Chapter 1: Prologue-1

An ominous veil of dark clouds released a ceaseless downpour of rain and even though it was supposed to be in the middle of the day, the dark clouds enveloped the landscape in surreal darkness, bestowing the forest an unsettling aura.

Through the dense tapestry of trees, a girl of approximately twelve or thirteen years, ran with urgency. Her heart beat faster with each haste step, quickening the rhythm of her breathing.

Wearing a crimson cloak, the girl's face was veiled by the hood, her running silhouette and her cloak fluttering was akin to a billowing wave of flickering flame in the waning light.

Six menacing bandits were chasing her with fierce momentum. The bandits, clad in ragged, mismatched attire, unleashed crude laughter as they sprinted through the unruly terrain of brambles and shrubs, their momentum fueled by nefarious resolve.

In the forefront of the motley crew of bandits, a voice thundered, "Quickly boys! We're on the brink of capturing our prize. Remember, not a scratch on her, or her value will plummet." A robust bandit shouted the commands with amusement.

An ecstatic chorus of cheers erupted from the bandits behind, propelling them forward with more frenzied resolve.

Hearing that, the young girl pushed herself to run faster, her determination lending wings to her feet, but as the pursuit wore on, fatigue seized her body and with a misstep on a slippery rock she tumbled to the ground.

She had slipped in the center of a clearing. Seeing that, the bandits, knowing that their prey had finally succumbed in their hand, let out low chuckles as they slowed their steps.

She slowly rose to a seated position when she heard the bandits' footsteps getting closer to her. The girl's youthful face, drenched from the relentless rain, bore the weight of profound exhaustion.

She shifted her gaze into the bandits which were only 3 meters away from her. Her countenance showed fear, with apprehension impossible to hide. She had no strength in her legs anymore and fell again when she tried to get up.

The bandits had twisted excitement flickering in their eyes when they witnessed that, reflecting in their eyes were sadistic pleasure at the imminent capture.

The girl's senses, which were sharp despite her exhaustion, could feel the malicious intent emanating from them. She hung her head low as she started mumbling in an inaudible voice akin to a prayer or plea of mercy.

Upon witnessing the state of the young girl, the robust bandit spoke with a reassuring demeanor ."Fear not, girly, we won't harm you unless you force our hand."

A malevolent grin crept across his face, contradicting his soothing words as he slowly advanced toward her, reaching his hands to the still-seated girl.

However, the girl was not what she seemed to be.

In an instant when the bandit leader was inches away from her, she drew a concealed dagger in her left hand and with lightning-fast agility lunged at him, piercing his heart with the tip of the dagger in a swift motion.

The bandit's sturdy frame faltered as he staggered backward, his smile contorted into a grimace of excruciating pain. His agonized scream then resounded in the gloomy forest as his chest released a crimson torrent of blood.

Without missing a beat, as the other bandits stood in stunned disbelief, a blue mystical circle materialized in the girl's right hand, and a water sphere shot forth towards the nearest bandits.

The velocity and force behind the water sphere propelled the bandit 10 meters backward, pushing him precisely on a jagged tree branch from a fallen tree that impaled him on his stomach.

Blood spilled forth from his stomach followed by his anguished howl that resonated through the clearing, jolting the remaining bandits from their stupor as they swiftly readied their hands to their weapons.

Yet, when their attention had wavered from the girl for a fleeting two seconds, the girl had rushed forward and was near the leftmost bandit,

With a dagger in hand, she stabbed him in his forehead, killing him in an instant.

She swiftly attempted a lunge to stab another bandit, but this time, the bandit recovered from the surprise and dodge the attack, but the blade didn't go unwarranted as it grazed the bandit's arm.

Realizing her surprised attack didn't work she backed away from the bandits.

It was at that moment the bandits fully comprehended the peril they were in, they realized that they had become the hunted.

They hesitated to advance as they turned to watch three of their fallen comrades.

One was stabbed in the heart and the other in the head, meeting their death in an instant while the one impaled on the tree continued to scream, though it was evident that he, too, was on the brink of death.

They looked at the young girl and found that the girl's beautiful countenance had transformed from a feared one to an emotionless expression filled with steely resolve.

"She's conjuring another spell, don't let her finish it, move fast!" the bandit with an injured arm, shouted with a hint of urgency as he saw her mumbling again.

The bandits that were channeling chi abruptly halted, well aware that a mage's most vulnerable time is during their casting time.

The bandits rushed with fervor, but before they took 2 steps the young girl unleashed another [Water Ball] spell at one of the bandits, which thrusted him several meters backward.

Though he avoided impalement on anything, the force of the impact rendered him unable to rise to his feet.

The bandits swore that his rib cage might have 2 or 3 broken bones, even his lungs might have suffered some injury.

The other bandit neared the young girl and threw a right hand punch, yet beyond the bandit's expectation she dodge the punch and also a kick that was followed from the other bandit.

They were trying to immobilize her and not kill her outright, as they still intended to capture her.

However

"I ain't holding back now, girly," The bandits with the injured hand sheath his sword.

The bandit was internally scared, his throat felt dry, his limbs shaking. When he watch the girl calm demeanor he knew that he was fucked.

He put all his power in his slash and swing at her with the intent to kill.

The girl, with a dagger clutched in her left hand, adroitly intercepted the sword strike, however, the sheer force behind the strike propelled her backward, causing her to stumble and fall to the ground.

The bandits eyed the lying girl with sweats trickling down their foreheads, their hunt that was supposed to be lamb suddenly turned to be a fierce tigress.

"Two spells with speed like instant cast? Unbelievable! Never seen this kinda talent before," the bandit said, swallowing his spit.

"She's defying her age, but she should be worn out from all them chases and those… freaky fast, deadly spells," the bandit with the injured hand muttered, gripping his sword tighter.

The bandits remarked trail off as he realized the young girl in the ground had stood up while another blue magic circle began to take shape again in the young girl's right hand.

Panic washed over the bandits as they themselves had no time to mount any of their skills, while the girl was already on the verge of casting her third spell.

They had learned from the young girl's spellcasting speed that they could not outrun her spells, they were afraid that a spell would come hurling at them from behind as they ran.

The two bandits exchanged looks before charging forward.

This time, the bandits advances were not stopped by any [Water Ball],

They swung and stabbed at the girl but their assaults proved futile as the young girl gracefully evaded their frenzied strikes. They then aimed to disrupt her incantation, but that effort was also in vain as none of their blows managed to reach her.

The girl's casting was a bit prolonged however, but the bandits didn't feel a trace of joy as they waited helplessly with bated breath to see which of them would become the next target of her [Water ball].

The girl raised her hand and pointed in the direction, not to the bandits launching their attack but at the other bandits that was shot by the second [Water ball].

And rather than a [Water ball] they thought, a foot long spear of ice with remarkable speed was launched at the fleeing bandit's head.

That bandit suddenly fell to the ground like a puppet whose string had been cut.

The other bandits fleeting sliver of inner joy that they were not pierced in their head by that [Ice Spear] vanished when they heard a refined voice.

"Now that my mana is depleted, I have no more magical tricks. Come at me with your full force," The young girl spoke, breaking her silence for the first time since their encounter.

Her melodious voice resonated with confidence and a hint of amusement.

With the left corner of her lips curving upwards she spoke again, "Let's test my close combat skills with you two,"

Her smile instilled an unexpected fear in the two adult bandits, they could feel an involuntary shiver running down their spine.

_ _ _ _ _ _

As the forest embraced the sound of the pouring rain, the young girl in red cloak stood amidst the lifeless bodies of the six bandits, she had an unwavering composure despite the horror scene she had orchestrated.

The young girl's name was Klaire.

Surveying the surroundings for potential threats and finding none, Klaire's brows relaxed.

This event had triggered when the ambitious bandits launched a surprise ambush and began their pursuit with the intent to kidnap Klaire.

Gazing at the cloudy black sky releasing rain, she reflected on the recent battle with the bandits.

One by one, they succumbed to her artful tactics, their wits outmatched, lives extinguished as she deftly caught them off guard.

Firstly, she sprinted through the forest until she reached a fallen tree with a pointed branch. Deliberately slipping and positioning herself opposite the pointed branch, she feigned fear to lower the bandits' guard.

Exploiting their lack of preparation, she swiftly killed three of them.

Facing the remaining trio, she knew defensive skills could pose a challenge if activated. Such skills, driven by internal chi, required 5-8 seconds of channeling. Meticulously gauging their timing and thought process, she prevented them from initiating any defensive skills.

In the first encounter, they skipped defensive measures, eager to catch her quickly, a mistake she capitalized on by striking one with a [Water Ball].

In the second round, fear gripped the remaining two bandits, expecting another rapid spell. Seizing the opportunity, she surprised them with a longer-casting [Ice Spear].

Raindrops continued to pour down her face, Klaire was lost in sorrow as she gazed at the black clouds,

However, her instinct told her that someone was watching her, she turned to the right where there was a large underbrush, her sharp senses detecting a presence there.

At an instance she springs into action, and lunch herself with fast speed.

but her intention was thwarted by the arrival of a dark clad figure that emerged from her shadows, a dark elf, cloaked in black attire befitting an assassin.

Klaire eyes which had slanted relaxed again as her hands clutching her dagger softened when this figure appeared.

She had known this dark elf, his name is Gilhen, her Guardian.

However, he also served as her mentor.

When the bandit's ambush situation arose, he didn't singlehandedly wipe out those bandits but he had wanted her to kill them.

His intention was for Klaire to face a genuine life-or-death confrontation with them.

While Gilhen had initially appeared to flee during the ambush, he remained in Klaire's shadow, vigilant and watchful over every detail, until he emerged right now.

"The boy is not with the bandits," Gilhen stated, his dignified voice resonating a smooth assurance.

Seeing that Klaire was composed, Gilhen's focus shifted to the young boy, who emerged from a bush.

He appeared to be of the same age as her, dressed in a white tunic under a black leather armor and brown leather pants, with a sword strap on his hips, he resembled a normal young adventurer.

Gilhen further asked, "May I know your name and what brings you to this place?"

The boy's voice trembled as he stammered, "M-my name is Menos sir, I'm an adventurer, on my way to Yoshbore City. When the rain began," He pointed to a large tree and continued, "I-i set up camp near that Ebon root tree sir. I heard some bandits howling, so I came here, thinking someone might be in need of assistance."

He looked at Klaire as he finished his last words, his tone filled with trepidation. "I-i won't breathe a word about this, and nobody would even believe what I saw today. Please sir, let me go."

Klaire and Gilhen exchanged dubious glances.

Klaire perceived his response as clever; stating that nobody would believe him made sense, as the idea of a young girl defeating six burly bandits alone seemed implausible.

However, she recognized that the narrative changed significantly when Gilhen was brought into the equation.

Since they too were planning on staying in Yoshbore city, it would be a hassle if rumors spread that they had killed someone.

It was also highly unusual for a lone, young adventurer to brave these perilous woods.

"Are you traveling alone?" Gilhen inquired.

"Yes sir, I am a solo adventurer."

"Show me your adventurer ID," Gilhen's words which were opulent were not a command but it was not a request either.

Menos hurriedly took a white stone card bearing his personal details and gave it to Gilhen.

"Menos Stone, a beginner adventurer, hailing from Rock Village, a lone adventurer with a slime as a familiar," Gilhen spoke as he looked at the white card in his hand, he observed Menos and asked. "Where's your familiar? I don't see one."

Suddenly, a lustrous black slime appeared from behind a bush, its sleek ebony jelly body glistening with raindrops.

Without dwelling on it, Gilhen shifted his attention back to Menos, the young adventurer and posed a direct query, "Why are you making your way to Yoshbore City?"

In response, Menos stated, "Sir, I've heard rumors about a lucrative quest within the city that involves killing some wind slimes. The rewards for the task are said to be incredible so I wanted to take part in it."

A heavy silence enveloped the scene after that. Unasked questions hung in the damp air, casting an atmosphere of unvoiced suspicion.

With weight in his voice, Gilhen extended a proposition to Menos. "You shall accompany us to Yoshbore City. Once we've departed the city through a teleportation portal, you shall be free to go." He paused, "If you are to decline, you shall be dealt with"

Menos appeared somewhat shocked and apprehensive, but he still nodded in agreement, saying, "Alright, I'll follow sir."

Seeing Menos readiness to accept his words, Gilhen further spoke," Be under no illusion, young adventurer, for we shall maintain a vigilant watch over you while we are in the city."

Menos gave a sigh and said, "I have no suspicious plan sir. However, I have my belongings back at my camp. Could I go and retrieve them?"

_ _ _ _ _ _

Under the cloak of night, in the far northern end of the Dusk Forest, within Yoshbore City.

As the world fell into the embrace of darkness, a door creaked open in a corner of the old city district. Three figures entered, their forms soaked by the rain.

Among them was a handsome Dark Elf garbed in black, a beautiful small girl cloaked in red, and a plain looking young boy dressed in black leather carrying a big backpack with a round black slime on his shoulder.

The dark elf, with an air of assurance strode to the inn's front desk, attracting inquisitive glances from the people in the inn.

Though dark elves were not an uncommon sight in the kingdom, it was still rare to see one in person.

The dark elf reaching the counter asks, "What would a room with ample space and two beds cost for the night?"

The innkeeper, pausing from cleaning a glass, looked up and replied, "20 Kyr."

Twenty Kyr, equivalent to 20 bronze coins, was a fair price for a sizable room but the plain looking young boy appeared somewhat flustered.

However, the Dark Elf took a silver coin from his pocket and said, "We haven't had a meal yet. Could you suggest the meals for tonight?"