A night has passed since the collapse of the gate into the ruins and we're now peacefully making our back way to Lennon. It's the closest town with an adventurers guild in these lands and for once I'm not dreading the idea of returning. In fact, I'm excited to hand in my first quest. It'll be like receiving my first pay check... again. Thinking of the simple joys of being an adventurer, I look back at my partner to find an unexpectedly disheartened kobold.

"Are you sure about omitting the existence of the ruins from the report? You would receive much recognition and standing if you did."

"The last thing I want is to draw too much attention."

"But Enbos..."

"Look Hachirou, despite what you may believe, I'm not disappointed by leaving with nothing but a magic core and this wing tip as proof for all our troubles. In fact, I'm perfectly happy with us surviving. All they have to know is we destroyed the nest and that's it. Besides, some things are best left buried in the past."

"... I understand. I'm sure we'll have more bountiful ventures in future."

He holds onto the spectacles with great care as he says this. As I keep looking at my flimsy handicraft, I feel more inclined to take it back and make it a proper magic item. After that entire escapade, I'm surprised it hasn't fallen to pieces, but it sure looks as if it will.

Thinking about the spoils of our adventure, I stare at the small icon of two arrows in the corner of my HUD. Like I suspected, the notification kept ringing after the first, but being a mental delusion, I could thankfully minimise the message. Unfortunately, the sensation of reaching the level cap also leaves a ghostly sensation in my mind. I feel as if something is stuck to the interior of my skull. Worse, like a repeatedly blown and deflated balloon, maintaining this "unstable" form has resulted in accelerated loss of spiritual energy. It will still last me one or two days, but now I have to spend a good deal  of time everyday refilling it.

"We should be able to reach Lennon in a few hours. Shall I hide in the grove again?"

"Yeah, please do, and try not to get spotted by... Actually, our current location is just as close to the branch if you navigate through those woods. Would you like to return home for a quick visit while I hand in the quest?"

"That would be nice! I can tell my sister and clansmen about our recent escapade... b-but no. I can't turn back at every chance. I... I'll just save this story for another time..."

"I see. In that case, I'll respect your decision."

I look over Hachirou with a sympathetic smile, then turn to face our branch for one last time...

... or at least it should have been. Instead, a finger of ice crawls down our spines as we're unable to tear our eyes away from the dark omen rising in the sky.

"Huh, E-enbos! Is that black smoke coming from the camp!?"

"I-I think it is! Could there be trouble?"

Chiyoko would never hold something like a bonfire in broad daylight, especially this close to human lands! This is bad. Whatever is going on, the townspeople of Lennon may investigate fearing a forest fire, but before any of that, something terrible might be going on!

"Hachirou! We need to-"

"Go back to the branch without me!"

"... Huh?"

"I... I will only slow you down. Y-you can run much faster and for much longer, and with your water magic, I'm sure you be of greater assistance..."

"Hachirou..."

"Please go, Enbos! Every second counts! I-I'll catch up. I'll do my best to join you and help!"

I don't say anything but give Hachirou a firm nod and begin making my way to the distant camp. I sense Hachirou running behind me, but inevitably I leave him in the dust and focus entirely on widening our gap. I can't imagine what went through his head as he said that, but he's far stronger than anybody ever gave him credit for.

Hang on Chiyoko, everyone. We'll be with you soon...

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

"Thank you for waiting! We've confirmed the materials collected from your quest. Here is your reward."

"T-thank you, Angeline!"

"Take care, Mr Bennet. I look forward to your next visit."

On the day Enbos and Hachirou were fighting for their lives, Mark Bennet was handing in a quest.

Feeling upbeat, Mark Bennet leaves the reception desk with five fablars in his hand and returns to his party in the corner of the adventurers guild. Looking up, he immediately regrets wearing such a giddy smile as he realises the smirks on his companions' faces. The party leader, a tall man with blonde hair and blue eyes accentuating a handsome face, walks up to Mark and wraps his arm around his shoulder.

"So Mark, how did it go flirting with the receptionist for today?"

"I-I did no such thing, Gavel!"

"And that's your exact problem! It's been, what, a year since you registered at Lennon as an adventurer, and every time we're in town you keep lining up to meet her. Do you seriously believe she hasn't noticed? Just ask her out."

"I-I can't do something like that! W-what if she turns me down..."

"And what if somebody else hits on her? Heck, I may even hit on her myself..."

"DON'T!!!"

Mark's frantic voice results in several heads turning their way. The rest of the party looks over his shoulder to see the receptionist feigning ignorance. A red tint reaches Mark's ears as Gavel lets him off the hook.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Hahaha! Well, now that we've done our tease-Mark-while-we're-in-Lennon routine, let's divvy up the rewards from our latest quest. Does a fablar each sound reasonable?"

Aside from Mark who carries a bow and quiver, and Gavel who wields a long sword, there are three other adventurers sitting around the table, all carrying different equipment.

"Hrm? Whatever... Should be fine."

Dario, a dark clothed tracker armed with two serrated knives. He has a half awake expression on a clean shaven head.

"Hmph, shouldn't that be obvious?"

Bruno, a bulky, heavily armoured man with a flail and towering shield by his side. Despite his gruff features, he is constantly combing back his healthy brown hair.

"I guess it's fine, this time. At least this time you guys pulled your weight instead of squeezing me dry of magic."

"Look, we're really sorry about that time in the swamp, but Bruno needed to replace his weapon."

And finally Amelia, the only woman and sole mage in the group, a rare member of any party. Despite her youthful features she is actually the eldest, and the others jokingly claim she uses magic to maintain her vibrant red hair and unblemished skin, much to her fury.

"Erm, about that, Gavel."

"Yes?"

"Is it fine if I have a little more? I know I didn't contribute much but..."

"I know. It's not enough to send back to your mother and siblings, right? I guess the share from a D rank quest is a bit small given your circumstances, Mark."

"I-I'm sorry."

"Don't be. In fact, have my fablar."

"Eh?"

"I don't want to go through the trouble of visiting the merchants guild, and a B rank adventurer like myself wouldn't cry over something so petty."

"Thank you, Gavel. Is everyone else alright with this?"

"I ain't complaining."

"*Yawn* As long as I have my coin..."

"Seriously Mark, that really is a foolish question."

"Now that's decided, it's time to find another quest. Your turn to pick, Mark."

Making his way to the billboard, Mark looks over the various quests, their ranks and their rewards. Over the past year, he's learnt to read most of the additional details though he doesn't mind asking Angeline for clarification. Unfortunately, Mark is only a D rank adventurer, and apart from Gavel the rest of the team are ranked C. This means the team can only pick D or C ranked quests, which makes Mark feel like a third wheel.

"I wish I would reach rank C soon..."

"Don't rush, Mark. Everything has a time and place."

"At the very least, you're better than that Enbos the Black who got his rank with connections alone."

Mentioning his name, Mark freezes in instinctual terror as he remembers the first time he saw his dark robed form. On the day he applied to be an adventurer, he was instantly infatuated by the slightly stuttering receptionist, completely unaware of the mage behind him. The black mage spoke with friendly words, but to Mark they sounded like passive-aggressive remarks, and to this day, he believes the reason Enbos vanished from Lennon was because he got fed up waiting for him to finish. In fact, just recently Enbos reappeared in this very building to register as a adventurer. With justified arrogance, he completed the spiritual binding process in one instant when it took Angeline five minutes, and before that Mark could have sworn his cold stare had found him once again.

"Mark? Hello? Have you been getting enough sleep?"

"Huh? O-oh, it's nothing, Dario. I was just thinking about Enbos."

"Hmph, no need to worry about those official mages. Like all the rest, they're just pompous show-offs."

"... Actually Bruno, I sensed a powerful flow of mana inside him. I wouldn't say he's stronger than my master, but he's definitely stronger than me."

"Seriously?"

"Now, now, we can all talk about this later. We're keeping the other adventurers from picking a quest."

"Sorry, Gavel. Let's see... Huh, wow, that's a pretty deal for a D rank quest."

"Let's see: "Recent kobold attack confirmed. 60 Penz for each kill." Hey, not bad at all. Look, it's even been issued by the mayor. What do you think guys?"

"... It's a bad quest."

"Huh, why Amelia?"

"Kobolds are an evolved form of a certain species of wild dog. They're believed to have been a race of demi-humans during the golden age, which is why they walk on two legs. However, they are very rare around these parts, and live in small packs. If we're lucky, we'll earn around 300 penz, only 1 fablar more than our last quest, and it's not even guaranteed."

"I-I guess so... Huh, come to think of it, the mayor's sons were attacked by a kobold about a year ago. Could there be a nearby den?"

"Hrm, in that case it might be possible to find a kobold pack..."

"If it has a whole litter... we can earn a lot of coin."

"Your call, Mark."

Mark looks over the other quests, quietly weighing his options. Thinking of his widowed mother and sweet little sisters, he takes the quest and makes his way to see Angeline and her waiting smile.