"This is so boring! Father said we would discover a lot of things in this unexplored area. But so far, it has only been meetings and speaking to the barbarians. I don't even get to level up... It is so bad, only those with the Trader profession are getting any exp. No wonder this team is so underleveled compared to the rest of our guild."

"Marco, stop complaining. You know we are just being sent here so that father can register it as our contribution. He would be very happy if we get the profession too. You are just bad at fighting. If you want to level up, maybe you should spend a few days at the training center to get your basics right." A young woman rolled in the furs serving as her bed. She nonchalantly looked at the hot-blooded young man walking around the tent. His IGN was Espadon.

"Fine. You've got a point, but I don't like how they all look at me with those condescending looks. You saw how they treat us because of our special position? D*mn that Iron Shark. I should be the one in charge! I gave him some face in front of his team, but I don't want to spend a whole week just riding horses and sleeping in tents like this one."

The woman continued to browse her interface and absentmindedly answered. "Well, you've got to get used to it. I don't know why we are staying in this village even after completing the tribe but there should be a reason."

"That's another thing I don't understand! He is just wasting time and reporting false information to the guild so that he can slack off for a few days! D*mn... It's so hot in there, I'll go out for a walk," said the young man. Without looking at his sister, he pushed open the flap of the tent and left.

Espadon wandered around the camp, allowing the breeze of the night to cool him down. The area they set up their tent was quite deserted. The players got permission to set up tents for the night; some stayed in the caravans, but others had to build their own shelter. Important people like Iron Shark were directly invited to stay at the Musclewood's guest tent.

Espadon was frustrated about his experience in this expedition. He walked out of the player's area and wandered around the village. He felt the stares of the barbarians on guard but ignored them. 'Why do we have to stay in this boring village? It is such a waste of time.'

He continued to walk around and soon, was about to leave the village. There were no walls surrounding the village. With the recent expansion, the barbarians did not have time to build any fortifications.

"Hey! Where are you going?" exclaimed a rough voice.

Espadon turned toward the speaker. It was a tall barbarian. He sneered and continued on his way. "I am just having a look around. What? Am I a prisoner? I can't even leave the camp?"

The barbarians twitched. He grabbed his ax at his waist but before he could make a move, a strong hand held his shoulder. "Stop. The chief warned us about this character. Just report it to the townsmen, they will look for him."

"Cocky piece of sh*t..." The barbarian spit on the ground before following his friend back to the camp. They needed to warn the townsmen.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

...

Espadon wandered around and soon, arrived at the edge of the forest. There was a small stream of water in front of him. He crouched down and splashed some water on his face. 'There is nothing dangerous in this area, so why are we not allowed to come and hunt in this forest?'

He briefly looked at the peaceful scene when suddenly, Espadon noticed a bright source of light in the distance.

Intrigued, he walked toward lights. From afar, they looked like sparkling particles in the water. Espadon recalled how in the past, people used to collect gold off the small streams of water like this one. The thought of having possibly found a gold mine crossed his mind but as he got closer, he was disappointed.

The sources of lights were just small fireflies flying at the surface of the water. However, with a second glance, Espadon noticed how the fireflies were arranged in a particular order! They buzzed as they were slowly carried by the water, displaying the message, "FOLLOW US".

"This?" Espadon was confused. Was this a coincidence? But as he was standing still in a daze, the fireflies suddenly took off and flew in the distance. They were still brightly displaying their message as they disappeared from Espadon's field of view.

The latter's first reflex was to give chase. "Hey, wait!" He ran after the fireflies. Fortunately, they were not very fast. After a few strides, Espadon easily caught up and stayed at a reasonable distance from them.

The fireflies continued to fly in the depth of the forest and soon, Espadon saw another silhouette appear in the middle of the trees. It was a short woman wearing a plain white dress. Her looks were ordinary, but she emitted a white glow, making her stand out of her surroundings.

"What is this? A ghost?" exclaimed Espadon as he suddenly froze. He took cover behind the bushes and observed the scene.

The fireflies quickly converged to the woman and excitedly flew around her. "Who is it? Who is hiding there?" exclaimed the woman as her gaze brushed past Espadon's hiding spot.

"What is this? What is an NPC doing here?" asked Espadon. He hesitated for a moment before stepping out of the bushes and approaching her. Above her head, he could see "Lyra, level: 29".

He was not scared of the woman. Instead, he believed that she was an opportunity! Her name was displayed in white, indicating that she was neutral.

"Young adventurer. What are you doing in the woods so far from civilization?" asked Lyra with a calm expression.

"I am with a merchant group. We are staying at the barbarian's village just outside the forest," hesitantly answered Espadon. He stayed at a safe distance from Lyra.

"Those scaredy-cats? They don't even leave the safety of their village at night. They are too far away for me to contact them... But maybe you can help me?"

"Help you? How?" asked Espadon.

"I cannot leave for the otherworld yet. Those monsters stole my precious belongings. I need your help in retrieving my treasures."

As Lyra spoke, Espadon suddenly received a system prompt:

[System prompt: You have triggered a quest "Lyra's plea" (Unique)]

Help Lyra retrieve her belongings from the evil monsters.

Task: Go to the Dungeon of Madness and collect 'Lyra's chest' on the fifth floor.

Duration: 6 hours

Rewards: 20000 exp and ???

Note: This quest can be shared with up to twenty other players but only you will receive the mysterious reward.

"A quest?" exclaimed Espadon with a surprised expression. "No wonder father said this is an unexplored area. Just by wandering around like that I already got a quest?"

"Naturally miss, I will help you," said Espadon without a thought.

Lyra gently smiled. "Thank you very much. If you did not appear, I would have to wait for the next full moon to materialize in this world again. You don't have very long to help me. I will have to leave at dawn. Follow this river and you will eventually reach a waterfall. There is a small entrance somewhere on the side of the cliff. It is the dungeon of those monsters who stole from me. They are keeping it in a secret room on the fifth floor! You will find several standing stones in the middle of a plain, just push one of the stones to open the entrance. Inside, you will find my chest. Please bring it to me."

Espadon excitedly smiled, "Say no more, miss! I will be back in a few hours with your items!"

Lyra nodded and disappeared in the middle of the night. The fireflies had long left the scene.

...

"What? Thank you, brothers. I will immediately look for that kid. He is always causing us trouble. May I trouble you to guide us through the forest?" Iron Shark hurriedly walked out of his tent as he woke up his men.

He sent several messages to the players in his team and headed to the youngster's tent. Unfortunately, Espadon was not answering!

"Electric Eel? Where did your brother head off to? He left the camp in the middle of the night, what if something happens to him?" asked Iron Shark with a frustrated tone.

A young woman stepped out of her tent when she heard the commotion. "What? Did he leave the village? He told me he would just wander around..."

Iron Shark sneered. "Let's go and look for him. That kid..."

Fifty players left the village accompanied by a few barbarians. They went to search in all directions just in case the troublesome youth would randomly decide to head in a different direction.