"Alright. Remember what I've told you about possible rewards. Work as hard as you can. There's no such thing as free dough in this world! Don't even think about coming back empty-handed! You lot should earn your keep if you want to make it big. Now fuck off.", Lorence shouted as he addressed his men before heading into the Evening Forest.

He was feeling confident without a shred of nervousness at all as if he was just taking another stroll through town. He couldn't help but smile brightly as he was thinking about what kind of expression his personal aide is going to make once he comes back after a sucessful expedition. And at same time, he also thought about how his father would finally give him a little bit of attention, and hopefully realize that he had potential.

Because he was the only child in his family, he wasn't a fool to notice that his father was overprotective of him. Because of that, he would often be sent into "missions" or whatever his father called it. He was embarassed to show his face to other noble children who've gone to explore the world, that were even younger than he was!

'I'll prove to them that I'm not just some sort of decoration', Lorence declared. While wielding a torch at his left hand, he unsheated his sword using his right, and together with twenty soldiers and a mage, his hunting party went deeper into the Evening Forest.

The Evening Forest got it's name because if one were to walk into it, they would get the feeling that the day was approaching evening time. Massive trees are rooted in the forest that you would need at least five people with arms out stretched to completely hug one tree. It was because of these large trees that the sky was completely covered with their lush dark green leaves, resulting in the illusion that it was night time in the forest even though it's not. And although the native creatures inside the forest are immune to this illusion, it doesn't mean that travellers are. One could easily lose their way, trip and fall to their deaths, or be ambushed by monstrous creatures when they lost track of time not realizing it was actually day-time when the monsters usually hunt.

Additionally, as said earlier, the forest was home to diffrent creatures ranging from natural fauna in the area that can be used for pelts and meat like Brown Honey Deers and Silver-line rabbits, to low-level monsters such as goblins, monster wolves, and rabid gnomes. There were also rumours about trolls and ogres lurking about in the deeper parts of the forest. Though on the outside, all of the danger it posed make for it to be the barest minimum when considering danger zones. The dangers were small so why was it feared?

So minimal in fact, that Silver and Gold ranked adventurers can freely stroll unhindered within it in the past. Well, all of that changed approximately 500 years ago when a high level Grand Mage of the Union Empire decided to head into the deepest parts of the forest for research. He never made it back nor was there any trace of his corpse. Multiple sensory type spells were casted on the forest in search of his aura, but nothing was ever found. A being that can hold significant power in society just vanished like thin air. What happened to him and what he found deep in the forest was a mystery still unsolved to this day. But one thing was for certain, no fool would make the same mistake he did.

It was said in the ancient records that the forest sprouted thousands of years ago in the past. Even before the beginning of the devastating First Overgod War between almost all the races and deities of the realm. The first tree took it's root on what once was a lush green meadow. For many years after that, trees grew one after another therefore attracting all sorts of wildlife and monster creatures.

And even though the Evening Forest was considered not the most dangerous of danger zones, it was definitely one of the most mysterious. A place that even a Grand Mage can just vanish without a trace isn't a place that you could ever underestimate. This resulted to a lot of trading routes veering away from the forest, and giving up on cutting a road through it. After all, it was better to be safe than sorry. Who knew if a dragon made it's nest there, or if a greater devil lurks within. 

It was exactly in this mysterious forest that Arterion was currently holding a torch and walking by himself. Rustling the shrubbery and hopping up and down on the huge snaking roots of the trees. He was diligently searching for anything that he can bring back so he could finish early. A minute spared is a minute that can guarantee his life.

Not minding the rumours regarding this forest, he continued his search without a care in the world. He was always a person of complete focus. If he set his mind into doing something, he'll do it no matter what, especially if it concerned his life. He knew that if he did this half-assed and return with a mediocre harvest, Sir Lorence wouldn't care if he was a good slave. He'll probably slash him in two and it was never going to be a repeat of the last time he got slashed by a sword.

Thinking of this, he went ever so deeper into the forest. Making sure he never lost his way, he upturned any possible spots that may house resources he can possibly bring back. He already found different flowers that can be made for tea, which is currently in his straw weaved basket. It wasn't until he saw something glowing in the shrubbery up-ahead that his eyes lit up with glee. When was he this lucky? That must be some sort of rare material.

He dashed towards the glowing light and he saw a large mushroom the size of his hand. But compared to other mushrooms, it was transparent with a purple color. If one didn't touch it, one would mistake it for a purple crystal the shape of a mushroom.

'I really hit the jackpot', Arterion thought with a laugh. He could easily go back immediately with this. Even though he was quite deep into the forest, he was just approximately two hours away from camp. In two hours he'll be scot-free! He breathed a sigh of relief as he reached out to pick up the mushroom.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Oi oi, what d'ya have here young man?", a voice came out nowhere.

Arterion's face immediately went sour as he looked back to see a smug-faced soldier grinning with his sword drawn. He was bald and had an overly grown beard that stretched up to his neck that when coupled with his fairly large body it made him look brutish and quite barbaric. He looked liked an over-sized dwarf. Arterion recognized this man as one of the rowdy ones among the soldiers. He would often get into brawls with others while they were on camp. He's exactly the last person he'd want to come across here. While Arterion was cursing his misfortune again, the soldier continued...

"What'cha got there hmm?.... OH! That's looks quite fuckin' precious! Hehehaha! That thing you have there. I don't know what it is but it's all glowing and shit, so it must be good stuff huh?", and with a hearty laugh he slowly walked forwards to Arterion, sword still unsheathed.

"Listen kid, I'll cut the crap. You better give me that thing before I bash your fucking head in. I'm a soldier not a fucking farmer. I don't wanna put up with this shit. Ya hear me?", the soldier's voice grew serious as he said the last sentence. He also pointed his sword at Arterion who was just three metres away.

More than being nervous, Arterion was furious. This was his ticket to safety and it's just going to be snatched away by this cretin of a man. But he had no choice. Even if he could escape, if he didn't kill this man he'll definitely hunt him down even after he was free. With the way he is now, no one would protect him. After all, this was also the soldier's ticket to getting a handsome reward, so any hesitation on his part can be compared to robbing the man.

"I'll give it to you, just let me go," Arterion replied while gritting his teeth and clenching his fists so hard that his nails dug deep in his palms.

He felt jinxed. Just as he thought he was lucky, another wave of misfortune had hit him. There was no way to compromise and no way out. He was powerless. He couldn't do anything but take the beating again and again and again. It would take him another two hours of collecting at most to recover this loss.

Seeing Arterion agreeing and handing him the mushroom as he walked away, the soldier grinned, revealing his yellow-stained teeth as he turned to Arterion's direction and said, "Wise choice young man, ye'r definitely one of the smartest ones! But..."

Suddenly, he slashed his sword at Arterion's back!

Arterion's reflex kicked in as he barely managed to turn and dodge the sudden attack. He fell down on his behind as he stared at the soldier with disbelief in his eyes. With no time to even process what happened, another strike went crashing down towards his face. Arterion pupils shrank as he saw the coming blade. Pushing himself backwards, the sword nicked a part of his forehead which immediately bled. Blood was flowing all over his face. He wiped the blood covering his eyes and saw the soldier standing in front of him with a sinister smile.

"Ya see, I wasn't picked by that baby-faced bastard to be a part of his hunting party. I've been itching to kill ever since we started marching. But there wasn't anything to kill! I thought about going to this damned shit-hole of a forest might give me some action, but now I'm here picking weeds and shit!," the soldier then spat out some saliva to the side as he finished talking.

He continued, "And that brings me to you, young man! Hahaha! Ye'r just here at the right place at the right time. Honestly, even if I admitted to killing you here, I'll just pay with some coins and that's that. How much are you worth? 5 gold pieces? 50 silver coins? That's easy to scrounge up. But nobody's gonna know what happened to ya now, don't they? Just lie there like dog and let me slaugther you. You can only blame your misfortune for meeting me here."

While the soldier was laughing loudly and closing in on him, Arterion thought about what the soldier said. 'I can only blame my misfortune huh?' So this is how he'll finally die. Arterion Licht Christie, died like a farm animal in the middle of the forest, to a man who decided to kill him on a whim. What a story. Seriously, what the fuck. How miserable can he get.

In what seemed to be Arterion's last hoorah, he picked up an amount full of dirt and pebbles in both of his hands. He then threw them directly into the soldier's face in hopes of blinding him for a moment. The soldier was irritated with the amount of dirt that settled in his eyes as well as tiny pebbles going into his eyelids making him miss the majority of his assault. With this opening, Arterion dashed deeper into the forest. He was already quite wounded. Knowing that even returning to camp wouldn't save his life, he might as well go deeper into the forest. He was going to die either way.

"ArghHh, FUCK! I'm gonna fuckin' kill you, you little shit! Come back here! Don't fucking try to show your face to me again! I'll cut you up and make you into soup, you bastard!, the soldier shouted. Even though Arterion was darting away in the distance, he could feel that the soldier wasn't lying.

Arterion continued running forwards with reckless abandon. He just didn't care anymore. If he dies, he dies. Blood continued flowing down his face from the wound on his forehead, further impeding his vision in this dark black forest. He lost hold of his torch because of that one sudden attack. Wounds litter his body from the reckless assault of the soldier when he was blinded.

It was a long while of running. Arterion didn't even noticed how much time had passed. He didn't notice that he was actually running for almost an hour straight. It was pitch black around him. With no sense of direction and his eyesight hindered, he was completely lost. Yet he kept running forwards and forwards. With defeat showing all over his face, he shouted...

"WHY?! WHY IS IT LIKE THIS?! WHY? SOMEBODY PLEASE TELL ME! PLEASE! SOMEONE! MOTHER! FATHER! Please... where are you? I'm all alone... Why did you leave me?," he stopped as he started sobbing.

Tears flowed from his eyes, as he fell down to his knees. Laying his back on a large tree trunk, he completely resigned to his fate. Even now in his last moments, no one was there. No one was answering.

All of sudden, he smelled something in the distance. He stopped his sobbing, wiping his tear and blood stained face. He focused his senses on smelling that aroma. He knew it quite well. For he smelled it when he was at his family's mansion. Smelled it when he was in his soft bed on his bedroom. He smelled it during dinner with his family.

It was the smell of... home.