The next morning came quietly.
Sunlight slipped through the thin curtains of Kael's small room at the inn, slowly lighting the wooden floor. For a moment, he stayed in bed, staring at the ceiling.
The hooded figure from yesterday was still on his mind.
It didn't make sense.
People didn't just vanish in empty alleys.
Kael sat up and rubbed his face. "Thinking about it won't change anything," he muttered.
He grabbed his sword, tied it to his waist, and left the room.
The village was already awake. Farmers were pushing carts toward the fields, merchants were opening their stalls, and a few adventurers walked toward the guild building like they always did every morning.
Kael stretched his shoulders as he walked.
*Four days already…*
It felt strange.
Just a few weeks ago, he was still living in the orphanage. Now he was walking through a town as an adventurer, taking quests and earning coin with his own hands.
He smiled faintly.
"This is just the beginning."
---
The adventurer guild wasn't crowded yet when he arrived.
Inside, the familiar smell of wood, parchment, and food filled the air. A few adventurers were already sitting at the tables, eating breakfast or reading quest papers.
Kael immediately spotted Lyria at the counter.
She was leaning over a stack of papers, frowning slightly while organizing them.
Kael walked over.
"Morning."
She looked up, then relaxed a little. "Oh. It's you."
"That sounded disappointed."
"It wasn't," she said quickly.
Kael raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"
"I just didn't expect you this early."
"I always come early."
"That's true," she admitted.
Kael rested his arm on the counter. "Any quests today?"
Lyria glanced toward the quest board behind her.
"Mostly the same things," she said. "Herb gathering, farm work, delivery jobs."
Kael sighed. "Again?"
"You say that like you expected something exciting."
"I was hoping for something slightly more interesting."
She studied him for a moment.
"You've only been an adventurer for four days."
"I know."
"And you already want bigger quests."
"I didn't say bigger," Kael replied. "Just… different."
Lyria tapped her finger against the counter thoughtfully.
"Actually," she said slowly, "there might be something."
Kael leaned forward slightly.
"Oh?"
She reached under the desk and pulled out a folded paper.
"This quest came in yesterday afternoon. It hasn't been posted yet."
"Why not?"
"Because the guild master wasn't sure if anyone here could handle it."
Kael's interest sharpened.
"What kind of quest is it?"
She handed him the paper.
Kael unfolded it and read.
---
**Quest Request**
Location: Northern forest, two hours from the village.
Problem: Several travelers reported being attacked by strange wolf-like creatures. Larger than normal wolves. Extremely aggressive.
Reward: 2 silver coins.
---
Kael's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Wolf monsters?"
"Something like that," Lyria said. "The travelers said they weren't normal wolves."
"How many?"
"They didn't know. At least three."
Kael folded the paper.
"That's manageable."
Lyria crossed her arms. "For you maybe."
"Why didn't the guild post it?"
"Because we only have low-rank adventurers here right now," she explained. "Most of them can barely handle two normal wolves."
Kael thought about it.
Then he asked, "What rank is this quest?"
"It would normally be a D-rank quest."
Kael blinked.
"D-rank already?"
"Relax," Lyria said quickly. "D-rank doesn't mean impossible. It just means a bit dangerous."
Kael chuckled quietly. "Dangerous sounds more interesting than picking herbs."
She stared at him.
"You're really considering it."
"Yes."
"You're still a new adventurer."
"I know."
"You've only been doing F-rank quests."
"I know."
"And you want to jump to D-rank."
Kael shrugged. "Someone has to do it."
Lyria looked conflicted.
For a moment she said nothing.
Finally she sighed.
"You're stubborn."
"I've been told that before."
She leaned closer to the counter.
"If you take this quest, you need to be careful."
"I always am."
"No," she said firmly. "I mean it."
Kael met her gaze.
"I know."
Silence sat between them for a few seconds.
Then Lyria sighed again and took the quest paper back.
"Fine."
Kael smiled slightly. "So I can take it?"
"Yes. But there are conditions."
Kael tilted his head. "Conditions?"
"You report back immediately if things look bad."
"Fair."
"You don't chase the monsters too deep into the forest."
"Reasonable."
"And you come back alive."
Kael laughed.
"That one might be difficult."
"Kael."
"I'm joking."
She didn't look amused.
"I mean it."
He nodded.
"I'll be careful."
Lyria slowly wrote his name on the quest paper.
"There," she said. "Quest accepted."
Kael adjusted the strap of his sword.
"When should I leave?"
"The sooner the better," she said. "The attacks happened near the northern road."
Kael nodded.
"I'll head out now."
She blinked. "Right now?"
"Why wait?"
"You haven't even eaten breakfast."
"I'll eat later."
"You say that every day."
Kael was already turning toward the door.
"Kael."
He stopped and looked back.
Lyria hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"…Be careful."
Kael smiled.
"I will."
Then he left the guild.
---
The northern road was quiet.
The village slowly faded behind him as Kael walked along the dirt path. Trees grew thicker the farther he went, and the sounds of the village disappeared.
Only wind and birds remained.
Kael kept his hand resting near the hilt of his sword.
Two hours passed.
Eventually the road became narrower and less used.
"This should be the area," Kael murmured.
He stepped off the road and moved into the forest.
The ground was soft with fallen leaves, and the air smelled damp.
Kael moved slowly, his senses alert.
Tracks appeared in the dirt near a broken bush.
He crouched down.
"Wolf tracks…"
But they were large.
Too large for normal wolves.
Kael followed them carefully.
The forest grew quieter the deeper he went.
No birds.
No insects.
Kael frowned.
"That's not good."
Something was wrong.
Animals usually avoided places where monsters lived.
Which meant the creatures here were strong enough to scare everything away.
Kael rested his hand on his sword.
A low growl suddenly echoed through the trees.
Kael slowly stood up.
"Well," he said quietly.
"I guess I found them."
Branches rustled.
From between the trees, a large wolf stepped forward.
But it wasn't normal.
Its body was bigger than a horse, its fur dark and rough, and its eyes glowed faintly red.
Behind it, two more wolves appeared.
Kael exhaled slowly.
"Three."
The wolves growled, circling him.
Kael smiled slightly.
"Good."
His hand tightened around his sword.
"This quest might finally be interesting."