Summer still showed its heat over the Kingdom of Yarum. In one of the regions of the Ethelas Duchy, specifically in the town of Iveleth, the weather was hot. The sun was blazing, and many tried to walk in the shade to protect themselves. As usual, the streets of Iveleth were crowded—people moving in opposite directions: adventurers, townspeople, merchants, and people of various races. Just another day in the lively town.
Among the crowd walked a girl directly under the sun, seemingly unfazed thanks to the straw hat she wore. She was a bit short compared to those walking ahead of her. Her hair danced with her movements, and her gaze held a hint of joy. She wore elegant clothes and carried a leather bag. After a while, she reached a lingerie shop, and as she stepped into the store's shade, she took off her hat, revealing drooping ears and two small horns. She appeared to be a demi-human of cowfolk origin.
"Welcome, Mrs Maris. How can I help you today?" asked a girl inside the shop.
"Good morning. I forgot to buy bras yesterday," Maris replied.
"Oh, of course… You came at the perfect time. We just received a shipment from the Kingdom of Marsell," the shop girl said as she walked toward another part of the store.
The shop was warm, filled with many shelves. There were all kinds of women's underwear—bras, panties—and it was clearly a popular store judging by the number of customers. One of the store's unique features was a cage in the corner holding a green parrot decorated with various colors. The bird stared around while repeating: "Panties, panties."
"Alright, Mrs Maris, as you know, the Kingdom of Marsell is known for the quality of its fabric. Sure, the bras were sewn here, but the fabric is from Marsell. Look how it stretches," the shop girl said, stretching a bra in front of Maris.
"Looks like high quality," Maris commented.
"What do you think?"
"I'll take two. How much are they, by the way?"
"As you know, due to the war and the difficulty of foreign trade, the price has increased. But since you're one of our loyal customers, the price is just two Nova," the girl replied as she returned the bra to the shelf.
"Then I'll try it on."
"Of course, go ahead."
After Maris finished trying them on, she took her purchases and left the store again, but this time heading back to the tavern. Upon entering, she approached the counter where Barbara was cleaning glasses as usual. Maris sat down and placed her bag on the floor.
"Blueberry pie, please," Maris requested.
"I see you're enjoying yourself. You've been shopping a lot," Barbara remarked.
"I didn't expect Laos to make this much money. He sends a lot, and this is just a small part of it. Of course, I'm not going to waste everything he sends. Our goal is to buy a house."
"You're lucky to have him."
"Yeah…"
◆ ◆ ◆
Night had fallen, and darkness spread between the trees of a vast forest. Among those trees, only a few houses lit by lanterns could be seen. The area was quiet. Small houses with round doors and roofs shaped like mushroom caps—it was near Bloomy, the peaceful village. But away from the calm, inside one of the homes, there was some noise. Not like the noise of Iveleth, but noisy compared to the silence of the other homes in Bloomy.
Inside, several dryads were sitting, along with a few adventurers of different races. It seemed to be a tavern. Many were talking while drinking, and some were gambling. Suddenly, everyone went silent as someone else entered the tavern. He wore leather armor, had pure white hair, and cold green eyes. A normal sword hung on his back, while a luxurious blue one was strapped at his waist. Laos.
"Wyvern Slayer," people whispered.
Laos stepped up to the counter and sat down, placing both hands on it. His expression was cold; he seemed like a different person—serious and experienced. He glanced at the dryad girl in front of him and said in a calm voice: "Blueberry pie." At that moment, the waitress handed the glasses to someone else and ran off to prepare the pie.
It had been a week. Ponier went to the town to renew the license, and I stayed here. And damn… I've been wildly successful. I've killed a large number of wyverns with the help of Nhor and the warriors. I also started selling wyvern hides to the village. I just hope this doesn't reach Alis, or I'll be kicked out. I don't really care about diving into illegal trade right now. What matters is the money I'm making.
All I can say is that my life has gotten much better in Yavan. I'm making tons of money, and I've got fame too… Man, I've become the most famous adventurer in Yavan. Everyone knows me. Even if they don't know Laos, they know the Wyvern Slayer. That title is truly amazing. Alright, this is my aura farming arc. I'm not walking away empty-handed… Yooooh, this shit is too tuff.
"Here's your pie, sir."
A bright morning. But inside Yavan, you could only see a few rays of sunlight sneaking through the trees. The light looked green, but I liked the atmosphere. If only the villagers were elves, it would be the perfect place—really perfect. Anyway, as usual, I'm going wyvern hunting.
"Laos, you're doing insanely well. You're evolving fast… I didn't think a failure like you would reach this level so soon," Thalesa suddenly said.
"By the way, is wyvern power still useful to you? I mean, we've killed five… Aren't you bored yet?"
"Five, and you expect me to be bored? You really are an idiot."
"Hey Laos, we're heading out to kill the rest of the wyverns," Nhor said as he approached me.
"Of course, I'm coming… I'll eat breakfast first, then join you."
I headed to the tavern. On the way, I was stopped by a large number of dryads and even some human adventurers. They started shouting "Wyvern Slayer" and stretched out their hands for me to shake. I'm not gonna lie—this was really annoying. There were so many of them it was unbelievable, like they were seeing a king. I tried to shake as many hands as I could, then slip away, but I couldn't. This is the part of fame I hate—crowds.
"Are you the Dark Eye?" a voice suddenly asked.
When I turned around, I saw a group of adventurers—humans and a few demi-humans. Their looks were serious. That's when I remembered that the Dark Eye committed another crime in Yavan forests. The news spread fear among adventurers—and even to me, honestly.
"If I were him, I wouldn't have the Wyvern Slayer title. Don't you see I'm busy saving this village?" I replied.
Suddenly, the whole crowd started defending me, like I was their king. The adventurers left and walked away. That's the good side of fame—having people who defend you. That's never a bad thing. But still, fame annoys me when it comes to crowds and appearing in front of people. My ideal kind of fame is being known by everyone while staying invisible… That's perfect.
I finally managed to get through the crowd and made it to the tavern. I ordered breakfast. But then thoughts of the Dark Eye started creeping into my mind. The fact that he came to Yavan forests is seriously terrifying. Why only after I moved here? Is he targeting me?! Fuck, even Ponier ran away when he heard about it. He said he was going to renew the license, but it was clear he was afraid of the Dark Eye. Imagine if he refused to come back and left me alone here?
the Dark Eye? Could he be stronger than me? I've evolved and become much stronger. I think I'm as powerful as those who went to fight demons, so it wouldn't be a smart move to target me. I know he doesn't kill Alis adventurers, but his move to the same place I came to is still unsettling.
Also, adventurers from the other guilds here have started returning to Iveleth, and those who stayed are living in constant fear. It's seriously annoying. All I want to know is—why? What's his problem with the other guilds? Is this all part of some plan to drive adventurers to Alis so their guild becomes the number one in the kingdom? And how the fuck can no one stop this killer?!
I left the tavern and headed to the wyvern nest. There were only two or three left, we were close to wiping out the whole thing. But wait—if we do clear it out, how am I going to keep making money? I've been raking in a fortune, and if this keeps up, I'll be able to buy a house in no time. Come on, dumb, there are still tons of wyverns in Yavan. But... what if the village stops buying from me after that?
In that case, I've got a backup plan. If I lose my buyer, I'll go back to Iveleth and apply for a rank-up. Then I'll be able to take on higher-paying quests. That's easy, as long as you're strong. And right now, I'm anything but weak. I don't care what people think—I think I'm really strong now. I can take down a wyvern by myself... well, barely... ugh.
"Hey Thalesa, when am I getting a new form?"
"I'm not sure, but maybe after you kill all the wyverns in that nest."
"By the way, where can you find spirits?"
"Our mother Nevma created seven spirits and scattered them across different parts of the world. Of course, we don't have contact with each other, but I know where one is—the Forest Spirit. She's probably my older sister, since she's part of the Yggdrasil tree. I don't know where the others are."
"You mean the same tree that's in the Yggdrasil Forest where the elves live?"
"Yeah. Are you thinking of going there?"
"I really want to, but apparently humans are forbidden from entering for political reasons."
"I went there with Gaziel."
"What?! How?"
"He went as a peace envoy from Yarum."
"Ah, I see... and did you speak with your sister?"
"No, she was asleep. No one can wake her unless they break one of the tree's branches."
"And where did Gaziel find you?"
"In the place where our mother left me—Atlantis Ruins."
After a while of talking with Thalesa, we finally reached the nest. Nhor and the other warriors were already there, so I walked up to them. But something was off—they were speaking loudly. Usually, we'd whisper so we wouldn't wake the wyverns... wait—don't tell me!
"Laos, the wyverns aren't here," Nhor said as I approached.
"What?! Where did they go?"
"Maybe they migrated," one of the warriors suggested.
"Or maybe... they went out hunting," Nhor whispered.
Suddenly, he took off running at full speed toward the village, and the warriors followed. Did he mean they went to the village?! No way—I was just there and everything was fine. But what if they showed up while I was on my way to the nest? I had no idea what was going on, so I started running too. If the wyverns are there, it's going to be a disaster. I just hope there are only two and not three!!