كانت الشمس ساطعة في السماء، ترسل أشعتها الحارقة عبر ظلال الأشجار، تلسع وجوههم المتعرقة. لم يكن هناك نسيم، كما لو أن الغابة بأكملها تحبس أنفاسها بعد المعركة.
Adam walked briskly, his eyes scanning the path ahead, his voice firm as he said:
"We need to move quickly. The smell of blood will attract other creatures... and we don't have the strength to fight again today."
Anna tightly gripped the bag, her brow drenched in sweat, while she said in a soft voice:
"My legs are still shaking... I never thought I'd fight a creature like that."
Adam turned to her while continuing to walk, his tone calm but resolute:
"You did well. But don't let confidence deceive you. This place doesn't forgive those who grow complacent."
Pedro, meanwhile, clenched his teeth, carrying the wolf on his shoulder. Fatigue was evident on his body, but in his eyes, there was a different spark… the spark of victory.
"If one of them comes back, I'll break it too," he said with a tired but genuine smile.
Adam didn't reply immediately, but instead, he looked at Pedro for a few moments before speaking in a serious tone:
"Pride doesn't make heroes, Pedro… it kills them. Remember, what we faced today was only the beginning. The monster we killed... was one of the weakest."
A moment of silence passed, and Adam's mind drifted back to what he had read in the library about the classification of monsters. Their ranking was similar to humans, but before the first level, there was a category known as "common monsters" or "unclassified," the weakest among creatures.
A heavy silence hung between them, broken only by the sound of footsteps and the jingling of the bag with Anna's movements. The weight they felt wasn't from the dead wolf, but from the realization of the harsh truth of this world—that every victory held an even greater test behind it.
With every step, Adam's mind returned to the last line he read:
*They move in groups.*
He muttered barely audibly, quickening his pace:
"We need to reach the city as fast as possible…"
---
After a little time, Adam saw the western gate of Greenwood, the same gate they had left through earlier that morning for their mission. The scene was familiar, but they were no longer the same as when they left.
At the gate stood the guards, Green and his companion, who were on duty for the afternoon shift. Green recognized Adam immediately, still remembering the young man who left without proper preparation.
But when his eyes fell on Pedro, or rather what he was carrying, he pointed at the corpse with curiosity:
"Ah, isn't this a familiar face? What's the story with this corpse?"
Adam replied briefly:
"Adventurers of the Black Iron rank. We completed the herb-gathering task and encountered this wolf on our way."
Green's companion stepped forward to examine the corpse closely, then pursed his lips and said:
"A Shadow Wolf? We haven't seen one near the city's borders in weeks."
Green smiled slightly, whispering to his companion:
"Beginners… and it looks like they're luckier than some higher-ranked adventurers."
Then, looking at Adam again, he said with more seriousness:
"But it seems like the battle wasn't easy."
Green glanced at the scratches and exhaustion on Pedro and Anna, while Adam answered tersely:
"It wasn't."
He didn't elaborate further, as if the details of the fight were of no importance now.
Green gestured with his hand:
"We won't keep you, but you should head to the guild or a restaurant to turn in the corpse. You can't walk around with it in the streets."
Adam nodded with a calm smile, then hurried into Greenwood, heading straight to the Adventurers' Guild.
...
The guild was relatively quiet. The hall was half-filled, and the air was cool and refreshing, in contrast to the midday heat outside.
Behind the desk sat Reem, reviewing task logs. She raised her head as the three approached, her eyes widening when she saw the wolf they were carrying.
"You?!" she said in surprise as she approached them. "You brought a monster? This isn't part of your task, is it?"
Adam placed the bag of herbs on the table and said:
"We encountered it near the forest's edge. We weren't looking for a fight, but it attacked us."
Reem approached and examined the corpse, then raised her eyes toward Adam with increased interest:
"And these two?" she asked, gesturing toward Pedro and Anna. "I haven't seen them in the adventurers' records. Who are they?"
Adam hesitated for a moment before answering confidently:
"My companions. I'm not the type to work alone."
Reem raised an eyebrow and said with a light smile:
"Interesting… I didn't expect you to form a group this quickly. Anyway, if you plan to work with them, it needs to be officially registered."
Adam replied calmly:
"Then I'll bother you a bit… and request to register them as well."
Reem responded cheerfully:
"No problem, that's part of my job."
She then gestured to two chairs near the desk:
"Sit for a while. I'll review the task details, send the wolf for examination, and bring the papers to register your companions as adventurers."
Before she walked away, she turned to Adam one last time and said in a less formal tone:
"By the way… I'm not sure if you're lucky… or if you simply like trouble."
Adam smiled gently and said:
"Maybe both."
---
Reem sat behind her desk, writing quickly on the papers while her eyes moved between the documents and the task details she was reviewing. She checked the task report Adam had submitted, then began writing an official report.
(The task was successfully completed, despite the difficult circumstances, and the team succeeded in gathering the herbs despite encountering the Shadow Wolf. The attack was unexpected, but they handled it efficiently. The wolf's corpse was submitted for review and will be sent to analysts for evaluation.)
She raised her head and gave Adam a brief smile:
"The task details have been sent to the higher authorities for review. As for Pedro and Anna, their registration is underway. Since they're not official knights, they'll be registered as Black Iron rank."
"Okay."
She pulled some papers from the records and began writing Pedro and Anna's details to register them in the guild's official records.
While Reem was busy with her work, her report was sent to the guild, and it was held by a person responsible for reviewing Black Iron adventurer tasks. As he read the report aloud, he was slightly shocked, and by coincidence, a strong-built man, slightly taller than average, with long brown hair and wearing a light but sturdy leather armor, passed by.
"Oooh, what's wrong? Why are you surprised while reading the report?"
This person knew who he was: Nicholas Dalmas, the responsible one for reviewing Bronze rank adventurer reports.
The man looked at the person and, upon recognizing him, stood up quickly.
"Oh, Sir Nicholas."
"No need for the formalities, relax," Nicholas said with a smile.
"Yes, Sir."
The person loosened up slightly, though not much, because he knew who Nicholas was: a Knight at the peak of level two.
"Sir, about this report…"
"Oooh, do you mind if I take a look?"
"Of course not, Sir. Go ahead."
Nicholas calmly looked at the report.
"Oooh, interesting. Where are these people?"
"Sir, they're in the guild hall."
"Good, finish your work, and leave this to me."
"Certainly, Sir."
Meanwhile, Adam and Reem were busy registering Pedro and Anna in the Adventurers' Guild. When they finished, the back door of the guild suddenly opened, and a man entered quietly. Despite his elegant appearance, the atmosphere around him was charged with a powerful, oppressive aura. It was hard to ignore the effect he had, as though he carried a great power that could dominate the entire place. Fortunately, that feeling quickly disappeared when the door closed behind him.
But in that brief moment, everyone in the hall, including Adam, Pedro, and Anna, felt as though the Grim Reaper had placed a dagger on their necks, ready to take their lives at any moment, waiting only for the signal. But that feeling vanished as quickly as it came.
When Reem saw him, she quickly moved toward him and bowed slightly but respectfully.
"Welcome, Sir Nicholas Dalmas. How can I serve you?"
"Oooh, relax, no need to be tense. I'm just here to see the beginners who killed the Shadow Wolf. Where are they?"
"Yes, Sir, let me take you to them."
Although Reem's tension eased because of Nicholas' manner, it didn't completely disappear. After all, he was a knight at the peak of level two.
Soon, Reem led Nicholas to where Adam was. When Adam felt his aura, he activated his special skill.
"Examine."
Name: Nicholas Dalmas
Age: 110/35
Talent: Blue (Good)
Level: Knight at level two (Peak)
Strength: 39
Speed: 35
Endurance: 38
Skills:
- Swordsmanship (Expert in sword use due to years of training)
- Heavy Armor (Great at taking hits due to heavy armor)
- Leadership (Can lead a small group efficiently)
- Flexibility (Innate) Enhances healing by 5%
Adam froze in place as he finished reading Nicholas's stats.
"This is a monster!"
But he quickly snapped out of his shock when he saw him walking toward him.
"These three are the ones who did it. Their task was to gather herbs, and they encountered the wolf on their way."
Adam looked at Nicholas, but took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
"Hello, my name is Nicholas Dalmas, and I work for the guild."
"Hello, Mr. Nicholas, I'm Adam, and these are the members of my team, Pedro and Ana."
Adam lowered his head slightly as a sign of respect, merely for his rank as a second-level knight.
"Oh, no need to be formal. Don't worry, I just came to check the wolf you killed on your first mission. If you don't mind."
"Of course, feel free."
Adam stepped aside and pointed to the wolf's carcass on the table.
Nicholas walked up to the table slowly and examined the body lying there. His eyes were sharp, but he didn't scowl; he was very curious. He raised his head after a moment and said:
"Oh, impressive. You destroyed its skull; that's not common."
Adam wasn't surprised that Nicholas knew the wolf's cause of death; after all, he was at the peak of second level.
Nicholas shook his head, smiling calmly:
"Well, this is surprising... Usually, beginners face many challenges before reaching this level. Well done."
"We don't deserve your praise."
"Humility is also part of strength."
Then he looked at Adam with a scrutinizing gaze and thought to himself:
(I don't understand how a team of beginners can be this strong. But if that's the case, they must have something special. Maybe I'll keep an eye on them.)
"A good start for your first mission."
Adam replied with a calm smile:
"We're just putting in a little extra effort, that's all."
Nicholas smiled and said:
"Anyway, you've satisfied my curiosity. Goodbye."
Nicholas left as quickly as he came. Adam looked at Reem and asked her curiously:
"Who is this person, Reem?"
"He's Nicholas Dalmas, a knight at the peak of the second level, and also the evaluation officer for bronze-ranked adventurers."
"Oh, I see."
"Alright, I'll go get your rewards."
Reem quickly left to finish her work. When Adam looked back at Pedro and Ana, he saw them frozen in shock. He gave them a calm smile and gestured:
"Clearly, this person is on a whole other level of strength, and compared to him, you two are very weak. But that's just for now. So you must work hard and train rigorously. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir."
Both Pedro and Ana responded at the same time, determination filling their faces as they longed for power.
Reem finally finished registering Pedro and Ana in the guild records. She then returned to Adam and said:
"Officially registered, Pedro and Ana. You are now part of the Adventurers' Guild, ranked 'Black Iron.' Based on the mission you completed, you will receive an additional reward for the three extra herbs and the wolf you killed. Let me go get your rewards."
Reem took some papers and headed toward the chest where the money and rewards were stored. She then returned to them and handed them two small bags containing the earned amount.
"Here are your rewards. In addition to the base reward for the mission, there is an extra amount for killing the wolf. Though it's a low-ranked creature, killing it is still an accomplishment."
She placed the bags in front of Pedro and Ana and continued with a slight smile:
"Congratulations. This is a good start."
"Thank you, Reem."
Adam took the two small bags and left with Pedro and Ana without even picking up another mission.