Today, the sky is clear and beautiful. Under the vast, expansive blue sky lies a small town called Limart, where adventurers reside. The town has a rustic charm. On a small hill to the east of Limart, in an old house, lives an elderly man named Thomas.
"The weather is nice today. It's a good day for hunting,"
I muttered to myself, looking up at the sky. Then, I went inside and took the knife hanging on the wall. After that, I added a poison potion, useful for dealing with monsters, into my usual hunting bag. As always, I had to go out to make a living. Though I sometimes reminisce about the days when I was an honourable knight, now I'm just an old hunter in my 50s, retired and living a simple life. Putting aside my thoughts, I followed my usual path and headed into town.
"Hey, Grandpa Thomas, are you going into the woods today?"
"Yeah, I'm tired of just eating potatoes."
"Alright, be careful. I've heard from adventurers that the monsters have been quite aggressive lately."
Jabin, the tavern owner, called out to me with a concerned tone from the entrance of his tavern. Jabin is one of my valuable customers. I smiled and nodded at him. Then, I had to quickly head towards my goal for the day—theGreat Therondia Forest. The reason for my haste was that dark clouds were suddenly rolling in from the west, where the Great Therondia Forest lies. The small town I live in is nothing special, just situated near the magnificent Great Therondia Forest. Similarly, this town is a small, remote settlement on the edge of the kingdom of Alandra, a land frequented by adventurers. Since it's quite far from the kingdom's third defence unit, the town's protectors are also the adventurers themselves.
Even though the rain was coming, I couldn't afford to rest. The reason? I've been living off potatoes for quite some time now. I don't hate potatoes, but as is human nature, I've grown tired of them after eating them for so long. As a human, it's natural to get bored of something over time. When I was a knight, I used to be satisfied with good food. After all, it was a life-risking job, so I thought it was only fair to eat well before possibly meeting my end. But now, as an old man, I can't afford to be picky. I think even my ego as a knight has faded away.
When I reached the edge of the Great Therondia Forest, I glanced up at the sky. It was completely dark, with occasional flashes of lightning, which made me a bit anxious. The once clear blue sky now seemed irrelevant. Then, as per the hunter's routine, I had to start searching for prey.
I cautiously entered the forest, step by step, heeding Jabin's warning. Was I scared? Not at all. As a former knight, I've killed many monsters and been on numerous raid missions. The world I live in is relatively peaceful. The continent of Anata, the only continent on this planet, has four great nations, but there are no wars. Our kingdom, Alandra, is located in the southern part of Anata and is ruled by the benevolent Queen EmaFroststin. To the north lies Balahan, a kingdom with good relations with ours. The third northern kingdom is Ohnmat, an industrial nation ruled by the Dwarf King ThorinBylrielle, home to the Dwarves.
Ohnmat is the easternmost kingdom, bordering Alandra, Balahan, and the Land of Flowers. The northernmost kingdom on the continent is theLandofFlowers, a secluded nation that has remained isolated for a long time. Except for the Dwarf kingdom Ohnmat, all other kingdoms border the Great Therondia Forest. The Great Therondia Forest is the largest feature of the Anata continent. It's so vast that it borders all kingdoms except Ohnmat and is larger than the combined territories of three kingdoms. To this day, no living human has ever reached the end of the forest.
The Great Therondia Forest is so vast and mysterious that it forms the backbone of countless stories and is even a subject of poetry. However, its immense size also makes it a home to many monsters, and the deeper you go, the more dangerous it becomes. So, I proceeded cautiously into the forest.
As I got deeper, I finally found what I was hoping for—boar tracks. My eyes must have lit up at the sight. I followed the tracks, which gradually led me towards the Fairy Pond. The Fairy Pond is a name given by adventurers to an ordinary pond where animals often come to drink. It seemed the boar had come to drink. When I reached the pond, I hid behind a tree and took my position. The heavy dark clouds made the world so dark that it made hiding easier. After positioning myself, I glanced towards the pond. Suddenly, my hopes dimmed a little. What I saw was a harpy preparing to feast on a dead boar. This harpy monster is a B-rank creature capable of using magic, making it quite dangerous. I observed the harpy closely. Luck seemed to be on my side because this harpy was red. Red harpies can use fire magic, making them extremely dangerous, but they are significantly weakened in heavy rain, and their fire magic is useless in such conditions. I looked up at the sky. Feeling the raindrops, I turned my attention back to the harpy. It seemed to be feeling the rain too, shaking its feathers in frustration as it prepared to carry the boar away. However, I couldn't let this monster go so easily. I quickly took out a poison potion and threw it at the harpy.
Sssssss...
The poison potion made contact, and I saw the harpy's flesh sizzle and smoke. I immediately emerged from behind the tree and charged at the monster with my knife. The harpy, initially confused by what had happened, quickly retreated after taking a hit from my blade. Then, it looked at me and lunged to pounce.
"Earth Magic - Earth Wall!"
A wall emerged from the ground, intercepting the harpy's attack. The monster collided with the wall, lost its balance, and fell to the ground. I jumped and stabbed the harpy's head with my knife. The harpy struggled, trying to claw at me with its talons.
Ting...
A silver light enveloped my body, and I saw the harpy's talons unable to pierce through. "Thank you, my silver ring relic..."
The harpy struggled fiercely one last time before finally going still, exhaling its last breath.
"Phew, it was quite tenacious. Even with a head injury, it fought so hard."
The rain grew heavier, and it became darker, so I quickly placed the harpy's corpse and the dead boar into my basket. My basket, marked with a dark circle, can hold up to five animals. Normally, I'd hunt until the basket was full and then rest for about a week, but today, with the heavy rain and darkness, I decided to call it a day and head back.
Monster corpses, like animal carcasses, are versatile. Clothes, weapons, and tools made from monster cores and dead bodies are more potent than those made from ordinary materials. Getting both a harpy and a boar today made me feel incredibly lucky. However, I didn't dare push my luck further and quickly headed back to Limart.
As evening approached and it grew darker, I realized I had been in the forest for quite some time. Not wanting to face any more dangers, I hurried to exit the forest. The rain gradually stopped, and soon I reached the edge of the forest.
"Phew... that was close."
The huge lump of anxiety in my chest finally seemed to dissipate. From the edge of the forest, I could see the town I live in, and I paused to admire the evening scenery.
Zzzzzzz...
Suddenly, I saw something I had never seen before in my life, and I stood frozen, staring. A size that big like a hill where I live, I saw large green magical circles.
"What... what's happening? What is that?"
Driven by a knight's instinct, I immediately ran towards the magical circles. Someone capable of using such powerful magic could be a threat to Limart. "I need to buy as much time as possible." As I approached the area, the magical circles disappeared. It seemed the unknown spellcaster had finished their work.
"...I'm sorry, my dear son..."
I faintly heard a woman's voice, sending chills down my spine. Gripping my knife tightly, I looked towards where the magic had been used.
"Huh..."
A child. In a brown basket, I saw a crying baby. The baby was wrapped in a green silk blanket, with a name embroidered on it.
"Arthur Rowan.."
Seeing the child, I felt a bit relieved. However, I carefully checked the area for traps. Although there was a dense concentration of mana in the vicinity, I found no traps. Similarly, I couldn't find the person who had used such powerful magic. "Ha.... Today has been both lucky and strange," Ithought. Though finding a child in the forest was unusual, I couldn't bring myself to leave the baby there. I picked up the child and took a closer look. The baby had fair skin and dark hair. He would grow up to be quite a handsome man. As night fell and the child was in danger, I quickly carried him towards Limart.