Nate woke up feeling refreshed as the morning sunlight filtered through the narrow window. After a long stretch, he decided to check his status. He hadn't leveled up yet but still had some points left to allocate. Pulling up his status screen, he quickly allocated points, focusing on Dexterity and Perception to improve his reflexes and senses.
Feeling a surge of strength and sharper awareness, Nate dressed quickly and left his room, heading to the market square. Today, he planned to tackle some quests from the adventurers' guild and use the opportunity to spend time with Gwen.
As he approached the bustling square, he spotted Gwen waiting by the ornate fountain. She was dressed casually, her sea-blue eyes scanning the crowd. Nate sensed a hint of nervous energy from her, which was unusual for the typically composed half-elf.
"Morning, Gwen," he greeted with a smile.
"Morning, Nate," she replied, her voice steady but not as bright as usual.
"You seem a little off today," Nate commented, eyeing her curiously.
She shrugged. "Just distracted, I guess."
"Well, I'm heading to the adventurers' guild to pick up some quests. Want to come along?"
A flicker of interest crossed her face. "Dangerous?"
He grinned. "Of course. What else would we do?"
They walked together toward the adventurers' guild, navigating through the busy streets of the capital. The familiar scent of roasted nuts and baked goods filled the air as vendors called out to passersby.
Once inside the guild, Nate made his way to the bronze-rank quest board. His eyes scanned the parchment notices until he spotted one that piqued his interest—Zephyr Beetles. These wind-manipulating insects had been terrorizing caravans near the outskirts of the capital, and the reward was tempting enough to make it worth the effort.
"Zephyr Beetles," Nate muttered to himself as he grabbed the quest notice. "Fast, armored, and highly annoying."
Gwen peered over his shoulder. "Sounds like a challenge."
"More like a nuisance," Nate replied with a grin. "But it'll be good practice."
They accepted the quest and left the guild, heading toward the outskirts of the city. As they entered the forest, the air grew cooler, and the sounds of the bustling capital faded away, replaced by the rustle of leaves and the chirping of insects.
Nate led the way, his emerald eyes scanning their surroundings. After a while, they reached a small clearing where several Zephyr Beetles buzzed around, their metallic carapaces shimmering in the dappled sunlight. Nate crouched behind some bushes, motioning for Gwen to follow.
"There they are," he whispered. "I'll use illusions to confuse them. When I give the signal, hit them with everything you've got."
Gwen nodded, her focus sharpening as she prepared her magic.
Nate activated his Mirror Mirage skill, creating several copies of himself that spread out and moved erratically between the trees. The beetles, distracted by the illusions, buzzed in confusion. Their wings created small gusts of wind as they flitted around, trying to locate the real threat.
"Now!" Nate signaled.
Gwen unleashed her wind magic, sending powerful gusts that clashed with the beetles' natural abilities. The creatures were thrown off balance, their armor rattling as they struggled to regain control.
Seizing the opportunity, Nate darted forward, weaving between the disoriented beetles. His dagger flashed as he struck with precision, targeting the weak points in their armored bodies.
One by one, the Zephyr Beetles fell, and after a short but intense battle, the clearing was littered with their remains.
After collecting the valuable monster cores from the fallen beetles, they continued deeper into the forest. Along the way, they encountered another group of Zephyr Beetles, which they dispatched with ease using the same strategy.
Nate's confidence grew as he and Gwen gathered more cores, but their luck ran out when they stumbled upon a much larger and more dangerous foe. A Dreadclaw Matriarch emerged from the underbrush, its chitinous body towering over them. Its pincers gleamed menacingly in the sunlight, and its multiple eyes gleamed with malevolent intelligence.
"Watch out!" Nate shouted, quickly activating his Appraisal skill.
[Appraisal Activated]
Name: Dreadclaw Matriarch
Level: 15
Weakness: Fire
Special Ability: Sonic Screech - Can disorient targets and disrupt concentration
[New Quest: Survive the Dreadclaw]
Description: Defeat the Dreadclaw Matriarch and escape the forest alive.
Reward: 2000 EXP, Rare Item: Dreadclaw Essence
Failure: Death
The Dreadclaw Matriarch lunged at them, its pincers snapping dangerously close. Nate barely managed to dodge, feeling the rush of air as the massive appendage missed him by inches.
"Gwen, it's weak to fire!" Nate shouted, activating his Mirror Mirage skill to create multiple illusions of himself.
Gwen nodded, her face set in determination. "I can use my wind to amplify your fire spells if you have any!"
Nate grimaced. "I don't, but maybe we can improvise!"
The Matriarch, confused by the multiple Nates, let out an ear-splitting screech. The sound waves rippled through the air, disrupting Nate's illusions and sending both him and Gwen staggering backward.
Nate's head spun, his vision blurring as he tried to regain his footing. He saw the Matriarch charging towards Gwen, who was still reeling from the sonic attack.
"Gwen, look out!" Nate shouted, forcing his body to move despite the disorientation.
He activated his Vanishing Act skill, disappearing from sight just long enough to reposition himself between Gwen and the charging monster. As he reappeared, he brought up his dagger, reinforcing it with what little fire affinity he had.
The clash sent shockwaves through Nate's body. Pain exploded in his side as one of the Matriarch's smaller pincers caught him, but he managed to deflect the main attack.
Gwen, recovering from the disorientation, sent a powerful gust of wind at the Matriarch, momentarily pushing it back. "Nate, are you okay?"
"I'll live," Nate grunted, ignoring the pain. "We need to find a way to generate fire!"
As they spoke, the Matriarch began to circle them, its multiple eyes never leaving its prey. Nate's mind raced, trying to formulate a plan.
"Gwen, I have an idea," Nate said quickly. "Can you create a vortex of wind around the Matriarch?"
Gwen nodded, understanding dawning in her eyes. "I see where you're going with this. Get ready!"
As Gwen began to spin a powerful vortex of wind around the Dreadclaw Matriarch, Nate focused on his dagger. He concentrated all his energy into the blade, willing it to generate friction against the air itself.
The Matriarch, caught in the vortex, let out another sonic screech, but this time the wind carried the sound away from Nate and Gwen.
Nate's dagger began to glow red-hot from the intense friction. With a yell, he activated his Phantom Flourish skill, creating a series of afterimages that all converged on the Matriarch at once.
The monster, unable to distinguish the real threat from the illusions, thrashed wildly in the vortex. Nate seized the opportunity, driving his superheated dagger into a weak point in the Matriarch's armor.
The creature let out a deafening shriek as the heat seared its insides. With a final, desperate swipe of its pincers, it caught Nate across the chest before collapsing to the ground, defeated.
[Quest Complete: Survive the Dreadclaw]
Reward: 2000 EXP, Rare Item: Dreadclaw Essence
[Level Up! 7 → 9]
Nate staggered backward, clutching his bleeding chest. Gwen rushed to his side, her face pale with concern.
"That was too close," she said, helping him sit down. "We need to get you to a healer, fast."
Nate nodded weakly, the adrenaline fading and the pain setting in. "Good teamwork," he managed to say with a pained smile.
Gwen managed to get Nate back to the academy in time only for the two to be lectured for the next hour by nurse joy for their recklessness.