestra calmed down when she realized that it was Sarah asking her a question. Pondering the question, she softly responded, "I realized that I was overestimating my abilities and that I needed to become stronger."
"Does it have anything to do with the forest?" Sarah asked.
"How..." Selestra was startled by how sharp Sarah was.
"When Frank was telling you about the forest, I noticed that you looked frightened by it. You tried to hide it, but it was fairly obvious." Sarah told her.
Hearing how everyone in the group probably knew about her being a coward, Selestra hung her head.
"There's nothing wrong with being scared. I don't know what you went through inside there, but it isn't something you should feel ashamed about. Just by the equipment, you're wearing; the experience is something you learned from." Sarah tried to comfort her.
Raising her head, Selestra was glad to hear that Sarah didn't look down at her.
When it was the end of their shift, Selestra headed towards her tent and went to sleep knowing that she was with kind people.
The next day, Selestra was woken up from someone shaking her tent. Having to wake up so early, she was still a little groggy. Digging around in her pack, Selestra grabbed some dried meat to eat for breakfast. Packing her sleeping gear into her pack, so pulled it out of the tent. With a piece of meat between her teeth, Selestra saw that everyone else was taking down their tents. A couple of them, including Sarah, called out to her and wished her a good morning. In a couple of minutes, her tent was already taken down and attached to her pack.
When everyone was ready to depart, they continued on their journey towards the fields. The grass still had morning dew on them, which made her shoes all wet. From her experience in the forest, Selestra was glad that she got shoes that could hold out against the morning dew. There wasn't anything worse than wet shoes, which could lead to blisters on her feet. With her magical abilities, she could use her fire magic to dry out her shoes but thought that it would waste a lot of time and leave a bad impression with the group.
The sun was starting to reach its height when they reached the fields. Earlier, Sarah had shown her some of the hand signals they used in the field, before taking off ahead of them. With her job as the scout, she usually went ahead of the group to let them know if any trouble was coming their way. They saw her coming their way and began to ready themselves. Usually, Sarah would wait for them to come to her if there wasn't anything in front of them.
"There are a group of monsters ahead of us. There are maybe five of them, but they look like low-level creatures, so we should have no problems with dealing with them." Sarah let them know.
Nodding his head, Frank spoke to the group, "you heard Sarah. We will be facing a group of monsters. Even though they are low-level monsters, I want all of us to approach them with caution. Sarah will go ahead and draw a couple of them towards us. I want Al and Pete to stand on the left side, while Chris and Sally will be on the right side. When the monsters get into the center, both side will attack the monsters near them." Looking at Selestra, Frank said, "I want you to stay behind me in the center, and cast fire spells at the beasts."
Everyone in the group nodded in agreement. There was plenty of high grass on the field so the people assigned to the sides would be able to crouch down and stay hidden. The way they moved let Selestra know that this was something they had done numerous times.
When they were in position, Frank signaled Sarah to draw the monsters towards them. Raising her bow, Sarah nocked an arrow and drew the string. Aiming at the nearest monster, Sarah fired the arrow. Hitting one of the creatures in the head, she quickly ran back towards the group and stood behind Selestra.
Looking like people on their hands and feet, the monsters were the size of a full grown adult but with leathery looking skin and a skull-like head. Half of the group scampered towards them. Seeing Frank carrying a tower shield, they headed straight for him.
"Selestra, it's your turn now," Frank told her.
Moving from behind Frank, Selestra took up a fighting position with her staff. Gathering the mana from deep inside of her, she began her spell, "Go and burn all enemies ahead of me, Fire Bolt!!" Ahead of her staff, four bolts appeared and streaked towards the monsters. Only half of the bolts hit. The two monsters that were struck by her magic were flung back, with the bolt embedded in them. Screeching in pain, the monsters tried to get back up but were a lot slower than previously.
The one remaining rushed towards Frank and clashed against his shield. "Now!!!" Frank shouted toward the two groups hiding, before pushing the monster off of him. Using his sword, Frank swung the blade down and hit the monster on its shoulder. Black goo came squirting out of the creature. Even with the sword stuck in its shoulder, the beast continued to try to attack Frank. Using his boot, he kicked the creature away and pulled out his weapon. Throwing away his shield, he rushed the creature and plunged the sword into the creature's chest. It fell onto its back no longer moving.
When Selestra looked, she saw that the other two groups had taken care of the remaining two that were hit by her Fire Bolt. When the three monsters were killed, they went after the remaining two. Selestra shot another series of Fire Bolts and finished them off.
"Everyone did a great job!" Frank congratulated everyone. Though the group wasn't very large, the stress of fighting against monsters had sapped their stamina. Everyone looked tired and glad that the fight was over. Dragging the corpses into a pile, the started to dissect them. When Frank saw the confused look in Selestra's eyes, he told her, "various parts of these monsters can be taken to the Guild's warehouse. They store the parts to be categorized and sent to individuals who use them. If we take care of the bodies, ahead of time, the Guild usually gives us a bigger reward."
Understanding the importance of this job, Selestra said, "even though hunting monsters is dangerous, it seems like a worthwhile venture."
"Yes. Many industries rely on adventurers to go and hunt monsters, to gather these ingredients." Sarah agreed with her. "What did you think about your first experience in hunting monster?" She asked Selestra.
"It seemed very organized, how everyone had a part to play in. I hope that you will take me out to experience this more." She asked the group.
"Hahaha!! I'm glad that you felt that way. You have strong magical abilities, so we look forward to working with you." Frank told her. "We often go hunting monsters, usually in this area, so you are invited to join us. When we reached the city, each of us goes our way and meet up the next day at the same time. If you're still interested in hunting with us, you are free to meet us at the entrance."
"Thank You! I look forward to going out and hunting more monsters." Selestra said to the group.
The way back to the city was a bit more casual, considering there were likely no monsters in their path. Sarah still scouted ahead of them, but the people in the group were more light-hearted and talked about what they were going to do with their money. Instead of camping at night, they continued past when the sun went down. In the distance, Selestra could see the city lit up at night. Coming back home after a successful hunt was a good feeling.
Several days had passed since the school trip into the forest. Han was walking around the city, enjoying the nightlife. Many people were having fun at the various pubs and restaurants. Compared to the inner city, the outer seemed more welcoming.
Wanting to see the city by himself, Han had left behind Helania, Queen, and Brittany, in addition to both Anacolis and Aracia, who had arrived in the city ahead of him. Considering he had taken care of the monsters, inside of the nest, he thought it would be better for them to go towards the city instead of meeting with him while he was with the class.
Thinking about the school trip, Han chuckled to himself thinking about that girl. With the way she was acting, it was evident that she had developed feelings for him. Developing a scenario like that was the reason why he had not killed off all the monsters or let Brittany handle all of them. With that girl's arrogant personality, he thought it would be interesting to see where it would go with her. Even though he had his creations, Han didn't have much experience where he was the one holding all the cards in a relationship, so he was curious as to what it would be like. He remembered how people talked about the Suspension Bridge effect, where girls in dangerous situations would develop feelings for their savior. Han recognized that he had a weakness for bitchy girls, but usually would be put into bad relationships, so he decided to try this out on someone that lacked life experience and lived inside of a bubble.
Han figured that when he became bored with her, he could always toss her to the side. He may be projecting some of his past experiences onto this girl, but he shrugged at the thought.
Seeing a pub that he would enjoy, Han walked into the establishment. The double doors were opened, to invite new customers into coming into the pub. Inside of the pub looked vastly different from those on Earth. Instead of having TVs all over the place and blaring music, there were tons of table with people just talking and little decoration to be seen. Even though it didn't look like a place that had a lot of money, the exposed wood gave a peaceful feel to it. There was the occasional loud laughing or mug falling to the ground after someone had one too many to drink.
A cute waitress approached him, and asked, "how many are there going to be with you?"
"It will be just me, tonight." He answered, flashing her a smile.
Blushing a little, the girl directed him to a seat at the bar. Han thought it was interesting how the bar looked to those on Earth. There was a solid plank of wood that was polished, with a female bartender fetching people drinks. Behind the woman, there were several bottles of varying shapes and sizes. As he enjoyed the view of the place, the bartender approached him.
"What will you be having?" the woman asked him.
"What do you recommend?" He asked, unsure of that they served inside this fantasy world.
"We have some fermented nectar, called Sweety. It may not be strong, but it is a favorite for many." She informed him.
"I'll try that." Han placed a gold coin onto the bar.
Seeing him casually set a significant amount of money on the bar, the bartender said, "Sir, a Sweety is only worth fifteen coppers."
Waving his hand, to indicate that it didn't matter, Han answered, "just keep bringing me something to drink, and anything remaining will be your tip."
"Thank you!" The woman said with a smile. She began mixing various liquids into a mug and placed it in front of him. Taking the coin, the bartender tucked it between her breasts.
Han took the mug and drank a little of the contents. It reminded him of mead, but a little harder taste to it. There were some fruity flavors mixed in, which was probably what she added. Enjoying the relaxing atmosphere, Han comfortably sat there while drinking his beverage.
Several drinks later, Han was feeling a little buzzed and enjoyed the euphoric feeling. To prevent him from transitioning to being drunk, he set his body to resist a certain level of alcohol. This made it so that Han could enjoy drinking as much as he wanted, without getting wasted. He wished that he had this ability back when he was in school and going to all those fraternity and sorority parties.
"What brings you to a pub, drinking by yourself?" The bartender asked after many of the patrons had left for the night.
"You could say that I just felt like enjoying the night, just me and my thoughts." He said to her.
"For such a young man, what thoughts are you so seriously thinking about?" She joked, keeping the mood pleasant.
"I think about where I should go. Before, I would just try to follow what my parents were planning for me, and I have the opportunity to pave my way." He said out loud.
The bartender thought about his words, as she started cleaning the different glasses. "Sounds like you're in an optimum situation?" She remarked.
"Yes. You could say that." Han laughed. Looking at the bartender, he had a thought. "What do you think about this world?" He casually asked her.
"What do you mean?" She asked, looking a little confused.
"What have your experiences been like, day to day? Are there things you wished were different or are you okay with how the world is like?" He followed up.
Looking for how to respond to his questions, she took a moment to think about it. "The one thing I would say is that I sometimes wished this world was a little more welcoming." She said, at last.
"How so?" Now it was Han's turn to be confused.
"It feels like this world is set up so that everyone is always worried about what the future holds. Regardless of whether you're a commoner or noble, there lies a certain degree of anxiety which contributes towards people acting selfishly. It would be nice if a situation where people could happily live with one another could appear." Her face looked happy, thinking about such a romantic idea.
"That would be a nice world to live in," he agreed.
As they talked about various topics, the bartender had to close up the shop. Feeling a little like a gentleman, Han offered to help her close up her shop. All of her employees had already left for the night, so she was left with doing some final work before closing up the shop.
Exiting the pub, the two of them stood in the dark. All the other shops had closed for the night, so the only illumination was from the stars.
"With it being so dark, how about I walk you to your home?" Han offered her.
"Thank you; I would appreciate that greatly. Whenever the city goes to sleep, it makes heading back home a little apprehensive." She said to Han. "Oh my, I forgot to tell you my name during this entire time." The bartender said laughing at how forgetful she was. "My name is Hannah, and I am the owner of the Wandering Traveler."
"Hello, Hannah. I am Han Yi, and you can call me Yi." He introduced himself.
The two of them walked through the dark streets, with the occasional street light providing some relief from the dark. Their footsteps seemed to echo in the darkness. Han thought about how different a fantasy world was like, compared to a modern city. Where he live, the city never seemed to sleep and had shops that were always opened. In this place, there didn't appear to be anyone that was still awake.
Hannah told him that she lived within the residential area of the outer city. Compared to the rest of the city, the residential area seemed to look worn down in the dark. There was a slight stench in the air, likely from improper waste disposal.
"I apologize for asking you to walk me home." Hannah sounded guilty, once the smell started to become prevalent.
"You do not need to apologize. What kind of person could I be, have a lady walk to her home, alone and in the dark?" He told her cheerfully.
"Seems like there are still gentlemen out in the world," Hannah laughed, sounding more relaxed.
Her home was a small two-story building, with a stairway on the side leading to another door. "I live on the upper half of this building." She explained to him. As she stepped on the stairway, getting ready to go up to her home, she turned around and said, "Yi, thank you, for being a gentleman and walking me back to my home."
Watching as she walked up the stairs and entered into her home, Han turned towards the street and started to walk back to his place where people were waiting for him.