Inside the Alis Guild, on another evening in the town of Iveleth, Laos and the others were registering their names to take on the Daemon quest. It seemed that all the beginner adventurers were staring at them with sorrow, as if they were signing their names in the book of death. This made it clear that Daemon was a significant problem for a bunch of adventurers ranked Porcelain or lower.
"And who is the supervisor?" the guild receptionist asked.
"Me, Ponier Earnard, a Bronze-ranked adventurer," Ponier replied.
After that, the receptionist stamped the quest paper after writing all their names on it, then coldly said: "Good luck, and I hope you return."
Oh god, that reaction again. They're crushing my enthusiasm like this. I can't even imagine myself defeating that goblin if this keeps up. As we were leaving the guild, the rookie adventurers started chanting, "Good luck," Great!
Fuck them. This is exactly what I needed. This guild is full of rookie adventurers—adventurers whose only purpose is to die and make you feel strong. What a bunch of NPCs... Oh... Whatever, whatever. We just need to get this fucking quest over with. If we do it, we'll be insanely famous—the strongest rookie adventurers in the town!
"Hey, where did the knights go? I haven't seen them in a while," I muttered as we walked through the town.
"The case has been resumed. The guild master will be tried in the capital, so they decided to withdraw," Penny answered.
"Oh god, what kind of dumb decision is that? Why would they leave the town defenseless?" I said.
"Who said they left it defenseless? Obviously, they left some secret guards behind and just pretended to evacuate so that the Dark Eye could commit more crimes in peace," Grell said.
"Oh," I muttered.
"Alright, let's leave the town and start planning," Penny said.
"Wait, I want to buy some health and magic potions," Ponier said.
After that, we headed to a potion shop. Ponier and Grell went inside to buy what they needed. I didn't buy anything—I don't need them. I'll just rely on my healing spell, and if I really need one, I'll just take a single potion. Or... will I be a burden to them if I don't buy any? Should I get one too?... Ugh, no, no. I don't need it. Alright, hurry up. I just want to get this stupid quest over with already.
They bought their potions and came back, and we continued moving. My Astral sword hung at my waist, my backup sword strapped to my back along with my lunch bag. Ahead of me was my party—a diverse group: a rogue, a thief, an archer, a warrior, and me, a swordsman. A perfect day, really. This will be an amazing adventure... or at least, I hope it will be.
"Alright, let's go! Our opponent is an evolved goblin, so don't hold back—fight with everything you've got!" Grell said.
"Thalesa, how did this goblin evolve?" I asked.
"Well, when a monster kills another monster, it gains a portion of the nemesis power from the one it killed. Apparently, this goblin has been killing other monsters and accumulating a large amount of nemesis, making it stronger," Thalesa explained.
"We need a solid plan first," Ponier said.
"Of course."
"By the way, how many adventurers have died against Daemon?" I asked.
"Twelve adventurers, from four different parties," Miro answered.
"Oh god... But if it's such a big threat, why hasn't a stronger adventurer killed it already?" I asked.
"Most Silver-ranked and above adventurers are busy with the western dungeons and the Yavan forests, so no one cares about a quest for six Novas," Penny said.
But at least someone should kill it, right?! Damn, everything in this world is so dumb. There are solutions to every problem, but all they do is make stupid decisions. I really hope there are things happening behind the scenes because hearing answers like this makes me lose faith in the creatures of this world. I hope the Elven forests are a peaceful place, free of nonsense like this.
"In which dungeon is Daemon?" I asked as we left Iveleth, but we weren't heading toward the southern dungeon.
"Southwest. There's an area with a bunch of rocks and rocky cliffs. The cave where Daemon lives is there," Grell answered.
After a while of walking, we got farther from the town, and those cliffs started coming into view. What a place… There were some plants around, but there were also a lot of tall rocks. Damn, it's sunset already. Do they really plan to fight this goblin at night? Have they lost their minds? I couldn't take it anymore and said:
"Let's leave this for tomorrow. Are you sure you want to fight him at night? It'll be way harder."
"Oh, we forgot to tell you," Miro muttered.
"Yeah, it's impossible to find Daemon in the morning. No one has ever seen him under sunlight or during the day. The only way to see him is at night when he's asleep in his nest," Penny explained.
So that's how it is... The sun kept setting, painting the sky in shades of orange. So it'll be a nighttime battle, huh? Alright, you fucking NPC, it's just a goblin. Not even a group—just one. Damn, this fear is starting to creep up on me. But man, with all these new abilities and the awesome form I got, plus four other adventurers beside me, if we lose, there's no reason for us to keep living. That would be way too embarrassing.
"Alright, night is almost here. Let's start planning," Grell said, stopping and turning to us.
"So... as usual, there's the front and the back. I'll stay in the back and fire my arrows. Who's volunteering for the front?" Grell added.
"Let's see. First, there are five of us. Only one has a guaranteed, safe position, and that's you, Grell. The rest of us are all melee fighters," Miro said.
"No, I'm a long-range fighter. I have a sword similar to an enchanted sword, so I can stay in the back and cast my spells," I said. For a moment, I just didn't feel like fighting in the front.
"Alright then, Grell and Laos will be in the back, and the three of us will move in," Penny said.
"What about strategy?" Ponier asked.
"The strategy… First, when we find his nest, we'll use the same tactic every adventurer has used against him: hitting his nest with the strongest long-range attack we have to start the fight while dealing as much damage as possible," Grell said.
"Alright, so that'll be me," I said.
"Yeah. When we spot the nest, Laos will cast one of his spells. Then, when Daemon appears, Miro, you'll charge at him with your axe. If we see that you're struggling, Ponier and Penny will jump in since we don't want too many people getting injured at once. So, Miro, we're counting on you to weaken him," Grell said. Sad. They always use Miro as bait.
"I heard he's fast, so I don't think I'll stand a chance," Miro said.
"Come on, man. Of course, you won't stand a chance. Even full parties have struggled against him. We just need you to weaken him—at least land a single hit," Grell added.
"By the way, will both of you be able to hit him with your shots instead of hitting, Miro?" Penny asked.
"I never miss my target. What about you, Laos?" Grell responded. Why does he sound so arrogant?
"Don't worry... Alright, which form should I use?" I replied while drawing Astral sword and switching between its forms: the normal form, the Sea Blade, and the Cold Needle.
"Wow! What is that sword?" Penny exclaimed in amazement.
"Cool, right? It looks like one of the enchanted swords," Ponier replied.
"Amazing! This is incredible! What an awesome sword!" Penny repeated enthusiastically.
"Alright, explain the differences between them," Grell said.
"Hmm, first, there's the normal form, which has no special features. The second form, the Sea Blade, specializes in condensing water, making the Water Slash stronger. And the last one, the Cold Needle, cools the water and makes my shots frozen, so I can launch icy Water Slashes," I explained.
"Alright, use the third form. We need solid shots. But if your magic runs out, you'll have to use the iron sword and fight face-to-face against Daemon," Grell replied.
I really hope that doesn't happen. If it does, my hair will return to its natural color, and I don't want that at all. Otherwise, the secret will be exposed. Even though they don't know how the power system of spirits works, they would still become suspicious if they realized that the sword affects my body. Please, Thalesa, stay strong and don't lose your power.
"But why did you reveal the sword's forms?!" Thalesa's voice suddenly rang in my head.
"You dumbass, do you want me to fight with the normal form all the time?? I need to use the other forms! And don't worry, it seems like they don't know this is a spirit weapon. It looks like your power system is completely unknown. I could probably reveal all of this to the whole town, and no one would realize that I'm a spirit user because of how obscure your existence is."
"Of course, we would be. Even our mother is considered one of the Forgotten Gods," Thalesa replied.
"Huh?"
"Alright, is everything clear? When I give the signal, you two—Ponier and Penny—run to help Miro," Grell instructed.
"You got it!" Penny responded excitedly.
"Understood," Ponier whispered.
"So, we have a total of seven health potions and three magic potions. If anyone gets injured, withdraw immediately and take one from the bag. I'll guard it while shooting arrows," Grell said as he placed the potions into a special bag.
"Alright, let's go!"
After that, we got up and continued toward the rocks. What a strange feeling. How can I describe it? It's like when someone gets punched at school, so they go to bring their friends to gang up on you, but when they return, they find you hanging out with your own friends. That's exactly how I feel right now. In short… a mix of excitement and fear.
As we waited, the moonlight shone, spreading darkness across the sky. I could hear the sound of crickets, and I won't forget the hooting of an owl. My god, this place feels like a horror movie. After some time of walking quietly, we finally arrived. There were towering rocks, high hills, and rocky elevations covered in moss. I also couldn't ignore the blood illuminated by the moonlight, making it visible to us.
"Laos, lower your aura," Ponier whispered.
"What? Oh, sorry, but I'm not good at controlling my aura," I replied.
"Do you guys think Daemon can sense auras?" Miro asked.
"No. Only a few people I know have the ability to sense auras, and Ponier is one of them. It's not an easy ability to obtain. Even the strongest adventurers in the town, like Etomi and Ralce, can't sense auras, so I doubt Daemon can," Grell answered.
"Alright, Laos, don't you dare flare your aura..." Ponier muttered.
"Is Laos' aura strong, Ponier?" Penny asked. My god, they're talking like I'm some kind of Swordmaster on his way to kill the Demon King.
"Yes," Ponier replied.
This has been a thing since my first days in this world. Sabrina, Tiana, and even Gaziel noticed it. It seems I have a special aura, but like I said before, maybe it's just the aura of people from another world. So, this is normal and doesn't mean I have hidden powers… though, honestly, I wish I did.
"Wait, Laos, can you take him down by unleashing your aura at full force?" Grell asked.
"No, I can't even control it," I answered.
But wait… should I refine my aura? Maybe I could kill monsters with a single burst. It'd be just like Reiatsu in Bleach! Just imagine that—it would be awesome. Really awesome. After that conversation, we continued moving through dried blood and scattered bones. Then, I caught a disgusting scent. It seemed like the entire party smelled it too.
"Hey! There's the cave," Ponier said, pointing at a dark entrance to a small cave while covering his nose.
"Let's go!" Grell said as he stepped forward.
Oh god, why am I suddenly so scared? I keep looking around at every little thing. What if Daemon suddenly jumps out? Or stabs me from behind? This is terrifying. I started scanning every inch of the area until we finally reached the cave and entered. That's when my nose felt like it was about to explode. The smell… it was so strong—so strong that we all covered our noses at the same time. We couldn't go any further; the scent was like toxic gas.
Then, I spotted several corpses... naked bodies with pale skin and crushed heads. Shit!! What a horrific sight. I can't stay here any longer. Suddenly, Penny collapsed and started throwing up... For real? This is not the time for this, you dumbass! We just invaded Daemon's lair—it could attack us at any moment. Get up, you fucking dumb.
"Prepare yourselves… Penny, get up quickly. We need to keep moving," Grell ordered as he covered his nose with the bandana tied around his head.
We all continued deeper into the cave, yet there was no movement. All we found were the corpses of parties that Daemon had killed. This was beyond disgusting. The stench was overpowering—even with my nose covered, I couldn't endure it. After a while, I started sniffing Astral sword to try and block out the overwhelming smell, but it didn't work. The scent still flooded my nostrils.
"There's nothing here, dammit!" Grell muttered after stopping in front of a dead-end wall. It looked like we had reached the end of the nest.
"Let's get out of here. This stench is unbearable," Ponier said.
"That's what bothers you? The smell? Let's search some more," Grell grumbled, scanning the surroundings.
"Sorry, buddy, but speak for yourself. I can't take it anymore. We Foxen have a strong sense of smell," Ponier added before running toward the cave exit like a dumbass.
"Looks like our supervisor abandoned us. Let's get out of here, Grell. We won't find anything inside," Miro said.
After that, we left the cave, stepping into the moonlit night filled with the sounds of crickets and owls. That's when we saw something—a sight… a terrifying sight, to be honest. With unwavering focus, Ponier stood firm, gripping his twin short swords tightly. Directly ahead of him, atop a rocky elevation, sat a figure in a regal posture. He had long, pointed ears like an elf and held sharp daggers in both hands.
"It's Daemon!" Ponier said, his eyes locked onto the figure sitting calmly on the rock.