Annot stood out on the terrace, watching the horizon as the afternoon sun warmed the estate. "Three years", she sighed "my boy has been gone three years" tracing her finger along the tips of her teacup. "I hope my boy is doing all right, she thought to herself, an heavy sigh escaping her lips.
Her train of thought was broken when a voice called out from behind her. "Lady Annot." She turned to see Bellion standing respectfully at the entrance of the terrace, bowing slightly.
Deep inside the thick canopy of the Deep Dark Forest, the air was cold, damp, and heavy as usual. Mori stood in a low stance, his eyes locked on a group of five monsters. These weren't the weak, reckless E-rank goblins from three years ago; these were Forsaken Goblins. They were solid D-rank beasts, they were noticeably bigger, packed with lean muscle, and smart enough to hold their crude iron axes and rotted shields with actual combat posture.
"Remember your training, young master," Armin reminded him calmly from a few paces back, his hand resting casually on his hilt. Mori took a deep, deliberate breath. Focus mana to the heel of my feet. He channeled his magic to the heel of his feet, compressing it like a tight coil, and exploded forward. The sudden, massive burst of speed practically launched him. He rocketed across the damp leaves so fast that he smashed directly into one of the goblins before it could even raise its shield, knocking both of them hard into the dirt.
"Woooo! I got it!" Mori yelled, ecstatic that the burst move had finally worked in a real sprint, But his celebration was cut short. A second goblin squealed , lunging from his blind spot with a raised axe. Before the axe could descend, Armin appeared in a seamless blur. His sword flashed once, striking down the goblin instantly. With a sharp flick to the right, Armin cleared the green blood from his blade and smoothly sheathed it back.
"Never let your guard down, young master," Armin said, his voice level. Mori scrambled back up, kicking off the dead goblin, and snapped into his fighting stance. The remaining three monsters snarled, closing the circle. This time, Mori didn't coat his sword in flames. He wanted to test his spell casting right alongside his swordsmanship. "Spell casting is more about visualization and intent", he reminded himself, recalling the magic books he had studied in the estate library. "The first part of the spell is the main thing, along side visualizing it…theoretically, I should be able to…."
He dashed at the nearest goblin, thrusting his sword straight toward its chest. The goblin instinctively braced behind its wooden shield, but Mori abruptly stopped his blade inches short of the wood. The goblin already braced but seeing nothing hapoen, it tried to retaliate. " Let the spark ignite,…..burst roaring blaze"
Fwoosh!
A sudden, violent blast of fire erupted directly from Mori's free left hand. At point-blank range, the flames completely engulfed the goblin, leaving it charred and smoking on the ground. "Well done young master, you managed to cut the spell in half" armin called out. Without missing a beat, Mori pivoted on his heel, using short, speed bursts, trying to master the speed and quick physical strikes to systematically clear the rest of the group.
Later that evening, Mori and Armin returned to the western plains guild branch to turn in their materials. Mori dumped their haul onto the worn wooden counter, thick hides, low-grade beast cores, and a handful of jagged goblin teeth. The receptionist counted them up and slid over a meager pile of copper coins. These materials mostly went for cheap copper among merchants anyways, but Mori didn't really care about the payout since his pockets were still lined with the money his family had given him. As they turned away from the counter, a group of three people approached them.
A bulky man in heavy, scratched armor with a massive greatsword strapped to his back. Next to him stood a woman in her mid-20s wearing elegant robes, and a younger girl who carried two daggers on her waist. The dagger-wielding girl looked young, though still clearly a few years older than Mori. "So, you're the pair the low-ranks have been gossiping about," the girl with the daggers said, crossing her arms with a curious smirk. "The pair who never seems to leave the forest."
Mori just shrugged, staying silent.
"You know, they say you are make hunting pretty hard," she continued, leaning in slightly. "Since you dominate the outer to the middle regions, the lower ranks are forced to go deeper. People who aren't in a party or group could up getting swarmed and overwhelmed by massive groups of beasts, or even encounter undead creatures."
The bulky swordsman stepped up, chuckling deeply. "I for one would like to see your pair in action. We're heading into the deeper zones of the forest tomorrow, because we figure inviting you would be helpful and seeing as you probably intend to push past the middle regions soon anyway."
Mori paused, thinking to himself. "Seeing other people's skills might be helpful. I can definitely get some insights on spells since she looks like a capable mage, and maybe get some pointers on dual-wielding", he thought, glancing briefly at the sharp daggers on the girl's waist.
Before Mori could voice his agreement, Armin stepped slightly in front of him, blocking the party's view. "The young master and I are retiring to our rooms, so it'd have to be tomorrow," Armin said smoothly, his tone leaving no room for argument. With a polite but distant nod, Armin turned around, Mori made his way upstairs with armin following behind him.
"Young master...?" the dagger-wielding girl repeated blankly.
The three adventurers exchanged looks of pure surprise, watching the kid and his guardian disappear up the steps.