It's been a week since we deided to aimto B-rank. I, Jasper Perez, along with Gino and Jeziel took quests while pilling points for promotion examination and we somehow reached C-rank after a week.With that said, I actually thought that achieving B-rank within a month seems plausible butI am mistaken. The quests in C-rank were the ones you'll need to travel for about 1 day before you encounter the designated monsters/items and escorts mission which would be time consuming.
And also, in this past weekI managed to raise my level and changed my job from villager to Archer. To become one, you need to hunt a tree monster called "Batag". Frankly, it's a banana treewith a face in it's trunk hoping around, funny thing is, "Batag" means banana in my hometown. It both have range and melee attack which is quite troublesome and they are typically seen as a pack. For range attack, they throw bananas to you, well you think that it won't hurt? What if I tell you that the bananas they throw are as hard as iron and it's fast enough to penetrate rocks. It also throws it's heart and upon contact it explodes like a molotovand when you close the distance, it would ram itself to you and just like it's fruit, it's body is as hard as iron. Lastly, it's leaf serves as a shield so it's quite troublesome. The mysterious part of it was when it's not attacking, it's body was as soft as a normal banana tree and killing it will soften it's fruit like normal.
"I guess it's really impossible to reach B-rank within a month.."
Gino said dejectedly as we walk towards Jeziel's house. We decided to pick up Jeziel and bring her back everytime we went out and it's Gino's idea saying that a maiden should not walk alone in the streets since it's dangerous but Jeziel is an adventurer so his worries are almost baseless and I think he's just doing it for the sake of having more time to spend with Jeziel. He just doesn't want to admit it and it somehow feels like I am a third wheel between those two but leaving him alone with the girl he likes, I'll bet he won't be able to talk as much as he can.
"Told you so.It's impossible yet you said to we should at least aim for it."
"Well, we really can't take night quest with a Jeziel though. If we can the we may be able to achieve B-rank... Haaa..."
What Gino meant of night quest is the quest to hunt Feral Owl, a nocturnal monster which looks like an owl.The night quest begun to appear when you reached C-rank since fighting during night is extremely dangerous unlike during the day. First of all, your visibility is limited and secondlyferocious beast such as wolves and bats appeared, while there are wolves during the day, at the night you won't be able to detect their assault easily.
And also since we are living with Kaezar's family, we would be shameless if we don't help around. Every afternoon, we help doing house chores like cleaning, cooking, filling up the water jug, tending the store and Gino help Fernando craft medicines.
After walking for a while, we reached Jeziel's house. Jeziel was already waiting when we arrived and after saying goodbye to her father, we procedeeded to the guild.
As usual the guild was packed with people specially near the quest board. There we picked the "Batag Subjugation Quest". We're taking taking this quest since we got fed up of killing goblins everyday and also, this quest will also gives us food ingredients like it's fruits and heart. As for the Subjugation proof, we need it's trunk. I foolishly thought that we can cheat this quest if we found a normal banana but since this place isn't suitable for it, I gave up.
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We went out of the village and entered the forest. Since Batag is a plant-type monster they are abundant near water sources like rivers and lakes. We walk southwest of the village and reached the river after 1 hour of walk. It's near the what they so called Fire Dragon Mountain Range which houses strong monsters and some fire dragons. At first, I was afraid at going near it's foot but Jeziel told us that monsters from the mountain range doesn't descend too much and if they do, they won't attack indiscriminately.
"Found one."
I said while looking at the Batag that I found. It's hoping alone near the river which is kind of rare and near on it's roots, which serves as it's feet, there were corpses of goblins. Did they had a turf war?
While thinking that, we sneakly went near the Batag, cautious on not startling it. When the distance between me and Batag was 20 meters, I stopped walking while nocking an arrow to my bow while Gino and Jeziel continues. Then suddenly, Gino charged towards the Batag with his shield in front banging it with his sword. He's taking the attention of Batag while Jeziel followed behind, using Gino as a hiding spot.
When Batag notice him, it throws it's fruit towards Gino. Gino skillfully divertit away from him without stopping. When he's two steps away, Jeziel comes out from his back and slashes the Batag while running around. In this past week, Jeziel finally managed to adjust to our combat style. We aren't the type of guy who commands each other since we known each other since elementary school, combined with our usual party play with different games, we became accustomed to each other's movement.
Jeziel did her best to adjust to us and succeeded on it. She's now capable of guessing what we will do with a single glance.
I guess her former comrade failed to this perfermance and deemed her as a failure but for us, she's too good at adjusting with other people. If she were a dayo like us and also a gamer then I'll understand it since online games won't let you play with your friends all the time. There will always be times where you will act separately and play with strangers.
Matching her slash, I released the arrow. It flew straight to it's trunk, successfully piercing it.
"As long it doesn't recognize the attack, it's body is really defenseless."
I muttered to no one. Gino holds his ground while attracting Batag's attention while Jeziel continued to release slash after slash while I release arrow once in a while and paid close attention to our surroundingsso that no unnecessary monster disturb our hunt.
Normally, there would be a Goblin or two drawn to the sound of our fight but strangely enough, they aren't coming. Is it because of the goblin's corpse near Batag's feet? Are they the only goblins in this area?
Anyways as I release arrow while paying attention to our surroundings, we managed to beat it. The quest said that we need to bring back it's corpse as a proof but i think it's fine if we treat ourselves with bananas.
Gino tied the trunk with ropes after he plucked out it's fruit and heart. The leaves were cut away so that it would be easier for us to carry it.
We still need 2 Batags to complete the quest. Normally, if you found one Batag, there will be 2~5 of them nearby but strangely enough, we can't see or feel their pressence.
"Aahh! This is quite troublesome! If it's alone then I'll have to carry this while searching and fighting huh..."
Gino grumbles while carrying the trunk while Jeziel smiled wryly and mutters "it can't be helped" and I just shrugged my shoulders. It may seems that we are abusing Gino but since his stats build mainly focused on strength, vitality and dexterity so his physical strength and endurance are much more higher compared to me, a agility, and dexterity build. While Jeziel can help him since she is a warrior but he stubbornly said that he's fine. I guess he wanted to show Jeziel how reliable he is. In real world, he is a self proclaimed lazy and effortless but his surroundings sees otherwise. He's the type of person who puts too much effort in one thing he found interest while putting enough effort to something he found boring, a guy who likes to lay down when there's too many people but work too hard when he's alone. I asked him about why he said he is lazy but he just said that he is one and there's no other reason about it. Oh right, I don't mean that he is like those characters where they work hard to practice when they are alone but his effort is inversely proportional to the number of people involved, after allhe hate hardwork.
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Walking around the perimeter, we successfully hunted another one and currently looking for the last one. We are currently near at the foot of fire dragon mountain range yet not a single soul to be seen or felt. There are some goblins and wolves corpses here and there which isn't that rare since we are deep within the forest and monsters fought with each other here, something like a territorial wars or turf wars of monsters. I haven't seen one of those but apparently it's quite common said by Jeziel.
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Walking around randomly while memorizing the land marks, we found the last Batag we need. Gino, without saying or signalling, went out and took the attention of the monster while Jeziel followed him. As usual, I am at the back surveying the surroundings while attacking with arrows.
This is really weird... We are now at the depths of the forest so goblins should be abundant here but not a single one came...
Saying those to my mind, I strengthenmy focus on our surroundings leaving the fight to Gino and Jeziel.Our surroundingis too quiet which is somehow creepy. Not a single song of bird could be heard as if they flew away from something terrible. In this world, the birds are brave enough to watch a fight between monsters without flying away, even when humans fought with monsters they don't flee and just watch from beginning to the end, which is quite creepy on itself, but right now, those creepy birds can't be seen.
I got a bad feeling about this...
While having this bad feeling that something will happen, I quickly shot arrows towards the Batag. I want to quickly finish this already or something will definitely show up here. I don't know why but I am pretty sure but I know that something is going to show up if we take our time defeating it.
After a few minutes, the Batag fell and I hurriedly told Gino to take the proof while looking around.
It seems Gino feels it too but contrary to me, who is panicking, he is smiling as if he is looking forward to what ever will come but I know deep inside him, he wanted to run away right now.
"H-hey, what's happening? Why are you panicking?"
Jeziel asked worriedly but I decided to ignore her. I don't have the leeway to talk to her while surveying our surroundings. Even though it is strange, I am quite sure that something will pop up any minute now. It feels like the BGM suddenly changes while you are playing an RPG game, like while exploring the BGM was slow paced and relaxing then suddenly, the BGM suddenly became fast paced which warns you that there is something nearby, something strong for the BGM to change. Of course you'll tense up since you know that you'll be entering combat sooner or later. It's like that, the way I am feeling right now.
"Well, Jeziel it might be a bad news but there might be something strong lurking in this forest... By how strong it is, I don't know but definitely it is strong."
Gino explained to Jeziel while hurriedly took the trunk. Jeziel face pale and tenses up. She draws her sword and prepare for combat.
If we are mistaken it's good but if not, let's just pray that the enemy will not be that strong.
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Inside a cave in the forest, there's big man raping a girl they abducted. Hishead was bald and has a long scar on his forehead and cheeks. His unkept beard grows freely on his chin reaching his robust chest which is also covered with scars.
The girl keeps on screaming while crying but the man payed no heed to it.
"Boss! The preparation was done! We're waiting for your order!"
A scrawny man saidwhile looking at the back of the big man. Whip scars can be seen and there's also some scars from being stabbed at the back but strangley enough, it looks quite good for the big man.
The big man slowly gets up and delivered apunch on the girl's stomach making her faint. He then tied the girl's mouth with cloth and it's feet and hands are bound by ropes. The big reach reaches out to the wolf's pelt and covers his genitals with it.
"So it's time huh.."
The big man smiled. Upon seeing the big man's smile, the scrawny man feels intimidated and scared at his boss. His boss' smile looks like a predator that found it's pretty but that's not really wrong.
The big man ordered the scrawny man to assemble all of their members outside while he prepared his equipement. The scrawny man turn around and runs away as if his life depends on it while the big man put on his clothes and armor. His armor was already full of scratches and looks too battered but he didn't care. It's a magic equipment that increases his strength and vitality by 2. On his neck dangles a bone necklace which increases his physical attack by 1 and his great sword, which he carefully maintains, increases his physical attack and attack speed by 3.
His equipment will fetch a high price enough to buy a peerage but the man didn't care. He isn't interested on something like nobility or what not, he likes to hear the scream of people as he slowly massacres their family. The anguished screams of the people brings joy to his heart, a quite twisted personality. As he walks towards outside the cave, he's reminiscing the reason why he became a bandit.
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Before he was an adventurer and quite well-known at that, at first his thirst was quenched by toturing monsters but one day, he accidentally heard a scream which made his heart dance with joy, much more than tormenting monster. Feeling curious about it, he followed the sound and end up seeing a village being raided by goblins. The farmers and their family desperately tried to fight back but they are no match to the goblins. One by one the men falls while the women were dragged by their hairs to the village plaza. With his heart dancing with joy, a sadistic smile formed on his lips.He desperately tried to contain his urge to copy the goblin and throw away his humanity but that was blown away when the goblins strated to rape the women. No matter if they were a child or old, the goblins raped them with thewomen's scream as the background.
The anguished screams begging the goblins to stop or their appeals for the goblins to kill them sound so sweet at his ears while there's also some goblins who dragged some living man and tied them on a stake. That man seems to have a family member at the rape festival and he struggled to be freed by his bindings but he failed, and even if he succeeded, the goblins guarding him will knock him down. The man face distorted due to anger and calling the name of someone but it was ignored by the goblins and continued to rape the women.
The goblin guards keeps on laughing looking at the man while the goblins that are raping the women changes with the other goblins.
At that time, something snapped inside him. Instead of feeling angry towards the goblins, he felt admiration. Instead of feeling bad about seeing the brutality of the goblins, he felt happy about it. At that time, the man threw away his humanity. At that time, he decided to quit being an adventurer and became a bandit.
Watching for good three hours, the goblin took the broken women while the man bound on the stake was killed. The man stopped struggling after 2 hours and just look at ground motionless.
The man walk back to the town intending to rest at the inn for the last timebut he found a party of 5 adventurer. Two of them are women and it seems that they are both Archer while the three men carried swords and shields.
By him being a high level and fought too many monsters and bandits,looking at them he knew that they aren't small fries, in fact one of the swordsmen can fight him toe-to-toewhile the others needs to support each other to fight him. He knew the danger of attacking them but something was whispering on his ears saying "you can kill them and take the women for yourself."
With those words, he drew his great sword and rushed towards the partywithout any plan. Normally he will surely lose if did it that way if he was a bandit but he's still an adventurer. Even if the opponent found him, they will just assume that he was running away from a monster he can't beat.
The adventurers readied their weapon preparing to interceptany monster that was following the man but to their surprise, the man suddenly cut two swordsmen who's standing in front. The two died instantly without leaking outtheir death cries and the man continued to run towards the last swordsman.
Though they were surprised by the sudden attack, the swordsman successfully bloked the man's attack and the two archers split up and position theirselves to somewhere they can fire at their enemy.
Seeing that, the man clicked his tounge and tried to aim at one of the archers but the swordsman didn't let him do as he pleased. The swordsman slashed aiming at his head so the man was forced to blocked it while the two archers released their arrow at the same time. The man noticed it and ducked quickly dodging the arrows while letting out a slash aiming at the swordsman feet. The swordsman jumped back but he noticed that it's a wrong move, the man ran towards the Archer on his left, the swordsman followed suit but the man was faster. The Archer at the man's back released an arrow while the Archer in front draws her short sword. The man, as if he had a pair of eyes at his back, blocked the arrow without looking back. The Archer in front charged at the man while letting out a battle cry. As the man entered the range of the Archer's short sword, the archer slashed downward but the man dodges it nimbly then with the hilt of his sword, he thrust it to the archer's guardless stomach successfully made her faint.
The swordsman finally caught up and slashed at the back of the man but the man quickly went behind the fainted archer's back, making her a meat shield towards the swordsman attack. He thought it would be a waste if the swordsman decided to kill the archer but he thought that this swordsman will retract his sword if he did this.
And as he thought, the swordsman stopped his attacked mid-air and the man didn't let that go. He quickly pushed aside the fainted Archer and slashed at the swordsman's face. Noticing the attack, the swordsman jumps back but he's a little slow in dodging. The slashsuccessfully hit his face carving a 5 inches long wound on his forehead down to his cheeks.
"Clark!"
The other archer called the swordsman's name as the swordsman, Clark, roll away from the man.
"Don't lose focus! He's strong!"
Clark reprimanded the female archer. The archer shook at Clark's shout and once again focused on their enemy. The man walk swaggerly towards them and suddenly said.
"Hey hey, your name is Clark right? I'll give you a deal, I'll let you off with your life and report me to the guild as a bandit. Name's Luther by the way."
The man, Luther, said while smiling badly. Even though he looks like he let down his guard, he didn't. If Clark and the female archer made a move, Luther will surely kill both of them.
"And also, aren't your wound deep enough for the blood to gush out? Come on, I'm giving you a chance to live here no?"
Luther said while he took one step closer towards the two of them. The real reason why he's offering this deal to Clark was to make him stronger.It's not a sign of compassion but instead he just thought that it would be interesting if he let Clark a little bit and sure enough, on later years it did become interesting.
Clark wanted to fight until the bitter end but the female archer told him that they must retreat now.
"What would happen to Fia?"
The female archer said while pointing at the fainted archer at Luther's back. Luther took glance at Fia and thought of something that will make this incident interesting.
"She'll be my trophy and I'll promise you I won't kill or sell her as slave but her chasity isn't guaranteed. So if you take your time to recover, she might be broken when you took her away from me."
At his words, Clark charged towards him but Luther kicked him at his face. Clark, who didn't managed to dodge or counter-attack got pushed back to his original position by Luther's kick. And yet, after falling down he quickly got up and tried to charged to Luther once more but this time, thefemale archer knocked him down and dragged her away. Luther can chase both of them but he didn't, he took the girl, Fia, away and entered the forest.
After two weeks, a Subjugation team consisting of 2 A-ranked parties with Clark and the female archer found Luther and they fought. One of the A-ranked party got wiped out but Luther recieved countless of wound all over his body. He then decided to flee but fleeing from the leader of one of the A-ranked party seems difficult. The A-ranked party named Odyssey with their leader named Percival Pendragon boasted a 100% success rate on their hunt but in this hunt they failed on capturing Luther due to his abnormal survival instincts. He successfully ran away from Percival and that was the only time he ran away from someone.
After that, he created a legend of himself as the Bandit King Luther devastating the lands of Rishar.
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Outside the cave, Luther saw his hundred subordinates properly lined up as if they are soldiers. A smile appears at Luther's face. Walking forward he stops just two meters away from his subordinates.
"Today! We shall add another page of success at our legend! Just as we always do, kill and plunder! Take their grains, their wife, their daughter and their money! Then at the very face of their husband, lovers, and parents we shall took their virginities and laugh at the powerless man! This time it might be though since we are going to raid a well-known village of adventurers but this isnt the first time we did it! Some of you may perish but who fucking cares!? For the one who will perish, I'll tell you this, we will fucking enjoy ourselves fucking the girls of that village so if you don't want to miss that, survive! We shall succeed on plundering this village!"
""" YEAAAH!! """
The bandits cries while Luther looks at them smiling. After a while, the scrawny man approaches Luther and reported that the first group was in position, waiting for his signal to attack.
Luther's smile grow widder as he give the command to the scrawny man. The scrawny man bowed and run towards the first group.
"Let's go and fucktheir women!"
""" OOOH!! """
Now then, let's see if you got stronger Clark. Don't disappoint me
Luther thought while he commanded his subordinates to march forward.
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