First Quest

Silver Horned Cat Wolf (Rank E)

Type: Hunting

Objective: Collect Silver Horns

Reward Money: (1 Silver Coin Each)

Location: East forest

Hmm? What the f*ck with this world, Now it was Cat Wolf? Can you please make it clear? Cat or Wolf? Which one?

"I need to get used to these kinds of weird monsters."

I picked the quest from the quest board and went to Kiara.

"Horned Cat Wolf hunt? Very well, this is a guild issued quest, so you can repeat it as many times as you want."

As if answering my unasked question, Kiara continued: "Cat Wolfs have a very high reproduction rate, so the Kingdom subsidizes their extermination. It's cheaper for them to hire adventurers than deploy an army of knights themselves."

"Really? Alright I'll take this quest"

"Alright"

Kiara stamps the quest paper and gives it back to me.

"Please gave it back to us with the silver horns so we can record it"

I nodded and exited the guild.

'Hestia, can you show me the route towards the east forest, please? And mark Horned Cat Wolfs on the minimap as well.'

[Yes, Master]

A magical map suddenly appears with lots of red dots on it. As always, Hestia worked fast. I really should thank the Goddess of Luck properly next time.

With that, I followed the road on the map. Soon enough after thirty minutes or so, I finally reached the east forest.

I felt like I returned to the forest of Jura, though energy in the air was by far less dense.

I advanced through the dense forest cautiously and found a creature similar to the quest description.

"Woah! These wolves are small as a cat, but its feature is a wolf"

The pack of cat wolves noticed me, suddenly became cautious, and looked at me with hostility.

I took a fighting stance and was ready for the battle.

"Let's test them first carefully, they might be small, however, there is a chance that they are stronger than they look."

There is a saying that 'Don't judge a book by its cover

The cat wolf rushed at me, trying to skewer me with its horn. I quickly sidestepped and did a quick counter to the jaw. Then I did a backstep and was ready to proceed... Wait. Why isn't it moving? Why is my hand full of gore? What the? I haven't even used my QI yet!

The other cat wolves jumped in fright and trembled as they saw their comrade become minced meat. When they noticed that I'm looking at them now, they didn't hesitate at all. They all ran for their lives hiding deep in the forest.

"You've got to be kidding right? I was expecting a bloody battle this time."

Is it because they are weak? no, I was just too strong. it can't be, how can I enjoy a true battle if I defeat them in just one punch.

Damn, but isn't this what I wanted? To be overwhelmingly strong? To not experience that uncomfortable feeling ever again?. To be able to protect my future family? Well, let's look at the brighter side. If the Goddess of Luck told me the truth about her pursuers, then at some point I am bound to fight someone absurdly strong. Some kind of deity or whatever. So it's a good thing that I was progressing this fast.

Although fighting strong opponents would be interesting, let's just leave it up to destiny. 'Or maybe Goddess of Destiny. Wait, why am I strangely sure that such a goddess even exists? And why do I feel like it's indeed a "she"? Well, whatever, another problem to leave for the future me.' I shook my head and put this to the back of my mind.

After a while, I collected around fifty silver horns. "Will this be enough? Or should I hunt more?"

"Well, Kiara said that I can hunt as many as I want. Let's hunt at least a hundred or so before returning"

And so, I hunted down more silver horned cat wolves. Doing this in a leisurely manner took four and a half hours for me to complete. I looked at the time and it looked like it was almost lunchtime. Maybe it's time to return to the city.

---

When I reached the city gate, I saw Esri talking with the two guards that I met yesterday. Esri also noticed me and waved at me with a charming smile on her pretty face. Damn! She's so cute. I need to try harder or else I would be single again until I die. However, I still need to know her better if she is different from those gold diggers I met in my previous life. I smiled back at Esri and approached the trio.

"Hello again, Esri. You look even more beautiful today."

I said and Esri accepted my compliment with a smile.

"Thank you. How is your first day in the city?"

"Hmm. Inn is very comfortable. The food there is superb. I was able to register in the guild and even took my first quest. All in all, it's pretty good. Oh, and then I was able to meet that beauty..."

"Seems like you didn't get into any trouble. Lucky you."

"Yep, lucky me. I wonder if she would go on a "date" with me then?"

Two guards stared at me with their mouths wide open. In their eyes, I've seen a mix of jealousy and worship. Well, who cares anyway?

"Hm. Maybe she will. If she has free time, of course."

Esri teased me back and the two guards became even more shocked. 'What's wrong with them, never seen anyone ask a beauty out?' I helplessly shook my head.

"Well, if she finds some free time, she can find me in the Starlight Inn. One of your guards recommended it and so far I have no complaints with that place."

At this moment, one guard stepped in and saluted. "Thank you, sir. My name is Arnold and my parents are the owners of "Starlight". So we always recommend it to everyone. Glad to hear that you found our service acceptable."

"At ease, soldier. I'm not even a noble. Your Inn is very good and the food is even better."

"Thank you very much for your praise, sir. My father is a good chef."

"Yeah, I might request him to cook me some magical beast meat. It's one of my favorites. With his skills, for sure, it will become even more delicious" I replied to Arnold

"You bet sir, my father can cook anything to your liking," Arnold said proudly

When I heard "anything", it instantly caught my attention.

"Now that you mention it, have any of you ever tried Burgers, Fries, or Pizza?"

Esri and the two guards tilted their heads

"Burger?" Esri said

"Fries?" Arnold said

"Pizza?" the other guard said

"Oh, it's a food that is famous in a faraway land. My grandpa's guest did teach me the recipe. I promise you that you guys will also like it," I said with a smug look on my face.

Other than martial arts, eating different kinds of food was also one of my habits in my previous life. Even though I ate tons of it, it is no problem since it will digest eventually during my intense training.

Seems like my smug look sparked something in Esri. Now she looked at me with curiosity

"You are talking about them like it's very delicious."

"Oh, but they are. I swear. Would you like to try?" I said with full of confidence

"I'm not sure. Or, maybe, I should request them as payment for our "outing" then?" Esri said with an exaggeratedly thoughtful look on her pretty face.

Oh, yah? Did I just successfully trigger a date flag? Not complaining, but it sounds too good to be true...

"Well, first I need to check if I can find all the ingredients in this city," I replied

"If you won't be able to find something in the Trade District, you can check ta the Bazaar, they have all kinds of exotic stuff there." Said one of the guards. What was his name again, Arnold?

"Thanks for the tip, I will go there and take a look after lunch then."

"I hope it won't disappoint me. You raised my expectations pretty high." I didn't know that Esri could act all high and mighty like that. This side of her was attractive nonetheless.

"But of course, milady. I aim to please. How about you grace me with your company for lunch?" I asked her with a mock bow.

"It saddens me, my lord, but I must refuse. Regretfully, I'm indisposed at the moment. Too many things that require my immediate attention. Maybe if there is another occasion." Her curtsey, as funny-looking as it was with her wearing plate armor, had way too much grace.

"Aww, and there I was rejected again. Well, there is always next time. If you have free time, you know where to find me. Just don't overwork yourself and don't forget to eat. Farewell, my fair lady."

Deciding to test my luck, I gave her a quick hug. Well, not exactly the best feeling, considering the hard armor that she was wearing. Considering that she didn't slap me or slash me with a sword, I will take it as a win. Oh, and this blush is a nice enough bonus.

"See you soon" I heard Esri's voice, a light blush still on her face. All three shocked guards solemnly saluted at me.