Morning light slipped quietly through the window of Rei's small inn room.
He was already awake.
Rei sat on the edge of the bed for a moment before standing and washing his face with the basin beside the wall. Cold water cleared the last traces of sleep quickly.
Afterward he walked to the window.
The city below was waking up.
Merchants rolled open shop doors. Carts moved slowly through the street carrying vegetables and grain toward the market district. A few adventurers wearing mismatched armor walked toward the guild hall.
Rei watched silently.
Today's plan wasn't complicated.
More missions.
More money.
And in a few days…
He would have to go home.
That thought lingered a little longer.
His parents still believed he was studying normally at the academy. Soon he would have to explain everything that had happened instead.
The training.
The frontier.
The guild.
And the people he had met.
Rei paused for a moment.
Five people.
He had counted them.
Shin.
Mira.
Elira.
Valen.
Cassian.
Even Cassian counted.
Despite every insult and challenge, Rei still considered him a friend.
The thought was strange enough that Rei almost smiled.
He left the room soon after.
The inn was quieter in the morning.
Behind the counter, the same girl who had thrown a knife at him the previous night was flipping through a ledger.
She looked up.
"Oh. Blood boy."
Rei stopped.
"That description is inaccurate."
She shrugged.
"You walked in looking like a murder scene. I stand by it."
Rei ignored that.
"You mentioned a cheap breakfast place."
She closed the ledger.
"Two streets down, left corner. Loud place. Cheap food."
Rei nodded.
"Thank you."
"Try not to scare anyone this morning."
"I will attempt that."
The breakfast place was exactly as described.
Crowded.
Loud.
Dozens of people filled the wooden tables while servers rushed between them carrying plates of bread, eggs, and soup.
Rei immediately regretted coming.
Still, he stepped inside.
Rather than sit in the middle of the chaos, he chose a quieter corner near the wall.
Only one other person occupied that side of the room.
A small figure.
Hood pulled low over their head.
Rei didn't pay much attention at first.
Until he heard quiet sniffling.
Crying.
Rei stood and walked over.
The figure was a young girl, much smaller than him, her face mostly hidden beneath the oversized hood.
"Why are you crying?" Rei asked calmly.
The girl hesitated before answering.
"…My money was stolen."
Her voice was small.
Rei thought about it for a moment.
Then he placed several coins on the table.
"Buy food."
The girl looked up slightly.
"You need to eat."
He didn't wait for a response.
Rei returned to his table and finished breakfast quietly.
When he finished eating and paid the bill, he turned to leave.
The same girl stood near the doorway.
Watching him.
Rei ignored it and stepped outside.
He walked toward the Adventurer Guild.
Footsteps followed.
After a few minutes Rei stopped and turned around.
The girl froze.
"Why are you following me?"
She pulled the hood lower over her face.
No answer.
Rei waited.
Still nothing.
"…Alright."
He continued walking.
The girl followed again.
The Adventurer Guild was already busy when Rei entered.
The receptionist noticed him immediately.
"Cutie!"
Rei stopped at the counter.
"My name is Rei."
"Yes, cutie."
"That is incorrect."
She leaned forward with a grin.
Rei decided this argument was unwinnable.
So he ignored it and walked to the mission board.
The girl who had followed him quietly slipped inside the guild and stayed a few steps behind him.
Rei didn't acknowledge her.
He studied the requests instead.
After a few minutes he pulled three.
Iron back Wolf Hunt.
Forest Herb Collection.
And a third request.
Missing Relic — Greenwood Ruins.
Rank: C.
Rei brought them to the counter.
"I will take these."
The male clerk beside the receptionist immediately shook his head.
"C-rank missions require C-rank adventurers."
The receptionist glanced at the papers.
Then at Rei.
"…Make an exception."
The clerk blinked.
"What?"
"He handled eight wolves yesterday."
"That's still—"
"Exception."
The clerk sighed heavily and stamped the requests.
Rei nodded once.
"Also," he added, "which wolf parts are required?"
"Claws and fur."
"Understood."
The receptionist then glanced toward the girl behind him.
"…And what about her?"
Rei looked back.
"She followed me."
"That's not reassuring."
"I gave her money for food."
"And now she's following you into the forest?"
Rei paused.
"That would be dangerous."
"Yes," the receptionist said dryly. "It would."
Outside the guild, Rei turned to the girl again.
"You cannot follow me."
She looked down.
"Where are your parents?"
"…I don't know."
Rei stood silently for a few seconds.
Then made a decision.
"You will wait at the inn."
The innkeeper raised an eyebrow when Rei returned with the girl.
"Well well."
Rei placed some food on the counter for her.
"She will stay here until noon."
The innkeeper smirked.
"Did you adopt a child overnight?"
"No."
"Shame. You'd make a weird father."
Rei left before that conversation could continue.
The forest welcomed Rei with cool shade and the steady whisper of leaves moving overhead.
Greenwood was not a wild jungle, but it was still dense enough to swallow the sounds of the nearby city within minutes. Tall oak and ironwood trees stretched high above him, their branches weaving together into a thick canopy that filtered the sunlight into shifting green patterns across the ground.
The path disappeared quickly.
Only uneven soil, roots, and scattered moss remained beneath his boots.
Small insects buzzed lazily between bushes. Somewhere in the distance a bird cried sharply before falling silent again.
Rei continued deeper.
The forest floor was far from flat. Large roots pushed through the soil like knotted ropes, and patches of stone forced him to step carefully as he moved between the trees.
Occasionally he noticed claw marks along the bark of older trunks.
Signs of monsters.
Still no wolves.
Rei walked for nearly twenty minutes before stopping beside a cluster of plants growing along a fallen log.
He crouched slightly.
Broad green leaves.
Serrated edges.
Thin purple veins along the underside.
"…Again."
Forest Bitterleaf.
One of the herbs listed on the guild board.
Rei stared at the plant for a moment.
According to his logic, wolves should have been easier to locate than something small enough to hide beneath shrubs.
Yet somehow he had already found herbs twice.
It made no sense.
Rei sighed quietly, pulled a small knife from his pouch, and cut several stems.
The herbs disappeared into his bag.
"Collected."
He stood and looked around the forest again.
Still quiet.
Still no wolves.
"…This defies reasonable expectation."
Rei continued walking.
The deeper he moved into Greenwood, the terrain began to change.
The ground dipped into shallow valleys where damp soil replaced the dry earth near the entrance. Ferns grew thicker here, spreading wide leaves across the ground like green carpets.
Several large boulders rose between the trees, their surfaces covered in thick moss that suggested they had not moved in centuries.
One narrow stream cut through the forest ahead, winding between rocks before disappearing beneath a cluster of tangled roots.
Rei stepped over it without slowing.
The forest was alive with movement.
Squirrels darted along branches.
A pair of deer lifted their heads from a patch of grass before quietly disappearing into the trees.
But wolves—
Still none.
After another fifteen minutes, Rei stopped walking.
"…Change of plan."
He reached into his pouch and pulled out the folded map he had received when accepting the relic mission.
The parchment was simple.
A rough drawing of Greenwood with a marked location deeper inside the forest.
Rei studied it briefly.
The relic location was still some distance away.
"Acceptable."
If wolves refused to appear, he would finish the relic mission first.
Rei folded the map and began walking again.
Nearly an hour passed before the forest changed again.
The trees thinned.
Charred wood appeared among the living trunks.
Soon the reason became clear.
A broken stone structure rose ahead.
The remains of an old watchtower.
Or what used to be one.
Half of the tower had collapsed long ago, leaving jagged stone walls exposed to the forest. The upper floors were completely gone, and the remaining structure leaned slightly as though it had been struck by something enormous.
Black scorch marks still stained several of the stones.
Fire damage.
Rei approached carefully.
"…Ruins confirmed."
The relic description from the mission board returned to his mind.
A small ring.
Engraved.
Possibly belonging to an old patrol captain who once used the tower.
Rei stepped inside the ruined structure.
Dust coated everything.
Fragments of broken wood littered the floor where old stairs had collapsed. Pieces of stone crunched beneath his boots as he moved through the interior.
He searched the room slowly.
Every corner.
Every broken crate.
Every pile of debris.
Nothing.
Rei stepped back outside.
"…Unlikely."
If the ring had remained inside, scavengers or previous adventurers would have found it long ago.
So he expanded the search.
Around the tower.
Between the fallen stones.
Along the edges of the nearby grass.
Nearly ten minutes passed before something small caught his attention.
A faint metallic glint beside a rock.
Rei knelt.
A thin layer of dust covered a small object partially buried in the soil.
He brushed it away.
A ring.
Silver.
Simple but old.
Tiny symbols were engraved along its outer band.
Rei wiped the remaining dirt away with his sleeve.
"…Mission item."
He slipped the ring into his pocket and stood again.
Relic mission complete.
Only one task remained.
Wolves.
Rei sighed quietly.
"…Annoying."
He left the ruins and began walking back toward the deeper parts of the forest.
Ten minutes later—
He smelled blood.
Fresh.
Rei slowed slightly.
The trees opened ahead.
And the first wolf pack he had seen all morning lay scattered across the clearing.
Dead.
Rei stopped at the edge of the trees.
"…Unfortunate."
Someone had gotten there first.
This had been the first wolf pack he had seen all morning.
A sharp crack of fire magic echoed across the clearing.
One of the remaining wolves collapsed instantly.
Rei looked up.
A group of adventurers stood around the battlefield.
Seven of them.
No… eight.
Their gear was noticeably different from the average adventurers he had seen in the guild.
Proper armor.
Matching insignias.
Mana crystals embedded into weapons.
This wasn't a random group.
It was a party.
And not a weak one.
One of the men—a tall figure in dark steel armor—noticed Rei standing at the edge of the trees.
He raised a hand.
"Hold."
The party turned.
Several pairs of eyes landed on Rei at once.
For a moment no one spoke.
Then a broad-shouldered man carrying a massive axe tilted his head.
"…Did someone lose their kid?"
A few of the others laughed.
Rei didn't react.
"I am an adventurer."
That made the laughter worse.
One of the women stepped forward slightly.
She wore light green armor designed for mobility rather than defense. A bow rested across her back and her dark hair was tied into a tight braid.
Her eyes scanned Rei carefully.
"You're serious?"
Rei nodded.
"Yes."
The axe wielder grinned.
"What rank?"
"D."
That made several people chuckle again.
The armored man who seemed to be the party leader folded his arms.
"Well… that explains why you look disappointed."
Rei looked at the wolf bodies again.
"They were my mission."
The leader glanced around the clearing.
"…Ah."
The axe wielder scratched the back of his head.
"Oops."
Another member of the party—a thin man wearing blue mage robes—walked closer to the wolves and nudged one with his boot.
"You wanted these things?"
"Yes."
The mage shrugged.
"Take them."
Rei blinked once.
"…All of them?"
"We don't need them," the mage said. "We're here for something else."
The leader nodded.
"Go ahead. Harvest what you need."
Rei walked forward calmly.
While the party watched with mild curiosity, he began removing claws and cutting small sections of fur from the wolves.
His movements were efficient.
Precise.
Not something most beginners managed.
The woman with the bow leaned slightly toward the axe wielder.
"…That kid knows what he's doing."
The axe wielder nodded.
"Yeah."
Rei finished quickly and packed the materials away.
As he stood, the party leader studied him again.
"You said you were D-rank?"
"Yes."
"And you came out here alone?"
"Yes."
The leader looked amused.
"That's either confidence or stupidity."
Rei thought about it.
"…Efficiency."
The mage snorted.
"I like this kid."
The leader glanced toward the deeper forest.
"Well, Rei the efficient D-rank adventurer…"
Rei blinked slightly.
"I did not say my name."
The axe wielder laughed.
"You didn't. But the guild clerk did when we left this morning."
Rei accepted that explanation without further comment.
The leader gestured toward the forest.
"We're heading deeper."
Rei said nothing.
"This is an A-rank mission," the leader continued.
"That exceeds my rank."
"Yes. It does."
"So I would not be useful."
The axe wielder waved a hand dismissively.
"Relax. We're not asking you to fight."
The bow user added,
"Consider it… experience."
The mage grinned.
"And entertainment."
Rei thought for a moment.
Then said,
"I keep the wolf materials."
The axe wielder laughed loudly.
"Deal!"
The leader shrugged.
"Fine."
Rei nodded once.
Then stepped in behind the group.
And began following them deeper into the forest.
A few minutes passed before the questions started.
The mage walked beside him first.
"So… what got a D-rank adventurer wandering this deep?"
Rei answered simply.
"Relic mission."
The bow user glanced back.
"Which ruins?"
Rei pulled the small engraved ring from his pouch and showed it briefly.
The mage whistled.
"You already found it?"
"Yes."
The axe wielder laughed again.
"Kid's efficient."
The leader looked mildly impressed.
"What academy trained you?"
Rei answered calmly.
"I was denied from the High Academy."
The entire party stopped walking.
"…What?"
The mage blinked.
"You're joking."
Rei shook his head.
"No."
The axe wielder stared at him.
"They rejected you?"
"Yes."
The leader frowned slightly.
"…Strange."
But Rei had already moved past the topic.
Instead he asked,
"What is the A-rank mission?"
The party exchanged a few looks.
Then the leader answered.
"Forest Guardian."
Rei waited.
"It's a territorial monster that appears in this forest."
"How large?"
The mage smirked.
"Not large."
Rei waited.
The axe wielder grinned.
"…It's a rabbit."
Rei blinked once.
"A rabbit."
"Yes."
The mage sighed dramatically.
"The fastest rabbit you'll ever see."
Rei said nothing.
But he was clearly unimpressed.
Rei stared at the creature hopping between the trees.
"…That is a rabbit."
A slightly larger rabbit, to be precise.
Its fur was silver-grey, its ears long and sharp, and faint green mana shimmered across its body like thin mist.
Still.
A rabbit.
Rei's expression barely changed.
He had expected something… larger.
A stone golem perhaps. Or a tree monster. Something that looked worthy of an A-rank mission.
The axe wielder beside him laughed loudly.
"First time seeing one?"
"Yes."
The mage adjusted his robe sleeves.
"Don't let the size fool you."
As if responding to the conversation, the rabbit suddenly shot forward.
It vanished.
One of the party members launched a fire spell toward the movement.
The spell exploded against a tree trunk.
The rabbit was already somewhere else.
The bow woman cursed under her breath.
"Told you. Fast."
The leader raised a hand.
"Spread out. Box it in."
The party moved quickly, forming a loose circle through the trees.
Rei watched quietly.
The rabbit moved like lightning between roots and rocks, its small body darting through narrow gaps the adventurers couldn't easily follow.
Another ice spell struck the ground.
Missed again.
The mage sighed.
"Fourth day hunting this thing and it's still humiliating us."
Rei studied the movement pattern carefully.
The rabbit didn't move randomly.
It always avoided open ground.
It used tree roots and rocks to redirect its path.
And every few seconds—
It paused.
Only for a fraction of a moment.
Rei stepped forward.
The leader noticed immediately.
"Kid—"
Rei moved.
He lunged toward the rabbit the moment it stopped near a moss-covered rock.
Fast.
Very fast.
But the rabbit was faster.
Its body twisted mid-jump and slipped past his grasp by a few inches.
Rei landed lightly on the ground.
Behind him the party stared.
The axe wielder whistled.
"…That was close."
The bow woman nodded.
"For a D-rank, that speed was impressive."
Rei looked at his empty hand.
"…Margin of error."
The leader crossed his arms thoughtfully.
Then he nodded.
"Alright."
He turned to the others.
"Let's help him."
The mage blinked.
"Wait, what?"
"If he can almost grab it, we can guide it."
The bow woman grinned.
"Drive it toward him."
The party spread out again.
This time they weren't trying to kill the creature.
They were herding it.
Fire bursts blocked one path.
Wind magic cut off another.
The rabbit darted wildly between the trees trying to escape.
Exactly as planned.
Straight toward Rei.
He waited.
The rabbit sprinted past a fallen log.
Three meters.
Two.
One—
Rei moved.
His body shot forward like a spring.
Both hands closed around the creature mid-leap.
For a moment the rabbit struggled violently.
Then Rei tightened his grip.
"…Captured."
Silence.
Then the axe wielder burst out laughing.
"Finally!"
The mage rubbed his face.
"Four days of hunting and a D-rank grabs it in ten seconds."
The bow woman shook her head in disbelief.
"You're weird, kid."
Rei said nothing.
He simply held the rabbit.
The leader walked over and took the creature.
"Well done."
Rei nodded.
Mission accomplished.
Or at least theirs was.
The party began walking back through the forest.
The atmosphere was lighter now.
The axe wielder was already talking about drinks.
The mage kept glancing at Rei with obvious curiosity.
"So you're really a D-rank?"
"Yes."
"And the academy rejected you?"
"Yes."
"…That makes absolutely no sense."
Rei didn't respond.
The forest grew quieter as they walked.
Then the leader slowed.
Something was wrong.
The air felt… heavy.
A faint ripple of mana spread through the trees.
The axe wielder frowned.
"You feel that?"
Before anyone could answer—
A flash of light cut through the forest.
One of the men in the party suddenly collapsed.
A deep slash had opened across his chest.
Blood poured instantly onto the forest floor.
The leader shouted.
"Formation!"
Several figures stepped out from the trees.
Black coats.
Their faces were hidden beneath dark hoods.
One of them raised a hand.
Wind blades shot forward like invisible knives.
Two adventurers were thrown backwards.
The healer rushed toward the fallen captain, pressing glowing hands against the wound.
But the cut was too deep.
Blood kept flowing.
The leader's voice was sharp.
"Retreat!"
More elemental slashes tore through the clearing.
Trees split.
Earth shattered.
The axe wielder blocked one attack but was thrown to the ground.
Rei stood still for a moment.
The mana pressure from the attackers was overwhelming.
Dense.
Controlled.
Extremely dangerous.
Comparable to…
Professor Hale.
The captain grabbed Rei's arm.
"Kid! Run!"
"I can assist."
"No."
The captain shook his head violently.
"You have nothing to do with this."
Another slash struck the ground beside them.
"Go!"
Rei didn't argue.
He turned and ran.
Rei moved through the forest at full speed.
Branches snapped behind him as he sprinted between trees.
The sounds of battle faded slowly.
But the mana pressure lingered in the air like a storm.
After nearly an hour of running, the forest finally began thinning.
The city walls appeared in the distance.
Rei slowed.
Then continued walking calmly toward the Adventurer Guild.
The receptionist looked up as Rei entered.
"Cutie, you're ba—"
She stopped.
His expression was serious.
"What happened?"
"Black-robed attackers in Greenwood forest."
The room went quiet.
Several adventurers nearby turned their heads.
The receptionist leaned forward immediately.
"Details."
Rei explained quickly.
The ambush.
The injured captain.
The overwhelming magic.
Her expression changed.
This time she wasn't smiling.
"…That's bad."
"Who are they?"
She lowered her voice slightly.
"An extremist group."
"They believe Divine Marks are not blessings."
"They think they're… chains."
Rei said nothing.
The receptionist sighed.
"They usually avoid attacking near cities because the military responds quickly."
She looked at him again.
"You were lucky."
Rei nodded.
Then he placed the relic ring, wolf claws, fur, and herbs on the counter.
"Mission completion."
She blinked.
"…You did all three missions?"
"Yes."
The male clerk beside her groaned.
"Of course he did."
The receptionist processed the items quickly.
"Sit down."
Rei waited on the bench until his reward was counted.
A small pouch of coins slid across the counter.
"Payment."
Rei nodded and left.
The innkeeper looked up as he entered.
"Oh good. You didn't die."
Rei placed his pouch on the counter.
"The girl?"
"She came downstairs earlier asking for food."
Rei paused.
"I gave her some."
He reached for his pouch.
"How much do I owe?"
The girl waved a hand dismissively.
"Nothing."
Rei blinked.
"It was just bread and soup."
"…Free."
Rei nodded once.
"Thank you."
He went upstairs quietly.
The small girl was asleep on the bed when he entered the room.
Still wearing the oversized hood.
Rei didn't wake her.
He simply placed his pouch on the table and sat by the window.
Outside, the city lights slowly replaced the fading daylight.
Another day as an adventurer had ended.
And somewhere deep in the forest…
Men in black coats were hunting something far more dangerous than rabbits.