He was breathing heavily after wiping out the second horde of corrupted wolves, fighting alongside other adventurers.
Using Form One came at a cost. It drained his mana but made him feel lighter and stronger. He could blitz through the enemies, but it left him very tired.
He sighed. It had been two weeks since he first used this form, and he still couldn't get the hang of it. It felt like his mana, as it was now, was insufficient for using a great ability. He didn't even know where it came from. It felt like knowledge had poured into his head as he was fighting.
Though, standing where he was now, taking down mere wolves, he knew he needed to do something that would increase his mana capacity in order to use this ability and perhaps even learn about it.
A masculine voice came from behind him, snapping him out of his thoughts. "That was impressive," the man said, sounding half-suspicious but mostly curious.
He turned around to face him. The man stood around six feet tall, broad-shouldered and muscular.
"Thank you, Halrig," he said gratefully.
Halrig continued, "I don't really get how you do it, but your use of spells is fascinating. Keep it up, kid." A slight smile tugged at his lips after he spoke.
He nodded in response wordlessly.
Halrig was an important and famous figure in the Guild, so getting a compliment from him actually meant something.
But as things stood now, he was nowhere near where he wanted to be.
He walked off from Halrig to cut the wolven fur. It apparently sold for a nice price, and the money Lucan gave him wouldn't last forever, so he might as well.
As he was cutting it off, he noticed something. There was a mark in the spot he'd just cut off, near its stomach.
The mark had a dark-green color. It was circular, and something that caught his attention was how the mark looked.
Inside the same circle, there appeared to be an open book, just barely fitting inside the circle.
He furrowed his brows in suspicion.
These corrupted beasts had been appearing for a while now, even inside the town. The first one was the one he and Anna fought.
From that moment, apparently, more and more had been appearing.
So he had been helping the Guild fight them off as they constructed a barrier to protect the town.
The town was called Alos. He asked the receptionist what it meant, but she didn't know either.
He stared at the mark silently for a few more seconds before getting up and heading back inside the town.
As he kept walking, he saw someone handing out flyers, shouting to get attention.
Nobody seemed especially interested, as everybody walked past without even batting an eye.
"Everyone! The Princess is hosting a tournament!"
The man kept repeating the same sentence, and curiosity got the better of him. He was already moving to take one.
"Hello," he greeted, then added, "I'd like one of those, please."
"Esteemed adventurer!" the man declared, throwing his arms wide like he was about to hug him. He held the papers tightly in one hand.
He closed his arms and then got back into a serious stance.
"The Princess is in need of help," he confirmed with a worried voice.
"What do you mean?" he asked curiously.
A frown overtook the recruiter's face as he started to open his mouth to speak and then closed it. He stretched out his arm with the papers and told him to take one and read the contents carefully.
"I'm dyslexic," he lied.
He wasn't fond of lying, but he had no choice but to come up with an excuse to hear more about this.
It might be something that could help him grow stronger.
The person handing out the flyers stared at him silently for a few seconds then sighed disappointedly.
He raised his arm with the papers and started reading it aloud.
"Due to the increased activity and corruption of beasts, Princess Aurora is in desperate need of protection." He stopped, then his eyes moved downward to read the rest. "A tournament will be hosted to find a capable knight.
He'd be lying if he said he wasn't interested at all, but he wasn't a knight.
He shook his head and apologized politely. "I'm sorry. I can't do it."
The person looked very sad, making him feel a bit bad.
It seemed like an opportunity to get stronger, but he didn't even know who this princess was.
And why was everybody avoiding this recruiter? It seemed suspicious.
"Please. We barely have anyone," the man said, his voice tight with desperation as he clutched the papers.
He frowned. Guilt was already gnawing at him. He couldn't just say no, not when the man looked this desperate.
"Fine, fine! I'll do it," he confirmed.
The guy, barely his height, brightened at hearing what he'd said.
He thanked him, then took something from his pocket and gave it to him. "We'll notify you when to come to the Royal Capital. Please keep this with you at all times."
It might have been some artifact, like the piece of wood he always got for commissions. It was like a seashell.
If the princess turned out to be some sort of horrible person, he wouldn't have a choice but to refuse.
Asking about it would seem more than outlandish, though. He'd need to avoid that.
If he won, that is.
He shook hands with the young recruiter, then took his leave back to the inn before the man started shouting again for people to notice him.
He seemed like a nice person who really cared for this princess.
Though, ever since he arrived here, he had never heard anyone talk about the royal family.
His eyes slightly widened as he realized another thing.
Why couldn't they tell Lucan to accompany and protect the princess? What was the need for all of this? Why were they asking random adventurers for such an important role?
There were too many questions. He wouldn't bother looking into it more, but it did leave him uncertain.
***
He was in a carriage with around four other people. Each of them sat silently, preparing themselves to fight—or at least fend off—a powerful corrupted.
It wasn't the only carriage. Five others followed, each carrying a similar group.
The sound of the wooden carriages stumbling over the street grew louder as he tried to concentrate even more, gathering his thoughts under the cloudy sky.
A few days ago, after hearing about the princess's tournament, when he got back to the Guild, they announced it.
A couple of adventurers had caught sight of a corrupted coming straight for Alos.
These adventurers confirmed it wasn't something as weak as slimes—it was several times stronger.
The Guild had its doubts, and rightfully so. They sent Halrig, a seasoned adventurer, and his party to go see what the commotion was.
Halrig came back alone. He returned after his own party of five were all wiped out.
From that moment, the Guild regretted doubting the first request for help, and they regretted sending Halrig to witness his party get wiped out.
He didn't know the details himself, but he'd heard they were killed brutally by the beast.
The beast was a tall, completely black figure. Its face was as empty as the abyss, with no mouth, eyes, or a face at all.
The one thing that stood out the most was the dark green mark engraved onto its stomach.
He gritted his teeth quietly as it painfully reminded him of his experience with those marked monsters.
The carriage suddenly stopped as a loud voice came from outside.
"Be ready!"
He got out of the carriage slowly to prepare himself for the battle, and then he saw the person that shouted.
It was the person leading this mission, Alde.
While not having the same physique as Halrig, his spells made him very formidable. He was also an important figure in the Guild.
There were more people standing beside him, which he assumed to be his party.
There was one girl with short blonde hair reaching her shoulders, and two other guys.
During all the time he spent here, he realized there were more roles when coming up against enemies.
In each party, there was a support, shield, and an attacker.
The people that did the damage were the shielders and attackers, while the support focused more on helping the attackers by means of healing or more.
Out of nowhere, an ominous aura weighed upon everyone, indicating that the monster could come out at any moment.
He gripped the handle of his sword tightly as it was still unsheathed, moving his eyes to analyze the area.
The place was mostly flat with a number of trees in sight. There were hills in the distance, not far off—it was a place fit for a battle.
"Incoming!" Alde shouted once more.
He drew his sword quickly while still looking around, expecting it to come at any moment.
And before he even realized it, it was right behind him.
He felt its gaze and killer intentions drop over him, even when it had no face—possibly no mind either.
He got hit quickly in the back before he even had the chance to turn and face the monster head-on.
The sheer force of the hit threw him far back, leaving nothing but utter pain in his back.
If he hadn't reinforced his back with mana—a move he'd learned recently—his back would've most likely broken, leaving him unable to fight.
Even then, mana was barely enough to suppress the great pain he was feeling.
He turned slightly on the ground to see the monster himself.
Shivers ran down his spine, his instincts basically begging him to run away upon seeing what stood in front of him.
A tall figure as dark as the abyss, a dark green mark glowing just above its stomach. It held no weapons at all.
This wasn't just some corrupted beast.
Before he could move, a barrage of spells lit the air between them — yet the monster stood, still and silent, like it had been waiting for them.
The first wave of spells were a combination of average-sized ice spears from one side, and the other side had a wave of fiery arrows.
The ice spears hit first, directly at the monster, then the fiery arrows hit second.
Ash grew wildly and he couldn't see the monster.
A few seconds after the ash cleared, there it was.
It stood in the same position, with its arm now looking more like a sword.
As more waves of attacks came from nearby comrades, he was suddenly picked up from the ground—he wasn't able to move just yet.
It was Halrig.
Halrig picked him up wordlessly before putting him down gently next to the healers.
He nodded thankfully to him, his breath still ragged from the earlier blow.
The blonde woman looked at him as she raised both her hands and a green aura started enveloping her.
Her arms shone brightly green as his back started feeling warm—and better.
It was the woman from Alde's party. He was able to get back up to his feet now, while still feeling his back tingle.
"Thank you. I won't forget this," he said, slightly bowing to show his gratitude to the healer.
"Hurry up. They're gonna need you," she declared, hurrying to treat other wounded adventurers.
He would have to use Form One again to defeat this monster.
His instincts were still too weak to sense it sneaking up, but if it was right in front of him, he might have a chance.
He inhaled deeply before heading quickly back to the battlefield. As he arrived, he saw something he'd never be able to forget.