Erica and Steven walked closer to the mission bulletin in the branch office. Already in front were various adventurers of various backgrounds. Erica could pick out a Priest, a Warlock and several parties as well. Many of their faces hinted at how perplexed they were with the missions from the board. Others were trying to persuade their teammates to challenge a stronger mission together.
"Which mission are we supposed to get?" Erica looked at the various people picking at mission scrolls. She looked at the board from a distance.
The [Mission Board] was visible in any guild's office. Here, adventurers could choose the mission they would like to undertake and earn rewards, rewards ranging from Rials and experience to even items. To ensure that one was qualified, a secretary of the guild would have to approve of the mission choice. This was to prevent new adventurers from possibly dying during quests.
"Seeing as how you are a Bronze ranked One-Star, it’s only fitting we start with the weakest missions, Miss Erica." Steven smiled at Erica, only for his smile to be ignored. Unfazed, he guided Erica past different parties to the board.
Erica followed on, watching as various parties took notice of Steven and made way for him. It’s all because of the [License].
The Cerberus Adventurer License was more than a card signifying one’s guild. Among licensed adventurers it served also as a warning system. The stronger the bearer and the higher their rank, the greater the invisible signal of pressure it would give. As Steven was level 1000 and also a Gold Ranked One-Star, his presence was more than enough to send many of the new adventurers into a panic.
Gazing at Steven, these adventurers couldn’t help but notice Erica Espirit. Their gazes, however, had no hint of lust, only envy and fear. Envy at winning the patronage of such a powerful figure, and fear of offending Steven in any way.
“Let’s see…” Steven’s hand flipped through the mission scrolls nailed on the bulletin board, looking for a suitable one. Erica watched him look through missions of various ranks. These [Missions] were ranked similarly to an adventurer’s ranking in the guild.
“Great, found one.” Steven tore one off the wall, satisfied with the scroll in his hand. He inwardly read the contents, before giving the paper to Erica.
Erica began to read the mission at hand.
[Mission] Selected: Greenhollow Slimes
Requirements: Level 2, Bronze Ranked One-Star
Description: The Greenhollow region is a parcel of land near the Citadel of Nowhere. Here young adventurers begin their journey to become legends. Slimes are known to inhabit Greenhollow, and are perfect for training.
Success: Return 5 Bronze Tiered Slime [Cores] for 100 R$
Erica didn’t have any issues with hunting Slimes. They were perhaps the weakest beasts in any dungeon, in any field, and only knew how to tackle. Although at her level it might be troublesome battling three at once, Erica knew she could manage against three Level 1 Bronze Tiered Slimes.
As for collecting the [Cores], she had Steven. That was his job as a [Supporter], after all.
Steven, on the other hand, had different ideas in mind. Can I use the Slimes to my advantage like back then? Steven thought back to a moment he ventured out with another group, and their rare but “energizing” encounter with slimes.
“Miss Erica, why?” Steven held his right foot in his hands, a small indentation left from Erica’s shoe. Clearly she noticed Steven’s lewd expression had returned to his face and gave him his dues.
Lecherous baboon! Erica took the mission scroll to the secretary Siana, leaving Steven behind to massage his injury. Siana was amused, laughing from a distance. She saw it all happen from afar.
“Is this alright?” Erica gave the mission scroll to Siana, awaiting her approval. She ignored the pained expression of Steven as he made his way beside her.
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Siana nodded, stamping the mission with her personal seal. She handed the mission scroll back to Erica, watching as the duo leave the office.
Not only Siana was watching them leave. A few aging adventurers also took notice of the two, smiling at how the two youths were acting. Youth was truly a great time.
*****
Erica and Steven made the Greenhollow region. It was about an hour long walk, but Erica could barely stay calm.
Steven pestered her with lewd requests back and forth. Moreover, he had learned from earlier to keep his distance from Erica to avoid being stomped on.
Instead of a massage, let’s take a bath? That request made Erica cringe the most. Cringe at how erotic it was, but also at how ignorant it was. From as far as Erica could see, there wasn’t a single pond or lake nearby. She couldn’t even make sense where he got his ideas.
“Don’t worry, Miss Erica, I am well known for making skin smooth and supple.” Steven spoke as if his intentions were pure, completely opposite of his raunchy ways. Erica prepared to give him another strike, but he quickly fled. A level 1000 Thief truly had great Stamina.
“Where are the Slimes?” Erica asked Steven, trying to change the topic. She felt a strange sense of unease when she saw Steven’s smile only grow more lewd.
“The Slimes are just over that hill. Trust me, Miss Erica, they live in valleys as groups and rarely venture alone.” Steven’s face returned to normal as he pointed towards a valley in front.
At the mouth of the valley, Erica and Steven could see various slimes of different colors mingle on the floor. Occasionally, one would eat a nearby plant, its color changing to match. They looked relatively harmless as they slid back and forth.
“How are we supposed to hunt Slimes if they are over there?” Erica understood that to hunt the Slimes, it would be best to avoid packs. In the valley, there were at least hundreds of slimes all in a small area.
Steven was a Thief, and she was a Level 1 Sword Fighter. Neither of them were made for aggroing such an amount of Slimes. Even if Steven could get their attention, there was no guarantee Erica could survive if a group of Slimes turned around and came her way.
“I have an idea.” Steven looked around, searching for something. He found a small rock the size of an orange, and picked it up. Eyeing the nearest Slime, he threw the stone towards the herd, the rock stopping just a short distance away.
The nearby Slime noticed the new stone, along with several of its comrades, about fifteen of them surrounding the stone. Erica thought for a moment, and it made sense.
Slimes feed on things that have energy. But they can only sense movement. That’s why so many neared the stone. It seemed like it “moved” to them. Erica felt a trace of respect for Steven. Maybe he isn’t just a pervert after all.
Erica looked for another stone, finding a grey stone below her feet. Just as she threw the stone, Steven tried to stop her.
“Miss Erica, wait!” Steven made his way close to her, but by then the stone was already into the air. It flew all the way to the center of the slime horde, hitting one of the slimes on the head, killing it.
The nearby slimes noticed it die, their cute eyes now carried a shade of red. All of them looked straight at Erica, understanding from where the stone flew.
Erica wanted to move, but her legs stood still. Steven pulled Erica by her hand, both of them running from the small valley of slimes.
Just behind them, a multicolored sea of Slimes followed behind the adventurers, steadily gaining ground. A red tinge was given off by the Slimes, angry at the death of their comrade.
Steven spoke in between his ragged breaths. “You attacked the slimes from the center, gaining all of their attention. I was getting them to slowly leave the valley, Miss. Only then could you have easily hunted them down, and then we wouldn’t have to worry about this.” At the moment, Erica was clinging to Steven’s back as he sprinted along the plains. He was too focused on avoiding the Slimes to worry about the amazing sensations he was feeling from behind.
Slimes were indeed one of the weakest [Monsters], but nothing in the world of adventurers were truly weak. Slimes had the best innate senses among many of the monsters, and also grew exponentially in power as a group. They could even merge to become much stronger. Luckily Erica and Steven had yet to provoke them to such a point.
The difference between veteran and new adventurers were many, and one of those was how to handle slime hordes. If an error was made, what was a simple Bronze Ranked One-Star mission could easily grow to become a Bronze Ranked Four-Star mission, at least 300 levels above Erica’s strength. Legends of Gold Ranked missions involving Slime Masters existed throughout Nowhere and beyond. Only the foolish and the inept would take these stories as jokes.
With Steven now supporting both of them, it became difficult for the herd of Slimes to catch up. On the other hand, carrying Erica and dashing at top speed was whittling away at Steven’s strength. His breath easily became labored as he took countless steps.
Erica watched as the Slimes disappeared into the horizon. Erica could only marvel at Steven’s agility. She felt a tinge of envy at how powerful he was compared to her. She hoped to bridge the gap in their strengths soon.
Steven finally stopped at one point, his Stamina depleted. His legs gave way as both of them tumbled onto the ground. Neither of them carried items that regenerated Stamina, and Steven felt a heavy need to sleep. Only through sleeping could he regain all of his energy.
Erica watched as Steven drifted off into slumber. She surveyed her surroundings, noticing trees and bushes. Steven had brought them to a forest near Greenhollow, and its size was quite large. Seeing no [Monsters] or the Slime horde, Erica quietly fell asleep on the grass near Steven, dismissing her worries of an ambush. The short distance she ran before being carried by Steven had emptied her of strength as well.
The rustling of flora could be heard as a small monster came from the forest. It eyed the two adventurers, making its way towards Erica. A glint of joy filled its eyes as it noticed Erica’s heavy breathing in her sleep. Her tiredness was proving to be her own undoing.