Damian left the Trade and Commerce Guild feeling considerably richer than when he entered, despite the inconvenient fact that his bank account remained nearly empty.
Still, theoretical wealth was still wealth.
Now he just needed customers.
Surprisingly, however, he did not immediately start looking for a storefront.
Instead, his next destination was somewhere far more familiar...
The Adventurer’s Guild!
Over the past few days, Damian had acquired cultivation, multiple Feats, seven new spell manuals, a noble title, commercial certification, another Special Power and enough cross-realm merchandise to make respectable merchants question their life choices.
The problem though, was that he had barely fought anything.
His track record was merely twenty-seven giant rats, several Fierce Beast boars alongside Evergreen disciples, and one terrifying corpse-puppet assassin.
That was practically nothing.
Damian possessed increasingly impressive numbers on paper, but there was a difference between having power and knowing how to use it when something was actively trying to shove a weapon through your organs.
He needed experience, actual experience, and not mere EXP.
The method to gain experience? Through blood, sweat and tears!
Humanity had been using that training method since before anyone invented Skill Points, and Damian suspected it remained effective.
Besides, the newly acquired <Skill Upgrade System> gave monster hunting another purpose.
He could certainly sit at home and use the brain God gave him to study his seven spell manuals like every respectable Mage in Valoria.
Or...
He could murder wildlife and convert their souls into magical education.
Frankly, Damian believed in working smarter.
...
The Adventurer’s Guild was as chaotic as he remembered.
The constant clash of armor, laughter, arguments, quest notifications and people dragging questionable monster anatomy across the floor was almost refreshing after the Mage Association’s luxury and the Trade Guild’s bureaucratic cleanliness.
Damian briefly considered upgrading from Copper to Silver, then dismissed the thought.
His Level was technically sufficient now, but his real combat experience absolutely was not.
More importantly, he still wanted to complete the Guild’s ordinary ten-Copper-quest progression requirement properly.
A few days of Copper missions would let him settle into his new abilities, learn Rosewood’s surroundings and stop feeling like a man carrying a loaded gun after reading half the instruction manual.
His mother’s situation still lingered heavily in the background, but the pressure had changed.
While browsing Level 3 spell manuals earlier, Damian had discovered <Revivify>.
The spell could return a companion who had died within the previous hour to life with barely enough vitality to survive.
Obviously, that did nothing for Angela Baines as she was alive, and it also did nothing for his father, whose death had occurred many years ago.
Yet the existence of the spell itself changed everything.
Level 3 magic could already reverse recent death.
So what existed at Level 4? Level 5? or even Level 6?
And if dedicated stronger resurrection magic did not exist, could certain resurrection spells eventually be upcast through higher Spell Slots?
Damian did not know.
But for the first time, resurrection had gone from desperate fantasy to something he had personally seen listed in a shop catalog.
That was enough to calm him greatly.
He had a road, so now he simply needed to become strong enough to walk it.
Damian approached the Copper quest boards and studied them thoroughly.
Interestingly, Rosewood Town was built where it was for a reason.
The surrounding territory contained several enormous wilderness zones rich in herbs, monster materials, ores, magical plants and Mana Cores.
Those same resources also produced the delightful side effect of filling the countryside with things eager to kill the people gathering them.
All zones were broadly divided into five difficulty tiers: Challenging, Hard, Dangerous, Nightmare and Impossible.
These classifications were not absolute guarantees, but practical warnings based on the monsters, terrain, environmental hazards and survival rates recorded by the Guild.
A Challenging zone could still kill an unprepared adventurer, while even an Impossible zone might contain safer pockets for experienced parties.
The difference was that the higher tiers offered fewer mistakes, fewer reliable escape routes and increasingly dangerous threats that could overwhelm an entire party before help arrived.
The Guild broadly recognized five major exploration regions around Rosewood, while the nearby Greenmoss Flats functioned as something of an unofficial beginner ground.
Greenmoss Flats was the weakest zone, populated primarily by ordinary Slimes, Common Goblins, Giant Rats and similarly unimpressive monsters rarely exceeding CR 2 in practical threat, not even qualified for a ranking.
After that came the true exploration zones.
First was the Moonveil Forest, which was of the Challenging tier in terms of difficulty, with most of its outer regions inhabited by monsters between Levels 1 and 5. This was also where the four ladies fetched Damian from.
Second were the Ironfang Highlands that were of the Hard tier, though still manageable for experienced Silver-ranked Adventurers, and its typical threats ranged from Level 4 to Level 9.
Beyond the highlands lay Gloamfen Mire, the most dangerous region surrounding Rosewood. The swamp was classified as Dangerous, and its monsters generally ranged from Level 8 to Level 13. It was the only area near the town that carried such a designation.
The remaining regions were difficult, but not considered true high-danger zones.
Gravesong Valley was a remote, hazardous valley where monsters usually ranged from Level 10 to Level 15, while the Starfall Exclusion Zone was an unstable area with unpredictable Mana conditions and unusually powerful creatures.
The Guild did not assign either location a standard difficulty rating, preferring to warn Adventurers that conditions could change without notice.
Damian folded his arms and moved his eyes towards Moonveil’s details.
The forest was only the second-lowest danger zone in Rosewood’s wider territory, but unlike Greenmoss, it was large enough to possess genuinely dangerous internal regions.
Moonveil’s outer forest was Copper territory, its deeper sections increasingly became Silver and even Gold territory depending upon season, mana conditions and monster migration.
Damian browsed the Copper board from S Rank downward.
[Request: Locate the Missing Blackroot Reconnaissance Squad.
Description: Following multiple unresolved disappearances along Blackroot Trail, a five-person Guild reconnaissance squad was dispatched to determine whether the incidents were caused by monsters, bandits or organized hostile activity. The squad missed two scheduled reports and has not responded to Guild communication.
Objective: Locate the squad, determine their status, recover survivors where possible and identify the source of the Blackroot disturbances.
Rank: Copper (S).
Reward: 1 Gold, 20 Silver.]
Interesting...
[Request: Eliminate Alpha Dire Wolf — North Moonveil Boundary.
Description: An unusually powerful Alpha Dire Wolf has established a hunting territory along the northern boundary of Moonveil Forest. Recent reports indicate that the beast may be acting as a scout or hunting companion for a nearby band of Dark Goblins, who have been sighted moving through the area under cover of night. Eliminate the Alpha Dire Wolf, investigate its den for evidence of Dark Goblin activity and recover any Guild-marked supplies found within.
Rank: Copper (A).
Reward: 80 Silver.]
Then came something familiar.
[Request: Investigate Missing Hunters near Blackroot Trail.
Description: Several licensed hunters have failed to return from expeditions along Blackroot Trail. Evidence now suggests the disappearances may be connected rather than isolated incidents.
Rank: Copper (B).
Reward: 50 Silver Guild Reward, 4 Silver Family Contribution.]
That quest had still been on the board when Damian first registered.
That... was not good.
[Request: Harvest Bloodcap Ferns from Silverbrook Ravine.
Rank: Copper (C).
Reward: 6 Silver per intact specimen.]
[Request: Investigate Increased Goblin Activity near Blackroot Trail.
Description: Travelers and herb gatherers report an unusual increase in Dark Goblin sightings along the southern Blackroot approach. Adventurers are requested to identify camps, estimate numbers and eliminate hostile groups when practical.
Rank: Copper (D).
Reward: 25 Silver base reward plus confirmed extermination bonuses.]
Damian’s eyes narrowed.
There it was.
First missing hunters, then increased Goblin activity.
After that, the Guild sent a squad to investigate and that bunch disappeared as well.
You smell that? Smells like plot!
Damian snorted to himself and continued downward.
The E-rank board still contained variations of Forest Slime exterminations, including another outbreak near the western irrigation network, while the F-rank section included the old reliable Moonshade Mushroom gathering requests he remembered from his first visit.
Damian selected three, one Copper D Rank, one Copper B Rank and one Copper S Rank.
All three pointed toward Blackroot Trail inside Moonveil Forest.
If he was already going there, he might as well stack the objectives.
Thankfully, his Guild Card registered the quests without complaint.
Now came the next question.
Should he do this solo?
Damian hesitated.
He originally intended to adventure mostly alone.
However, the entire point of today’s expedition was learning, and fighting beside people who already knew what they were doing might teach him more than stumbling around the forest pretending his Level made him competent.
Apparently, the universe agreed.
"Excuse me, Mage!" A male voice called out with a tone of amicability.
Damian turned to see that four young Adventurers stood nearby in the familiar party format.
At the front stood a broad-shouldered young man carrying a sword wearing medium armor made of studded leather. His Guild Card identified him as Marcus, a Level 4 Fighter.
Beside him stood a leaner man in green-brown plate armor, carrying a spear and three-pronged tower shield. He was Owen, a Level 3 Warden.
The third member was a brown-haired woman with a longbow strapped across her back in green leather armor. Her name was Lena, a Level 4 Ranger.
Finally came a smaller blonde woman carrying a mace at her side along with a white-gold holy book named Clara, who was a Level 2 Cleric.
So, a frontline dps Fighter, a frontline MT Warden, a backline dps Ranger, and a backline support Cleric.
Damian almost wanted to applaud the spread.
As they always say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
Marcus gestured toward Damian’s quest display.
"We noticed you accepted the Blackroot S-rank request. We’re heading there as well, but we’re missing dedicated magical firepower. Would you be interested in joining us for the expedition?" Marcus asked openly.
Damian considered it, then decided honesty would save everyone trouble.
"I’d be interested, but you should know something first. I’m Level 6, but I’ve barely fought anything. I reached Journeyman through unusual circumstances, so if you’re expecting an experienced Mage who has been adventuring for years, I’m not him," Damian explained.
The four youthful faces froze.
Clara’s mouth dropped in shock. "Y-You’re... level six?"
Damian nodded. "Correct."
Lena immediately grinned. "Yo, that’s still Level 6!"
"Lena, he literally just warned us not to rely on his experience," Owen reminded her.
"And I heard him. I would simply prefer my inexperienced Mage to be Level 6 rather than Level 2." Lena retorted with a roll of her eyes.
Damian laughed at that, feeling that this was indeed a fair argument.
Introductions were exchanged, party registration was completed through their Guild Cards, and within ten minutes the five of them were outside.
Marcus pointed west.
"Blackroot’s southern trailhead is about eighteen kilometers from Rosewood’s west gate. If we keep a good pace, we should reach Moonveil Forest before midday."
Damian stared at him as if he was looking at a barbarian.
"Walk?"
As one, the four people stared back in confusion.
"Well... yes?" Marcus replied slowly.
Damian scoffed and turned toward the carriage lane.
...
"You hired a carriage." Lena sounded personally offended.
Damian sat comfortably opposite her. "We have eighteen kilometers of road before the actual mission begins. Why would I deliberately arrive tired?"
"Because we’re Adventurers!" Lena protested.
"We’re Adventurers, not migrating wildebeest." Damian countered while folding his arms.
Clara covered her mouth, desperately hiding laughter.
Marcus looked out the carriage window, apparently reevaluating several life decisions.
Owen eventually nodded. "He has a point."
"Traitor," Lena muttered.
The carriage deposited them roughly two kilometers from Moonveil’s recognized southern entrance where the road became too narrow and root-covered for ordinary wheels.
The rest they walked.
Moonveil Forest earned its name immediately.
Outside its boundary, afternoon sunlight illuminated ordinary green woodland.
Three steps beneath the enormous silver-barked trees changed everything as the sky seemed to dim toward early evening.
A pale moon appeared impossibly between the canopy despite the sun still shining outside, casting silver-blue light across purple ferns, deep-blue flowers and carpets of luminous moss.
Tiny insects resembling drifting sparks floated between tree trunks whereas glowing mushrooms clustered beneath roots.
Even the air carried faint violet mist.
Damian forgot to speak for a moment in awe...
...And then, his Feats began ’interacting’.
<Truesight> peeled away superficial magical distortions, revealing layers of mana woven through branches, roots and pools of silver water.
<Fey Touched>, meanwhile, responded differently as thin violet pathways appeared between the trees.
Some crossed ordinary trails while others curved through spaces that should not physically connect, disappearing into hollow trunks, mist banks or patches of moonlight.
Damian somehow understood instinctively that those were paths used by Fey creatures.
They were not roads for humans, not unless the human in question wanted to become a cautionary tavern story.
Then something floated toward him, a tiny ball of yellow-purple light wobbled through the air, two translucent wings beating behind a vaguely feminine miniature silhouette hidden within the glow.
Damian’s eyes widened.
Holy shit, a fairy!
An actual tiny fairy!
It drifted close enough to inspect him, circling his head once before hovering directly before his nose.
Damian smiled unconsciously.
"So that’s what you look like..."
The fairy tilted sideways as though confused.
Beautiful.
Utterly, impossibly beautiful.
For several minutes, Damian nearly forgot that they had entered the forest to investigate missing people.
Then <Truesight> caught something else.
Far between the trees, black energy condensed that was neither shadow nor ordinary darkness.
No, some hostile energy was being tightly compressed around a narrow object.
Damian’s smile vanished as his enhanced Wisdom deduced the shape, direction and target almost instantly.
An arrow that was pointed directly toward their ’weakest’ party member, Clara.
Damian raised his staff towards the cleric hastily.
"GET DOWN!" he roared.
The others reacted just as a black-light-wreathed arrow screamed between the trees toward the Cleric!
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter