[The Town of Freedom, Aven Town].
The town where all kinds of races freely gathered, to do businesses, or to start a new life and meet all kinds of people.
At the same time, it's the recommended place for those who wanted to become [Adventurer] and started their first journey.
Yes, this town's filled with new adventurers who wanted to make a name before they venture to all sorts of places.
These adventurers were allowed to choose a request that was classified from F-class to A-class based on their rank.
It sounds too good to be true, for those who wanted to go on an adventure and become a [hero] like in those stories.
But unfortunately, this town was known to be the worst place for those who aspired to be known.
Why? It's simple, because [most] of the people who gathered here were those who wanted to become adventurers.
Whether they were merchant, commoner, noble, they gathered here just to try it out first
So in other words, Aven Town had another name.
[The Town of Beginners], the town where 90% of new adventurers gather every year and also a place where they wanted to have an easy life. Meanwhile older adventurers who still remained in this town are less than 30%.
The highest rank in the Adventurer Guild within Aven Town are mostly B-class to A-class, while the rest are around E-class.
These 30% are people who were content with their results and didn't wish to advance their position. They preferred to have stable, laid-back lives.
It has been like that over the past years, until....
A certain adventurer appeared out of nowhere.
He showed up and registered himself. Over the next few months, he rose up his ranks with ease and performed marvels that most adventurers couldn't, particularly those who remained in that town.
He created a miracle, and there were even rumours that he defeated the Guild Master by himself.
That was until he received a high ranked request and vanished 7 years ago.
The guild suffered a great loss, since he was the symbol of change in town who could inspire people to become strong and advance their ranks just like him.
It was beyond anyone's imagination that someone with a bright future like him would be gone just like that. His disappearance caused the town and the guild to revert to their previous state.
Until...
7 years after the disappearance of this certain adventurer…
For the first time in history, Aven Town finally gave birth to not one…but two S-class adventurers.
It was the result of their hard work, solely focusing on every quest without rest. They were inspired by their former leader.
Yes, the two S-class adventurers were once in one party and their leader was the same person who became a symbol of change for the town and guild.
But after they acquired their designated rank, they got separated into two parties due to certain circumstances.
The first party was known for a long time in the guild, who also happened to grow after they met this certain adventurer who joined in 7 years ago.
[The Wild Fang Party], consisted of 1 S-class and 3 A-class adventurers.
The second party, was a party filled with new adventurers, they were the party who asked the certain adventurer to join on their first quest.
[The Flash Innocence Party], consisted of 1 S-class, 2 A-class and 1 B-class adventurers.
And these two parties, who were once comrades that walked together, had become separated due to the absence of their leader.
But things would be different now because that adventurer...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Had finally returned.
*******
"This place hasn't changed a bit." Rei muttered when he finally set foot into Aven Town together with his childhood friends and his little sister.
Emily, James, Hans and Bob looked at their new surroundings exicitedly, something they had never imagined before meeting Rei.
"Woah!! So many people!!" Emily shouted, there's sparkles in her eyes.
"Mhm! Mhm! Mhm!" While the others nodded aggressively.
"So this is [The Town of Freedom, Aven Town], I heard the rumor but to think such a town where all kinds of races roamed around exists…" Ignia looked at the view curiously.
The town was bustling with people of all races doing business as usual.
"Unlike [The Fort City, Halvenberg] this place is quite rowdy." Ignia commented.
"Halvenberg?" Emily repeated.
"It is a city located in the Northern region, the city was built solely for protection against Northern monsters." Hans explained while fixing his glasses.
"Correct~ but well now the city might change soon, because their savior here had resolved the curse within that land." Ignia praised Rei who were standing in front of them.
"Ohhhh!" The four of them were staring at him with eyes full of admiration.
"...." Rei didn't respond as he was too embarrassed to say anything.
"But, what's with that getup?" Ignia pointed at the cloak covering his armor.
"It's to hide our appearances." Rei replied straightforwardly, mentioning the whole group's appearance.
"Does hiding our appearance have any meaning, Aniki? I mean wouldn't it make us look suspicious?" James commented.
"Of course there's meaning, it can also hide your equipment." Rei replied.
James looked confused, "Huh?? Why?"
Ignia smiled as she walked pass them, "What he means to say is, the cloak is there to protect you from being tricked and killed by some malicious adventurers~"
"Tricked…?" Hans repeated.
"And killed...?" Bob spoke while trembling.
"Yes, just think about it. Four fresh adventurers who just arrived in town, clueless and naive. With that kind of equipment on you, you might get taken somewhere and stripped off~" Ignia spoke.
"But...why would someone do something like that?" Emily asked innocently.
"Greed." Ignia replied with a smile, "When humans see someone else have better things than them, they would be blinded with envy and resort to stealing~"
"This will be your first new lesson, do not trust anyone when they act kind and try to give you something~" Ignia explained.
"Even if they look nice?" Emily asked.
"Even if they look nice...because they are more dangerous than the one who openly showed malice." Rei answered her.
"Then Aniki...how can we stop people getting close to us?" James asked.
"Of course by doing—" When Rei was about to speak, they arrived at the Adventurer Guild.
"Well...I will show you all now." Rei spoke before he opened the door.
******
Around 30 minutes ago.
*CREAK*
Within the Adventurer Guild, two S-class parties arrived.
"Ohhh! It's them! [The Innocence Flash] and [The Wild Fang]!" The spectator mentioned their name.
The rumored S-class party.
[The Wild Fang Party].
"It seems today's quest is quite boring, defeating several High-Orcs." A man spoke, he had spiky blue hair, and was wearing light armor and a sword strapped on his waist. His face looked like a beast with his sharp fangs.
S-Class Warrior, [The Wild Beast, Fang].
"Come on, at least we got some gold to buy drinks!" Scolded a girl with blonde hair and particularly long ears, the trait of an [Elf]. The elf girl was wearing a green ranger outfit along with light armor and a bow strapped on her back.
A-Class Ranger, [The Arrow Gale, Ruru].
"What I need is an exciting fight! Not some pigs that needed to be slaughtered!" Fang replied in irritation.
"Seriously, this battle maniac!" Ruru spoke and called him names.
As the two of them continued with their bickering, a big old man carrying a big shield and a hammer on his waist while wearing full plated armor stood in the middle between them.
The man had moss green hair and a harmless look on his face, he wore a soft warm smile.
"Both of you need to stop, it is unbecoming for an S-class party like us to fight."
A-class Guardian, [The Smiling Tank, Wise].
"But he/she started it!" They pointed an accusing finger towards each other, Wise heaved a sigh when he saw it.
"Heh, such an embarrassment."
At the back was a petite girl with a gloomy aura and covering most of her face with a hood.
The girl has black hair with straight bangs, she was wearing an all black tight suit and purple scarf that seemed to cover her neck and face, along with a little armor covering her arms and legs.
A-class Scout/Assassin, [The Phantom, Kagura].
"Woah...they are all famous adventurers that earned their titles." One of the Adventurers within the guild muttered.
"Especially [The Wild Beast]! I heard he fought one on one against [Orc King] alone!" With praise and comments, so many rumors were circulating.
Fang's ear picked up their words, and his face was brimming with a wide proud grin, "Heh, they sure know how to talk."
*CREAK*
But then, after [The Wild Fang Party], another one showed up after completing a quest today.
The 2nd S-class Party, [The Innocence Flash Party].
A young man walked in who seemed to be in his prime, surrounded by girls who followed him from behind who could be assumed to be his companions.
The young man had brown hair with silver lining across the hair, he wore a silver armor with a silver long sword attached on his waist.
The leader of the party and S-class Swordsman, [The Innocence Flash, Andrew].
"It seems you have been well, Fang-san." Andrew spoke towards Fang who stood before him.
"Heh, it's been a while since I saw you...looks like you have returned from your quest." Fang spoke while revealing his sharp fangs, showing his thug-like smile.
Beside him there's a girl with purple short-bob hair and glasses with black robe covering her voluptuous body that had grown over the years. She was holding a staff with a red gem embedded on it.
A-class Mage, [The Color Mage, Dahlia]
"Andrew....let's go back to the inn, I am tired." Dahlia yawned.
On the other side was a girl with a brown pony tail and a cheerful smile. She had a tall figure and was fairly muscular yet she didn't look buff at all. She was wearing light armor with gauntlets that covered her arms.
A-class Martial Artist, [The Blazing Fist, Erika].
"Come on Dahlia~ we need to eat first!" Erika spoke loudly.
Lastly, a girl with long gray hair standing behind them wearing a white robe that seemed to be hiding her body that had grown the same as Dahlia, she was holding golden staff. She's the healer and the support of this party.
B-class Priest, [The Holy Maiden, Lena].
"I think Erika is right, we need to eat to replenish our strength before resting." Lena smiled, her shy personality had disappeared completely.
"Woah...those girls are quite a babe!"
"Shush! You should stop saying that or you might be beaten by the leader!"
"Huh? Why?"
"Those two girls beside him are his lovers."
"What?!"
"Then the Priest?!"
"No, it seems she's still single, but....she's quite scary despite being a B-class."
"What kind of party is this..."
They were muttering and gossiping while watching on the sidelines.
Their words were picked up by them as well.
"Seriously...how distasteful." Andrew muttered.
"Yeah, it's the same as when I came here." Fang replied.
"I felt like this didn't happen when that person was here." Andrew spoke.
"Well...I mean, he was basically the Executioner around here. So if they try to do something like that they probably would get nightmares after talking with him." Fang replied jokingly.
Andrew chuckled, "That's true."
Despite having separated, the two of them were still in touch, making small talk like this while reminiscing about the past.
But before they could go to the receptionist...
*CREAK*
Someone unexpected appeared before them.
"....?"
A tall figure, with his entire body covered with a big robe. It seemed like he was hiding his appearance on purpose.
The two S-class who noticed him, suddenly realized something was wrong...
Which made them back away.
The others reacted the same after the appearance of this man.
'Who...?' Andrew questioned himself.
'I cannot detect his presence despite being near him.' Fang thought. There was something mysterious about this person.
Andrew and Fang glanced at each other, sharing the same thought.
So, before this person took a single step.
*SWOOSH*
Andrew and Fang jumped at him while pulling out their swords.
*BZZZTT*
Andrew stood to his right, his body encased in a blue electric aura that enhanced his speed and his vision accurately.
*SWOOSH*
At the same time, Fang leaped to his left, his sword wrapped in a dark orange aura that resembled a chainsaw.
Not a single step was taken by the man in front of them. He lifted his right hand after that.
Before their blade could reach him…
Their body was stuck in one place and remained there, as though something were preventing them from moving.
".....?!"
They immediately knew that the man before them was using magic.
In the meantime, they didn't waste any time at all.
The others prepared to strike back.
The attackers in the group, Kagura and Erika, already jumped to join the fight with their dagger and fist, ready to strike him.
The supports, Lena and Dahlia along with Ruru began to cast their spell and arrow to support them.
The tank, Wise stood before them to defend their support.
As expected for S-class party, they immediately created a proper reaction and strategy for an Adventurers party.
"Seriously...we are in the building right now." When the man muttered something, he swung his hand down.
After that, their action stopped immediately as if something was preventing them just like what happened to Andrew and Fang.
"[Telekinesis]?!...that affected this many people, with no incantation?!" Dahlia muttered loudly.
"Is he a High-rank Mage?!" Lena spoke.
They immediately concluded him to be a mage.
Until...
*SWOOSH*
The man stood before Andrew and was already swinging a black sword that appeared out of nowhere on his hand.
"When did he get that swo—?!" Before Andrew could react to it...
*BAM*
Just before the sword landed, the man twisted it and used the back of his blade to deliver a non-lethal blow to Andrew's right abdomen.
Andrew was thrown aside as his body moved towards...
"Wait—?!"
...Fang who couldn't move.
*BAM*
As the two collided together, the two were thrown to the side.
"ACK—?!"
Andrew and Fang crashed on the nearby tables within the guild.
The crowd who were watching was surprised when two S-class Adventurers of theirs were knocked out immediately before the fight could start.
But more surprisingly, the man wasn't a mage.
He was also a swordsman.
When they landed, it resulted in a gust of wind that swept away the hood that concealed his face.
Unfortunately, they couldn't immediately tell who it was because he was wearing a helmet that hid his face again.
"A helmet...?" Andrew muttered while trying to get up.
"And that shape...?" Fang somehow recognized the shape of his helmet that looked like a beast clad in black.
Two pairs of eyes with varied colors that resemble the particular adventurer they had admired.
"Stand down!!"
Until someone shouted and stopped their fight before it could get any worse.
It was an old man with a big muscular body. He wore a simple white shirt with white blazer, wearing a monocle hanging on his left eye. He had white silver hair along with his beard.
He walked downstairs, which led to the 2nd floor, approaching the man in front of him.
"So, you are here now."
He's the Adventurer Guild Master, one of the living Legends within the Hero's Party.
He was known as [The Fortress, Hughes Farhill].
"I heard the report from the Adventurer Guild Branch at the North, but to think the day you walked here by foot had come." Hughes grinned nostalgically at the figure in front of him.
"Has it been 7 years? You have grown tall...Crimson." Hughes spoke his name.
".....?!" The entire crowd was shocked, including the S-class parties.
The rumored adventurer who was once the leader of these two parties...
The adventurer who grew faster than anyone and was infamous for his strength.
And...the one who saved the Elf Kingdom.
[Kiritsuka Rei], no....
"[The Knight of Wrath, Crimson]..." When someone muttered his name.
The whole Guild fell into chaos.
*******
After the incident, Rei was brought to the Guild Master's Room together with his own group.
Rei sat down on the couch with Emily, James, Hans, and Bob sitting beside him. They looked nervous having to sit together with one of the Legends that they read from the story book.
"Hahaha! Seriously! That was such a grand return!" Hughes laughed with a big grin.
"Was that magic? You never cease to surprise me!" Hughes spoke as if he was talking with an old friend.
"Well...I wasn't planning to do that, but they immediately attacked me without reason." Rei replied nonchalantly, which made the others more nervous.
'T-the real [Fortress]!' Hans thought.
'S-so big and scary...' Bob shrinked down.
'A-amazing...to think Aniki has a connection with someone like him!' James was once again astonished by his big brother.
'O-onii-chan...' Emily couldn't utter any words.
Hughes then looked over at his group, "But I never thought you were going to make a new party. Your previous party surely will be disappointed to hear this, HAHAHA!"
Rei seemed calm, but he was smiling behind that helmet, "They aren't my new party, they are just new recruits who want to become Adventurers."
"New Adventurers? With that kind of equipment?" Hughes spoke while noticing their equipment. "I thought they would be the new party that you met in the North."
Rei shook his head "I already left them long ago, right now I am just a freelance adventurer who wants to renew his license."
"Then...who are these guys?" Hughes spoke while looking at them out of curiosity.
"They are the new recruits I picked myself from my village." Rei replied.
"Your village? I see! I never thought you had a hometown." Hughes spoke.
"Well...I need to keep my identity a secret, especially my own village since it can be risky with dangerous people." Rei replied with his reason.
"That's true, you need to be extra careful when you're famous." Hughes nodded in agreement.
"Then introduce me to these kids." Hughes spoke.
"Of course." Rei started at Hans "On the corner is Hans, he is one of the smartest kids in the village. He is a [Mage]."
"N-nice to meet you!" Hans stuttered.
Rei then moved his hand to Bob. "Next to him is Bob, the biggest kid and probably one with the brawn and is quite the glutton in the village. He is a [Guardian]"
"Y-yes!" Bob stuttered, same reaction as Hans.
"Then here is their leader James, he had a strong belief and capability to grow, and a good leadership as well." Rei pointed out to James.
"I am very grateful for Aniki to bring us here!" James spoke out loud.
Hughes was grinning when he introduced them and laughed, "HAHAHA! What peculiar kids, I can tell that you three have potential, I am looking forward to seeing your work!"
James, Bob and Hans felt touched hearing that kind of compliment from someone that came out from a book they read long ago.
Then Hughes' gaze moved towards the girl sitting beside Rei.
"Now then, who's this little lady here?" Hughes asked.
Rei looked at him and back to her, "She is...." somewhat hesitant to say it.
Then Emily leaned forward as she pushed herself to be brave, "I-i am Emily! I am onii-chan's little sister!" She declared.
"Onii-chan? Which one?" Hughes asked since there's four guys sitting there.
The three guys and Emily then simultaneously pointed at the man who Hughes believed for a long time didn't have a family—Rei.
Hughes' eyes felt like it's going to pop out, "What?!! CRIMSON HAVE A LITTLE SISTER?!" He shouted in utter disbelief
*BAM*
Then the door behind them was abruptly opened and several people fell out of it, they were eavesdropping.
"WHAT?! SISTER?!" And the ones behind it were his ex parties
Emily froze up upon being surrounded by so many curious people.
"Is she really Crimson's sister?" Fang spoke out first.
"She doesn't resemble him at all." Ruru commented rather bluntly.
"You two are quite rude." Wise scolded.
"Hm...cute." Kagura smiled with a slight blush on her cheeks as she looked at her.
"To think Crimson-san has a sister…." Andrew spoke, still in disbelief at the revelation.
"Yeah, this is shocking." Dahlia agreed and Erika nodded, "Mhm!"
"Is she gonna be my sister in law…?" Lena muttered quietly.
The others who sat next to Emily felt suffocated by the large number of people in the room who couldn't contain themselves.
Rei, who had enough, raised his hand and...
*BAM*
"Ugh—?!"
*BAM*
"Agh—?!"
*BAM*
"Ack—?!"
With a single swipe, he hit their heads and made them kneel in front of him while keeping their distances away from Emily.
"Can't you see that she's uncomfortable? Or perhaps you all miss sparring with me after so long." Rei spoke while looking irritated by their behavior.
"S-sorry." They immediately bowed down before him, and it seemed like he still had some influence over them.
When Rei looked at their reaction, he smiled behind his helmet, "But I'll let you off just for today. Fang, Andrew....it's been a long time. Seems like you two have grown stronger."
Andrew and Fang who heard his compliment after so long, held back their tears and smiled proudly at him.
"Of course! I have been stronger than ever!" Fang with his usual leeway grin.
"Yes! Me too!" Andrew spoke with glistening eyes.
"Ruru, Wise, Kagura...good work on holding up with Fang's stupidity." Rei spoke as if he was his parent.
"Heh piece of cake! Babysitting him is far easier than hunting down an S rank monster". Ruru spoke proudly.
"What—?! Don't treat me like a kid!" Fang retorted back.
Wise and Kagura laughed as the atmosphere around them felt warm once again.
Rei then shifted his gaze towards the two girls near Andrew "Dahlia and Erika....the two of you finally got rid of unnecessary decisions."
"Hmph! I worked hard and strive to be better everyday, you don't have to tell me." Dahlia remained prideful as usual, but happy to hear his praise nonetheless.
"Leader! Let's spar! I shall show you my strength!" Erika was still the tomboyish girl who loved to compete.
"And finally Lena, to think you earned yourself a title...the [Holy Maiden] was it? That's really amazing." Rei spoke towards Lena who hid herself at the corner.
"I-it's been so long....Crimson-san, you seem to always notice me." Lena spoke softly, looking anywhere but his eyes.
"Why not? It's hard to ignore someone as beautiful as you." Rei spoke matter-of-factly.
Lena blushed brightly, immediately backing away when she heard his praise.
Emily noticed something different about her brother, "Onii-chan...he seems happy." She muttered softly.
"You could tell?" Hughes asked.
"Yeah, it seems these days he has been tense but now seeing him here...I felt he slowly returned to his usual self~" Emily replied with a smile.
Hughes smiled, "I see...I guess he is blessed with really great people and family."
Then Hughes stood up, "Hey! Crimson!"
Rei turned his attention to him, "Hm?"
"Let's get down to the business now, shall we?"Hughes inquired.
"Of course." Rei replied.
"Regarding your request, I have accepted that…we're going to renew your adventurer license tomorrow, but..."
"On one condition." Hughes stated.
"A condition?" Rei repeated.
"Yes, we want you to accept the Promotion Test." Hughes offered.
"Promotion...test? To what?" Rei repeated.
"To become S-class adventurer, obviously!" Hughes revealed the surprise with a big grin on his face.
"S-class Adventurer…?" Rei muttered
"Yeah, it is a hassle to make you go back to C-class again because the procedure to promote classes are so long."
"Which is why I offered you now, to become S-class adventurer. With that rank, you can easily taken any S-class quest with no problem." Hughes offered him as well.
"Hmmmmm..." Rei thought it for a moment, 'It's not a bad offer, I've been thinking of getting promoted to gain more influence as S-class Adventurer.'
Then Rei gaze upon him, "I accept the condition."
Hughes grin widely, "That's more like it."
"But what do I need to do?" Rei spoke, because he wanted to hear the reason why he gave him that kind of condition.
Hughes could tell why he asked that question, then he get up from his seat and approached him.
"I wanted to see how much you have grown, which is why I will be your test this time again."
"This will be our rematch from 7 years ago." Hughes spoke to him, reminded him of the test he previously had.
"Heh." Rei smiled and took this chance to take off his helmet and revealed his face towards him, which something he had never done before.
"....?!" Kagura and Lena shrieked.
Andrew and Fang were astonished by the reveal. He looked far younger than any of them.
Rei smiled at Hughes, "Sure...I've been meaning to ask you to spar me, there's no perfect time than this." Then he approached Hughes as they stood toe to toe.
Rei displayed his red aura that was clad around his body, meanwhile Hughes surrounded himself with his green aura, clashing with him.
The pressure that from their auras, enough to made the floor crack and the windows around them to shook.
The two of them grinned at each other.
"Good answer. This time, I won't hold back." Hughes spoke.
"I should be saying that, this time...it will be my win." Rei replied.
A heated conversation between the two powerhouse.
One is a Tank from the Legendary Hero party who fend off and defended his comrade from the Demon Lord's attack.
While the other one is a new adventurers, who managed to save Elf Kingdom and the Northern region from their curses.
Finally, their reunion will begin with Rei's promotion test.
To be continued...