In the forest of darkness, dangerous beasts lurked freely, without the slightest of restrictions. It was considered a forbidden area by the Adventurer’s Association, but people often entered it nevertheless, as treasures were abundant and there were tales of some striking a small fortune in a single trip after coming across ancient ruins or precious monster dens. This was generally kept to the outer regions of the forest however, as within the inner region prowled class B beasts and above.
The outer region was relatively safe for those who entered with a party of D class adventurers, as the kings of beasts residing within the outer edges of the forest were barely classed C. There was the odd danger of being ambushed by a horde of beasts, but they were uncommon and the rewards far outstripped the risks. Inhabiting the inner regions were much stronger abominations, and even high-end class B beasts were present. It wasn’t bizarre for there to be no adventurers to enter it in spans of time as long as a year.
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In the depths of the outer forest just bordering upon the inner zone was a bare chested young man with raven-colored hair and clear green eyes akin to polished jade. He stood at around 6 feet tall and had a lean figure with rippling muscles which shone in the bright rays of sunlight piercing through the dense canopy. Sheathed on his back was a greatsword that measured over 2 meters in length and half a meter in width. The weapon’s blade was almost completely dull, making the weapon seem more effective to use as a club than to slash through foes.
The black-haired young man suddenly stilled and squinted at a tree rooted in the near distance. On the trunk was engraved a strange red cross that appeared to have been drawn with blood. “This marks the inner territory.. I’m finally here.” The man muttered. “I have to find it, even at the cost of my life!” He clenched his teeth and his figure disappeared into the inner region of the forest of darkness.
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The green-eyed young man came upon a grove that extended into the distance farther than the eye could see and was greeted with dense emerald green colors flooding his field of view. The tree branches swayed as the wind picked up and the leaves danced and flew about. The man, now wearing dark robes and a hooded cloak, started into a sprint and ran with unbridled agility as his clothes rustled in the wind. Even with a towering greatsword on his back, he ran almost faster than the eye could see and twisted past the trees and undergrowth with startling ease, almost as though he knew the land like the back of his own hand.
On the man’s back was a visible scar which distinctly resembled a claw mark that scored up his upper body. His cloak and undergarments were torn and fresh blood spilled out, staining the clear green forest floor in crimson splotches with every leaping step he took. A rumbling sound was suddenly heard and a hulking beast broke past the forest growth which the man had come from seconds ago. The creature looked like a wingless dragon, adorned with scintillating scales colored golden and a long, whip-like tail. It towered at a height of several meters and measured over a dozen meters in length. Its five-clawed, muscular limbs bulged under its weight and with every step it took, the ground seemed to crack and quake.
“Shit, shit shit shit!!” The young man breathed out as he ground his teeth. “What’s an Earth Wyrm doing here?! I’m only in the outer edges of the inner regions!” Sprinting as fast as he could with his battered and bloody body, he could almost feel the dragon-like beast breathing down on his neck. As high B classed beasts, Earth Wyrms possessed incredible amounts of offensive power, and their defense was so resilient that even A class adventurers would have trouble taking it down. Its only weakness was its somewhat lethargic speed, but for the young man, even that supposed ‘slow’ speed already pushed him to his limits.
After a few minutes of breathless pursuit, a cliff finally came into view in the distance. The man’s eyes widened and his face became as white as a sheet. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place, with a terrifying monster at his back and an almost certain death up ahead. As he got closer and closer to the cliff’s edge, he turned around and stared at the raging Wyrm in despair. A weak, dry laughter escaped his sore throat. “So this is the end, huh? I’m sorry Alyssa.. Big brother couldn’t get his hands on the healing plant.. I hope you can forgive me, even in death..”
Waiting until the Earth Wyrm was but meters away from him, he decisively jumped backwards off the crumbling edge of the cliff, using every last ounce of strength that remained in his tired limbs. He fell like a broken kite as the wind howled past his ears, staring up at the beast which was furiously glaring at him from the top of the cliff as his body plunged into nothingness. He slowly shut his eyelids as his younger sister’s face flashed past his eyes, regret evident on his face.. Then everything went black.