New World XIX

In the Great Forest of Tob, a Dark Elf- with golden hair and heterochromatic eyes- was riding a wolf with black fur. She was one of the guardians of the 6th-floor of Nazarick, Aura Bella Fiora.

Fenris was also travelling beside her in her wolf form.

Helios had given them the task of scouring the Great Forest of Tob. They needed to find magical beasts and monsters and herd them toward civilization.

His reason behind it was to create turmoil in the human nations and serve as a precursor to the arrival of the Dark Lord.

At the moment, only the top brass of the Re-Estize Kingdom and the Baharuth Empire were privy to the information. Re-Estize because Gazef told them about it and Empire because some of the nobles of the Kingdom sold this information to the Empire. But this information was kept a secret so as not to cause panic in the general populace.

But Helios wanted to change that; he wanted everyone to fear the Dark Lord, as they feared some legendary figures from the past—namely, the Evil Deities.

In the history of the NW, numerous legendary figures have profoundly influenced its trajectory. Some of these figures were The Six Great Gods, The Eight Greed Kings, and The Evil Deities. However, despite their significant impact on shaping the new world into its present form, it is worth noting that the nature and extent of their influence differed among them.

The Six Great Gods were the first Players to be summoned to the NW and the first people to introduce Tier Magic to the NW. They were teleported about 600 years ago.

Then there are the Eight Greed Kings, who arrived 500 years ago in the NW. They were one of the main reasons for the weak state of the NW. They killed most of the Dragon Lords and powerful monsters. In the end, they died due to infighting. One of the members of the Six Great Gods, Surshana, also fought them but was killed by them.

Lastly, we have the Evil Deities. Limited information is available regarding these beings, except for their formidable strength and desire to destroy the world. Despite their proximity to accomplishing this catastrophic goal, the Evil Deities ultimately faced defeat at the hands of the Thirteen Heroes. Helios wanted to introduce a character like that, but far more malevolent and powerful. 

Back to Aura and Fenris, hurling monsters toward civilization. Aura's ears twitched due to the sound of battle. She immediately stopped; seeing this, Fenris also stopped.

"Why'd you stop, A-Chan? I was just getting excited." Fenris asked in a childish tone.

"There's a battle going on in the distance," She pointed toward a particular direction while speaking.

"Should we go and check?" Fenris asked while tilting her head cutely.

"Have you already forgotten what lord Helios told us? We are not to interact with any human. And according to the sounds I am receiving, they are humans." Aura spoke while crossing her arms over her modest chest.

"You are no fun, A-Chan," Fenris spoke while sulking.

"Ah, don't be sad, Fen-Chan. Let's go and quickly finish our task. Then we could go and have fun in the tomb."

Aura spoke, trying to cheer Fenris, which seemed to work.

"Hump, I desire treats," Fenris spoke while raising her head.

"Got it; I'll ask Yuri to bring you some. Now, let's go." Aura spoke, and Fenris nodded.

They again began hurling monsters outside the forest.

~Scene Change~

Many adventurers were gathered in the Adventurers' Guild of E- Naeurl. It had been a few hours since Faela had brought the news of the monster horde. Besides Shadow's Blade, the second most potent adventurer team was present.

They called themselves The Four Armaments. They were a Mithril-ranked team led by Scama Elbero, a warrior who used Axes as her primary weapon. Other than her, there was a priestess, Lilynette Piani, a thief, Torin, and a mage called Aric.

Scama Elbero, despite being a commoner, was a very beautiful woman. She had white hair, blue eyes, and a charming physique.

At the moment, the environment was palpable; almost everyone knew about the monster horde.

"As you all might know, our town and the surrounding villages face a great danger due to the monster horde. I have already sent a messenger to the capital, and we will receive help. However, it will take a few days for the reinforcements to arrive. So, meanwhile, I want you, brave adventurers, to help in this crisis."

The guild master spoke while standing on the first floor. He ceased talking for a few seconds before continuing.

"This is an official request from the town's minister, so the reward is quite high."

All the adventurers bellowed out, hearing about the high reward.

"Silence, everyone!"

Scama shouted in an assertive tone, which caused the room to fall silent. She then turned toward the guild master.

"What would you have us do, guild master?"

"There are multiple separate parts of this quest. Firstly, I would like the adventurers who are good scouts and rangers to go into the Great Forest of Tob and analyze the monster horde. Some adventurers must go to the surrounding villages and escort the villagers here. While a few teams should remain in the town in case of any emergency. You are free to choose which part you want to do. But do remember, the reward is based on the part you choose to do."

"Our team chose to remain in the town. We don't have any accomplished rangers or scouts; as for escorting villagers, some adventurers could do that."

Scama spoke before turning toward the guild's entrance.

"Suit yourself." The guild master spoke while looking at her back.

Before she could exit the guild, the doors opened, and the members of the Shadow's Blades entered. Almost everyone knew that they had taken the quest to slay an Elemental Bear, which would allow them to reach the Adamantite rank. And the fact that they were alive hammered proved they had become an Adamantite-ranked adventurer team.

'They look rough.'

Scama thought while looking at them. She then moved aside to give them room to walk inside.

"Everyone! Welcome the 3rd Adamantite Team of the Kingdom of Re-Estize, Shadow's Blades."

The guild master announced their promotion. Previously, when Faela came to him, she had told him about the successful subjugation of the Elemental Bear. 

And the reason he decided to announce them in such a glorious manner was to elevate the adventurer's morale. 

"WOOOOO!"

Everyone was excited at the news and also a bit relieved. They now had a few adventurers who could call themselves one of the strongest humans.

"Stop! We don't have time to waste. The monster horde has already reached near the entrance of the forest. At most, we have a day or two before they start emerging from the forest and destroying villages!"

The leader of the team shouted, which stopped all the adventurers. She then continued.

"We are tired from our journey, Faela especially. We'll take a little break for a few hours before returning and helping you with the horde. But first, tell me, have you made any plans for it."

She asked while looking toward the guild leader.

"Ah, yes. About that,"

~Scene Change~

In one of the rooms of a cheap inn, a typical man with a forgettable appearance was lying down on a bed.

'I should contact sir Azrik.'

Thinking this, he got up from the bed and moved toward the bag on a table beside the window. A torch barely lighted the room. He opened the bag and took out a scroll.

He moved toward the door and checked whether it was locked or not. After ensuring it was, he moved toward one of the walls and threw the scroll in the air.

The scroll opened on its own and burned away. It was a magic scroll. As it burned away, the man placed two fingers on the side of his head.

'Greetings, Sir Azrik.'

The man thought and bowed toward the empty wall.

'Let your name be known.' A voice resounded in his head.

'I am Soren, the leader of the intelligence party, and I am reporting from the port town of E-Naeurl.'

'Begin your report.' The voice resounded again in his head.

'Yes, sir. The guild master has been informed of the monster horde and is preparing.'

He then began telling Azrik about everything that happened in the guild. He was an adventurer who had been working in the guild for some years. He also had a secret identity of being an intelligence agent of Zurrernorn.

'Hmm, continue observing. I'll tell you further instructions after discussing the information with Lord Malachar.'

'Understood, sir Azrik.'

Saying this, he ended the conversation and stopped bowing. The scroll he used was a *Message* scroll provided by Malachar. 

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A/N: Apologize for the short chapter.