Entering the adventurers' guild, Aethereis headed to the mission registration counter, planning to complete a mission related to monster subjugation. He had considered several ways to test his current strength and ultimately decided to do so in a real combat.
"Good afternoon, I want to register a monster subjugation mission," said Aethereis.
"Of course, I just need to see your adventurer identification. It's part of the protocol. If your rank is lower than the mission in question, you won't be able to take it," the receptionist responded professionally.
Nodding, Aethereis took out his adventurer card from his storage ring and handed it to the receptionist. She took the card and examined it carefully.
"Let's see..." the receptionist murmured as she reviewed the information on the card. Continuing, she said, "Very well, Mr. Aethereis. Your current rank is F-, so you can only register missions of rank F-."
Pulling out a scroll, she handed it to Aethereis and said, "Currently, we have these missions suitable for your rank that involve subjugation."
┏━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┓
Mission Type]: Subjugation
[Difficulty]: Rank F
•────⋅☾Horned Rabbit☽⋅────•
Eliminate at least 10 Horned Rabbits and bring back their horns; the adventurer can keep the rest of the body.
[Payment]: 15 silver coins
•──────────────────•
•────⋅☾Wind Wolf☽⋅────•
Eliminate at least 10 Wind Wolves and bring back their fangs; the adventurer can keep the rest of the body.
[Payment]: 15 silver coins
•──────────────────•
•────⋅☾Goblin☽⋅────•
There have been reports of goblins causing trouble in the forest west of the city. The mission requires the subjugation of at least ten goblins. [Payment]: 10 silver coins
•──────────────────•
┗━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┛
After reading the available missions, Aethereis made a decision and responded seriously, "I want to take all three subjugation missions."
The receptionist raised an eyebrow, surprised by his choice.
"Are you sure, Mr. Aethereis? Taking three missions at once is quite dangerous. Are you sure you can handle it?" she asked with an unsure tone, though somewhat unusual. Sometimes, novice adventurers take on too many missions and end up dying due to their inexperience.
"My skills are sufficient to handle these missions," Aethereis responded with a hint of coldness in his tone.
Feeling a sudden chill down her spine, the receptionist could only nod slightly.
"Very well, I just need to register the missions then. Remember that the deadline to complete them is one week. If you don't complete them, you'll be charged one silver coin per mission as a penalty," explained the receptionist as she registered the missions .
"The missions have been registered. Here's a copy of the scroll. Once you complete them, you can bring it back and receive your rewards," said the receptionist, handing over the scroll and adventurer card to Aethereis.
Aethereis took the scrolls and stored them in his storage ring.
"I wish you good luck on your missions, Mr. Aethereis. If you need any additional information, feel free to ask," said the receptionist.
"I'll keep that in mind," Aethereis responded with a slight nod. With that, he turned to leave the guild. Though his expression remained impassive, underneath, there was a spark of anticipation.
After leaving the city, Aethereis sped towards the Mystic Woods forest, feeling the gentle breeze against his face. Enjoying the sensation, he increased his speed.
After ten minutes of running, all that could be seen was the dense foliage of the trees. Upon reaching the forest's periphery, Aethereis stopped. With a mental command, the earring on his ear transformed into a pair of curved daggers. At that moment, his entire demeanor changed completely. His expression became vacant, like that of a doll, returning to the cold assassin he once was.
Venturing into the forest, Aethereis remained alert, paying attention to any sound or movement, gripping his daggers firmly. His movements were smooth and elegant as he walked, ensuring to use "shadow steps" to avoid letting out any sound.
As he advanced among the dense trees of the Mystic Woods, Aethereis perceived grunting sounds resonating among the bushes. With agile movements, he climbed a tree and began to move between the branches without making a sound. His movements were fluid and silent.
As he approached, the grunts became clearer. Stopping near the source of the sounds, he observed the monsters emitting them: they were short creatures, repulsively looking, with green skin, long ears, and a huge nose. The goblins grunted and gnashed their sharp teeth, as if they were communicating with each other, producing sounds similar to grunts.
After observing them for a while and seeing that all they were doing was gathering fruits from a bush and grunting, the goblins didn't seem to pose an immediate threat, at least not at that moment. They were focused on their search for food, providing him with the perfect opportunity to attack.
POV ???
As the goblins gathered fruit from the bushes, they heard a sound like the whistle of something being thrown.
*¡Sshing, sshing!*
The first goblin raised its head; before it could react, a beautiful dagger embedded itself in its eye, piercing it.
Twisting in pain, it let out intense screams, alerting the other two goblins.
"Kreeeeeeeek!"
A second whistle sounded, and, like the first goblin, a dagger embedded itself in the head of the second goblin.
*¡Sshing, sshing!*
Panic-stricken, the last surviving goblin fled as fast as it could, its small feet pounding the ground in desperation as it emitted short, sharp shrieks. Without looking back, it feared dying like its other two brothers.
***********
Aethereis emerged from the shadows, his presence barely perceptible among the trees. With quick and precise movements, he retrieved his daggers, which once again turned into his earring. Observing the direction his prey fled, his figure blurred as he moved at great speed.
*Swoosh!*
Following the direction the goblin was moving, several notifications appeared at that moment...
[You have killed an F- rank goblin and earned 100 experience points!]
[You have killed an F- rank goblin and earned 100 experience points!]
[Level up >1]
Without paying attention to the notifications, he slowed down and stopped several meters away. Climbing a tree to observe the situation, he could see that the goblin had stopped at a crude campsite.
Observing the area, he counted around twenty scattered tents, with one larger tent in the center emitting a powerful aura. Aethereis weighed the pros and cons of attacking. Fighting twenty goblins head-on could result in serious injuries, and facing whoever was in that tent would end in a battle to the death.
Leaning against a tree, Aethereis watched the goblin camp attentively, feeling the sun slowly descend on the horizon, painting the sky with shades of gold and orange. With each passing minute, the darkness of the forest gradually intensified. Once the forest was completely dark, he moved, disappearing from the tree.
*Swoosh!*
Silently approaching an unsuspecting goblin from behind, with a precise movement, he plunged his dagger into the goblin's neck. Before it could let out a scream for help, with a swift flick of his wrist, he thrust the other dagger into its mouth, causing it to choke on its own blood.
"Glub, glub!"
After a few seconds, the goblin stopped breathing. Disposing of the body, he continued on his way without leaving a trace.
Applying the same strategy, he managed to eliminate over ten goblins. Meanwhile, he received more notifications. Soon, the entire camp began to emanate a strong smell of blood, alerting the surviving goblins. Deciding to use a different approach, Aethereis stopped suppressing his presence. His daggers transformed into a double-bladed scythe.
As the panicked goblins ran in all directions, their screams filled the forest air, blending with the sound of their hurried footsteps.
"Eeeek! Eeeek!"
Some tripped over each other, desperately trying to escape the camp, while others hid behind trees and bushes, trembling with fear.
Suddenly, amidst the chaos in the forest, a powerful roar echoed from the main tent of the goblin camp.
"Grrraaaah!"
The sound cut through the air like lightning, making the ground tremble. The goblins, gripped by panic, halted their frantic runs and turned towards the source of the sound with eyes filled with terror.
The goblins' eyes turned red, entering a state of frenzy. Looking in Aethereis's direction, they began charging frantically with their weapons in hand.
Dodging a sword slash with a slight lean, in a second, the scythe transformed back into a pair of daggers. Spinning his body, he plunged the daggers into the goblin's spine. At that moment, his instincts kicked in, and with a kick to the back, he sent the goblin flying, creating distance and narrowly avoiding an axe.
*Thud!*
*Thwack!*
Spinning on the ground with terrifying precision, he threw one of his daggers towards the goblin. The dagger sliced through the air with a deadly whistle before embedding itself in the goblin's leg with a dull thud. A scream of pain escaped the goblin's lips as it fell to the ground, incapacitated by the searing pain that prevented it from moving easily.
"Agh!"
With a fluid motion, Aethereis stood up, summoning his scythe with a quick and precise gesture. He took a leap and charged towards the goblin, wielding his scythe with force.
The sharp blade of the scythe cut through the air with a deadly whistle as it made its way towards the goblin's head, severing it from its body in a single stroke.
*Shhhiinnggg*
*thud*
Thanks to the previous attack, four more died, and the last five ended up with minor injuries.
Taking the initiative to attack, Aethereis firmly held the scythe, the goblins unable to follow his movements, only able to watch as their bodies were cut to pieces.
The ground quickly turned a dark red as the blood of the fallen soaked the earth and splattered the surrounding trees. The screams of pain and terror filled the air.
When finally the last goblin lay lifeless at his feet, Aethereis stood alone in the sepulchral silence of the forest, his breathing heavy but his gaze unperturbed. He had left behind a trail of destruction and death.
Holding his daggers, Aethereis walked towards the main tent.