Ariving at the Forest

-----

[Mission Alert: New Quest Available!]

Gathering Notice: Emberroot (0/15)

Please check your Quest Log for more information.

 -----

"So that's how this works. It makes sense," Rave said as he finally discovered how the Quest Log would work. After understanding it, he opened up his system and proceeded to pull up his Quest Log.

-----

Quest Log:

Ongoing (1)

-----

'There's almost nothing; this is very simplistic,' Rave thought. After that, he opened the 'Ongoing' tab, indicating that there's one active right now—the Gathering Mission! Other than that, there's nothing else. With the help of the system, he was able to use the map accordingly and pinpoint where he could find the Emberroot.

"It's not far from here; I should be able to arrive there before the sun sets," Rave said as he quickly went over to the receptionist counter and handed the mission to Amy. He chose her since she was the first person he talked to at the Adventurer Guild.

The others didn't think too much about this since it's quite normal. There are multiple receptionists, and it's up to you to choose who you're comfortable talking to.

"I see, Gathering Mission. An Emberroot?" Amy said with a hint of hesitation seen on her face, which Rave also noticed.

"Is there any problem with this mission?" Rave asked Amy.

"There's nothing wrong with this mission. I just like to warn you about the area where this is located—it's within the Cinderwhisk field. Do you have any idea about this creature?" Amy asked Rave.

"Yes, I once read about it in a book. They're generally half a human's height and have long arms with ferocious claws. It's mentioned that they're particularly weak, though," Rave said, recalling what he read in the library. He didn't read everything but gathered enough information.

"That's true; Cinderwhisks are particularly weak, but they're very fast and unpredictable. They always roam in groups, so in case you encounter these beings, make sure that the beast is alone. If not, you will be in a difficult situation," Amy advised Rave.

"I'll be careful; thanks!" Rave said in assurance. Amy smiled, pulled out some documents, and worked to register the mission under Rave's name. It only took a minute after Amy was done.

"The mission is already in your name. The usual time limit is 3 days, but there's no penalty. After 3 days, if you haven't finished the mission, you need to forfeit it. Your name will be automatically removed, and the mission will be posted again for others to complete. Are we clear?" Amy said to Rave, who responded by nodding his head.

Amy gave Rave the copy of the mission, and Rave immediately ran outside the building.

"There he goes to his mission; I hope nothing goes wrong," one of the staff beside Amy in the receptionist table said.

"What are you talking about, Lisa? He's just on a Gathering Mission; nothing will happen to him. I just hope he doesn't encounter any monsters on his way out," Amy said with a look of concern on his face.

"Well, well. Is our Amy falling for that guy already? He's handsome. It's just that he looks miserable. Because of his looks, his attire doesn't attract you much as you always look at his face," Lisa said, complimenting Rave's handsomeness.

Amy blushed upon hearing Lisa's mentioning of Rave.

"What're you saying! Who falls for who? I'm just worried," Amy said in concern, but a hint of blush could still be noticed on his face.

"Yeah, I know. You're so worried you forgot to mention again that there's a 100 copper fee for registration. I know you've saved a lot of money, but you're not always there to help in this kind of way for every person who enter this building, you need to stop that kind of attitude," Lisa said to Amy.

"Well, I can tell from his situation he needed a job. He also has a skill and talent. So I can tell that he can turn his life around. I just gave him a little push. I wanted to help," Amy said as she smiled at the door, still able to see the silhouette of Rave far away running towards the Gate of the Wall.

"This happened already in the past remember? If you wanted to help. You should've given them the opportunity to become an adventurer, let them have a normal job instead. Which is much safer, you didn't forget that one time, right?" Lisa said, and hearing that, Amy's face contorted as if she remembered something horrible in the past. But Lisa quickly added something.

"But you're correct; he has a skill which can help him survive, but having a talent as well is pretty rare for his age. We just can't tell right now what would happened, since his talent might not be as useful. Since the grade is standard." Lisa added while looking at Rave's information.

Outside of the City of Elmbrook. Rave is currently following the map on his system. 'It's like I'm in a game,' Rave thought as he just learned that he can activate or deactivate a minimap on the top-right of his vision. With just a thought, the minimap will appear, and once he looks away, it will slowly disappear.

As he walks far from the gate of the city, there's nothing much going on. Currently, everything around Rave is peaceful. The trope of those novels where a thug will suddenly stop him is not happening to him.

'But there are too many eyes looking my way,' Rave thought, as he looks around he would spot multiple people staring at him, he just doesn't know why.

'Wait, is it because of what I'm wearing?' Rave suddenly remembers. He wears a simple shirt and shorts, but there are some small holes and tears in the shirt. 'I really need to earn money as soon as possible to buy a proper cloths. With no weapon or defenses whatsoever It's like I'm waiting to be killed, I hope I wouldn't encounter anything in the forest.' Rave thought as he ignores the stares and continues walking towards the forest.

Nearing the entrance to the forest, the adventurers multiplied. It's not much, but you can see parties of adventurers, merchants, and guards patrolling by the side. This is because going through the forest is the fastest way to go to another city. Going around the forest would take you weeks, but with the road, it will only take you 3-5 days, depending on your speed.

Rave enters the forest; it requires identification to enter. There are no other documents on Rave's hand besides the guild card in his inventory that he stored secretly back in the Adventurer guild. Rave puts his hand in his pocket, seemingly trying to pull out something. When he uses his inventory and gets his guild card out.

Moments later...

Rave is already deep inside the forest. He's carefully walking around, avoiding making too much noise. He quickly follows the map for Emberroot when he arrives at the locations.

Yet Rave is confused; all he could see around are trees and the grass are as tall as his waist. He tries to look everywhere, but he cannot simply find it. He then remembers his system function.

He used his Inspection on his surrounding and was quickly bombarded with too much information and pop-ups in front of him.

-----

[Oak Tree] - A common yet sturdy tree stands with timeless grace.

[Weeds] - Blades of grass that grow at the roadside, resilient and unassuming.

[Pebble] - Just a pebble (Auth: a rock, what would you expect me to say?)

...

-----

Rave saw multiple pop-ups. Upon reading, it's nothing but the trees and grass. He looks around him and finally sees what he's looking for.

-----

[Emberroots]

A common herb with a fiery hue, often found in various landscapes. Its roots give off a subtle warmth, making it a popular choice for potions and simple fire-related enchantments.

-----