Right now, around 80 students of Adventurer Division Advanced Academy are gathering in front of the city’s guild. The teachers are giving directions to their respective home group. The Academy has already made an arrangement with the guild. The guild will make a report for each party regarding their performance and send them to the Academy.

“Remember, you can only take an E ranked quest. There will be no class for tomorrow and the day after, so you can do a quest that takes up to 3 days, there are some quests with estimated time. Looks like the other groups has finished their briefing, so that’s all from me. You can meet up with your party and go inside.”

After Mr. Magnus ended the briefing, Hermes, Venus and I, together with other students from our group, enter the building. The guild is a two-story building, with the upper floor being an office. Most of the activities take place on the lower floor. There are 3 types of counter. The counters exactly to the main door’s left are counters for requestor. While most of the quest here come directly from the city, people can put up quest too. They can turn in a form to request a quest to those counters. The reward for those quests is also provided by the requestor. After a couple of days, they can check whether the quest that they put is already completed or not. It sure is tough to work as a guild staff. Especially since there’s no computer, let alone spreadsheet program.

Behind those counters are boards where the guild put all the quest papers, grouped by the quest’s type and rank. An E rank quest is usually search quest or gathering quest put up by citizens. There’re also some quests for hunting animals that’s not dangerous. Since we will be doing it as a party, I shouldn’t be the only one to decide which quest we should take.

“Do you find an interesting one?” I asked Hermes and Venus while browsing the board.

“All I’ve seen are search quests for lost pet and livestock. Damn, that’s a lot of sheep.” Hermes said as he stops at a particular quest.

“There are also some hunt quests for wolves at the forest.”

Why would someone request for wolf hunt? Does their population grow fast? I don’t remember Uncle Deim having any trouble with wolves when he hunts. Well, if no one deem these quests as important, the requestor will notice that there’re no problem.

“Hunting wolves sounds a bit boring, and I live near that forest, so I would like something more refreshing if possible.”

“I agree. Since we can finally do something outside the class, I want to see something new.” Venus agreed with me.

“Huh, we’re not going to take that wolf hunt quest?”

For some reason, Hermes is disappointed. I guess he really want to use his new sword.

“Those wolves have done nothing wrong, after all. Don’t worry Hermes, there must be an interesting quest on there.”

Venus keeps looking on the board as I try to cheer up Hermes. She picks a paper from the board and shows us.

“What about this one? Gathering quest for herbs from a cave. It says that there may be some wild animals in the cave but nothing worth any caution.”

“Where’s the cave?”

“It’s outside the city, in the forest to the east of the south gate.”

I’ve never gone out of the city, so it may be a good opportunity to explore the world.

“Sounds good to me. What do you say, Hermes?”

“Well, since we get to go out of the city, why not.”

And so, we take the paper to the counters on the right side of the building. The counters on the front are for taking quests, while the one on the back, in front of the storage room, are for reporting when one is done with the quest, whether they completed it or not. After waiting in the line, we hand the quest paper to the lady on the counter.

“Are you a first year from the academy?”

“Yes.”

“Let see… quest 36654, herbs gathering. Okay.”

She puts it on her desk, next to a blank paper. She then cast a magic to copy the text on the quest paper onto the blank one. She gives us one of the papers.

“Please write your names on the paper.”

We write down our names on the paper and hand it back to her.

“This is a sign that you are performing this quest. Don’t lose it, okay. You can show this paper to the guard when you’re leaving or entering the city. When you finish, submit this paper along with the herbs to the completion counter. Good luck on your first quest.”

After thanking her, we embark on our first quest.

* * *

Although the quest says that the cave is in forest located east to the south gate, it’s actually closer to the east gate. But since it has been overrun by the forest, it’s closed. Out of the 3 remaining gates, the closest one to the cave location is the south one. By the time we found the cave, it’s already dark.

“Should we rest before we head deeper?” I asked Hermes and Venus as we sit down on some stone at the cave entrance

“Yeah, let’s do that. Hey Venus, can you light some fire.”

“I don’t mind. Then you collect the wood, Celeri.”

“Why do you need a wood? You can just use magic.”

“I don’t want to waste my mana by continuously conjuring a fire. You have a sword, so use that thing to chop some tree.”

“Hey, hey, no need to fight. I’ve got some woods.”

Both of them seems surprised.

“Have you been collecting woods as we walk? I didn’t see you doing that.”

“No, I thought we might need to make a campfire, so I bought them from home.”

I answer Hermes while unlocking my backpack. I take some woods from the magical space and arrange it. Because the weight of the items stored in the magical space doesn’t affect the actual weight of the backpack, I put as many stuffs as I can thought of.

“So that’s what you bring inside that bag? A pile of woods?”

“I also have foods. You want some sandwiches?”

“Sure. Thanks.”

“I will take you up on that, thank you.”

After eating the sandwiches and drinking water that was conjured by Venus, we decide to take turns sleeping. Since there wouldn’t be any difference between day and night inside a cave, we continue going deeper after each of us has got some sleep, which is some time before dawn.

“By the way, do you know what kind of herbs we’re looking for?”

After about an hour walking in the cave, Hermes ask that question. I don’t really know about herbs, but because Venus recommend this quest, I thought she know what kind of herbs we’re looking for.

“No, I thought Venus know those herbs?”

“We learned about those herbs in zoology, how can you two don’t know about those herbs?”

Back then I didn’t it would be a useful knowledge for an adventurer. But since Venus know the herbs, I guess there’s no problem.

“Ah, I think there’s something ahead.”

Since we began exploring the cave, Venus and I has been casting a magic to make light. I emit a light from my finger, while she conjures a fireball at the tip of her staff. When I point the light forward, I can see a reflection of bluish green light. After walking in a narrow passage for a while, we finally arrive at a big room. There are blue and green crystal embedded on the wall, which reflect the light I saw earlier. There’s also a pond on a corner of the room. The water is clear and there are also crystals on the bottom of the pond.

“It’s pretty…”

While Venus admires the scenery and Hermes inspects the floor, I observed the crystals embedded on the wall.

“Hey Venus, are these things magic stones?”

“Sort of. They were formed from mana accumulated in this room.”

Now that she mentions it, the air is indeed heavier than the air in the entrance.

“Hey guys, come here.”

Hermes called us while squatting near the pond.

“Is this the herbs we’re looking for?”

“Yes, those brown ones. And those herbs over there, near the wall. Wow, I can’t believe we got both from the same place.”

Isn’t that a mushroom? Well, Venus is smart, so we should just trust her. The ones growing near the wall looks like chives but smaller. That one passes as an herb. When we’re picking up the herbs, I hear a footsteps sound. I only notice it now, but there are four paths leading to this room. One of them is actually bigger than the one we were coming from, but the sound comes from a smaller one, near the place these chives things grow.

“You hear that sound?”

“Maybe it’s just another adventurer looking for herbs.”

Venus is getting nervous and starts clenching her staff. Hermes seems fine as he keeps plucking mushrooms.

“Ah, there it is, big brother.”

A familiar sound comes from that pathway. A little girl comes running from that entrance, followed by an older boy. When she sees us, she stops for a second, then turns around and hide behind the boy. It’s the siblings we met a few days ago.

“Oh, I didn’t notice there are other people here. Hmm? Have we met before?” The boy speaks as he sees us.

“Uh, yes, a few days ago.”

“Right, at the corridor near the equipment room. Oh, we haven’t introduced ourselves yet. I’m Terran Vita, and this is my younger sister, Luna.”

“I’m Marz Evanest. This is Venus Calor, and the one plucking herbs over there is Hermes.”

“Hermes Celeri.”

He didn’t even glance here once, but he still replied while still plucking up those mushrooms. Do we really need that much mushrooms?

“Are you here doing quest too?”

Venus ask Terran, as Luna is still hiding behind her brother.

“Yes, we’re looking for magic crystals. Looks like we’ve found the right place.”

Huh? If there’re doing quest together, then…

“Are you both first year students?”

“Yeah. She clings to me so much, so our parents suggested that we enter the Advanced Academy together. She’s a smart kid, so they let her enter even though she’s supposed to graduate from Elementary Academy this year. Right, Luna?”

Luna nods while Terran pet her head.

“Hmm, I see. By the way Venus, is that enough?”

Hermes, that I don’t know since when has finished collecting the mushroom, ask Venus while pointing to a pile of said mushrooms. Venus clenched her fist, apparently about to blow up.

“You pick too much!”

Well, I don’t blame her. He took almost every mushroom there is in this room. While Hermes is getting yelled by Venus, Terran and Luna approach a crystal on the wall. Judging from his staff, seems like he’s an offensive magic student. Luna must be from ranged group, since she carried a bow.

“Hey Terran, what focus group are you in?”

“I’m in support focus group.”

I see. Unlike offensive magic group, support group focus on supportive magic. They also learn about equipment maintenance. After he answered me, he touches the tip of his staff to the wall near the crystal. A few seconds later, the wall cracks and the crystal fall off. That must be some form of magic. Luna pick up the crystal and brandishes it to her brother with a bright smile.

“We got it! As usual, big brother’s magic is handy.”

“Hey, Marz, Terran, Luna, since we have all we need, why don’t we go back together?”

Hermes proposed his idea. It seems Venus has finished yelling at Hermes.

“I don’t mind, what about you two?”

“I’m okay with that.”

“Luna also agrees.”

“Okay then, let’s-”

*Grrr*

There’s a loud growling sound. All of us instantly become alert. The sound comes from the biggest passage connected to this room, on the corner across the pond. All of us grab our weapons and fix our eyes to the passage.

When it comes out, my heart misses a beat. A giant black wolf with glowing yellow eyes. A dire wolf.