1 The Lost Hope Forest

"Hey! Did you hear it? the hell spear team came back from The Lost Hope Forest!" said a guy with a big mustache and coarse hair

"What "came back"? They never Really gone there in the first place. All they did was to fool around in the surrounding for a few days and they dare to say that they have entered the forest" reported the round bellied man at the table next to him.

"I'll acknowledge them being men if they at least dare to go past The Never Hope Valley " said the round bellied man

"Haha, go past The Never Hope Valley? Your manhood meter is pretty impressive, fatty Sam" laughed the thin and short man at the big mustache guy's table

"Even the Empire Knights don't want to get near it. Why else you think it is called 'The Never Hope Valley'! It's not a joke when people say you leave all your hope behind when you cross The Never Hope Valley"

"The people who dare to even get closer to the valley are getting fewer and fewer by the years" said another man in the inn

"Yeah, there is many rumors about this forest to the point where you can't even tell the truth from lies. But it's really a scary place"

While the people were busy talking and drinking a loud voice was heard at the entrance of the inn.

"Since the masses want to know more about 'The Lost Hope Forest' let me clear your doubts and tell you the real truth about this mystical place that is rarely visited by human beings, my dear friends"

The noisy inn fell into a short silence and many people looked to the source of the voice.

At the entrance stood an old man with a short beard and weird clothes. Even though he is old he looked more energetic than many young people

"If it isn't our famous brave traveler Mister Lucas. It has been a while since I last saw you here, I thought that you already met your maker" jeered fatty Sam

"There is no way I'll die before sp*ting on your grave for few times, d*mn fatty" replied the old man

"What did you say crazy old man? With your foot already one step in the grave I'll be the first one to p** on your grave. Just wait!" shouted fatty Sam

"Come on you two, stop it already. Let's listen to old Lucas story"

the people in the inn hurried to stop those two energetic old men before they get into the mood and start their old debate contest.

"What's there to listen to? Just the same old story again and again" mumbled fatty Sam in a soft voice

Old Lucas ignored him and started his joyful time of storytelling.

"'The Lost Hope Forest' the great barrier of the nature, the grave of brave fighters and the dreamland of the ambitious youth. The only law there is the jungle law. In there you can't survive with strength alone because no matter how strong you are there will always be stronger. That is a place where humans are even weaker than insects"

"Hey! Even If this forest is that dangerous, humans can't be weaker than insects" interrupted someone.

"30 years ago the new proud emperor who rules the powerful Starlight Empire and controls its strong army decided to break the legend and conquer the forest" old Lucas didn't pay attention to the man and continued his story.

"One thousand elite soldiers, 50 knights and one grand knight were gathered under the order of the emperor to attain the glory and achieve the dream"

"With the order of Sir Fernance, the great knight, the team left the capital in high spirits under the blessing of the emperor and the crowd in the 3rd day of the 2nd month"

"They used the Dorra city road to enter the forest, with the power of more than 1000 elite, they didn't have much trouble along the way. Even those unruly bandits would run away in fear the moment they spot this strong momentum behemoth. They reached the forest after about a month of march but everything changed the moment they entered the forest. The big number they were proud of started to become their curse…"

While the old man was telling the story of the exploration team and the hardships they faced, most people were eating, drinking or just listening in silence. There is also some people who interrupt him from time to time to ask questions, express their surprise or exclaim in disbelief. The old man answers sometimes and ignores the rest

In an inconspicuous corner sat a young man eating his meal while listening to the old man like the rest of the customers.

This young man with unkempt hair and clothes who looks like someone just returned from a long and tiring journey didn't draw much attention in this environment but if anyone were to take notice of his face, he will find that this young man has lost one of his eyes and the other one is quietly scanning the area and the rest of the customers.