The moon appeared especially enting when it artially cealed by drifting clouds. Despite the te hour, Wonderelle was still a hub of activity. Lights dotted the town, gracefully flowing out from the many avenues of the tral pza like a mesmerizing motif.

  In stark trast, the newly structed guild dormitory was cloaked in darkness, a haven of tranquility amid the bustling city. The first floor housed the cafeteria and s, with the sed floor divided into a wing for females on the left and males on the right.

  Ohird floor, a gss greenhouse stood bathed in the radiant light of the lunar goddess. Daisuke leaned against a nearby baly, his gaze fixed not on the breathtaking view of the guild’s courtyard below or the city’s skyline in the distance, but on his Status Window.

  “Sneak-sneak-sneak,” a pyful and hushed whisper broke through the stillness of the night.

  “’t sleep?” Daisuke inquired without shifting his gaze.

  “Eek!” A startled gasp escaped the girl’s lips.

  Elena had been cautiously tiptoeing into the greenhouse when she suddenly froze solid iracks. Her head slowly and nervously pivoted to the side, her eyes log onto a familiar figure.

  “H-Haxks,” she stammered, her cheeks instantly dyed scarlet just from uttering his name. “Wh-What are you doing up so te?” Her heart fluttered wildly. Wait! D-Did he just speak to me? That’s a first!

  Daisuke finally turo face her, and Elena shrank back slightly uhe weight of his butterscotch gaze. His disposition was cool and nont. There was something about it that sent shivers down her spine.

  “I should be asking you the same thing,” Daisuke’s voice was tantalizingly posed, which made Elena think that it was well worth the wait.

  She averted her eyes, hoping to cool her erratic pulse. “The greenhouse is retively new, so I’ve been tending to the flowers in my free time; it helps me to rex.”

  Stirred awake by the versation, Zephyr leaped from Daisuke’s shirt and into Elena’s arms. She gently massaged his cheek with her tiny hand, her eyes shining with affe.

  “Would you like to see?” she offered, turning with the bundle of fluff in her arms, like a child with a newfound toy.

  The greenhouse was a regur structure, roughly 8 feet wide and 20 feet high. Only a portion of the space was occupied with flowers, and one in particur caught Daisuke’s eye. It was a flower with various shades of blue, but what truly captivated him was the silver-blue glow of its narrow leaves and the frosty shimmer that radiated from its petals, as if touched by magic.

  “That’s called a Lunarfrost Lily,” Elena expined. “It’s one of the main ingredients used in the making of mana potions. Its leaves are always glowing, but the flower reacts like that only when exposed to moonlight. Isn’t it amazing?”

  A faint smile pyed on Daisuke’s lips.

  At the same time, Elena’s own smile faded, her expression being glum. “Lunarfrost Lily… it reminds me of home. Growing them here makes me feel closer to my friends and family.”

  Zephyr licked her cheek sympathetically.

  “…Why don’t you fight back?” Daisuke’s voice was devoid of emotion.

  Elena pted his question, haunted by memories of Osten. “I… I don’t want to sow seeds of discord and endanger my family,” she fessed in a hushed tone, as if even speaking about it could invite danger. “It’s important that I stay focused on my main goal so my people and I find pead happiness.”

  “I see,” Daisuke replied, his gaze distant.

  “And what about you? What’s yoal?”

  “…I’m not sure,” answered Daisuke. “I guess I’m just trying my best to stay alive and see where life takes me.”

  Even as he gave this vague response, a fiery desire for vengeance burned, an unquenchable fme in a bcksmith’s fe, threatening to e him whole. Each time he tried to smother it, it would surge, effortlessly burning through the reins of his self-trol.

  ***

  In these past few weeks, the academy’s routine had bee almost sed nature for the students: ms were dedicated to theoretical csses, where they absorbed knowledge like sponges. While afternoons were reserved for hunting expeditions led by Professor Bayley.

  “sider this as preliminary training for the impending field assessment,” the man would say while stroking his long gray beard, even as they ventured deeper into the dark and foreboding forest.

  The team, like a well-oiled mae, was divided into three ses: the tanks stood valiantly at the forefront; the damage dealers were positioned in the ter; and the ever-watchful support cast their protective and healing spells from the rear. Professor Bayley, an exceptional adventurer in his ht, orbited around them like the moon did the earth, only intervening wheuation became dire.

  This system worked seamlessly to ehe safety and efficy of their hunts. Unfortunately, it also meant Daisuke never got the ce to single-handedly down a monster. As a result, he couldn’t tell how he affected them after a sying.

  Currently, all the corpses remained regardless of who had felled them. However, numerous variables could tribute to this oute. The party prising of both pyers and NPCs might py a signifit role. Additionally, the fact that the guild he corpses to make ends meet could be exerting influence over the system as well.

  As time marched on, the accumution of monster remains tio swell. Fortunately, Professor Bayley was well-prepared; in his possession was a magic bag that could temporarily store the corpses. When it was filled to capacity, the bodies would be promptly transferred te wagon hitched to sturdy horses.

  This approach saved valuable time that would otherwise be spent oiresome task of corpse retrieval. Unfortunately, the other two csses, led by less equipped leaders, cked such luxuries.

  They were left to use smaller carts to boriously transport the remains to the main wagon. Magic bags, especially those of a higher caliber, were a rare and costly product that were reserved for the elite.

  CH!

  A twig snapped underfoot.

  Daisuke looked around, sing the perimeter.

  The forest opy hung heavy with an ominous hush as the css delved deeper into the woods. Birds had long since abaheir cheerful songs, and the air grew thick with tension.

  Daisuke felt it first, a primal shiver down his spihere was something watg them, stalking them like a shadow. He sehe bloodlust of a feral beast, then a low growl rumbled through the trees, proving it wasn’t just paranoia.

  Professor Bayley smiled with amusement.

  “We’ve got pany!”

  The tank in Osten’s party, a burly warrior gaus, broke the silence. Assuming his role as vanguard, he unleashed a provoke skill that drew the unseen meo the open toward him.

  The Lipanthyer, a massive tiger-like creature, twice the size of a lion, leaped from the underbrush with a guttural roar. Its pierg lime-green eyes were in stark trast to its white coat, and they fixated oank, a look of pure predatory hunger in the creature’s fearsome gaze.

  Razor sharp cws dung into the ground as the beast lunged forward, its rge maw lined with lethal teeth.

  “Imperable Fortress!”

  At his and, the tank’s gaus shimmered, juring a t shield before him that the monster smmed into. A fierce roar tore from its jaws as it struggled to rip through the barrier that separated it from its meal.

  The adventurers flinched back at the strident sound. Their instincts prickled as they sehe creature’s hostility surging through the air like aric charge.

  Eye of Verity!

  But Daisuke didn’t shrink back.

  [Lipanthyer | Lvl 15 | Elite]

  So, the Lipanthyer’s Fang in my iory came from this thing? But I’ve never seen it before. Do Field Bosses give random monster drops?

  Pushing the thought aside, Daisuke steeled his nerves. While the monster reoccupied, he seized his opportunity, springing into a with his Bonepick dagger. He aimed for the Lipanthyer’s powerful hind legs, pierg through muscle and sinew. His attacks triggered his on’s bleed effect as he stole away the creature’s speed, and it roared out in pain.

  A female archer stepped forward. Her skill with the bow was evident as she pulled the string back taut with practiced ease. With a swish, the arrow was loose, and it sailed through the air with deadly precision.

  The arrow found its mark, blinding one of the creature’s eyes and indug a paralysis debuff. The Lipanthyer, now immobilized and writhing in agony, was an easy target for the mages.

  ting intations in unison, they summohe elements to their bidding. Bolts of lightning, torrents of fire, and gusts of chilling wind verged upon their paralyzed foe, scorg fur and searing flesh.

  With the creature weakened and on the brink of colpse, the damage dealers, Daisuke and Osten among them, moved in for the final assault. Their ons fshed in the dappled sunlight as they struck the deg blow.

  The Lipanthyer whined pitifully as it took its final, bored breaths. Its once fierce eye now held a vat, lifeless gaze.

  “We did it!” Elena cheered, high-fiving her friends. But when she spied Osten’s unfriendly gaze, she shrunk back silently.

  As the css regrouped, the victorious feeling of a successful huled over them. The monster’s corpse, like the others, would be brought back to Cleave, the guild’s butcher, at the end of their expedition. The meat would find its way into the academy’s cafeteria, while the gold and valuable materials would be divided among the students.

  Daisuke was happy Wallet-kun utting on a little weight, but he wasn’t quite sure how to feel when the field assessment officially began.

  DING!

  [Ace the Guild’s Field Assessment]

  [Quest Difficulty: D

  In respoo the tragic fates that have befallen numerous young adventurers, the guild has taken a proactive step by instituting an academy. This academy serves as a rigorous training ground, desigo carefully evaluate and nurture its younger recruits.

  After weeks of both theoretical and practical instru, the field assessment stands as the ultimate crucible—the guild’s final gauo ascertain your mettle. It’s your st onstrate your readiness and worthio join the ranks of the greatest adventurers.

  Clear ditions: Sy the Exiled Hilitroll Chief and bring back its head as proof of the kill.

  Rewards:

  ?? Reinstated guild lise

  ?? Affinity with Guildmaster Baldin and Professor Bayley +25%

  ?? EXP +80,000

  ?? 75 Gold

  ?? Spell Book x1

  Quest Failure: Yuild lise will be revoked.]

  The css of eighteen watched in bated breath as the wagon filled with monsters slowly disappeared into the distance, leaving them surrounded by nothing but the perilous embrace of the open wilderness, and a task that would determiheir future.

  Vaughn_RR_Seider