By the time the sun broke over the horizon and the day was about to begin, Armin and Mori were already gone. Their departure from the Aeteron estate was silent, leaving the quiet halls behind as they set out on the long road ahead. A private estate carriage dropped them off at the guild branch located in the eastern plains, where Mori picked up his pre-registered identification, before it turned back to return to the Aeteron estate. From the eastern plains, they chartered another carriage to take them across the territory and into the bustling capital. The capital was a massive hub of commerce, lined with endless rows of stores, merchants, and lively businesses and the Grand Academy casting its prestigious shadow. By the time they finished navigating the busy streets, the sun was setting, casting a warm, amber glow over the capital. They took a brief break to rest, letting themselves recover before the real journey began.
The next morning, they chartered a final carriage out of the capital and pushed toward the western plains, which sat directly on the path to their true destination, the Deep Dark Forest. The dark forest was known not just for its perilous, dense woodland but because it was also teeming with monsters, be it low rank ones, low rank adventurers would consider it dangerous. The Elven Kingdom stretched north of its borders from the dark forest. The western plains boasted their own active guild branch, so Mori and Armin decided to make a stop there. They checked in to secure a room at a local inn and picked up a few basic hunting quests from the board to make the trip official. Since Mori hadn't actually taken the standard practical assessment exam, the system defaulted him to the very bottom: E-rank.
As they walked outside the inn, Mori adjusted his gear and looked back at armin. "I want to handle the beasts myself since they're low levels. Don't step in unless it gets completely out of control." Armin nodded respectfully, accepting the command. "Understood, young master. I will only intervene if absolutely necessary."
Leaving the western plains behind, it didn't take long for the open grasslands to give way to a suffocating canopy of dense, gnarled trees. The air grew thick, damp, and cold. "This place already feels tense," Mori observed, his eyes scanning the thick undergrowth and the shadows stretching between the massive roots. "Yes, young master," Armin replied, his hand resting casually but alertly on the pommel of his blade. "The low-rank beasts here usually hunt in groups, like the goblins and wolves. If we get deeper, we might even encounter undead packs." Mori blinked, glancing up at him. "There are seriously undead creatures in here?" He shook his head slightly, refocusing. "Well, we don't actually have to complete the guild quests to the letter. It's just a cover for hunting low-rank beasts."
They traversed a bit deeper into the gloom, the crunch of dead leaves beneath their boots the only sound echoing through the trees. The light from the canopy was scarce now, casting the forest in a permanent twilight. Suddenly, Armin paused, his eyes narrowing as he looked toward a dense thicket of briars. "Young master..." he said in a weary, warning tone. "Yes, I heard that too," Mori interrupted softly, shifting his weight into a low stance. "Think they might be goblins or wolves?"
Before Armin could answer, a piercing, shriek tore through the silence. From the bushes, the shadows, and the low-hanging branches, a group of E-rank goblins jumped out from different directions, squealing savagely at them. They were a ragtag, vicious bunch—some brandishing crude wooden clubs, others gripping rusty daggers, axes, and chipped shortswords, a few even holding rotting wooden shields.
Mori didn't hesitate. Drawing his sword in a fluid, seamless arc, the steel slicing through the damp air. He lunged forward, closing the distance before the lead goblin could even land. With a swift, horizontal slash, his blade bit clean through the creature's crude wooden club and its chest, sending it crashing into the dirt. Following up with the momentum, Mori spun on his heel, parrying an incoming axe from a second goblin. The ring of metal on metal echoed sharply. Shifting his weight, Mori delivered a kick to the goblin's knee, throwing it off balance, and followed up with a precise downward thrust, taking it down instantly.
Seeing a few of their kin fall so rapidly, the remaining goblins paused, their red eyes gleaming with malice. Realizing the human boy was dangerous, they stopped rushing blindly and began to circle, intending to use their sheer numbers to their advantage. They raised their weapons, shrieking in unison as they prepared to swarm him from all sides.
In the rear, Armin stood perfectly still. True to Mori's orders, his sharp eyes tracked every movement, analyzing the boy's footwork and spacing, patiently waiting to see if the situation would actually require his strength. Mori watched the circle close in. He took a deep breath, focusing the mana inside his core. If they wanted to use numbers, he would just have to clear the field.
Fwoosh!
Mori's sword suddenly beamed with a fierce, brilliant light as a violent swirl of fire enveloped the steel. The red gem embedded at the hilt glowed faintly, pulsing in rhythm with his mana flow. The sudden burst of heat caused the damp forest air to hiss and steam.
The goblins screeched in terror, but it was too late, the flame on Mori's sword cackled. Mori darted forward, a motion wrapped in a trail of embers. He swung his blazing sword in a wide, sweeping arc. The fiery edge sliced through a wooden shield like it was paper, incinerating the goblin behind it. Two more rushed him from the left, but Mori ducked beneath their wild swings, delivering a spinning, fire-laced slash that cut them down simultaneously. The remaining three goblins turned to flee in panic, but Mori closed the gap with a lunge speed, his burning blade executing swift, striking one down and the other two managed to flee.
The fire on the blade flickered and vanished, leaving only thin wisps of smoke rising from the steel. Mori exhaled heavily, sheathing his sword back into its scabbard. His chest heaved, his body feeling the sudden, draining weight of exhaustion from channeling that much elemental mana so quickly in a real fight and pushing his body to limits trying to execute motions and speeds the exerted his body to their limit. He wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, his muscles aching slightly.
Armin walked over, stepping past the smoking remnants of the skirmish. He looked at the boy, then down at the cleared path, and gave a firm nod of approval. "Well done, young master. Your reaction time was excellent, and you handled the crowd control perfectly, your exhaustion is due to your body not being trained well enough to handle that quick of reactions." Armin offered a rare, slight smile. "Well done still."