"Don't worry, if there's a stronger enemy than me, we can just run away, right? HAHAHAHA," Adrian replied.
"Pack your belongings, we'll leave in an hour," said Adrian.
"E-EH?? So you're the one taking this job?" Jenny asked.
"Yes, so can I sit down for a moment and could you make me a cup of coffee, Jen?" Adrian asked.
"Well, if you really want to take it, there's nothing I can do," Jenny said.
Jenny then instructed everyone to disperse because a tough job like this required more than 10 people to complete. Additionally, everyone agreed that Adrian should take on this task, as Adrian himself was at a different level from all the strongest individuals in the guild.
The only one still unhappy was Reid, but because his position in the guild was that of a double agent, he couldn't do much. Reid himself was a royal soldier and could only leave the kingdom if the job was given directly by the kingdom. If he left the kingdom's territory arbitrarily, it would only raise suspicions from the kingdom.
After everyone left the bar, Jenny told me to pack my things because the journey would take quite a while. Honestly, I didn't just blindly trust Adrian, considering I had only met him today. Besides, was he really the strongest person here? This grinning person? Honestly, it was his grinning nature that made me doubt if he truly was the strongest here.
After packing all my belongings, I returned to the ground floor and saw everyone gathering at Jenny's bar table.
"Look, the handsome guy just arrived," Adrian said to me mockingly.
"No need to mock me. Although we are guildmates, I just met you this morning, so don't act like we're close," I replied.
"Well, I guess sooner or later we'll become good friends, HAHAHA," Adrian said while putting his arm around me.
The two of us left the bar and stopped by a supermarket to buy some food. Once everything was ready, we set off, leaving the kingdom behind.
"So, where are we going?" I asked.
"Hmm, based on this paper, they told us to go to the Kingdom of Aetheria to gather more information from Night Phantom," Reid answered while reading the contents of the paper.
"Can you read it?" I asked.
"Yes, this is the language of the Elves."
"Elven language? Isn't that a code?" I asked.
"Yes! It is a code," Adrian replied.
"So, which one is it? A code or the Elven language?"
"Both, it's a code that uses the Elven language," Adrian answered.
"So, where is the Kingdom of Aetheria? Is it very far?" I asked.
"Well, not everyone can go there because they are protected by nature itself," Adrian answered.
"Protected by nature?"
Throughout the journey, Adrian explained that the Elven race was very different from humans. They were beings who used their powers for the life of nature. They couldn't fight at all; they were weak. But because of their love for nature, their race was now protected by nature.
And Dark Elves themselves were originally the guardians of nature against irresponsible creatures. Dark Elves were the complete opposite of Elves. If Elves couldn't fight and could only use their powers for the life of nature, then Dark Elves were creatures who could fight. Their strength and speed were many times greater than that of humans. Furthermore, Dark Elves couldn't use magical powers at all, so they relied solely on their muscles and speed to protect nature.
The conflict between the two races had been going on long before the formation of the Eldoria Kingdom. Initially, these two races complemented each other. But because the power of the Elves could only be used for nature, it seemed that nature preferred the Elves over the Dark Elves.
"So, this prolonged conflict is because of jealousy?" I asked.
"Yeah, you could say that," Adrian replied.
Adrian also explained that the assassin guild of the Dark Elves, Night Phantom, was suspected to have involvement with the Chaos Legion. During the war, suddenly the Dark Elves could use dark magic, which was essentially magic that neither Elves nor Dark Elves could use.
That's why the area around the Eldoria Kingdom was still filled with plants, rivers, and springs containing fish and other aquatic creatures. The dense forest was still there. All of this was because King Leopold offered cooperation to the Elven race to protect them, replacing the Dark Elves. In return, the Elves made the surroundings of the Eldoria Kingdom appear more fertile and lush.
"And that's why, from my explanation, you already know that this is not an easy job. You could easily get killed because you're very weak," Adrian said.
"So, what's your plan? Why did you choose me to accompany you on this job? You must have a specific purpose because you know no one would dare oppose you considering how strong you are," I explained.
"Oh, come on, they just exaggerated a little, and there are still many who are stronger than me, like King Leopold, HAHAHA," Adrian replied, laughing heartily.
"Why do you laugh so much when you mention King Leopold's name?" I asked.
"Oh, come on, Oliver, think for yourself. What do you think made the Elves go to the trouble of asking for help from us, a bunch of unemployed humans trying to overthrow the kingdom's ruler?"
"Umm... Because the ruler of the kingdom has been corrupt from the beginning?" I answered.
"Exactly! From the beginning, that corrupt king had it all planned! The plan was so perfect that it lasted for hundreds of years after his death and is still ongoing today," Adrian explained.
"I'm still confused. If we really want to overthrow the Eldoria Kingdom, wouldn't it be easier if we allied with the Chaos Legion? Don't they have the same vision as us?" I asked.
I saw Adrian suddenly stop in his tracks.
"No. Never, Oliver! Never compare us to them! We are completely different from them," Adrian replied.
"They are just a group of cold-blooded assassins who will do anything to achieve their goals. Aligning ourselves with them would only bring new diseases upon us," Adrian explained.
"Okay, then I won't mention it again."
Then we continued our journey. Occasionally, I looked around, and the path we were taking seemed very familiar. All we had been doing was walking along the banks of a very long river.
"Umm... Is this the right path?" I asked.
"Don't worry, I've used this route many times before. We'll arrive tonight," Adrian said.
"Tonight? But aren't we embarking on a long journey that will take quite a while?" I asked.
"A long journey that takes quite a while only applies to those who don't know how, you have to expand your connections if you want to make your life easier," Adrian replied.
Honestly, I didn't understand what Adrian meant. Jenny had said that the journey would take a long time because the Kingdom of Aetheria was very far away. Did Adrian know a shortcut to get there?
The day was growing darker. All we had been doing was walking along the banks of a wide and long river, and now we stood in front of a forest. Adrian told me to follow him from behind. With the fading light of the setting sun, I realized that this was the strange forest I had explored when I first arrived here!
"WHO DARES ENTER MY TERRITORY!!!"
When we had only walked about 10 meters into the forest, a loud voice suddenly came from within. I saw Adrian stop in his tracks, and I realized that we were surrounded by a group of monkeys with long, sharp fangs, large hands, and fish-like scales all over their bodies.
A few moments later, a towering Bigfoot figure appeared, wielding a sword twice the size of its body. My suspicion from earlier was correct – we had returned to the forest where I first arrived in this world.
"No need to be so alert, King Ape, it's me," Adrian said.
"Oh! It's you, Adrian! I thought someone else had entered," the King Ape replied.