-Adventurer's Guild -

"Cheersh~!"

The entire tavern raised their glasses in unison after Olivia treated everyone to a round of drinks. A jovial mood filled the air as the tavern erupted into a flurry of cheers and celebration.

In the span of a few hours, Olivia's bounty from the quest is currently being poured down her throat. A bunch of adventurers cheered her on as she downed her fifth pint of the tavern's strongest ale.

"Pwah~! Trish! Bwing me another!"

"O-Olivia... I think that's going a tad bit over-"

"Gwive Maria another- *hic* -another round!"

"Eh? I-I don't drink! Thank you, but I don't drink! Uwah..."

I still couldn't believe that an Archpriest could act like this. Still, watching the scene unfolding before me made me feel like I was back at home.

Ahh... I miss Big Sis.

She'd always drink like this whenever she got home from university.

"Oi, stop staring at Maria and Olivia."

"Ah. Sorry about that. It's just that watching them-"

"Yeah, well stop ogling at them. It just feels weird that a stranger like you is trying to get close to a pair of beautiful girls."

This girl! What the hell does she think of me?

Sure they're beautiful, but I'm not-

"Ugh, forget about it..."

"Did you say something?"

"I was just saying I'm not planning on picking up women."

"Ah. I see... Maybe I judged you too harshly. Sorry."

"That's okay. You're just prote-"

"I didn't know you were into guys so I just assumed that you were just trying to get close to us."

"!"

"Hmm? What's with your pale fa- Woah! Oi! Stop grabbing me by my shoulders!"

"I-I'm not- Look, I'm not into guys, okay?! I just want don't want to get into a relationship without knowing anything about the other person, okay?!"

"Ehh... Is that so...."

"Oi, what's with that look in your eyes? Hey, Jin!"

Disappointment filled Jin's eyes while she stared at me.

"Y-Yeah... you're not into men... I got it."

"H-Hey, why are you looking at me like I'm scum?"

"... Please let go of me."

"...Okay."

I know I'm scum, but I'm not the kind of person to go after every girl I meet.

Still, I can't help but notice the judgeful stare of Jin while she quietly sips her drink.

"63,000 Weis for that bounty... Here's your cut, Arthur."

Zel tossed me a leather pouch filled with coins. With this much, I could probably rent out a room at some inn.

"So, what are you planning on doing with that money?"

"Well, I thought about putting it in the bank. But then I thought about being a merchant."

"Oh, is that so? So are you planning on doing a Class Change?"

"Oh, not at all! I just plan on travelling around the country while selling some items as a side job."

The two looked at me with an intrigued stare. Zel seemed to lean in closer to hear more about my plans.

"You know, the Merchant Class gives you bonuses in skills like Negotiation as well as a Charisma buff. Why the hell are you pushing yourself to be a Swordsman when you can just choose to be a Merchant and live a good life?"

"J-Jin! That's rude!"

"Eh? I was just saying the facts."

"True, but don't say it like that."

"It's fine Zel. Jin's got a point."

"See? He agrees with me."

"W-Well, if you say so... Still, why won't you change your Job Class?"

"Well, if I became a full Merchant... I won't be able to finish my quest."

"Oh? This is rare..."

Jin's lips curled into a grin and casually laid back on her seat.

"You're not interested in money, aren't you?"

"... Yes."

"Let me guess, you're on a quest to defeat the Demon Lord?"

"Yeah."

Jin hesitated to prod further when I answered her seriously. I could tell that they were worried about me. The pair's eyes looked at me with worry while I sipped my ale.

"Is... Is there a reason for your quest?"

"Not exactly. I just know it's something I should do."

"Well, if I were you-"

Jin took a large swig from her glass before she slammed it onto the table with a large thud.

"Fueh! I'd abandon that dream to go live a life of luxury. Probably seduce some rich lady from a boble house."

"J-Jin!"

"What?! Look, I'm just saying that defeating the Demon Lord is impossible! Even the Legendary Hero could only push back the Demon Lord's army back to its borders."

"Legendary Hero? Who-"

"The Legendary Hero, John. He was a person chosen by all of the Nine Gods and brought to this world from a land called "Gran Britannia". He wielded a sword forged by the God of the Dwarves that was said to be infused with the soul of a star."

Zel's excitement was clearly shown by the tone of her voice. Her eyes shimmered with excitement and her innocent smile made her look like a child telling someone of their favorite stories.

But that part troubled me.

This hero came from the U.K. which means there are other people here from my world.

Figures. I knew when they said candidate that I wasn't the only one.

Still...

"So, he wasn't able to defeat the Demon Lord?"

Zel let out a sigh while Jin just listened silently with a sad expression.

"...No. Even with the armies of the kingdom behind him and his company of heroes, the best they could do was put an arrow in the shoulder of the Demon Lord. But even that did little to harm him."

"That happened 50 years ago. The Battle at Twilight marked the beginning of a long stalemate."

Jin let out a sigh while she twirled her hair with her finger.

"That's why I'm telling you to give up. If even a person blessed by the Gods themselves couldn't defeat him, how can we?"

My head hung low as I thought about it.

As much as I hate to say it, Jin's right.

"Still, I'm sure the other people chosen by the Gods can do something about it."

"Yeah... By the way, do you know of any other people like the Hero?"

Zel chuckled and swirled some her wine in her cup.

She placed a hand on her cheek and paused for a moment.

"I know of a few knights in the capital as well as a handful of adventurers. Most of them have weird names thougH."

"Well, I know of a Merchant who came from another world. I think her name was Rooko? Ruko? Umm... how do you pronounce it again?"

"Oh! I know who you're talking about! It's Ryoka!"

"Yeah! That's the one! Ah! I still owe her for that thing I bought from her. I think it's called a "thermos" or something."

Ah. A Japanese person.

No, that's a person selling stuff from our world over in this world.

Someone already stole my idea.

Shit.

"Still, it makes me sad that the Gods have to bring Heroes from other worlds to fight for us."

My train of thought was halted when Zel let out a deep sigh. I shot a glance towards her direction and I saw her sad expression.

"Perhaps the Gods have a reason for it."

"Perhaps. Who knows? The Gods are an existence that is both mysterious and certain."

I let out a chuckle and downed the last of my ale. 

"Well, we are only humans. Maybe it's not our place to know the machinations and will of the Gods."

"Heh, maybe you're right. Although... you didn't strike me as the poetic type."

Oh shit.

I got a little too confident there. Maybe I sounded a little bit geeky.

Fuck, I need to hide my blush-

"I like that. It's pretty nice."

What did she just say?

"Oi, Zel. I think it's time to stop those two."

The moment was interrupted when Jin pointed at Olivia and Maria.

"M-Maria?!" 

Zel immediately stood up and rushed over the poor Archmage who was looking worse for wear.

Her robes are now drenched with alcohol and sweat. Her pale cheeks now flushed red while she stumbled from table to table. Honestly, I thought she was gonna fall over any second now.

Olivia's already passed out and I don't think anything can wake her up anymore.

"J-Jin! You take care of Maria, I'll take Olivia back to the Church."

"Yeah, yeah. Same ol' crap then. Come on, Maria."

Jin grabbed Maria's hand and dragged her out of the tavern. Jin looked pretty concerned for Maria yet I could hear her muttering under her breath about how pissed she is. Maria responded only with slurred words and giggles.

"A-Anyways, I'm off to drop Olivia here at the Church. See you around, Arthur."

"Y-Yeah. Good night and take care you two."

I waved goodbye to Zel while she propped up Olivia with her arm. Man, Zel's pretty strong. 

Still, maybe I should help her.

"O-Olivia?! Y-Your drool! Your drool is dripping on my armor!"

Nevermind. She got this.

----------------------------------------

-Somewhere in Town-

Holy fucking shit, I'm so wasted.

Each step I take takes great effort while my blurry vision makes it hard to see what's in front of me or where I'm going.

Shit, shit, shit! Oi! Keep her steady! Walk straight, yeah, walk straight.

I don't want to be fucking sleeping in the middle of the road.

How the hell did I get wasted like this? 

Sure, I drank 4 rounds of ale but I'm a heavy weight!

Argh... holy shit. I think I need to lay down for a while.

Looking around, all I can see is bright lights and blurry doubles of everything. 

Wait, hold on...

In the distance, I could somehow makeout the outline of what looks like a small temple. 

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

I made a beeline towards that place. Just in time too.

My eyes were starting to feel heavy, that's not good. Walking and keeping myself awake is sapping me of my strength that I could feel my muscles giving away to fatigue.

The temple is just a few more houses away, I can't give up now!

I picked up the pace and after a few minutes, I reached the stairs of the temple. I climbed up the set of stairs on all fours as my vision began to blur and my consciousness began to fade.

Gods! Please! Just let me pass out inside the temple!

The pristine white walls, the large altar filled with offerings of fruits and vegetables, the serene atmosphere, the murals of various events, the painting and statue of a beautiful Goddess...

What a perfect place to nap. No, to take a sleep.

A deep sleep.

I dragged myself towards one of the pews and lied down in a comfortable position. I don't know if this is a sin or not, but cut me some slack.

Damn... the smell of incensce makes me feel light headed.

I think I'm falling asleep... 

"Hey... Up..."

Huh? What the-

"Arthur... Wake up..."

Is someone calling me? Shit, how long have I been asleep?

"Arthur Pendragon, boy with the dark brown hair and brown eyes. Wake up."

"I'm up! I'm up! Sorry for... sleeping..."

Instead of the serene temple that I slept in, I found myself in an empty space with only a small table and a tea set. I slowly stood up and looked around my new surroundings.

"I must be dreaming... Time to go back to-"

"H-Hey! Don't just go back to sleep!"

Just as I was about to lay myself down on the floor, the sweet voice of someone called out to me.

"Jeez, to sleep in front of a beautiful goddess. How rude!"

 I stood up and looked at the direction of the voice.

Sitting at the opposite side of the table is a girl that looked to be around my age. 

She had pale, white skin that looked delicate and soft. What striked me the most is her green hair that reminds me of spring, and like the season, I could see flowers intertwined with her braids.

She wore a light green uniform similar to those I see in anime as well as a white veil that complimented her divine beauty.

Wait a minute... 

"You must be-"

"A Goddess. Eanha', the Goddess of the Elves and Nature to be precise."

Without hesitation, I immediately clasped my hands together and bowed.

"I am sorry for passing out inside your temple!"

How could I have not noticed it?!

Those offerings! The murals that depicted the coming of spring! The way the temple's architecture looked like trees!

I slept inside the temple of the Elves!

"D-Don't worry about it! I was meaning to talk with you about some things."

"Is that so? Well, ask away!"

"Well, for starters, why don't you have a seat first."

The divine beauty pointed towards the empty seat behind me.

The goddess' smile gave off a soothing feeling that brought a feeling of calm throughout my body.

As expected of a goddess!

"So... how are you doing?"

"I'm doing... okay? I'm doing okay I guess?"

"I see..."

"..."

There was an awkward silence between us as the conversation ground to a complete halt.

"M-Miss Eahna... Is there-"

"Ah! Sorry! I'm just not used to talking with humans. And please call me Ea."

"Oh... Well, Miss Ea... Is there a problem?"

"Right, about that... *sigh* Illyria should be the one handling this..."

Ea pouted and slumped down on her seat.

"Why should I be the one doing her job..."

Damn, she's cute.

Ahh... I guess you already know that you need to defeat the Demon Lord. Let's just talk about things, I guess."

"Well, since I'm already here... Can I ask you some questions?"

"Of course! It's my duty to comfort and ease my children after all!"

She had a proud expression and  wide smile when she said that.

"Well, first off, how's my family?"

"Oh, well... They're handling it... Well? Well? I guess? Sorry, my condolences."

"It's fine. Is Sis-"

"Your sister's the one who took it the hardest. Your little brother is feeling lonely since he doesn't have anyone to play with at home anymore. Your mother was the one who arranged the funeral while your father- "

"Wait, I've only been gone for a day. What do you mean funeral?"

"Oh, right. Time passes differently here. It's like random? But at the same time not? I'm also confused about it."

"I see... That's a fucking shame."

"Yes... Such a shame. By the way, what are your plans in this world?"

The goddess sprang me a a question I wasn't ready to answer yet. I scratched head as I rattled through the various ideas in my mind.

"Well... I want to travel around and gather information about the Demon Lord and his forces."

"Ah... Is there a reason for this? Sorry, I'm not really great with war and fighting."

"Back in my world, I used to play various games like MMORPG's and some war games here and there. Before anyone could raid other guilds and bases, we first need to know how strong the enemy is as well as the layout of their territory."

"Oh! I see! If only Ulithor was here, you could properly discuss your strategies with someone that actually understands it."

The goddess had a sad look in her eyes as she listened to me. Her smile had hints of resignation yet she tried her best to hide it from me.

"W-Well, I'm still thankful that I met a kind goddess like you."

"R-Really? Thanks! It's rare for me to get compliments from humans, so I'll treasure your words in my heart."

Fuck, what the hell?

The combination of those words and that gentle smile. 

I don't think my heart can take what this cinnamon roll is saying!

"Arthur? Your face is red. A-Are you feeling alright?"

"Y-Yeah, don't worry about it... Anyways, I don't think I can defeat the Demon Lord with my current gear and level."

"Well, all heroes should've been given some gift when they arrived here."

Those words made me freeze in my seat.

Where the hell is my weapon?!

"Hmm? Oh, looks like we're gonna have to continue this some other time."

"Huh?"

"It seems the Priestesses of my temple is beginning the morning worship. By the way, I think Ulithor and Illyria gave you their gift already. So..."

The goddess approached me and leaned closer.

The fresh and sweet scent of spring and flowers filled my nose. Her cheeks have a slight blush as she tucked away a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Here's my gift to you, Arthur."

I felt the soft peck of her lips on my right cheek. Instead of feeling flustered, I could only feel a soothing and calming emotion welling up from the bottom of my heart.

"I wish you luck in your travels!"

"Wait, Goddess! I still have some questions! Please wait!"

Her beautiful figure slowly faded as my vision began to fade into black. I could see that she had a smile on her face while she waved at me. Yet her smile and expression...

Was filled with loneliness.

----------------------------------------

"Excuse me, sir. Please wake up."

A kind voice called out to me softly. 

I'm back at the temple then. I wanted to talk to Eanha more.

"I'm awake. Sorry for sleeping in the temple."

I muttered out as I forced my eyelids open. The feeling of being forced awake from a good dream and a slight hangover did not feel good.

But I felt those things drain away when I came face to face with the girl that waked me up.

An Elf wearing what looked like a toga was looking down on me as I lay on my back. She had mature figure but she looked like she was still in her early twenty's. 

Her blonde hair flowed freely and it smelled like ripe berries. 

"Although sleeping in the temple is forbidden, I will permit it. After all..."

Her round yellow eyes stared at me while she cupped her chin with her right hand.

"The Goddess herself seemed to have visited you in your dreams."

A butterfly that glimmered with bright colors landed on her left index finger. In fact, the entire temple is filled with these beautiful butterflies.

"I'm still sorry. I shouldn't have passed out in a place of worship."

"Very well, I'll forgive this incident. But for the Goddess Eanha to send signs such as this, it must mean that I must treat you with the upmost respect as her devout follower."

She bowed her head as a sign of respect towards me.

"P-Please raise your head! R-Really, I'm nothing more but an adventurer and a human!"

"Well, if you insist. What is your name, adventurer?"

"Arthur. Arthur Pendragon. Level 14 Swordsman."

"Arthur... Very well, since you have told me your name, it is only proper that I tell you mine."

She placed a hand on her chest and the other on her waist.

"I am Ehleana, the High-elf Archpriest of the Goddess Eahna."

I was about to kneel in respect due to the authority and grace in her voice.

"I should take my leave. The Goddess told me that morning worship is about to start. Thank you for letting me sleep in the temple."

"Ufufu... You are welcome to stay and partake in the worship ceremonies. It is an honor and privilege reserved only for the Elven priestesses."

I wanted to take her up on the offer, but...

"Sorry, the Goddess is expecting a lot from me. I need to make sure I don't let her down."

I said goodbye to Ehleana before I left the temple. Ehleana waved me goodbye from the doors of the temple before she retreated inside once more.

-Adventurer's Guild-

"Let's see... Boars, Bears, Goblins... Maybe I should take this Giant Rat extermination quest."

I murmured to myself as I tore out the flyer from the bounty board.

Giant Rats, huh? The party isn't here yet so I wanted to go on a solo quest today and this one is an easy quest. That being said, Giant Rats might be easy opponents, but an entire pack could spell trouble for a single adventurer.

Still, I wanted to try out some new skills that I learned so I was itching for a fight.

"You're here early."

That familiar voice made me turn around in surprise.

"Oh, Jin. Good morning."

"Giant Rats, huh? You want to go alone or with someone?"

"Well, I was hoping that Olivia could go with me but... seing what happened last night..."

"Yeah, she won't be up until noon. You just need to kill 5, right? Do you want me to come with you?"

The girl beside me flashed a sly grin while she twirled her dagger.

"Sure. Is Maria here-"

"I left her at the inn with some hangover potions. Zel probably has some things to do so it's just me for now."

"Okay then. Well, guess it's just us on this quest."

"Seriously?! Hell yeah! Finally! I can go test out my new moves."

The girl did some dangerous motions in the air with her dagger. I could see the excitement in her eyes as she did some stabbing and slicing motions near me.

"Hey, cut that out. You could hurt yourself or me."

"Ehh? Stop being a wuss. I'm the best Thief in this town! I know how to handle my own dagger!"

"Fine. Let me see those skills of yours on the rats."

I let out a sigh as we walked out of the doors. I heard her chuckle beside me so I threw a glance at her direction.

"I can't help but feel that you're looking down on me, rookie! Fine then, let's turn this into a contest of who can kill more rats!"

"Of course I'll be looking down on you. How can I make eye contact with you when we're talking."

"What?! Y-You! You makin' fun of my height?!"

The moment I heard her pull out the dagger from its sheath, I bolted.

"Wha?! Hey! Stop running!"

I didn't dare look back as I ran for my life.

-Forest-

It only took us half an hour to reach the forest since we both ran here. Thankfully, Jin already forgave me for what I said earlier. 

But damn, her punches hurt.

While I rubbed my swollen right cheek, we made our way through the forest to find the spot where the Giant Rats have made their nest. 

Crrackling leaves and twigs snapping rang out everytime I took a step while Jin's steps where silent and left no tracks. So this is the difference of our Class.

"Look, just because we're on a hunt for Giant Rats doesn't mean we shouldn't look out for other things."

Jin said as she stopped in her tracks and pointed straight ahead.

"There's a Gigas Boar, up ahead."

"I can't see shit. You sure it's up ahead?"

"Of course I'm sure! Fine, I'm gonna teach you a skill called Farsight and Enemy Detection. Give me your Adventurer's Card."

I ruffled through my pockets and handed her the card. She looked at it for a few moments before she shot me an irritated and jealous glance.

"What the hell is this?! What do you mean you're Level 14 already?! And what's with this skill points?! Why do you have 43?!"

"I don't fucking know! Look, just teach me the skill so we can finish this already."

She pouted and reluctantly forced herself to transfer some mana into my card. The mark on her hand appeared and glowed a dim purple as new words appeared on my Adventurer's Card.

"There, done. You won't be able to see as far as I do but it would still be useable even by you."

She pouted as she watched me spend some skill points on two useful skills.

"Thanks, I owe you one."

The moment I activated the Skill Enemy Detection, I detected a large presence some distance away from us. Farsight allowed me to look further into that direction and sure enough, I saw a massive mound of fur as it dug through some roots with its massive tusks.

I pulled out my bow and aimed an arrow at the boar. 

"Oi! What are you doing?! You won't be able to kill that thing with a single arrow!"

"Just watch."

With a deep breath, I activated a skill I picked up yesterday.

"Snipe!"

With a loud thwang, I let loose the arrow at the direction of the boar.

Green light trailed behind it as it cut through the air.

The arrow found its mark with a loud "thwack" as it lodged itself deep into the Gigas Boar's right temple. The beast let out a high-pitched squeal before collapsing to the ground.

I let out a satisfied sigh at what I just did.

"Alright! I knew picking up that skill was a good choice."

While I was busy patting myself on the back, I noticed Jin's shocked expression as she stood beside me in complete silence and bewilderment.

"Oi, let's go. We got a quest to- Wah?!"

All of a sudden, she was grabbing me by the shoulders and shaking me.

"T-T-THAT'S NOT FAIR! THAT'S NOT FAIR!?"

"What the hell do you mean?!"

She gritted her teeth as she shook me even harder.

"That! That there! You're a Swordsman! Not a fucking Archer! Why the hell do you have the Blessing of the Elves?!"

"W-What?!"

Jin finally let go of me. Before I could relax, however, she grabbed my Adventurer's Card from my pocket and looked at it intensely.

"W-WHAT?! Not only do you have the Blessing of the Elves, you also jumped 5 levels! What the hell are you?!"

"Look, just tell me what is this thing you're talking about."

"The Blessing of the Elves is the unique skill given to Elves once they are born. It's a permanent buff that raises their ability to wield bows by increasing stats like accuracy, precision, and some other things. But for a Human to have such a skill... It's supposed to be bestowed by the Goddess Eahna herself but..."

While she was busy looking through my card, realization dawned upon me. Eahna wasn't encouraging me, she was giving me her blessing.

"So that's what she meant by her "gift", that kiss was her blessing..."

"W-What?! What kissed?! Who the hell kissed you?"

"Jin, I slept inside the Temple of Eahna last night."

Jin seemed even furious now at what I just said.

"W-What?! How could you fucking do that?! Humans are forbidden to enter that place and you slept inside it while you were drunk?!"

"Y-Yeah, but that's not the point. The point is that I spoke to Ea in my dreams and before I woke up she gave me a kiss on the cheek."

"SHE DID WHAT?! What the hell are you saying?! That right there is blasphemy to the Elves!"

"N-No! Even the Archpriest-"

*SNAP*

The both of us fell silent at the sound of a twig snapping. 

I immediately drew my sword and turned towards the direction of the noise. I didn't even need to use Enemy Detection to realize the danger that we found ourselves in.

Numerous pairs of beady, red eyes locked on to us from the treeline. The pungent stench made me feel nauseous.

"Tch, we're surrounded."

The Giant Rats were alerted to our presence due to the noise we were making.

Jin raised her dagger in a defensive stance as she covered my back. 

"Shit! They're approaching!"

The moment they stepped out of the shadows, I was already preparing myself to make a break for it but as I looked around, it looked like we were surrounded on all sides.

The rats are as big as a dog and holy shit are they ugly. Their coarse, black fur reeked of some nasty shit and rat crap.Their teeth looked sharp and their mouths foamed at the corners.

Snarls and growls rang out from all around us and  some even began to scratch and claw towards us.

"Look, Jin... If I die, I want you to know... I was really hoping that I won't die a virgin."

"W-What?! What the hell?! Get your head in the game! Now's not the time for jokes!"

I could tell Jin got flustered from what I just said that I couldn't help but chuckle.

The rats began to advance steadily but cautiously. I could finally see just how many they were as they swarmed out of the tree line. 

Shit. I'm gonna die to some nasty rats.

"Fuck it! I'm not gonna die like this!"

"Hey! Arthur! What are you- Huh?!"

I wrapped my arm around Jin's waist and charged towards the wall of vermin behind us.

"Move the fuck out of my way!"

The moment I charged for the wall of vermin, the scampering of countless feet sent shivers down my spine. Holy shit, they're fucking swarming behind me!

With a desperate slash, I poured most of my strength in a single and swift strike in front of me. A bunch of body parts were sent flying to the side while I trampled over the dead and dying bodies of rats as I ran for my life.

Still, I could hear the swarm of Giant Rats chasing after me as I dashed through the forest.

I tried to lose them through the trees but they relentlessly chased after us even through the thickest part of the forest.

"Arthur! Arthur! We're heading the wrong way!"

"Shut up! I'm doing my best!"

"But if you go this way you'll-"

My boots dug into the soft soil as I stopped dead in my tracks. I couldn't fucking believe it...

It's a dead end!

I put down Jin beside me and looked around to find a way up the steep cliff. I let out a frustrated sigh as I looked over at Jin.

"It's too high... I don't think we can climb it."

I turned around and entered a defensive stance as i heard the swarm of vermin scurry over the forest floor. Jin readied her knives as well as we readied ourselves to fight the swarm head on.

"Arthur, what's happening with your sword?"

I glanced at the weapon in my hands. I felt a little bit of heat from its handle as it began to glow a dim blue.

"I don't know, but it better not blow up on me!"

I noticed the yellow gem engraved into the guard of the sword glowing faintly. But before I was able to take a look at it clearly, Jin let out a grunt as she threw a bunch of her knives into the swarming mass in front of us.

(Mana source detected.)

A voice suddenly rang out from the sword as sparks of electricity arced across the air and the ground.

"W-What the?! Holy shit, what's happening?"

"Arthur, if I die because your sword fucking exploded, I'm-"

(Analysis complete. New host found. Reforming current form.)

The sword glowed brightly one last time and halted the Giant Rats' advance.

(Structure reformed. Mana circuits reestablished. Artificial soul activated.)

The sword I was now holding looked completly different from the one I was holding earlier. It glimmered in the sun with its beautiful luster and its handguard took the shape of an angel's wings. 

But before I could fully appreciate the beautiful weapon in my hand, a Giant Rat leapt into the air and aimed its attack towards me.

Without hesitation, I immediately swung my sword in an arch.

In that instance, I felt mana drain out of my hand and into the sword. The moment the edge made contact with the monster, a crescent blade made out of blue mana shot off from the sword and into the swarm.

"Woah..."

Jin looked as the sword pulsed with arcane magic. I shot a glance at the body of the rat by my feet, its body cleaved in half.

I immediately switched stances to that of a more offensive one and prepared myself to meet the swarm of Giant Rats. Jin took out her second dagger and flashed me a cheeky smile.

"First one to ten treats the other to drinks at the guild."

"Heh, I could easily do that with one swing of this new sword."

Before I knew it, Jin was already jumping from one rat to another, plunging her dagger into each one as she did so. I followed suit and began to cleave my way through the large swarm. 

Arcs of lightning shot out from the blade and burnt several rats around me while each swing and thrust released a pulse of mana along the direction of the strike. Still, I couldn't beat the flashiness of Jin's somersaults in midair or how she moved like a blur.

But even with the rate we are killing these rats, it would still take us some time until this fight is finished.

"That was the last one, Arthur!"

Jin let out a sigh as she slumped backwards against a tree. By the time we were finished, the sun was already at its zenith. 

"I think we should... head... back... Huh?"

"Hm? Arthur? Arthur!"

My body collapsed onto the ground with a soft thud. 

"Damn, why the hell am I feeling so weak?"

My body didn't get bitten during the fight, so what's causing my fatigue? I struggled to get up, only for my arms to give way. Shit.

Jin immediately rushed to my side but by that time, I was already slipping into unconsciousness.

The last thing I remembered was Jin calling out to me before my surroundings faded into black.