Ellen couldn't sleep last night, her mind was filled with restless thoughts of Kadden and his battle against the endless horde of undead, and she couldn't shake her worry.
"I hope he will be alright," she let out a weary sigh. As always, she was again in the adventurers' hall, facing the same challenge to reject Blaine's proposal to go out.
She actually didn't mind going out with him, he was quite good-looking and kind, but she wanted him to first achieve something great. She knew that once she agreed, the fire within him would quickly burn out, and she wanted to marry someone more than a mere adventurer, maybe a hero?
She was lost in thought about how to motivate Blaine, the heavy wooden doors of the adventurers' hall swung open, instantly drawing her attention as a familiar figure walked in the hall.
It was a strikingly handsome young man, adorned in heavy golden armor, carrying mysterious violet crystal. Confidently striding toward the reception desk, he commanded respect and admiration from every adventurer, causing them to part like the sea to make way for him.
"Who is that?" A young adventurer, asked one of his seniors. He could understand why all of the tough looking adventurers stepped aside for this handsome man.
"You don't know?!" The older adventurer responded, his face a mixture of shock and disbelief. He's Kadden! The one who slew that cyclops! And do you know what he's carrying now?"
The young adventurer, baffled. That was Kadden?! The one he had heard so much from other adventurers? He looked at the man admiringly as he strode through the hall, finding him even more impressive than he imagined.
A sly, self-satisfied grin crossed the elder adventurer's face, despite his missing teeth, as he enlightened the younger one. "That, my friend, is the mana core of the necromancer Teraz, 'The Undead'! What's more, it took him just one day."
"What?! Undead plains? But… where is his team?" The revelation left the young adventurer stunned. Undead plains were a famous location for its danger, hardly a place where a party of two could venture and return unscathed.
His gaze remained fixed on Kadden, who was accompanied only by a lone magician, shrouded in a mysterious black robe. How could they achieve this remarkable feat just by the two of them?
The old adventurer chuckled heartily, hearing the young adventurer's ignorance. "You see, young one, you don't know the half of it when it comes to Kadden."
"That can't be true, right?" The young adventurer struggled to accept the meaning behind his senior's words. Fighting an army of thousands of undead and defeating such a formidable necromancer with only two adventurers sounded like a tale from fantasy, but it happened right before his eyes.
The entire hall erupted into an uproar after witnessing Kadden carrying the necromancer's mana core. None of them believed he would complete a quest with six-stars of difficulty rating, and yet, it happened in a single day! This extraordinary achievement shattered everything they knew.
With a casual demeanor, Kadden announced, "I have completed the quest," flashing a smile at Ellen as if he didn't do anything remarkable.
"It's real..." Ellen, still in disbelief, examined the crystal closely. Killing a necromancer who commanded a legion of thousands of undead was simply unheard of, and she wasn't the only one, who stared at Kadden, wishing to hear the story about his adventure.
Kadden continued with a bright smile, "I wouldn't mind sharing the story with everyone, but my companion and I are rather tired from the journey. Perhaps another time." He then gracefully left the hall, though there was no sign of fatigue in his expression.
The entire hall remained in a state of astonishment, when another group of thirty adventurers abruptly entered. Their leader, bearing an air of urgency, spoke up, "Grave news!" His announcement immediately drew the attention of everyone present.
This newly returned adventurer team was renowned in Cloudgate City, so everyone was interested in the news they carried, staring at the leader of the team.
"My team has just come back from the Undead Plains, but..." The leader paused, struggling to believe what he was about to say. "The Undead Plains are completely empty, there isn't a single skeleton left!"
His announcement shocked everyone in the adventurer hall. Normally, it would be horrible news, since it would mean Teraz, The Undead, was on a move, however, they knew about someone else, who just returned from the Undead Plains and might be responsible for the event.
It was an astounding revelation, and many weren't willing to believe it until they would see it with their own eyes, but it seemed that aside from killing Teraz, The Undead, Kadden also killed every skeleton in the Undead Plains!
The news quickly spread throughout Cloudgate Town, and the name Kadden Langley was rapidly becoming a legend within the town's walls.
…
Meanwhile, Wain and Kadden walked a considerable distance away from the adventurer guild. After successfully completing two seemingly impossible quests, Wain was confident that Kadden had firmly established his name within the town.
With this part completed, it was time for Kadden to make connections with the influential figures of Cloudgate Town and gather vital information about their defenses, and if possible, insights into the Mossgarde Kingdom.
"I will be leaving," Wain announced, catching Kadden off guard with his statement. However, Wain had other obligations and couldn't continue to be Kadden's constant guardian, so it was time for Kadden to prove his worth on his own.
"Alright," Kadden replied, understanding there was no point in arguing. No matter how scared he was, Wain was a dark magician and Kadden was convinced that Wain wasn't helping him only out of goodwill.
"You know what to do," Wain said, his keen eyes assessing Kadenn's reaction. He already explained his work beforehand, though he didn't mention why he needed it, however, he still wasn't sure whether Kadden had what it took to do the job.
Handing Kadenn three spell rings, Wain explained, "Take these and wait until I send somebody to you."
With these rings, Kadden could use six 2nd-grade spells and one 3rd-grade spell in times of need. Unfortunately, Luarin was reluctant to part ways with Karin long term, so Wain promised her to find a different human for the work, and in the meantime, Kadden would be all alone.
As Wain departed, Kadenn stood alone on the bustling streets, tightly gripping the three rings. Ever since he left his home village, he had yet to kill a single monster and his level remained the same, but now, he had to operate alone.
Would he be able to do it? Kadden sweated from anxiousness as doubts appeared in his mind, he knew Wain wouldn't be forgiving if he made a mistake. Moreover, he had a contract with Wain, which he didn't know the content of. It would be best if he kept a low profile until Wain's man arrived.
He decided, when a familiar voice called out to him, "You are Kadden, right?"
Startled, Kadden turned around to see a figure he recognized all too well. It was Norward Clemson, the wealthy merchant who had frequently visited his village.
What could such an influential man possibly want with him? Anxiety filled Kadden as he faced the wealthy merchant. His parents always forbid him to speak with Norward, afraid he would anger the rich merchant, so this was the first time the two of them spoke.
Meanwhile, Norward studied Kadden's face, pondering, "You look familiar, have we met before?"
Did he see through my disguise? Kadden sweated, worried, since Norward saw him many times in the past, however, Kadden knew he couldn't mess this up.
Taking a deep breath to calm, Kadden looked fearlessly at the merchant. "That's possible, unfortunately I can't remember everyone I save." "That's possible, unfortunately, I can't remember everyone I've saved," he replied, his gaze filled with confidence, eliminating any suspicion Norward had.
"You must be right." Norward acknowledged, he would definitely remember if he met someone like Kadden. "My name is Norward Clemson, a merchant from this town." He introduced himself. "I heard you have my token."
After he finished, Kadden finally understood the reason for Norward's approach. "That's right, I have saved a wandering magician in the Barestone Mountains and he gave me the token in gratitude, after he heard I am on my way to Cloudgate Town."
Kadden hurriedly made up a story, how he received the token from Wain.
"Oh, I see." Realization dawned upon Norward. "In that case, please be my guest. I own an inn nearby." Norward offered and Kadden accepted.
Norward led him towards a five-story luxurious building nearby and only then did Kadden realize the true extent of Norward's wealth.
Am I going to live here? Kadden began to think that his life didn't look so bad. This was probably the peak of his life!
"Sir Langley, please wait," He was about to enter, when he was interrupted by an approaching adventurer. It was Blaine!
"What happened?" Kadden asked when he saw the panting adventurer. He wanted to hide and wait until Wain returned, but he had to deal with this situation if he wanted to keep his reputation.
Blaine took a while to catch his breath and then he spoke. "A daughter of Count Alson was kidnapped by monsters in the Barestone Mountains as she traveled to Cloudgate Town. The whole town could be in danger if anything happens to her."
Blaine explained and Kadden's expression darkened at the news. Cloudgate Town was not a large town, and offending a Count could lead to dire consequences. Although it wasn't their fault that his daughter was kidnapped, Kadden doubted the Count would be interested in their excuses.
Blaine continued, "I've assembled a team to rescue Count Alson's daughter, and I hoped you could join us as well." He looked worriedly at Kadden, knowing that he had just returned from a quest and might not be willing to depart immediately.
"I," Kadden weighed his options. Wain had instructed him to remain hidden until he sent someone to him, but this was a golden opportunity to gain the favor of the Count, which was his main task.
"I will obviously go with you. We can't keep Lady Alson waiting," he replied resolutely, excusing himself from Norward's company and following Blaine, his fingers nervously brushing the spell rings Wain had given him. He could only hope that everything would work out as he ventured into the unexpected mission.