After the roar released by Magnus's transformation, a week has passed.

Sanria was bored out of her mind.

When she went home with her father and the slug that her master found, she was elated.

She spent the whole day waiting for her master's call but she didn't hear a single roar from his majestic form.

She rationalized that Magnus must be busy, sleeping, or resting. Her master wouldn't forget about her.

But a day turned to 3 days and 3 days turned to a whole week. At some point, Sanria gave up and started getting bored.

Sanria still sensed the invisible connection between the two of them so she knew Magnus was still alive.

Magnus didn't message her and that irked Sanria. She couldn't do anything which made things worse.

Gregory, on the other hand, was fine with the peace. When he went home with his daughter and with his suddenly improved looks, many people were amazed.

Some even claimed that he met a god that gifted him with power. Gregory declined this but it didn't stop the village's ladies from admiring his dignified and handsome appearance. Some of the old men started asking him if he can make them younger too. The smarter villagers asked what happened.

Gregory offered them nothing but a smile. Gregory instructed everyone to not go to the forest. When asked, as to why he simply offered them an ominous warning.

No one was to go to the forest.

Sanria agreed. If anyone started looting the items that rightfully belonged to her master, she would commit manslaughter.

Earlier, she saw the villagers enter the village. She didn't see her father which worried her but a young man, whose name Sanria forgot, explained that an animal stampede came from the forest.

According to the young man, Gregory managed to save all of them. After saving everyone, Gregory went to the town to report it while the other villagers went home.

Sanria sighs. She was very bored.

At least, dad has something to do.

Sanria was leaning on the windowsill. Her long hair seemed to flow according to the wind's wishes and it covered her face. Sanria sighed.

She blew her hair away and saw someone enter the village.

Oooh.

Sanria's blood was reinvigorated.

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The forest was experiencing an upheaval. Its biggest and most powerful beast, the golden furred bear, was being challenged.

A golden furred bear was a huge bear infused with the natural energies of any forest. Albeit small compared to the super forests scattered around the world, this specific forest must have taken a liking to this bear to give it such a blessing.

The authority of the golden furred bear was being challenged so it had no choice but to reply.

While inside its den, the giant bear released a powerful roar which scared many of the animals living in the forest. Its mate ran for dear life as the golden furred bear ran out of its den.

It would greet its challenger with tooth and claw.

The combined roars of the two powerful predators inflicted great fear in the whole forest. Animals of all sizes started running away, resulting in an animal stampede akin to the movement of animals when there's a forest fire.

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

Gregory was going home. He went to the nearby town with other villagers. He spent the whole week doing his chores, training with Sanria, and testing his abilities.

Despite his improvement, Gregory quickly realized how weak he was. Not in comparison to other people, but compared to his daughter.

At first, Sanria was excited to use her abilities at such a high level but they quickly found out that her previous high level was now her low level. Sanria quickly got bored of her father's ability. She still trained with him and did her best to not show her boredom but Gregory still noticed.

I guess my daughter is truly amazing.

Despite feeling a bit sad about her daughter's boredom with his skill and strength, Gregory was also proud. His daughter was so impressive that if she ever went to the cities, she would be fine.

"Look out!"

One of the villagers with Gregory screamed as a pack of giant wolves came out of the forest.

Gregory turned his head towards the forest.

Gregory's senses suddenly went into overdrive. For the past week, he's been testing the limits of his body. Gregory's most important discovery was that his physical abilities have returned to his prime. In addition to not being limited by the constraints of age, Gregory's abilities are above average humans.

A giant wolf leaped towards him. With his enhanced reaction time, Gregory jumped backward and landed on the wagon. The wolf simply passed by him and it continued running.

"Gregory! There's more!"

Gregory looks at the forest. The wolves were only the beginning. All manners of creatures started pouring out of the forest.

Gregory quickly jumps back to the front of the wagon. He whips the horse and it starts to run but it was too late. The large mass of animals crashed to the side of the wagon, easily upending it. The villagers were thrown to the ground and the horse was trampled.

When the wagon was thrown aside, Gregory quickly reacted and landed on both feet. Without hesitation, Gregory rushed to the nearest villager. He was a young man. Gregory grabbed the man.

"Stand! We need to get out of here!"

Gregory told the man to stick close to him. Then he ran to the next nearest villager.

Shit.

An 8-horned deer was charging straight towards Gregory and the young man.

Gregory infused his body with internal energy. He was thankful that he practiced this week in its usage.

Stepping forward, Gregory caught the deer's powerful charge.

Any normal person would have been thrown off by this creature's powerful charge but Gregory stood strong. The deer's sharp horns couldn't pierce Gregory.

"Ahhhhh!"

Gregory dug his feet on the ground and he lifted the deer by its horns. With great momentum, Gregory threw the huge deer towards the incoming horde. Many animals were forced to move away, giving Gregory some breathing space.

"Help!"

A villager was about to be crushed underfoot. Gregory moved quickly and grabbed the man. With superhuman speed and strength, Gregory moved to get the other villagers.

Despite the stampede, Gregory managed to save everyone with minor injuries. Their only real casualty was the horse and wagon.

Gregory calculated the cost of fixing the wagon. It would cost a lot which annoyed him.

It would help if the village had a blacksmith.

The villagers stayed away from the stampede's path. No point in trying to get themselves killed.

Eventually, the stampede stopped for now.

The aftermath was brutal. The road was brutally ripped apart by the animals. Any plants were either beaten or eaten by the stampeding animals.

"Gregory, what do we do?"

The young man approached Gregory.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"Sylas, go home first with the others. I'll rush to the town to report this. Maybe something is happening to the forest."

Sylas nodded. After Gregory returned from the forest, everyone noticed his change. He became more like a leader.

Sylas, following Gregory's command, called the others to prepare for the walk home.

Gregory walked towards the town.

His thoughts were suddenly preoccupied with his master. He couldn't report him, but it will surely hit other caravans or traveling people if the stampede continues. If he doesn't report this, many people would be affected.

Gregory cursed inwardly. He still sensed the connection he has with his master so he knew Magnus was alive but it's been a week since their last meeting. For all he knows, his master might be the cause of this.

Shit.

Gregory moved towards the direction of the town.

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The bustling town of Mckaintyo was a frontier town. It was the passing area of people wanting to leave or enter the kingdom.

It was connected to three other frontier villages and one village that was closer to the capital.

Quodin was one of these frontier villages. It was where Gregory and Sanria lived. This town was by no means rich but it wasn't poor either. It gained its wealth mostly from tariffs and taxes gained from traveling merchants. It also had a healthy share of adventurers.

Gregory traveled to the town gate.

"Gregory? Is that you?"

Gregory looked at the guard who called his name.

"Yeah, it's me."

"You just left earlier? Don't tell me, you already have another load of food or items to sell?"

Gregory shook his head.

"I'm going to the adventurer's guild to report something."

"Ahhh, let me guess. Giant rats?"

The two shared a laugh before the guard let Gregory in.

Gregory took regular trips to the town so he was well known here. Educated and literate villagers were extremely rare so Gregory was someone almost everyone in Mckaintyo knew.

His fame grew when he returned to the town looking like a hunk of a man. Fortunately for Gregory, there wasn't a mage guild branch here or else he would've been taken for a lot of questioning.

Gregory reached the adventurer's guild branch. When Gregory was awakened, he enjoyed the benefits of increased strength but he also gained muscle mass. Some of Gregory's clothes were ripped off during the stampede which revealed his chiseled body.

Gregory pushes the adventurer guild's door open and enters the building.

The multitude of many adventurers took a glance at the newcomer. Many were surprised by the age of the man coming in. Despite Gregory's new look, he still had that appearance of age.

Whispers were everywhere as Gregory made his way to the counter.

"Look at that guy."

"He's so buff."

"You think he's a veteran?"

"Nah, we're some backwater town. What would a veteran do here?"

"What rank is he?"

Gregory promptly ignored them. He was taught that as long as someone didn't directly hurt you or embarrass you, you ignore them.

Once Gregory reached the counter, a young clerk stood up.

"Good morning sir! How may I help you?"

The young clerk, named Quilana, was smiling. Quilana was new here. It was actually her first day.

She was excited to help and serve the people. She was nervous but that was fine. Adventurers were surely not going to make it hard for her.

When she saw Gregory, she happily stood up to greet him.

Gregory was a bit surprised by the young lady's politeness. He thought he would be ignored since he was just a village head of a remote village.

"Ah yes, I am here to report something."

"Oh! Let me get the IVM."

"IVM?"

Quilana stood up to go to the back. She heard Gregory's question and quickly responds.

"It means Information Value Manual. It helps us put a value on any information given to us."

"Oh, but why would you pay us for information?"

Quilana smiles. It was her time to shine! She remembers back to her training days and she stands up proudly.

"Oh, sir! It's because information is power!"

Gregory was confused but he nodded. The old man didn't understand a lot in life but he did know when to just nod and agree.

Seeing the lack of interest, Quilana feels suddenly down but she keeps her smile and instead opts for a short and concise explanation.

"The many guilds in the world, including other organizations, and even the government use the information gained from reporters for a variety of things, some of which I cannot say about. So, the more valuable or important your information is, the larger the money we are willing to pay for."

"Ahh, so that's why."

Quilana smiles and nods. She recovered some of her spirits seeing Gregory understanding her explanation.

I'm so great! My training was worth it!

Quilana was in a good mood.

"Now, sir?"

"Gregory."

"Yes, sir Gregory, now can you tell me about this news?"

Gregory nods. He then retells what happened when he was about to go home with his fellow villagers.

Quilana was intently listening to Gregory the whole time. She offered him tea, some biscuits, and a smile.

Gregory appreciated it. Once he was done retelling the story, Quilana nodded.

"Well, animal stampedes aren't common and their danger is based on the animals, beasts, or monsters present in the herd. Did you notice any creature that was out of the ordinary?"

Gregory thought if there was any creature that was out of the ordinary.

"Well, what do you consider out of the ordinary?"

"Animals that are too big, magical beasts, or monsters."

"Hmm, there were giant wolves."

"Okay, giant wolves."

Quilana noted down the information. She upped the difficulty of the mission associated with this information.

"Anything else?"

"An 8-horned deer tried to tackle me. Is that important?"

"Ooh! I'm glad you managed to dodge Sir Gregory. The charge of 8-horned deers can pierce even some tough armors. They're actually one of the top reasons for amethyst adventurer dea- umm forced retirement. Thank you for telling me this."

Quilana calculates the value of the information.

"The information you brought to the guild is worth 10 gold coins."

"What?!"

Gregory was very surprised by Quilana's estimate. Quilana tilted her head in surprise. She thought to herself.

Hmmm, this must be sir's first time in the adventurer guild.

"Sir, is this your first time in the guild?"

Gregory breathes in and tries to recompose himself but he can't help but be bewildered. 10 gold is already a large amount of money for a villager, much less a villager that lives near the borders.

"Ye-yes. Sorry, I was just surprised."

"Well, I can pay you now sir but the stampede doesn't have a mission assigned to it yet. Do you want to use the information money to make it the mission reward?"

"You can do that?"

"Yes. Adventurers need to be paid and requests are funded either by a private contact or the government. In some rare cases, we fund the request by ourselves but that's a very rare case."

"Well, my village relies a lot on the forest for food, furs, and other produce. I'd like to have it be investigated."

Quilana nods.

"It's part of my job to give you a realistic view of what will happen when I post this request. While this request might be of utmost importance to you, we, the guild, rank the mission and consequently lock out some adventurers from it. We can't have adventurers throw their lives away for no reason after all."

Gregory nods understandingly.

"And will you be adding more to the reward or no?"

"isn't 10 gold enough?"

Quilana smiles.

"10 gold is a big amount for average everyday people but it's a small amount for adventurers who spend the bulk of their money on supplies, new gear, buying information, and so on."

Gregory seems to be surprised by this.

"I-I see. That seems complicated."

"It is. Now, will you post this request with only 10 gold?"

"Is this request difficult?"

"Hmmm, the request is to deal with a disturbance but to be truthful to you sir Gregory, we lack information. Due to this lack of information, the guild has to be careful in allowing anyone to handle the situation. Considering the danger of the unknown, a minimum of Lapis-ranked adventurers will suffice."

"Lapis?"

"9th rank adventurers. They're a bit more skilled than their lower-ranked counterparts but still within the stone group of adventurers."

"Stone??"

Gregory was starting to become really confused.

"Well, they're-"

"That's enough. How much do I pay Lapis ranked adventurers?"

"Depending on the request, it's a minimum of 10 gold per rank, so at least 20 gold but considering the danger, we can add 10 or 15 gold more."

The amount was staggering for someone like Gregory. He couldn't just fork out that amount of money. The village needed it for repairing tools and buying animals.

He sighed.

He couldn't hire Lapis-ranked adventurers without endangering the village.

"Is there no other way?"

Quilana shook her head dejectedly.

Gregory was about to leave until he was surprised by the sound of a fist hitting the wooden table. He turns his head to see an adventurer looking at him directly.

Quilana saw the adventurer and noticed their amethyst-colored badge. She spoke with command in her voice.

"Sir!"

Quilana stood up to reprimand the adventurer.

"We'll take the job!"

The man pointed his thumb at him.

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

Gregory and Quilana were both surprised as to what they heard.

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

Sanria saw his father with a few strangers come into their village. She stopped doing whatever she was doing to greet him.

"Father! You're back!"

Gregory's stress seemed to disappear as he saw his beautiful daughter run towards him.

"Sanria!"

Gregory stepped forward to catch his daughter. The two exchange a father and daughter hug.

"How was your day father? Was the stampede eventful?"

Sanria asked with some teasing in her voice.

"Eventful? You should have-"

"Hey, I'm Zack. Pleased to meet you."

Before Gregory could finish, Zack, the young amethyst adventurer, speaks up. Zack looks enamored by Sanria's beauty. He gives Sanria a wink and his best smile.

Sanria raises an eyebrow in confusion.

Zack's two other party members groan and facepalm.

"Zack! What did I tell you about rudely interrupting the conversation of other people?!"

A young girl hits Zack on the head with her staff.

"Hey! Elisha that hurts!"

Before Zack could protest against Elisha's attacks, a tall and strong-looking man comments.

"Zack, if you keep acting like that, we won't get good contacts."

"See! Even Jordan is agreeing!"

Zack looks at the tall man. After seeing Jordan's stern look, Zack quickly bows.

"I apologize. I just couldn't help but want to meet your acquaintance. You're so beautiful. I wanted nothing more than to know who you were."

Elisha and Jordan groan again. Jordan grabs Zack before he could embarrass themselves more. Jordan starts to scold Zack while Elisha apologizes to Gregory and Sanria.

Gregory chuckles while Sanria rolls her eyes.

"It's okay. My daughter has received many confessions of admiration. This was not the first and will definitely not be the last."

Zack hears that and immediately shouts.

"Sir, I am a fine young man. I can definitely treat your daughter right."

Sanria scowls at that.

Gregory responds when he sees his daughter's reaction.

"Many have said that my boy and none have delivered. Now, let us go to my home first before I guide you three to the forest."

Zack was a bit depressed by Gregory's response but he quickly recovers when he sees Sanria walk away. He can't help but admire that view.

Elisha hits Zack on his head with a stick.

Sanria followed her father as they made their way back to their humble abode.

"Father, you will guide these... people?"

"I'll only guide them to the edge of the forest."

"Wait, you don't think it's connected to him?"

Sanria internally hissed at herself for calling her master him.

"I... I'm not sure but yeah it's possible."

Sanria frowns.

"If that's the case, we should go in as well to avoid any meddling of his home."

Gregory didn't want to agree but he knew she was right. He owed his loyalty to his master. If he were to be lacking in his loyalty, what type of man would he be?

"Okay. We'll lead them inside and do our best to steer them away from the battlefield and his home."

Sanria nodded approvingly.

"Oh yeah, we have a visitor. He came earlier before you guys got here."

"Oh, who is it?"

Sanria smiled. Her blood felt like fire.