Daniel awakened in his bed as the early morning light filtered through his shutters. Squinting his eyes, he gazed up at the window.

"The day has come for my departure," he mumbled, finally deciding to rise from his bed. Swinging his legs over the edge, Daniel glanced around his room and paused at a drawing of his family—his mother, father, two siblings, and himself. He stretched his body and walked over to the picture, tracing his mother's smile with his finger.

Heading towards his polished wooden wardrobe, Daniel selected a cotton woven tunic and some pants made of fiber woven with a hint of metal. Gathering the rest of his clothes, he placed them along with the picture in a burlap sack already filled with other belongings. After securing the bag's strap, he moved into the kitchen, grabbed an apple-like fruit and some bread from the wooden table, and stepped outside. Taking one last look at his wooden log house, he proceeded towards the center of the village where the town hall stood, greeting the local blacksmith and Ms. Hearth along the smooth dirt road.

As he strolled through the village, Daniel observed the various buildings. Most structures resembled his log cabin, constructed with wooden planks, except for the blacksmith workshop and a few others that seemed less friendly.

Daniel's gaze fell upon the school where he had spent his formative years. Nestled amidst the trees with a stone foundation, the school stood three stories tall, with the top floor serving as the roof and bell tower. A nostalgic smile crossed Daniel's face as he reminisced about his school days. Continuing his journey, he eventually arrived at the town hall. He opened the towering 1.9-meter doors and stepped onto the marble flooring.

Benches lined the sides of the hall, and a spiral staircase with a handle ascended to the upper floors. Daniel's attention was drawn to the entrance, where two booths flanked another set of double doors. Passing through them, he found himself in a room with a raised platform at its center, surrounded by high-quality wooden benches.

Walking down the aisle, Daniel approached the platform and placed an ovate, shiny purple leaf upon it. He stood there in silence for forty-five seconds until the leaf began to flash with light, slowly at first, then exponentially increasing in speed. Soon, a brilliant beacon of light emerged from the leaf, transforming into a green woman adorned with leaf anklets, a grass woven skirt, and a papyrus crop top.

The woman possessed the physique of a track star—thin yet toned—and her mature face exuded an alluring charm. Her hair cascaded down to her breasts, featuring light green strands with brazen purple tips styled in two-A curls.

Gradually opening her eyes, the woman's verdant green irises met Daniel's light brown ones. She smirked and said, "I see you have finally accepted your fate, Daniel. Have you bid farewell to everyone?"

Daniel let out a sigh. "I haven't told anyone yet, China Rose, and I don't intend to. Can we just get moving?" China Rose smiled, shaking her head. She waved her hand, causing a leaf to fall behind her.

The leaf emitted pulses of light, summoning another green female wearing a grass-colored chiton and leaf anklets. This one appeared visibly younger and much more reserved. "You will be accompanied by Guava, a Dryad, who will serve as your guide on your heroic journey," China Rose announced, her gaze fixed on Daniel. As expected, he frowned and clicked his lips. "Remember, Daniel, you must show hospitality to our guest and refrain from antagonizing her as soon as she arrives," China Rose warned, narrowing her eyes at the seventeen-year old.

Daniel proceeds to ignore the mature women and walks up to Guava who has an oval face and pouty lips with a small button nose. Her eyes were equally verdant green, but unlike China Rose hers had the look of innocence and sheltered, Daniel continues to analyze Guava and realizes she is a little plumper than most dryads, she is not fat or chubby by any means, but she has more of a pronunciation on her boobs and butt.

Guava flinched a little when Daniel first looked at her but then gathered the courage to look at the young man in front of her, or better known as her campaign. She blushed immediately after soaking in his image for thirty seconds, Daniel was six feet, and 2 inches and Guava was only standing at his nose, he had a muscular body that fit more on the lean side than meaty side but still expansive. His skin tone was the color of dark oak wood, and his hair was a mess of dreads, but his eyes were sharp and focused.

Guava was captivated by Daniel, particularly his dark pink lips bordering on purple, wet and juicy. After Daniel finished gazing at Guava, he turned back to China Rose and asked, "When are they arriving?"

"I don't know, but our divinations are never wrong, and this one is too significant to be incorrect," China Rose replied. Daniel glanced at China Rose a bit longer, then turned to leave the town hall. "Where are you going?" China Rose asked. "Don't try to run away again."

"I know. I'm just trying to get some practice in before I leave," Daniel replied without turning around, continuing to walk toward the double doors. China Rose gestured with her head towards Daniel as she turned to Guava, who snapped out of her daze and hastily followed the moody youth, while China Rose shook her head.

Daniel heard Guava following him as he left the town hall but said nothing to her as he made his way to his personal training grounds. Located on the outskirts of the village, the grounds featured several iron poles and dummies arranged in a sandy man-made pit. Daniel picked up a bo staff that was well-maintained yet clearly worn out and began performing broad swings with it.

Guava watched him with keen interest, realizing that what he was doing didn't make any sense. That wasn't how you used a bo staff. She was about to interrupt him when he abruptly stopped and faced an iron pole planted in the ground. Assuming a steady stance, he thrust the bo staff into the pole, producing a resounding clang as metal struck metal throughout the pit.

Then Daniel began to get serious. He seemed to glide around the pit, striking poles as he moved with incredible speed. Initially, the ringing sound was annoying, but it gradually transformed into a melodic rhythm that left Guava speechless. Not only was Daniel turning iron poles into musical instruments with his bo staff, but he was also moving too swiftly for Guava to perceive clearly, and the swirling sand in the air added to the challenge.

After four minutes, Daniel finally came to a halt. The sand was flying so fast that it stung Guava's skin, even though he wasn't intentionally weaponizing it. "Wow, th-that was a-amazing. Why did you do that?" Guava asked, stuttering with genuine curiosity. Daniel remained silent for a moment before replying, "I'm trying to learn the sandstorm technique." Guava gasped. "But that's a tier 4 technique. Only the senior hunters and guard captains are capable of learning it!"

Daniel looked back and grinned with a cocky smile. "Don't forget, you're looking at the top prodigy of the entire village. Didn't you see me demonstrate vertigo?" Guava nodded, her jaw nearly touching the ground, not expecting her partner to be so skilled in using his mana.

Daniel was about to boast further about his abilities when a distant boom echoed through the forest. Turning his head toward Guava, she quickly nodded and closed her eyes, causing the trees to sway as if a gentle breeze had passed by, despite the absence of wind. "There's a high orc coming right towards us, along with a blond-haired teenager. The teen can use storm magic and fire magic, but he won't be able to hold on for long," Guava informed Daniel. He sighed. "It's finally time, huh?" he muttered to himself, his resolve solidifying. He firmly gripped his bo staff.

Daniel drove his bo staff into the ground in front of him, causing the sand around him to converge onto the staff. The middle part remained free so he could grab it, and the sand hardened into unrecognizable sandstone.

Guava began to perspire as she realized the mysterious blond teen was approaching their location. "How did they even get here? My sisters should be protecting the village all day and all night." Just then, the leaves on the village trees turned green, and China Rose's voice resounded, "A massive orc raid has breached the woods. All hunters and guards are needed on the east frontline." The message repeated three times before fading away, followed immediately by the clamor of men rushing out, either marching in formation or hurriedly heading to the east frontline.

Guava gasped upon learning that the village was under attack, losing her connection to the trees and rendering her blind to the high orc and blond teen nearing them. "What are we going to do?" Guava asked Daniel in panic. Throughout this time, Daniel's staff continued to gather sand, compressing it into sandstone. The pit was nearly devoid of sand due to his actions, leaving a depth of about two feet in the thirty-six square feet wide area.

But that wasn't even the strangest part. No, the strangest part was that the staff only grew about 2-3 inches thicker. "Guava, calm down and try to use tree sight again," Daniel calmly advised her. Guava blushed in embarrassment at being the only one freaking out.

Closing her eyes, Guava reestablished her mental connection with the trees to see through their perspective. She quickly located the high orc and blond teen. The teen had a fresh, gaping wound on his back, and the high orc's double-bladed axe was stained with blood. "They're still heading right towards us, but this time the guy isn't fighting back, and he's injured," Guava reported to Daniel, her voice tinged with worry.

Daniel pondered for a moment, then let out a sigh. "Let me know when they're directly above us," he instructed Guava. She nodded. "Okay, they're still 15 yards away." Daniel ceased gathering sand on his staff and gripped the section that remained uncovered in sandstone, his boots now touching the ground. The earth beneath him began to tremble.

"12 yards away," Guava informed Daniel as a circular patch of earth surrounding him started to rise, with his staff still positioned in front of him. "10 yards away," a pillar of earth elevated Daniel into the air, gradually ascending to the top of the pit. "Guava, plant vine seeds," Daniel commanded in a resolute voice.

Without opening her eyes, Guava summoned seeds with a flash of green and threw them onto the ground. "8 yards away," she uttered as the seeds she had thrown began to sprout. The sounds of running and destruction reached Daniel when he was halfway up the pit.

"5 yards away," Daniel saw a fit teen running straight toward him, dressed in a torn white button-up shirt with rolled-up cuffs, khakis, and standard boots. The youth seemed oblivious to Daniel's presence, preoccupied with looking back as the trees collapsed with another thunderous crash.

"2 yards away," Daniel halted his ascent after positioning himself five-sixths of the way up the pit. "They're here!" Guava announced, opening her eyes. The teen leaped over the pit, visibly surprised to find Daniel right beneath his feet. He then glanced at the opposite side of the pit and realized he had misjudged its width.

Just as he was about to fall in, he stepped on air and effortlessly hopped onto the other side. Rolling on the ground for a moment, he came to a stop on his back, with his sword lying next to him. Just in time, he turned his head to witness the high orc leaping over the same pit. However, this time, something unexpected happened—someone soared out from within it.