After a month of grueling training, Rogelio emerged stronger, exuding an aura of confidence that made him seem like a completely new person.
At the Bar
Jay: "So, you only have five days before you leave?"
Rogelio: "Yes. I only have a few things, so I don't have much to prepare."
Jay: "Since you're free for a few days, how about testing out how your training worked out?"
Jay tossed a sword to Rogelio, saying, "Here, I'll give this to you as a present."
Rogelio caught the sword and exclaimed, "Wow, this is cool! Thanks, teacher!"
Jay smiled. "Glad you like it. That's the sword I used when I was just an apprentice. Now, why don't you go to the guild and hunt some wolves?"
He added, "But only use your power when necessary or when your life is in danger. Don't be a warrior who relies solely on power."
Rogelio nodded, then excitedly made his way to the adventurers' guild to get a quest for hunting wolves. He ventured into the foreign forest.
In the Forest
Rogelio: "So, I just need to kill five wolves and bring their fangs. I can also sell their meat. Nice! With this, I might be able to pay for my stay at the bar and have some money for my journey."
Moments later, while wandering the forest, Rogelio encountered three wolves grinding their teeth, slowly surrounding him. He smiled, drew his silver sword, and took a defensive stance.
The three wolves attacked simultaneously. Rogelio lowered his stance, focusing his strength on his feet, and dashed toward the wolf in front. Tightening his grip on his sword, he swung horizontally, slicing the wolf in half from its mouth.
Seeing the dead wolf, the other two grew angrier and lunged at him. Rogelio stepped back to his left, dodging their attacks. He then take a back stance gripped his sword with his right hands and performed an upward slash, beheading one wolf. Using his momentum, he then lower his stance and dashed toward the remaining wolf and thrust his sword into its neck, killing it instantly.
Rogelio, with a proud smile: "That was easy."
He collected the wolves' fangs and meat, then continued wandering deeper into the forest. This time, he encountered another group of wolves—three normal ones and a dire wolf, which was twice as large, fast, and powerful as the others.
Unsheathing his sword, Rogelio remarked: "It usually takes three C-rank adventurers to take down a dire wolf, but…" He smirked. "I can kill it."
The dire wolf charged at him, and Rogelio swung his sword horizontally. The dire wolf caught the blade in its jaws, immobilizing Rogelio. The other two wolves attacked from both sides.
Releasing his left hand from the sword, Rogelio clenched his fist and delivered an uppercut to the dire wolf's jaw, forcing it to release the sword. He quickly performed a downward slash, wounding the dire wolf's eye, and stepped back to dodge the two wolves' attacks.
Rogelio, grinning: "Damn, that was fun!"
He then lower his stance and dashed toward one wolf at his right and sliced it in half with a horizontal slash. The dire wolf charged at him headfirst. Rogelio raised his sword, gripping it tightly, and when the dire wolf was about to strike, he delivered a powerful vertical slash, splitting its head in two.
The remaining wolf growled menacingly from a distance. Rogelio taunted it with a finger. "Come here."
The wolf lunged at him, and Rogelio lowered his stance, stabbing the wolf through its throat.
Rogelio: "That should be the last one. I bet this dire wolf will sell for a high price."
He collected the fangs and meat, then headed back to the guild.
At the Guild
Sara: "Here's your reward."
Rogelio: "Thanks."
Sara: "Also, hunting a dire wolf alone? You're stronger than most C-ranks."
Rogelio joked: "So, will you promote me?"
Sara replied: "Unfortunately, I can't. You need to complete at least 50 hunting requests to rank up to C. Or rather, 49 more."
Rogelio groaned: "That's tiring. Is there a shortcut?"
Sara: "Well, there is. If you hunt a monster equivalent to 49 quests, like a mega wolf, you could rank up directly."
Rogelio thought to himself: "A mega wolf is three times stronger than a dire wolf. It would take someone at least B-rank to defeat one."
Rogelio then asked: "So, how many quests do you need to rank up to B?"
Sara replied: "To rank up to B, you don't need to complete quests. You need to fight and defeat three B-rank adventurers. For A-rank, you need to unlock your sixth sense and defeat two A-rank adventurers. Finally, to reach S-rank, you must unlock your aura and defeat one S-rank adventurer or gain their acknowledgment."
Rogelio smiled: "I guess I need to train much harder."
He left the guild, thinking: "Since Jay is a former knight, he must know something about the sixth sense and aura. I should ask him."
At the Meat Shop
Before returning to the bar, Rogelio stopped at the meat shop to sell the wolves' meat.
Meat shop owner: "It's still fresh! And you even have dire wolf meat. You didn't steal this, did you?"
Rogelio: "Do I look like a thief to you?"
The meat shop owner laughed heartily. "I'm just joking, young man. Chill. My name's Fred. Here's your money. Come back anytime."
Rogelio replied: "I'm Rogelio. And don't worry, I'll be back tomorrow."
At the Bar
Back at the bar, Rogelio asked Jay: "Teacher, do you know anything about the sixth sense and aura?"
Jay explained: "The sixth sense heightens a person's awareness, allowing them to sense people from afar. In battle, it lets you detect an enemy's every little movement, making it possible to predict their next attack."
"As for aura, it transforms a person into a superhuman. It manifests their will into power. A single slash from an aura user can kill a thousand warriors. It's also said that aura users can defeat a Holder."
Rogelio, curious: "You could kill a thousand warriors in one strike, teacher?"
Jay nodded: "Yes, if I wanted to. If you're curious about it, I can teach you aura when the time comes. For now, focus on building your strength and swordsmanship."
Rogelio smiled and agreed. He returned to his room and began meditating.
"I can now use Time Walk for five minutes before collapsing, but in battle, I can only maintain it for three minutes. I need to train more!"
For the next four days, Rogelio continued hunting to gain experience.
The Fifth Day
At the bar, Letty said: "I guess this is goodbye, then."
Rogelio joked: "Don't cry. I'll be back someday."
Letty punched him on the shoulder. "Who said I'm crying?!"
Rogelio laughed. "For a middle-aged woman, you have quite the punch."
Jay interrupted, handing Rogelio a letter. "Here, give this to the knight's office. Someone there will continue to train you to improve your swordsmanship since you only know the basics."
Rogelio replied: "Thanks, teacher."
He handed Jay some money for his stay, then left the bar with a smile.
At the Adventurers' Guild
Sara: "Hey, Rogelio! You're late."
Rogelio joked: "Sorry, I overslept."
Sara: "Whatever. Anyway, I'll introduce you to your temporary party. Until you reach Valoria Kingdom, your mission is to protect a merchant."
Sara introduced the party:
Jacob: The leader, a B-rank adventurer who uses a sword and shield.Ralf and jen: Another B-rank swordsman.Dean: A B-rank archer.John: A B-rank dagger specialist.
Sara: "They're known as the Mist Party, a group of B-ranks with incredible attack power."
Next, she introduced the C-rank adventurers:
Ben, Ran, and Joseph: All swordsmen.
Finally, she introduced Thea, a D-rank adventurer wearing a green robe that covered their face.
Jacob: "We're glad to have you join us, Rogelio. We've heard you're quite strong for a D-rank."
Rogelio smiled, thanking Jacob and shaking hands with everyone. They began preparing for their journey.
On the Road
While riding in the carriage, Rogelio asked: "So, which city or town will we stop at?"
Ralf replied: "We were supposed to go to Garron City in Eclipsia before heading to Valoria Kingdom, but the merchant requested that we avoid towns and travel straight through the forest."
Jen added: "You should prepare yourself. Without an A-rank, we don't know what lies ahead."
Jacob reassured him: "Jen's just trying to scare you. Don't worry—we're an experienced party, and we'll protect you if anything happens."
Rogelio: "Then I'll be in your care."
Noticing Thea's shy demeanor, Rogelio asked: "Are you new here too?"
Thea replied coldly: "Yes."
Feeling awkward, Rogelio decided to mind his own business.
Nightfall
The party decided to stop and camp near a large tree beside the road. As everyone got out of the carriage to set up camp, an arrow suddenly flew toward Jacob's head.
Jacob blocked it with his shield and shouted: "Enemies! Prepare yourselves!"
Meanwhile, in Valoria Kingdom
An apprentice knight approached a superior with a report:
"Sir, the item has been located in a foreign land's black market. It's said to be carried by a merchant traveling here."
The Valorian knight ordered: "Find them and bring that item to me before anyone else gets it!"