Chapter 1: The Beginning of the Journey

A hazy warm sunlight shone from the sky, a dim street was illuminated expeditiously. A breeze of warm air blown delicately toward the face of a man covered in shattered rag as he deliberately wandering down the street. A girl was composedly walking alongside with him while glaring at a garden somewhat bloomed with abundance of ravishing flowers. The garden's beauty momentarily twisted her lips followed by a faint charming smile on her face. Her smile only lasted for a split second till an apprehension feelings struck right into her mind. A shadow with no possessor traveled through her eyes in an incomprehensible speed. She apprehensively grasped the man's sleeve with her hands and whispered

"I saw it..."

The man swiftly clenched on his sheathed sword and responded.

"We need to pursue it before it escapes."

The girl doubtfully nodded her head since it was their obligation to eliminate that monstrosity. As they embarked on the pursue, the man questioned the girl,

"What is the speed it traveled?"

"Around 89 feet per seconds"

"Around 89 feet per seconds. That means it has been starving for around 3 days. It seem our evacuation plan had successfully drove it into its bloodthirsty state, thus it will no longer concealing itself from any beings. Under its bloodthirsty state, any lifeforms nearby could easily lured it out from its camouflage but it may also enhanced its own capability to hunt the target. Sharpened reflexes, incomprehensible speed and overpowered strength, it may be inconvenienced hard to kill. But its mind is overwhelmed by wrath due to its bloodthirsty state, so it would more focusing on offense than defense, therefore we may have a chance to overcome it."

The girl was fascinated by the knowledge of the man towards the creature. She devotedly entrusted the man with her life and gave him a slight nod. They approached a corner of alley, that shadow detected their presence and hastily arise from the flat surface and shaped itself into a humanoid figure with menacing claws on both of its hands. A dark humanoid figure with no facial muscle can be sighted but a straight darkness. In bestiary, this creature was known as "Shadow Demon". It is high-level demon followed by its rarity and stats which also flawlessly scored in both offense and defense. It occasionally travels from places to places, it locates its prey through the mind state of its victim. The higher lack of confidence, the greater the risk of encounter. Before it devours its victims, it would tortures its preys through sorts of nightmare with the intention of decreasing victims' self-esteem. A beings with suicidal thoughts will somehow appeased them most. Reentering to the scenario of the encounter, shadow demon launched itself at the man with an incomprehensible speed and rammed the man's head right into the walls before he can unsheathe his sword. The wall was smashed with a massive holes, as the girl immobilized due witnessed such destruction that monstrosity can dealt.

Her mind was obstructed by terror, her face displayed pale and anxious look, her legs were irresistibly shivering, both of her hands were embracing a sheathed sword around her chest. As the man sat on the smashed wall, bloods relentlessly running down from his forehead. Shadow demon relocated its target as the man was lost his consciousness. The girl narrowed her eyes toward her heavily wounded companions, despair slowly influenced her mind. She timorously murmured toward her companion with terror,

"Get up... please I'm begging you...." The man remained silence and no responses, she realized... it was too late, as her desperate mind was miserably accepted her death. Shadow demon turned its body directly toward that girls as it desires to highly diminish her self-esteem before devouring her. Shadow demon ferociously approaching the girl since she was immobilized by its horrendous presence. Both of the girl's leg immediately lost its consistency to such horror in front her eyes and fell on the ground. Some strange fluid was heavily leaking out underneath the girl's leggings. It was no strange fluid but urine from fear. As the girl desperately lost her hope, the heavily wounded man regained his conscious and clenched his teeth as he stood up from the ground at a slow pace, he steadily landed his fractured hand on his sword. He quickly turned himself toward the creature, then balanced his stance against the shadow demon with both of his wounded legs even though he was suffering an immense pains from his fresh wounds. He breathed heavily as he chanted,

"Inheritance of thunder..." words of his rapidly altered the atmosphere surrounded him with sparks. The statics and currents all around the alley was rapidly absorbed by the atmospheric pressure surrounded that man. As the man was fully surrounded by highly charged voltaic of statics, the dim alley immediately illuminated by the radiance of statics. The heat of statics were able to be felt by the girl far from distant. Her eyes and mouth agape with shocked from such tremendous magic behind the shadow demon. The man immediately launched himself at unprecedented speed. The shadow demon was barely able to react from that inconceivable speed right before its was comprehensively slashed in half by the man followed by his finishing chant,

"Lightspeed slash!"

The shadow demon screamed in agony before it was slowly disintegrated into the air. The girl was left speechless on the ground, as the sheathed sword was embraced toward her chest, urine was covered underneath her. The man approached the girl with a triumphant smile on his face, he gently bestowed his hand to the girl. In front the eyes of the girl manifested a man with a face painted in red, yet the man leave no traces of pain in his face. Such horrendous yet wholehearted moments engraved in her mind. Her face was genuinely enshrouded with relief and joy. She lightly stretched her hand toward the man and grasped his palm as she unambiguously ascertained this man is someone she can entrusted her life with.

A moment later after the exorcism...

The town expeditiously regained its population. The mayor delightedly advanced toward the man and the girl with his arms wide opened. He enthusiastically shouted,

"Oh my heroes of town!"

"A deal is a deal, hope you are not forgetting about the rewards we agreed."

The man responded.

"Of course sir knight! The deed you did there was perfectly fit to deal we agreed!"

"Hand it over then, we don't have much time to remain here."

As the mayor's started to feel anxious, as he replied,

"As you can see good sir.... our town is inconveniently short of supplies due to the evacuation. The supplies of ours wont be able to sustain the whole town when the winter arrives. As the coins we agreed may be the only solution to resolve such matter. If you insist to take those coin, the whole town may have a risk of not surviving in this winter. So please be compassionate about it and let us be in your debt for once, good sir."

"A deal is a...."

The man was abruptly interrupted by the girl with a lightly grasp and tugged on his sleeves. The man sedately turned his head toward the girl and questioned with a warmth voice.

"What's wrong?"

The girl didn't answer him but she delivered her answer with a gently shake of her head. The man was unconditionally shrugged and sighed as he realized he was being barbarous toward the towns. He then replied the mayor with a grunted voice,

"Okay fine. For one condition, you have to contribute us hospitality anytime we desired till your debt is clear. Including that there is no deduction in debts every time you contributed to us. Agreed?"

The mayor contentedly agreed with the condition.

"It's settled then, you better not brag about it sooner or later."

"Ah yes. Before I go, allow me to clarify that if the term between us was breached, I believed the shadow demon will be rehabilitated." he added.

"I won't, I won't. It's one of the best condition we could ever given."

The mayor was deeply moved by the offered he received. Thus his overjoyed tears slowly rolled down to his cheeks. The softened voice of his questioned them before their departure,

"How may I addressed both of you, heroes?"

"Pelot" the man replied.

"Kylie" followed by the girl.

The mayor repeatedly bowed his head, as he gratitude toward the compassionate act of theirs. Kylie waved at the mayor with a heartwarming smile displayed on her face. Both of them departed from the town and proceeded to the next area.

3 years later...

Under a hot blazing sun, there was a kingdom. This kingdom was known as Yornald. In Kingdom Yornald was crowded with all type of lifeforms from all around the world. Lizardorian, Elves, Dwarfs, Orcs and humans are commonly be sighted in Yornald. Yornald has its own prominent reputation due to its location was built in the central of the world. Yornald also recognized as dominant location to built relationship between Kingdoms or Empires due to the fact that Yornald was ruled under the condition of diplomatic. Yornald was also remarkably known as the most secured kingdom due to it's alliances with over 6 Kingdoms and Empires. Yornald's main sources of income were mostly obtained from guilds. There were over 5 guilds built in Yornald, Mage's Guild, Adventurer's Guild, Fighter's Guild, Archer's Guild and others. Then there were Pelot and Kylie, who were regularly settled in the Adventurer's guild. In Adventurer's Guild was somehow crowded with all sorts of adventurers, adventurers who quietly minding their own business, adventurers who always get drunken after finished one quest, the one who always flirted with women due to his own highly self-possession and the one who is always doubtlessly flaunting how powerful they are.

A moment later, the quests were refreshed on the quests' board, Pelot and Kylie composedly approaching the quests board while the others hastily rushed toward quests' board. After they composedly arrived the quests' board, Pelot cautiously choosing suitable quest for them as Kylie just casually stood by him. All of the sudden, a random outsider unconditionally approached Kylie with a miscreant smile on his face as he shouted,

"Hey Tomurus! I spotted cutie over here!"

"What is your name cutie?"

Kylie anxiously ignored his presence and appealed herself closer to Pelot.

"Oh come on, don't be such an ignorant girls. It will be so much fun if you just abandon your old silly squad and join us! We could easily suffice your unlimited wishes. But for a small price, of course. You just needed entertain us with your cute and slimy body of yours will be adequate enough for our needs. Isn't it a good bargain? I wouldn't deny if I was you!"

"Shut up and be on your way.", Kylie delivered with a flat, anxious tone.

"I loved courageous strong-willed woman!" The outsider wickedly laughed in respond.

"Come with us!" The outsider ferociously tried to grab her hand with his filthy hand. Pelot swiftly smacked the man's hand away with a murderous looks on his face. The outsider flinched by the smacked from Pelot. Then the outsider savagely converged on Pelot's front. He howled at Pelot's face with a crude voice.

"What the (redacted) you want? Are you looking for a brawl, is that it?"

The outsider intensely shoved Pelot toward the wall as the crowd goes gasped. The crowd started muttering with each other,

"He is so dead." "I couldn't believe he just did that." "I would run if I was him." "This is going to grant us a good show." "Run already!"

Muttering from the crowd began to bother the outsider and sent him in concerned for the certain situation. He anxiously questioned the crowd,

"Wh....wh...what's wrong!? He is the one provoked me! I am not going to be intimidated by him. He is nothing but a wea...."

Before the outsider able to finish his sentence, he abruptly interrupted by Pelot with his sword inconspicuously locked at his throat.

"Wh...wh...what... wh...whe....when... h...ho....how?" The outsider's mind overflowed with terror and confusion. The murderous look from Pelot conveyed more apprehension toward the outsider. The pale looking outsider quickly dropped on the floor as the sword was following his throat. The outsider's eyes slowly rolled up and began exposing the white, as he then laid flat on the ground and lost his consciousness.

"That is enough!" A high and familiar voices came from Pelot's behind.

Kylie briskly run toward Pelot's side as Pelot gradually unsheathed his sword and turned himself to a well-respected man, King Halius himself presented upon Pelot's face. Everyone in the room hastily kneel down before the king himself except Pelot. He just casually stood there with an uninterested eye toward the presence of king. Kylie stretched her hand and grasped on Pelot's sleeve. She cautiously whispered,

"Kneel down, Pelot."

Pelot re-grabbed Kylie's hand and firmly pulled her up from her kneeling stance. She apprehensively questioned Pelot,

"What are you doing!"

Pelot was then casually approaching toward King Halius.

"Wait!" Kylie anxiously shouted in softened tone. Elite guards beside King Halius quickly blocked the path between Pelot and King Halius. King Halius calmly told the guard to release the path between them with a gesture of his hand.

"So this where my purpose of using came in touch?"

"Yes, but I would prefer designated it as hire. By giving such information as status quo of the presented quest, I would fancy you to be my guest and join me at my palace? Then we will speak in private."

"I refuse."

Everyone in the room gasped even louder.

"This is not some dime-a-dozen quests that you have choices to deny or accept! It is a decree from our highness, King Halius himself! You must oblige it or you will face consequences!"

The elite guard furiously responded as he unsheathed his sword and pointed at Pelot. King Halius composedly told the guard to back down with a gesture from his hand. The elite guard sincerely apologized and returned to his post.

"How about a duel to settle it? Like we used to?"

Everyone in the guild shocked once again by those words came out from King Halius's mouth and began muttering again,

"King Halius is challenging him?" "This is totally bizarre idea for King Halius to challenge such monstrosity." "This is totally one sided duel! How can Halius prevail at all?" "What does he mean used to?"

"SILENCE! THIS IS THE IDEA OF OUR HIGHNESS, KING HALIUS HIMSELF! IF ANYONE HERE HAVE ANY EXCEPTION TO AGAINST IT?"

The elite guard fiercely yelled at the crowd and the crowd immediately went silent.

Pelot frenziedly grinned as he shouted,

"This is what I want to hear from you! Halius!"

"How dare you...."

The elite guard was abruptly interrupted by King Halius with a gesture of his hand.

"Then It was settled, we will be in touch in the Colosseum by tonight."

Kylie briskly approached to Pelot's side and softly whispered,

"Pelot are you sure...?"

She questioned Pelot while she cautiously lowered her head. Pelot gently tilted her head up and stared right into her glistering brown eyes. He responded her with a faint but warmth smile,

"Yes, I am sure."

Kylie immediately blushed by the stare. She quickly turned her head and gazed at the other direction. She then replied with soft and shy voice,

"Pelot, do your best."

"I will." Pelot responded her with a warmth voice. He then turned himself toward King Halius. As a breeze of wind blew right before them, they were both unquestionably standing there and glaring at each other with a confident smile on their face.