Nyk dashed out of the living room and sprinted towards the shop's entrance, his heart racing excitedly. He couldn't believe what Vaughn had just confirmed - Thassos had actually split the beast in half!

It was exactly the same as Syn had mentioned the previous day, where the creature that fought Garoth was instantly killed. Garoth was at death's door, and they needed to ensure he made it across.

If they succeeded, the village would finally be free from the menacing beast that had terrorized it for so long.

As Nyk scanned the people gathered at the shop's entrance, he couldn't help but think about the possibility of obtaining the Green card that Syn had been longing for. Since her father had dealt the fatal blow, Nyk had a feeling that she would be the one to claim the coveted card.

If they managed to defeat the beast and acquire the card, it would be a massive victory for the village and themselves.

The beginning of our journey as Cardslingers can start as early as tonight! He thought, elated.

He spotted his Nana assisting Nysander in calming down a group of worried people. Nyk quickly approached her, tugging at her clothes to get her attention.

"Nana, Nana!" he exclaimed urgently.

His Nana turned and hushed him. "Nyk, please be quiet."

Barely able to contain his excitement, Nyk continued pulling at her clothes. How could he stay quiet when they had to rush to the coast? Ensuring things didn't take a turn for the worse was the priority!

In front of him, a woman in the group burst into loud sobs, and Minda stepped in to offer her a comforting embrace. Nyk's determination grew. They had to make sure such incidents wouldn't happen again.

He stepped in front of his grandmother and tried to push her out of the group, but to no avail. It was like trying to move a mountain. "Nana! Let's go! We have to do something!" he insisted.

"Nyk, behave! We're in the middle of something important. Be quiet!" his Nana scolded as she patted his head and left her hand resting on it. Her strong arm locked him in place, making it impossible for him to move or even look up. All he could do was flail his arms helplessly in the air.

"Nana, listen to me!" Nyk shouted as he waved his hands frantically, trying to free himself from her grip. But even with both hands pulling, he couldn't budge her finger. Still struggling to lift her hand, Nyk turned to Zosimos, who was standing nearby. "Zosimos, please help me get her attention. We have to take action and do something quickly!" he begged the old man.

Zosimos looked at Nyk suspiciously. "Val, it looks like your pipsqueak wants us to do something," he remarked.

His Nana released her grip, and Nyk smiled gratefully at Zosimos. But when he looked up, he saw that she was staring at him with a stern expression that sent chills down his spine. "Nyk, what do you want?" she demanded.

Gathering his courage, he spoke up. "Nana, we can't stay here. We need to do something before it's too late!" he insisted.

"There's nothing more important than what we're doing right now. Stop and behave. I don't want to hear another word!" she scolded.

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"B-but we nee–" Nyk began to say.

"Nyk!" his Nana cut him off sternly. "Go home and bring me some Nightshades. I hope the walk will help cool down your head before I have to ground you," she ordered. She looked around and added, "And take the bags you brought while at it."

Nyk froze and stood there silently, knowing his grandmother wouldn't listen to a word he said, not when she was like this. He looked at Zosimos pleadingly, hoping for support, but the old man just looked away.

Holding his breath, Nyk headed towards the cart and kicked it. He picked up the bags, walked towards the front door and stepped out, making his way home.

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Nyk walked down the village's main road, kicking stones away with his eyebrows furrowed. Gazing up at the moon, he let out a frustrated sigh. "It's not fair. I'm almost an adult now," he murmured to himself, "And despite that, no one ever listens to me. They just treat me like a kid."

Upon reaching his house, he headed straight for the stairs. "Why don't they get that we shouldn't be wasting Syn's father's effort?" he muttered angrily.

As he descended the stairs, he seethed with frustration. "I just don't get how they don't see it!" he muttered.

He looked around the room, noticing all the things they hadn't brought to the harvest festival. His gaze landed on a colorful gadget and the leather armor he had been working on. He let out a sigh, disappointed with everyone.

He parked the cart next to a wall and peeked inside before heading upstairs, scanning all the items they had kept or hadn't managed to sell. He saw his grandmother's flag and the giant utensils and smiled as his gaze rested on a few Sneaky Sniff-Sniffles grenades and his Razer-azer-angs.

His eyes opened wide. Wait a minute. An idea struck him like lightning.

He could go and check on the beast.

It was probably dead, but if it wasn't, it would be badly wounded and unable to move or run with just two legs.

He looked at the pieces of equipment scattered around him with a newfound determination. There was plenty of gear lying around, and he knew he could use it to his advantage.

Nyk sprang into action, quickly gathering everything he could find to arm himself.

He rummaged through the cart and grabbed the Sneaky Sniff-Sniffles grenades and his Razer-azer-angs, also collecting the Giant knife, which felt like a sword in his hands, and the giant fork that, given his size, resembled more of a trident.

He ran to the desk, grabbed the leather armor, and fiddled them into place, then picked up Syn's whip-sword and strapped it as a belt.

He opened one of the drawers, extracted a potion belt, filled it with Sneaky Sniff-Sniffles grenades and his Razer-azer-angs, and equipped it, crossing it over his shoulder and torso.

He took the giant knife and fork, placed the knife on his back, secured it against the potion belt, and held the trident in his hand.

He joyfully ran toward a bulky closet and opened a door that revealed a mirror inside. Posing in front of it, he admired how he looked.

He'd need to redo the sewing of the leather pieces a bit better, as they looked a bit awkward, but it would have to suffice for the time being. Whatever protection they provided would be enough for this fight.

But despite it all, he did look like a warrior!

With this, he was ready. He was going to avenge Syn's father and all the villagers that had suffered at the paws of the hateful beast.

"Vaughn said Nysander trapped Garoth inside a cage made of rocks, leaving half its body outside." He planned out loud, "That means the first step would be to go to the cage. If Garoth is inside, I'll stab at it through the cracks at it until he expires," he stabbed the air with the sharp fork.

"If it's not in the cage, he must be badly wounded, so I can attack it from the distance using Razer-azer-angs and keep sneeze bombs at hand if he comes closer. Once he's down sneezing, if I manage to get close to him, I can finish him with the knif– sword!" Nyk said, reaching for the items held tightly in his potion belt, then dropping the fork and unsheathing the giant knife and slashing the air with it.

He couldn't hold his excitement and rushed to sheathe the giant knife again. Collected the fork from the floor and ran to exit the house, smiling widely as he ran upstairs.

Not only was he ready for the challenge, but he was also certain he'd succeed.