Danir prepared himself for his second quest, the memory of yesterday's journey to the northern mountains of Platoundra still fresh in his mind.
This time, he moved with more purpose.
Before leaving, he stopped by a merchant stall and purchased ten additional bottle storages.
If he was going to hunt slimes, he might as well exceed the quota again.
More work meant more pay.
And right now, he needed every coin he could earn.
At the stables, he approached Rigor.
The horse let out a loud, eager neigh, stomping its hooves against the ground as if it had been waiting all morning.
Danir chuckled softly. "Yeah, yeah… I know. Let's get moving."
He mounted Rigor in one smooth motion, and together they rode out, passing through the Southgate of the capital.
The scenery shifted as they traveled.
Behind them, the capital's gentle beauty faded—fields brushed with drifting cherry blossom petals, soft winds carrying their fragrance through the air.
But the further south they went, the more the world changed.
The air grew thicker.
Warmer.
The delicate pink hues were replaced by dense layers of green, as towering trees and tangled vines swallowed the open land.
Soon, the path narrowed into a rugged dirt trail, barely maintained, winding deeper into the wild.
Danir slowed Rigor as they approached a tree marked by a crudely nailed wooden sign.
The wood was worn, its edges splintered with age.
Carved into its surface were simple, uneven words—
"Deepwild Forest."
Danir stared at it for a moment.
Then he exhaled quietly.
"I guess this is it."
When he entered the forest, he just encountered some common-beasts like snakes, deers, prey-birds, and wild rabbits.
So he went deeper into the forest.
On ahead of him, he spotted a novice level slime as big as him eating a helpless wild rabbit.
Danir charged and killed the slime and let the cute little rabbit to to run back into his den.
As Danir entered the forest, the atmosphere immediately changed.
The air grew humid, heavy against his skin.
The sounds of the outside world faded, replaced by the rustling of leaves and distant animal calls.
At first, he only encountered common beasts—snakes slithering through the underbrush, deer grazing cautiously, prey-birds circling above, and wild rabbits darting between bushes.
Nothing dangerous.
Nothing worth his attention.
So he pressed deeper into the forest.
The path grew narrower, the vegetation thicker.
Sunlight barely pierced through the dense canopy above.
Then—he stopped.
Ahead of him, a slime.
It was roughly his size, its gelatinous body pulsating as it slowly consumed a helpless wild rabbit trapped within its form.
The rabbit struggled weakly.
Danir didn't hesitate.
He rushed forward, drawing his dagger in one swift motion. With a precise strike, he pierced through the slime's core.
The creature collapsed instantly, its form melting into a puddle of viscous fluid.
The rabbit dropped free.
For a brief moment, it froze—then quickly scrambled away, disappearing into its den.
Danir exhaled softly."…Lucky."
He wiped his blade clean and continued on.
After some time, fatigue began to creep in.
His stomach growled.
"Yeah… I should eat first," he muttered.
He scanned his surroundings and soon spotted a deer grazing in the distance.
Slowly, he raised his hand.
"Ice Shard Daggers."
A chilling aura gathered around him before launching forward in a flash of cold energy.
The deer froze mid-motion, its body instantly immobilized—an easy kill.
Not long after, the scent of grilled meat filled the forest.
Danir sat by a small fire, casually roasting the venison as if he were simply enjoying a peaceful outing rather than completing a quest.
He took a bite.
"Not bad…" he said, chewing slowly. "Could use salt though."
For a moment, the dangerous forest felt… almost relaxing.
Hours passed.
Danir resumed his hunt, venturing deeper into the forest in search of more slimes.
One after another, they fell.
By the time the sun had shifted overhead, he had filled all twenty of his storage bottles with slime fluids.
Finally, he stopped.
Sitting on a rock, he let out a long sigh.
"Man… this is boring," he muttered, stretching his arms. "It's making me sleepy."
He glanced at his grimoire, half-expecting something to change.
But nothing.
No level up.
Just experience gained.
His expression turned slightly annoyed.
"All that work… and still no level."
Danir had barely settled into his rest when the sound of approaching footsteps broke the silence.
He looked up.
A group of adult adventurers emerged from between the trees, their gear worn but well-maintained.
Their presence alone carried a quiet pressure—the kind only experienced fighters possessed.
They stopped when they noticed him.
One of them stepped forward, clearly the leader.
"Hey, kid?"
His tone wasn't hostile—but it wasn't friendly either.
Danir met his gaze calmly.
"What are you doing out here alone?" the man asked, eyes briefly scanning the surrounding area, then the bottles at Danir's side.
"Killing slimes," Danir replied simply.
The man raised a brow.
"…Seriously?"
A few members behind him exchanged glances, clearly amused.
"What's your name?" the leader continued.
"Danir. Just graduated from the academy," he said. "New adventurer."
"And your rank?"
"Intermediate."
That answer made the group pause.
"…Intermediate?" one of them muttered.
"Yeah," Danir added, unfazed. "Guild rules. Still stuck doing novice quests."
The leader studied him for a moment longer, as if trying to figure him out.
Then, unexpectedly, his tone shifted.
"Got a spare mana potion?"
The question came casually—but there was intent behind it.
"I'll remember your name," he added.
Danir hesitated for a second.
"So this is how it works out here…" he thought.
Not quite a threat.
Not quite a request either.
Still, he reached into his bag and handed over a single bottle.
The man took it without hesitation.
"…Appreciate it."
Then a faint smirk appeared on his face.
"Thanks, Slime-Slayer."
For a second, there was silence—
Then the rest of the group burst into laughter.
"Slime-Slayer?!" one of them repeated, grinning.
"Careful out here, Slime-Slayer!" another called out mockingly. "Wouldn't want you getting taken out by your own prey!"
Their laughter echoed as they walked past him, disappearing deeper into the forest.
But Danir remained seated.
Quiet.
His eyes followed them for a moment before he looked down at his remaining bottles.
"…Tch."
He leaned back slightly against the rock.
"If I was on that age, I think I would be a Dragonslayer right now." He thought as the he felt a little bit irritated.
By the time Danir returned to the capital, the sun was already leaning toward the west, casting a warm golden hue over the city.
The familiar sight of its walls felt oddly comforting after hours in the Deepwild Forest.
He guided Rigor back to the stables, patting the horse's neck as it let out a satisfied snort.
"Good work today."
He handed over a small bag of carrot treats before settling Rigor into its stall.
Only then did Danir head straight for the Guildhouse.
Inside, the hall was just as lively as before—adventurers coming and going, voices overlapping, the scent of sweat, metal, and parchment filling the air.
Danir approached the front desk.
The same loremaster glanced up as he placed his storage bottles on the counter.
She examined them briefly.
Then her brows lifted slightly.
"…You exceeded the quota again." the loremaster said.
Danir gave a small nod. "Yeah. That was the plan."
For a moment, she studied him—perhaps reassessing the young adventurer she had registered not long ago.
Then she reached for the payment.
"Twenty filled bottles of slime fluid," she said, placing the coins in front of him. "That earns you two silver zens."
The soft clink of metal echoed lightly against the counter.
Danir picked up the coins, weighing them in his palm.
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
Not bad for a "boring" quest.
For the rest of the first month of autumn, Danir continued taking on novice-level quests.
Day after day, the routine remained the same—collecting healing herbs, gathering slime fluids, and hunting common beasts.
Over and over again.
Despite his efforts, he had only gained two levels.
Two.
Danir exhaled in frustration. "This is getting old…"
He had hoped to encounter another magic beast—something stronger, something worth the effort.
Something that could push him forward.
But it never happened.
Every time he returned to the capital, his expression was the same—tired, bored, and unmotivated.
One night, unable to shake off the dullness creeping into his mind, Danir sat alone in his room at the inn-tavern.
The silence felt heavier than usual.
With nothing else to do, he reached for something he hadn't touched in a while—
Yuri's diary!
He flipped it open, his curiosity slowly rekindling.
The pages were filled with records—places explored, monsters fought, experiences written in careful detail.
It wasn't just a diary.
It was a guide.
A legacy.
As Danir read through the earlier entries, one detail caught his attention.
A method.
A shortcut.
His eyes sharpened as he focused on the words.
"I am about to begin my solo hunt."
"I discovered that when an adventurer hunts alone, they receive one hundred percent of the experience from every kill."
"It is the fastest way to grow stronger."
Danir leaned forward slightly.
"A hundred percent…"
He continued reading.
"Before beginning, I traveled to the Enchanted Forest—Nordrassil, where the Tree of Life stands."
"I needed a head start."
The name of the place lingered in his mind.
Nordrassil.
He turned the page.
"Day 1 of my solo hunt."
"I began in Hunterwood Forest."
"Located west of Nordrassil, it is an ideal hunting ground for Novice and Intermediate adventurers."
Danir's focus deepened.
"Solo hunting grants faster growth…"
"But it comes with a cost."
"No one watches your back."
He paused for a moment.
That line felt heavier than the others.
"Fortunately, stronger monsters rarely appear in Hunterwood."
"If they do, it is only because they seek easy prey."
Danir's grip on the page tightened slightly.
"Demonic pawns, on the other hand, roam only the southern regions of the Eastern, Middle, and Western continents."
He slowly leaned back, absorbing everything.
Every word.
Every warning.
Every opportunity.
The boredom he had been feeling for weeks… began to fade.
Replaced by something else.
Interest.
Excitement.
Purpose.
But the night had grown deep.
His eyes grew heavy, his vision blurring as the candlelight flickered gently on the pages.
Still holding the diary, Danir's head slowly lowered—
Until he drifted off to sleep, resting over the very words that might change his path forward.