"Here you are," the lady at the collection desk said, holding out a dark blue emblem in her outstretched hands. The badge gleamed under the light, its intricate design radiating an aura of importance. Riven took it carefully, marveling at its craftsmanship. It resembled the adventurer badge but had a premium feel to it, as if it was forged for a higher purpose. Of course, it would have to be; replacing one cost ten rank 2 mana cores. Riven shuddered at the thought.
He pinned the badge to his left chest, just beside his adventurer badge, the two emblems side by side like mismatched siblings. Giving the clerk a nod of thanks, he left the association building, his mind replaying the conversation with Zephyr.
It wasn't long before frustration bubbled over. Raising his hands in exasperation, he let out a soft groan. There's nothing else I can do right now other than get to rank 2 as fast as possible if I want answers, he thought. Determined, he set his sights on completing the quest from the day before and began the walk to the nearest gate.
Riven arrived at the south gate with his questionable map in hand, its faded lines and amateur drawings far from comforting. "Let's hope this doesn't get me lost again," he muttered.
A sudden commotion broke his focus. Shouting echoed nearby, drawing his gaze to a group of four adventurers locked in a heated argument. They wore standard leather armor—functional but unimpressive, the kind anyone could buy from the adventurer armory.
Riven started to move past them, uninterested in the drama, when a snippet of their conversation caught his attention.
"Let's go back. We can't do it without a tank!" one of the two female adventurers argued, her frustration evident.
"We don't have time! The quest ends today—we have to go for it!" another adventurer shot back.
Riven glanced at his map, then back at the group, his gaze lingering on the initiate badges clipped to their armor. He hesitated for a moment, then decided. Maybe I can earn some good coin out of this.
Approaching the group with a casual wave, he called out, "Hey, I heard you need a tank?"
The argument ceased as all eyes turned to him. Their skepticism was palpable.
The black-haired woman, clearly the leader, scrutinized him, her gaze drifting to the badges on his chest and Luna perched on his shoulder. Her lips twisted into a scowl. "You're only a Rookie 3, and that beast of yours—" she gestured to Luna—"is just a lesser bloodline. How can you possibly help us?"
Riven grinned, unfazed by her tone. He had expected this reaction. Taking a deep breath, he began releasing his amber mana. The air around them grew heavy, saturated with raw power, the atmosphere tingling with a dangerous energy.
The group instinctively tensed, hands drifting toward their weapons. For good measure, Riven blinked behind them, the spatial skill disorienting them further.
The black-haired woman spun around, her eyes wide with shock. The others staggered back, their expressions a mix of awe and unease.
"I can keep whatever you need distracted," Riven said, his voice steady, his grin never wavering.
The woman's jaw dropped. "A spatial skill and mana that dense… How is that even possible?"
Riven extended a hand, his confidence unwavering. "So, do we have a deal?"
The group exchanged hesitant glances, silently weighing their options. Finally, the woman sighed, her shoulders relaxing. She stepped forward, taking his hand. "The name's Nyla."
"Riven," he replied with a nod. "Nice to meet you."
Nyla gestured to her companions. "That's Tim, Jack, and Wendy."
They gave polite waves, though their wariness lingered.
Jack, a towering man with a broad build and a massive two-handed hammer strapped to his back, broke the tension with a wide grin. "Let's head out then. We'll explain the mission on the way."
From his pocket, Jack produced a small, spherical device etched with intricate blue runes that glowed faintly, their light dancing across his fingers. He strode toward the gate, the others falling into step behind him.
Riven lingered at the back, watching the group ahead. This might be interesting, he thought, adjusting the map in his hand. Luna chirped softly on his shoulder, her presence a quiet comfort as they ventured onward.
Riven walked through the forest again, though this time he was led by Jack, whose navigational skills far surpassed his own. The dense canopy above filtered the sunlight into patches, creating an interplay of light and shadow that danced over the forest floor. Nyla slowed her pace, falling in step beside him.
"The mission is to hunt a red Zeltrick," she said, her voice calm but tinged with caution. "It's classified as near-threat level two."
Riven's brow furrowed, his curiosity piqued. "A red one? How's that different from a regular Zeltrick?"
Nyla's expression darkened into a frown. "That's the problem—we don't know. But the reward is unusually high."
"Must be some kind of genetic mutation," Riven mused. "I've never come across a red one in the records."
"Maybe," Nyla said with a shrug. "Doesn't really matter. Just make sure you tank or distract it. We'll handle the rest."
Riven nodded, the weight of her words settling on him. The group continued their march in silence, each keeping a wary eye on their surroundings. For Riven, the tension was palpable, his mind replaying the memory of the Fangleon encounter. The only source of reassurance was the knowledge that the city guard's captain had likely reported the incident, prompting a ranger-ranked strike team to deal with the threat.
Jack abruptly halted mid-step, the orb in his hand flaring with bright blue light. The group stopped in unison, their attention fixed on the glowing device. Riven leaned closer, trying to decipher its meaning, but his confusion must have been obvious.
Jack glanced at him and explained, "We've reached the marker—this is where it was last spotted."
Riven scratched the back of his head, offering a sheepish grin. "Right, right. For a second, I thought we were getting attacked."
The others exchanged glances but said nothing, their focus shifting back to Jack. He tinkered with the orb, but it remained unchanged. With a sigh, he tucked it back into his pocket.
"Doesn't mean it's still here," he said. "But keep your guard up."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a red blur streaked down from the trees, aimed directly at Jack. Riven's reflexes kicked in, and he blinked forward with barely a thought, amber mana surging through him. The impact sent both him and the creature tumbling across the ground.
The forest erupted into chaos. Weapons were drawn, their edges gleaming in the fragmented light. From the chests of Riven's companions, glowing motes of energy emerged, coalescing into their beast bonds.
Riven scrambled to his feet, his gaze locking onto the attacker—a hulking jackal-like creature with reddish-brown fur and piercing yellow eyes. It stood nearly seven feet tall, its fur bristling into sharp, needle-like points.
So this is the red Zeltrick, Riven thought, falling into a combat stance. Amber mana coursed through his hands as he reinforced his body with pink mana. The creature growled low, its feral gaze fixed on him.
The way it moved, its sheer size and menace, left no doubt in Riven's mind. This was a rank-three lesser beast—a rarity, as most lesser beasts couldn't surpass rank two. His thoughts churned with questions, but the Zeltrick coiled its legs, readying another strike, leaving him no time to ponder.
Riven managed to sidestep the beast's dash with a barrel roll, his heart pounding. "It's a soul-break Zeltrick!" Jack shouted. "It's burning its sanity and soul to sustain that rank-three body!"
The Zeltrick's next lunge was interrupted as Nyla darted in from its blind spot, her spear poised for a decisive strike. The attack glanced off the creature's hardened fur, forcing her to retreat.
The beast turned, but a gray wolf burst from the underbrush, aiming for its legs. Riven's instincts screamed a warning as the Zeltrick's fur flared outward, a spray of needle-like spikes impaling the wolf. The creature dissolved into motes of light, returning to Nyla's chest.
That must've been her beast bond, Riven thought, his mind racing. The Zeltrick now resembled a ball of crimson cotton bristling with razor-sharp spikes. How am I supposed to get close and damage that?
Before he could formulate a plan, the beast launched itself at him, spinning in its spiked form. There was no dodging the sheer area it covered. Riven blinked to a tree branch, narrowly avoiding the attack.
Perched above, he quickly assessed his mana reserves. Damn, my pink's already down to sixty percent. He wiped the sweat from his brow, his eyes scanning the shredded vegetation below. The ground bore deep, precise grooves where the Zeltrick had torn through it, leaving a path of devastation.
"Hold it for a minute! We've got this!" Jack's voice rang out, his massive hammer now in hand, the runes on it glowing faintly.