Souta turned around after he killed the wolves. He noticed that Jack and the others were looking at him.
"What?"
"As expected of a student of Ladro Institute," Jack praised him.
The other adventurers nodded at his words. They saw how he bound those wolves using magic. They only thought that he was a swordsman but to think that he was also a mage. Nothing less from the one who passed the entrance examination of Ladro Institute.
"Back then when I was young, I also took the entrance exam of Ladro Institute, sadly I failed," Jack said.
"You took an exam...?" Souta looked at Jack.
"Yeah, it was ten years ago," Jack said, nodding to Souta. "All right, let's get back to business."
They packed up and went back to the carriage to continue their journey. It was late at night when they arrived in Bullmar village. They settled themselves in the plaza of the city.
Bullmar village was a prosperous and huge village. More than five thousand people lived here in Bullmar village. But compared to Ladros city that has a population of fifty thousand people, this village was small.
This village was close to the kingdom so it received some of its benefits.
The Adventurers Guild had a branch in this village so Souta and the rest of the adventurers could record their quest here.
"Thank you, I'll give you your rewards and I hope that I can work with all of you again. Bye!" The dwarf said to Souta and the other three adventurers.
The remaining adventurers, such as Jack, would continue to escort the dwarf to the next village.
They would stay here and sell some of the dwarf's products before they leave this village.
*Ding!*
[Congratulations on completing the Escort quest!]
[You've received 500 exp!]
Souta heard the system prompt in his head telling him that he completed the quest.
"I hope I can see you in Guild War," Jack said to them.
"I hope so, too," Souta said as he patted Yuko. They both left and went to the nearest inn.
The Guild War that Jack was talking about was the tournament of the Adventurers Guild. Countless adventurers would go to the Nivari Kingdom to participate in this tournament. Rank D to the highest rank were all going there to join the tournament.
There's no solo battle in this tournament. All the fights were group battles.
It was a chance for the other adventurers to raise their rank. Also, the rewards in the tournament were huge.
It is held every year in the Nivari kingdom.
Souta was laying down on Yuko's fluffy fur. He was trying to recall every quest in this village. The quest is related to the [Vajra Sword Saya].
Actually, he could go down in the underground and get the [Vajra Sword Saya] but that wouldn't do at all. He wanted to maximize his benefits and get some quest along the way.
After a few minutes of thinking, he stood up.
Yuko lifted up her head and looked at him with confusion in her eyes. It was like she's asking him 'why did you get up?'.
"Let's go Yuko! We will go to the Adventurers Guild!" Souta said to her.
"Muu."
...
Souta went to Adventurers Guild and completed his quest. The receptionist recorded his quest in his card.
"A few more quests and I'll meet the requirements to be promoted to D rank," Souta said while looking at his adventurer's card.
He then looked at the quest board and picked up the herb gathering quest. He walked back to the receptionist and placed the quest on top of the desk.
The receptionist picked the quest and read it. She then looked back at him and said, "The one who made this quest has a little request. He wants to meet the one who accepted this quest."
"Okay, " Souta nodded his head. He knew this already and the quest was connected to the place where he found the [Vajra Sword Saya] in the game.
"Please wait here for a moment, sir!" said the receptionist politely.
Souta just stood there in the corner waiting for the man who made the quest. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and closed his eyes.
The receptionist sighed in relief when she saw him waiting patiently.
After a dozen minutes, the receptionist called him.
"Sir, this way please..."
Souta opened his eyes and saw the receptionist. She guided him in a closed room. There, he saw a man in his forties looking well. He has short white hair and a wrinkled face.
"Good evening, sir. I'm Mark, the one who made the quest." The man stood up and introduced himself.
"I'm Souta, an adventurer!" Souta replied and sat down in the chair opposite of the man.
The receptionist bowed down and left the room.
The room was devoid of any sound as no one said anything. Souta was the one who broke the silence.
"I need to find the Evening Grass, right?" Souta said to Mark.
Mark nodded in response.
"But Evening Grass is not something that can be found here," Souta said. Evening Grass can be found in a place rich in dark energy like Curse Cemetery.
"But there is a place where Evening Grass grows in this village," Mark replied to him.
'There it is!' Souta smirked inwardly.
"I'll tell you where it is if you really accept the quest," Mark said to him. He proposed a condition that Souta shouldn't tell anyone about this.
"I understand, I will not tell anyone about this," Souta said while closing his eyes.
"Good. Come to my shop tomorrow morning; I'll warn you not to wander at night because they only attack outsiders." Mark nodded before rising. He didn't forget to inform Souta of the meeting location before departing.
At the same time, Souta heard a familiar sound in his mind.
*Ding!*
[Quest Triggered!]
[Herb Gathering]: Mark asked you to bring him the Evening Grass. Rewards: 5,000 exp, 5 free attribute points
Souta smiled and he opened his eyes. There's still one quest that he wanted to get before meeting Mark.
"Sir, don't wander in the night," the receptionist warned him as he walked out of the guild.
...
He left the guild and met Yuko. She was always waiting for him when he entered the guild. It was the same in Ladros.
"Let's go! There is a place that we need to go first!"
Souta and Yuko went to the southern part of the village. It was a place where slums lived.
He told Yuko to hide and he concealed himself behind a box. He looked at the dark sky while waiting for someone to appear.
The players called this event encounters. An event where a player would accidentally encounter a special person. That person would give them a quest with high rewards.
But what he was doing was not an accidental encounter. He's waiting for that person to appear and make it look like an accidental meeting.
Back then, he's the one who triggered this quest. This quest led him to the [Vajra Sword Saya].
After a few minutes of waiting, Souta heard a sound of crying.
'Here it is!' Souta smirked before he stood up and patted his clothes. He waited for a few moments before he walked forward and turned in an alley.
Pak!
He bumped into someone. The figure who bumped on him fell on the ground.
"Sorry..." Souta apologized and saw a little boy.
The boy has tears in his eyes. He has short black hair and big black round eyes. He was wearing ragged clothes full of dirt.
"Boy, why are you crying?" Souta asked while helping the boy.
"Mister, thank you!" The boy thanked Souta for helping him.
"It's fine, but why are you wondering about this in this place? It's already dark, and children should stay at home," Souta said in a concerned voice.
He noticed that the boy had bruises all over his body. He lifted up his hand and casted [Light Heal].
The boy felt a warm energy entering his body. He looked and saw that the bruise on his body was gone.
"Thanks, mister!" He looked at the man in front of him. He doesn't know what happened but he knew that the man must have done something to heal his bruise.
Souta smiled and he patted the head of the boy. He asked, "Can you tell me why you're wandering here at night?"
The boy hesitated first before he explained.
At first, he and his sister were living here in this village peacefully. His sister was the one who took care of him after their parents died. She did all kinds of jobs to raise him.
But one day, everything changed. His sister started to act differently. She was always in a daze and muttering some words. Last month, he personally witnessed his sister kill a man using a strange sword. A demon with horns appeared behind her.
After that day, his sister didn't show up. She didn't leave any trace so he doesn't have any idea where to find her.
"A demon possessed my sister and took her. I don't know where my sister is but I saw it with my own eyes. A demon possessed my sister. Do you believe me, mister?"
"Yeah, I believe you; there is a demon in this world," Souta said with a smile.
The boy looked at Souta and recalled that he was a mage. The people didn't believe him when he told them that a demon took her sister. They just told him that his sister got tired of taking care of him. That's why she left.
"Um..." The boy looked like he wanted to tell him something.
"What is it?" Souta asked.
"Can you help me find my sister?" The boy asked him to help him find his sister.
"Sure, the sword that your sister was holding at that time. I came here to retrieve it." Souta said to the boy.
"Really, mister!" A bright smile appeared on the face of the boy.
"Yeah." Souta nodded.
*Ding!"
[Quest Triggered!]
[Rescue]: Find and rescue the sister of the boy. Rewards: 10,000 exp, 10 free attribute points, 2 skill point
'2 skill points, huh?'
Souta smiled and said, "You don't have to call me mister, just brother will do."
"Okay, thank you, brother!" The boy smiled at him.
A pair of deep red eyes gleamed in the shadows. It looked at Souta with crazed eyes.