After seeing Gerav in the inn, Otto decided to head back home. To his surprise, the sun was already setting.
"Where are we going?"
Upon hearing that, he turned to his left. Ryatt was tailing him, his palm pressed against his chest with a bitter expression.
Right, there's this guy here. Otto pointed forward. "I'm going back home. We'll continue this tomorrow."
Ryatt shot him a glare before letting out a sigh. "All that walking just for a table to be thrown at me… What drives them to throw a table anyway?"
Don't ask me… Otto waved his hand as he walked away. "Thank you for the coins, kind merchant."
He didn't look back as he marched towards the sunset.
…
A few minutes had gone by based on Otto's perception of time.
He ruminated on how he should hone his skills to be on par with Gerav. He remembered the sensation back in the inn. Viscous air surrounded his entire body. This time however, it felt like a controlled flow rather than raw Essence.
A few steps later, he stumbled upon a notice board, one particular piece of paper posted up on its wooden surface caught his attention.
'Looking for an invasive plant exterminator'
The paper was written in Yirtam. He had mastered his fluency a while ago.
'An invasive man-eating plant has been spotted in the western forest of Venim. A pay of ten silvers shall be rewarded to the exterminator.'
Ten silvers just for that?! That is a steal! Wait, what if the plant was a monster in disguise? Otto narrowed his eyes, reaching out to try and grab the paper…
'Do not pull out the notice on the board!'
…and retracted his hand immediately.
He scanned the surrounding buildings. On his left, a building with a sign that says 'Adventurer's Guild'. A group of people could be seen outside, conversing with each other.
Otto walked past them and stepped inside. A spacious hall opened before him. A circular counter was positioned on the other end of the hall. Behind the counter was a young woman, sitting on a chair reading a book.
Otto put on a smile and spoke in a soft tone. "Excuse me, are the offers outside still available?"
The lady turned her gaze to Otto. Realising there's a guest, she quickly laid down her book and pulled the chair closer. "Yes. Looking to take a commission?"
Otto gave a slight nod before explaining the extermination offer. The woman took out a quill and paper, scribbling something down, then handed it to him. "This commission will last until the next three days."
She then pulled out a map, giving a brief explanation of the time and place. "The commissioner will meet you there. Well then, Ad ultra finem!"
Otto exited the building after thanking the lady. His next objective was simple—honing his skills by doing dangerous commissions.
…
The morning hour had come. Birdsongs amplified the peaceful atmosphere in the forest. The trees stood high as sunlight peeked through the leaves.
Otto sat under the shade. He pulled out a book from his bag and leaned against a tree. Just as he was about to read the book, footsteps sounded beside him.
"Are you the commissioner?" Otto prompted the man. He stroked his beard before shaking Otto's hand. "My name is Kofta. You're Gerav's kid, aren't you?"
Otto stood up and dusted his pants. After greeting each other, Otto got to know that Kofta was a woodcutter in the area. A man-eating plant suddenly showed up in this forest, making him unable to continue his work.
"Is this plant really that dangerous?" Otto raised his brow.
The man nodded. "It's very aggressive. The moment you're near it—it will attack." He pulled up his sleeve to reveal a scar. Otto furrowed his brows on the old wound—deep thorn scratches left an impression on his arm.
Kofta directed his gaze forward. "We're almost there; please be quiet."
Otto zipped his mouth, his heart hammering against his chest like a caged beast. His hand reflexively lowered, tightly gripping the sword hilt on his waist.
Both of them slowed down near a clearing in the forest. Otto scrutinised a gigantic flower in the middle. He glanced at Kofta and gave a nod before stepping into the clearing. He could now see the plant clearly. Bright purple petals were situated on top, while thorny vines covered the entire stem.
The petals vibrated, halting the vines momentarily. Otto realised this and lunged aside.
Kapush!
Vines whipped the ground where he just stood, leaving a mark with dust circling around it. Otto rose to his feet, circling around the giant flower. One after another, the vines lashed out at him—some even snaring his feet from below.
Otto was no longer an amateur—but that didn't make it easy. Vines lashed out from every direction, forcing him to twist, duck, and stumble just to stay alive. The ones that did however, left mere scratches on him.
He had memorised every attack pattern of the plant. He calmed his mind, searching for that familiar, intangible sensation. He shot a glance at the plant—particularly, its leaves.
Essence flowed into the leaves. Otto took a deep breath, reminding himself of Gerav's teachings.
-To control Essence, you must have deep focus and strong intention. You do not ask it to flow. You command it.
Command… Otto felt Essence flowing around him. He began to strongly 'intend' the Essence and commanded it to his direction. The flow halted and began seeping into his muscles. His body felt lighter as he dashed towards the plant.
He unsheathed his sword and began slicing down the leaves one by one, evading the thorny vines in the process.
Swish! Swish!
The plant began to wriggle uncontrollably. Otto backed away as far as he could to scan the area. After finding an opening, he rushed to cut down every vine in front of him. After a few slashes, the green stem was left vulnerable to him.
He gripped the sword tightly and twisted his body with all his might for that one singular strike. But before the blade could reach the stem, more vines gathered near it to form a vine armour. However, he did not falter.
He continued to push the sword deeper. Pulling in more Essence to his muscles. The blade started moving again. Vines began to whip him vigorously. Leaving deep red marks on his skin.
The blade tore through the stem— bursting out the other side. He slowly backed away, staggering to his feet before eventually collapsing on the ground.
That was… more difficult than I thought… His body trembled uncontrollably. No matter how hard he tried, his limbs refused to move. His hand went numb, but his grip was still firm on the hilt. He lifted his head to see the plant.
His eyes widened—it was still moving despite his flurry of cuts and slashes. One of the vines began to lift itself up high. One became two, and two became three. All of them merged into a monstrous vine. Otto struggled to help himself up, but his body just wouldn't listen.
Kofta watched the tall, giant vine lowering itself rapidly towards his direction. He tried to escape from its trajectory, but he fell onto the ground. Two vines had latched onto his legs.
He looked up—and the towering mass was already descending.