The First Quest - ।।

With a real gloomy atmosphere, we then covered some long distances until Fiad finally decided it was time. I had already seen it though. There was a hoard of deadbulls lining up just a little in front of us. The environment was clear; they were in a muddy field hunting and eating slimes or something. So, this world's ecosystem is depended on monsters eating monsters? I thought, as it seemed weird to me.

Fiad announced as he descended from the caravan, "We are here."

I followed him with this. And Fiad then turned his face to me and declared,

"This time, I'm going to look after them. Go take a nap."

"Okay,"

It was feasible to me. After all, there was still plenty of time left. As to see the fight clearly, I strolled by and sat to lean under a random tree.

He pulled out his same naked sword and advanced forwards. Perhaps, he wants to impress me this time around? I thought to myself.

Fiad is actually quite an interesting individual, now that I think about it. Being a C level adventurer, I would assume he is also rich. He has great looks, solid moves, reputation, and fame. Not really much older compared to what I was. He would be, at most, twenty years old if I were seventeen. I felt it was fairly amusing that he was also a competent beast tamer. I was genuinely curious to learn what else he has up his sleeve.

As he reached the field, there was Fiad, before a pile of deadbulls with monstrous strength possibly outweighing over five adult humans. And their speed too, could easily outrun the quickest cheetah in my world in terms of speed, I believe.

Fiad performed a similar act as before holding the sword like a flag. Suddenly, one of the bulls on the pile went on a rampage, and the other deadbulls attacked it. I'm not sure how this skill works, but it does.

Quickly enough, two or maybe three of them also noticed Fiad and came for him. The tension was rising. I almost considered opening my Crystal Eyes but thought of letting it go. I wanted to see what he can do.

Unexpectedly however, he just laid down his sword and maintained a regular stance, as if he was going to battle all these deadbulls with nothing other than a sword. That sounded absurd to me, but he managed to persuade me to rethink.

As the deadbulls approached, he swiftly chopped off the horns of those bulls, significantly slowing them down to the point where I could possibly run faster than it now. My attention was drawn to the way he just leaped above them and avoided the entire onslaught. And only if that were the end of it! He raised the sword again, and within seconds, one of the bulls that had attacked him turned to his side, while he had just landed with a flawless backflip.

That was a mere three second performance however, the expertise he displayed was exceptional. I even clapped for him from here. Of course, he couldn't hear it, did he?

Yet, that was far from the end of the fight. Fiad joined his crew bull and assaulted the other beasts. He was a swordsman as well as a beast tamer. Not to mention that his abilities in both classes were equally impressive. That was a one-of-a-kind combo that I rarely saw in novels.

Fiad had slaughtered the two enemy deadbulls at one point in the battle, while more and more of them were simply getting closer to attack him.

So it was time for him to demonstrate his other skill.

I noticed him taking a different stance and mumbling some spells this time. Despite the fact that they were so close to him, his position did not stutter. With the completion of this spell and a complete army of deadbulls only a few meters away, his face quickly beamed.

As I viewed, his sword emitted a type of light as he swung it straight up following it on the ground. The ground quickly shattered, but it was not the result of his skill. A sudden earthquake followed this, and I felt it even from my location. Leaning forward, I wanted to open my Crystal Eyes again to fully comprehend what had just occurred, but I restrained my curiosity.

The next thing I knew, he was performing something far exceeding my expectations as a Giant blackish... I'm not sure what kind of monster it was. But it obviously lived in the earth below, tearing the ground in half simply gulping up all those deadbulls at once.

Whatever it was, perhaps a slug, it was so massive that even tens of the Giant slimes may have not been enough to replace its size. When it appeared that it had done eating, it vomited up the bones and melted back into the dirt.

The battle had concluded as I stood up. That was just a brutally broken spell, I say.

Fiad knelt, as if the spell was draining too much of his energy. I rushed over to him, wanting to assist him in some way.

Fiad approached me instead and shouted from his place, "How was it!?"

"You are strong," I complimented.

I reached out to him only to see that he was back on his toes pushing his weight on the sword. 

"I am fine, just bring the sack,"

I listened to him and took out the sack from our caravan first. Then reached out to him, as he was definitely unable to walk at the moment. I hold and placed him under a tree and ordered him to stay there and rest for a while.

We still had a lot of time... uh I hoped at least., so there was not a need to force ourselves. I, then went to gather the deadbull's skulls and put it in the sack. Heavy it was, of course. But with this, our job was over, just like that.

I put the sack back in the caravan and came back to Fiad who was leaning on the tree closing his eyes possibly trying his foremost to recover his strength.

I sat right besides him on the other side of the tree. And decided to quietly enjoy the view for the next few while.

Fiad had something to say, though.

"That spell, you saw..." said he, slowly. "Many of the A ranked mages can't pull it out, aren't you surprised?" 

Well, was I?

"You did surprise me. I simply happen to show little reactions," I gave him my honest answer.

"Silver.." he continued.

"Now, the quest is done."

"Yes it is,"

"So tell me what spell you used back in the cave?"

Oh, he recalls. Of course, he does. I believed he was already skeptical of me. No way he wasn't, I reasoned. He just said that his slug summoning spell..? was something that even A-rank adventurers cannot duplicate. So, where does it leave ME? If that's the case, then I was definitely withholding my apparent real powers from him for mysterious reasons.

Apparently, however. I found no excuses to go around it. And I did in fact promise to tell it to him, can't lie. He is smart, I am sure, just making up a story won't do.

"Eye magic," said I.

It was eye magic, wasn't it? Now I could only hope that something like it exists in this world.

"Oh.. Now I see. I see... An eye magician. Very Rare," said Fiad while I gasped hoping it at least exists.

After that we passed brief moments of silence. I simply peered through the forest, green as ever. Little slimes jumping around, few bulls too but they were far far away beyond our concern.

The weather, I say, was windy. Unlike noon, the weather had really calmed down by afternoon. Approximately I thought, I had like an hour left before sunset. We should start, now. Going back to the village, collecting the reward at the guild and again coming back to meet Erio and Aisy, I could get late.

Thankfully however, Fiad recovered soon enough. He, again putting his weigh on the sword stood up. And suggested it before me.

"Come on, the caravan is not far away. We are gonna be late."

I then helped him to reach and ride the caravan and then I did the same. With a directory from Fiad, his tamed deadbulls started moving on their way. And with that, we were returning to the village... It was then that I realized I had forgotten the name of the village. Inquiring into it may also be considered suspicious. So I remained silent for the time being. Such circumstances, readers, are just too embarrassing for someone like myself.

Whatever. At least riding this caravan was fun. The bulls are fast. Just when I thought I would escape Fiad's suspicion for today at least, he said, "Silver,"

I looked at him in search for the next part of his sentence.

"I don't think I can just condemn my curiosity like this. Tell me, who taught you eye magic?" he continued. I decided I wouldn't answer him to this.

"Such an ancient and exclusive skill. I thought only the descendants of the previous Hero could learn it."

That was an interesting piece of news to me.

"Turns out you are wrong, perhaps?"

"Or perhaps, you just don't know that you actually are a descendent of the Hero."

I kept quiet. Silence could either complicate matters or simplify it now. I don't expect him to be the type who will force his information out of me. Well, not that he is able to, too, I guess.

"Silver, answer me one last question. Would you?"

His past few statements were made with some dead serious looks. In fact, I was prepared to respond to him with a slick *might favor me in the future* statement. Although, he turns out to be smarter than I need him to be.

"Are you a Hero, Silver?"