Indiana smiled. "Don't worry, Damon. You're not the first young kid I've met that wants to deal with danger," she stated before turning around and resuming work.
"Huh?" Damon frowned and looked back at Ignis, who was scratching her head.
"Let's go. There are other adventurers lining up," Ignis whispered, tugging Damon with her as they left the building.
Damon's curiosity was piqued further. "And there's someone from that group who's... similar to me?"
"Ah, well. She's not an Adventurer, but rather a member of the Knights of Hippotades," Ignis replied, her tone cautious. She couldn't even look directly at Damon. "She's quite young but possesses extraordinary abilities. She's been trained by the Knights and is considered one of their most promising talents."
"Oh, I never anticipate that. She must be quite strong," Damon complimented. He hadn't expected to encounter someone in Tarynla with abilities akin to his own. It both excited and worried him.
Damon slightly felt threatened, and that boasted his determination to get stronger.
"Is there a way I could meet her?" Damon asked, his eagerness evident.
"Ha-ha," Ignis laughed nervously. "It's… not simple for my part. Perhaps you can talk to Lady Saorsa about her, haha."
Damon furrowed his brow. He watched every action Ignis made, and that made him think the girl she was referring to was dangerous or troublesome.
"Thank you, Ignis. I really appreciate everything you did for me," Damon paused, noticing Ignis's qualm.
"Ah, don't worry about it. I'm glad I can help, but since you're alright. I need to go, there's a lot of stuff I need to do," Ignis grinned and waved goodbye at Damon before rushing away.
Damon sighed in relief by the time Ignis was far. "It went better than I thought," he muttered and was about to go when he remembered his purpose for entering the city.
"Ah, where can I exchange the Pooka heads?" Damon thought, and after a few minutes of thinking, Damon went back to the Adventurer's Guild and approached Indiana.
"You're back. The quests are plastered on the board. Bring me the paper if you've chosen to do it," Indiana explained, entertaining another Adventurer accepting a request.
"Thank you," Damon smiled and approached the quest board, his eyes scanning the array of parchment papers detailing various missions and requests.
Damon perused the quests, pondering which one to embark upon. "This is better than exchanging the Pooka heads while I'm still in this child-like appearance."
Many quests were piling at the D and S ranks, which contained the most challenging requests.
"I should start small," Damon whispered, and a particular parchment caught his attention.
"Old Acedia…" Damon whispered as he read the quest's location. That made him wonder why no one took the request despite its high pay and in the lowest rank.
Damon smiled as if he had hit a jackpot. After all, it was an easy job for him, knowing they were already camping there.
"Hey kid, are you sure about that?" a young man approached Damon with a worried look. He had a somewhat messy, orange-red hairstyle that fell over his forehead. His eyes are a bright shade of dark amber, matching his hair.
Damon glanced at who talked to him. "Me?" he pointed at himself.
"Yes, pardon me. I am, Asher, an Adventurer in B rank," Asher replied and showed his card, which was in silver.
"Hello," Damon greeted and slightly nodded in respect. "Is there something wrong with this request?"
"You must be new… but that quest might be in D rank, but it's not that easy to gather in bulk," Asher worriedly explained.
Damon's eyebrow furrowed as he started to get curious. "Can you explain further?"
"The Scarlet Whisperpetal can be seen around Acedia, but its extremely rare. However, it grows abundantly in the Old Acedia, which is not a safe place," Asher explained while shaking his head.
Damon nodded in understanding. It was indeed quite intimidating, especially the ruins and the Pooka camps around the area.
"I don't want to interfere, but for me, it's unsafe for you to go there, especially at your… age," Asher laughed awkwardly while scratching his head.
Damon tilted his head and stared at Asher, looking at him from top to toe.
Asher wore a red and white outfit with a sleeveless top, baggy pants, and a bandana around his neck. He also had a belt with pouches and carried a sword on his back, but what took Damon's attention the most were the faint scars and fresh wounds around Asher's body.
"Are you… okay?" Damon asked in concern, wondering if Asher needed some medical help.
"Me? Haha! I get that a lot, but don't worry. I'm fine," Asher answered cheerfully, his eyes showed his energetic expression.
"Are you sure?" Damon asked further to ensure.
"Of course! I'm quite unlucky, but that doesn't stop me from exploring!" Asher replied with a burning passion.
Before Damon could reply, Asher was pulled by another group and was engaged in a conversation.
Damon was left alone. He looked at the paper and shrugged Asher's warning. He did bear it in mind, but he had already defeated the Pookas nearby.
"It's time to go back," Damon muttered, sighing. It saddened him to return without a pera in hand to buy food and cook for Mikha'el, but he deemed it a better option than becoming a center of attention by selling tons of Pooka's head as a child.
Damon used the Overshadow Teleportation five times again, which drained his energy. He arrived at the Old Acedia but barely kept his legs straight.
"You left me again!" a high-pitched voice shouted. It was Mikha'el, glaring at Damon. She was waiting impatiently at the entrance.
"Haha, don't get angry. I'm only finding a way to make more pera for us to survive," Damon explained, walking past Mikha'el and ignoring her intense gaze.
Damon's knees were already weak, and seeing an angry, gigantic Dragon with an intense aura scared the sh^t out of him, but he needed to act as if it didn't affect him at all, but he was dying inside.