《Guildless Knight • Progression Fantasy • Adventure • LIT RPG》


 Chapter 1 Bread and Bullies

    Alcia, a city teeming with adventurers, was one of the kingdom of Belandor''s renowned dungeon cities. Its economy thrived on products obtained from monsters and the agricultural goods it produced.


    Alan, an A-rank adventurer, had made Alcia his home. Strolling down the bustling streets, he glanced around, searching for a good place to eat after an uneventful day in the dungeon.


    Why the heck did Ais and the others mess up the stairs during their expedition? He berated them in his thoughts.


    As Alan walked through the market, he had to continuously move aside his long hairs that kept falling on his face. They weren¡¯t naturally wavy, though not styling them certainly caused them to be.


    ''Bird nest''¡ªa word quite a few people used to describe his hair when he had just woken up¡ªcrossed his mind, causing him to chuckle. He tried to suppress it since he didn¡¯t want to look like someone who had gone mad.


    "Sir, would you like some bread?" a young boy questioned politely as he approached Alan.


    Alan looked at the boy¡¯s appearance. His tattered clothes made it clear he wasn¡¯t lucky enough to be born into a nice household.


    Bread, huh? I don''t exactly want to eat anything too dry, Alan considered, as he removed a pouch filled with money from his pocket. "What¡¯s the price for a small loaf of bread?" Alan questioned.


    "It¡¯s four copper coins sir! It¡¯s freshly bak¡ª" the boy said, interrupted midway when Alan handed him a silver coin.


    "I can¡¯t accept this money sir," the boy said, raising both hands in refusal.


    "I am just paying in advance. Give me a loaf of bread whenever you see me, okay?" Alan added with a small smile.


    "Thanks sir, It means a lot. Here you go," the boy said, handing a small loaf of bread to Alan.


    I don¡¯t actually want to eat it¡­ Do I say no? Alan questioned himself. He looked at the boy, noticing the bright eyes. "Thanks, I guess," Alan mumbled, taking the loaf of bread from him. "Guess I acquired some food for myself," he mumbled under his breath as he watched the boy move away and approach someone else with his pitch.


    Alan turned his gaze back to the road as he began walking again. Taking a bite of the bread he had just bought. It''s rather soft, he thought to himself. As he passed through a rarely used alleyway that connected the adventurers'' guild to the main street, a peculiar scene caught his attention.


    "Look what you''ve done!" a buff male adventurer with an unnecessarily long red mohawk shouted at a younger adventurer, gripping the boy¡¯s collar.


    "I am sorry," the boy whimpered.


    "You shouldn¡¯t have done that. Look, you¡¯ve completely ruined his outfit," said a skinny male adventurer with glasses, pointing at a small dust mark on the white shirt the mohawked adventurer wore.


    "I am... sorry, but you weren¡¯t looking."


    "Wait, now you¡¯re blaming me for your mistake?" the man snapped, picking the boy up from the ground and throwing him against the stone wall.


    Even if he did bump into him, that doesn¡¯t make it right, Alan thought, frustration clear on his face. As he stepped into the alleyway and walked past the boy lying on the ground.


    "What do you want?" the mohawked adventurer barked, glaring at Alan.


    Without replying to the adventurer''s question, Alan kept walking in his direction, colliding with him and causing him to fall to the ground. In unison with the adventurer''s fall, Alan released the leftover bread from his hand.


    "Look what you did!" Alan shouted, glaring down at the adventurer. "You messed up my food."


    "You little shit!" the adventurer growled as he stood back up, throwing a punch at Alan¡¯s face.


    Before the punch could land, Alan grabbed the adventurer¡¯s wrist. "Which guild do you belong to?" Alan pressed, tightening his grip.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    The mohawked adventurer tried to break his fist free from Alan¡¯s grip, but it was to no avail. Fear was now written on his face.


    "We''re from the Black Wolf Guild, in case you didn¡¯t know mister," the spectacled adventurer spoke, shooting a sharp glare at Alan. Turning to the mohawked adventurer, he snapped, "Braun, stop playing around! What the hell are you doing? Quit standing there and smash his face into the ground!" he said, frustration clear on his face.


    A drop of sweat ran down Braun¡¯s face. "You wouldn¡¯t want an all-out guild fight, would you? Not over some kid. He said, steeling himself.


    "Ah, about that... I''m not in any guild, and even if I was in one, I don''t think Black Wolf guild would take action for their incompetent adventurers," Alan said with a small smile.


    In the next moment, a cracking sound came from Braun''s arm. A loud scream erupted from the mohawked man. The skinny adventurer, who had been standing next to him, backed away from the scene in shock before turning tail and fleeing.


    Alan released Braun¡¯s hand and delivered a hard punch to his solar plexus, sending him to the ground, gasping for air.


    I doubt Black Wolf would dare take action against me. They¡¯d probably want a chance to recruit me in the future. Guess staying guildless has its perks, Alan thought, a satisfied smile on his face. He looked down at Braun¡¯s squirming and barely-crawling body. Did I hit him too hard? Alan wondered, hoping he hadn¡¯t gone overboard..


    He then turned his head to look back at the young adventurer who had previously been lying on the ground. Alan watched as the boy struggled to get back on his feet. Instead of helping him, Alan stayed where he was, watching as the boy struggled to his feet. He needs to figure out how to stand on his own. I won''t always be there to help him, he thought.


    "Thanks for helping me, sir," the boy muttered, bowing his head.


    Alan took in the boy¡¯s appearance, a skinny physique, short height, black eyes, and black hair that fell in uneven layers, longer at the front and shorter at the back. He wore a dark green shirt and yellow pants, with a small brown scabbard hanging on the left side of his pants, holding a knife.


    "Are you in a guild yet?" Alan asked.


    "I just took on adventuring as a job recently. I... uh, didn¡¯t get the chance to join one, sir," the boy replied, his tone slightly hesitant.


    Alan sighed. "I suggest you get into one soon," he advised. "The adventurers in this city tend to rob and bully those with no guild affiliation since they''re easy targets," he added, feeling slightly concerned.


    "I didn''t know."


    "Well, now you do."


    "Can I join your guild, sir?" the boy asked, his eyes practically sparkling with excitement.


    "I''m not in one¡ªahhh..." How do I explain this to him?Alan wondered, looking at the boy, who now appeared confused. Pointing at him, Alan said, "Let¡¯s say you¡¯re a bully."


    "I¡¯m not!"


    "You are," Alan countered, narrowing his eyes and giving the boy a slightly pissed-off look.


    "Yes, sir," the boy replied, sweating.


    "So if you were a bully, who would you rather pick on¡ªa weak adventurer or a strong one?"


    "I would pick on the strong one. Breaking him down would be a really fun scene to see."


    Alan gave the boy an astonished look, surprised by his response. Does he have some weird stuff going on in his mind? Alan wondered, eyeing the boy and his unsettling smile.


    "Be a usual, run-of-the-mill bully like the ones you find everywhere."


    "I think... I¡¯d go bully the weak, sir," the boy finally replied.


    "You got your answer. Adventurers tend to pick on weaker, unaffiliated adventurers instead of stronger ones for the same reasons."


    "That makes sense," the boy said with a nod of understanding.


    "It does, doesn¡¯t it?" Alan added, nodding. With that, he turned back toward the street to go about his business.


    "Sir!" the boy called out.


    Alan looked back. "Yes?"


    "Would you please accompany me to the guild hall? Let me buy you dinner to thank you for saving me," the boy asked politely, bowing.


    "The association hall, huh? I could potentially collect my previous payments from there," Alan considered aloud. Not that I¡¯m strapped for money, he added in his mind.


    After putting on an appearance of ¡®I¡¯m thinking¡¯ for a few moments, he smiled and faced the lad again. "I don¡¯t see why not," he replied as he walked toward the boy.


    ¡°That would be amazing! What would you like to eat, sir...?" The boy paused midway before continuing, "Ah, if you don¡¯t mind me asking, what should I call you, sir?" he asked with a hint of curiosity.


    "Ah, you can address me as Alan. About what I¡¯d like to eat..." Alan paused for a moment before continuing, "I¡¯ve been told by an acquaintance of mine that the guild sells really good steaks. I guess we could eat that, if your budget allows that is."


    Casting a sidelong glance at the boy, Alan added, "I could pitch in if you..."


    The boy shook his head. "No way! You saved me. I¡¯m pretty sure I can buy steak for you. It¡¯s just my two days'' wages¡ªnothing special," he added with a determined look.


    That¡¯s admirable, I must say, but isn¡¯t making him spend two days wage on me a bad decision? Alan thought with mild concern.


    Alan Blackwell - [ Status report from prior month ]


    - Race: Human


    - Rank: A-Rank


    - Age: 19


    - Class: Mage / Swordmaster


    - Affinity: Dark / Fire


    Stats


    - Mana Points: 29,456 (Overcharged)


    - Strength: 970


    - Speed: 2,120


    - Dexterity: 1,700


    - Health Points: 700


    Equipment


    - Weapon: Ferrust (Tier 7 Sword)


    - Armor: None


    Abilities


    - Corrosion


    - Lifesteal


    - Formless Caster


    Magic Resistance


    - Level 3 Resistance ¨C Reduces the effectiveness of magic-based attacks by 30%.


    Defensive Abilities


    - Self-Healing (Level 3) ¨C Can heal minor wounds immediately when activated.


    - Damage Reduction (Level 5) ¨C Reduces 60% of all physical damage received.


    Special Abilities


    - None

 Chapter 2 Association Hall

    I haven¡¯t checked my status update in a month, have I? I should try to check it out today. If my mana growth is less than 0.5%, I¡¯ll have to try new methods of training, Alan thought to himself. He then turned to the boy and asked, "What¡¯s your name?"


    "It¡¯s Bell, sir," the boy replied as he walked forward toward the guild hall, with Alan following him.


    With that, Alan and Bell walked inside the adventurers'' guild hall. Since it was evening, the location was bustling with adventurers of all stripes.


    Most of them were eating their dinner, ordering alcohol, and recounting their day''s events to others. Some stood in front of the main counter, collecting their payments for the magic crystals they had brought in. These magic crystals worked as a source of energy in the world of Aeriandor and were obtained by mining the high mana density regions of the dungeon or by defeating the monsters that basked in this mana.


    The monsters found in the dungeon had their hearts replaced with a magic core. The potency of these mana cores was significantly higher than magic crystals that were obtained through mining. Depending on the monster and its scarcity in the market, these could earn adventurers a huge amount of money.


    The other way for adventurers to earn was through the flesh obtained from the monsters they slayed. Monsters like the Mammoth, Dragon, Night Wolf, Drake, Griffin, Great serpents and many more commanded a huge price in the market. This was one of the reasons why the butcher industry worked hand in hand with the adventurers guild.


    "Sir, come here!" Bell called out loudly, catching Alan¡¯s attention, and making the taller man realize he had been standing taking in the scene like it was his first time in a guild hall.


    Alan walked toward Bell, who was now sitting at an empty table with four chairs arranged around it. He took the seat directly opposite Bell.


    "Is that the Solo Knight?" a young male adventurer at a nearby table said, pointing at Alan.


    "Seems that way. Guess he finally realized that staying alone isn¡¯t ideal for an adventurer," the female adventurer mumbled with a small chuckle.


    "He might be strong, but I guess he''s finally maturing mentally," the younger boy whispered, also chuckling. At this, the female adventurer burst into laughter.


    Why exactly do I have such good hearing¡­? Alan wondered as a gloomy feeling settled in his heart.


    Bell raised his hand and shouted, "Miss Elyza!" while waving in an attempt to get the waitress¡¯s attention.


    Alan looked at Elyza¡ªher characteristic white tail and ears making it obvious that she was one of the demi-humans, though he couldn''t quite put his finger on whether she was a luprian or Canorian.


    She was wearing a simple blue maid outfit with a white apron. Her long black hair flowed freely, and her eyes matched its color. She walked toward the table, glancing at Bell''s dirty outfit. "Did the slimes give you any trouble?" she asked with a hint of concern.


    Bell shook his head. "No, the slimes were easy, I was just beaten by another adventurer because I supposedly bumped into them."


    "Who was that adventurer?" Elyza asked sternly. Alan noticed how her ears stood up and her tail stiffened as she asked the question¡ªboth clear signs of aggression.


    Alan examined Elyza¡¯s eyes closely, there was a piercing intensity to them. Then, noticing the movement of her tail and ear, he nodded to himself. She¡¯s definitely a luprian, he concluded.


    "It was, uh..." Bell mumbled, his brows furrowing as he gave a thoughtful look, trying to recall the adventurers "I actually don''t know who they were, and even if I did, you shouldn¡¯t concern yourself with the likes of them," Bell remarked, after taking a moment.


    "I shouldn¡¯t?" Elyza repeated his words in a now calm tone.


    Her attention then shifted to another person sitting at the table. A look of shock crossed her face as she finally noticed Alan. She walked toward Bell, bent her head to his ear level, and questioned, "You do know who he is, don¡¯t you?"


    Alan was able to pick up on the conversation thanks to his immaculate sense of hearing, and he pretended not to notice whilst he savored the flattery thrown his direction.


    "He¡¯s Sir Alan, the one who saved me today," Bell replied with a smile, as he looked in Elyza¡¯s direction.


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    "Please don¡¯t mind if he misbehaves, Sir Alan," Elyza remarked.


    "Don¡¯t worry about it, miss. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be angry with someone who¡¯s treating me to food," Alan responded with a small smile. "Could you get me a plate of well-cooked steak? And if possible, with more spices."


    Elyza simply nodded. "I sure could. It''ll just be a few minutes sir," she said. Then, looking toward Bell, she narrowed her eyes, silently warning him not to say anything wrong.


    They seem to be getting along well, Alan thought to himself. His gaze then wandered across the guild hall. The usual chatter of adventurers boasting of bravery, mocking someone¡¯s foolishness, and bursts of laughter filled the air. Wooden jugs brimming with booze were scattered across each table.


    "Sir Alan?"


    "Yeah? What¡¯s up?" Alan asked, turning his attention back to Bell.


    "Are you a famous adventurer?"


    That¡¯s embarrassing to answer. How should I reply? If I say yes, won¡¯t that sound cocky?  Alan considered before speaking. "I think you could say that. I mean, I¡¯ve been an adventurer for a few years now, so maybe that¡¯s the reason," Alan answered.


    "Few years? You don''t exactly look old to me," Bell said as he took a sip from the glass of water in front of him.


    "I wouldn''t say I am old," Alan added with a shrug. "I mean, I¡¯m still 19. The thing is, I started adventuring quite early on, so that''s the reason for my experience," Alan added.


    "You are older than me, then," Bell said, a thoughtful expression spreading on his face after his words.


    "What''s your age?" Alan questioned, slightly curious about the young adventurer who sat in front of him.


    "I''m 16¡ªpractically an adult!" Bell declared with enthusiasm.


    "Barely," Alan added, narrowing his eyes with skeptism.


    "Yeah, yeah," Bell replied with a dismissive expression.


    Alan looked at the boy, a smile spreading on his lips as he found Bell¡¯s attempt at being sarcastic humorous.


    "Sir, can I ask something?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°What''s your rank?¡±


    That, I can surely answer, Alan thought, mentally nodding. "I¡¯m an A-rank adventurer."


    "A-rank?!" Bell shouted, nearly jolting against the table, his face filled with shock.


    Alan simply nodded.


    "So that¡¯s why Miss Elyza told me to be careful around you?" Bell said with a sheepish chuckle.


    That is correct to a certain degree, but mostly because I don¡¯t prefer the company of strangers, Alan thought. His thoughts took another turn. Wait, is my image really that bad? The only thing I do is politely ask people sitting next to me to leave me alone, is it that bad? "I messed up, didn''t i?" Alan mumbled, looking down at the table.


    "Did you say something, Sir Alan?"


    Before Alan could say anything the doors of the guild swung open, and the royal knights of Alcia marched in. Leading them was a tall, imposing old man clad in gold-and-steel armor, the golden alloy signifying his status as the city¡¯s head knight. He had grey hair and black eyes. At once, the guild¡¯s lively atmosphere quieted as adventurers turned their attention to the unexpected visitors.


    Alan¡¯s gaze landed on the rolled document in the head knight¡¯s hand. Did an emergency quest come up? he wondered, keeping his eyes fixed on the knight as the man approached the guild¡¯s head receptionist.


    Vanessa, the guild¡¯s head receptionist, had neck-length green hair styled in a middle part hairstyle. Her dark brown eyes were sharp, and she was about as tall as the head knights¡¯ shoulder.


    Handing her the document, the knight began speaking with a deep voice. "I have come following the instructions of sir Viscount to deliver a message to all capable adventurers.¡± He said. Every adventurer in the association hall was now completely focused on the head knight¡¯s words. ¡°It concerns a goblin horde that is set to attack the village of Arcek," He declared.


    The knight¡¯s words were met with a brief silence before the entire guild hall erupted into laughter and mocking comments.


    A middle-aged adventurer, spoke up in a mocking tone. "They can¡¯t even handle goblins without us now?"


    A girl in a blue outfit sitting at the back with her party¡ªchuckled as she remarked, "The knights of Alcia are too scared to fight goblins now! Cowards!"


    The knight, unfazed by the commotion, raised his hand to regain control of the room. Then, in a louder voice, he continued, "I suggest you stop your chatter. If I were you, I wouldn¡¯t be so quick to make assumptions before hearing the full message," he said sharply. "Their numbers exceed ten thousand. They have already razed several villages near the city of Brimstone before changing course. Among them are five or more Goblin Kings, and most of the horde consists of Hobgoblins."


    The middle-aged adventurer¡¯s expression changed to a shocked one.


    "Did he just say there are Goblin Kings in the horde?¡± one adventurer remarked.


    ¡°Hobgoblins are tough, and there are more than five thousand of them? All the adventurers here would barely be able to defeat them!"


    "You¡¯re right; it¡¯s too dangerous," the female adventurer from before added.


    The knight raised his hand again, silencing the murmurs. "The city is in a dire situation right now," the head knight continued, his tone shifting from stern to pleading. "The adventurers of the The Iron Fang Guild have gone to investigate the dungeon on the southern side of the city, leaving our defenses weakened."


    "What does that mean?" an adventurer questioned.


    "Our hands are tied¡ªwe cannot assist you in protecting the people of Arcek," the knight replied, his gaze lowering with a hint of shame.

 Chapter 3 Twins

    "How much are we getting paid for this?" the middle-aged adventurer asked, taking a sip from his booze-filled mug.


    The head knight continued, "For each goblin killed, you will receive four silver coins. For each hobgoblin, twenty silver coins. In the event you defeat a Goblin King or a Goblin Commander, you will receive twenty and five gold coins respectively. Their ears will suffice for proof."


    "That¡¯s a hefty reward¡ªhigher than usual," Bell murmured, his expression showing hint of shock.


    It''s not at all a hefty reward¡­ it''s not the correct price for the level of danger they are expecting the adventurers to face, Alan thought, shifting his attention to the knight¡¯s armored hand. He noticed it trembling slightly.


    "Yeah, but this mission is dangerous. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s worth it," one of the adventurer remarked in an exaggerated tone.


    "I agree. It''s not worth risking my life, especially for a bounty that isn¡¯t even substantial."


    "Agreed," others chimed in.


    The head receptionist moved outside of the counter. Clearing her throat, she tried to get everyone''s attention. "The adventurers willing to participate in the quest may stay. Others are free to leave," she stated in a stern tone.


    "I haven''t got my order yet¡­" a male adventurer exclaimed.


    The head receptionist glared at the adventurer. "Feel free to stay and join the quest then," she said with visible frustration.


    With that, the adventurers began leaving the guild hall, passing by the four other knights who stood in two neat rows along the path. The once-bustling hall soon emptied, leaving only four individuals behind.


    "Thanks for your cooperation, Alice," the head knight spoke with a small nod.


    "Don''t worry about thanking me right now sir¡ªthere''s a far more important in your hand," Alice remarked as she headed toward the guild''s kitchen.


    "Have you asked The Iron Fang Guild or White Tiger Guild for assistance?" Alan questioned the head knight.


    "The high-ranking members of Iron Fang Guild went few of the city knights to inspect the dungeon," the knight replied. "As for the White Tiger Guild¡­we have not yet been able to contact them."


    "Will you fight, Sir Alan?" Bell asked, looking at him with admiration.


    "Whether I fight or not shouldn¡¯t be your concern," Alan said, in a serious tone he continued. "I suggest you leave. I don¡¯t think assisting the village of Arcek is in your best interest."


    "There¡¯s no way I won¡¯t help those¡ª" Bell began, but before he could finish, he met Alan¡¯s gaze and saw the irritation in his eyes. "Will I be a burden?" he asked hesitantly.


    Without missing a beat, Alan simply nodded.


    "Sorry," Bell mumbled as he stood from his chair and walked out of the guild, his head downcast.


    The head knight watched as Bell exited the guild hall, then turned his gaze toward Alan.


    "Don¡¯t you think having more people is necessary for saving Arcek, Mr Solo Knight?" he asked, his tone carrying doubt.


    "Anyone below B-rank will be more of a liability than an asset." Alan said, he then scanned the room, taking in the two remaining adventurers before continuing. "If most of the adventurers hadn''t walked out, taking lower-ranked ones might have been useful. But with only a handful left? That would be outright foolish," Alan stated firmly.


    "And who made you the one to decide who should or shouldn¡¯t fight?" a young adventurer with pale yellow hair said, irritation evident in her voice.


    "Sis, don¡¯t make a scene," her twin brother muttered, gripping her hand to calm her.


    Alan glanced at the twins, noting their appearance. Though not identical, they looked nearly identical, as if they were perfect replicas of each other.


    The girl, who had just shouted at him, wore a flowing yellow dress that complemented her golden hair. A pair of simple green crystal earrings adorned her ears, matching her bright green eyes. Alan''s gaze shifted to her weapon¡ªa sword with a white hilt and a golden crossguard, resting in a black scabbard fastened to her belt.


    His attention then moved to her brother, who shared similar facial features but had noticeably shorter hair. He was dressed in a simple blue outfit, paired with fitted trousers and knee-high leather boots.


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    That¡¯s a massive staff¡­ Alan mentally remarked, eyes fixed on the staff beside the boy. It was a long white staff, with a black stripe near the base of the curved top. At the curved top, a blue bipyramid crystal hovered in midair.


    "Actually, no one asked for my opinion," Alan replied politely. "I merely shared my thoughts, and anyone is free to disagree." Turning toward the girl, he added with a slight smile, "If I may ask, who might you be, kiddo?" The moment the words left Alan¡¯s mouth, he sensed he''d made a mistake. A sharp bloodlust radiated from the female adventurer.


    "My name is Rose Webble," she growled, her glare filled with irritation.


    Alan blinked. Yeah, she¡¯s mad at me. Webble? Oh, are they the Webble siblings Alisa was trying to recruit? he mused.


    "And what¡¯s your name, if you don¡¯t mind me asking?" Alan inquired, turning to the twin boy.


    "You can address me as ''kiddo,¡¯ sir. I don¡¯t mind," he replied politely.


    "He¡¯s Adrian Webble," Rose snapped before turning to her brother. "You don¡¯t need to be polite to just anyone," she muttered.


    Okay, so I''m just anyone. I mean, I guess she isn''t wrong. Though judging the book by its cover, it looks like her brother is on the calmer side of the spectrum. And I probably shouldn''t have called a kid ''kiddo'', Alan sighed internally.


    Clearing his throat, the head knight sought to redirect the conversation. "Could we please focus on the village in danger?" he requested politely.


    "May I say something?" Adrian asked, raising his hand.


    The head knight nodded in response.


    "I don¡¯t think the three of us alone could ever hope to defeat a horde of 10,000 goblins. If we take them on by ourselves, our fate is sealed," Adrian said, his tone serious.


    "That¡¯s not tr¡­" Rose cut herself off, biting her tongue in frustration, as if she realised that what her brother spoke was nothing but the truth.


    "You said you haven¡¯t contacted the White Tiger Guild. Do you plan on hiring them?" Alan questioned.


    "I don¡¯t think we have enough funds to do so, but I would like to request their assistance nonetheless," the head knight admitted with a somber expression.


    "What do you mean? Didn¡¯t Viscount allocate sufficient funds?" Rose asked, narrowing her eyes.


    "We¡¯ve been allotted 200 gold coins to hire a guild by Sir Viscount."


    Rose slammed the table as she stood up. "That¡¯s nowhere near enough to hire White Tiger or any other top guild!" she shouted angrily.


    The head knight cast his gaze downward, as if already aware of this grim reality. Adrian, noticing his sister¡¯s rising temper, looked at her with mild concern.


    While Rose was losing her temper, Alan sat still, staring at the floor as he pondered why the viscount refused to pay the appropriate amount for the quest.


    It¡¯s not like the ruling class is struggling financially, especially given the recent developments. Why wouldn¡¯t he offer enough money to hire a high-ranking guild? It¡¯s almost as if he wants the village to be destroyed by the goblins, Alan thought to himself. He looked back at the head knights¡¯ face, taking in the hopeless expression he had.


    I really didn¡¯t want to do this¡­ She¡¯ll hold this favor over me for years.., Alan thought begrudgingly. Letting out a tired sigh, he finally spoke. ¡°I might be able to arrange a meeting with Alisa from the White Tiger Guild.¡±


    "You can do that?!" the head knight exclaimed, his shock evident. Realizing his outburst, he quickly composed himself and added, "Apologies for that, but are you certain, Sir Alan?¡±


    "I¡¯m pretty sure I could arrange a meeting with her¡­ but convincing her would be entirely up to you," Alan said. The worst she could do is ban me for a month or something¡­ but i think that¡¯s highly unlikely, he thought.


    "But, Sir Solo Knight, how would a meeting help if we lack the funds to hire them?" Adrian asked, his tone a mix of curiosity and doubt.


    "I have a way to pay her that doesn¡¯t involve money," Alan responded, looking at Adrian. Rising from his seat, he added, "Now whether she would assist or not depends on how well you can persuade her," he added directing his words toward the head knight.


    "Thanks for the help, Sir Solo Knight," the head knight spoke, offering a small bow.


    "Could we drop the ''sir'' part, sir¡­ ahem Mr. Head Knight? You''re older than me, and it just doesn¡¯t feel right to have someone of your status address me that way," Alan said casually. He cast a glance at the Weeble siblings, noticing that Rose was still standing. "Shall we get going then?" he asked them, to which Rose and Adrian simply nodded.


    Rose Weeble [ Status report from a week ago ]


    - Race: Human


    - Rank: A-Rank


    - Age: 16


    - Class: Swordmaster


    - Affinity: Fire


    Stats


    - Mana Points: 8260


    - Strength: 1090


    - Speed: 2040


    - Dexterity: 1648


    - Health Points: 700


    Equipment


    - Weapon: Blazerek (Tier 4 Sword)


    - Armor: None


    Abilities


    - Envelop


    Magic Resistance


    - Level 3 Resistance ¨C Reduces the effectiveness of magic-based attacks by 30%.


    Defensive Abilities


    - Self-Healing (Level 2) ¨C Can heal minor wounds when activated.


    - Damage Reduction (Level 2) ¨C Reduces 20% of all physical damage received.


    Special Abilities


    - Dying Flame

 Chapter 4 The White Tiger Guild

    With that, Alan and the others left the Adventurers'' Guild, making their way toward the White Tiger Guild headquarters.


    Looking up at the sky, Alan sighed dramatically. "I didn''t even get to eat my steak¡­" he mumbled.


    "Did you say something, Sir Solo Knight?" Adrian asked, having caught the muttering.


    Shaking his head, Alan replied, "I was just talking to myself." He didn''t hear me, did he? Alan wondered, his face now showing a hint of embarrassment.


    The White Tiger Guild Hall was only a ten-minute walk from the main Adventurers'' Association hall. Soon, Alan and the others stood outside of it.


    The White Tiger Guild''s building was far more extravagant than the basic building of the Adventurers'' Guild, though it was slightly smaller in comparison. But as it served a smaller populace and was an exclusive club, it made sense.


    The boundary of the White Tiger Guild was simple yet elegant. A small part of the boundary, right next to the large black metallic gate, was made of sturdy gray stone, acting as both the base and top, with metal railings on either side. The railing looked identical to the material the large metallic black gate was made of.


    Alan walked toward the door, leaning on it as he tried to look into the guard room, checking whether anyone was there. No one''s on guard duty? he thought as he put his hand in the gap in the door, attempting to unlock it from the inside.


    "It''s unlocked," Alan said, looking back as he finally opened the gate.


    The Head Knight gave an unsure look to Alan. "Are you sure we should go inside without¡­?" he questioned.


    Alan waved his right hand. "Trust me, I am sure about it," he added with a smile. "Normally, a guard is supposed to be stationed here," Alan said, pointing at the small room just to the side of the gate.


    "That makes sense," Adrian mumbled.


    "We should get going then," the Head Knight spoke as he approached the gate. Four Royal Knights followed their leader just a step behind him, something they had been trained for.


    Alan glanced at the Royal Knights. "Wait," he said, catching the Head Knight''s attention. Then, gesturing toward the four City Knights following him, he spoke up, "I think you should ask your guards to stay outside, Mr. Head Knight."


    "And why is that?" the Head Knight asked, a slight look of confusion crossing his face.


    "It might put the guild members on guard," Alan replied with a neutral expression as he pushed the gate open. "We wouldn''t want that now, would we?" he added with a smile.


    "We would not. You are right," the Head Knight replied after a brief pause to think. Turning to his men, he asked, "You heard him, didn''t you?"


    The knights straightened up in an exaggerated, overly formal stance and responded in unison, "Yes, sir!"


    The loud, march-like response startled Adrian slightly, and Rose giggled at his reaction.


    "Someone''s afraid of loud noises, aren''t they, Adrian?" she teased, putting extra emphasis on his name with a sarcastic tone.


    "I''m not," Adrian mumbled, his face flushed with embarrassment as he walked toward the entrance of the White Tiger Guild.


    Alan observed this with a small smile. If it had been Ais, I might have teased her too, he thought with a small smile.


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    "Don''t we have to go in?" Adrian asked as he stopped next to Alan, his voice carrying a hint of irritation as he looked at him.


    "Sure," Alan replied immediately with a quick nod.


    With that, Alan, the Head Knight, and the Weeble siblings stepped inside the White Tiger Guild''s premises. A stone-brick path stretched from the main entrance to the building, flanked on both sides by thick, lush green grass¡ªso soft it looked more comfortable than any bed imaginable.


    "Is this the best you can do? Don''t make me laugh!" a deep male voice suddenly rang out, catching Alan and the others'' attention as they walked across the grounds.


    Is Sir Blake training¡­ no, more like bullying somebody? Alan wondered to himself. "Don''t make a sound," Alan whispered as a warning to the others.


    "Are you making us trespa¡ª" Rose spoke up, her voice low and irritated.


    But before she could finish, Adrian placed a finger on his lips and mumbled in a whisper, "Don''t," while looking at her.


    Rose, though looking frustrated, obliged. Alan and the team finally reached the main gate of the building, where a black wooden sliding door served as the main entrance.


    Alan slid the door open and stepped inside, entering the expansive main hall of the White Tiger Guild. The interior had a more polished and elegant appearance compared to the Association Hall, with a black-and-white color scheme reflected in the walls, furniture, and flooring. Four black chandeliers, each adorned with numerous small white bulbs, hung in the corners of the hall, while a grand white-and-gold chandelier at the center served as the primary source of illumination.


    There were a total of three large tables made of black, lustrous marble with golden legs. They were lined together in the right corner, forming a dining area. Several female and a few male adventurers sat at the farthest table.


    "It''s Solo Knight," one of the female adventurers mumbled in a whisper.


    Before the group could continue, their light chatter and enthusiasm faded as they noticed the Head Knight and the Weeble siblings entering.


    "It''s rather cold inside," Rose mumbled as she walked in.


    Pretty sure it''s due to the artifact made from the magic core obtained by that ice dragon, Alan mentally said as he recalled Alisa''s reaction¡ªor outburst, to be precise.


    After all the trouble we went through, they want us to give the core at half the price¡­ she had shouted while hitting the table. Screw them, we are going to use it as decoration, she had further added.


    That sure was something, he added as he glanced across the adventurers sitting at one of the tables. His attention shifted to the White Tiger Guild''s healer, a mature-looking lady with a youthful appearance, who sat in a rather sparkling blue-colored dress.


    "Do you have some business with Alisa?" an adventurer sitting on the sofa questioned.


    Alan looked at her, noting her youthful appearance and odd choice of clothing. Isn''t she cold? he wondered as he observed her blue, sleeveless dress. "I do, Miss Bella," Alan said politely with a nod. "It''s urgent as well, so I should take my leave," he added.


    "Oh, I wouldn''t want to stop you. Go right ahead," Bella said, gesturing for him to go.


    Alan nodded at Bella''s response. "Follow me," he mumbled to the others, casting a glance at the Headknight and the Weeble siblings. However, something felt off.


    As he made his way toward the stairs, he took a brief glance at Rose¡ªonly to catch her glaring at Miss Bella for some reason.


    Do they know each other? Maybe they''re sworn enemies or something, Alan mused, letting out a small chuckle before quickly suppressing it. Don''t go drawing her wrath toward yourself, idiot, he scolded himself, climbing the stairs.


    "Are you in a bad mood, sis?" Adrian whispered into Rose''s ear.


    Why exactly is she upset? Alan wondered. Then, a thought struck him. Wait¡­ don''t tell me she''s jealous of Miss Bella''s¡­ assets? A smug expression crossed his face. Well, well, well¡­ she should be jealous. She doesn''t stand a chance against Miss Bella. He puffed up ever so slightly, as if he were the one responsible for souring Rose''s mood.


    "I am not in a bad mood! Stop with all this nonsense, or I''ll hit you," Rose retorted, an irritated look on her face making it clear she would absolutely do as she said in a heartbeat.


    Adrian didn''t reply further, supposedly to avoid facing his sister''s wrath.


    Alan and the others reached the first floor, which had a large open terrace area on one side, while on the other were the Guildmaster and Vice Guildmaster''s offices.

 Chapter 5 The Truth

    They headed toward the Guildmaster''s office, and Alan¡¯s gaze flicked to the Vice Guildmaster''s door. Noticing the absence of light seeping from beneath it, he mused, Guess Ais is bullying newbies with Sir Blake.


    Reaching the door of the Guildmaster¡¯s office, Alan knocked twice.


    "Come in."


    Unlocking the door, Alan stepped into the room and glanced at Alisa. She wore a simple yet elegant long black dress. A delicate black net covered her shoulders and chest, while the asymmetrical layers of her flowing gown hugged her figure. Her figure was one that many women would envy, and her long white hair cascaded freely over her shoulders. She sat in her usual white chair beside the open window, with papers spread on the table in front of her as if it hadn''t been cleaned in a year.


    "I was certain I could hear multiple footsteps. Guess my assumption was right, she said, glancing at Alan before shifting her gaze to the Head Knight. "Don¡¯t you think you should have sent a messenger first before storming into my safe haven?" she remarked.


    "I had some urgent business, and Sir Solo Knight said he could arrange a meeting, so I ended up taking the offer. Sorry if I interrupted you in anything important, but¡ª"


    "One moment, please," Alisa said, pressing a black-painted fingernail against her dark red lips. She turned her gaze to Alan once again.


    "When did you become my manager, Alan?" she questioned, slight frustration visible on her face.


    "It was urgent," Alan added, looking away from her. She is clearly frustrated. Ahh, she is surely going to chew me out for this, he mentally noted, letting out a quiet sigh.


    "And what is this supposedly urgent business that made you skip the formalities, Sir Vanir?" Alisa questioned, shifting her attention to the Head Knight.


    "The village of Arcek is about to be attacked by goblins." Vanir spoke up. He paused momentarily, observing Alisa for any reaction.


    "Continue¡­ The horde must be big, what are the numbers? Alan wouldn¡¯t have brought you here if the mission was easy," she said, her patience running thin.


    "It¡¯s a horde of 10,000 goblins, Miss Alisa, with five Goblin Kings, and roughly half of them have evolved into Hobgoblins," Vanir spoke hastily.


    "So, your purpose of visiting is to hire my guild?" Alisa spoke as she stood from her chair and walked to the side of the table. "Well, what¡¯s the amount Sir Viscount sent in my direction for our assistance, then?" she questioned, waving her hand over the table before tapping the corner, indicating for Vanir to place the money there.


    Vanir removed a golden pouch containing money and placed it on the table. "It¡¯s 200 gold coins, Miss Alisa," he said in a reluctant tone.


    "200 gold coins! Her eyes widened. ¡°Are you messing with me?" she questioned in a loud voice.


    "Regretfully, I am not," the knight replied, his head lowered in shame.


    "Do you think she will accept the proposal?" Rose Weeble whispered in Alan¡¯s ear.


    "I am not sure about that," Alan replied, his eyes glued to the scene in front.


    "Don¡¯t you have another way to pay her? You said something at the Adventurers'' Guild," Adrian inquired, keeping his voice low.


    Alan pressed his finger to his lips, indicating Adrian to be quiet. "I am waiting for the right moment," he muttered, to which Adrian and Rose both simply nodded.


    Alisa took a moment to think. She looked at the proud Head Knight¡¯s lowered head¡ªan uncommon sight, something she might never see again. "I refuse. Two hundred gold wouldn¡¯t even be enough to cover the expenses of sending a party to Arcek," Alisa said firmly. Looking at Vanir, she added, "Sorry if this isn¡¯t the answer you were expecting, but my guild comes first for me.¡±


    "Alisa," Alan called out.


    Alisa looked in Alan¡¯s direction, merely nodding to indicate he could speak.


    Alan took a step forward. "Is there any chance I could chip in with, three free hirings as payment?" Alan spoke up.


    "So, I won¡¯t have to pay you for three of the future expeditions, huh?" Taking a second to think, she continued.


    "That would only be worth 400 gold coins at most. The normal pay for hiring the White Tiger Guild should have been at least 1,000 gold coins.


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    As Alisa revealed the hiring cost of Solo Knight, both the Weeble siblings and the Head Knight stared at Alan with shocked expressions, bewildered at how an A-ranking adventurer could be paid an amount comparable to a low-ranking S-rank.


    "Don¡¯t you believe in doing good, Alisa? The village is in need. I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll let them down," he said, crossing his arms. "But that¡¯s just my belief in you. Feel free to trample on them if you desire," he added in an exaggerated tone.


    "You are trying to guilt-trip me into doing this," Alisa remarked with a skeptical expression.


    "I am telling the truth," Alan spoke with a firm expression.


    Letting out a sigh, Alisa moved back toward her seat. "I will assist the village of Arcek," she said, taking her seat back on the chair.


    "But only if the Head Knight reveals whatever he is trying to hide," she spoke in a serious tone, her gaze fixed on Head Knight Vanir.


    "I''m not trying to hide anything," the head knight said without hesitation.


    "You¡¯re not?" Alisa replied with a neutral expression. "Then I suppose I won¡¯t be able to help the village of Arcek. It seems my ability to judge situations is failing me," she added with a small smile.


    "You can¡¯t¡ª"


    Alisa raised a finger to her lips, cutting him off with a small smile. "If I can¡¯t tell whether you¡¯re lying or not, how could I possibly judge whether the risks of this mission are worth taking?" She rested her chin on her palm, propping her right elbow on the table. "And since you claim you aren¡¯t hiding anything¡­"


    "I¡¯ll tell you everything," Vanir interrupted, biting his lip. His gaze shifted toward the Weeble siblings.


    "Could you both please wait outside for a moment?" he requested.


    Adrian nodded in agreement, while Rose looked slightly surprised by the request.


    Guess I¡¯ll step out as well. Wouldn¡¯t want them to think I¡¯m getting special treatment here, Alan mused internally.


    ¡°How un-knightly,¡± Alisa spoke up. ¡°Sending away the people who came to your aid. Do you have any shame Mr. Head Knight?¡± she asked in a mocking tone.


    "Miss Alisa, you must understand the position I¡¯m in. I can¡¯t reveal everything to just anyone."


    "Anyone?" Alan repeated, a slight irritation in his voice.


    "I¡­" Vanir hesitated, then looked back at the Weeble siblings and gave a small bow. "I apologize. I spoke without thinking. You may stay if you wish to hear the truth."


    "Ah, don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s not a big deal, Sir Head Knight," Adrian replied, raising both his hands in a dismissive manner.


    "Just be more mindful next time,¡± Rose said with slight frustration. "And don¡¯t we have a village to save? You¡¯re all just standing around talking!" she yelled.


    "The village is only twenty minutes away from Alcia. A little conversation won¡¯t hurt," Alan remarked.


    Alan briefly glanced at Rose, who looked like a predator stalking its prey¡ªthe only problem being that, instead of prey, she was glaring directly at him. Yeah, she definitely has a bone to pick with me. Don¡¯t tell me she¡¯s still pissed about that "kiddo" comment, he thought, swallowing hard. I need to be careful around her, he added.


    Clearing his throat, Head Knight Vanir tried to redirect everyone''s attention to him as he began to speak.


    "The village of Arcek is inhabited by a tribe that previously lived in the Forest of Daedalus. Those tribal people were relocated to the village of Arcek by the previous viscount, Sir Mathias. However, according to the current viscount, the inhabitants are just some unskilled laborers that should be replaced, since he believes Alcia¡¯s inhabitants would do a better job of taking care of the land. If the goblins trample the village as they continue to move in Alcia¡¯s direction, it would make it easier for Sir Viscount to relocate and remove those people from the land."


    "People of Alcia would do better," Alisa added with a scoff. "I must say, the current viscount looks stupid to me. When''s he getting kicked out by the king again?" She asked with a smug grin, clearly unbothered by her words.


    As Alisa''s words addressing the viscount came out of her mouth, the Head Knight looked at Alisa with a shocked expression.


    Alan placed his hand on his head, astonished by Alisa''s response. Does she even know what problems could arise if someone reveals this to the viscount? he questioned himself.


    "He''s not getting kicked, at least not yet," Alan said. "And could you stop talking about someone of his position like he''s some freaking child? It could get you executed."


    Alisa looked at Alan with a smile¡ªa smile that made it clear she was challenging him. "He could?" she questioned.


    Alisa Blackwell [ Status report from 3 month ago ]


    - Race: Human


    - Rank: S-Rank


    - Age: 31


    - Class: Mage


    - Affinity: Light


    Stats


    - Mana Points: 33054


    - Strength: 1326


    - Speed: 2540


    - Dexterity: 2207


    - Health Points: 870


    Equipment


    - Weapon: Tier 6 staff


    - Armor: None


    Abilities


    - None


    Magic Resistance


    - Level 3 Resistance ¨C Reduces the effectiveness of magic-based attacks by 30%.


    Defensive Abilities


    - Self-Healing (Level 3) ¨C Can heal minor wounds immediately when activated.


    - Damage Reduction (Level 5) ¨C Reduces 60% of all physical damage received.


    Special Abilities


    - Elemantis

 Chapter 6 Strongest Swordmaster

    Whether he could or couldn''t didn¡¯t matter here! You should try to maintain a good relationship with everyone in power, even if they are idiots!" Alan yelled-then froze realising what he had just said, Did I just¡­


    "Didn''t you just call him an idiot too, mister?" Rose added, giving a disapproving look to Alan.


    "I¡­ guess I did. I didn¡¯t mean to," Alan admitted, looking away from Rose.


    "So, I assume the people of Arcek have been evacuated, sir?" Adrian questioned as he looked at the Head Knight.


    "Yes, I am sure about it," Head Knight added with a nod.


    "I was unsure about taking this mission, but if it''s Sir Viscount''s wish for the village to be trampled, I think I would like to do whatever I can to stop it. I really dislike that man," Alisa said with a serious expression.


    Alan shot a glance at Rose and Adrian. "Can we just pretend she never said that?" he asked, his tone almost pleading.


    "Don''t you worry, our lips are sealed," Adrian said with a reassuring look.


    "I don''t think she said anything wrong though. The Viscount sure does have a weak, idiotic mentality if he doesn¡¯t want to keep his predecessor¡¯s word, according to me."


    Can''t argue with that, Alan mentally added, while Adrian begged his sister to stop badmouthing the idiotic Viscount.


    "You''ve held up your end of the deal. Now leave the rest to us," Alisa said, pulling the black pouch closer. "You''re free to go, but if you''d like to help¡­" She paused momentarily. With a subtle smile, fully aware of the answer, she added, "Could you arrange five medium-sized carriages, preferably with two horses each?¡±


    "I will get them ready in half an hour," the Head Knight spoke before hastily moving towards the door and stepping out the next moment.


    Now that the talk is over, it''s about time I escape, Alan thought to himself. "Well, now that all the issues have been resolved, I think I''ll get ready for the fight myself," Alan said as he turned towards the door to leave the room.


    "You''ve got your sword, and if I am not wrong, you tend not to wear any armor. If you already have everything you need, why exactly do you want to go?" Alisa spoke with a neutral look, her gaze piercing Alan¡¯s back.


    "I needed to¡­" Alan tried to reason with her as he looked in her direction.


    "Come and take a seat," Alisa spoke in a stern voice.


    "Yes, ma¡¯am," Alan replied, quickly taking the seat the next moment.


    Alisa turned to the Weeble siblings, her facial expression changing from frustration to a smile as she looked in their direction. "Why don¡¯t you both take a seat as well?" she asked. "I think I would love to have a chat with the Weeble siblings who are truly making a name for themselves in the city. If I am being honest, I am a little excited," she added with a smile.


    "I don¡¯t see why not," Rose added, taking the left seat next to Alan, and as she did, Alan stood from his chair to leave a seat for Adrian.


    "Sir, you can sit if you''d like," Adrian said, raising both hands to gesture that he was okay with standing.


    "Just take the seat Adrian," Alan said as he patted him on the shoulder. "Guess I''ll be going then, Alisa," he added.


    "I haven¡¯t excused you yet, now have I?" Alisa questioned as she shot Alan an irritated glance.


    Looking back at her, Alan continued, "You haven¡¯t, yes, but remember, if you decide to scold me¡ª" he stopped midway, striking a pose as if lost in thought. "I would not help anyone in similar situations ever again," he added with a shrug gesture.


    Letting out a sigh, Alisa continued, "I don¡¯t mind talking to people, but would you like it if they started using you as a gateway to talk to me?" Alisa questioned in a neutral tone.


    "Use me to get to you?" Alan spoke out loud. He began to think about it the next moment, imagining some medium big shots and really big big shots flocking to him to get a chance to talk to Alisa. I already have my fair share of trouble with those guild recruiters, he thought, not wanting any more pain.


    "I¡¯d absolutely hate it," Alan stated without an ounce of doubt in his voice.


    "Then next time something like this happens, come and tell me the situation rather than taking the other route of bringing someone with you. Understood?"


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    "Yes, I''ll make sure to do that, and uhh¡­" Alan stopped midway, a slightly awkward look evident on his face.


    "What?"


    "Sorry for the inconvenience," Alan added with a sheepish smile.


    Alisa ended up smiling at the expression he gave her. "It''s not a big deal. Don¡¯t worry about it much." Clearing her throat, she continued, "Get Ais and Blake on board with the news, and about the team we will be sending¡­" Alisa stopped midway, looking at the ceiling while lost in thoughts. Looking back, she added, "All of the A-ranking adventurers and the B-ranking adventurers, Ais, you, and the Weeble siblings. That would be the people going on this mission," she stated.


    Adrian and Rose simply nodded at this, indicating their approval.


    "Understood," Alan said with a nod, after which he left the guild room, leaving Alisa and the Weeble siblings behind.


    Guess she was somewhat looking out for me, Alan thought to himself with a smile as he moved down the stairs. Reaching the main hall, Bella and a few adventurers were still sitting at the same table.


    "Is your work over, Alan?" Bella questioned immediately as Alan walked into the hall.


    Alan nodded at this as he continued, "Yeah, it worked out. I think you will have to work extra today though," he added in haste. He quickly moved outside of the White Tiger Guild headquarters without wasting any time, stepping into the training ground.


    As he stepped there, a man''s battle cry came into his ears, followed by the sound of wooden swords clashing.


    "They are still training, huh?" Alan mumbled as he approached the right side of the ground.


    The scene in front of him was something he had seen plenty of times. Ais, a young female adventurer who was just as young as Alan, stood in the center of the duel area, effortlessly parrying the attacks thrown in her direction by her opponent.


    Ais¡¯s long white hair was done in a simple yet effective high ponytail with a black hairband, and she wore a simple white shirt with black pants, a common training uniform of the White Tiger Guild.


    Ais is bullying a newbie, huh? Guess my assumption was right then. Alan thought with an amused smile. Quietly, he walked to the sideline and stood with the adventurers gathered there.


    "Are you going to duel with her, Sir Solo Knight?" a young girl standing next to him questioned.


    Alan shook his head. "Not today. I¡¯m just a mere observer for today," he said. His gaze shifted to Ais¡¯s opponent¡ªa tall, young man. "Who¡¯s the excited sparring partner she¡¯s got this time?" he asked.


    "It''s Edgar, a new B-ranker who just joined us. He has beaten Mr. Mason in a sword fight recently and ended up challenging Miss Ais," she added with a chuckle.


    Fighting Ais after defeating Mason, yeah he''s got a death wish that''s for sure, Alan thought with a light chuckle.


    The duel in the center was rather peculiar. Anyone with an untrained eye might think the male swordsman was pushing Ais into a corner with the barrage of attacks he threw in her direction. Though the reality was far from it. The battle was one-sided, with Edgar trying his best to land a hit on Ais while she effortlessly parried his attacks.


    Finally taking the offensive, Ais struck Edgar¡¯s sword with a strong blow, causing him to stumble a bit.


    "Mindlessly striking the sword will take you nowhere," Ais spoke, a serious expression maintained on her face.


    "I am just getting started. Don¡¯t think you have won just yet," Edgar yelled with a frustrated expression as he moved in for another strike. He raised the practice sword well above his head and brought it down in a quick movement, targeting Ais¡¯s head.


    Ais sidestepped swiftly, her movements fluid and precise. With a subtle tap from her sword, she redirected Edgar¡¯s strike just enough to throw him off balance. A quiet sigh escaped her lips as she finally noticed Alan standing on the sideline.


    Edgar clenched his teeth, irritation evident on his face as he regained his posture. But before he could strike again, a swift blow from Ais sent his sword flying.


    Edgar¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at his empty hand. "You were still holding back?" he muttered.


    There was no answer¡ªAis had already moved out of the ring, standing next to Alan.


    "Did you come here to spar with me?" she questioned Alan with an enthusiastic look.


    Shaking his head, "No way in hell I¡¯m fighting a freaking S-rank swordmaster," he replied.


    "Shut up, I am just like five times stronger than you. It''s not that big of a deal," Ais added with a smirk.


    Yes, yes, five times stronger¡ªwait, she isn¡¯t that stronger than me, Alan thought before continuing, "Five times my foot! I was just being nice, and you are taking it to your head!" Alan retorted.


    Ais Blackwell [ Status update from a day ago ]


    - Race: Human


    - Rank: S-Rank


    - Age: 19


    - Class: Mage / Swordmaster


    - Affinity: Light


    Stats


    - Mana Points: 38460


    - Strength: 1356


    - Speed: 2,678


    - Dexterity: 2268


    - Health Points: 900


    Equipment


    - Weapon: The Impaler (Tier 7 Sword)


    - Armor: None


    Abilities


    - Lifesteal


    - Void Piercer


    Magic Resistance


    - Level 4 Resistance ¨C Reduces the effectiveness of magic-based attacks by 40%.


    Defensive Abilities


    - Self-Healing (Level 4) ¨C Can heal minor and deep wounds.


    - Damage Reduction (Level 5) ¨C Reduces 60% of all physical damage received.


    Special Abilities


    - The Predator

 Chapter 7 Recruitment

    "Can you two stop fighting? All of my other students are terrified of getting caught up in your quarrel," a man built like a bear spoke in his deep voice nonchalantly.


    "Sir Blake," Alan mumbled. Clearing his throat, he continued, "I have an important message to deliver to both of you. The White Tiger Guild has accepted a quest to save the village of Arcek from a horde of goblins."


    "Horde of goblins,¡± Ais muttered, her half-opened eyes dull with disinterest.


    Clearing his throat, Alan added, "A horde of ten thousand goblins to be precise, with more than half the horde consisting of hobgoblins and a handful of goblin kings and commanders."


    "Ten thousand goblins? Huh. That''s a lot, I must say," Blake remarked.


    "And by what time would these goblins reach the village of Arcek? Did Alisa tell anything about it?" Ais questioned with a neutral look.


    "In roughly five hours, if I am not mistaken," Alan added in a nonchalant tone.


    "Five hours, eh," Blake said.


    To which Alan simply responded with a nod.


    "Why didn¡¯t you tell me sooner!" Blake shouted, hitting Alan hard on the back. "Do you know how much preparation it takes, idiot?" he yelled.


    The shout caused all the other people standing in the crowd to look in Blake¡¯s direction.


    "I actually don''t¡­, sorry for that." Alan added in an apologetic tone.


    "Who all are participating in the fight, though?" Ais questioned while looking at Alan.


    "The Weeble siblings and I are going to participate in the fight. Alisa said that all the A-rank and B-rank adventurers available must participate," he added while looking in Blake¡¯s direction. Turning his gaze towards Ais, he further added, "And you would be leading the fight."


    "I am supposed to lead?" Ais exclaimed with a shocked expression.


    Alan nodded at this. "That¡¯s what Alisa told me, if I am not wrong," he said.


    Letting out a sigh, Blake added, "I¡¯ll get the adventurers ready," as he stretched his neck by bending it behind. "In the meantime, Ais, get the formation you would like to use sorted out," he added.


    "Understood Sir Blake," Ais replied.


    With that, Blake moved towards the flock of adventurers who were still standing around on the ground.


    "Is there even any meaning to the thing we call living?" Alan mumbled in a gloomy tone as he looked at Blake moving away.


    "It¡¯s technically your fault," Ais added as she cast a sideways glance at him. "Don¡¯t get all gloomy on me now."


    "Whatever you say. What¡¯s the formation you want to use in the battle?" Alan asked curiously.


    "That depends on whether the Weebles are cooperative and easy to work with or, you know, slightly quirky and hard to manage," Ais said as she began to walk towards the building¡¯s entrance.


    Weeble siblings huh, Alan mentally repeated as he followed Ais. "I would say they are rather hard¡­, no, no, I prefer not to comment on it," Alan added, taking back his words.


    Ais looked at Alan briefly, with a look that made it clear she was thinking something. "They are difficult to work with?" she questioned.


    Alan didn¡¯t look at Ais. "I can¡¯t comment on it since I technically haven¡¯t fought in their party, so I don''t know anything about them," he added. I mean, just because Rose was slightly angry at me, I can¡¯t say they are both hard to work with. That would be idiotic. Alan mentally remarked.


    Ais and Alan walked inside the White Tiger Guild building together. A small smile was now visible on Ais¡¯ face, as if she were plotting something fun for herself. "You could know more about them," Ais added as she stood still, with a huge grin.


    I can know more about them¡­, Alan pondered a second before continuing, "No, I don¡¯t want to get to know them. Just set me up with you or Sir Blakes. Hell even Miss Bella would be fine."


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    Ais simply waved her fingers in a no. "She¡¯s a healer, and setting you up with either me or Blake would make the formation unevenly strong," Ais added with a neutral expression. "And just so you know, Mr. Solo Knight, I am the leader," she added with a smirk.


    There was a small silence after this, where Ais and Alan simply kept looking at each other. The silence was broken.


    "You know what, Ais?"


    "What?"


    "I¡¯ll be leaving," Alan said as he turned back to move out from the exit.


    "No, you don¡¯t," Ais replied, simply catching his collar from behind. "Stop playing around! We don¡¯t have time for it," she scolded, mildly frustrated.


    Alan removed Ais¡¯ hand from his collar. "Understood. I¡¯ll do what you say, I guess," he added begrudgingly.


    "That¡¯s better," Ais added. "I have a question for you, though," she added as she walked towards the stairs.


    "What¡¯s that?" Alan asked as he followed her.


    "Are you not wearing the spine protector you normally do?" she questioned. "I mean, I know you don¡¯t like armor and all, but I was almost certain you wore it previously."


    "Ahh, I actually didn¡¯t wear it today since I didn¡¯t intend to go to the deeper floors of the dungeon," he added nonchalantly.


    "Do you want mine? I have an extra."


    "I mean, you are the same height as me, though I doubt yours would fit me well," Alan replied, after a moment of considering the idea.


    "I was just teasing you, idiot," Ais called out as she opened the Vice Guildmaster¡¯s room and stepped inside.


    "Just so you know, I am not easy to mess with," Alan replied with a cheeky smirk. "Well then, I¡¯ll be going to check on Alisa," Alan added as he pointed at Alisa¡¯s office.


    Ais narrowed her eyes, her tone sharp. "Whatever you do, just don¡¯t get into trouble with her or start debating with her or stuff like, uhh¡­ what you usually do, okay?"


    "I don¡¯t do anythi¡ª" Alan yelled, though his words were interrupted by the shutting of the door right in his face. "Idiot Ais," Alan mumbled as he walked back to Alisa¡¯s room. With a knock on the door, he spoke loud enough for Alisa to hear, "I¡¯m coming in."


    Walking inside the room, Alan noticed Alisa looking at him, though the scene in the room looked rather serious.


    Adrian Weeble was sitting on the chair while bouncing his leg at a rhythmic pace, while Rose Weeble was staring at the table without doing or saying anything. The weird thing was it seemed as if she hadn¡¯t even realized Alan had walked in.


    Alan walked towards the white rectangular couch present at the side of the room, taking his seat quietly.


    "I will ask again. What do you think? Would you both be interested in joining the White Tiger Guild?" Alisa questioned with a calm voice as she pushed a contract in Rose and Adrian¡¯s direction.


    Adrian took the contract in his hand, reading it as he supposedly checked the contract¡¯s details quietly, his eyes scanning each detail as if it were some kind of royal decree.


    "Miss Weeble?" Alisa spoke, clicking her fingers in front of Rose to grab her attention.


    "Sorry," Rose immediately replied. "I was thinking about something," she added.


    "Ahh, don¡¯t worry about it. Take your time. I wouldn¡¯t want you to make your decision in haste," Alisa added with a small smile.


    Nodding at Alisa¡¯s response, Rose turned to look at her brother. "Do you want to join?" she questioned Adrian in a serious tone.


    "We would certainly be paid nicely for joining the White Tiger Guild," Adrian replied, his gaze still fixed on the document in his hand. "Though joining it would decrease the time we could spend dungeon exploring or forest exploration while fighting monsters," he added, a slightly confused expression evident on his face.


    "That¡¯s true," Alisa interrupted, raising her finger. "Though you would get to train and spar with some of the top A-ranking individuals¡ªboth sorcerers," she said while looking in Adrian¡¯s direction, "and swordmasters," she added while looking in Rose¡¯s direction.


    She is trying to recruit them, huh? Getting the Weeble siblings under her wing, Alan mentally spoke as he imagined a huge, laughing Alisa reigning over the city.


    Yeah, that would be bad. She would outclass the Iron Fang Guild by a big gap in a few years, considering the Weeble siblings'' growth rate, Alan mused. It¡¯s not like it concerns me, though, he added, letting out a sigh.


    Blake Armstein [ Status update from a day ago ]


    - Race: Human


    - Rank: A-Rank


    - Age: 43


    - Class: Swordmaster


    - Affinity: Earth


    Stats


    - Mana Points: 10460


    - Strength: 1180


    - Speed: 2,346


    - Dexterity: 1986


    - Health Points: 700


    Equipment


    - Weapon: Tier 5 Sword


    - Armor: None


    Abilities


    - None


    Magic Resistance


    - Level 2 Resistance ¨C Reduces the effectiveness of magic-based attacks by 20%.


    Defensive Abilities


    - Self-Healing (Level 2) ¨C Can heal minor wounds when activated.


    - Damage Reduction (Level 3) ¨C Reduces 30% of all physical damage received.


    Special Abilities


    - None

 Chapter 8 Refusal

    Adrian looked in Rose¡¯s direction, passing the contract to her. ¡°I checked the details, and there isn¡¯t anything unusual about it,¡± Adrian remarked.


    ¡°Why are you handing it to me then?¡± Rose snapped, her irritation evident.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Adrian said quickly, his tone apologetic.


    Alan noticed how Rose¡¯s frustrated expression changed into a concerned one the next moment, as if she realized her words might have come across the wrong way.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that, sorry,¡± she spoke in an apologetic tone as she took the contract from Adrian¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Do you want a pen?¡± Alisa questioned, reaching for one from her pen stand.


    ¡°Wait a second, please,¡± Rose said. Alan noticed how this time, she spoke with her usual confident expression instead of the unsure one.


    Alisa didn¡¯t say anything and simply stretched her hand back.


    ¡°Do you want to join White Tiger Guild?¡± Rose questioned Adrian as she looked directly into his eyes.


    ¡°You could choose for m¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes or no. Both of our wants matter, not just mine,¡± Rose yelled at Adrian, clearly frustrated by his reply.


    ¡°I think¡­ I¡¯d prefer not being bound to a city or a place,¡± Adrian added hesitantly.


    ¡°Miss Alisa,¡± Rose spoke up as she passed the contract back to Alisa. ¡°I am really thankful for the offer you presented us with. 200 gold coins is certainly way more than what we deserve right now, but I don¡¯t think we would like to be bound to a guild just yet. Sparring with top swordmasters or sorcerers might obviously benefit us greatly, but I think what we need more right now is battle experience, which we could only get by fighting monsters and taking all the quests we can.¡±


    Ahh, I am pretty sure Alisa¡¯s getting deja vu from this answer, Alan thought as he glanced at Alisa, who looked slightly taken aback by Rose and Adrian¡¯s reply.


    A smile spread on Alisa¡¯s lips as she caught Alan¡¯s glance. She turned her gaze back to the Weeble siblings, ¡°I actually got a similar response from someone else too previously, though that person¡¯s answer wasn¡¯t as descriptive as yours,¡± she added.


    What exactly was my answer? Alan questioned himself. He tried to recall his memories, but it was to no avail. The only thing he remembered was Alisa¡¯s reaction¡ªshe looked pleased with his answer; that much he remembered.


    ¡°Was it Alan?¡± Rose questioned, a hint of curiosity tinging her voice.


    ¡°And why¡¯d you think that?¡± Alisa questioned Rose.


    ¡°I just guessed. He seemed rather close with everyone here¡­ so I made an assumption,¡± Rose replied, her eyes still focused on Alisa.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Alisa said in a neutral tone, turning her gaze toward Alan. ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell her the answer, Alan?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Since when has he been sitting here?¡± Rose exclaimed in surprise as she looked at Alan.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t notice when he entered the room?¡± Adrian questioned. ¡°Sis, your senses are dulling, I must say. Are you sure you¡¯re a swordmaster?¡± he added with a smirk.


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    ¡°I was deep in thought, thank you very much,¡± Rose retorted, she glanced back at Alan, ¡°Is my assumption right?¡± She questioned.


    ¡°Well I guess you are right. That person, if I¡¯m not wrong, was me. Now, about my reasons¡­ I prefer working solo, and joining a guild would take that freedom away from me,¡± Alan admitted with a slight, awkward smile.


    ¡°With the sword of yours, I couldn¡¯t blame you for thinking that¡­¡± Alisa added as she glanced at Alan¡¯s golden scabbard, looking at the sword he carried.


    ¡°The sword?¡­¡± Rose repeated. ¡°Is it some special kind of sword?¡±


    ¡°It sure is¡­¡± Alisa spoke. ¡°The Sword of Stolen Powers, one of Sage Bewildre¡¯s masterpieces¡­¡± Alisa added, stopping midway as she looked outside the window. ¡°Looks like Blake and the others are ready to leave. You all should join them as well,¡± Alisa suggested.


    ¡°That would be the ideal thing to do,¡± Alan mumbled as he stood from the couch. ¡°I have already angered Sir Blake once today; wouldn¡¯t want to repeat it,¡± he added.


    Adrian and Rose stood from their seats as well.


    ¡°We¡¯ll get going then,¡± Adrian said, with a small bow of respect to Alisa.


    Alisa nodded in approval at his gesture. She then turned to look at Alan. ¡°Remember, Alan, the village or anything else is secondary. The safety of the guild members is more important. The lives of your comrades should always be your top priority.¡±


    ¡°Why are you telling that to me?¡± Alan asked, narrowing his eyes and looking at Alisa with a doubtful expression. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you have told this to Ais?¡±


    ¡°She hears this on a daily basis from me. I thought I¡¯d let you know this too. And Alan, another thing¡­¡±


    ¡°The number of goblins in the horde is unusual. It¡¯s as if the whole goblin population from the Forest of Deadalus is running away from something. If anything strange happens, make sure that Ais makes the right choice. Keep an eye on her for me,¡± Alisa added.


    They¡¯re running from something? Alan repeated Alisa''s word''s in his mind. ¡°Are you sure about it?¡± he questioned her.


    "It¡¯s just a hunch. If I were sure, wouldn¡¯t I be joining the battle myself?" Alisa replied sarcastically.


    ¡°Answering a question with a question? Seriously?¡± Alan added, raising his eyebrows. ¡°If things go south, I¡¯ll send you a messenger,¡± Alan added. Turning his gaze to the Weeble siblings, ¡°We should get going now,¡± he added.


    <hr>


    Alan and the Weeble siblings reached the ground, and he immediately noticed five carriages allotted by the city knights standing outside the White Tiger Guild. Additionally, three more carriages belonging to the White Tiger Guild were stationed outside.


    Alan noticed Bella, Ais, and Blake standing next to the gate while other adventurers climbed in and took their seats in the carriages.


    And I am getting scolded by Sir Blake, Alan thought to himself, slowing down his walking pace.


    "Took you quite long," Ais remarked as she noticed Alan and Weeble walking toward her.


    Alan noticed the death glare he was getting from Blake. He''s pissed, he thought. "I was actually¡­" he started, trying to make an excuse as he stopped in front of them.


    "Miss Alisa was giving Alan some instructions," Rose spoke up in a calm tone.


    "Alisa was?" Blake spoke up, his pissed-off expression vanishing into thin air. "Well, that explains why you all were this late," Blake said.


    I was mistaken about her. She is for sure some kind of god''s incarnate, Alan mentally said, over exaggerating Roses¡¯ assistance.


    "We should get going then. Alan, and you both climb the first carriage," Ais said in a neutral tone as she pointed at the first carriage.


    "Understood," Alan mumbled as he walked toward the first carriage, momentarily glancing at Rose. "Thanks for saving me," he mumbled as he climbed the carriage.


    "Adults gotta take care of kids, don''t they?" she replied with a smirk.


    And she¡¯s back with a snarky comment. Well, I was the one who started it technically¡­ but would I take it lying down? Alan thought to himself as he glanced at Rose. I mean, obviously, I would. I¡¯m not childish enough to pick a fight over such insignificant things, Alan added, as he took his seat on the carriage.

 Chapter 9 Legendary Sword

    Alan¡¯s attention shifted to the carriage¡¯s open gate as Ais approached. His gaze swept over her attire¡ªa soft white off-shoulder corset top with delicate golden embroidery. The detached sleeves were tapered at the base but flared into elegant, voluminous ends.


    She wore a dark brown corset, reinforced as armor, seamlessly attached to her high-waisted pants of the same shade. Like her top, the high-waisted brown pants featured intricate golden embroidery, seamlessly flowing into her knee-high boots. The sturdy boots, with their low heels were both practical and elegant for her.


    "Wouldn''t it be funny if goblins destroyed the village before we even reach the village?" she said with a chuckle as she jumped into the carriage.


    Honestly speaking, yeah, it might be, Alan thought. ¡°Don''t be an insensitive, idiotic creature who jokes about anything without thinking twice,¡± Alan said with a fake disappointed look.


    "Yeah, Mom, whatever you say," Ais replied with a sarcastic tone.


    The carriage began to move. Weeble siblings were sitting on one side of the carriage with an open window, while Alan and Ais sat on the other.


    Alan rested his head against the wall of the carriage, trying to get into a comfortable position. His eyes were fixed on the small bulb that glowed dimly, as if it would go out any second. His mind wandered back to the words Alisa had spoken.


    A hunch¡­ just a hunch.


    But why would all the goblins from the Forest of Deadalus migrate with the intention to fight the city of Alcia? He questioned himself, clenching his fist absentmindedly. It doesn''t make sense, Alan added, his inner thoughts disappearing as Ais''s voice reached his ears.


    "Are you okay?" she questioned.


    "I am¡­ I think, at least," Alan replied. He noticed how Rose, who had it out for him from the start, looked at him with something akin to a concerned expression.


    "About the battle formation," Ais spoke up, catching Alan and the Weeble siblings'' attention.


    "I''m thinking that we should fight the goblins on three fronts, with each front led by a heavy hitter, followed by people who might complement them. But I''m not sure if it would be the right choice or not," she spoke with a serious tone.


    "Don''t start to self-doubt your plans. Alisa gave you the chance to lead because she''s confident in your ability," Alan scolded Ais, giving her a disapproving look.


    "Even though I don''t like to admit it¡­ you are the strongest one here, aren''t you, Miss Ais?" Rose spoke up, her voice carrying a hint of respect, something she had never shown Alan. Adrian didn''t add anything himself but simply nodded at Rose''s comment.


    "The strongest, huh? Looks like you''ve got good eyes, Rose," Ais spoke, her serious expression vanishing as a small, playful smirk appeared on her face. She looked at Alan. "Aren''t they right, Mr. Solo Knight?" she added in a teasing tone, clearly trying to mess with him.


    "Just start talking. What''s the formation you want to go with? Where would the healers be stationed? And everything else," Alan said, narrowing his eyes.


    Ais nodded and looked in the Weeble siblings'' direction."The first team, which would take over the right front, will be led by Sir Blake. I''m thinking about leaving all the A-rank adventurers from the White Tiger Guild in his team." She tapped her hand on her chest. "I''ll be leading all the B-ranking adventurers and attacking the goblins'' formation from the middle."


    "And about the left front¡­ Adrian and Rose, you''ll be under Alan''s leadership," she added. "I''m thinking about stationing two B-ranking healers slightly behind the battlefield while letting Miss Bella join the battle with middle front, since she''s also capable of casting offensive spells."


    "Won''t that make the teams unevenly strong?" Adrian questioned, with a doubtful look on his face.


    Nodding at Adrian''s response, Rose continued, "Miss Alisa told us there are ten A-ranking adventurers in the White Tiger Guild. Shouldn''t our team have at least six or seven A-ranking adventurers instead?" she asked, with raised eyebrows.


    Ais simply waved her right hand. "Ah, don''t you both worry about it. You three will be able to manage easily," she added with a confident look on her face.


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    So, she ended up teaming me up with these two after all¡­ Though, I can''t exactly say the teams are wrong. Any of the White Tiger Guild members would have better synergy with Blake or Ais than with me, Alan thought to himself. He then looked in Rose and Adrian''s direction, his gaze landing on the black scabbard kept on Rose''s side, noticing the sword''s white hilt."Since we''re a team and all¡­ why don''t you both tell me a thing or two about yourself? Just a superficial description would be fine," Alan added.


    "I''m Adrian Weeble from¡ª" Adrian started but stopped midway as he got lightly hit on the head by Rose.


    "He''s asking about our abilities, G-E-N-I-U-S," Rose spoke, as she mocked him.


    "Domestic abuse, huh? That''s certainly not something I like," Alan spoke to Ais, as he pointed at Rose.


    "Agreed," Ais chimed in unable to contain her laughter.


    Rose started playing with her hair, looking away, clearly flustered by the comment she got from Alan and Ais.


    That''s the first time she showed that expression. Every other expression I got from her previously was¡­, Alan imagined the pissed-off look he had gotten from Rose before. Rather fierce, I must say.


    Adrian cleared his throat, grabbing Alan''s attention back to him. "I''m primarily a mage¡ªor a spellcaster. My fighting skills are weaker in comparison to my sister. Though I''m well-versed with light affinity spells," he added with a calm and polite tone.


    "Light affinity, huh?" Alan repeated with a huge smile. "What''s your life goal?"


    "Weren''t we talking about important stuff?" Rose added, looking at Alan with narrowed eyes.


    "Ah, yeah, I actually got carried away," Alan admitted. Ahh.. that sure was embarrassing, he mentally said. He then pointed at Roses'' sword. "I can see you''re carrying a sword. What are your strong points? Are you simply physically gifted, or do you possess magical abilities as well?" Alan questioned.


    "I can infuse fire affinity with my sword, if that''s what you''re asking," she spoke as she touched the sword kept beside her. "I''m not as good as Adrian in spellcasting¡­" she said, her face clearly showing a slightly sad look. "But I can still cast most of the intermediate spells of fire affinity," she added with a small grin.


    "Should I introduce myself next?" Ais questioned.


    Yeah, you should. You won''t get preferential treatment just because you''re an S-ranker, Alan mentally scolded Ais.


    "I can''t think of anyone who lives in Alcia and doesn''t know about you, Miss Ais," Adrian spoke with a sincere look.


    Rose nodded at this. "Your ability to use magic as well as a sword to its full potential is surely amazing," she added, her eyes sparkling with admiration as she spoke those words.


    Guess she will get preferential treatment, huh? Sweet. It''s my turn then, Alan thought bitterly. "Guess it''s my turn then," Alan said. As he spoke, Adrian and Rose turned to him with eager expressions.


    "I have dark and fire affinity, though I would say I''m more comfortable with fire affinity."


    "About my fighting style," Alan continued, "I am a swordsman for the most part, though I tend to use spells a lot during fights. My sword also has the ability to absorb mana whenever it pierces the enemy."


    "Wait! It can''t be!" Adrian spoke up, his eyes widening in surprise. "Is that one of the Twelve Legendary Blades?" he exclaimed in shock.


    "It sure is¡ªthough I can''t be completely sure," Alan admitted with a shrug. "I found it during a dungeon exploration and tested it against someone who owns a Legendary Blade. If it were a fake, it should have broken during the fight." As he spoke, his gaze flickered toward Ais.


    "You weren''t alone when you found it, though," Ais interjected, her expression sour. "That sword was meant to be my second. You stole it from me." She said as she casted a sideways glance at him before crossing her arms. "Thief," she added with a scowl.


    "I did no such thing! Remember the coin flick we did?" Alan shouted. Their conversation, however, was interrupted by Rose.


    "It can replenish mana?" Rose questioned.


    "It can. It''s really helpful in prolonged fights. Though I wouldn''t exactly like to explain¡­ the mechanism," Alan said, watching as Rose''s face shifted from enthusiasm to boredom in an instant. "Ahh¡­ fine, whatever," Alan spoke. Rose and Adrian were now completely focused on Alan, while Ais had an amused smile on her face, enjoying the interaction unfold.


    "Ferrust, or the sword I wield, is one of the Twelve Legendary Swords made by the master craftsman, Sage Bewildre. This sword was lost in the dungeon of Alcia during the 47th-floor expedition a decade ago." Alan added.


    Leaning slightly forward, Alan unsheathed the black blade, gripping it firmly in his hand, his eyes fixed on it. It was a longsword with a black metallic hilt and a matching black blade. Placing his hand on the blade, Alan turned his gaze toward Rose and Adrian. "This sword has three enchantments. The first one is corrosion¡ªany damage dealt by this sword can''t be healed by healing magic."


    "So if you cut someone''s limb off with your sword¡­ it''s gone? Forever?" Rose questioned, her voice trembling, excitement radiating from her face.


    Alan smiled at her response. "Exactly. It renders healers useless. Isn''t it awesome?" he added.


    Roses'' gaze was locked on the sword as if she were trying to let the words sink in. She parted her lips, trying to say a lot, though the only words she managed to mutter were quite simple. "That''s amazing."


    Alan looked at Rose. "Do you want to know how the other abilities work too?" he questioned. It''s not like me to waste time talking with just anyone, but it''s not like I have something better to do¡­ and her reactions are rather nice, Alan thought to himself, wanting to talk more about his sword.

 Chapter 10 Echoes of The Forgotten war

    Alan looked at Rose. "Do you want to know how the other abilities work too?" he questioned. It''s not like me to waste time talking with just anyone, but it''s not like I have something better to do¡­ and her reactions are rather nice, Alan thought to himself, wanting to talk more about his sword.


    I would lov... Rose said, but her words were interrupted midway by Ais as the carriage came to a sudden halt.


    "Let''s skip the discussion for now," Ais spoke in a stern voice as she opened the carriage door, stepping outside first, followed by the others.


    Alan glanced around himself as he stepped out of the carriage, noticing the seven carriages lined up behind the one he had just stepped out of. The adventurers were climbing down from their respective carriages, gathering on the road in a disorganized mass. Looking around and seeing the empty village of Arcek didn¡¯t sit right with Alan. He noticed how the lamps weren¡¯t glowing, there was no sound of cattle or dogs, and though he wasn¡¯t particularly a fan of the sound of a crying child at night, the complete silence still felt slightly off to him.


    "Guess I''ll tell them about the formation then," Ais said as she moved towards the group of adventurers standing next to Blake and Bella. As she walked towards the group, the other adventurers who were flocking around joined the group, aware that the battle planning was about to begin.


    Alan momentarily looked at the group before turning his gaze toward the Forest of Daedalus. The landscape he observed was uneven and slightly hilly. It wasn¡¯t the kind of terrain one would use to grow crops under ideal conditions, though with some modifications, it was possible. That was how most of the villagers of Arcek had been able to earn their living.


    "And the Viscount considers the villagers unskilled labor? Alisa was damn right about him being an idiot," Alan said to himself as he kept his gaze fixed on the direction of the Forest of Daedalus. A horde of ten thousand goblins... Would we have any trouble dealing with them? Probably not. Hell, with our team, we might even be able to take on a medium-sized dragon. But why would more than one Goblin King be in the horde? The last time this happened¡­ he added before being interrupted.


    "What are you thinking about?¡±


    Alan looked beside him, Adrian Weeble was standing next to him. He glanced back at the group, noticing how Rose and Ais were still among them. "Nothing much¡­ I was just thinking¡­ why?" Alan spoke with doubt in his voice. "Why would all of the goblins from the Forest of Daedalus suddenly decide to attack Alcia?"


    "Isn''t it normal goblin behavior though? Don''t they enjoy hurting us?" Adrian questioned.


    "The scale is the issue here. Multiple goblin kings forming a group despite their pride... it¡¯s rather rare or even unheard of!" Alan said as his right hand went to his sword.


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    "It¡¯s uncommon, yes. But what are you trying to say? You think someone is controlling the goblin army?" Adrian questioned, his eyes widened with concern.


    Alan shook his head in response. "Controlling ten thousand goblins is not possible, and I doubt that¡¯s the case.¡±


    "So, what do you think?" Adrian questioned, looking straight into Alan''s eyes.


    "What do I think? I think I''ve started believing in Alisa''s hypothesis. There''s some kind of development in the Forest of Daedalus that''s driving the goblins to march straight to their deaths," Alan remarked in a serious tone.


    Adrian parted his lips as if he wanted to say something, though no words came out. Closing his mouth, he looked in the forest''s direction. "Do you think we have time to be concerned about what¡¯s happening in the forest right now?" he finally questioned, his gaze fixed on the field.


    "I don¡¯t think we do," Alan replied with a nod, his gaze shifting to the left as he noticed approaching footsteps.


    "Miss Ais told us to get positioned on the left flank, right there," Rose spoke, pointing toward the exterior area of the village as she approached her brother and Alan.


    "Sorry for not joining in the battle planning," Alan added in a slightly apologetic tone, giving a reluctant smile.


    "You should be sorry," Rose said, folding her arms while glaring at Alan. She then turned her gaze toward Adrian. "And you too, mister," she added, narrowing her eyes.


    "Sorry," Adrian said. "I saw Sir Solo Knight glaring at the grass field as if he was thinking about something, so I decided to lend him my ears in case he wanted to talk." Adrian added with a small smile.


    "Yeah, that sure was helpful," Alan admitted. I should not let my mind drift from the battle. He mentally scolded himself as he turned toward the position Rose had previously pointed to and began walking.


    <hr>


    What exactly were they talking about? Rose questioned herself as she looked at Adrian. "What were you two talking about?" she asked in a low voice, keeping it low enough that Alan wouldn¡¯t hear. "It wasn¡¯t anything serious, just casual talk about how goblins don¡¯t usually form such big packs," Adrian replied nonchalantly, as he started walking behind Alan.


    "Goblins don¡¯t form large packs?" Rose repeated in her mind, her brows drawing together in a slight frown, as she noticed something didn¡¯t add up.


    "Weren''t monsters known to fight in groups during the human-demon conflict?" Rose questioned, her tone laced with curiosity and doubt.


    Adrian looked slightly taken aback by Roses¡¯ question. "I didn¡¯t think about it¡­ and that¡¯s ancient history," Adrian replied.


    Rose gave Adrian a disapproving look. "It¡¯s documented in that 500 year old human-demon conflict battle record¡ªnot exactly ancient. And besides, aren¡¯t most of the sages and the saintess still alive?" she questioned, her voice laced with sarcasm.


    "You aren¡¯t exactly wrong, but the thing you¡¯re talking about doesn¡¯t make sense. The daemon who possessed the ability of absolute obedience was killed by Saintess Vanessa, was he not?" Adrian questioned with visible frustration.


    "That could be tru¡ª" Rose started before placing a finger on her lips, shushing Adrian as she noticed Alan looking toward them. It¡¯s never nice to pry into others'' conversations, and even if you do, you shouldn¡¯t let them know you did, she mentally added, not wanting Alan to know what she was talking about.

 Chapter 11 Hostage

    Alan stopped at the position designated to him; he was now standing a few minutes away from the village area.


    Shouldn''t we go further out? he questioned himself as he looked back at the village that was still in his view. Am I standing at the wrong place? He questioned himself, though his guess ended up being wrong as he saw Ais and Blakes¡¯ team standing at the same distance from the village as him.


    "What''s her plan?" Alan mumbled. "I should''ve gone and listened to it¡­, I am really an idiot," he mentally added. As he was mentally degrading himself, the sound of approaching footsteps caught his attention. Rose and Adrian finally reached him and came to a stop.


    "The battle''s about to start," Rose spoke as she stopped right next to Alan.


    Adrian stopped slightly behind, taking his seat on a medium sized rock. "Seems that way," he added, glaring at the dark expanse of land.


    "Rose," Alan spoke up.


    Rose glanced at Alan. "Yes? What''s up?" she asked.


    "Did Ais give any information regarding the placement of mages and close combatants?" Alan questioned.


    "Placement¡­, Yes she did. She said mages would be in the region we are standing in right now, and the close combatants would advance ahead to engage the goblins," Rose said. "She didn''t exactly describe the exact placement, though," she added with a slightly confused look.


    We are free to choose our placement then, Alan mentally stated. "Can you fight a Goblin King alone, or in the worst situation, survive against two Goblin Kings and a horde of Hobgoblins?" he questioned Rose, narrowing his eyes as he looked at her.


    "What do you take me for?" Rose exclaimed. "I am an A-rank Adventurer. I could obviously kill a Goblin King. I might even be able to kill two of them," she yelled at Alan, frustrated.


    "Good," Alan mumbled as he walked toward Adrian. "Could you take care of any group of goblins that strayed from the main formation?" he questioned.


    "I think I could, Sir Solo Knight," Adrian replied with a nod. "I could cast advance spells to take more of them as well," he added with a confident tone as he stood from his seat.


    "That won''t be needed," Alan said, shaking his head. "Your only task is to provide invaluable assistance when either I or your sister needs it, and most importantly¡­" He turned his gaze toward the battlefield before continuing, "Don¡¯t let any of the goblins escape alive," he added in a deep, commanding voice.


    Adrian blinked at Alan¡¯s instructions, slightly taken aback. It was the first time he had heard Solo Knights¡¯ serious voice. A small smile spread across his lips as he spoke, "As you say, Sir Solo Knight."


    Alan glanced at Rose. "You will be marching into their ranks with me. I am placing a bet on you, so if you could, don¡¯t die on me."


    "As if I could ever die from mere goblins," Rose started speaking in a nonchalant tone.


    Is she by any chance taking the battle lightly? Alan said to himself, frustrated from her response. "You aren¡¯t just wagering your own life in this battle, but your teammates¡¯ as well. Don¡¯t take it lightly¡ªyou wouldn¡¯t want to blame yourself forever if something goes wrong."


    "I didn''t mean it¡­, sorry," Rose said in an apologetic tone.


    Did I go overboard with her? Should I apologise? Alan questioned himself. Nah, that would make her nonchalant again. "I have full confidence in you," Alan added as he briefly tapped on her right shoulder.


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    Now that¡¯s certainly a weird thing to say to someone whom I have never seen fight. But I mean, it¡¯s not like they are weaklings or anything. I am pretty sure they managed to take down a drake without any party. She is obviously skilled. He added mentally.


    "I will do my best," Rose added as she looked straight into Alan¡¯s eyes.


    "That''s good," Alan mumbled and turned his gaze towards the battlefield as he heard weak sounds of footsteps whose intensity kept on increasing.


    A gust of wind swept across the battlefield. The grass began to move with the wind, and the trees began to dance along with it as well. A silence ran down all of the fronts as the sound of footsteps became louder and louder with each moment.


    "They''re coming," Alan stated as he kept looking into the darkness. Rose and Adrian, who were standing on his right and left side, respectively, looked in the direction as well without saying anything.


    Alan unsheathed his sword and clenched it in his right arm. His senses peaked¡ªhis ears picking up even the slightest noise, his eyes narrowed and locked onto the battlefield. He brought the blade near his left palm, taking hold of the blade with his left palm, piercing it lightly, letting his blood meet the blade.


    "What are you doing?" Adrian exclaimed with widened eyes as he looked at Alan¡¯s bleeding hand.


    "Getting some mana absorbed into it. It''s not a deep wound; it wouldn''t make a difference," Alan added, removing his left hand from the blade and clenching his fist to limit the blood.


    <hr>


    "Can you see anything yet, Bella?" Ais questioned as she glanced at the A-ranking healer of the White Tiger Guild.


    Bella looked in the direction of the approaching footsteps, her eyes illuminating with a bright white light. This was a rare ability that only a few mages possessed, allowing them to reinforce their eyes with mana, enabling them to see far distances and perceive a person''s or a monster¡¯s mana. It was an invaluable ability known as god''s eyes that helped mages locate giant monsters¡¯ magic cores and estimate their strength.


    Bella carefully observed the horde of monsters. "They are just ten minutes away, beyond the elevated land," she said. She then turned her gaze to check the ranks of the Goblin horde. "There are five Goblin Commanders at the front of the horde. There is also a Goblin King in front, and¡­" What¡¯s that? she questioned herself as she noticed a mana source that didn¡¯t resemble a monster¡¯s.


    "What happened?" Ais questioned, concerned.


    Bella¡¯s eyes returned to normal as she deactivated her ability. She looked at Ais with a concerned expression. "I can''t be sure¡­ but it seemed like I registered a few humans within the horde."


    <hr>


    "There are hostages!" Ais exclaimed.


    "I can''t be a hundred percent sure, but I think I registered several human-like mana patterns in the horde," Bella replied with a serious expression.


    "They have hostages¡­," Ais repeated, her eyes fixed on the floor as she bit her lip. She then looked back at Bella. "Could you try to figure out the density of the hostages in the horde?" she questioned Bella.


    "Density¡­ I¡¯m not completely sure, but I think I could. I would have to spend a lot of my mana on it, though," Bella replied.


    "Yes, I understand," Ais responded with a nod. She then turned to look at the B-ranking mages standing just behind her, ready for battle and prepared to launch spells. "Don''t start attacking until I say so," she commanded the mages. Then, turning to her left, she looked at Edgar. "Pass me the communicator," she instructed in a stern voice.


    Letting the goblins close in on us might overwhelm us with sheer numbers¡­ What should I do? Should I attack them without trying to save the people captured by the goblins? she questioned herself. No, no, no¡­ That would be wrong, what are you thinking, Ais? If we kill them, what will be the difference between us and monsters? She mentally added, quickly shooting down her own idea.


    "Miss Ais, here''s the crystal," Edgar said as he offered a transparent crystal to Ais.


    Ais carefully grabbed the yellow crystal in her right hand, allowing mana to flow into it. She closed her eyes in the next moment, focusing her senses and syncing them with the crystal. Her vision returned, though her eyes remained closed. Instead of normal vision, she could now see the mana output of everything around her. Ais turned her head to the right, quickly identifying Blake among the other A-rank adventurers due to his mana output.


    The next thing she did was glance toward Alan¡¯s team. She registered a huge mana pool and quickly discerned it was Alan¡¯s due to the dark aura it emitted.


    Establish communication, she said in her mind, connecting her thoughts with Alan and Blake as she spoke. Then, opening her eyes again, she announced in a serious tone. "There has been an unexpected development."

 Chapter 12 No Right Choice

    Alan, who had been watching the approaching goblin army, noticed a faint, unnatural humming sound in his head. He quickly turned his gaze toward the center front and saw Ais holding a yellow crystal in her hand. Lowering his head, he focused on the message he was about to receive.


    "There has been an unexpected development," Ais''s voice said.


    "What is that?" Alan mumbled, catching the Weeble siblings'' attention.


    "What''s wha¡ª" Rose began to ask, but Alan quickly shushed her.


    "I made Bella use her Gods'' Eye to get a better look at the enemy''s formation¡­ and it seems like there are hostages amidst the horde," Ais replied.


    "Human hostages!" Blake said in a surprised tone, "They might have captured the survivors from the other villages they razed before," he added.


    They are using hostages¡­, Alan said to himself, biting his lip. The mission just got a lot tougher, he added internally with a frustrated look. "So, what are we gonna do now?" he questioned, his mind racing for a solution.


    "We should let the goblin army close in. We''ll attack when they are 50 meters away from us and try to get the hostages to safety¡­," Ais said. "All of the mages should move further behind, near the village, so they can use their spells freely. That would be the ideal thing to do," Ais stated.


    It would be ideal? Ideal for who? For the adventurers who are about to be overwhelmed by the goblins if we do that. Alan thought to himself, as his frustration grew further. "I don''t think letting them close in is the right choice. I''ll cast ''Rain of Scorching Flame'' without incantation. That will cause chaos in the horde, and it will be the perfect time for us to close in."


    "We are not casting an advanced spell when they have hostages!" Ais shouted. "Your spell would kill them too!"


    "Half of those people might already be mentally broken beyond repair. I''m not letting any of the adventurers die an untimely death for them," Alan shouted with a irritated look.


    "I didn''t teach you to be a coward!" Blake yelled at Alan, but he was cut off midway.


    "I don''t care what you taught me!" Alan yelled, his eyebrows furrowing in frustration as he continued. "Alisa would have done the same, she values comrades more than anyone else. It would have been a different thing if we were here on a suicide mission, but we are not here to die, are we?" He added.


    "Alan, don''t forget I am the one leading the command!" Ais shouted.


    Alan lifted his head from the ground, his gaze locking onto Ais. "And don''t forget¡ªI''m not affiliated with the White Tiger Guild. I can do whatever I want," he reminded her. "I''ll be attacking the center of the formation with a weaker ''Rain of Scorching Flame'' spell, and we''ll save everyone who survives it."


    <hr>


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    "I''ll stop you myself if I have to¡­," Ais stated, her blue eyes narrowing with fury as she fixed her gaze in Alans'' direction. Her right hand moved to unsheathe her sword, but before she could draw it fully, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning sharply, she found Bella standing beside her.


    "It seems most of the hostages are at the front," Bella said, her voice steady. "I''m not saying his spell won''t cost innocent lives¡­" She shook her head. "No, that''s not what I mean. But it will likely give us the best chance to save as many as possible," she added with a serious expression.


    Ais placed her sword back in its scabbard. She bit her lip, taking a moment to think. "Make sure not to use the complete chant!" she warned, letting out a sigh after.


    "I''ll make sure not to complete the chant and will also leave the first front¡­" Alan paused, "Ahhh¡­, Could you perhaps ask Miss Bella how much area I should leave untouched?" He asked with a confused tone.


    Ais turned her gaze toward Bella, her blue eyes locking onto her. "How much area should he leave unaffected by the spell?" she questioned.


    "Where should he cast his spell?" Bella repeated, stopping midway as if deep in thought. "The goblins are walking toward us with a circular front, so¡­ attacking 15 meters away from the goblins in the front should work fine. It will save most of the hostages and also cause enough panic for us to rescue the rest," Bella said.


    "15 meters away from the goblins in front," Ais stated.


    <hr>


    Understood, Alan replied as he raised his sword and sliced the air to his right, cutting off the mana thread that connected him with Ais and Blake, breaking the communication. He then looked at Adrian and Rose, who were now staring at him as if demanding answers about what he had conversed with Ais and Blake.


    Alan turned his head away from them as he began to speak, "The horde contains human hostages¡­ And I would be casting a spell that would kill a few of those hostages," Alan said, his voice carrying no hint of hesitation.


    "Don''t we have any other choice?" Adrian questioned, his expression making it clear he wasn''t completely on board with Alan''s idea.


    "We could let them close in and rescue a few more hostages, but that would risk us being overwhelmed by the goblins. It would also create problems for the mages, who are meant to stay at the rear," Alan stated.


    "Can''t we position the mages farther back? Maybe in the village?" Rose suggested.


    "We don''t have enough time for that," Alan said as the approaching horde of goblins finally came into view.


    Hundreds of green-skinned monsters spread out in a formation resembling a circle from the front. Leading them were numerous goblin commanders who were easily three to five times taller than any human, they wielded massive axes and swords. Just behind them, three goblin kings marched in step. Though similar in size to the commanders, they possessed large external magic cores embedded in their chests¡ªsources of immense power that allowed them to enhance their physical capabilities with magic.


    There are way more commanders and kings than what I imagined, Alan thought to himself. Where are the humans, though? he questioned as he was unable to see any.


    "Look there!" Adrian spoke in horror as he pointed at a boy who was being dragged around by a goblin commander by his hair.


    Alan followed Adrian''s gaze, his eyes landing on the bloodied body of the boy. His jaw tightened as he bit his lip, frustration boiling into anger at the sight.


    "Rose! As soon as my spell lands, move in and rescue as many hostages as possible. That will be our top priority," Alan commanded, his voice sharp with anger, his gaze locked onto the goblin army. He watched as the goblins hoisted the surviving, tortured humans like trophies, their cruel smiles twisting in the firelight.


    Their tattered clothes, bruised flesh, and bloodied bodies were now painfully clear to Alan and the others.


    "Sorry," Alan murmured, shifting his sword to his left hand. Closing his eyes, he focused on drawing forth every ounce of mana his body could muster.


    Normally invisible unless shaped into a spell, mana could take on color when condensed in high concentrations. Its hue varied based on affinity and density, and in Alan''s case, it manifested as a deep crimson aura of raw destruction.


    Raising his right hand to his shoulder level, Alan prepared to unleash a spell powerful enough to decimate any army that stood in its way.

 Chapter 13 Rain of Scorching Flame

    Raising his right hand to his shoulder level, Alan prepared to unleash a spell powerful enough to decimate any army that stood in its way.


    "The flames from hell descend upon those who stand in my way¡­¡± Fire Affinity ¡°Rain of Scorching Flame," Alan said, cutting off the incantation for the advanced spell midway.


    <hr>


    As Alan¡¯s incantation completed, a huge circular magic crest materialized in the air.The crest, composed of purely destructive mana, radiated a brilliant orange hue, its surface adorned with arcane symbols of bright yellow. It expanded vast enough to engulf over a thousand goblins in its inescapable grasp and it''s brilliant light illuminated the dark battleground as if it was morning again.


    Panic ran down the ranks of the goblins. They froze, looking up with their dark green bead-like eyes. Some trembled with fear, while others began to try and run away. But before they could do anything else, the spell changed¡ªevolving further into something more sinister. The empty space within the crest began to distort, the air cracking with heat as a dense blood-red membrane started to fill the inner area. The spell was now complete. It wasn''t at full power due to the incomplete chant, but it was enough to cause panic in the goblin army.


    The blood-red pulsating membrane gave birth to massive fireballs, each as large as a hobgoblin. They rained down upon the army, leaving massive destruction wherever they hit.


    <hr>


    "It''s my first time seeing Alan cast such a high-level spell," Bella said as she looked up at the raining fire with widened eyes. "It surely must''ve taken a lot out of him."


    "He''s probably at his 40% mana capacity now," Ais replied. Not like it would limit him, though, she said to herself as she glanced in Alan¡¯s direction with a smile. "Prepare to engage!" she shouted the next moment, causing all the adventurers surrounding her to draw their weapons. She looked back, noticing the expressions of hesitation and fear on her team''s faces. Not like I could blame them for being terrified. They lack battle experience, especially against such an unfair number disadvantage, she thought to herself.


    <hr>


    Adrian''s gaze was fixed on Alan¡¯s spell, he watched as the fireballs rained over the goblins. His eyes burned with admiration as he turned towards Alan. "That''s incredible!" he exclaimed.


    I mean, considering it took more than half of my mana, it was meant to be incredible, Alan thought to himself as he looked in Adrian¡¯s direction. "Adrian," he called out, catching the young mage off guard.


    "Yes?" Adrian replied quickly.


    "Make sure to provide assistance to Rose," Alan said. He turned his gaze towards Rose as he shifted his sword back into his right hand. "We should get moving," he added.


    "Sure," Rose replied with a nod.


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    With that, Alan and Rose dashed towards the goblin army at a quick pace. The spell worked wonders in causing panic and destruction. Most of the goblins caught in the spell met their deaths, while those who survived by running to the front or the back bumped into each other, causing distraction. A brief distraction in the formation was enough time for the adventurers to strike. The last wave of fireballs falling from the sky was finally over. Alan glanced to his right, noticing Ais and Blake''s team closing in on the goblins as well.


    We can''t afford to waste any time, he thought to himself. He glanced to his left, noticing Rose, who was matching his speed with little to no effort. "Can you go any faster?" he asked her.


    "I can. I¡¯m still not at my top speed," Rose replied with a nod.


    She''s faster than me, then, Alan noted to himself.


    "Take the girl on the left," he instructed Rose, pointing at a girl who was being dragged by a hobgoblin, before turning to the right, his eyes locking onto a disoriented goblin commander who held a boy by his hair.


    The goblin, noticing Alan''s approach, snarled and raised his massive sword, aiming to behead the boy.


    Formless caster Fire affinity "Fireball," Alan said. A small sphere of flame ignited at the tip of his sword, expanding rapidly in the next instant. The fire spread evenly across the blade, enveloping it in a searing glow. Without hesitation, Alan withdrew his sword and slashed toward the goblin commander. Due to the ability of the Formless Caster that his sword was enchanted with, Alan was able to morph the fireball into a slash of fire that approached the goblin commander at incredible speed.


    The goblin commander instinctively threw the boy to the side. Freeing his left hand, he caught his sword with both hands, stopping the fiery arc that came his way.


    Alan took this moment to dash toward the boy. Two hobgoblins came in front of the boy as they saw his approach, as if knowing the boy was a toy for their leader, but before they could react, the first goblin on the right was beheaded by Alan¡¯s sword¡¯s first strike, while the second one was simply kicked by Alan¡¯s right foot. The sound of bone breaking was heard, blood sprawling from the goblin¡¯s face.


    Alan caught the boy¡¯s hand, finally noticing the numerous wounds inflicted on his body¡ªthe numerous minor stab wounds on his face, his hands, his legs, and everywhere else. His clothes were tattered, probably by the goblins, and his eyes began to tear up.


    "A¡­" He tried to speak, but the only thing that left his mouth was warm air.


    Alan turned his attention to his left, noticing the goblin commander preparing to strike him with his sword. Alan brought up his own sword in an attempt to block the attack. The clash between Alan''s sword and the goblin commander¡¯s sent sparks flying, the goblin commander¡¯s face showing visible frustration as he was unable to overpower a mere human.


    Alan glanced at the boy, whose eyes were fixed downward. I need to get him to safety first, Alan thought. "Fire Bolt," he mumbled, pointing his free left hand toward the goblin commander¡¯s torso.


    A tiny spark flickered at his palm, and in the next moment, a condensed mass of flame formed in his hand. The blazing projectile, though smaller than the fireballs Alan had rained from the sky previously the spell contained just as much fire within it. It flew towards the goblin commander, piercing his torso completely and passing through, blasting several hobgoblins who stood behind him. The goblin commander was brought to his knees by the attack, and without wasting any time, Alan struck the monster¡¯s head off its body without a moment of hesitation.


    The hobgoblins present in the surroundings began to close in as they saw their leader¡¯s death.


    Alan turned to the boy, clenching his hand in his and pulling him up to his feet. To his surprise, the boy fell forward. Alan crouched down, taking hold of him to stop the fall. I need to stop them, Alan thought as he mumbled, "Wall of Fire."


    Large flames erupted from the ground, forming a barrier between Alan and the goblins.


    "You are safe now," Alan said as he stood next to the boy and looked him in the eyes. "Will you be able to walk?" Alan questioned.


    "Could you please kill me¡­?"

 Chapter 14 Closing in on the enemies

    "Could you please kill me¡­?"


    Alan¡¯s eyes widened, his breath caught in his throat as he heard the words that came out of the boy¡¯s mouth. "What did you say?" Alan questioned, hoping he had misheard.


    "Kill me¡­" the boy repeated. He crawled towards Alan, clenching his legs. "Please," he added, as tears began to pour from his eyes uncontrollably. "There¡¯s no point anymore in continuing to live. Everyone¡¯s dead."


    Alan looked at the boy, his emotions stirring. He remembered how he had carelessly said before that he would rather save his comrades than the broken humans left behind. Now, his words were coming back to haunt him. Did I even have any empathy for the ones who died today? he wondered. "I can''t imagine the pain you felt today," Alan said as he crouched down. "But trust me, the people who died in your village would want you to live on. They would want you to see all the good things in the world, to make friends, and most of all, they would want to see you bounce back." Alan added as he picked the boy up in his arms, the tears in the boy''s eyes stopped.


    In a low voice, he questioned, "They would?"


    Alan nodded. "Yes, I am sure of it. And I would love to see you bounce back myself," Alan added with a small reassuring smile.


    Alan turned his gaze back, watching as the wall of fire behind them dissipated. He then noticed a huge bubble of light magic flickering in front of him¡ªpresumably a healing spell.


    I''m not fit for these kinds of talks, Alan mentally admitted as he tightened his grip on the boy. With the fire now completely gone, Alan turned his focus to the glowing sphere of healing magic. "You''ll be fine," he said before mumbling, "Quick Step." Flames covered the base of his feet, launching him forward at incredible speed like a projectile. As Alan moved toward Adrian, he felt the boy clench him tighter. Realizing he might be scaring him, Alan slowed his pace slightly. The speed, though still fast, was slow enough that the boy might not be as scared as before.


    Alan was finally close enough to see Adrian and noticed him standing next to the healing spell. However, he noticed something strange. Wait! Has Adrian casted this spell? Alan wondered as he observed how the healing spell was purely made of light magic.


    Alan stopped next to Adrian and quickly glanced at the center front, noticing two areal healing spheres. However, instead of simple bright light, they were glowing with a bright blue hue due to the dual affinity Bella used.


    "Sir Alan, place him in the healing sphere," Adrian instructed as soon as Alan reached him.


    So he can use healing magic? That''s awesome! Having a healer is always beneficial in any battle, Alan thought to himself as he carefully placed the boy inside the light magic sphere. He noticed two other hostages already inside. Standing up, he turned to Adrian.


    "Light affinity, Orb of Destruction," Adrian said as a massive ball of concentrated light magic hovered in front of his staff, crackling with immense power and an almost blinding glow.


    Alan reflexively brought his hand in front of his eyes, the afterimage of the spell burning into his vision. He watched as Adrian raised his staff, angling it toward the ground before launching the spell forward at blinding speed. It tore through the goblin ranks before detonating. A massive explosion of pure light followed, sending goblin bodies flying everywhere.


    "That was a nice spell," Alan mumbled. Then, realization struck. Wait a second¡­ don¡¯t I have to lead the left front?


    "Than¡ª" Adrian started, but before he could finish, Alan vanished from his side, leaving behind a trail of fire as he rushed back into battle.


    Alan''s eyes locked onto Rose Weeble, who was fighting two goblin commanders at once. Despite the disadvantage in numbers, she looked evenly matched with them.


    Is she smiling? Alan wondered, catching a glimpse of Rose¡¯s expression. "Quick Step," he mumbled, using fire to propel himself as he leaped toward one of the goblin commanders.


    The goblin commander, already preoccupied with Rose, didn¡¯t even notice Alan¡¯s presence before its head was severed in a single strike. That takes care of the number advantage, Alan thought as he turned to Rose, expecting at least a "thank you" or a sarcastic remark about being late.


    "Thief!" Rose yelled, glaring at Alan.


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    The remaining goblin commander, noticing Roses¡¯ attention shifting, took the opportunity to swing its sword at her with full force.


    "Look out!" Alan shouted, rushing toward her to block the attack.


    To his surprise, Rose cut off the commander¡¯s hand without even looking in its direction. The goblin commander let out a scream of agony and tried to punch her with its other hand, but Rose effortlessly dodged by jumping back.


    "Envelop," she mumbled, and in response, chaotic flames engulfed her sword.


    The goblin commander picked its massive weapon from it¡¯s other hand, glaring at Rose before charging.


    Rose, however, continued walking toward it at a leisurely pace.


    "Quick Step," she whispered just as the goblin commander was about to strike. In a fiery burst, she vanished and reappeared behind it.


    The next thing Alan saw was Rose¡¯s sword effortlessly slicing the goblin commander¡¯s body in two. She''s really good¡­ She might even be faster than me, Alan thought.


    "Could you buy me some time?" he asked, pointing at a smaller horde of approaching hobgoblins.


    "First, you steal my kill, and now you''re ordering me?" Rose snapped in frustration.


    Alan ignored her outburst and walked toward the goblin commander he had slain. I bet there¡¯s some high-quality mana in its core, he thought as he pierced the corpse with his sword, using its lifesteal ability to drain the mana.


    Huh, that was underwhelming. Just a fireball? Alan noted, feeling a bit disappointed. He then turned toward Rose. "Rose, move aside," he shouted.


    Rose glanced at him, clearly irritated, but still moved behind him. "Are you using your sword¡¯s other ability?" she asked.


    Alan didn¡¯t answer.


    Formless caster "Fireball," he mumbled. A spark flickered in the air, followed by a crackling sound as if space itself was being torn apart. A massive fireball¡ªlarger than the goblin commander¡¯s body¡ªtook shape. Guess I misjudged the amount of mana the commander had, Alan thought, staring in awe at the size of the spell.


    The hobgoblins, upon seeing the enormous fireball, began to flee in terror.


    "Formless Caster is my second ability," Alan said in a low voice. "I can manipulate the spells I cast." With that, he withdrew his blade and slashed it toward the hobgoblins direction.


    Instead of launching the fireball directly, the flames spread into a thin, fiery arc, cutting through the horde with incredible speed. The arc sliced through nearly a hundred goblins before finally dissipating.


    "Had I used a simple fireball, it wouldn¡¯t have been as effective against spread-out enemies," Alan remarked to Rose.


    His attention then shifted to the center front, where the mages were stationed. He noticed their offensive spells had stopped.


    They¡¯re out of mana, huh? he wondered. Glancing behind him, he saw Adrian still casting basic and intermediate spells, though his frequency had dropped compared to when the battle began.


    Alan looked toward the range his spell had covered. The battlefield was covered with hot molten rocks, and all the goblins who were caught up in it were nowhere to be seen. His attack had vaporized them. Though this was by no means the end of the fight, Do we close in? Or should we stay here? he questioned himself.


    "Are you still alive?" Rose called out to Alan in a loud voice, catching his attention.


    Alan glanced at Rose, seeing how she pointed at the horde of goblins with her sword. A red blade, he mentally noted as he looked at her weapon.


    "Let''s close in," Rose added with sparkling eyes and a huge grin.


    Don''t tell me she is that kind of adventurer, Alan said to himself. "Can you walk through the molten rocks, though?"


    "I am not a little kid," Rose replied, narrowing her eyes with annoyance. "I could, of course, do that," she added, looking at the destroyed landscape. "I just have to use Quick Step and jump while using reinforcement magic."


    Alan looked at the landscape. Yeah¡­ no, that¡¯s definitely something you don¡¯t do, he said to himself as he chuckled at Rose¡¯s plan. He turned to look at Rose again. "Yeah, that''s not¡­" he said but stopped midway as he noticed Rose was nowhere to be seen.


    Wait, where¡¯s she? he thought to himself. He darted his eyes throughout the destroyed landscape and noticed Rose was nowhere in sight.


    That¡¯s when a gust of wind passed by him.


    "Are you coming or not?" someone shouted.


    Alan turned his head to the left, noticing Rose, who had already activated Quick Step and was in midair.


    "Yeah..., she''s definitely an idiot," Alan mumbled to himself as he looked at Rose, who was now leaping over the rocks that weren''t molten, from one to another, in quick succession.


    Better be safe than sorry, Alan thought to himself as he closed his eyes and began to channel mana around his body. This time, the mana didn¡¯t show any color since it didn¡¯t need to be as concentrated as before.


    "That should protect me from the heat and form a layer between the molten rocks and my feet," Alan mumbled with a satisfied nod. Fire affinity ¡°Quick Step," Alan said. His feet became enveloped with a thick layer of chaotic flames that propelled him forward into the destroyed landscape. Alan took his footing on the rocks Rose had just jumped from, moving forward at a quick pace in her pursuit.

 Chapter 15 Preparing to Fight The Goblin King

    Alan swiftly traversed the destroyed landscape with the aid of the Quick Step spell, though Rose remained in the lead. As he noticed her come to a halt just beyond the ruined terrain¡ªstanding before the goblins, her sword ablaze, he slowed his pace, releasing the mana enveloping him. Stopping beside her, he shouted, "That was reckless!¡±


    Rose turned to look at Alan with a smug look. "It was. Maybe kids should stay out of the battlefield then."


    She is still messing with me over that comment, really? Alan said to himself as he looked at her with a frustrated expression. Before he could say anything, two hobgoblins charged at him with a high-pitched scream.


    Alan moved his sword in a swift motion, cutting off both goblins who jumped at him into two with a single, swift horizontal strike that was targeted at their core.


    "Does slicing through their core while killing them let you steal more mana?" Rose asked, pointing at the exposed goblin core with the index finger of her left hand.


    "I wouldn''t call it stealing," Alan replied with furrowed eyebrows. "It''s more like absorbing their mana, and putting it to good use."


    "And that is what I call stealing," Rose replied in a sarcastic tone with narrowed, uninterested eyes .


    "It actually¡ª" Alan began to speak, but before he could complete his sentence, he was cut off by Rose.


    "Quick Step," she said, as she dashed toward a group of goblins, slashing them one by one with her flaming sword.


    She didn''t even wait for my answer, idiot kid! Alan said to himself as he himself entered the fight with a quick dash toward the goblins. He sliced through the forces of goblins as if they were butter, making sure to cut each and every hobgoblin¡¯s core.


    Ferrust''s ability, Lifesteal, worked at its best when exposed to a high density of mana. In the case of humans, it was their heart, while in the case of monsters, it was their mana core. That''s why Alan tended to slice small monsters at their core. This method helped him absorb roughly half of the monster¡¯s mana.


    "I should have enough mana for Inferno now," Alan mumbled to himself, his eyes locking onto a Goblin King that stood slightly behind the horde, surrounded by several hobgoblins forming a protective circle.


    <hr>


    Alan was reminded of a lesson he had learned from Alisa when he was new to adventuring.


    "The best way to kill a Goblin King is to kill its minions first," Alisa had told Alan with a calm, confident expression.


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    "Isn''t a Goblin King supposed to be an A-rank monster on its own?" Alan had questioned her with a doubtful look.


    Alisa had nodded at Alan¡¯s reply. "That''s true, but if you don''t kill the goblins and hobgoblins that surround it, it would be way tougher than an A-rank monster," she had replied. "A Goblin King has dominion over any goblin that is within twenty steps from it."


    "I understand. Separate and kill it, since it can control any goblin within a certain range, "Alan had replied. "But¡­"


    "But what, kiddo?" Alisa had questioned with a curious look on her face.


    "Why are you telling this to me? I''m not even a B-rank adventurer."


    "Ahh, about that¡­ I have some work to do. Go practice with Ais or Blake," Alisa had replied, waving her hand and escaping the room.


    <hr>


    "Yeah, she definitely messed up that day," Alan mumbled as a smile spread across his face. "Separate and kill¡­ Do I have the luxury of fighting the Goblin King alone though?" Alan questioned as a group of hobgoblins rushed toward him.


    "Fireball," Alan mumbled, raising his left hand, launching a huge fireball in the goblins'' direction.


    The fireball was sufficient to kill most of the hobgoblins in the group, but a few survived its impact. Standing up with their bloodied bodies, they rushed toward Alan in one final attempt to kill him.


    They don''t know when to quit, Alan said to himself. "Fire Bolt," he mumbled, casting three Fire Bolt spells in quick succession. Each spell targeted the goblins¡¯ chests, killing them in an instant, providing an immediate death.


    I have to do something about their numbers first, Alan thought to himself. He glanced toward Rose, who was already carving a path for herself. He looked at the hundreds of goblin corpses that lay around her. "She sure is capable," Alan mumbled with admiration. Though I think I should do my part and decrease their numbers before engaging with that damn Goblin King, Alan thought, shifting his sword to his left hand.


    "Fire Affinity Projection Magic, Blazing Spears," he said, raising his right arm, his palm straightened and condensed red colored aura emitted from it. The sky brightened as, one by one, numerous spears began to emerge from thin air, each bearing a red, blazing, lava-like texture.


    The goblins in front, sensing the impending danger, rushed toward Alan in desperation. Yet he remained unmoved, confident in his spell, a smirk spreading across his lips.


    "This should suffice," Alan mumbled, halting the projection spell as he gazed at the sky, admiring the hundreds of spears he had forged from his mana.


    The hobgoblins'' high-pitched battle cry rang sharply in Alan¡¯s ears, yet he paid it no heed¡ªafter all, the goblins who had charged at him and those who had dared stand in his way were already dead.


    "Fall," Alan commanded in a deep, cold voice, his face now void of expression.


    The spears hovered briefly before plunging downward in an instant, piercing numerous goblins. Some were struck through the core, others through the torso, and some in the abdomen. Regardless of where they landed, the flaming projectiles burned through from within, sealing their fate. A few goblins who didn¡¯t die immediately attempted to remove the spears, only for their hands to melt and fuse to the scorching projectile.


    "And that should buy me some time to face the Goblin King," Alan said coldly, his gaze fixed on the goblin corpses, which now resembled scarecrows.

 Chapter 16 Flicker of Resentment

    "Why are you so weak?!" Rose shouted as she slashed another hobgoblin with her flaming sword, her eyes locking onto another group of hobgoblins that looked hesitant to attack her. I want to fight a Goblin King¡­ or at least a Goblin Commander, she mentally exclaimed.


    "Quick Step!" she yelled, closing in on the goblins that were scared to attack her. However, she halted midway as a bright red light in the sky caught her eye.


    Looking up, the scene before her was something she had seen once before. "Projection magic?" she mumbled, her gaze shifting to Alan, who stood with a confident look. "He can cast projection magic too?" she muttered, biting her lip in slight frustration as she spoke.


    She watched as spears began to rain down on the hobgoblins. A sharp whooshing sound filled the air, followed by the screams of dying goblins. The goblins had no way to escape the projectiles; a few tried to deflect them with their swords or axes, but the projectiles broke through. Rose looked around the battlefield as the rain of flaming spears stopped, seeing how the goblins had been reduced to lifeless scarecrows by Alan.


    He''s strong, she thought to herself. An irritated expression flickered across her face as her eyes narrowed like a hunter¡¯s, her grip on the sword tightening. "I can''t let him outshine me," she told herself.


    The flames surrounding her sword intensified, growing stronger and stronger. In an instant, her weapon was enveloped in twice as much fire as before. "Destroy Blazirek!" she yelled, slashing her sword through the air. A fiery wave surged forward, engulfing more than fifty goblins in a single strike.


    "Not enough¡­ it still isn¡¯t enough," Rose muttered, frustration lacing her voice. She bit her lip, clenching her fists as a sharp pang of self doubt settled in her chest. I¡¯m still nowhere near that man! she admitted bitterly. If only Adrian had never bo¡ª Rose began to think, but her mind froze the moment she realized what she was about to say. Her left fist loosened, and without hesitation, she struck herself hard across the face.


    "Just what am I thinking? I''m really an idiot!¡± Rose muttered. She glanced back at the goblin army, her eyes darting around the battlefield as she ignored all the goblins and hobgoblins. Finally, she spotted a goblin commander.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    "I should be focusing on the battle, not anything else!" she exclaimed in her mind, pulling her sword back. "Quick Step," she mumbled, dashing towards the goblin commander. Any hobgoblin or goblin standing in her way fell to her swift, precise strikes. As she neared the goblin commander, he let out a loud growl.


    "Envelop," she mumbled, slashing the air and sending a fiery arc toward the commander. The hobgoblins who were present in front of him were sliced in half, their bodies collapsing onto the blood-soaked ground. The goblin commander brought his axe up in an attempt to block the attack with sheer strength.


    "Quick Step," Rose mumbled, vanishing from the commander¡¯s sight and reappearing beside him. Without looking back, she swung her sword backward, severing the goblin commander¡¯s head from his body. His head hit the ground first, and the flaming projectile burned his body next before dissipating into thin air.


    Rose surveyed the remaining army, her gaze sharp. "Clearing the left front on my own should make for good practice," she muttered. As the words left her lips, a massive orb of light magic descended upon the goblin horde, reducing several to ashes in an instant.


    Rose glanced back, looking in Adrian¡¯s direction. "Guess I¡¯m not alone," she mumbled with a smile.


    A goblin and two hobgoblins rushed forward, trying to take advantage of her momentary distraction.


    "Can''t you see I''m busy?!" Rose shouted, cutting down all three goblins in a single swift motion. It would''ve been fun to take them all down myself¡­ she thought with slight frustration as another burst of light magic wiped out a few more goblins. Did he really have to interfere? she questioned mentally.


    <hr>


    "Fire Affinity, Quick Step," Alan murmured as a spark of fire ignited beneath his feet, propelling him toward the Goblin King. His gaze flicked to his right hand, his grip tightening around the hilt of his sword as he swiftly closed the distance. Stopping several meters away, he planted his feet firmly on the ground. This should be the perfect distance, he thought.


    Alan raised his left hand, his fingers were spread apart and his form was steady, he took in a long breath, and as he left it, his left hand got enveloped in a crimson aura of mana. Fire Affinity ¡°Inferno," Alan spoke in a neutral tone.


    And as the words left Alans¡¯ mouth a red magic crest with golden arcane symbols appeared just beneath the feet of the hobgoblins surrounding the Goblin King. The hobgoblins and the Goblin King looked down at the crest. Sensing the danger, the Goblin King stepped two steps back. The goblins who stood at the spell¡¯s epicenter were the fastest to react; they pushed other goblins to move outside the crest¡¯s range, and a few ran in Alan''s direction.

 Chapter 17 The Goblin King is actually quite strong!

    And that takes care of their numbers. Now the only thing left to do is to take care of the horde surrounding the Goblin King, Alan said as he looked at the aftermath of his projection spell, his gaze sweeping over the hundreds of goblins he had killed.


    "Fire Affinity, Quick Step," Alan murmured as a spark of fire ignited beneath his feet, propelling him toward the Goblin King. His gaze flicked to his right hand, his grip tightening around the hilt of his sword as he swiftly closed the distance. Stopping several meters away, he planted his feet firmly on the ground. This should be the perfect distance, he thought.


    Alan raised his left hand, his fingers were spread apart and his form was steady, he took in a long breath, and as he left it, his left hand got enveloped in a crimson aura of mana. Fire Affinity ¡°Inferno," Alan spoke in a neutral tone.


    And as the words left Alans¡¯ mouth a red magic crest with golden arcane symbols appeared just beneath the feet of the hobgoblins surrounding the Goblin King. The hobgoblins and the Goblin King looked down at the crest. Sensing the danger, the Goblin King stepped two steps back. The goblins who stood at the spell¡¯s epicenter were the fastest to react; they pushed other goblins to move outside the crest¡¯s range, and a few ran in Alan''s direction.


    "Formless Caster," Alan mumbled, as he raised his sword and pointed it towards the horde. A circle. I need a horizontal inferno that kills all of them, Alan thought to himself, imagining a wide ring-shaped crest. And with that, the crest began to change, shifting into a ring shape.


    "That''s perfect," Alan said with a satisfied expression. And with his words, blazing fire roared outside from the crest. The fire quickly took the shape of a rotating fire tornado that burned each and every goblin that was caught in it.


    The goblins who had charged towards Alan looked back towards the fire that killed their comrades. Screams filled the battlefield. Alan began to walk towards the Inferno spell. The goblins who had moved out of the spell turned to look back at Alan. Their eyes burned with fury, and their teeth grinding against each other as a growl left their mouths.


    "Still wanna fight?" Alan mumbled. Instead of using any spell, Alan simply rushed towards the goblin. Instantly coming in between two of the goblins, before any of them could react, Alan cut the one who stood to his right through its core. The second one turned towards Alan and pulled back his sword to attack. But before he could do it, Alan delivered a roundhouse kick to his back, shattering the goblin¡¯s spine completely. Alan looked towards the last goblin, pointing his left hand towards the other goblin''s face, "Firebolt," Alan mumbled, bursting his head with one swift blow of condensed fire.


    After killing the last hobgoblin, Alan''s eyes turned towards the flaming Inferno. The King is alone now, Alan thought as he drew mana from within, enveloping himself in a condensed layer of magical energy to shield himself from the flames of his own Inferno spell.


    Fire Affinity ¡°Quick Step," he murmured, instantly closing the distance towards the Inferno spell and entering the circular arena his spell had created. As Alan passed through the flames, his vision finally returned, revealing the towering figure of the Goblin King before him. The creature loomed over him, its massive body nearly five times his size. Jagged yellow teeth lined its mouth, with oversized canines protruding even when its lips were shut.


    Alan''s gaze shifted to the Goblin King''s armor. It was a patchwork of various metals, seemingly scavenged from the fallen warriors who had dared to stand against him.


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    The Goblin King glared at Alan with his beady green eyes, his teeth grinding together in fury. Finally, he spoke, his voice a deep growll. "It''s you¡­ the sorcerer who slaughtered my soldiers!¡±


    Alan kept his gaze on the Goblin King, his eyes shifting to the creature''s weapon, a longsword that bore the marks of countless battles.


    The Goblin King raised his sword, his mouth opening wide as he let out a deafening roar. "Say something, weakling!" he shouted, and in next moment he vanished from Alan''s vision.


    Alan''s attention snapped to his right as a deafening whoosh tore through the air. He quickly brought his sword in front of the attack. The Goblin King''s strike crashed against his blade, sending a shockwave through his body. Alan''s grip tightened on his sword''s handle as a drop of sweat ran down his face. He''s as strong as an Orc Commander¡­ no, he''s stronger, Alan corrected himself.


    "Weak human," the Goblin King snarled as a huge grin spread over his face. "You are just an insect that¡¯s to be crushed!" he yelled, increasing the force on his sword.


    If I move even one bit, his sword would slice me. Though, I think I could handle his strength, Alan thought to himself, as he used all of his strength to hold back the blade. Alan turned his gaze upward to look at the Goblin King''s face, noticing the grin he had. Don¡¯t tell me he is playing with me, Alan mentally added. And as Alan said those words in his mind, the Goblin King increased the force on his sword. The floor beneath Alan¡¯s feet began to shatter due to the sheer pressure.


    "What happened? Can¡¯t fight back?" the Goblin King mocked Alan.


    "Formless Caster¡­, Fire Bolt!" Alan yelled. Instead of releasing a spell from his sword, he used the firebolt-enveloped blade to surprise the King. And it worked, the Goblin King got distracted and decreased the force he was exerting on Alan, giving him a chance to escape.


    "Quick Step!" Alan yelled, swiftly moving ten steps away from the Goblin King''s sword. As he moved away, the Goblin King''s sword came down with an earth-shattering BOOM, The impact formed a huge crater on the ground, sending huge chunks of rock flying through the air. One of the sharp rocks flew toward Alan''s body, leaving a long scratch on his right thigh.


    He surely can use one hell of a reinforcement magic, Alan said to himself as he took a long breath from his mouth and released it slowly, trying to catch his nerve. I don¡¯t have a lot of mana left¡­ Should I use my mana on him? he questioned himself while looking at the massive Goblin King, who fiercely stared back at him with beady eyes and a wide grin, enjoying the fight.


    "Scared? You¡¯re scared of me!" The Goblin King laughed at Alan.


    Yeah, I am killing it, Alan mentally added as he glared back at the Goblin King with a determined look. "Fire Affinity, Quick Step," Alan muttered, quickly closing the gap between him and the Goblin King before attempting to cut him diagonally across his torso.


    The Goblin King brought forward his sword, blocking the strike. Sparks flew as both blades clashed. Though Alan put all his strength behind his sword, his teeth clenched, jaw tightened, and every muscle in his body refused to move. "Dark Affinity, Authority of the King!" Alan yelled. The entire area inside the inferno spell became covered with a black magic crest, glowing with violet arcane symbols. In the next moment, the gravity within the area increased drastically, causing the land to collapse in on itself, breaking the Goblin King''s balance.


    Alan tilted his sword. The Goblin King¡¯s sword struck the ground with a bang, but this time, the Goblin King fell to the ground as well.


    Alan raised his left hand, pointing it at the Goblin King. "Fire¡ª" he began to mumble, but before he could finish, the Goblin King let out a loud scream. The scream was so powerful that it disoriented Alan. Seizing the opportunity, the Goblin King punched him, sending him flying as if he were an insect.


    The Goblin King stood up again, his beady green eyes narrowing with anger, and the huge red magic crystal in his chest glowed brightly. "I¡¯ll kill you, insect," he growled, picking up his sword.


    Yeah, I successfully pissed him off, Alan thought as he looked at the Goblin King, now enveloped in a red aura. Just how much mana is he putting into his reinforcement spell? Alan wondered, his eyes narrowing as a serious expression spread across his face.

 Chapter 18 Killing The Goblin King

    The Goblin King''s physical reinforcement was now visible to Alan. He watched as the Goblin King''s veins popped up and his already well defined body became more toned.


    Alan attempted to step forward toward the Goblin King, but his body momentarily hesitated. Why did I even choose to fight this brute? Alan wondered as a drop of sweat trickled down his face.


    "What happened, human? You don¡¯t want to attack me? Wait, don¡¯t tell me¡­ you¡¯re scared?!" the Goblin King sneered, his deep voice echoing as a wide grin spread across his face, confidence brimming in his tone.


    Alan tried his best to maintain his composure. He wiped the drop of sweat from his face and smiled as he looked in the Goblin King''s direction, then questioned, "And what if I am?¡±


    "It would be more fun for me. Do you know, human, your species is quite resilient? Especially those knights who dared to cross my home," the Goblin King growled with his beast-like voice.


    "Resilient? I¡¯d say we¡¯re rather fragile compared to monsters like you," Alan replied. I should buy myself some time, he thought, his eyes darting around as he scanned the space while speaking.


    "They healed! Can you believe it, sorcerer?! When I cut their limbs, they healed them back as if they were never hurt in the first place," the Goblin King said, astonishment clear on his face. "The humans from the village aren''t fun, though¡­ they''re too easy to break," he added with a serious expression.


    "Though one thing is common in all humans, whether they are strong knights, children, or women, they all share the same trait. Would you like to know what it is?¡±


    Alan¡¯s brows furrowed as he tried to predict what the Goblin King was about to say. "Since I¡¯m about to be killed by you," Alan said, pausing briefly, "I¡¯d rather not die with curiosity," he added with a small smile.


    "Their screams are always a pleasure to hear," the Goblin King added.


    Alan''s eyes narrowed at the Goblin King''s words, his gaze burning with fury as his mind swarmed with ways to kill the brute.


    Alan immediately raised his left hand. "Fire Affinity, Projection Magic," he muttered, summoning several projectiles in the air, each aimed at the Goblin King.


    The Goblin King looked around himself. "You think these weak projectiles can damage me when I am in this state?" he snarled as he ran towards Alan at a quick pace, faster than the last time he had caught Alan off guard.


    Though Alan knew what to expect from him this time. "Rain," he said as he flicked his wrist. All the projectiles quickly struck the Goblin King. The Goblin King waved his sword, breaking several projectiles at once, but two managed to pierce his body slightly. The wound was nowhere deep.


    "Quick step," Alan mumbled, reflexively moving a few steps away from the Goblin King.


    "Don''t make me laugh! You think these puny projectiles could damage me?"


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    "Don''t get me wrong, I never believed my projectiles could cause serious damage," Alan said. He raised his left hand once more, aiming at the Goblin King. "Fireball," he muttered. And in the next moment a fireball larger than the Goblin King erupted from his hand, tearing through the land with destructive force as it surged toward the goblin king.


    "Fire affinity, Quick step!" he added, closing in on the Goblin King while using the fireball as a shield.


    "Arghh!" The Goblin King screamed as he cut the fireball in two with his sword. Though he had dispersed the spell, the immense heat of the fireball left burns on his hand. The Goblin King immediately shifted his focus back to Alan, effortlessly blocking his strike in the next moment.


    Alan gritted his teeth as sparks flew from the blades. Not yet! he mentally exclaimed. The Goblin King''s blade pushed against Alan with increasing force, yet he refused to yield.


    "You are certainly a strong one. Would you want to be my pet, human?" the Goblin King questioned, his grin widening as he enjoyed looking at the struggling expression on his enemy¡¯s face.


    "Dark affinity, Projection magic," Alan whispered. Fifty spears made of condensed dark magic materialized just behind the Goblin King, and with a whoosh sound, they pierced his back. They weren¡¯t deep enough to kill him but were painful enough to disorient him. The Goblin King screamed in agony, and his grip on his sword weakened due to the pain. But Alan pressed forward, breaking the Goblin King''s sword in two as he did.


    "Ahhhhh!" Alan growled as he finally struck the Goblin King with all his might, delivering a deep diagonal slash across his torso. The Goblin King collapsed onto his back, and the numerous projectiles that had barely pierced him earlier, held back by his reinforcement magic, now sank deep into his flesh under his own weight. Yet, life still lingered in him.


    The wound Alan had inflicted on the Goblin King was deep, his body drenched in blood as Alan gazed down at him. Yet, despite everything, the Goblin King clung to life, his once-proud expression now twisted into one of desperation. His lips parted, ready to beg for mercy.


    But before he could utter a single word, Alan raised his left arm. "Dark Affinity, Authority of the King," he muttered. In an instant, the countless projectiles beneath the Goblin King impaled his body, ending his life.


    That takes care of one more Goblin King, Alan thought as he walked toward the Goblin King''s corpse, piercing the red, large magic core left from the body, letting his sword absorb all the remaining mana. I am feeling dizzy. Do I even have any mana left in my body? Alan questioned himself while retracting his blade from the core.


    "How many goblins are left? I killed more than a thousand with my spell. I killed hundreds before entering the fight with this brute," Alan mumbled with a tired expression as he looked at the unrecognizable corpse of the Goblin King. "Haven¡¯t I done my share of work already?" Alan mumbled as he looked at the wall of fire separating him from the battlefield.


    The Inferno spell finally reached its limit. Its fire dimmed and wore off. The arena Alan had prepared for himself was now gone, and the first thing Alan saw outside was Rose Weeble, who was standing just outside his spell¡¯s area.


    Alan¡¯s eyes narrowed, looking sharply at Rose¡¯s expression. He took in the faint breath she drew and her barely opened eyes. She looks worse than me, Alan thought to himself. His eyes darted to the left front, widening as he took in the scene. Bodies and bodies of goblins lay on the floor.


    Rose took a long breath as she tightened her grip on her sword. The dimmed flames reignited. "I thought you needed some assistance," Rose said in a low voice.


    Alan looked in Rose¡¯s direction, noticing a group of hobgoblins rushing toward them. As he walked toward her, he said, "I don¡¯t think I need any assistance, but you sure look burned out. I would suggest that you go to Miss Bella," Alan suggested as he looked at Rose with a concerned look.

 Chapter 19 Thorns of The Abyss

    Rose caught Alan''s collar, her brows furrowed. "Go to Miss Bella? Why, I could still fight!" she yelled.


    Alan looked at her as he gently grasped her hand and removed it from his collar. "You''ll die if you fight in this condition. There might still be several Goblin Kings in the central front, and¡ª" He stopped mid-sentence, his eyes narrowing as he noticed the strayed goblins closing in on them.


    "And what?" Rose yelled again.


    "Give me a moment," Alan said, stepping forward toward the approaching hobgoblins. A normal Fireball should be enough, he thought. A crimson glow pulsed from the tip of his sword down to the hilt in the next instant.


    "Fireball," Alan muttered. A spark flickered at the tip of his sword, followed by a sharp crackle as the Fireball formed. In the next instant, it shot forward with immense speed.


    The goblins who were closing in on him tried to move away from the attack, but their attempt was to no avail. As the Fireball struck the ground, they were all killed in the next moment, their blood painting the ground red.


    Alan placed his sword back in its scabbard, opening and closing his right palm a few times, giving his hand a moment to recover. He turned his gaze back towards Rose and pointed towards the center front with his right hand¡¯s index finger. Multiple orbs of lightning spells detonated in the next moment, turning the battlefield into a spectacular view.


    "Some genius leader seems to have left her team behind," Alan remarked, his tone laced with sarcasm.


    "Miss Ais," Rose mumbled as she looked into the center front.


    Alan crossed his arms and nodded. "That''s her, alright," he remarked as he momentarily looked towards the center front. He turned his gaze back to Rose. "If you join her right now, you would just be holding her back," Alan added in a stern tone.


    "So what do I do now?" Rose questioned. Her razed breathing was now normal, and her blazing sword dimmed completely, indicating she had stopped using mana.


    Alan took a moment to think. He looked up at the sky, blurring his vision consciously. What would be the best course of action for her? he mentally spoke. "I think¡­," Alan spoke up again. "You should go back to Adrian and join the center front with him. Ask Miss Bella to lend you some mana and rejoin the fight with the center front¡¯s B-ranking adventurers and help them kill all the surviving goblins," Alan said with a neutral expression.


    Rose eyes narrowed yet again, not from tiredness this time but instead from disinterest. "Oh, that makes complete sense. I''ll be going then¡­," she said as she began to walk towards the destroyed landscape.


    "You haven''t heard the complete plan yet!" Alan shouted.


    Rose turned back to look at Alan, an expression of boredom now clearly visible on her face. "I didn¡¯t want to say this¡­ but I think your plan is really long and boring."


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    "Ungrateful brat," Alan mumbled as he watched Rose go. Turning his gaze back to the center front, Alan looked as Ais cleared chunks of the army on her own with each attack. He watched as each slice of her sword severed several goblins all at once and how each spell she casted midway disintegrated the others. Does she even need my help? Alan questioned himself as he began to walk toward the center front at a moderate pace.


    A chilling breeze swept across the battlefield as the scent of blood filled Alan¡¯s nostrils. That¡¯s when he finally noticed Ais¡¯s expression, her usual serious, cold demeanor, but with something else beneath it. She looks really tired. Alan mentally said.


    And who isn¡¯t tired during a fight? Alan scoffed at himself. Man, I am such an ungrateful piece of shit. This isn¡¯t one of my usual solo missions where I can take a break after doing just twenty percent of the work! he mentally exclaimed, reaching for his sword and unsheathing it in one swift motion.


    Alan closed his black eyes in an attempt to relieve himself from his eye strain. He stretched his neck by bending his head around. And I am as good as new now, Alan thought to himself with a smile as he tried to trick his brain. He looked towards Ais as he tightened his grip around his sword. Wouldn¡¯t want her to cast some nasty spell on me now, would I? He thought to himself as a smile slowly spread across his lips.


    Alan raised his sword, pointing the tip towards the goblin army. What would be the best way to announce my presence? he mused. His brows furrowed, and his eyes closed as he got lost in thought. "Something with a high return too," he mumbled.


    "High return???" Alan repeated as his eyes brightened up. His grip on the sword tightened, and a dark violet hue enveloped his blade. I don¡¯t think I need to use Formless Caster for this, Alan said to himself. ¡°Dark affinity, Thorns of the Abyss!¡± Alan chanted in a loud voice.


    As Alan uttered the spell¡¯s name, a massive dark violet magic crest spread across the battlefield, covering nearly a quarter of goblins within its ominous boundary. The crest resembled a violet disc, adorned with several golden arcane symbols arranged at irregular intervals.


    ¡°Considering the mana I spent on this spell, that Goblin King surely had a massive reserve in its core,¡± Alan muttered, his gaze fixed on the battlefield as he observed the spell¡¯s effects.


    <hr>


    The goblins who were within the spell''s range froze in shock at the sudden appearance of the magic crest. Ais, noticing the sinister aura of dark magic, turned to her left and spotted Alan standing alone.


    So, the Weeble siblings and Alan managed to clear the left front before I could finish the center? Ais thought to herself, scanning the battlefield.


    Her gaze settled on the spell¡¯s effects, only two goblin commanders remained mobile, while the rest of the hobgoblins stood entranced. Their bodies swayed as they reached toward the glowing golden symbols etched into the dark magic crest. The moment the first goblin¡¯s fingers brushed against one, a thin vine of dark energy erupted from the ground, impaling it in an instant.


    Ais¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Quick Step,¡± she murmured, vanishing from her position in a blur and reappearing outside the spell¡¯s range. Turning back, she observed the spell unfold, the moment a goblin touched a golden symbol, another vine emerged, piercing its body in a swift motion.


    The goblins impaled by the vines convulsed violently as their mana was drained, their flesh collapsing inward until only brittle skin and bones remained. With each victim, the spell grew stronger, birthing more tendrils that lashed out at nearby goblins. The goblin commander who resisted the spell¡¯s hypnotic pull slashed at the vines, desperate to sever them before their energy could be consumed. But for those caught in the spell¡¯s grasp, escape was impossible. Their fate was sealed, death was the only release.

 Chapter 20 The Dynamic Duo

    Alan looked at his spell''s effect. They are fighting against it quite effectively, he mumbled as he watched the Goblin Commander cut the vines one by one whenever any goblin or hobgoblin was pierced by them. Though several goblins and hobgoblins perished from his spell, most survived.


    Alan placed his left hand behind his head as he looked towards the goblins with a slightly disappointed expression. I should''ve accounted for the Goblin Commander resisting the spell, He mentally added and that''s when a sudden gust of wind rushed past his ear, a ray of light flashing by. He turned his head to the left as he felt someone''s hand on his shoulder. He looked and saw how Ais'' left hand was placed on his shoulder.


    "Took you long enough," she spoke, leaving a tired sigh just after.


    "The Goblin King was a tough nut to crack," Alan replied with a small tired exhale.


    Ais removed her hand from his shoulder, turning her attention back to the battlefield. "Buy me some time," she ordered.


    Alan''s eyes narrowed with a skeptical look. "Oh sure, as you say, Commander," he replied in a sarcastic tone. "Just so you know, I am nearing a burnout," he added with a firm tone.


    Ais smirked at Alan''s complaint. "So what exactly did you come here for? To become a burden?" she questioned as she placed her sword back into the scabbard.


    "Burden? You didn''t say that to me after I came to help you, now did you?" Alan yelled.


    Ais quietly nodded her head. "I sure did," she replied with a small smile.


    Alan''s eyes narrowed with frustration. Burden, really? he mused as he walked forward towards the goblins. "Shout at the top of your lungs when you are done," Alan instructed Ais without turning to look at her.


    Ais cupped her hands in front of her mouth. "I''ll remember that! If only you had said yes from the start, I might have already cast my spell, and you wouldn''t even have had to fight them alone," she yelled with a mischievous smile.


    Ais¡¯ smile vanished from her face as she began to analyze the battlefield. "Left front is cleared," she said to herself. Her eyes then darted to Bella, who had supposedly relocated the B-ranking adventurers towards the right front. Blake and the B-ranking adventurers from my team have joined the right front, she mentally added. "The battle is already heading towards completion," Ais spoke. Raising her right hand, she let out a long breath from her mouth. Steadying herself for what was to come, Ais channeled mana from within. A bright aura of brilliant light magic surrounded her.


    <hr>


    The first one to notice this development was none other than Bella. The bright aura was the first thing that caught her eye, and the moment she used her God Eye.


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    Her eyes widened with shock as she saw the amount of mana Ais was readying for the attack. "Is she trying to finish the battle by herself?" Bella exclaimed as a proud knowing smile spread on her lips.


    <hr>


    I don''t think I will ever get a better chance to use this spell on anybody, Ais thought to herself as she closed her eyes to concentrate. She parted her lips and began the chant.


    "O radiant light of destruction, heed my call. Come forth and rain from above. Reduce those who are impure into nothingness, and let me be the enforcer of your enormous power," Ais said in a calm tone. She opened her eyes and raised her voice. "Light Affinity, Luminous Disintegration!"


    And as the words left Ais¡¯ mouth, the air above the battlefield crackled as a small golden magic crest appeared in the sky. It looked as bright as the sun since it was in a condensed state.


    Ais¡¯ hands were still stretched as she kept the spell in an incomplete state. "Alan!!!" she yelled in a loud voice, loud enough that even the people standing on the right front could hear it clearly. Did I shout too loudly? she mentally added as a flustered expression spread on her face.


    <hr>


    Alan''s breathing came in ragged gasps due to all the physical toll his body had taken. Yet despite all that, Alan remained focused on the fight with the goblin horde. Two hobgoblins rushed toward him as he heard Ais'' call.


    "Fire Affinity, Quick Step," Alan mumbled as he disappeared and moved back to Ais'' side in an instant. "About time you called me," he remarked in a sarcastic tone.


    "Oh, please!" Ais responded. She stretched her left arm, pointing it toward Alan. "Light Affinity, Areal High heal," she mumbled. A bright bubble of light magic enveloped Alan. This wasn''t just to heal any of his wounds but instead to provide him with some mana, which was just the byproduct of the spell.


    Alan looked at his hand and the bright aura that surrounded him. It felt rather comforting to him. It wasn''t as warm as his fire spells, and that was just perfect for him.


    Alan focused his eyes back on the battlefield. He looked at the small magic crest that had appeared in the sky. The crest expanded in size, the condensed mana cause sound as loud as a thunder strike and by the time the spell reached its full form, it had covered all the goblins that were present in the center front.


    All the goblins looked at the sky. In a moment, they realized the danger they were in. The goblins in the center of the spell gave up their hopes, their weapons dropping as they waited for their inevitable doom, while several hobgoblins and the Goblin Commander tried to escape the spell¡¯s region.


    Alan''s eyes narrowed as a flicker of concern spread on his face. He turned to look at Ais, who was focused on watching the goblins'' movements. "Considering the amount of mana you have used, wouldn''t it cause damage to our forces too?" Alan questioned.


    A smile spread on Ais'' lips as she shook her head in disapproval. "That''s the best part. The spell concentrates the destruction in a limited space. Look closely!" Ais said as she pointed at the goblins.


    Alan turned his gaze back to the light magic crest. He narrowed his eyes, trying to see the details carefully. He looked down, noticing a few hobgoblins and the Goblin Commander trying to exit the spell¡¯s range. But what he saw as they tried to escape was a deep crimson red mark on their bodies.


    Alan''s eyes widened as he finally saw what Ais was trying to tell him. "There''s a wall."


    Ais nodded at Alan''s reply. "Yup, that''s true. It''s translucent, so I could see how you missed it. Then again¡­ if you put your hand in front of your eyes, how would you notice it?" she added with a slightly frustrated look.


    "Well, I can''t do anything¡­" Alan began to say but stopped as a loud sound caught his attention. Three smaller crest emerged below the main crest, and as they did, a similar crackling sound as before filled the battlefield.

 Chapter 21 Advance Spell

    Alan removed his hand from the front of his eyes, attempting to see Ais'' spell in its full glory. The smallest crest was the first to activate. A massive orb of light was produced right in the center of the small crest. It resembles the orb of destruction spell, Alan thought to himself. No, that''s not it. It''s way more condensed, he mentally added.


    The huge orb let out a thin beam of light magic toward the goblins. As soon as the light hit the goblin''s at the center, their body disintegrated into thin air. In the next moment, the whole area inside the confined boundary of the spell was engulfed with light. Pretty sure all the goblins are already dead, Alan thought as he looked at the spell. The beam of light stopped, and the orb dissipated. It was followed by the smallest crest crumbling in on itself.


    Alan watched as the spell advanced to its next stage. His gaze flickered to the ground within its confines, noting that none of the goblins'' bodies remained. However, that was the least of his concerns now. He shifted his focus to the second crest, which shimmered with brilliant radiance. From it, colossal blades of light magic materialized, each large enough to bring down a small dragon.


    They began to rain down on the battlefield. Man, I wish I had light affinity, Alan mused as his eyes brightened up, looking at the raining projectiles.


    <hr>


    Ais observed her spell carefully before turning her gaze to Alan, anticipation flickering in her eyes. He¡¯s definitely amazed, she thought, a grin spreading across her face. "This spell¡­" she said, trying to grab Alan''s attention, "is originally supposed to kill big beasts like a dragon or a huge elemental mammoth," she added.


    Alan blinked in surprise. "An elemental mammoth?" he said with amazement before glancing back at the spell.


    Alans¡¯ eyes darted across the ground once more, counting the number of sword projectiles the spell had unleashed. As he counted, something caught his attention, a shadow trapped within the spell, standing beside one of the engraved swords. Before Alan could observe it further, the ground began to shake.


    "What¡¯s happening?!" Ais said with urgency as she looked around, trying to find the epicenter of the spell that was causing the earth to move. Where is it? she mentally said as she looked around herself.


    "Ais," Alan spoke as he pointed at the center of her spell with his right hand.


    Ais'' eyes widened in shock as the earth caved in, jagged rock spikes erupting at the edges of her spell, shattering the boundary of light magic. A chill ran down her spine. Were there other monsters hidden within the goblin horde...? No, more importantly, how could anyone have survived the first attack? she questioned herself.


    Before she could dwell on the thought, the third crest began to glow, its radiance intensifying as it threatened to unleash destruction beyond the spell''s confines. Snapping back to focus, Ais swiftly raised her right hand, pointing it toward the crests.


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    "Orb of mass destruction," Ais mumbled as she projected a condensed light magic sphere toward it. The orb of light magic, soared towards the third crest and before the third step could activate the orb detonated, and destroyed both the remaining crest


    Alan kept his eyes fixed on the battleground, scanning for the figure he had glimpsed earlier. Then, he finally saw it clearly. "It¡¯s a Goblin King," he mumbled, his expression tinged with slight terror.


    "A Goblin King?" Ais echoed, her gaze shifting to the newly formed rocky terrain. At the center of the jagged rock spikes stood a lone Goblin King. "But goblins shouldn¡¯t be able to use elemental spells," she added, concern lacing her voice as she unsheathed her longsword, its shiny silver blade gleaming, complemented by a golden hilt.


    Alan unsheathed his sword and took a long breath in. "Perhaps it¡¯s using some kind of artifact," he replied.


    "Maybe," Ais mumbled as she kept her sword at her side, taking her battle stance. "I¡¯ll attack first," she said calmly as she looked at Alan.


    Alan nodded at Ais¡¯ instructions. "Understood," he mumbled in approval.


    <hr>


    Ais moved closer to the newly made rocky terrain, her eyes locking onto the Goblin King. She studied its massive form, there wasn¡¯t a single sign of injury. How did he survive my first spell, completely unscathed? she wondered, her grip tightening around her sword.


    "Quick Step," she murmured. A flicker of light magic ignited beneath her feet, propelling her forward at a speed far beyond human limits. In an instant, she reached the rocky terrain. Wasting no time, she pushed off the ground, using the tilted spikes as footholds to propel herself forward. With each step, she closed the distance between herself and the Goblin King.


    As soon as she reached striking range, she unleashed another burst of ¡®Quick Step¡¯, dashing straight toward the Goblin King in a frontal assault. The goblin raised its massive hand in an attempt to block the attack, but Ais swiftly maneuvered behind it instead.


    She drew back her sword, channeling every ounce of her strength into a single, decisive strike.


    With a calm expression, she unleashed her blade into an arc, cutting the Goblin King¡¯s flesh and air in a swift motion. As her blade came into contact with the Goblin King¡¯s flesh, it glowed brightly with blinding light.


    The Goblin King¡¯s head twisted back, its wide, uneasy grin lingering for a moment before its massive body collapsed. Ais stood still behind it, her blue eyes locked onto the fallen creature. The wound she had inflicted was deep enough to be fatal, yet that wasn¡¯t all.


    A brilliant light radiated from her sword, a clear sign that she had activated its ability, Void Piercer, when delivering the final blow.


    Her sword¡¯s abilities were straightforward. Like Alan¡¯s, it granted her Lifesteal, allowing her to absorb mana from any monster she killed. However, its second ability, Void Piercer, enabled her to convert that mana into an extension of her blade.


    She could activate Void Piercer either by conscious effort or through a set condition.


    Whenever she called out the ability¡¯s name, Ais could control the blade¡¯s extension, width, and destructive power freely, adjusting it as needed. However, she had also trained herself to activate it through a specific condition. Whenever her sword pierced a monster¡¯s skin and reached its body fluid, blood or any other fluid connective tissue, the blade would automatically extend throughout its body.


    In simpler terms, even the slightest scratch from her sword could be enough to behead the toughest of opponents with ease.

 Chapter 22 Abnormal Healing Abilities

    And that''s just what happened to the goblin king''s body. Its massive body was cleaved at the waist, a clean partition visible before it collapsed to the ground. Its entrails spilled from the corpse, and blood drained into the surroundings. The creature was still breathing, trying to live, as its chest rose and fell before eventually stopping, finally.


    Ais flicked her sword to the side in a swift motion, staining the ground below with the blood of the goblin king. I severed its spine. Even if he has some kind of healing that helped him survive the first step, there''s no way it could survive this, she thought to herself as she looked at the goblin king''s corpse.


    Ais walked towards the corpse to inspect its body. She looked at the upper body lying on its stomach and used her right leg to turn it onto its back. Its body surely is heavy, Ais thought to herself, though she managed to do it.


    The first thing Ais noticed was the grin that still lingered on its face. ¡°Was he some kind of masochist or something?¡± she mumbled, as her eyes fell on the huge red mana core of the creature. She bent down in an attempt to remove the core from its body, though before she could do that, the goblin king''s eyes opened yet again.


    Ais'' eyes locked onto the goblin king''s eyes. Being the experienced adventurer she was, she quickly moved back, maintaining her distance from the body. It can''t be, how is it still alive? Ais questioned herself as a drop of sweat ran down her face.


    She looked as black, viscous liquid came out from the goblin king''s body. The liquid quickly moved towards its lower half, dragging it towards the upper half. The goblin king''s legs twitched as he sat back up. Although something was different this time, its body was now covered with rocks at several places, its knuckles, joints, and the waist, which Ais had sliced previously, now had a rocky exoskeleton.


    A tremble ran down Ais'' body as she looked at the goblin king''s body. "I had already cut its spine in half. How exactly could he heal his spine? It shouldn''t be possible!"


    <hr>


    "It healed its spine!" Alan mentally exclaimed with shock as he saw the goblin king waking from the dead. "Quick step," Alan mumbled as he quickly dashed to Ais'' side.


    "Did you suspect this from the beginning?" Ais questioned Alan while keeping her eyes focused on the goblin king.


    Alan looked at the goblin king with a hesitant smile. "Nope. I suspected it had some kind of healing or some kind of artifact that allowed it to use earth affinity... but healing from a spinal injury? No way in hell I expected that!" Alan stated.


    "Well, there''s a chance your sword might be able to kill him," Ais mumbled as she stretched her left arm towards Alan. "You should take some ma¡ª" she said but was interrupted midway as the goblin king let out a low-pitch screech causing a shockwave that rippled through the battlefield.


    <hr>


    The adventurers of the right front were not aware of the presence of an abnormal goblin king. They were still engaged in the fight with the remnants of the goblin army. Blake, Rose Weeble, and other A-rank adventurers were fighting at the front, while B-ranking adventurers stayed slightly behind, fighting any goblin that came through the front. They were standing back to back, engaged in a fight with a goblin commander and several hobgoblins that surrounded them.


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    Rose'' eyes darted at the hobgoblins'' formation. They looked hesitant to strike her and Blake. Should I use my sword ability? she questioned herself.


    "Weeble," Blake said in his deep voice. "I''ll take care of the hobgoblins in your way. Would you like to kill the commander?" he questioned. "It could be a nice practice for you."


    Rose'' serious expression quickly changed to a happy grin as she heard Blake. I have killed plenty of commanders today, but I think he hasn''t seen me fight yet. She mused. "I would love the honor, sir," she replied with a nod. And with that, Rose Weeble rushed in the direction of the goblin commander, her eyes focused on it. The hobgoblins that stood at the goblin king''s side stepped forward and drew their weapons to attack her. But before they could do so, Blake sliced them in half in a moment.


    "Nice assist," Rose mumbled as she slashed her blazing sword at the goblin commander. The goblin commander brought forward his own sword, attempting to block the attack.


    "Envelop," Rose mumbled. Her sword''s flame became stronger with her words.


    The goblin commander''s eyes widened, and a growl left his mouth as he used all his power to try and stop the attack. Though it was of no use, Rose''s sword shattered the goblin commander''s blade and burned its way through the monsters¡¯ body. She sliced it with ease and stepped forward.


    "That was rather easy," Rose mumbled as she turned her gaze towards Blake, seeing how he was killing the last of the hobgoblins that had surrounded her. The only thing left to clear are a few goblins here and the center front, Rose said mentally as she looked at the center front.


    A small, bright crest caught her attention as she looked there. "What''s that?" Rose questioned Blake as she pointed at the spell with her left hand''s index finger.


    Before Blake could reply, another A-rank male adventurer with green hair and square glasses spoke up. "It looks like Ais is finally stepping up."


    "Wait? She wasn''t trying her hardest till now?" Rose exclaimed with a shocked expression. She remembered the way she saw her fight, killing numerous goblins at once, fighting all of them as if she alone was a strike team.


    The adventurer turned his gaze towards Rose. "Are you serious?" he questioned with an amused smile.


    "What do you mean?"


    "You really thought she was trying her hardest till now? I can''t help but think it''s funny. Just for your info, little missy, the vice guildmaster is just as capable of sorcery as she is with a sword," the adventurer declared with a smirk. He turned his eyes back to the spell.


    Rose narrowed her eyes, her brows forming a V shape as she looked at the adventurer with her piercing gaze. "You little¡ª" she began to speak, but before she could continue, Blake clapped his hands, catching her attention.


    "Enough of small talk! Need I remind you we are standing on a battlefield?" he barked, anger visible on his face.


    The male adventurer waved his hand reflexively. "I was merely relieving the girl of her curiosity, nothing more," he added in a defensive tone. He tightened his grip and ran away from Rose and Blake in the next moment.


    Blake sprinted forward himself right after, engaging with a horde of hobgoblins.


    Looks like four-eyes was afraid of getting scolded by Mr. Blake. Not like I have anything to be afraid of, Rose thought to herself as she looked up at the sky again, noticing that the crest had increased dramatically in size. I wonder if Miss Ais'' spell would be stronger than his rain or whatever spell he casted, Rose thought to herself, though her thoughts were almost immediately interrupted by Blake.


    "Rose! Stop messing around and focus on the fight!" He shouted, shooting a disapproving gaze at Rose.


    Rose looked at Blake. So he can scold me too. Well, technically speaking, he is leading the right front, she mentally added as she sprinted forward.