Under the heat of the sun, a slightly cold breeze blew, spreading throughout the town of Iveleth and the surrounding areas. This was the evening breeze, and although the sun was shining, the wind played under the rays with the people suffering from the summer heat. As the breeze continued to play, it reached an area outside Iveleth, which resembled a cave and was filled with people gathered in front of its entrance. It was the southern dungeon, and it seemed the breeze decided to enter further, playing with the young man with white hair who was fighting one of the Stingers.
"Easy!" The young man shouted as he cut off the Stinger's head.
Finally, I finished this fucking quest. I will never do this again. Damn, I'm so exhausted. After this, I cast a healing spell on the wound on my wrist and drank some water. No! I should drink a potion. Well, this is the first time I'm buying a potion for myself, and of course, I will! I've completed five fucking quests!
I leaned against one of the dungeon's walls, and then I felt my hair touch my neck. Damn, I haven't had a haircut in almost a year. I relaxed a little, then sighed and prepared to drink. I closed my nose and drank it. At that moment, my face changed. I closed my eyes, opened my mouth wide, and began to breathe rapidly, sticking out my tongue. Goodness gracious, I hate potions. They taste like hell, so bitter that I think I'd rather endure the pain than drink them... Ugh, what a horrible taste!
"Then why didn't you buy flavored potions?" Thalesa repeated.
"Flavored potions?"
"They're potions with a milder bitterness and added flavors, like strawberry and orange, but their effects are weaker than regular potions."
"Wow, that's a great idea. First time Staria's world impressed me with such an idea," I muttered as I felt the bitterness of the potion gradually disappear.
"Tell me, Thalesa, do you think defeating a Tier 4 or higher monster will help you evolve?" I asked.
"Yes, but you need to train first. Can you do it?"
"I think so... No, yes, I can do it... Back in the fight with Daemon, I lacked courage, but now I have ambition that drives me forward. I'm full of enthusiasm. It's similar to when I escaped the palace. I wouldn't have had the courage without my ambition and strong desire to achieve this goal. And, with Ponier's help, we can defeat a Tier 4 monster."
"You've changed a lot, Laos. I mean..."
"I've become braver, right?"
"Impossible."
Hah, she doesn't want to praise me... Fine, I'll leave now. I quickly got up, grabbed the torch, then advanced with my leather armor and swords. Hah, what should I do now? I completed five quests quickly. Damn, I really have developed. Did I become stronger or what? God, five fucking quests before sunset even?! Impossible! I'm realizing this little by little. So, this is what happens when you have a huge passion... Amazing!
After a while of walking through crowds of adventurers, some advancing, some heading for the exit, I finally glimpsed the sunlight. Then I left this dark dungeon behind. The dungeon... In my previous life, I used to say that I would never venture into one without a party because they are dark and scary places, but here I am, finishing two fucking quests alone in a dungeon. Really amazing. I feel so strong. Yes, this is the right path. I'm on my way to becoming the strongest!
I continued my way to the guild, and the place was extremely crowded. I pushed through a little, as usual, and waited in line. Finally, it was my turn. Ten nova! This is amazing, but I shouldn't be greedy. I need strength, not money. Or do I need money? No, dumb, strength will make getting money easier. So, become strong, then get the money.
"Five quests in one day. You're doing great, Laos. If you keep this up, you'll reach the porcelain rank in two weeks," said the receptionist, the same one who we gave Daemon's head to. Wow, it looks like I've become famous. She even called me by name!
"Thank you," I said as I took the reward and left.
Then I quickly headed to the tavern. Wow, this is the first time I've finished my day this quickly. The sun hasn't even set yet. looks like I'm going to have sex with Maris for a long time today. Well, ten nova? Isn't that a lot... I mean, I could work alone and finish five quests every day. With that, I could probably reach the gold rank in three months... But no, no, you need to get stronger. Remember, if you become strong, you'll get ten nova in less than twenty minutes. Do you see the difference?
It seems that ranking up is just a waste of time, but I see it as a beautiful life. No, no, it's so tiring. The path to strength will be better, and it has huge benefits. After a while of walking, I spotted a Foxen approaching me. It's Ponier. He came toward me, and I started staring at the ground as I usually do. Then he put his hand on my shoulder and opened his mouth to speak.
"Man, where have you been all this time? Maris told me you went to complete five quests in a day. I opened my eyes in shock and shouted, 'Impossible!' How could lazy Laos do this? And why didn't you tell me? We're a party, you dummy! Me and Grell's party were looking for you. We wanted to celebrate our victory, man..."
"Chill... Well, after Etomi's speech, I thought about becoming stronger, so I made this decision. But I realized it's a stupid decision and won't help me," I replied.
Suddenly, Ponier started laughing loudly, then took his hand off my shoulder and bent over laughing. Was what I said cringe? Oh, it seems it was, because I was affected by a humiliating speech like Etomi's...
"Really? That speech affected you? Man, you take things too seriously. It's just a speech from an arrogant person who doesn't care about you," Ponier said.
"But Etomi's speech had some care in it—"
"No, no. It's just a speech anyone gives after saving you. In short, it's not a speech, it's an insult... And when will you understand, Laos, that death isn't something to fear?" Ponier said, standing in one of the town's busy districts.
"What? Didn't you forget that you were the one who screamed during the Daemon fight, saying, 'No, we're going to die!'? Death is a scary thing, Ponier, and life has great meaning and essence that you'll realize when you mature."
"Wait, did I really say that... Impossible, you're joking," Ponier muttered, shocked. Looks like he's realized the truth, the truth of fear that no one can avoid.
"I swear I heard you, you and no one else, and I was thinking about it last night and laughing," I said.
"Oh... I don't believe you, but if I really said that, then I guess I'm just someone pretending to be brave while I'm actually a coward when facing death."
"I swear I heard you!"
"Okay, okay, why are we even talking about this? So, Laos, what are you planning to do in the future?"
"Ponier... I want to kill a Tier 4 or 5 monster," I said with a serious expression. Please don't laugh, I'm serious.
"Hmm, there are monsters in the southern dungeon of Tier 4. How about we raid them? They're on the fifth floor," Ponier said.
"No, I want to defeat a boss, not regular monsters," I replied.
"But what's the point? Bosses are monsters that, when killed, you get their core, and what will you gain? In the end, the guild will take it."
"I know, but I want to defeat a boss."
"You're acting like an old adventurer who was here, he was called 'Boss Slayer,' and he only killed the bosses. So, do you want to develop your strength by training to kill the bosses?"
"Exactly."
Well, the idea is as follows: Thalesa said that bosses are monsters with much larger amounts of nemesis compared to regular monsters, so killing bosses would be the best choice for developing Thalesa. Yes, it's the best way. It seems I will also get the title of Boss Slayer.
"Okay... We'll be really late if we fight a boss in a dungeon, so it won't be a good idea," Ponier said.
"Why?"
"Well, after you kill a boss, it takes a long time for it to return. And when it does return, there's a line of adventurers waiting their turn to fight it, so you'll have to wait for your turn along with waiting for the monster to return. Also, just this morning, the Dark Eye killed an adventurer from the Clawsin guild in the western dungeon, so even sitting and waiting will be annoying with the idea of a killer."
"Damn... Is there no other way?"
"Hmm... Oh, there is! A great way!" Ponier said with a sly look on his face.
◆ ◆ ◆
Inside Fiona's tavern, it was crowded, and in one of the corners, Laos sat with Maris, having breakfast on this bright morning. Maris seemed worried, while Laos tried to calm her down. What's happening this morning? Has this NPC made another crazy decision, as usual, choosing a new decision every second?
"Are you sure?! You're still a beginner, Laos. Don't take such risks," Maris repeated, staring into Laos' emerald eyes.
"I know... but don't worry. Instead of talking like that, you should be encouraging me, right?" Laos replied, chewing on a piece of bread smeared with honey.
"But... Laos, it's the Forests of Yavan, the most dangerous place in the kingdom right now. Please, think about it carefully."
"Come on, I heard that the dragon is sleeping, and nothing will happen to me unless I get too close to it. All I'm going to do is kill one of the tier 4 bosses and then return."
"Ugh, goddess, this is so dangerous, but... but you keep opposing me," Maris mumbled, resting her head on the table in frustration.
"That's because I'm the man of the family, and the only one who has the right to make decisions!" Laos said, raising his voice a little. He seemed more serious now.
Fuck! Maris and her fucking habit, she's really annoying. She keeps worrying, and the worst part is, all this is happening before I even leave. Fuck, this is so annoying!!! How can I make her believe I won't die? Maybe I should take her with me... no, no, I just need to be polite in my words... I need to convince her, but that would be a waste of time, right?
"Alright, Maris, I have to go. I promise I'll return, and with some gifts as well... please don't worry, enjoy your time," I said as I stood up. For a moment, I didn't want to talk to her anymore.
As I continued towards the tavern's exit, Maris was still slumped over, resting her head on the table. No! Don't tell me you're crying! Damn it, this is so annoying! She loves me so much... what do I do? Should I go back to her, but Ponier is waiting for me... aaaaagh. While I was thinking, I bumped into something soft. When I looked closely, I realized it was a woman's boobs.
She was much taller than me, with long hair and a black bandana on her head, an intimidating, masculine look, and a large boobs. It was Fiona... Huh, do you want to interfere with my problem with Maris? This is going to make things more annoying. After I bumped into her, I stepped back and realized she was blocking my way.
"Go back and reassure her," she said.
"I don't have time! My friend is waiting for me," I replied quickly, stepping past her and heading toward the exit.
Suddenly, I felt something pulling me back. It was her—she had grabbed my cloak and pulled it. At that moment, I lost hope and didn't even want to argue, so I stopped moving for fear that the cloak might tear. Then, I returned to Maris, who was still slumped over, crying. Fuck, she's overreacting! Ugh, I really hate this.
"Damn, you're acting just like Gaziel," Fiona suddenly said.
"Gaziel?!" I replied, shocked. Oh my god, how does she know him?!
"It doesn't concern you. Just go back to her and reassure her."
After that, I sat near Maris, thinking about the relationship between Fiona and Gaziel. How does she know him?! No, no, that's a serious question. Damn, I want to ask her, but... ugh, my curiosity is about to explode. Okay, forget about it for now. Right now, I need to reassure Maris so I can leave. What a fucking delay.
"Maris..." I murmured, placing my hand on her shoulder.
"Stop crying, look at me."
She lifted her head, and tears were everywhere. Damn it! She's really overdoing it. I hate people who overreact like this. After a while, she spoke: "Aren't you going to change your mind?"
"Impossible, I need the power more than anything, and Yavan will help me a lot... Also, Maris, you're overreacting. You're acting like I said I'm going to kill that sleeping dragon," I replied.
"It may seem like I'm overreacting, but... for me, these are normal feelings. I love you, Laos, so there's no overreaction in my response. Do you understand what I'm saying?" she said loudly.
"I understand... but Maris... I swear I'll return, I promise you, just like I always have," I said as I hugged her.
"Alright... if you're determined, I can't do anything but lessen your determination, so... you need a meal for the road, Fiona!" Maris said. Finally, she was convinced. Oh my god, this is so relieving that I smiled.
After that, Fiona quickly approached and placed a bag on the table, then stepped between Maris and me, placing her hands on our shoulders before pulling us into a tight hug. Oh my god, why is Fiona acting like this all of a sudden?
"No need to ask, here's lunch for two, on me." Fiona replied
"Thank you, Fiona," Maris said.
After that, I took the bag of food and placed it in my bag, then I moved on. The sun was shining brightly, and the town was crowded with people as usual. I'll definitely miss it. Traveling to another place, I never used to be someone who traveled much in my past life. I preferred staying home, but today, I'm on my way to another region of the kingdom. I've changed so much, man.
"Be careful, boy, instead of that sleeping dragon, there are large numbers of wyverns in Yavan. Don't think it's going to be an easy place," Fiona whispered to me, making sure Maris couldn't hear.
"I will!" I replied.
"Good luck, and take care of yourself!" Maris shouted as she stood with Fiona, both staring at me.
"You too," I mumbled.
After that, I walked away from the tavern and headed toward one of the town's gates, the same gate I came through when I first arrived in Iveleth, where two guards were chatting instead of guarding. A man and a woman, are they a couple? After a while, I spotted Ponier standing near one of the carts. I had kept him waiting for a long time, but that's not my problem, and there's nothing I can do about it, even though I tried to leave while Maris was crying.
"Laos, you bastard, you've been so late! The cart would've left a while ago if I hadn't asked the driver to wait."
"Sorry, but there were some issues."
"Alright, come on, get in."
After that, we got on the cart, and it took off smoothly. The horses pulled it effortlessly... there were four adventurers other than Ponier and me, so you could call it a crowded cart. Hah, this is the second time I've ridden in a cart, but this one is better; it has a roof. Well, the Forests of Yavan, huh... That's where my new adventure begins, an adventure toward strength. I don't know what the future holds there, so I'm feeling a lot of excitement. It's the same excitement I felt when I was on my way to Iveleth... Yavan, I'm coming!