Part 1. 

 

 

Perhaps no one wouldn’t know about the infamous forest that encompassed the center of the continent. Away from the realms of men, ravenous monsters roamed relentlessly for prey. Night and day they bite and bites away. And into the heart of the forest, large trees thrived to seek the sky, blotting out the light and turning the forest to be dark as night. On top of that, fog lingers over the forest, as if to cover the secrets within, making any trespassers lose their way. No one knew how it started, but the elders once said that it was a place where dragons and other colossal monsters dwell.

But no one can prove the claim even to this day.

Because no men manage to return after they entered the misty region of the Vilpora forest. But be it true or not, the threat of the forest is real. 

Perhaps there would be no shortage of men telling the tales of old. And perhaps there would be no shortage of brave souls that would venture into the forest, either to hunt monsters or to confirm the legend itself.

Xen heard the legends from the men of taverns. He heeds their warnings to his heart and steel himself against danger as he set foot in the forest.

He was a traveler, wandering the lands on a pilgrimage to hone his skill and grow. As part of his journey, he went to places where the least of men could come, going to uncharted lands and facing the dangers that lay on his way. Since his next destination was on the other side of the infamous forest of the continent, Xen can't pass this chance up and decided to travel to the forest rather than the conventional way of boarding a vehicle to several countries.

With the forest, wide as it was, he spent significant time here and adapted to its harsh environments, ran in the most inhospitable terrains, and fought his way through the wave of monsters.

It’s been three weeks since then, and he advanced to the depths forest only eligible to a handful of adventurers.

The young man walked under the verdant canopies. Rays of sunlight filtered from above illuminated the mask under the shade of the hood. Strangely enough, this area of the forest in particular provides an even ground coated with a thin layer of grass. From the foot of the great trees thrived the undergrowths seeking its protection. The trace of the late winter lingered from the chilling breeze flowing through the woods, rustling the leaves from above as the jubilant birds sang praises for the spring. It was peaceful and bright and Xen found it relatively pleasing from the rest.

Then again, this is still a monster nest. As to remind him, a deep howl seemingly shaking the air echoed somewhere in the distance. 

“That must be a very large monster.” He muttered as perked up. Curious about what that creature was.

Judging from the sound, it seemed coming from ahead. A little closer to the right granted he maintained his current direction. There was a high chance he will be spotted by the beast and ended up getting hunted himself. But even then, the young man had no intention to change direction and maintained a lax pace. If the monsters come, then will just have to fight them off just as he always does.

Moments later, he recognized the distinct shouts and grunts mixed within the savage roar.

“Adventurers…” he muttered. He thought for a moment before shaking his head gently. “It’s best not to interfere…"

though at some point, his foot stopped on its track. his mask swiveled to the sound of the ongoing battle. Just what kind of people fighting there? and what kind of monster are they fighting? His budding curiosity made him bend his words.

but it wasn't wrong to watch right?

Following his whim, the young man casually jumped up in the trees without much of a jogging start. He landed gently on top of the branches and then started zipping through the trees.

This feat wasn’t something that can be done just by anyone else. Those people that unlocked the prana, the hidden mystical energy that resides within the spiritual body, can do feats that surpassed the limit of humanity. They were known as Exceliant.

“There they are… hmm they seem doing pretty well.”

Xen gently landed on a strong branch with a good vantage point. From there, he has a clear vision of the fight below. Just a mere glance at the few exchanges told him that the four adventurers were faring well against the bipedal giant beast.

With a thick and large frame, it stands way over four meters in height. Dark bronze fur shone a dull vibrance but the vicious eyes vividly lit up in dark crimson. This disastrous monster was widely feared even by the high-ranking adventurers here in the Vilpora forest known as Urzyk.

The Urzyk stood on its short legs. It raised its thick long log-like arm with extended claws and swing it down to the adventurers on its feet, specifically a swordsman and a dwarf.

The two vanguards jumped back in time, avoiding the paws that begrudgingly dug up the ground. The earth beneath their foot shook from the sheer strength. But that wasn't enough to faze the adventurers.

Since they put themselves in a distance, this gave their mage the freedom to unload her spells without putting her vanguards at risk.

The mage raised her staff and began chanting the magic words. A magic circle weave itself and began firing off fireballs soon as she finished. And in the next instant, a series of explosions erupted along with flames that set the Urzyk ablaze.

“RARRGR!!!!”

The beast growled in pain staggering backward. But there wasn’t noticeable damage even after the explosion. The bellowing smoke however obstructed its vision and gave it a little trouble breathing. And that momentary failure of focus, led the adventurer assault to pass its defenses.

“That fireball wasn’t for damage but rather as cover for the vanguards to close the gaps. Very crafty.” Xen said, evaluating the battle like an analyst. For a traveler that put his mind to training and surviving in the wilderness, witnessing a battle provided him a bit of entertainment. 

He shifted his gaze to the archer that let loose her arrow from the distance. The distinctive long tapered ear suggests that she was an elf. their kind was known for their high amount of magic as well as their proficiency in archery since they live in the forest. 

The projectiles draw a greenish streak of light as they dig through the beast’s shoulders.

The urzyk groaned and glared at the archer.

The vanguards dashed forth to follow up. The dwarf pounced and lash out his mace. The weapon was reinforced with magic, shrouding the weapon with ocher filament as it struck the urzyk's knee.

They say their races may seem short, but they were gifted with abnormal strength to compete against creatures much larger than them. This was clearly demonstrated as the massive beast fell to one knee from the small but heavy strike of the dwarf.

From behind, the swordsman dashed off, his swords glowed in bluish radiance as it jumped, slashing on the unprotected back of the beast, which solicited a terrorizing growl.

Unlike those Mages whose prana used to cast spells, those who don’t have talents of magic used their prana to reinforce their physical strength and weapon instead. This is their own way to fight off monsters that were naturally capable of reinforcing their bodies with prana. Otherwise, their weapons might just already break from the repeated impact.

The swordsman wasn’t done yet and charged again on its blindside, exploiting the brief window before the beast can recover its broken posture.

But, the urzyk noticed their intention.

It flung its arm down before the swordsman can deliver a slash. The swordsman instantly saw the rushing arms and immediately jumped back to safety.

The caution of getting hit by the claws-spelling death forced the swordsman to retreat and wait for the right opportunity. But the wound he inflicted on the urzyk's back proved to be quite significant. Fueled by irritated vengeance, the urzyk chased after him and hammered down its arms.

The swordsman jumped off the trail, but the other arms followed him. Perhaps he never anticipates another attack as he froze up in surprise.

“He’s dead!” 

However, the dwarf pushed him out of the way.

“Or not.”

Xen breathed in relief that his expectation prove him wrong. 

The shield held high shrieked a dull clang. The dwarf took the brunt of the force pushing him a few centimeters as his feet dug into the ground to stop his momentum. He used his mace and braced the shield from behind; working both hands to support the shield.

The Urzyk face contorted in anger as it failed to crush the dwarf beneath the shield. Perhaps its pride was hurt when such a monster like itself possessing a massive size was stopped by a small creature, this time it raised its other arm, in preparation for a swipe. The dwarf was held in place from resisting the force of its arm so this makes him a sitting duck.

Due to the large weight difference, the dwarf can only block the attacks overhead. If the beast it’s swiped horizontally, the dwarf will indubitably be thrown away. 

The air whistled as its claws swept downward. But before it snuff the life out of the dwarf, a streak of light flashed in the corner of its eyes. It immediately change the course of its hand and raised its face.

A beat later, an arrow pierce its hands with a force enough to touch its forehead. The beast tens up at the prospect of death.

The Urzyk, looked up, glaring at the elf, shooting arrows while jumping through the trees. The urzyk swung its massive arms, breaking the arrows that further heading to its head. The arrows may not have landed on its target, but bought a chance for the swordsman to sneak on its legs and deliver a solid hit. The flesh sliced open splattering blood on the mossy floor.

The beast cred in ear-splitting intensity. The hand that kept the dwarf in place lifted to grab its rended flesh.

With the load left overhead, the dwarf immediately moved out of the way as another set of fireballs take its place, plunging the beast even more into the world of pain, despair, and humiliation.

“…That was a second clutch save. They’re so good.” Xen was impressed as his voice leaked out from his mask tinged with excitement.

“They move in sync with each other, and know the precise time for each of their turn.”

The rear guards kited the bear in, making the vanguards invisible to its eyes. And by the time it recognized their figures, they already land a strike. There was also the elf, sniping the bear from afar which gave cover for the vanguards. And whenever the attacks are too heavy for them to take on, they fall back letting the mage hurl fireballs at the Urzyk to stop its momentum and provide cover as well. And thus repeat the cycle.

This ingenuous strategy of relentless kiting is pushing the bear to a one-sided beat down with little to no chance to retaliate, let alone hit their target. Another factor to add to the bear's disadvantages was the synergy of the assault and their good coordination. Their attacks were a tad weak to deal a finishing blow due to the thick fur, but they got good teamwork to compensate for their shortcomings.

It was a typical strategy for a party, But the execution is well coordinated.

On the other hand, Urzyk’s movement became much more sluggish as time pass by. Fatigue accumulates with every movement and the impatience of not reducing their number only pushed the bear to expend its remaining strength. Slowly withering the large beast to death. The Bears staggered forward before struggling to stable his balance. It glared menacingly puffing air out of its nose. It roared savagely to the encroaching adventurers. Its opponents however are far from intimidated and it only raised their morale. In the passing seconds, they began to exploit the bear’s predicament as they dashed with the intent to end the fight.

“It’s only a matter of time before the Urzyks will fall… Alright. GG… ”

Just as he said, the Urzyk finally gave in to the unceasing assault and fell. The swordsman jumped on its back and stabbed his sword right in the nape. The beast let out a dying howl before sprawling on the ground lifeless with blood seeping out on its wound-riddled body. As the adventurer confirmed its death, they lowered their weapons and eased themselves.

“That was a good fight… No… that was a hunt.” He silently praised as he clapped his hands muffled by his gloves.

Having this deep in the forest where strong monsters prowled around the clock, it's safe to say that it was pretty much expected from adventurers that reach this area. So perhaps it’s no surprise to see that kind of team fight coming from them.

Having seen their fight just remind me how crucial the party is when taking an enemy much stronger than your own… somehow I getting an urge to form a party now.

But to scout other members, the person himself must possess a decent amount of strength if he wants to attract the caliber of warriors he desired. After all, no one would choose a weak branch to hold their fates. For that reason, Xen was using this journey as a chance to hone his skill by facing off against monsters. And this only gets harder and harder as he went closer to the misty region. However, The place he's going to is much more dangerous than this, so for that, I need to form a party like this one.

But for that to happen...

He left his eyes from the party and stared at his open palms.

“I really need to get stronger.” He whispered under his breath. He closed his hands and pumped himself up.

“Alright! Time to set off to the misty region!” he exclaimed with vitality.

he still has a long way distance to go through to reach the infamous misty region so it's best not to idle here much longer. Xen cast one final glance at the party before he set off. But just as he was about to leave, he noticed something strange.

The party can’t see it from there their angle, but from Xen position, he saw a creature seemed emerging gently from the wide slit on Urzyk’s side. Its figure was that of a child, more like a goblin. It slinked silently on four limbs, approaching the mage who placed herself near the corpse, probably to inspect. And no one in their party seemed to sense its presence yet even though it already encroached much closer, sneaking unto the mage.

"wha-- can't they not see that creature over there?"

Xen was dumbfounded as the adventurers were unaware of the creeping danger heading towards them. Are these guys not brilliant after all? He began to question if they guys were the same just the competent adventurer earlier.

It's common that someone may lower their guard in victory after a grueling fight. But after he witness how they move as a group, he judged that belong to the upper ranking of the adventurer hierarchy. So he can't imagine why a high failed to sense something that was actually close. 

And at this rate, the mage fell victim form the monster. 

Xen observed for a little moment, maybe.... just maybe they will notice it--  nope... they were not.   

Here I said I’m not going to interfere!

Xen finally had enough. He kick the branch and dashed forth.

After witnessing that impressive fight, He developed a bit of respect toward them So can't bare to see the excellent adventures to fall here from some unknown monster. 

While he zipped from tree to tree, the unknown creature finally made its move. 

It shrieked as it pounced, kicking the Urzyk’s shoulder to propel itself to the unsuspecting mage. With the sound it made, its presence was known and the mage turned her head in surprise, and so as her companions.

And they were greeted by a creature with a vicious facade. Its mouth was opened from ear to ear full of razor-sharp teeth. The elongated palms jutted out claws longer as its fingers were swiping down at her.

The adventurers were glued to their spot with horrified faces as they watched the monster close the gap.

it was an unfortunate disaster, They were just too late to react.

And Judging by his distance, it’s clear that Xen too, will never make it in time.

Nevertheless, he pushed forward and increase his speed further. He raised his palm, where the air wavered and develop into a dark void. A hilt spilled out a hilt which Xen immediately snatched and then thrust in a fluid motion.

[Gate]

Xen cast a spell internally. a total ripped open to the space just in time for his sword to pass through. On the other side of the portal was the figure of the monster, face contorted in surprise as Xen's figure popped out of thin air.  

And the expression remains frozen as the swords pierce through its chest. Fountain blood busts out of its back. Its extended arms fell short, stopping before the wide open wide of mage.

 

The mage probably has seen her life flash before her eyes. Even her companions must have thought it was her end and were stunned to react. Well, It's a given since everything happened so fast. Both the monster and the Xen appeared out of nowhere and they keep up with what had just transpired. 

 Xen pulled out his swords as the corpse dropped to the ground. After a swipe to get rid of the blood, he returned the sword to the dark hole that appeared before him as it was earlier.  It was then, he turned around to face the lady, seemingly staring at him in a daze. 

There wasn't any noticeable injury, so it is safe to say that he did make it in time before the monster could make contact. But perhaps that gave her a bit of trauma so asked. 

“Are you alright?” 

“Y-yes… thank you.” she said softly. 

“Livia!” Archer called out as she jugged towards her. Xen distance himself a bit to give them space. As they exchange a heartfelt moment with each other, the swordsman and the dwarf appeared and greeted him. 

“You really save us back there. I’m Aldo, the leader of this party. I can’t thank you enough for saving our friend.”

“Not at all.” Xen shrugged. His gaze fell on the monsters and started, “I actually watched you guys fight the monster from afar. After you it took down, I noticed that there was a creature crawling out of one of the wounds you inflicted on the Urzyks. I was surprised that non of you guys even notice it. So I decided to take the initiative to kill it. Well… Then again, I broke the unwritten rule so I have to apologize for that.”

Adventurers are people who venture to the unknown and hunt monsters in exchange for gold. Any materials they collected from monsters were also bought by the guild, so those who want to earn extra aside from the commissioned quest, have to fight the monsters meticulously to make sure not to damage the materials as possible. This can’t be donned without proper knowledge of monsters, and the preparation needed to hunt with the most effective method. Out of courtesy, adventurers were ought to avoid going near a battle with a risk of ruining their strategy. This is also the reason why adventurers try not to bump into each other. 

and this is the reason why Xen won't interfere to show respect to their code.

Aldo thought as he smile wryly. he waved his hand and dispelled his unwanted concern. 

“No no don’t be ridiculous, you just save us from doing that. Besides, the rules only apply on a hunt. Our battle was way over at that point."

“...Well, that’s true…” 

“Uhmm…” The mage hummed which caught Xen attention, “Thank you for saving me back there, I’m Livia.” The mage, Livia introduced herself. The elf beside her followed, gracefully bowed as she introduced herself as well.

“Greetings to you sire. My name is Alea, I’m grateful for saving my friend back there.”

“And this one right here is Delg.” The dwarf chimed in with a jaunty smile. His lustrous beard was neatly tapered under his chin. He wore a full set heavy armory which portrayed his role of the part as the tank.

“Yes, no worries. Oh right, I haven’t introduced my self yet. I’m Xen, a traveler. Our meeting might be short but it’s pleasure to meet you.” Xen bowed lightly.

“oh ho, The pleasure is ours lad.” delg shrugged, flashing an amused smile. 

“Hmm… Sir Xen is a traveler, is that right?” Aldo asked.

“Yes, I’m traversing this forest all the way to Naynhard.”

“Heh?”

Aldo blinked in surprise. He then asked again for confirmation as if misheard his words. 

"You mean this forest to... to Naynhard?"

“Yup, ah, It be rude for me to take your time any further so I would take my leave. Good speed guys.”

Xen ignored the stunned Aldo as he turned his heels and walked away.

Alea and Livia also stared in disbelief. this would be given a reaction after they heard something nothing short of absurdity.

It's one thing if he came out here to hunt, but to traverse this forest is akin to suicide. After all, they know full well as adventurers the nature of the forest. But this young man said so said casually like a greeting in the morning. 

A few steps after, Delg called out.

“Oi lad, are you serious?”

“I wouldn’t be here if I’m not?”

Xen's plain answer left Delg speechless. Perhaps he too realized that it was a stupid thing to ask since no person can travel for several weeks and struggle in an unhospitable environment with a half-assed will. It's way too late to turn back at this point.

Amidst the silence, Livia collected herself and suggested-

“R-right! We're actually going further from here. Why don’t we go together for the time being? What do you say?”

"uh..." 

“That’s a great idea, Solitude is fine and all, but it never hurts to have company in the meantime.”

“Indeed, Let us at least repay you for helping us. It’s getting tougher from here on out, you may not need our help but we can somehow lessen your troubles along the way.”

Alea and Aldo added a push to convince him. 

Xen doesn't really need their protection as he was here to face dangers himself. However, having a companion might bring a fresh experience for someone traveling alone all the time. The adventurer was curious about him, that's for sure, and he too felt the same way about them.  There was always something to learn from every encounter, especially for a party like theirs. perhaps he too can ask for their guidance about how to form one himself. 

that's right this isn't too bad.

“plus, You can watch us how we fight monsters on the front seat, eh,” Delg added. though it seems his remark wasn't welcomed by Alea so looked at him with a frown.

“Oi!”

“What?” 

As the two started bantering,  Xen smiled beneath his mask.

“Well, if you wouldn’t mind, then please take care of me."