Kazuki left the Adventurers' Guild with the quest notice in hand, making his way back toward the forest. The sun had started its descent toward the horizon, casting a warm orange glow over the town. He considered stopping at the inn for food, but with no money, that was off the table for now.
"I guess I'll deal with the 'Forest Beast' first," he muttered, staring at the quest notice. "It's probably the same thing I fought earlier. Shouldn't be too hard."
Still, something about the quest description bothered him. It mentioned that the monster had been terrorizing travelers, but Kazuki hadn't seen anyone else on his way to town. Maybe it's targeting specific people, he thought. Or there's more than one of them.
Either way, he wasn't too concerned. After his encounter with the beast, he felt confident enough in his new strength to handle whatever this world threw at him. He started down the dirt path, retracing his steps toward the forest.
The trees loomed overhead as Kazuki ventured deeper into the forest, the sounds of birds and rustling leaves filling the air. He kept his senses alert, scanning the area for any signs of movement. After walking for some time, he came to the spot where he had fought the wolf-like beast earlier, but there was no sign of it now.
"Figures. It's already gone," he muttered, glancing around. "Guess I'll have to track it down."
Just as he was about to continue, a rustling sound caught his attention from the nearby bushes. Kazuki tensed, gripping the makeshift club he had picked up—a sturdy branch, just like last time. The rustling grew louder, and suddenly, something—or someone—stumbled out of the underbrush.
It wasn't a beast, but a person.
A young woman, around his age, with long silver hair and bright, alert blue eyes. She was dressed in light leather armor, a sword strapped to her side. Her expression was one of pure determination, though her appearance was slightly disheveled, as if she had just come from a fight.
Kazuki blinked in surprise as the woman spotted him, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.
"Who are you?" she demanded, her hand instinctively moving toward her sword. "Are you an adventurer?"
Kazuki raised his hands defensively. "Whoa, whoa, easy there. Yeah, I'm an adventurer, sort of. I'm not looking for trouble."
The woman relaxed slightly but didn't let her guard down. "What are you doing here, then? The forest is dangerous."
"I'm here for a quest," Kazuki explained, holding up the quest notice. "Something about a monster terrorizing travelers. Figured I'd deal with it."
The woman's eyes widened in recognition. "You took the Forest Beast quest? Alone?"
Kazuki shrugged. "I've already fought the thing once. It wasn't that bad."
Her eyes narrowed again, this time with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity. "You fought it…alone? And you're still alive?"
Kazuki nodded, trying to play it cool. "Yeah. Kicked it into a tree. Not a big deal."
The woman stared at him for a moment, then sighed, rubbing her temples. "Unbelievable. I've been tracking that thing for days, and you just…kicked it into a tree?"
Kazuki scratched the back of his head. "Uh, yeah. Pretty much."
She looked him up and down, clearly reevaluating her initial impression of him. "I don't know whether you're incredibly strong or incredibly lucky."
Kazuki shrugged. "Maybe both?"
The woman let out a sigh, shaking her head in disbelief. "Well, I suppose you could use some help if you're hunting it again. It's rare for that beast to roam alone. They usually travel in packs."
Kazuki raised an eyebrow. "Packs? You mean there could be more of them?"
"Yes, and they're not the kind of monsters that stay down easily," she replied, her voice now serious. "Even if you defeated one, its companions might be lurking nearby."
"Great," Kazuki muttered sarcastically. "Guess I've got more work to do."
The woman extended her hand. "I'm Serena. A fellow adventurer. I was planning to take on the quest myself, but I suppose we could team up, seeing as you've already encountered one of the beasts."
Kazuki glanced at her outstretched hand and then back at her face. She seemed confident, and he wasn't about to turn down help, especially if more monsters were involved. After all, he had no idea what other dangers this world had in store for him.
"Kazuki," he said, shaking her hand. "And sure, I could use some backup. This world's still new to me."
Serena gave him a strange look. "New? You're not from here?"
Kazuki realized he might have said too much, but he decided to play it off. "Uh, let's just say I'm from very far away."
Serena didn't press the matter, though her eyes lingered on him for a moment longer. "Well, far away or not, you'd better be ready. These monsters are vicious, and they won't go down as easily as you think."
Kazuki smirked, tapping his makeshift club on his shoulder. "Don't worry. I've got it covered."
Serena nodded, her expression still serious. "Let's head out, then. The deeper we go into the forest, the more likely we'll find their den."
With that, the two ventured deeper into the woods. The trees grew thicker, and the sounds of the town behind them faded away, replaced by the eerie quiet of the forest. Kazuki stayed alert, his eyes scanning the surroundings for any sign of movement.
After walking in silence for a while, Serena spoke up. "So…what's your deal? You're clearly not an ordinary adventurer. No one just 'kicks' a monster like that into a tree."
Kazuki scratched his head, unsure of how much to reveal. "Let's just say I've got some unusual strength. No magic or anything fancy, just good old-fashioned muscle."
Serena raised an eyebrow. "No magic? Really?"
"Yeah," Kazuki replied casually. "I'm not much of a spellcaster."
Serena seemed to be pondering something but didn't press further. "Well, magic or not, if you've got the strength to handle those beasts, that's what matters."
They continued walking, the silence between them comfortable. Kazuki couldn't help but notice how natural it felt to be in this world, despite the strange circumstances of his arrival. The forest, the monsters, even the strange guild system—it all felt like something out of a game or a novel. But now that he was here, it was real.
As they pushed further into the dense underbrush, Kazuki noticed Serena's posture change. She crouched slightly, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword. "We're close," she whispered.
Kazuki followed her lead, lowering himself into a crouch as they approached a clearing ahead. The atmosphere grew tense, the air heavy with the scent of damp earth and something else—something wild.
Suddenly, a low growl echoed through the trees.
Serena's eyes widened as a large, shadowy figure emerged from the underbrush. It was another one of those wolf-like beasts, its glowing red eyes locked onto them, saliva dripping from its jagged teeth. This one was bigger than the one Kazuki had fought earlier.
"Get ready," Serena whispered, drawing her sword.
The beast snarled and lunged at them without warning, its powerful body crashing through the foliage. Serena reacted instantly, darting to the side and slashing at the creature with swift, practiced movements. Kazuki, however, stood his ground, gripping his branch-turned-club tightly.
"Here we go again," he muttered, raising the club as the beast charged toward him.
With a powerful swing, Kazuki brought the club down on the beast's head, sending it crashing to the ground with a heavy thud. Serena's eyes widened in shock as she watched the monster skid across the dirt, dazed but not defeated.
"Are you sure you're not using some kind of magic?" she asked incredulously, breathing heavily as she prepared for the beast to recover.
"Nope," Kazuki replied nonchalantly. "Just really good at hitting things."
The beast growled, staggering to its feet once more, its body trembling with rage. Serena moved swiftly, positioning herself on the opposite side of the creature, ready to strike again.
"I'll distract it," Kazuki said. "You go for the kill."
Serena nodded, her grip tightening on her sword. "Got it."
Kazuki charged forward, shouting to draw the beast's attention. It whipped around to face him, its glowing eyes narrowing as it prepared to lunge. But before it could strike, Serena dashed in from behind, her blade gleaming as it sliced through the air. With a swift, precise motion, she drove her sword into the creature's side, and the beast let out a final, agonized roar before collapsing to the ground, lifeless.
Kazuki let out a breath, leaning on his club as he watched the beast's body go still. "Nice work."
Serena wiped the sweat from her brow, sheathing her sword. "You too. That was…easier than I expected."
"Guess we make a good team," Kazuki said with a grin, offering her a fist bump.
Serena stared at his fist for a moment, then, with a slight smile, returned the gesture. "Yeah. Not bad, Kazuki."
With the beast defeated, the two adventurers began the task of collecting proof of their kill to bring back to the guild. As they worked, Kazuki couldn't help but feel a strange sense of satisfaction. He wasn't interested in being a hero, but helping someone else—even in this small way—felt good.
Maybe this world wouldn't be so bad after all.