It was a fresh morning, the scent of flowers, trees and the damp earth was blooming in the cold breeze. Joon-woo ventured deeper into the forest. After he woke up he received a quest from the System to venture into the forest and gather some herbs. As he reached deeper into the forest, he opened up his quest window to get a reminder on what he needed to collect.

System Notification

Quest: Gather Herbs Objective:

Collect 10 bundles of Blue Spirit Grass from the forest

Collect 5 Goldenleaf Roots from the forest

Reward: +20 EXP, +10 Qi units, +1 Qi Condensing Pill

The system screen floated in fron of him. Joon-woo already knew a little about the Blue Spirit Grass and Goldenleaf Roots. They were common ingredients used in basic medicine and potions. This quest seemed simple enough, but something told him it would be better to not be too arrogant, since the forest he ventured in was known for its wild dangerous animals.

In particular the Madreds,, a species similar to the common wolves, both in appearance and strength. The only key difference was the red streak of fur which spanned from their tail to their forehead. Also the fact that, unlike normal wolves, who aren’t particularly aggressive, as long as they are not starving or threatened The Madreds were quite the opposite, they have a high elevated level of aggression, so much that many choose not to go into the forest, because the risk of being attack by those beasts is very high.

As Joon-woo walked, his eyes were darting from place to place, looking for the distinctive light blue blades of the Blue Spirit Grass. The Goldenleafs were a bit harder to spot, but you can still easily notice them if you look for their roots, who have a tendency to grow out the ground, usually, having a golden glimmer on them.

It was a dense forest, the rays of sunlight could barely penetrate the thick natural barrier made out of trees. Even though it was early morning, the forest was alive and upbeat, as the rustle of leaves and chirps of birds could easily be heard.

An hour passed, and as Joon-woo began to feel quite annoyed, he finally spotted a cluster of Blue Spirit Grass, growing right meside a rock covered in moss. He took out a knife out of his satchel, both of which he took from the cottage, and crouched down. With careful movement, he cut the Blades of the plant, careful not to damage the roots. Observing them, he understood why they are called Blue Spirit Grass, the blades give a slight and faint glow.It’s clear now that they must possess a very small quantity of Qi. No wonder they have such potent medicinal properties.

As he cut down the plant, Joon-woo couldn’t help but smile. Just a few days ago, he would more than likely be exhausted after an one hour search, not only that, him crouching and cutting down plants… even though they were subtle, he could still feel the difference between his old body and his new one, especially after becoming a little bit stronger. He has better stamina, a better sense of balance, and even strength. His senses were also more in tune with the world around him, more than likely thanks to his meditation and unlocking of Qi.

System Notification Objective Progress:

Progress: Blue Spirit Grass (2/10).

Joon-woo tucked the plants into his satchel. He got up from his crouching position, ready to leave and search for another bundle. But as he got up, he heard a noise from the nearby bushes. He froze, he reached for the knife and prepared himself for the encounter.

From the bushes, a dark figure emerged. It was a young woman, maybe a little bit older than him, two or three years older. She had a look of fierce determination, her dark hair was pulled back into a tight braid. She was dressed in a simple black robe with red lines. She moved with a grace that left Joon-woo astounded, he instinctually knew she was someone who saw her fair share of fights and not some inexperienced weak girl.

He tensed, he tightened his grip on the knife. The woman didn’t notice him yet, ironically, her attention was focused on a nearby bundle of Goldenleaf Roots. She was gathering the plants with ease, she was so quick and efficient that compared to her, Joon-woo felt like a dumb pig.

He sighed in relief, as he realized that she wasn’t a threat, at least for now. But just as he was about to leave the girl and go into another area to continue his search elsewhere, the woman looked up, her eyes piercing his gaze.

“What are you doing here?” She asked, in a sharp and commanding tone

Joon-woo was caught off guard by the hostility of her tone

“I’m gathering some herbs” he replied calmly with some cautioun, trying to see what are her intentions

“This area is mine,” the girl said, her expression hardening “I found it first”

Joon-woo frowned

“I didn’t know the forest had an owner, are you going to tell me the sky is yours as well?”

The woman’s eyes were getting more hostile

“You should leave, now!”

At this point, Joon-woo was irritated. At first, he wanted to leave, but now, seeing how bratty and demanding this person is, he couldn’t just go away. He would feel it as a defeat, especially now since it’s a “Quest”, not to mention, a bundle of Goldenleaf was just right here, he will not back down now.

“I’m not leaving,” Joon-woo said firmly, looking back directly in her eyes.

“There’s plenty of herbs around”

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The woman took a step forward, with the hand resting on the hilt of her short sword

“ You don’t want to make this difficult,” she warned Joon-woo in an aggressive tone

Joon-woo’s heart pounded, he was already slightly sweating, but he stood his ground. He was intimidated all of his life, this time he won’t be pushed around

Before either of them could make a move, the calm vibe of the forest was turned upside down, as aggressive howls were starting to appear, and they were getting closer. A pack of Redmads bursted from the underbrush, their shiny red streak of fur in full display. They were decently sized, like most common wolves… but their aggression, it was something Joon-woo hadn't seen yet in his life, besides some rare instances of him meeting large rats who wouldn’t back down from fighting for food.

His instinct kicked in and he quickly prepared his knife for the attack, the woman was already in motion, as she moved her sword into a defensive stance.

“There’s lots of them, not like the usual pack!” she shouted, her hostility being dissipated by the situation

Joon-woo already knew what he needed to do. He lunged forward, and slashed a Redmad that charged at him. The creature snarled, as a crunch sound could be heard because of its jaws snapping shut, just centimenters away from his arm, as Joon-woo dodged to the side.The adrenaline surge was already rushing through him, sharpening his reflex.

The woman fought with ease and grace, her sword cutting the beasts left and right. But even so, there were still too many left, and as it stand, they were quickly about to become overwhelmed

Joon-woo was now fighting side by side with her, as if their earlier clash didn’t even happen.

He moved with a balance and precision that surprised him a little, it was just like the time when he fought those gang members.

‘Was the effect of adrenaline that strong?’

But even though both of them managed to slay more of the beasts, they were slowly pushed out back towards the edge of a ravine. Their sheer numbers and aggression was relentless.

System Notification

WARNING!

The Redmad is attacking you!

DO NOT DIE

‘Kind of late, don’t you think’

The notification was flashing in his vision, but he couldn’t afford to give it too much attention. A Redmad lunged at him, its claws cutting into his arm as he tried to block the attack. He gritted his teeth because of the pain, and quickly retailed to a slash against its throat, the Radmad collapsing at his feet

But, even befor he could regain composure, another one of those beasts was already upon him, he barely had time to react before it was slashed down by the woman’s sword. She gave him a glance, and looked at him with a fierce but focused expression

“Don’t let them corner you, dumbass!” she shouted, deflecting another attack

Joon-woo nodded, he regrouped with her and now they were back-to-back, surrounded by Redmads that just kept appearing, they killed one, another one appeared from the bushes.

They fought with desperation and ferocity that matched those of the Redmads. Their moves syncronized by necessity. After some relentless fighting, most of the beasts were slain, but one still remained, it was bigger than the others, more than likely the pack leader. The Alpha Redmad lunged at them, Joon-woo didn’t have his knife anymore, as he lost it when it got stuck on a slain beast.

The situation was dire for him, but he didn’t falter.

‘ Well, this is it I guess…’

He focused on his breathing, fully letting the energy of the System guide him.

“Use [ Iron Fist ]...” he muttered under his breath. Suddenly Qi was channeled into his right arm. The technique was still new to him, but ever since he got it, he used it a couple of times to get the hang of it. His fist was now glowing faintly with energy, and he slammed it right into the face of the Alpha, sending it flying backwards with a screech.

The woman was surprised, her eyes widening as she noticed the glow of his fist.

“You are a cultivator?” she asked in a surprised tone of voice

“Something like that,” Joon-woo answered while catcthing up his breath

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they were done with this fight. No redmad showed up anymore.

Joon-woo stood there panting, his clothes torn off and full of blood, but he was alive. He looked at the woman, who was also slightly catching up her breath, but she was in no shape or form even comparable to Joon-woo. Besides small drops of blood from the beasts, she looked impecable, she didn’t look hurt, and even while catching up her breath, she didn’t look like she came out of a fight of survival. Compared to Joon-woo, she just looked like she ended a sprint.

She was still holding her sword tightly.

For a moment, they stood in silence, as the adrenaline was slowly going away. The forest, once again, was filled with a calm vibe, filled with sounds of the breeze and the birds singing.

“Thanks,” Joon-woo said, breaking the silence. “You saved my life today”

She sheathed her sword and looked at him, with an unreadable expression.

“You fought well, but you should be more careful. This forest is not safe”

Joon-woo nodded in respect, not wanting to argue

“I’m Kang Joon-woo” he said, while extending his right hand out

The woman hesitated for a moment, but in the end she shook hands with him.

“Yoon Se-ri” she replied, as she held a firm grip

Both of them stood there, two strangers sizing each other up. Joon-woo could tell that Se-ri was cautious and wary of him, but at the same time he couldn’t help but notice the flicker of curiosity in her eyes.

“Why are you out here? She asked, this time, not with an aggressive tone, but a calm and curious one

“Like I said, I just wanted to gather some herbs, I didn’t mean to intrude” Joon-woo replied while showing her his satchel.

Se-ri looked at the satchel which contained some Blue Spirit Grass, she quickly looked back at him

“You’ve got guts, coming out here alone” she said with a strange soft tone

“But don’t let this get to your head, this forest is known as dangerous for a reason, it claimed enough victims to claim that reputation, enough that it’s more than you can count”

“I’ll make sure to keep that in mind” Joon-woo said, while a small smile crept up at the corner of his mouth

Se-ri quickly looked around, as if she sensed something else in the forest.

“We should go, the smell of the blood will attract even more beasts”

Joon-woo agreed and they began to walk back towards another area, farther away from there.

The tension between them eased out a bit.

As they reached the edge of the forest, Se-ri turned to him, and with a serious expression spoke to him

“You have a strong skill, Joon-woo, but a strong skill isn’t enough to keep you alive out here. Be careful”

He looked directly in her eyes, seeing genuine concern.

“I will, thank you” he promised

With a final nod, Se-ri turned around and walked away, disappearing into the clearing. Joon-woo watched her go, looking at her back, he noticed on the black robe a red crescent symbol.

Joon-woo felt a strange mix of emotions. She was clearly more experienced and powerful than he was, but yet, they still fought together, more as equals than not. Sure, she slain more beasts than him, and she didn’t get as rugged up as him, but he wasn’t a liability.

As he continued his quest, in the end he found the necessary herbs to complete the quest, this time keeping himself out of the depths of the forest, sure, he spent more hours trying to search for the plant, on the outskirts of the forest, since they were less common compared to the centre of the forest, but hey, the likelihood of encountering a dangerous beast just outside the forest is much lower. So he just took a lesser risk.

System Notification

Congratulations!

The Quest has been completed!

Reward: 20 EXP, +10 Qi units,+1 Qi Condensing Pill

Joon-woo smiled, but he didn’t smile just because of the rewards, sure they were nice, but it was something else that filled him up with satisfaction. It was the event that happened just hours ago, his encounter with Se-ri, and the fact that he wasn’t just a liability, he could hold his own

As he walked back to the cottage, he couldn’t help but wonder if his path and Se-ri’s would cross again. There was something about Se-ri that intrigued him, he felt that their story wasn’t over yet. Perhaps, one day, they would stand together as allies or… rivals.