5 Chapter 5: Familiar Names

"DESPAIR"

DESPAIR is an extremely powerful being that maintains the balance of dark energy in the whole universe. He wears a black hoodie with a golden locket on his neck. He is one of the 10 guardians protecting the universe. His official title is "Guardian V, the guardian of despair". He's also ranked 6th strongest guardian among the 10.

He has giant black scythe with a black heart on the blade. He calls it "Forlorner". It could slice to almost anything and it could control shadows and darkness at will while producing a black toxic gooey liquid that could further damage opponents. DESPAIR excels at illusions especially illusion that could destroy the mind of the person. DESPAIR rather fights strategically by using tricks and illusion instead of fighting head-on. He also can teleport to place to place by using his own shadow

He is quite edgy and can be a bit mean to others. But despite his personality, he is still a guardian and a guardian protects the universe and everyone in it. He would prefer fighting alone than fighting with other people. He regularly visits other guardians to greet them and share information. His hobbies include torturing miserable souls, drinking different kinds of black coffee and gardening a variety of black flowers

Currently, he has suspicions to his fellow guardian HOPE. He decided to monitor her plans and 5 specific individuals

-o-o-o-

"Why are you here?" HOPE said in a monotone voice

"DESPAIR" HOPE uttered the boy's name

"Nothing much. Just checking in on what you're doing. After all, you are my opposite" DESPAIR simply said as he put on the hood of his hoodie creating a shadow over his face and pointed his scythe to HOPE

DESPAIR quickly jumped into the air leaving a black smoke which blinded HOPE. He took the opportunity as he dropped down and swiped his scythe attempting to slice her, which HOPE blocked with her shield as a large wave of energy shook the Stardust Sphere from the collision of their weapons

DESPAIR glared at her with his black ominous pupils

HOPE glared back at him with her white glowing pupils

...

HOPE suddenly burst out childish laughter "You're always bad at surprising, DESPAIR!" as she lowered her shield and continued to laugh

DESPAIR removed his hood and smiled "Darn it. I was so sure that you'll be surprised with that" as he grinned

Despite their respective theme, they actually get along well. So far that they act like siblings, DESPAIR as a big brother and HOPE as a little sister. DESPAIR visits HOPE regularly and play pranks like this

"So, how's your garden doing?" HOPE asked DESPAIR's hobbies

"Good, my black daisy is blooming right now" DESPAIR commented on his own garden "Thanks for your gardening tips you told me"

"No problem!" HOPE smiled at him

The 2 guardians chuckled as they sat down to HOPE's bed

"So, let's go right into business" DESPAIR's mood changed serious real fast "Can you tell me why Fantasia is flooded with so much power?" DESPAIR said sternly

"So you've noticed" HOPE sighed "There, let show you the cause" HOPE pointed the TV set broadcasting the 5 heroes

They are currently buying new equipment for their quest. Travis is shown getting beaten up tsundere style by Mira after he was caught staring at the girl merchant's boobs. Their other friends sweat dropped at Travis' shenanigans, as Travis repeatedly apologized

"I see, you've let them be reborn to Fantasia. Am I correct?" DESPAIR sensed HOPE's GIFTS within each of them

"Yup" HOPE casually responded

DESPAIR sighed "Let me guess, those idiots got hit by a truck" DESPAIR said the most cliché isekai death ever

"No, I accidentally shot them with one of my lasers" HOPE said nervously

"You clumsy idiot" DESPAIR flicked HOPE's forehead, "Owie!" HOPE said childishly while she rubbed the spot where he hit her. They almost looked like true blood siblings

DESPAIR sighed at HOPE's clumsiness "So, what kind of GIFTS did you give them? I sense great energy from each of them" DESPAIR asked

HOPE froze "A-All of them" HOPE said in a nervous smile

"ALL OF THEM?!" DESPAIR exclaimed with genuine shock

"I'm sorry" HOPE apologized in a sad tone "I kinda... slipped" HOPE said in full guilt. She didn't really mean it. They even said they don't need it

DESPAIR looked at HOPE with disbelief

"Do you realize what you have done?! It would cause an extreme imbalance of power in Fantasia! This wouldn't be like the last time! Like we did with Hi-"

Before he could finish his sentence. Suddenly, a giant laser was shot directly at him, DESPAIR's eyes widen as he narrowly dodged the blast using his scythe to move away

HOPE's power flared out, her innocent persona disappeared "DON'T. SAY. HER. NAME." HOPE threatened him with her hands glowing with pure energy

DESPAIR looked at HOPE in disappointment, "My point still stands. Sooner or later, you have to deal with them in the future" DESPAIR glared at her

DESPAIR really hates HOPE when she can't control her emotions. Just because she "looked" like a child doesn't mean she has to act like one

HOPE calmed down "I know. I'll do something about it" as she turned her head away from DESPAIR

"You better, because if don't do anything..." DESPAIR put his hood on his hoodie back on, his scythe started to create a dark aura. He jumped into the air and slashed the sky with his weapon, shattering several of HOPE's stars

"... I'll deal with them PERSONALLY" DESPAIR looked at her with his ominous eyes while his face shrouded with darkness

HOPE looked at the broken stars "Great, there goes the hope of a whole country" she thought as DESPAIR just caused a massive genocide by breaking those stars. But HOPE just stood there, her expression is unreadable

DESPAIR sighed as HOPE remained silent "I'm going out. Call me if you need me" DESPAIR started to leave by sinking on his own shadow

"Hee hee" HOPE giggled in a childish way which caused DESPAIR to stop sinking when he heard HOPE's giggling and stared at the little girl

"You know DESPAIR, if they ever try to betray me as she did..."

HOPE faced DESPAIR

"i WOn'T HesITAte teaRIng thEIr BODIES inTO BlooDY LiTTLe piECEs!"

"HEEHEHEHEHHEHEHEHHEHEHEHEHEHHEHHHEEHEEHEE!" HOPE giggled insanely with a wide grin on her face

DESPAIR stared at her insane persona and shook his head "Tch, you never change HOPE, you never change" as he completely sunk into his own shadow leaving HOPE alone again

HOPE regains her innocent persona again and stared at the TV broadcasting the mentioned group of friends. She placed her hand into the screen "You know, I don't want to get to the point where I have to kill you guys" HOPE said with sadness in her voice

"So don't lose hope, okay?"

-o-o-o-

Meanwhile in Silver Wolf Guild...

The 5 heroes are looking over the quest board of the guild. They're finding an F-rank quest among the several quests posted

They found out that since they're still F-rank adventurers, they can only accept F-rank quest. The only way to raise up their rank is to complete at least 4 F-ranked quest

"Hmm..." Brian scoped over the posted paper

"There!" Mira spotted an F-rank quest

Brian grabbed it and looked at the details of the quest. It was clear that this quest has been posted for a long time with old parchment slightly tearing from Brain's hands

"What do you think guys?" Brian showed the quest to his friends

The 4 looked at the quest and nodded in approval "That would suffice" Serena replied

"Alright, let's get this approved and get started to increase our rank" Brian said

They went over to the counter. Glen noticed the adventurers approaching her

"Oh! It's you! Can I help you?" Glen said

"Can you approve this quest for us?" Brian placed the paper for Glen to see

Glen scanned the paper and its contents "Are you sure you want to take this quest? It's very difficult to finish" Glen asked

"Sure, we can handle it" Travis smiled in approval

Glen sighed "Ok, if this is what you wanted" Glen stamped the paper in approval

Glen handed the quest to the F-ranked adventurers "Here you go and congratulations on having your first quest" Glen said with a smile

"Thanks Glen!" Brian grabbed the quest "Alright! Let's go!" They cheered and exited the guild

Glen smiled "Those people are going to be great adventurers"

"Hey, did you hear what happened to Schwi?" Glen heard the 2 guild members gossiping behind her

"What about that country?" the female guild member replied

"Apparently, all of the citizens on that city suddenly committed suicide in just one day!" the male guild member exclaimed

"Yikes! That's some crazy shit! Was it a mind-controlling spell?" the female guild asked

"No, it wasn't a spell. It was just like they lost all hope at the same time" the male guild member said grimly

"Wow, I'm glad it didn't happen to us" the female guild member said as the male guild member nodded in response

Glen listened at the chatting pair curiously, "It seems more and more strange events are occurring in Fantasia since those 5 became adventurers" Glen thought

"I wonder what would change next?"

-o-o-o-

Somewhere in Lartnec Forest...

Among the groves of trees lies a patch of flora. Various kinds of plants and herbs are scattered all over the forest floor. And why are our overpowered heroes doing here? Well...

"PICKING FLOWERS ARE BORING!!!" Travis complained as the others picked up more white flowers

Their first quest is...

[COLLECT 1000000 "Dainty Daisies"]

[Rewards: 10 silver coins, 100 guild points]

"Well, this is the only F-rank quest there is" Brian said as picked one the flowers

It seems before you become a true adventurer, they have to test your dedication to the guild. This task is purposely boring and repetitive to rookie adventurers. This kind of unbalanced quest system separates slackers to the diligent adventurers

"But, we're ADVENTURERS! Shouldn't we kill monsters or something?" Travis complained even more to the more realistic RPG world

Serena finally bonked Travis' head "Quit your complaining and just help" Serena said, irritated at Travis' whining

"Fine" Travis grumbled as he picked more daisies

"Actually, I'm with Travis. This is a bit boring" Brian said

"Well, what do you suggest to make picking flowers more interesting?" Serena said sarcastically

"I got it!" Travis had an idea

"It better not one of your perverted ideas" Serena warned him

"Don't worry Rena'! Unlike the other times, this time I'm serious" Travis winked at her, using her nickname

"You better be, I don't think you're going to survive this one Travis" Lilian concerned to her friend

Serena groaned "Fine, just get it over with" Serena said

"Right!" Travis held out his hand and chanted a spell

"<Pilfer>!"

Travis' hand glowed green

[Target: White Daisy]!

Travis finished his chant as green light engulfed the whole clearing

As soon as the group regained their sight they saw all of the Dainty Daisies piled up near him with a few flowers in his hand

"Wow, for once you actually did something right" Serena said with a bit of respect

Travis proudly smug "I may have perverted desires from time to time but when it comes to adventuring, I am extremely professional to-"

"Wait, what's that?" Brian pointed at Travis' hand grabbing the flowers

A white piece of cloth. White panty

"Huh?" Travis stared blankly as he saw a panty in his hands

"Wait, that's my-" Serena checked her skirt and turned red

Serena stared at Travis with a blank expression

...

"NOW YOU MUST DIE!!!" Serena yelled as she shot thousands of arrows directly at Travis

"AHHHHHHHH!!! IM SORRY! <Evade>! <Evade>! <Evade>!" Travis dodged the incoming arrows with his assassin skills while Brian carries Travis away from Serena's onslaught

"Serena! Calm down! It was an accident!" Brian carried Travis away from an angered archer

"It seems the only cure for perverseness is death itself! <Ballista>!" Serena shot a giant arrow directly at fleeing boys

"AHHHHHHHHH!!!" the boys screamed as Brian ran faster and Travis dodged quicker as several arrows and one giant arrow coming after them

Lilian and Mira just sweat dropped at their friend's schemes

Yup, a normal day for this overpowered party

-o-o-o-

"<Heal>"

Travis is being healed by Lilian with several arrows in his back

"It was an accident! I swear!" Travis tried to reason to an angry Serena

"I didn't know Dainty Daisies can be called PANTIES in this world!"

"Ow!" Travis winced as Brian pulled out an arrow from his back

"Geez Serena, you didn't have to shot THAT many arrows" Brian said

"Hmph! That idiotic pervert deserved it" Serena still mad

"Setting aside Travis' scummy plan, we should split up to finish picking up the rest of the flowers" Lilian suggested

"I agree, I'll take Travis to the north side of the forest while the girls spread out to cover the south side" Brian said

"Fine, as long I'm not paired with that filthy animal" Serena sneered at Travis as she paired with Lilian as they way deeper in the forest "See you, later guys" Lilian softly said as she joined Serena

"Come on! It was an accident!" Travis said to Serena

Brian looked at Mira "Are you okay going alone, Mira?" Brian asked as she was the odd one out

"I'll be fine. Just take the pervert with you" Mira replied

"Okay, let's go Travis" Brian dragged his friend to the north side of the forest

"At least you're on my side, Brian" Travis said

"Don't push your luck" Brian replied as they left Mira alone

"Right, time to pick some more" Mira grabbed her broom as she went to the eastern part of the forest

Ignoring the sign saying "DANGER! WOLF TERRITORY AHEAD"

-o-o-o-

"And that's the last of them" Mira swept the picked daises with her broom. She opened her <ITEM BOX> and put the pile of flowers there

"Phew! Who knew picking up flowers is so tiring" Mira said as she laid in a flat rock nearby

May stared at the sky, watching the clouds pass by.

"Life in this world is sure breathtaking" Mira smiled as she saw giant butterflies fluttering by

Suddenly, the rock Mira is laying on started to move,

"What the?" Mira immediately jumped off the rock

It turns out the rock wasn't a rock at all. Instead, it was a giant wolf with grey fur

"Who dares disturbs my slumber?" the wolf spoke

"Alpha Dire Grey Wolf" *LV 80 Boss*

HP: 8000000

MP: 5250000

DEF: 4200

AGI: 75200

MAG: 1200

STR: 63400

Skills:

<Bite>

"Great at being a bed to humans, not so great at being nice to humans"

Mira paused a bit as she heard the most cliché monster awakening line ever

"To be fair, you disturbed my slumber too" Mira said as she stretches her arms around

"You foolish human, you have entered my territory! Leave! Or face the consequences!" the wolf snarled

Mira was unfazed at the wolf's words and laid on the grass lazily

"Nope, I'm tired at picking up those flowers. I'm going to rest for a bit" as she put laid her broom by her side

The wolf was surprised that she didn't get scared

"If you won't flee then I'll have to force you instead!" the giant wolf pounced to Mira

"<Firebolt>" Mira chanted a spell

A bolt of lightning emerged to Mira's broom and zapped the wolf, as it wailed in pain

"That was supposed to be a fire attack" Mira thought

The wolf tried to stand up "W-What? A lightning user? With cleaning stick no less?!"

"It's called a broom, Mr. Wolf" Mira said with sass

"Don't call me Mr. Wolf!" the wolf exclaimed

"Then I'll call you Steve" Mira replied nonchalantly

"Don't call me Steve either!" the wolf yelled

"I don't know, Steve is kind of a classy name" Mira nodded in appreciation

"ENOUGH! You have vexed me for the last time! I determined you to be my opponent, PREPARE YOURSELF! HUMAN!" the wolf declared

The wolf stomped to the ground knocking Mira temporarily as the wolf position itself

"<Chilling Bark>"

The wolf barked a gust of wind that instantly froze nearby trees. The gust of deadly wind is coming after her

"<Ice Wall>!" Mira defended herself with a spell causing a wall of stone to erect in front of her, blocking the wolf's bark

"You're a bi-mage?!" The wolf noticed Mira used 2 different elements

"Crap, I forgot mages can only wield one element" Mira said to herself

The wolf growled "Since you're a bi-mage, that's means you're very talented at magic. Not to mention you've been chanting wrong to prevent me from predicting your spells" the wolf said as it circles around Mira

"Wait, no. I'm not-"

"Then I'll have to fight you seriously this time" the wolf eyed the red mage like prey

The wolf howled before dashing towards Mira at great speeds

"<Poison Sting>!" Mira tried to defend herself by shooting a triangle shaped air blast at the wolf

The wolf just evaded the attack by moving to the side. "<Poison Claw>!" the wolf slashed at the red mage which she ducked immediately to avoid the attack, slashing a tree instead

Mira glanced at the tree as it shriveled due to the poison attack "Woah! Are you mad, Steve?" Mira asked

"DON'T. CALL ME. STEVE!" the wolf's attacks became more violent as Mira tried to dodge the wolf's slashes

The wolf went into Mira's blind spot, behind her back. The wolf prepares a slash, trying to decapitate her

"DIE HUMAN!"

"<Flame Blast>!" Mira cast a spell freezing one of the wolf's paw, giving Mira enough distance to dodge the deadly slash

"Phew! You almost got me, Steve" Mira panting for air as she held her broom as support

"Stop calling me Steve!" the enraged wolf tried to slash her again with his other paw

"<Light Beam>" Mira froze his other paw with an ice beam

"What?! You can 3 elements?! What are you?!" the wolf tried to free himself from his frozen paws

"I'm a mage that can control all of the elements" Mira explained to the trapped wolf

"ALL OF THEM?!" the wolf exclaimed

"Yup, and I better go now. My party might be done picking flowers" As she started to leave

"WHAT?! How dare you leave me in such state?!" As the wolf tried to bite the ice off his paws

"I'll see you later, Steve" Mira left the wolf alone

"DON'T CALL ME WITH THAT NAME!" she heard the wolf yell in the distance as she went to the center of the forest to meet with her friends

-o-o-o-

"<Aqua Cutter>" Mira cast a spell as flames sliced the shrubbery, making a path for her and also burning nearby plants slightly

Mira looked back and saw a path full of burned, soaked, zapped, frozen, buried, and many marks of elemental damage to the forest's plants

"I really need should learn how to control this power" Mira said to herself

Without warning, a giant dragonfly approached her and started to buzz

"Bzzt! Bzzt!" the bug annoyingly buzzed near her ear

"Shoo! Shoo! Get out of here!" Mira attempted to swat the giant bug with her broom

The dragonfly nimbly dodged Mira's attempts and taunted her with even more buzzing

"<Psychic Punch>!" a bald muscular man suddenly appeared out of nowhere and punched the bug into green goo

The goo splattered to Mira's witch hat "Eww..." she removed her hat and scrapped the sticky substance off

"What are you doing here, little girl?" the bald man asked

Mira looked at the man who just smashed the bug. He wore a ton of necklaces with several colored crystals hanging over his neck

"Just picking some flowers for our quest" Mira put her witch hat back on

"Wait... You're an adventurer? What rank are you?" the bald man questioned her

"Rank F" she noticed 2 new people appeared behind him. One man with red robes and one woman with green robes

"Rank F? Hahahaha!" the bald man laughed "You should be staying out of trouble sweetheart and just sweep at home instead" the bald man mocked

Mira was a bit mad at the bald man's remarks "And who are you supposed to be?" Mira asked

"Me? I'm Gigguk, Rank B monk. Remember that name, sweetheart" Gigguk grinned at her proudly

Mira stared at him uninterested "I see, I better go before your big bald ego explode" Mira scoffed

"Hmm? Says the adventurer with a broom for a weapon! What are you going to do? Clean up the monsters away?" Gigguk taunted. Mira ignored his taunts, "Keep together, girl" she continued to chant in order to stay calm

"Leader, we found the wolf's cave" Gigguk's green robed companion said

"Oh! Good! Let's go, everyone! And don't get killed at the way out, broom girl!" Gigguk laughed as he went deeper in the forest with his companions

"What a jerk" Mira sneered

"Wait, did he say wolf?" Mira said

-o-o-o-

Gigguk and his 2 companions arrived at the entrance of the cave

"Be very alert. Dire wolves likes surprises" Gigguk warned his party

Suddenly, a giant wolf burst out of the cave, baring its giant teeth directly at Gigguk. His companions were ready to fire their attacks

But, before they could do anything. Gigguk held the jaws of the wolf preventing it from biting him

"See? They like surprises" Gigguk lifted the giant wolf and threw it against to a bunch of trees. The wolf recovered as it growled in anger

"<Poison Claw>" the wolf slashed at the party

Gigguk's green robbed companion chanted a spell "<Tree Line>"

A line of trees grew in front of them, blocking the slash

Before the wolf can react, Gigguk's red companion cast fire magic "<Meteor Strike>"

The wolf jumped over the incoming fire of death, evading the attack completely

"Presistent Pests!" the wolf exclaimed

"Oh? So you can talk. Then that changes everything" Gigguk said

"What are you implying human?" the wolf growled

"We were going to hunt grey wolves for our quest but since you can talk that means you're the alpha of your pack, am I right?" Gigguk replied

The wolf remembered his pack. They were a happy, strong pack. They admired him for his leadership and courage. The pack of wolves was content

Until one day, adventurers raided their territory. He tried all his might to defend his pack, but they all died anyway except for him, escaping deeper in the forest. They were no match to the high-ranked adventurers. He watched the adventurers stripped his wolf companions for their fur. He was consumed with anger and revenge.

In that day, he swore to defeat every human he would encounter. They will pay for their sins with their lives. He leveled up further and further until he became a boss monster of the Lartnec Forest. He was undefeated, he was the slayer of the monsters, defender of the forest and the adventurer predator

Until he met that mage...

This mage looked ridiculous, with a broom as a weapon and equipped with low-leveled mage outfit. He was ready for a fight with the human but she said she just wanted to rest in the grass. It annoyed him, provoked him and called him with a ridiculous name!

When he was defeated, he was so sure that this mage will kill him. But she left him alive still calling him with that name

The wolf stared at the monk with intent

"Instead of protecting this horrible place, become my familiar. I promise I'll take care of you well" Gigguk offered

His pack flashed in his mind

The wolf growled in anger "LIKE I WOULD SERVE A HUMAN LIKE YOU!" as he charged to the monk

Gigguk sighed "It was worth the try"

"Finish him" He ordered one of his companions

Gigguk's red companion cast a spell "<Frag Explosion>"

Tiny but strong explosions surround the wolf, burning his fur badly. The wolf whimpered like an injured dog before it collapsed to the ground

Gigguk crouched in front of him "That's a shame, looks like you die without your pack" he taunted

"<Memetic Destruction>" the monk's hand glowed red, aiming to crush the wolf's head

"<Firewall>" a layer of ice immediately formed between Gigguk and the wolf, protecting the wolf from Gigguk's deadly spell

"What is this?" the monk stepped back

The wolf looked over his savior. He saw a familiar witch hat wearing mage

"Hi Steve, you okay there?" Mira waved her broom

"I told you, don't call me with that name" the wolf weakly rebutted

"Broom girl, what do you think you're doing?" Gigguk threatened Mira

"Saving Steve of course! Get it through your thick bald skull of yours" Mira insulted

"You mean the wolf? Haha..." Gigguk slightly chuckled

"HA! You really want to die, sweetheart?!" Gigguk cackled madly

"Don't call me sweetheart, it's creepy" Mira shot a disgusted look at the monk

"Get her" Gigguk ordered the 2 adventurers as ran towards Mira

Mira eyed them "A druid and fire mage, huh?" Mira deduced

The druid cast a spell "<Thorn Roots>"

Thorns started to grow from the ground, approaching her full of deadly spikes

"<Mist>" Mira cast black clouds that wilted the thorns before it could reach her

"Wait! <Mist> spell should make plants grow!" the druid argued noticing Mira's mischantment

"Not to me, it doesn't. Hey! Can I copy your spell?" Mira asked with a cheery voice

"What?" the druid blinked

"<Thorn Roots>" Mira mimicked the druid's spell as thorns made out of fire exploded in front of the green-robed adventurer, knocking him out

"<Flamethrower>" the fire mage cast a spell that incinerated everything in front of Mira in attempting to roast her. Mira barely dodged the deadly flames as chanted a spell, "<Blizzard>"

Mira produced a mini- sandstorm that covered the fire successfully, stopping the flames. The fire mage was blinded with sand

"My eyes! My eyes!" he cried out as he tried to remove sand from his eyelids

"<Atmos Cage>" Mira chanted as ice formed around the red robbed adventurer, trapping the blinded magic user inside

"You're pretty talented for an F-ranked mage. To able to control multiple elements" Gigguk rubbed his chin interest as she defeated his high-ranked companions easily

"Will you let go of the wolf if I defeat you too?" Mira said in seriousness

"Hmm? Can you?" Gigguk said confidently

"<Dark Laser>" Mira cast a giant light ray, aimed directly at Gigguk

Gigguk didn't try to avoid Mira's attack still smiling arrogantly. Mira was sure that will be the final blow, but...

A magic circle appeared in Gigguk's body, blocking the attack like it's was nothing

"W-What?" Mira was shocked that he was able to resist her overpowered attack

Gigguk chuckled "I'm a monk, sweetheart. I'm trained to resist all elemental damage"

"All of the elements?!" Mira thought

Gigguk clenched his fists "Now, let's fight!" Gigguk charged towards the broom-wielding mage

"<Poison Sting>!" a bolt of lightning zapped Gigguk with her broom. But, a magic circle appeared again, completely nullifying her attack

"<Light Beam>!"

"<Earth Spike>!"

"<Wave Crash>!"

"<Gale Blade>!"

"<Dark Drain>!"

Mira released a multitude of different spells, but Gigguk remained unaffected with a magic circle blocking each attack

Gigguk raised his glowing red foot above Mira "My turn! <Kinetic Dropkick>!"

Gigguk drops his heel, as Mira stared with wide eyes. She quickly cast a spell "<Aero Barrier>!"

BLAAGGG!

The impact caused the ground to shake. Gigguk stared at the Mira, which she blocked his foot with a stone covered broom. Mira grit her teeth as she struggled to block his foot

"<Black Impulse>!" Mira caused an explosion of high pressurized air between them, blasting the 2 in each opposite sides of the battlefield

The wolf watched as Mira gasp for air, holding her witch hat tightly as she recovered from the blast. Gigguk stood up again after crashing to a tree

"<Fire B-" Mira stopped midway as she felt her broom burn her hand, as she bit her lip in pain. Her broom started to smoke

"Shit, I'm starting to have drawbacks" Mira thought. Mira's power is limitless but weapons like her broom still have a breaking point

"If I lose my broom, I'll lose the ability to fight" Mira thought as she glared at Gigguk's prideful smirk

"It seems you're reaching your limit, sweetheart" Gigguk said

"I better think something fast before he breaks my broom" Mira thought

"Mage!!!" the wolf yelled

"What?" Mira looked at the wolf

"Just leave already! You'll just get yourself killed!" the wolf warned

"Nope, I'm not leaving" Mira said

The wolf is getting annoyed. Ever since he met this mage, she just won't listen to him

"Why are you so stubborn?! Why won't you leave me alone?!" the wolf yelled

"Because..."

"...you looked lonely" Mira said with a gentle smile

The wolf stared at the mage in shock

Mira ducked as she dodged a punch from Gigguk "Eyes on me! Sweetheart!" Gigguk exclaimed

"How about NO!" Mira swept the ground with her broom causing a dust cloud that momentarily blinded Gigguk

Mira kept sweeping the ground until the whole battlefield is covered with thick, dusty air

"Where are you stupid brat" Gigguk swung his fist blindly in the heavy dust clouds in hopes of hitting her

"Oh? I thought my name is sweetheart?" Mira used the wooden end of her broom to prod the angered monk. She continued to smack her broom to the monk as he started to take damage

The wolf watched their battle "I see, a monk relies upon their concentration to defend against attacks. By creating a huge change in the field, the mage successfully removed the steady concentration that the monk has" the wolf comprehended

"ENOUGH!" Gigguk grabbed Mira's head, dropping her broom. Mira tried to pry his hands off her head but his grip is too strong

"End of the line, sweetheart!" Gigguk started to squeeze her skull as she yelps in pain

Until her head was smashed like a watermelon

"NO!" the wolf yelled

POOF!

Suddenly, Mira's body turned into white smoke

"What?! A FAKE?!" Gigguk exclaimed. He heard someone giggling

"Enjoying that dummy, dummy?" Mira was at the side of the wolf, watching him as he popped her fake body

"H-How?!" The wolf finally notices the girl beside her

"A simple shadow clone spell, Steve" Mira winked at the wolf. The spell Mira used only works on darkness but since her overpowered gift change the element of her spell, it instead changed the element of darkness of the shadow clone spell into a light element making it possible to cast it in broad daylight

"You little!" Gigguk sprinted towards the mage

Mira tapped the ground with her broom, trapping the monk in some kind of invisible force field

"What is this?" the monk looked at the ground and shaken on what he saw

The dust clouds of the battlefield dissipate revealing a large magic circle beneath his feet. The magic circle was full of glowing symbols in red, ready to activate

"When did you- Wait..." Gigguk flashbacks to Mira sweeping the ground several times during their battle

"Y-You drew a magic circle WITH YOUR BROOM?!" Gigguk exclaimed

"Yup! Since my broom can't handle more spells, I figured it would be better if I draw a magic circle instead" Mira smiling smugly

"You said you can resist any elemental damage, right?" Mira looked at Gigguk with intent

"But, I noticed something. If you can resist any element, why can't you make several magic circles in your body? When you block one of my attacks, you only make one single magic circle" Mira said

Gigguk flinched as she saw his trick

Mira glared at him "Then it hit me, you can only defend one element at a time" Mira pointed at the nervous monk

Mira smirked "So I made that custom magic circle just for you. Let's see if you can defend from every element, ALL AT THE SAME TIME!"

"No! Don't!" Gigguk tried to beg, but it was too late

"Custom Magic Circle: <Over Element>!" Mira chanted causing the magic circle to activate

The mana of the forest concentrated in one point then burst out the magic circle into a colorful beacon of fire, air, earth, water, light, and darkness. All of that power directly pointed at the poor monk. Gigguk shrieked as his body failed to make a magic circle to defend the attack. The magic circle disappeared as Gigguk defeated body flopped to the ground

"W-what are you?" Gigguk whispered, fully beaten

"I'm Mira and I'm a mage" Mira said smiling proudly

-o-o-o-

Mira put the defeated adventurers in the cave for safety. They may be horrible people but that doesn't mean they deserved to eaten by wild monsters

"Are you okay?" Mira asked as she walked towards the wolf as it tried to stand up

"I'm fine, grey wolves like me heal in no time" the wolf responded. Mira sighed in relief

"That was very stupid to help me" the wolf growled

"I had to! You were in trouble!" Mira said

"I said to leave me alone! I don't need any help from human like you!" the wolf exclaimed

"Is it because you don't want anyone coming to this place?" Mira asked

The wolf suddenly became silent

Mire looked around "This place. It was your pack's home, was it?" The memory of his pack flashed inside the wolf's mind

"It was" the wolf said with sadness

Mira sighed "I won't pretend that I know what you feel but I think your pack wants you to explore the world instead of being stuck here alone drowning in the grief of your loss" Mira said

The wolf thought about it for a few seconds before shaking his head in disagreement "It won't be different. I'll still be alone even if I leave this place" The wolf replied

"Then join me. That way you won't be alone and explore the world with my friends" Mira offered

The wolf was surprised at what she said

"Or travel alone like a lone wolf. It's your choice" Mira smiled gently

The wolf stared at her with curious eyes "This girl hasn't done anything except annoy me. She is extremely stubborn and keeps charging into trouble like an idiot..." the wolf thought

Mira smiled at him

"...but"

"Fine, I'll accompany you to your travels, in one condition" the wolf said

"Sure, what is it?" Mira replied

"Let me become your familiar" the wolf said

Mira paused for a bit before saying "Okay then. I'll be your master, as you'll be my familiar" Mira smiled, "My name is Mira Rey but you can call me Mira"

The wolf started chant "From this day forth, I will be your strength, will and companion. You, Mira Rey declared you to be my master!"

A red collar formed in his neck and Mira gained a seal on her hand

"I will need a name to complete the contract" the wolf said

"Okay! What about..." Mira think of a name

"Steve!" Mira said

"Very well, the title of 'Steve' shall be mine forever..." the wolf said

"AS IF!!!" the wolf complained

"I SHALL NOT ACCEPT AN OUTRAGEOUS NAME SUCH AS 'STEVE' AS MY TITLE!!!" the wolf exclaimed

Mira giggled "Well, too bad. It's already done"

The word "Steve" was inscribed to the wolf's collar and Mira's seal as the contract was complete

"No way!" wolf yelled

"Well, let's get out of this forest. Steeeeeve" Mira teased

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Steve howled

-o-o-o-

"There! 1000000 Dainty Daisies!" Brian counted the flowers they picked

The 4 are in the edge of the forest counting their foraged herbs

"That was extremely boring. I hope we don't do this again" Travis exhaled

"I wonder where Mira is, it's almost sunset" Lilian starting to get worried for her friend

Serena sighed "Let me look for her" as she activated her archer skill, her eyes glowed violet

"Wait, I think I can see her" Serena said

"You do? Where is she now?" Lilian asked

"You may want to brace yourselves" Serena said

"What?" Brian said

Out of nowhere, a giant wolf burst out of the trees with Mira riding on its back

"Alright!" Mira shouted out in joy as she rode Steve

"MIRA?!" the 3 exclaimed in unison except for Serena

"Hey, guys!" Mira waved her broom to her friends

"Mira! Mind explaining the giant wolf?!" Travis started to freak out in astonishment

"Oh, I got a new familiar when I was in the southern part of the forest" Mira explained

"Woah" Brian remarked in amazement

"Come on. Introduce yourself" Mira ordered her familiar

The wolf obeyed as it kneeled in front of the humans "Greetings, my master's comrades. I am the beast in the forest that slays monsters and defends the forest of Lartnec and-"

"His name is Steve" Mira interrupted

"Don't call me with that name!" the wolf complained

"Steve. That's pretty cool name" Brian said

"Steve? Now that's a classy name!" Travis nodded

"Nice to meet you, Steve. Your name is really cool" Lilian admired

"Steve... such a unique name" Serena agreed with her friends

Steve stared at them in disbelief "I can see why you are friends with my master"

"Well, what are guys waiting for? Hop on!" Mira said

"Yes! No more walking!" Travis said as everybody ride the back of the giant wolf

"I'm starting to regret making a contract with you" Steve said

"You're missing the point, Steve. This is your first time out of your forest, that makes it special" Mira said

Steve sighed "Fine, where to?" the wolf asked

"To the Lartnec Village!" Mira said as they ride the giant wolf to vast plains. It may not be noticeable, but Steve is really happy right now

"This girl is really annoying" Steve smirking a genuine smile

-o-o-o-

They arrived at the outskirts of the town. Mira ordered Steve to stop as the group hop off the wolf. They're ready to enter the town until they noticed a problem

"Wait. Isn't bringing a giant boss monster wolf to the town, bad?" Travis said. The others sigh in agreement

"Are you saying my appearance would cause panic in the human village?" Steve said

"Pretty much" Mira said

Steve ponder for a bit "Very well, I shall change into something suitable" The giant wolf started to glow silver light as he changed form

"Is this form acceptable now?" Steve said

"Oooohh..." the 5 adventurers said in admiration as Steve changed into a human form

He looked like a young butler with a short grey hair, complete with a proper butler outfit with a small red collar on his neck

"I saw a human servant dressed in this garments once so I guessed this is appropriate for me" Steve replied

"You sure look nice, Steve!" Mira gave a thumbs up

"Don't call me Steve!" he protested in his human form

"He even looks handsome" Serena commented

"Good job! Steve!" Brian praised

"He looks like a real butler" Lilian admired

"Nice cosplay!" Travis gave a double thumbs up

Steve started to blush from the compliments "Let's just go to the human village already!" trying to hide his blush

Steve looked at his master with most smug smile ever "Tsundere"

"I don't know what that means but I feel like it's an insult!" Steve exclaimed

-o-o-o-

The party entered the guild with Steve in his human form

"Oh, have you completed your quest already?" Glen noticed the familiar party

"Yeah! 1000000 Dainty Daisies!" They all opened their <ITEM BOX> and poured out the pile of flowers. Their 1000000 daisy quest finally complete with extra flowers from Mira. The people stared fascinatingly at the group as they endlessly pour out flowers in the front counter

"Wow, now that's a lot of panties" Glen said as she collected all the flowers

"I still can't believe daisies in this world are called panties" Travis said in a deadpan manner

Glen noticed Steve "Oh hello! And who is this new companion over here?"

Steve kneeled in front of her like a proper butler

"Greetings human, I am the beast in the forest that slays monsters and defends the forest of Lartnec and-"

"His name is Steve" Mira interrupted him again

"DON'T CALL ME WITH THAT NAME!" Steve complained at his laughing master

"Well, nice to meet you, Steve" Glen teased as she giggled

"No way..." Steve in disbelief

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Steve yelled

Looks like a new party member has joined the party

-o-o-o-

Somewhere in the Mana Forest...

A council of elves are having a meeting...

"Are you sure she is capable for this mission?" one of the elder elves said

"Don't worry, she's the best archer of my units" the other elder replied

"Bah! I don't believe that for one second!" another elder said as he grabbed a goblet to drink

With no warning, his goblet was suddenly shot by an arrow and landed on a nearby wall, it balanced itself on a single arrow in the wall. The elder was shocked

"I reassure you Lord Slyvian. I'm perfectly capable of taking on this mission" a female figure appeared in the room, startling most of the elder elves

"I didn't even hear the arrow hit my goblet!" the elder elf thought

"Here are your targets" the other elder handed her 2 pictures of elves. One looks like Sera and the other one looks like Sora

"Remember your mission. Find them and eliminate them at all cost" the elder elf commanded "They cannot tarnish the name of the elf race"

"Will do, my lord" the female elf smiled maliciously

"I'll make sure they will be killed. And no one will stand in my way" her eyes glowed purple

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