Fantasy Ascension

A young man appeared within a lush green forest, his hair purple as the light reflected off his hair. He wore merely a black cloth shirt and pants as he opened his eyes to the new world. "Huh...wow...this place is so beautiful, I wonder what awaits me in this massive world" his eyes gleamed orange in the sunlight as he found himself standing on a dirt path through the forest. "Hmm, I need to find a way to town so I can start taking on quests and level up"

Pulling up a black transparent screen in front of him, it was the menu which had your typical RPG options:

•Inventory

•Stats

•Equipment

•Skill tree

•Party

•Summons

•Build

•Social

Going to his stats he was a mere lvl.1 with low attributes. He looked at his class which was a warlock. "Seems my only skill currently is analysis"

[Analysis - the ability to see properties or stats of any magical item or enemy through sight.

Closing the menu, the young warlock sighed. "Seems I'll need to level up before I can take on any serious threat. What use to me is an appraisal skill? Especially in the forest!? Taking a step forward, he almost forgot to decide on his name...

"Name, name...oh I got it...Sukuda Bloodspire. Strange name but should work for now" With everything set, Sukuda ventured through the shaded forest, watching birds flutter through the sky when an abrupt sound of trees rustling echoed through the forest causing him to freeze. (That was too loud to be a mere breeze, there must be something nearby. Please just be a deer!) The rustling continued on his right when a small goblin jumped out from the bushes, lunging right for him, it's sharp claws reaching out for the warlock.

"WHAT!?" Sukuda turned to dodge the incoming creature, one of it's sharp claws piercing his right cheek before landing in front of him. "Tsk! You little shit! I may be only lvl.1, but one goblin isn't really a threat once it's presence has been known. I may not have any attack spells yet, but I can still beat your annoying ass!" He spotted a staff like stick and attempted to pick it up, only for a notification in red text to pop up:

[Can't equip to current class]

"It's just a branch! Tsk, fine hands it is! Bring it bastard!" The small monster let out a loud cry before lunging right for him with both claws out. Just before the goblin could attack, Sukuda ducked down, sending a fierce kick to the gremlin's face. He watched as the little monster landed on the ground before fading into wisps of green light.

"Hmph! Sad a lvl.1 one monster could injure me so easily, I need to be more careful from now on. I can't be one of those adventurers getting killed by novice-level enemies. Now to get to town before another one of those little shits shows up!" Sukada raced through the forest path not taking any chances of getting attacked again by any other forest creatures that might want to strike from behind.

After about a minute of running, the young warlock abruptly stopped to rest beside a large oak tree just off the dirt path. As he struggled to catch his breath, he thought he heard something nearby. "P-please don't be another g-goblin" Taking a deep breath, Sukuda raced off towards the source of the noise, dodging trees and bushes before hearing something erupt off in the distance.

Stepping back onto the path, Sukuda saw a young fellow adventurer fighting against a horde of goblins as they advanced towards the magic caster. The man had brown hair with blue eyes dressed in a brown cloak.

"Flame magic: fire ball!" Sukuda watched as the mage aimed their open palm towards the approaching monsters, manifesting a sphere of flames before sending it right for them. "Raaagghh!" The fireball engulfed the horde in flames, sending them staggering in different directions as they let out cries of agony. The warlock was amazed at the fellow magic caster's power even though they were a mere lvl.4 after killing an entire group of monsters.

Approaching the stranger, the young mage reacted by aiming his hand towards Sukuda. "Sorry, but it's not smart to trust just anyone in these woods. How do I know you're not just some thug just waiting to rob and kill me when I least expect it!?"

Sukuda hesitated before answering: "I'm a lvl.1 warlock who's only skill is appraisal, how do you expect me to steal from or kill you when I could barely even fight off a lvl.1 goblin?" The young adventurer looked him deep in the eyes before lowering his hand. "Fine, but I won't let my guard down until I can fully trust you"

"Fair enough, can I at least know your name and possibly form a party with you? With our levels so low, it's safer if we stick together for the time being"

Ryu...Ryu Tempest and fine, I guess it would be easier if we form a party for now rather than one of us getting killed in these woods, especially you. If you're telling the truth, then you might not last long out here without some kind of attack skill. You may be some random to me...but even a stranger doesn't deserve to die out here in these woods"

Opening his menu, Ryu went to his social, friending the stranger as well as sending him a party invite. Sukuda noticed a notification pop up in front of him:

[Friend Request]

Ryu Tempest

He quickly accepted the request as well as the party invite. Joining the party, he could see Tempest's HP above his like your typical RPG. "Great! Thanks for letting me join your party Tempest, hopefully we can work on creating a guild overtime"

Tempest began walking down the path commenting: "Don't rush yourself Sukuda, it takes a great deal of gold to create your own guild, as well as reaching the level required to even join one. If I remember, the level needed to open a guild is lvl.50. So, it'll be a while before you'll be able to even start your own guild. Follow me, I know where a small town is where we can begin working on quests to raise our level. I saw it a while ago when grinding to reach a higher level before heading to the 1st town. It's best to grind as much as you can before taking on any real quests, otherwise you'll just end up getting yourself killed"

CHAPTER 1: Ryu & Sukuda, the 1st max level members

After about five minutes of walking, the small town came into view from below the hill. The town had many wooden houses and merchant shops with stone-paved streets as citizens dressed in medieval clothing walked along the streets. "Is this the town you were taking about?" Sukuda asked as the pair looked down from the hill.

"Yeah, this is called: Netherworth, it's the only town I've seen for miles, so I assume it's where low-level adventurers go to take on D-C rank quests"

"Then let's hurry and take on some quests!" Filled with excitement, Sukuda raced down the hill as he stepped onto the stone path within the city. He stopped just a few feet inside, looking for anywhere that seemed like a guild or tavern that might be where quests were given. He noticed a few of the people were looking at him in a weird way when Tempest caught up with him.

"For someone that wanted to join a party, you sure do run off when you're excited don't you?"

"Heh, sometimes, but only in rare situations" Placing one hand on his waist, Sukuda looked around but saw no signs of a guild or tavern near the entrance of the town. "Strange, you'd expect them to put the tavern or guild near the entrance to attract more business from new adventurers"

"That's just it, in a place like this, maybe they don't get any visitors anymore. Netherworth seems like they're on the brink of collapse, we should hurry and do the quests here and move on to a more stable town. If you want to level up faster and save gold for your guild, we'll need to take on quests from people who can afford to pay us a decent amount"

Exploring the town, they soon found the tavern near the center of town where the pair could hear a commotion going on inside. They ran down the stone streets before stopping in front of the twin doors. "You think it's just some drunk causing problems?" The warlock questioned.

Tempest frowned. "I doubt it" Without hesitation the party leader stepped inside, only to see multiple people lying on the wooden floor either injured or unconscious. That's when they noticed a man dressed in a black hooded cloak wielding a knife aimed towards a young woman with blue hair dressed in a bartender uniform.

"Hurry and give me all the gold in this place or I'll cut you!"

"I-I'm sorry! B-but we only have a few hundred silver, I'm afraid we're nearly broke as it is!" She kept her hands up, shaking in fear at the sight of the cold thief.

"TSK! LIAR!" The hooded man gripped his knife preparing to stab the bartender when Tempest quickly opened his hand as flames manifested. "Flame magic: Fire ball!" Sukuda watched with wide eyes as his ally launched the blazing sphere right for the hostile target.

The bartender tucked down behind the bar as the hooded man was caught off guard by the burning projectile. "Haaaggh!" His cloak was set ablaze by the flames, causing him to tear it off before it could ignite the rest of his clothes.

Now facing Ryu and Sukuda, the criminal aimed his blade in their direction with a look of blinding rage. "TSSSK! IT'S JUST ONE PROBLEM AFTER ANOTHER, ISN'T IT! WHATEVER! I'LL CUT YOU BOTH TO PIECES TOO!"

Focusing his sight on the enemy, Sukuda's right eye turned blue as he used his appraisal skill to read the stats and skills of their target. "Alright, seems he's a lvl.7 thief with a passive skill known as "ignition" active...it seems to boost his speed and increase his chances of causing a bleed debuff on one of us if we're struck by his weapon"

Tempest smirked forming another fireball within his grasp. "Good to know, if that's all he has going for him...it'll be hard for him to use it if he can't even get in range!" Sukuda watched as the mage shot a fire ball right for the assailant. The man crossed his arms attempting to block the coming attack, only for his body to set ablaze by the intense flames.

"WHAT! H-how could his attack get pass my guard!" With his HP quickly decreasing, he gripped his knife, preparing for one last attempt. "If I die, you're going to share my fate!" The burning man lunged towards the pair before slashing Sukuda across the chest. "PERCISE LACARATION!"

All watched as the warlock staggered back, blood seeping through his cloth shirt just as the thief succumbed to the flames. Both hit the ground as the thief laid motionless while Sukuda gripped his severe wound, his HP going down by one 1% each second. "D-damn it...I'm sorry Tempest, I didn't mean to be such a burden on you, especially...this soon into the journey"

Tempest looked down at him for a moment before smiling as he pulled out a small green bottle. "Heh, don't worry, I got this off a goblin I killed earlier. You better thank me for this later" Pouring the potion into his ally's mouth, a green aura illuminated the warlock for a moment before fading as his wounds were healed.

"That was my only healing potion, so you owe me one when we start taking on harder enemies" Sukuda watched as Tempest held out his hand with a smirk. The young warlock was surprised at his party member's quick change of attitude towards him but smiled back grabbing the mage's hand as he stood up. The bystanders within the tavern cheered for them, thanking the duo for saving them from the threat.

Checking his chest for any scars, he was relieved to see nothing there. "Sigh, at least that health potion seemed to heal me completely, I'd hate to have such a huge scar so early in our adventure" They walked over to the bar where the bartender stood, watching the assailant's body carefully incase the man was still alive. "H-how can I help you two? Perhaps a free meal, normally we won't offer anything for free given are nearly bankrupt village, but saving our lives is worth far more than any meal"

"We actually came to see if this is where we take on quests. We're novice adventurers hoping to raise our level as well as adventurer rank if that's a thing in this village"

The young woman nodded pulling out three files, each a different quest they could take on. "I'm afraid we only have these three currently available. We have:

C RANK - Find and eliminate the goblin king outside the village.

B RANK - A horde of undead have been spotted around the outskirts of the forest and need to be dealt with..

B RANK- An Ogre has captured innocent civilians and must be killed at any cost.

Tempest looked over each one before turning to Sukuda. "We could just do all of these in order, get some good grinding in while we're still in the low-level region of this world"

Sukuda agreed as they accepted the requests and made their way back outside the village. Both walked beside one another as Ryu Examined the paper explaining their 1st quest. "Hmmm, this doesn't seem to give any real details on the location of our target. Sigh, we'll just have to search until we find the damn goblin camp or wherever there king is held in"

About An Hour Later...

The sun shined dark orange upon the forest as the warlock and mage made their way through the endless forest. "Ugh, we're getting nowhere! We've been searching the damn forest for hours and can't find the goblin king's location!"

That's when Sukuda had an idea. "Wait, if we can reach a high point, maybe my appraisal eye can detect any goblins nearby and make them led us to their king"

"Doubt something like that would work, but I guess it's the best we have to go off of" Making their way up a nearby mountain, they raced to the top where a cliff hung over the rest of the forest. Standing at the edge of the cliff, Sukuda opened his appraisal eye as it glowed blue, analyzing everything within his sight like a radar. The info of tress, rocks and woodland creatures popped up rapidly in his vision as he searched for any signs of goblins. That's when he spotted movement off in the distance. Locking on to the specific target the stats popped up:

[Goblin]

Lvl.2

Range: 200 M

"Found one!" The warlock cried out before leaping from the cliff in the target's direction. This caught Tempest off-guard as he jumped after him. "You idiot!" Grabbing ahold of his ally's cloth shirt, Tempest unleashed a blast of flames from his free hand, using it to repel them in the monster's direction.

The pair went soaring through the air when a large tree came into view. Before the caster could change course, they struck the large tree, causing them to hit the ground. "O-ouch, g-good thinking back their Tempest, you managed to get us within 50 meters of the target. Brushing himself off he looked up at his HP which was now at 90%. "Damn, that impact cost me some health, but hopefully the king won't be much of threat compared to his minions"

"S-shut up Sukuda, we would've been fine on foot if you hadn't jumped off the cliff like an idiot. "You should be happy I managed to cast my spell correctly, otherwise we would've either died or been so low on HP that even weak-level monsters could finish us off"

"Alright fine I'm sorry tempest, now let's get to that monster before it runs off" Sukuda took off through the forest, still locked-on to the creature with Tempest following close behind. Sukuda spotted the small green monster sitting under a tree eating a fish when it noticed them running towards them.

Letting out a cry, the goblin took off through the trees with the pair close on his tail. Sukuda kept his glowing blue iris homed on the target as it let out cries. As the pair continued tailing the monster, they noticed it was headed towards a large cave with tons of goblins guarding the cave entrance.

Getting withing 50 meters of the monster camp, Tempest motioned Sukuda to stop behind him, letting the terrified goblin to run inside the cave. "What? Shouldn't we attack? Our target is probably in there, why else would there be so many goblins in one area?" The warlock whispered.

That's when a smirk grew across Tempest's face. "Don't worry...I'll handle this wish ease" Holding his left hand out, the caster formed a fireball once more before launching it into the large fire pit of the goblin camp. The moment his attack made contact with the fire, it absorbed the flames growing bigger before erupting in a fierce explosion, sending the horde of goblins flying in different directions.

Waaaagghh" A few of them cried out as they succumbed to their burns.

Tempest

[LEVEL 5 ACHEIVED]

SKILL OBTAINED: Flame Prison - Trap targets within a cage made of flames

Sukuda

[LEVEL 5 ACHEVIED]

SKILL OBTAINED: Reanimation: Undead Knight

Sukuda filled with excitement the moment he saw his new skill notification pop up in front of him. (Yes! Finally I have a skill more useful than appraising items!) Tempest was also filled with excitement, ready to try a new skill after only having fireball for so long.

Both adventurers jumped out from the trees covering them, standing in the large clearing before the enemy camp that guarded the cave. Six goblins remained as they let out battle cries advancing towards them.

"Alright, time to see what my 1st battle skill can do! Reanimation magic: Undead knight!" Clapping his hands together, a purple sigil formed in front of him as a skeletal knight rose before him. It had dark bones dressed in black armor with glowing red eyes wielding a sword.

"Go!" Sukuda commanded swiping his hand to the left. Letting out a demonic cry, the knight charged towards the monsters, bringing it's blade down with a fierce slash. Tempest watched beside his ally as the undead decapitated one of the gremlins. Dark-green blood splattered across the dirt.

"Alright, it's my turn...stand back Warlock...fire magic: flame prison!" Throwing both arms out, a cage made of intense flames formed around the remaining monsters and undead knight, trapping them withing the blazing formation.

"Heh, good thinking Tempest, with the creature trapped with my summon, they have nowhere to go" Both smirked as Tempest kept one palm aimed at the cage while Sukuda ordered his minion to finish the rest of them. The frightened creatures let out cries while two of them pulled out bows firing wooden arrows at the armored skeleton. However, no matter how many they fired upon the undead entity, it stood staring at them, unphased by the projectiles.

"Attack!" The warlock cried out once more. That's when the summons's eye's glowed red before charging forward with it's blood-soaked blade. It's targets stood no chance as they all were mercilessly killed by the knight in just mere moments. Blood dripped from the summons's blade as it stood patiently waiting for it's next order within the blazing cage.

"Well now, seems your knight is rather skilled for a mere level 5 creature. Our skills will definitely come in handy if we combine them like just now. I wonder if I can use my flame magic to give your minion a burn effect without killing them, we should try it in our next fight"

"That would actually be a great combination if your theory works, but enough stalling, we need to finally take the bastard goblin king out, it's almost night and this is still our 1st quest"

CHAPTER 2: The Dual Magic Casters

The duo proceeded through the large cave entrance as the night sky faded away behind the dark rocky tunnel leading deeper into the cave. Making their way through the dark tunnel, a faint light could be seen just ahead. Both crouched down walking up against the wall as a small fire came into view. In a large stone room sat the fire with a group of goblins and two trolls guarding the goblin king who sat upon a large throne made from the bones of animals and any unlucky soul unfortunate enough to find themselves within the cave.

"There's are target, now how do we go about getting to him without the two orange trolls blocking him?" Tempest looked around the area, counting 10 goblins and two orange trolls. The large brutes looked like eight foot goblins with orange skin and sharper teeth.

Without a word, Tempest trapped the two large brutes within a flame prison to keep them from moving. The king yelled out in a strange language causing the other goblins to spot the two adventurers . "Shit, guess this is the plan! Undead knight!"

Guarding his ally, Sukuda summoned his skeletal knight once more, commanding it to attack the coming horde of goblins. Once more the knight charged in, slicing through each one with ease as blood stained the stone floor. Once the last goblin was struck down amongst the pile of defeated monsters, The cave began to shake as the two large trolls struck the prison's ignited walls. With their thick skin, they only sustained minor burns from the flames.

"Hurry and kill the target Sukuda! I can feel the flame prison growing weaker with every impact!" The warlock nodded reaching the goblin king with his undead minion at his side. The old goblin wore a green robe with a king crown atop his head as he said there, unafraid and waiting for death.

Sukuda gave his minion an order before looking away. The skeleton gripped it's blade firmly before stabbing the target straight through the chest. Tempest watched a little in shock as the monster spat out green blood before dying in his throne.

Sukuda couldn't help but feel bad for killing the creature, but knew he had to finish the quest. "There, now what about-" Just then the flame prison burst into wisps of red mana, freeing the two trolls. They let out enraged grunts as they cracked their large knuckles. One focused on Tempest while the other targeted Sukuda and his knight.

"Shit, I think these trolls might be more than we can handle at our current level" Sukuda called out. His ally frowned responding: "They might have slight fire immunity, but they can still be damaged by it! Flame magic: fire ball!" Once more the magic caster released a sphere of flames, illuminating the cave with bright light. The fire ball struck the troll head on, causing it to stagger back a few feet before stopping itself.

Letting out a menacing growl, the left troll Clapped it's hands together, causing an abrupt shockwave to knock Tempest off his feet, landing back outside. "D-damn, I don't know what's worse: the intense ringing in my ear, or the amount of damage he just inflicted bringing me down to 60% HP"

Blood dripped from his bottom lip as he spat out blood, raising to his feet. That's when he realized both monsters were closing in on Sukuda and his summon. "I-I can't let them reach him! Flame prison!" Instead of imprisoning the large brutes once again, he Instead used it as a barrier to protect the defenseless warlock as the towering monsters began striking the flaming cage.

Sukuda ordered his undead knight to attack the two creatures, while he remained safe within the blazing cube. The undead knight lunged towards the left monster, passing through the walls of the prison with ease as if it were a mere illusion.

"Raaggh!?" Catching the troll off guard, the skeletal knight rushed past it, piercing the foe's thigh as purple blood gushed from it's wound. "Gaaahh!" Letting out a cry of agony the towering enemy fell to one knee as it clinched it's sharp teeth.

Just before the undead entity could strike once more, the 2nd troll reached for the knight, gripping it tightly as it raised the summon up to it's face. Without warning, the knight stabbed the menacing creature through the eye, causing it to release him as he landed on his feet.

With the 2nd troll distracted, the summon threw it's blade into the troll's heart, causing it to stagger back, hitting the ground with a thunderous shockwave.

The immense wave of force was so strong, it caused the cave to shake rapidly as it began to cave in on itself. "Crap, I need to get out of here before I'm buried alive along with these dumb brutes!" Without a 2nd thought he ran out from the flame prison, racing for the cave's entrance as large debree fell from the ceiling.

"Come on I'm almost there!" The 1st troll whose thigh was bleeding spotted the purple-haired caster and attempted to reach for them when a large piece of the cave fell from above, knocking the troll unconscious. Sukuda dove outside just before the cave completely collapsed on itself, trapping the trolls inside.

Sukuda breathed heavily as his heart raced with adrenaline. Sweat ran down his face as he tried to collect himself. "Sigh...looks like we pulled it off. If it wasn't for your flame prison along with the cave-in, I feel I wouldn't have survived against those bastards. I should've used my appraisal eye to estimate their stats before running in there. Sigh, next time I hope I'll strategize better"

Tempest walked over to the warlock, placing his hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it Sukuda, the main thing is we're alive, it's my fault we were spotted in the 1st place, but our plan still worked so cheer up. You can't always expect a plan to go exactly as you imagine it, think of a plan as a rough draft to how you want thing as to go. If things take a turn, use it to push you forward to the final version of your plan"

Sukuda looked at Tempest with great surprise, he didn't expect Ryu to say something with such meaning behind it. "You're right, I should just be glad that our plan still worked even if it didn't go the exact way we planned. Thanks Ryu, that makes me feel better"

The pair looked around to see it was finally night. Even with the moon shining down on them, it was still nearly pitch black around them. The pair could only see about five feet in front of them before seeing nothing but pure darkness.

"So...what is our plan now? It's too dark to really go anywhere and doing the next quest would be a bad idea at this time of night" Sukuda commented standing beside the wizard as they looked around at the dark forest with only the sounds of crickets echoing off in the distance.

"Don't worry, I had a plan for this very scenario. Since this world has a build function like an RPG, all we have to do is gather nearby wood from trees and we'll be able to build a small cabin we can use as shelter until we leave this low-level area and actually start gaining money from completing quests"

Sukuda

[LEVEL 7 ACHEVIED]

SKILL OBTAINED : Size Mimicry - Manipulate the size of any item or living thing causing them to grow/shrink

Tempest

[LEVEL 7 ACHEVIED]

SKILL OBTAINED : Impenetrable force - An invisible field of force that stops any attack equal to or lower than the caster's.

"Well, let's get to work...it'll take a while to gather the wood we need to make a fully-build cabin if I'm correct" The pair began attacking trees, gaining +5 wood for each tree they brought down. Sukuna used most of his MP to summon four undead knights at once to gather wood using their swords while he kept watch for any creatures that decided to attack them from the dark.

With five people collecting wood at once, they were collecting about 25 wood every few seconds...

After about an hour of gathering material for their 1st shelter, Tempest used the wood to build a wooden cabin with two floors for them to use as their home until they moved on to the upper-class areas. The cabin had a wooden table and chairs on the 1st floor with wooden stairs leading to the 2nd floor where there were two separate bedrooms for them.

"I managed to gather materials to craft us beds with a blanket and pillows. I managed to find some cotton and a little cloth which was just enough to craft what we needed"

"Wow, surprised you managed to find such materials in the forest" Sukuda responded as they made their way upstairs. The two said goodnight to one another before quickly passing out in their bed...

After a long-needed slumber, Sukuda slowly awoke to warn sunlight flowing the window near his bed sitting against the wall of his room. Rubbing his eyes, they began to focus as he sat up, looking around his room to see only a bed and window in his room. "Hmph, feels kind of weird not to have a dresser or nightstand in a bedroom, but then again...we are limited on resources for the time being. We really should hurry and complete these last two quests so we can get out of here. "I'm lvl.7 and still only wear merely a cloth shirt and pants which are the default clothes! How did Tempest find such nice clothes so quickly?"

Slowly stretching, he got out of bed where he found Ryu Waiting outside. The sun shined over the forest As the sound of birds could be heard throughout the trees. Sukuda walked over to his friend as a slight breeze brushed across his face. "Hey Tempest, I didn't expect you to be awake already. Didn't the sun just come up?"

The wizard nodded looking up at the clear blue sky. "I couldn't sleep, I want to get these novice quests done with so we can move on to the higher-ranking regions. Just like you, I want to start a guild and make something of myself. We've been through a few battles together so I know I can trust you. But we'll need two more members to have a full party. Let's hurry and get the Ogre out of the way while it's still light out"

Sukuda followed Ryu before asking: "Wait, weren't we supposed to take on a legion of undead beforehand?"

"We shouldn't waste time searching for creatures that rarely come out during the day. You may find a small few that hid in shady parts of the forest, but in most cases, you won't find any undead out in broad daylight"

Thinking about Tempest's logic, Sukuda didn't speak further of the subject since most undead were known for only coming out at night and being weak to sunlight. The pair traveled north past Netherworth before reaching the Ogre's cave.

Sukuda groaned in frustration. "Ugh, I knew it was gonna be another cave! After the last one I'm paranoid of going into caves!" That's when Tempest quickly smacked him in the back of the head. "Stop freaking out, if we're going to kill this thing, you're going to need to be level-headed "

Taking a deep breath, Sukuda let out a calm breath before they stood just outside the cave's large entrance. Light from a fire could be sun from the stone walls with faith cries of despair echoed from the cave. "That's probably the kidnapped citizens the quest mentioned. I have an idea to draw the Ogre out, once his attention is on me, free the captives inside"

"Right" Tempest hid behind a large tree as Sukuda clapped his hands together, once more summoning a undead knight. (An undead knight? What is that going to do against a full-grown Ogre!?) That's when the warlock aimed his palm towards his summon. "Transmutation magic: Size Mimicry" The human-sized skeleton sudden shrunk to the size of an ant as Sukuda carefully picked him.

Making his way inside the cave, he could see a large stone room filled with torches on the wall and a colossal green monster fast asleep on the floor. He stepped inside the room placing his knight down before slowly backing up. "Transmutation magic: Size Mimicry"

The tiny skeleton then grew ten feet tall , nearly the size of the Ogre as it pulled out it's equally grown sword. Sukuda noticed three old rusted steel cages in the right corner of the room where he noticed fellow humans were being kept. "Looks like we found our targets, now to draw him out. Skeletal knight, attack!"

The warlock backed out of the cave, watching from the entrance as his summoned ally approached the sleeping brute. Stepping forward the Ogre awoke, revealing bloodshot eyes as it slowly rose to it's feet towering over the ten foot skeleton by a few feet. Hmm? Well now, it's not often an undead vests me. However, the fact it's day time outside means you're not a normal undead are you?"

Without a word, the knight swung it's sharp blade right for the hostile's neck, only for the large brute to catch it with it's bare hand. Firmly gripping the blade, the Ogre shattered it to pieces. Sukuda stared in disbelief as the sword fragments hit the ground like mere glass. (H-how could he break the sword with such ease!? Just how strong is he!?)

Using his appraisal eye, Sukuda was shocked to see the Ogre was a lvl.15. It may not have seemed that much different, but an enemy of that level was far stronger than Sukuda could handle.

Meanwhile...

"If you're capable of manipulating your size, that must mean your caster isn't far behind" Gripping the undead knight by the skull, the Ogre threw the titan-sized across the cave, sending them smashing through the walls, landing in the grass beside the warlock. Sukuda watched as his summon burst into wisps of purple energy before vanishing.

"Shit!" That's when the large green Ogre burst out of the cave, quickly spotting him. "You...you're the one who sent the undead to attack me aren't you!? Sukuda could feel himself shaking from complete fear at the sight of the high-level threat. He tried to utter a word but found them caught in his throat.

"Tssk, weather you are the caster or not, I'm going to kill you and grind your bones to make decorations for my home!" Sukuda struggled to move, his body shaking from both fear and his useless effort to move.

"This is the end human!" The Ogre prepared to lunge towards the terrified warlock when a gunshot rang out across the forest. Sukuda slowly looked up at the giant Ogre, realizing someone had shot him head on in the center of his skull as blood ran down his face.

"W-what!?" Bloodspire stood in shock by the gaping wound in the monster's forehead as a figure crouched in a tree nearby, a grin spreading across their face as they fired once more. The ogre managed to put it's arm up just in time, blocking the incoming projectile as it pierced his wrist.

"TSK! YOU COWARD! COME OUT AND FACE ME! OR ARE YOU JUST GONNA KEEP HIDING!?" Wiping the blood from his face, the massive creature turned towards the forest where the shots came from, clapping with all his might, sending a cyclone of force that ravaged across the woods like a tornado causing many trees to collapse around them.

Tempest watched, still hiding from the opposite side of the area. A figure was spotted in mid-air as they landed before the bleeding ogre. They seemed to be a tall pale elf with white hair and red-eyes dressed in a black long-sleeved shirt and pants with light white armor over his torso.

"Alright, you wanted me to stop hiding? Here I am bitch" With a sadistic grin on the elf's face, Sukuda noticed the elf's teeth were as sharp as shark teeth. (W-what kind of elf is that?) he thought, staring at the strange new assailant.

The duo could only watch as the elf and ogre started one another down. "Can you react fast enough to dodge my next shot monster? Skill: Blood shot" Pulling out a mere pistol, the elf aimed straight for the monster as an orange crosshair formed around his iris. The grin became a calm frown as he calmly said: "Bang" A fierce shot rang out as the bullet moved faster than Sukuda or Tempest could see, going straight through the target's heart, utterly killing him.

With blood running down his lip, the colossal creature faceplanted in front of them, lying motionless...

CHAPTER 3: An almost complete party

"H-he took that ogre out like-like it was nothing...just how strong is he!?" Using his appraisal eye, he could see the elf's stats:

[ Sokoyai Bloodnight ]

Lvl.10

Class: Sniper

(He's not that much stronger than me or Tempest, could it be some kind of type advantage? Like when water is more effective against fire?) Taking a deep breath, Sukuda slowly approached Sokoyai, his feet trembling from the thought of being shot at any moment, "H-hi there, t-thanks for the help back there. We might've been screwed if it wasn't for you"

The elf looked at him through the corner of his eye, a serious look on his face before turning towards him with a smile. "Sure thing! I love taking out strong monsters any time I can! The rush I get from seeing them defeated is enough for me. But hey, if it wasn't for you getting his attention, I might've missed my 1st shot. Big they might be, ogres can be quick when they're actually ready. Seems you wore him out, as well as my 1st assault that got him head on in the forehead"

"You seem like you could be a great addition to our party, would you be willing to join our party? We've been hoping to have a full party sometime soon" Sokoyai put his gun away looking Sukuna in the eye, his ruby red eyes gleaming in the sunlight before answering: Sure, why not, I've had enough time walking through these boring ass woods alone. At least in a party I'll have someone to bother hehe"

Opening his menu, Sukuna friended Sokoyai as well as invite him into the party. The elf's HP bar appeared above Tempest's showing he had joined. That's when Ryu walked over in a fast pace. "Sukuda, are you sure letting this guy into the team is a good idea? I get sadistic hunter vibes from him"

"Hehe, is it that obvious? And here I thought I've been quite calm about it. Why? Do you have a problem with an adventurer who gets pleasure from killing their target? We're adventurers, in this world, it's kill or be killed. Whether you enjoy it or not isn't the point...it's that you're doing what you must to survive in this world. If you hesitate for more than a mere instant could spell your death in that very moment"

Sokoyai stepped forward, staring Tempest down as both glared deeply into each other's eyes. That's when Sukuda sighed. "Enough, both of you. Yes, I don't enjoy killing, but if it's for the good of this world or help us grow stronger, I'll do my best to take down whatever stands in my way" The wizard folder his arms looking away from the elf in frustration while Sokoyai laughed patting him on the back. "Haha! I have a feeling that you'll be a fun one to being around Ryu Tempest!"

"Alright, seems we just have one last quest to do before we can finally leave Neitherworth and actually start getting better equipment. I'm tired of these old rags that also have no defensive stats on them since there the default clothes!"

That's when the elf opened his menu, going to his equipment. That's when a small brown bag spawned in front of him. "Here you go Sukuda, it's not much, but I find these while raiding a monster camp in a random part of neitherworth forest. They're not my style so I never wore them"

Picking up the bag, Sukuda equipped the new clothing. His old novice rags were now a hooded black leather coat with matching gloves and boots. "W-wow, this is exactly what I would've chosen if I had the gold. Thanks Sokoyai, but how could something like this drop from a monster camp?"

"Oh, there were skeletal remains of a warlock left in the camp, at 1st the clothing looked badass but didn't seem to suit me when I equipped it. So, I planned to sell it at a merchant when I got the chance but whatever, glad you like it"

"Let's hurry and complete the last quest of Neitherworth!" Sukuda pumped before taking off down the forest path. Sokoyai chuckled lightly before falling behind with Tempest following last, keeping an eye on the new party member...

As they headed farther north between Neitherworth forest and the nearby city, the party began to notice strange anomalies around them, the once lush green trees were now deformed and dead as if someone had stretched them in random directions. One tree was bent back with it's leaves touching the dead ground like a bush.

"I'm getting a terrible feeling from this place" Sukuda commented as they slowly pressed on, cautiously keeping an eye out for any signs of movement. "Eh, this seems like my kind of place. I can definitely see myself building a small house here. The best part is I could probably just snip people from my bedroom window without having to leave my bed! Ah, what a fantasy to behold"

That's when one of them heard something Rusling nearby. "Wait" Sukuda whispered, motioning them to stop. The noise persisted when a white bunny came scurrying between their feet, taking off in the opposite direction. "Sigh it was just a bunny"

After a slight pause, the once blue sky slowly turned purple with the ground rumbling beneath their feet. "W-what is this!?" Suddenly an abrupt legion of undead began coming out of the dead soil before them as more and more continued to spawn around them.

"T-there's so many of them!" The warlock gasped as the army of undead slowly approached them from all directions. That's when Sokoyai sighed pulling out dual pistols. "Don't just stand there you morons! Fight back!" Bloodspire watched his new ally fire off rounds into the horde, jumping over a few of them as he shot them down in mid-air.

Coming to his senses, Bloodspire clapped his palms together. "Transmutation magic: Size mimicry!" All watched as the magic caster grew 10 feet tall, standing over them like a giant. He struck the ground, sending a wave of skeletons flying back from the enhanced strength thanks to his increased size.

That's when Sokoyai ran up the side of the tree, landing on the warlock's shoulder, pulling out a sniper and firing into the endless crowd. Meanwhile Tempest was surrounded by the undead assailants as they lunged towards him, tackling him to the ground, burying him beneath a pile of undead.

"Tsk, c-can't push them off! TSSK! IMPENETRABLE FORCE!" An invisible shockwave of force sent the pile of skeletons flying in all directions as Tempest rose to his feet covered in dirt. "All of you bastards can burn to ash for all I care! Flame magic: Fire ball!" The infuriated mage launched a barrage of fireballs out in front of him, avoiding the giant warlock while setting the area ablaze with wild flames.

With the flames surrounding the area around them, Tempest prepared to use one last spell before he was completely out of MP. "Both of you, get back!" Sokoyai jumped off his ally's shoulder landing in a tree behind Tempest while Bloodspire used his great size to jump back, landing several feet behind the battle as Tempest casted his final spell. "Flame prison!"

His square cage made of flames trapped a few of them, but wasn't nearly enough. "Sukuda!" He called out. "Right!" The warlock answered, reverting back to his normal size. "Size mimicry!" The once 10 by 10 square then expanded to a 50x50 cube, capturing dozens of the enemies within it's grasp. "Now to finish this! Once more...size mimicry!" The flaming cube than shrunk down to the size of a mere 5-inch cube as He picked up the condensed cage, tossing it into the air.

"Ha!" Clinching his fist, Tempest caused the flame prison to erupt in a fierce explosion in a blinding ray of light with wisps of flames raining down like fireworks. "Sigh, looks like that worked. Nice teamwork Sukuda"

Walking back over to his party member he smiled. "Yea, you too. But don't forget Sokoyai, he was the 1st one to go in when the whole thing started. I just froze up until his yelling snapped me out of it" The white-haired elf walked over with one hand on his waist, smirking. "Heh, Don't mention it. I'd hate to see you both get your asses killed so easily. I did enjoy the intense battle just now. Though, I had hoped it'd be a little more difficult than mere skeletons"

Sukuda laughed. "Heh, I feel no fight will be good enough for you. Let's hurry and submit these rewards and head towards the next city, hopefully a more economically stable one so we can buy some equipment like weapons or magical item that might aid us in battle"

"Only if they'll be strong opponents too! I'm excited for a good beat down!" Sokoyai grinned revealing his sharp teeth cracking his knuckles. The trio made their way back to Neitherworth as moonlight illuminated the village's stone-paved streets with lanterns hanging on the side of every other door.

As it began to rain down upon Neitherworth, the party made their way inside the tavern where they saw the same woman at the bar as she cleaned and catered to the small few within the tavern. "Oh, welcome back Sukuda, Tempest...I didn't think you'd complete those quests so easily. Well, a deals a deal. I don't have much obviously, but this is the best I can do"

She reached into her pocket pulling out three gold coins. "Here you are. As I said it's not much, but it's at least enough for you to get something to eat or a place to stay on your journey. If you're unfamiliar with the conversion of coin, allow me to explain it as well as I can: 1st you have the bronze, these will hardly get you anything in this world but good to collect and save up. Next, we have the silver coin, these are a lot more common epically with those of middle class and your average citizen. One silver piece is worth 100 bronze pieces. Lastly, we have the best-known currency which is the gold piece. These are rare amongst low and even mid-class civilians. One gold piece is worth about 1,000 silver coins so don't expect to just find them lying on the street like bronze pieces"

Sukuda thanked the kind bartender before he and his trio finally departed Neitherworth, heading north through the vast green forest in search of a more bountiful quest where the party could upgrade their low-level gear and hopefully find the next member of their party.

It continued to pour down, causing them to take refuge in a nearby cave. Sokoyai stood outside, unaffected by the rain washing down on his already soaked body while Tempest managed to gather some wood and use his pyromancing skill to light a fire. Meanwhile Sukuda sat close to the fire, his new black hooded cloak drenched from the relentless rain, causing him to shiver.

"D-damn it, I h-hate being cold and wet. The heavy feeling from these wet clothes don't help either"

"True, I also hate the feeling...but in that bad of a storm, we probably wouldn't have found the next city and end up getting lost somehow. As for the small cabin I built somewhere in these woods, it also would've taken too long to find it. It's better to just stay here for the night until the storm clears up in the morning and we can see"

That's when Sukuda thought of something. "What about your fireball, couldn't we use that to see at night?" His ally shook his head, telling him that his flames couldn't withstand a storm like this unless he was using an actual attack. A mere flame for a light would be easily blown out.

"Hehe, so embarrassing you mere humans are scared of a mere rainstorm, we blood elves can withstand both intense flames as well as sheer cold temperatures. So, this storm only comes as a soft breeze to me" The two magic casters gave him an annoyed expression as they sat near the crackling fire.

"Awww, there's no need to be like that you two, I never asked to have these traits from my race, I'm just proud of being what I am...look at it this way, if we need food or supplies in a similar scenario, I can easily go out and hunt for what we need. Heh, it's not like there's anything in this region that can actually kill me, they'd be lucky to even pull off a surprise attack on me"

The Next Day...

A soft breeze brushed across the young warlock's face, causing him to quickly sit up. His vision slowly focusing, he saw the fire had died out with nothing but bits of wood remaining from the pile. He looked to his right, only to see Ryu still fast asleep against the wall. Not wanting to wake him, Sukuda walked outside into the sun-lit forest, light flooding the region with raindrops dripping from the leaves.

"Ah, glad the rain finally stopped" Feeling his clothes, he realized they had already tried while he was sleeping. "Heh and looks like my clothes are dry too! It feels so good to have the cold-heavy feeling gone. Now the question is...where's Sokoyai..."

Just as the young caster prepared to search for his missing party member, footsteps could be heard in front of him. He slowly raised his hand in the direction of the rustling footsteps, prepared to use his size mimicry skill if needed. That's when Sokoyai stepped out from thick forest, holding a large sack in one hand. "Sokoyai? Where'd you go? And why are you carrying a large sack around with you?"

The elf smirked, tossing it over to the warlock. "Why don't you open it and find out? I'm sure you'll be surprised and possibly impressed" Sukuda was unsure for a moment but knew there was no point in arguing. Checking the bag's inventory, he was surprised to find dozens of raw meat filling the bag's entire inventory capacity.

"How did you manage to collect this much meat while we were sleeping!?"

"Oh, my race merely requires half of that as a human, so I can go off three to four hours of sleep and still have the rest of the night to do what I like hehe. So, while you both were fast asleep, I spent that time hunting wildlife collecting meat for us"

The purple-haired adventurer was a little uneasy, but also impressed by the gunslinger's skill in hunting wildlife. "Though I'm a little uneasy about all this, I'm also impressed with your hunting skills. Let's go wake Tempest so we can eat then head north to the next city"

Making their way back into the cave, Sukuda sat the large sack onto the cold stone floor before approaching Tempest, still fast asleep. He crouched down to the snoozing wizard, lightly hitting him with his wrist, only for Tempest to be ineffective. "Sigh, wake up Tempest"

"You're being too gentle Sukuda, I'll show you how to wake him up" Walking over to the sleeping wizard, Sokoyai slammed his foot down on the poor caster's hand, causing him to cry out in pain as he snapped awake. "See, I told you, being gentle doesn't work for heavy sleepers like him"

"Tsk! You bastard! Couldn't you have found a better way of waking me up instead of nearly fracturing my hand!? What if you had broken it and I couldn't cast spells efficiently anymore!?"

"That wouldn't happen, with us being in the same party, you may feel pain when I attack you, but you won't retain any injuries or loss of HP unless I challenge you to an actually duel"

Forcing himself to his feet, Tempest glared angrily at the Elf, pointing straight at him. Alright then, I challenge you to a duel. If I win...you'll leave the party" A pop-up appeared in front of Sokoyai:

[Accept Duel?]

"Heh, very well...I shall accept your duel. But if I win...you'll lose your right to complain about me ever again and if you do...I shall get you when you least expect it"

[Duel Accepted]

Both stood outside, facing one another as the battle commenced. A red circle surrounded a large area around them, forming an invisible dome to keep anyone from interfering in the duel. Sukuda could only stand and watch as his two allies fought.

"Flame magic: Fire ball barrage!" Going all-out right of the back, Tempest sent four flaming projectiles right for the blood elf who grinned. "Skill: Bullet split" Sukuda watched as the fireballs slowed down to the point they were moving in slow-motion. "Hmph, seems your attack isn't fast enough to catch me just yet"

Quickly pulling out dual pistols, Sokoyai fired several rounds at the wizard. "Force magic: Impenetrable force!" Placing both hands out in front of him, Ryu formed an invisible barrier out in front of him as his opponent's bullets were deflected. "Hehe, s-see, I can keep up with you as well" The wizard taunted as sweat ran down his face from the adrenaline rushing through his body.

"You're defiantly a skilled mage...however, you didn't count on one flaw to your skill" Aiming a single pistol towards the mage, Sokoyai's smirk suddenly changed to a serious frown. "You can't keep the field manifested for long. Skill...blood shot" Once more, an orange crosshair formed around the elf's iris as he fired a single shot at the drained wizard. Bloodspire watched as his friend's barrier went down, leaving him wide open. With no time to react, Tempest was shot right in the head, blood dripping from the wound as the poor caster hit the dirt on his back.

[Duel Finished]

"Looks like we're done here. Though I did enjoy fighting you, I hope you don't hold this against me...it was you who commenced the duel to begin with. I never back down from a fight, especially when it's someone challenging me. Don't beat yourself up over this Tempest, don't forget your class deals in crowd control while mine deals in speed and precision. Not to mention I'm two levels ahead of you which doesn't help"

Approaching the downed combatant, the elf extended his hand to the wizard. Tempest laid there, a disappointed look on his face as he stared up at the sky. "I challenged you and I lost...I guess I don't really have a reason to complain" Taking a deep breath, Tempest took Sokoyai's hand helping him up. "I still don't really enjoy your company, but look forward to our next duel"

Sukuda was surprised to see the pair smirk at one another as if now friends. With the barrier down, both adventurers made their way back to the cave where the trio finally enjoyed some of the meat Sokoyai had gathered for the party. With Tempest's pyro skill he started another fire to cook the raw meat...

Finally ready to head out, the party once more traveled through the forest, finally reaching the northern city several miles from Neitherworth. As they made their way to the top of a hill, a large city could be seen not far from them. The city had a large stone wall around it with a large castle in view that looked as if it were made of solid gold. "Finally, a city that looks like the kind of place we'll get high-ranking quests as well as a bountiful reward to match!"

Filled with excitement, the warlock took off towards the kingdom with the others right behind him. "Wait up Sukuda! You don't have to run! Ryu called out trying to keep up with the party leader. Meanwhile Sokoyai jumped tree to tree, easily keeping up with his ally like a ninja.

The trio reached a large gate made of solid gold with a tall knight in black armor guarding it. "Halt travelers! Stay your business here!" Being the acting party leader, Sukuda approached the menacing knight answering: "I am Sukuda Bloodspire and we're here as adventurers trying to make a name for ourselves. We hope to take on high-rank quests and rise through the ranks until we reach S-rank adventurers"

The knight looked down at him then at his party members. "Hmph! You three seem like mere runts compared to the many high-ranking warriors I've let pass through here. Though, you don't seem like you have any evil intentions...very well...welcome to Wolfborne, one of the four royal kingdoms of the world"

The trio watched as the large golden gate slowly opened before them. A large city came into view with many tall buildings made of stone and gold lining the clean stone-paved streets as middle and upper-class citizens walked about the busy streets. The young adventurers ventured through the gate, admiring the vast array of shops and restaurants.

"Hmm, it feels weird to finally be in a large royal kingdom after spending days in a small village like Neitherworth" The warlock commented as they continued walking about the city. Not long after entering the kingdom, they were stopped by a fellow adventuring group. Their leader was a tall muscular man with long brown hair dressed in dark red knight armor. His party consisted of a mage dressed in a black hooded cloak and a female archer dressed in silver and green light armor with blonde hair in a ponytail.

"Heh, I can tell just by looking at you three, you're nothing but low-rank trash. You three might as well head back home before you get yourself killed, no one here will take you low-level adventurers seriously" Their leader crossed his arms leaning towards Sukuda with a smirk. The warlock clinched his fist as he felt anger building up inside him. Using his appraisal eye, he could read the fellow party's current levels:

[Maximus ]

Lvl.30

Class : warrior

Along with their leader, the other two were about the same level as him. As badly as he wanted to break Maximus' jaw, Sukuda knew the strength difference between them was far too great. (Tssk, you won't be so confident when my team surpasses yours in just a few days"

This caught the 2nd party off-guard before Maximus abruptly burst into laughter. "Hehe, haha! You honestly believe your peasant party has any chance in beating ours!? We're level 30 and A-rank adventurers off the Wolfborne kingdom! You three will be nothing more than dirt on my boots"

The high-level trio began walking past them when a smirk grew across Sukuda's face. "You say we're mere dirt, but overtime...we will get stronger, even stronger than the likes of you. You're no adventurer, at least...not an honorable one. You seem like another typical narcissist who's ego has gotten to big for their boots"

"What!?" The red knight frowned in anger as he turned around and marched back up to the young caster, pulling out a great sword. The others watched as the assailant lifted the fierce steel blade over his head with one hand. "I'd be careful what you say runt, I could strike you down with a single strike"

Standing his ground Bloodspire snapped back: "Is that so? Then go on...strike me down with your impressive blade great knight" A crowd was now circled around them in the center of the street as many watched in surprise at the sight of a mere commoner talking down to a high-class swordsmen.

"F-fine, you want to die so badly!? Just remember...you asked for this!" Gripping his sword firmly with both hands, he brought it with a fierce strike, only for Sukuda to catch it with one hand. Many gasped as blood dripped from his bare hand. "H-how is this possible!? You're only level 9, you should be dead!"

Tempest and Sokoyai looked at their leader's HP which was now at merely 45%. The purple-haired adventurer slightly smirked looking up at Maximus dead in the eye. "T-this will teach you n-not to talk down to those who are lower-level than you" without breaking eye contact, He used size mimicry to shrink the knight's great sword down to the size of a mere toy sword. "Next time...don't treat us common folk as trash"

Dropping the shrunken blade onto the street, Sukuda walked past the trio who stood frozen in shock by his ability. Making their way through the crowd, Sokoyai excitedly placed his hand on his leader's shoulder cheering. "Wow Sukuda that was badass! I can't believe you took that attack singlehandedly and only lost 45% of your HP! How did you know it wouldn't kill you!?"

"There was multiple factors, the 1st was he didn't attack at full strength therefore limiting his attack, 2nd was the fact since I blocked his attack, it cut his remaining attack percentage in half. So in the end...he only landed maybe 40% of his actual attack power against me thereby making me come across as much stronger than I actually am. But I still meant what I said, those who talk down to others deserve what's coming to them. So then, shall we proceed to the tavern to see just what kind of quests lay in store for us?" The gunslinger and mage nodded, still surprised by their leader's brief change in attitude.

They saw many different kinds of shops on their way to the tavern which sat near the middle of Wolfborne. Unlike Neitherworth, this tavern was much wider with a 2nd floor. Pushing the twin doors open, the trio found themselves within a massive tavern with clean wooden floors, many wooden tables spread out in parallel rows and a bar with 20 seats aligned it.

"Whoa, this tavern is nearly three or four times the size of the one in Neitherworth, and livelier as well" Making their way past the rows of wooden tables, they reached the bar which seemed to be made of solid gold as it shined in the light. Waiting at the bar, they saw a bell sitting there with a note that read: "Ring for service" Sokoyai picked it up, quickly ringing it as it echoed throughout the tavern.

A deep male voice called out: "I'll be right there, just a moment" After about a minute, a tall buff man dressed in a black formal coat with brown hair and a beard came around the corner. "My apologies dear travelers, I normally stay up front but had something to attend to real quick. How may I be of help to you three?"

"Yes, me and my party are looking for high-ranking quests to complete so we may move up as adventures and upgrade our gear. As you can see, we haven't had much luck when it comes to loot drops out in the areas of Neitherworth"

The man examined them closely before responding: "Ah yes Neitherworth, sadly that area is a terrible place if you're expecting to do anything aside practice new skills you've acquired. That area has nearly no loot drop rate. I'd suggest you also try not to mention you're all from Neitherworth, many high-class citizens see Neitherworth as the lowest of the low and will no doubt look poorly upon you if they find out. Best to forget about that place and start racking up quests so you can upgrade your gear to something more upper-class. That board in the corner of the room has all available quests. Before I can assign you to one, I must see which adventurer rank you each are. But since you're new here and your only prior experience is Neitherworth, I'm afraid I'll have to assign you all to C-rank. Normally it's D-rank, but I can tell you three aren't one's to disappoint so I'm willing to push you up a rank"

The elf and mage groaned in frustration while Sukuda thanked him for his help before making his way over to the board on the wall in the right corner of the room by the bar. He could see so many quests but were all B-rank or higher. After looking through the few C-rank quests there were, he pulled it off the board to examine it further:

[Cargo Escort]

Rank: C

Info : A cargo carriage is in need of an escort through the forest to the next town over, protect the carriage until they reach Conovale

Reward : 200 Gold

"Hmm, this sounds irritating, but in the slight chance there may be enemies...sigh whatever, seems this is the only tolerable quest I can find for the time being"

"Oh, you found us a quest?" Tempest asked with curiosity. The warlock nodded. "It's not as interesting as fighting a full-grown ogre, but it's the best I can find from a mere C-rank. We just have to escort a stupid carriage and we'll be paid 200 gold"

Sokoyai laughed commenting: "How can you not see this is a win-win situation Sukuda!? If their carriage is attack, we get to fight something, if it doesn't, it's an easy 200 gold!"

"I guess when you put it that way you're right. Let's just get this over with so we can see how much good quality equipment costs in Wolfborne" Making their way back over to the bartender, Sukuda placed the request down, informing him they'll take this job.

"Ah an escort quest, a great 1st start for C-rank adventurers. You'll find a man standing by a white horse carriage just outside the city gate, he's the one who put in the request. I wish you all luck in your 1st quest here in the Wolfborne kingdom"

Making their way outside the city walls, they quickly spotted a thin old man dressed in a brown vest and pants, waiting beside a horse carriage The old man noticed them and slightly smiled. "Hello young ones, are you three here to lead me and old Bessey here through green vale forest? I've been waiting days for anyone to accept my request"

"Don't worry, me and my party shall accompany you through green vale so you may reach your destination"

"Oh, thank you young man! It does my heart good knowing there are still those willing to help an old man like myself in times of need. I'd normally go myself, but I've gotten too old to fend off any ravenous beasts that may be lurking just of the path. There are creatures out there that can smell the food in my carriage and try to steal it. Not long ago, I was making my route from here to Azmarin when a large creature knocked over my carriage, causing my poor horses to run off. When I came to, a valiant knight in red armor was there to help me back to Wolfborne before anymore beasts appeared"

(Valient knight in red? Could he be referring to Maximus? Valient is the last word I'd use to describe him. Could he be putting on a fake heroic façade to come across as a perfect adventurer in the eyes of the kingdom to mask his narcissistic personality?) Looking up at the old man, he asked if he was ready to start heading to Azmarin.

"You're right, we should start heading there now before the sun begins to go down, I'll have to go slow so each of you can walk alongside the carriage in case any beasts try to attack"

With the carriage finally moving, Sukuda walked on the left side with Tempest walking on the right. Meanwhile Sokoyai followed behind, wielding a single firearm in one hand for quick reaction in case the others couldn't attack fast enough...

2 Hours Later...

Noon had just passed as the sun began it's slow descent over the forest. "We should be there soon, I appreciate the three of you for helping an old man with such a boring task, I know you'd rather be fighting monsters right now"

"Don't worry about it, we're just glad we could hel-" Before Sukuda could finish his sentence, a large humanoid wolf lunged from the forest right for him, slashing him across the face as a sheering pain rushed through him. He went flying through the air, landing on his back with blood running down his face while the others advanced the mysterious creature.

Sokoyai fired several rounds at the beast's face, only for it to have little effect as the bullets hit the dirt. "Shit, what kind of werewolf is this!? Aren't they only out at night!?"

"Who cares!? We need to keep it from killing us! Flame magic: fire ball!" The mage sent a fierce sphere of flames right for the beast. The projectile erupted in a wave of immense flames, setting the area ablaze with flames. However, it seemed to have no effect on the beast as it just stood there.

Gripping the right side of his pierced face, Sukuda slowly rose to his feet as flames whipped around them. "I don't know what the hell you are, but I can tell you're no ordinary werewolf are you? Someone sent you to attack us, didn't they? Why else would a fucking werewolf be stupid enough to come out in broad daylight? That was your 1st mistake. Size mimicry!"

Keeping his vision focused on his target, the werewolf shrunk down to the size of a mere ant. Realizing the disadvantage, it was now in, it took off back into the forest attempting to get away. "No you don't! Appraisal eye!" With his eye glowing blue, he locked on to the beast, keeping track of him by the pop-up of info that followed him.

"That's when Sukuda noticed something in the beast's info:

[Werewolf]

Race: Familiar

Lvl.20

"Familiar? So he really isn't a werewolf...someone sent this beast after us deliberately either to kill us or steal the poor man's food"

CHAPTER 4 :

Something Strange Within Wolfborne

Instead of pursuing the creature any further, Sukuda decided to head back to the carriage where his friends were waiting. The right side of Sukuda's face had been badly scratched by the familiar, causing him to keep his right eye closed as he returned to his party.

"Sukuda are you ok? That beast look like it did a number on your face with that surprise attack" Tempest commented concerned. Their leader sighed responding: "I-I'm fine...we might have bigger problems to deal with" His party looked at him confused.

"What do you mean? You're saying the werewolf escaped!?"

"Not just that Ryu, that wasn't a werewolf...it was a familiar" Both Sokoyai and Ryu looked at him in confusion, unsure what that was. "Sigh, a familiar is a kind of spirit or demon that links with another. Meaning, someone summoned that beast aiming to kill us or steal the contents in the carriage. I have a feeling I know the bastard behind this, but sadly I don't have proof. I'll have to force the truth out of him. Otherwise, I'm sure this will just keep happening to innocent people like this old man"

"Who do you think is behind this?" Tempest asked curiously. Sukuda looked him dead in the eye answering: "Maximus, he's the only one who would have any desire to kill us. But that's only if the familiar was planning to kill us. If his goal was the food, then there's someone else who's behind this. Either way, it's best we watch our backs as well as keep an eye on Maximus"

After helping the old man the rest of the way, the adventurers made their way back to Wolfborne to collect their reward. Making their way up to the bar, Sukuda informed the bartender of their completion.

"Great work you three, though I see your party leader wasn't so fortunate. Are you ok Sukuda?"

"Yea, I'm fine, the bastard just got me by surprise when I wasn't looking. Luckily I only lost 50% of my HP. By the way, is there something that could raise our level beside pointless C-rank quests? Not to be rude sir, but my party has better things to do beside escort missions or looking for a lost pet"

The bartender sighed placing both hands on the bar. "Alright, I can see you're willing to put in the effort while also ignoring no as an answer...There's a big tournament that will take place tomorrow morning, they start early since so many adventurers take part in the event. If you want to level up faster and also make a name for yourselves, I'd say sign up. But be warned...this tournament isn't just some duel for fun...if you're defeated during the tournament, you'll die permanently. That's why it grants so much EXP, you're risking your life against dozens of other participants"

"What are the rules exactly? Is it solo free-for-all or are there teams?" Tempest questioned. The man continued: "There isn't really set rules for the tournament, you're allowed to form teams with as many other participants you'd like. You're only goal is to be the last one standing"

A look of pure excitement grew on Sokoyai's face as he cheered. "Yes! I've been waiting for a battle like this! This will be the perfect thing to test my capabilities as a sniper! Sukuda we need to enter this tournament! Please tell me we're entering!"

Sukuda nodded with a slight smile. "No doubt Sokoyai, we need to raise our level so we're not looked down upon by the upper-class of Wolfborne. I will do anything to become stronger. I'm tired of feeling limited with my abilities, I need to reach a level so high, even that bastard Maximus won't mess with us!"

Sukuda

[LEVEL 10 ACHEVIED]

SKILL OBTAINED: Light Magic: Sanctuary- Form a dome of light that protects those within it from most attacks

SKILL OBTAINED : Vampiric Touch - Steal the HP and MP of any target within your grasp

Tempest

[LEVEL 10 ACHEVIED]

SKILL OBTAINED: Lightning Strike- Unleash a bolt of lightning from your finger or palm.

SKILL OBTAINED : magic missile - Fire a barrage of projectiles that explode on contact with magic energy

Sokoyai

[LEVEL 11 achieved]

SKILL OBTAINED : Imaging Bullet - Creates an after image of each shot when active.

"Great to get two new skills rather than just one this time. Not to mention my HP and MP increase with each level up making it easier for me to use spells more frequently. We started with 100 HP and 50 MP, but now we have 150 HP and 100 MP!" Bloodspire clenched his fist with a feeling of accomplishment rushing through him.

Pulling out his dual pistols, the young blood elf smirked rushing outside as the sky illuminated with a pink light, signaling it was evening. Sukuda and Ryu rushed after him, confused on why the elf had run off so quickly. Making their way through the streets, they spotted Sokoyai who made his way outside Wolfborne. The pair finally caught up to the elf who stood just outside the forest waiting for them.

"D-damn it Sokoyai, w-why did you take off like that!?" The warlock groaned out of breath. Tempest agreed also winded from the sudden running. That's when Sokoyai replied: "Isn't it obvious why I came out here? I wanted to try out my new skill in the woods, as well as have us build somewhere nearby for us to stay so we're not wasting money staying at a boring inn"

"He's got a point Sukuda, in a kingdom like that, it's best we just build something nearby, so we don't waste our hard-earned gold staying at some generic or overpriced inn when we can just build a suitable house to use for the time being. Like before Sukuda, just find me the materials and I'll get to work on our new house" Tempest waited while Sukuda and Sokoyai began cutting down trees to collect the wood that fell.

With his increased MP capacity, Bloodspire clapped his hands together, manifesting six purple sigils in front of him as six undead knights floated up from the necromancing symbols. "Good, seems I'm capable of summoning as many undead knights as I want so long as I have enough MP to do it"

Ordering the knights to collect wood for him, Sukuda opened his skill tree for the 1st time where he noticed something new about his skills. Moving over to his necromancing nature, he tapped on [summon undead] that's when he realized it had an augment feature. There were many kinds of undead he could summon but they were locked because of his level. The one's available for him were:

Lvl.1

Knight

Lvl.5

Mage

Lvl.10

Vampire

"A vampire sounds useful, especially with it being the newest augmentation in my necromancing nature as a warlock. Looking at my skill tree, kind of feels like I focus a little too much on my necromancing nature as a magic caster heh, hopefully as I level up, I'll expand to other magic natures"

After informing the others of how the skill tree worked with magic natures and skill augmentation, Tempest decided to check his augments while Sokoyai told them he was fine with how his skills already where. Opening his skills, Tempest went to [Fire ball] tapping on it:

Lvl.1

Fire ball

Lvl.5

Flame serpent

Lvl.10

Flaming Cyclone

"Hmm, a serpent could be useful with mobility, but a cyclone would be handier with cornering enemies as well as trapping them" After a moment of thinking, He selected the cyclone augment, changing his mere fire ball skill into a blazing cyclone.

Tempest closed his menu to see the undead group dropping dozens of wood at his feet before going back to collect more. Rubbing the back of his head in surprise Tempest commenting: "A-alright, I think we have enough wood, you should have your undead stop before we cut down too much of the nearby forest and a resident gets mad at us"

"Heh, yea sorry about that. I didn't think they'd be this good at collecting materials. At least now I know what to use them for when I'm not using my other undead augment summons" Calling his undead back, they vanished in a burst of purple wisps before flowing back into Sukuda. "It's also a good thing I regain MP if I recall them. If they're defeated, I don't get back the MP I spent on them"

While Sokoyai tried out his new skill in the forest, Sukuda watched his ally build their new home just outside of wolfborne. "Alright, with the wood your undead gathered for me, I should have enough to build an entire house rather than a mere cabin this time" Standing in the middle of the now empty area between wolfborne and the forest, Ryu began placing down the wooden foundation...

1 hour Later...

Night was beginning to fall as the mage finally finished up building their 1st official house. It was far bigger than your average peasant house which ranged from a mere hut to the size of a cabin while their house was a two-floor wooden house about the size of a modern-day two-story home.

"Impressive work Tempest, maybe you could get some extra gold on the side building houses for people haha!"

"Yea, but let's hope it doesn't come to that. Which reminds me...we still have that 200 gold from that escort mission we did earlier, why don't we go down to the market and see if we can get any good equipment from there. It'd be nice to have something extra for the battle royal tomorrow" Tempest looked at Sukuda with a smile.

"Alright, but if the prices are too high, I'm leaving. What about Sokoyai? Do you think there's something he'll want from the Wolfborne market?" Tempest shrugged responding: "He seems like he's off doing his own thing, I'd say we should just leave him be until tomorrow. He'll be stuck with us through the whole tournament anyway"

"Fair point let's go" Making their way into Wolfborne, they made their way to the shopping district where shops and merchants were aligned throughout the streets. Spotting a merchant selling magical artifacts on the right side of the street, Sukuda quickly rushed over to check it out. All kinds of staffs, wands and relics were spread out on a large wooden table and hanging up behind the man who wore a dark-purple hooded-robe.

"Welcome young adventurers...just how might I help you this fine night?"

"I and my friend here are in the market for a magic relic to help us in the mist of battle like a wand or staff"

"Ah, then I might have just what you're looking for. Sensing your magical aura young caster, I can see you radiate the nature of the necromancer, a dark aura which to some is an evil nature, you seek to control your surroundings as well as dispel the evil around you...is that right?"

The warlock was silent, surprised by the old man's words. "Hehe, given your silence, I can tell my hunch was correct. I have just the staff for you young necromancer" Turing towards the wall behind them, he pulled off a black staff with a red crystal ball on the tip of it. "This is a powerful staff known as the staff of Sorrow, the owner of this powerful item was a great and powerful necromancer who had power over life and death himself. I've heard legends that his power still flows within the relic. Normally such an item would be 300 gold, but since your magic nature seems to sync with it, I'm willing to give it to you for 150 gold. How does that sound?"

Sukuda turned to Tempest asking if he was ok with it. "150 is most of what we have, if I buy it...then we'll only have 50 gold to spend on a relic for you" Tempest placed his hand on his ally's shoulder with a confident smile. "Don't stress over it Sukuda, we can always do more boring ass quests until we rank up to better quests. Plus, I'm a little picky on the kind of staff I want. So go ahead and get it, we'll just wait till we have enough gold again"

Nodding to his friend, Sukuda handed over the 150 gold before taking the magic relic. The moment he grabbed the staff, an abrupt burst of purple mana swarmed around his body, a slight tingling feeling rushed through his body as if an immense amount of mana was flowing into him.

Relic Skill Obtained : Undead Body - Take the form of an undead, making oneself immune to death until MP runs out.

"Wow, this staff granted me a new skill, let's hope it'll be useful in the battle tomorrow. Let's hurry back so we can find Sokoyai and finally get some sleep, I don't need to be tired from the beginning of the tournament"

Making their way back to the house, they saw the blood elf sitting on the front steps of the large wooden house waiting for them. "About time you guys got back, I'm hurt you left without me, what if I wanted to check out the market!?"

Bloodspire sighed wielding his staff in one hand. "I offered to invite you, but Tempest thought you wanted time to yourself to practice your new skill"

"I did, but that was before I knew you would go to the market! There was probably some really good shit wasn't there!?'

"Well, we didn't check out much there, 200 gold isn't much in Wolfborne. We only had enough to get me this staff and it was only because the man selling it gave me a discount since he said my magic nature synced with a necromancer relic"

The elf sighed. "Makes sense, a magic nature is similar to an affinity, like a type of magic you're talented in even without proper training. Well anyway, next time you guys go to the shopping district, at least let me know"

The Next Morning...

Sukuda laid comfortably in his king-sized bed on the 2nd floor of their house when someone lightly trapped on his face. His eyes slowly focusing, he jumped slightly to see the white-haired elf standing over him. "d-damn it Sokoyai! You didn't have to scare me like that. H-how long until the royal is supposed to begin?"

"We have about an hour. I thought I'd wake you both up an hour early so you'd have time to wake up and mentally prepare" Rubbing his eyes Sukuda sat up as sunlight peeked through his bedroom window, illuminating his room.

"T-thanks Sokoyai, let Tempest know I'll be down in a few minutes and we can get something special to eat at the tavern rather than just raw meat from the sack you gave us"

"Alright!" Filled with excitement Sokoyai rushed down stairs. Meanwhile Sukuda summoned his necromancing staff in a flash of purple light as he used it to pull himself out of bed like a cane. "Sigh, it's only been a few days and I already feel like it's been a month. Not saying I don't enjoy fighting and growing stronger, but it's still tiring at times" Taking a deep breath, the warlock made his way downstairs where he found Tempest and Sokoyai waiting at the bottom of the stairs.

"Wow, I'm surprised you're already awake Tempest, and here I thought you'd be out cold to the point even Sokoyai couldn't wake you"

"Ugh, I did my best, but no matter how much I tried he wouldn't leave me alone. So, I eventually gave up and got out of bed"

"Well, now that everyone's up, let's hurry and head over to the tavern so we can get something to eat before the battle royal" Sitting at a large round table in the tavern the bartender walked over to them. "Well, I'm surprised to see you three coming here to eat rather than a quest. Getting in a good meal before the big battle royal?"

The party leader nodded. "Yea, we have some gold left over from our last quest and I thought we should eat something special before such a big event"

"Then may I suggest the salted boar with bread and some soup? It's one of our best meals here at the harp fox tavern. I'll even give you one on the house for your 1st time entering the battle royal"

The trio smiled with excitement, thanking the kind bartender before they went to prepare their order. After a few minutes, they came back, placing their food down in front of them. Tempest and Sokoyai dove right in, enjoying the food to their heart's content while Sukuda carefully tried each item, making sure he would like it before actually eating.

"Come on Sukuda, we only have about 15 minutes until the battle royal, why not enjoy the food rather than taste-testing each item?" Tempest commented, still enjoying the wonderful meal prepared for their special occasion.

"I just want to be sure I like it 1st, also it's more respectful to saver one's food rather than scarf it down you two" After finishing their meal, Sukuda left a gold coin on the table before making their way towards the tournament taking place in the center of the kingdom where dozens of participants were gathered in the town square which was a large open area in the middle of town.

Dozens of adventurers in armor wielding all kinds of weapons crowded the area as a tall young elf wearing a purple cloak stood on a platform before them. He had long blonde hair with green eyes as he smiled. "Welcome all willing warriors and adventurers to this year's battle royal, where only the last warrior or team shall be left standing. Allow me to inform anyone new to this event about one crucial rule"

The once joyful expression on the elf's face turned dark as he spoke. "Once this royal begins...you shall be transported inside a magical dome which prevents respawn. Meaning...just like fighting a boss or any real enemy, once your HP reaches zero...you'll be gone forever please keep that in mind. Now with that out of the way, let us prepare the teleportation. Since there are so many of you, please be sure to be within the town square. This spell takes about a minute to complete"

The trio watched as the elf clapped his hands together closing his eyes as if to pray. That's when a green sigil began to form across the entire town square. Sukuda watched as the impressive magical symbol completely formed beneath them. That's when the elf cried out: "Divine magic: Mass teleportation!"

A pillar of green light engulfed the town square as the crowd of warriors were teleported all at once....

CHAPTER 5 The Battle Royal Begins

As the pillar of light faded around him, Bloodspire suddenly realized he was alone in the middle of the forest. He summoned his staff, scanning his surroundings. Looking up he saw a massive barrier made of purple mana covering miles of land. "Hmm, that must be the dome the elf was talking about that keeps our HP from regenerating like if it was just a duel. But shit, I didn't count on the three of us getting separated during the teleportation. Seems I'm on my own until I find Sokoyai or Ryu"

Aiming his free hand out in front of him, he summoned a vampire before him. The vampire was a tall pale man, dressed in formal black tux with matching pants and white gloves. The undead had black hair as he opened his reds eyes that gleamed in the light. "Marcel at your service master. Just how may I serve you?" The vampire spoke with a seductive tone as he smirked with his hand over his chest in a formal manner.

"N-nice to meet you Marcel, I've summoned you to protect me from enemies and help me search for my party members. We are in a battle royal and were separated during the teleportation spell"

"Ah, very well, I shall do what I can to aid you master. In your battle and endeavor to rejoin your allies. I pray not to the soul that dare try and harm you whilst I'm here" As Sukuda began to walk aimlessly through the forest, unsure of where to go, Marcel followed closed behind.

Not long into the walk, the sound of a twig snapping alerted them, causing Bloodspire to freeze. That's when a large buff swordsman wearing a sleeveless black cloth shirt and tan pants attempted to ambush them. He prepared to strike the warlock down with one swing of his steel blade.

That's when Marcel moved at super-human speed, catching the tip of the sharp blade between his fingers. "Oh dear, seems that wasn't enough to break through my guard my dear sir. Perhaps you'd like another try? Or...maybe that was the best you could do" The calm nature of the vampire suddenly turned sadistic, a smirk growing as his eyes glowed red. Before the swordsmen could react, the vampire advanced forward, sending a fierce blow to the foe's abdomen. The assailant coughed up blood before impacting a nearby tree with a fierce impact.

"Oh my...it seems I over did it master. I do apologize" Marcel commented as he fixed his blood-stained glove. The young warlock was shocked by the vampire's immense speed and power, unable to speak. (This vampire...he's far stronger than a mere level 10 summon. Just what is he...)

Snapping out of it He replied: "Don't worry Marcel, you have nothing to be sorry about. As long as you protect me, you're doing a great job"

"Ah, you don't know how much that means to me sir Bloodspire, your praise is more than I could ever ask for. Shall we continue to search for your lost allies?" The caster nodded before venturing further through the endless forest...

Meanwhile...

Sokoyai sat crotched upon a large tree, peering through his scope as he looked for targets to take down. That's when he spotted a knight in heavy black armor walking alone, a large great sword on his back. Aiming right for the knight's head, Sokoyai took the shot, watching as the bullet spiraled right for it's target.

The bullet struck the side of knight's helmet leaving a mere dent in the forged steel. That's when the knight noticed where the blood elf was and pulled out their monstrous blade. "Sword strike: Demolishing Slash!" In one abrupt strike, the knight unleashed a fierce wave of force, splitting through the forest like a drill as it borrowed right for the elf.

"Shit!" Just before the attack hit, Rednight dove from the tree, landing on a nearby branch when it abruptly snapped, causing him to hit the ground with the knight marching towards him. "N-no, I won't be defeated by one mere knight! Bloodshot" His eye glowed red with the orange crosshair forming as he aimed his sniper towards the coming threat. Spotting a weak spot in the knight's armor with bloodshot, Sokoyai fired once more, this time aiming right for the warrior's waist.

To the knight's surprise, the bullet pierced through the right side of his waist, leaving his right side vulnerable to an attack.

"Heh, not bad elf, but it'll take more than a mere weak spot for you to get through my defenses" The knight taunted with a deep voice, aiming his large blade towards him. At that moment, a sudden cyclone of intense flames engulfed the knight trapping him within the blazing spiral of flames.

"H-huh?" Sokoyai looked around expected another enemy when Tempest stepped out of the bushes with a smirk on his face. "Hehe, tough luck Sokoyai, seems you might need my help already. I could tell your bullets were having little effect against such high-quality armor. However, looks like he didn't have an enchantment on his armor to nullify magic attacks"

The flames died out, reveling the knight to still be alive after such an attack. "Heh, so you two are together huh? Well don't get cocky, I still have more than enough strength to take on the likes of you two" Gripping his sword firmly with both hands, the combatant pierced the ground with all his might, causing the area around them to crack apart like a minor earthquake, sending a devastating shockwave of force in all directions.

Both adventurers put up their guard only to be sent flying back by the sheer force of the attack. Sokoyai went staggering across the forest before smashing into a large oak tree knocking the air out of him.

Tempest was sent in the opposite direction, soaring over the forest before descending towards the ground. "Shit! Flame prison!" Clapping his palms together, he formed the flaming cube around himself, impacting the area like a burning meteor. Lying in the dirt the cube vanished leaving the young caster vulnerable...

Far Away....