“Okay”

Said Pom as they all gathered inside the Adventurer’s Inn. Junk was leaning on the table while Lucy and Dislucas were sitting and drinking mead. The newly arrived Gina was listening, while leaning on the wall with her hands crossed. The only one absent was Boomer, Junk’s unicorn friend.

“Here is a bag… Take this map and the potions.”

“Huh?”

“We’ll be going on ahead, it’s part of your training. Go to Gilara on your own, you are still too weak to go there.”

“Hey, I didn’t agree to this...”

“You did when you became my disciple. You need to become stronger… And quickly, no way are you going to be prancing around elves and dragons with that skill set.”

“But isn’t the way there like a third of the continent?!”

“Don’t worry we’ll use a portal.” Dislucas chipped in between the annoyed dwarf and strict master.

“Oh… Fine then.”

“I mean we not you...”

“You’ll have to get there on your own. You’re ready for the last lesson...”

Pom insisted as it was her role as his master.

“You’ll have to be at least B rank to cross into the elf forest and beyond to Gilara. You don’t have to do quests just make sure you grab a few for some coin. See you in a month or so...”

Pom looked at him before going into the portal Dislucas made.

“Bye-bye” waived Dislucas stopping for a moment to let Lucy go first.

“Try not to die...” Lucy said as she faded into the portal.

Dislucas give him a long look before going in herself.

Big Junk felt a minor headache. It was one thing to send him on a long training trip… Which would benefit him and would probably be fun and all, but there was like a third of a continent to cross in this adventure.

He’d either get rekt or have an epic comeback as an even stronger adventurer. He could perhaps get a cape and play the old hidden expert trope. Well, at least Boomer was still here and he would not be alone on this journey.

“What!? You tsundere horse! What do you mean Boomer has to go to the secret area!”

“HUH, YOU GOT A PROBLEM!!!” The unicorn yelled with thunder and lightning clashing on its visage.

“Well, no. EXCEPT I DO! What’s up with all these training trips all of a sudden!? ”

“Yeah, well it wouldn’t have been necessary… IF YOU DIDN’T KEEP FEEDING HIM CRYSTALS!!!”

“ME!? Blame that little girl!!! It was her!” Junk pointed at the little catgirl that played with Boomer all the time.

“Real mature… Blaming a little girl...”

The little girl lifted her head tears in her eyes at being blamed: “WAAAAAA!!!”

“Uh… No… I didn’t mean it like that… I’m sorry...”

“Look at what you did!”

“Shhh… It’s going to be alright. You can play with me now that Boomer is busy and can’t play…”

The unicorn thought, FREE CRYSTALS here we go!

Seeing the small girl cheered up and feeding the unicorn crystals Junk was feeling sorry a bit, but also felt down. He would have to cross the continent alone.

Guess I better go now… Shouldn’t waste anymore time.

He first went back to his castle and took the coins he had earned back in the Sandy Garden village. Inside the bag was exactly 9 silvers and 99 bronze coins. With the standard fantasy, one hundred bronze coins equaling a silver, he had enough for about a month of food if he bought refreshments.

He looked at his adventurer card. It still showed his E-rank adventurer status. He knew he had to do better. In many stories S-rank was the dream of all adventurers and the so called pinnacle. Perhaps one day he could rise to the legendary rank as well.

Would he do so as a wizard, or would he use his strong body to become a legendary warrior. However, he had read some novels before. He knew that it was all the same in the end. An S-rank warrior was equal to an S-rank mage. At the absurd S-rank level magic and the immense strength were indistinguishable.

One could summon a meteor and the other could hit with the strength of one with a massive sword.

There was another possibility. He could master both. He could summon his water cat and freeze everything, and then he could smash the frozen enemy to pieces with his golden hammer.

It would prove very frightening if he could combine his wit and strength, along with magic and its more direct control of the battlefield. But that was for later, right now he had to figure out what quest he was going to do and how to actually manage to increase his current physical and magical prowess.
He had some information written down on his map. If he wanted to cross the forest to get to his destination he needed to become stronger.
In his path there were enemies like a Shadowgorger, an Orc champion and a Griffin medusa. Judging by the descriptions, all were something that could mince him in an instant.

It is why he had a suggested monsters list. Perhaps his master had planned this trial ahead of time. She perhaps knew that he’d want to go to Gilara or perhaps she wanted him to go there as well.

With his shirt buttoned up and the hood bearing two almost lifelike cat ears, his wrench in his trouser pocket and golden hammer his hand, he choose his next target.

It would be prudent to start with goblins. Half a day from here, judging by a map was a goblin settlement. His plan was to lure or find some lone goblins and learn their patterns.

If his experience from playing Dark Souls was in any way useful, he figured that fighting more than one enemy at a time would be akin to suicide, as he had almost no fighting experience.

Especially against monsters.

The next day, Junk traveling through the night and resting in the morning, leaning on a tree, arrived at a clearing. He was trying hard to keep quiet and not startle the goblin. He first needed to observe it.

The goblin bent down with its already small stature and tried to dig something out from the ground. While it was initially alert, but sensing no disturbance in the surrounding, distracted by the delicious nutt it was eating with its very yellow and almost rotting teeth.
Junk seeing an opportunity edged closer.

*sound of a branch breaking*

The goblin was startled and quickly turned its head. Junk knew not to underestimate it. With the knowledge he obtained from reading books in his previous life, he knew that while it was probably just a goblin… That it could actually be a reincarnated one or an elite demon king who was disguised as one.

He held his hammer with both hands, leaped into the air and swung down with all his might. He got lucky, the hammer struck the goblin right on its head. The goblin was struck with such force that a crack could be heard and Junk judged that it came from its now shattered cranium.
The goblin that had already risen to its standing position to retaliate fell down like a doll with its strings cut.

It was like Junk felt the thrill of combat for the first time. Completely obliterating the goblin in one blow showed him that he was indeed much stronger than in his previous life. Being aware of his strength made Junk thirst for more. He wanted to become even stronger.
And as a baby step the goblins were going to do just fine.

“Heh...”

Junk wiped his sweaty brow. He was surrounded by 12 goblin corpses, but it seemed that none could touch him judging by his clean and refreshed look.

Off to the side six goblins were badly minced up and some were even halved.

“Meow”

The water cat that could unleash water blades asked for attention wanting to be praised. Junk petted it and it purred like water.

“Let’s find something stronger...”

“How about a dryad...”

Junk and his cat descended further into the forest, now about two days walk from Tom’s Snuffle Fluff village.

Before there used to be many clearings for some reason, but the forest here was very dense and had growth and vines covering the trees. The light was fading and amazingly it had taken on a dark green shape.

It was near the area where he would meet a dryad marked on the map. He heard some voices. They sounded almost human but had a grit to it like branches and the language was gibberish.

Junk started observing, his head standing on a vine above him. He saw a big wooden growth stuck inside the ground. It did not look like a tree and according to his map it should have been the dryad.

Suddenly, he heard a little girl crying. He looked around but didn’t find anything. A rumble and the stum rose from the ground. It was a terrible looking wooden monstrosity. If it were an uncle it’d have never been allowed anywhere near the kids.

Junk recognized it as one ugly bastard. Incredible ugly would hunt a demon’s dreams. It was 3 meters tall, full of bark and had white worms crawling inside it. Either maggots or termites, Junk for sure didn’t want to know what was inside those holes.

He ordered his water cat to use water blade. It did as instructed and slashed at the ugly stump. The abomination of wood released a terrible noise like a branch breaking apart and cursing all existence. It’s bark like skin glowed with green light that gathered around its eyes, which were like two abyssal holes. Its eyes glowed green and it released a round of gibberish branch language.

Junk was disgusted. The water blades did nothing but shred the worms inside it’s holes.

“We need more power!”

He tried to cast another spell when the dryad monstrosity turned its green gaze towards him. With a roar its green eyes glowed ever brighter. Junk could feel a danger in the air.

Before he could think his body dived down onto the ground.

A green flash appeared and exactly 69 trees were mowed down behind Junk.

Junk gulped, that was way too close! His cat once again sent a water blade, this time it used both paws. Junk could not stay calm anymore. He saw the stump charging its terrible eye lasers.

He quickly rose up and ran towards the stump in recklessness, having no cover or way to protect himself against the lasers.

The stump eyed the dwarf that was rushing, but seeing a shorty running towards it, it bellowed a sound of nightmare. It was not a scary sound, but it was creepier than laughing of a baby at 3 am, while living alone in the forest away from society, while seeing a clown standing outside beneath your window.

It was so creepy that Junk was overcome with repulsion and started spamming all of his spells. He first used water droplets 6 times and then casted freeze four times. He could not use the cat summoning spell since he could only use it when the cat was not summoned.

The water coated the big monstrosity that was roaring terribly. The tree abomination turned towards the cat at that moment. While the cat was not dealing any substantial damage it was still killing its precious worms.

With the four casts of freeze the giant covered in water was frozen over. Junk was still rushing towards it, he had never let go of his golden hammer and now used it to attack.

He jumped in the air and brought down a devastating slam on the top of its frozen stump. The abomination splintered and cracked, the ice having reduced its durability. Much of its body fell apart.

But it was not over. It still slowly tried to rise and clasp the dwarf. Junk mustered all of his power and will to bring the foe to its end. The breaking of the oak like trunk was the sound of cursed wood splintering.

With its horrors the sound brought release and a lighter atmosphere to the wood.

Junk was tired and sat down on the ground to rest, it was exhilarating! The thrill was unimaginable and the danger of losing his life made him weak in the knees. But this was the way to go. With grinding and experiencing many life and death battles he would become stronger and tougher.

*huff huff*

He was breathing in deeply and exhaling the fresh but a bit moldy air of the dense wood.

He patted his water cat after another battle won. It may not compare to playing video games at the safety of one’s home while snacking but it fulfilled, a deeper, a darker desire.

A desire for power.

Junk heard a quiet sobbing of a little girl. He remembered he heard something similar before.

He turned in the direction of the sound and saw a dark green hat.

“What’s that doing over there? And what’s with this cursed wood? At least have a creepier setting than a sad little girl.” Junk grumbled.