Finn put on his clothes and left the inn where he lived, asking himself all sorts of questions he knew he'd probably never have the answers to.
"Am I in the same era as the protagonists of the 3rd and 4th books? I hope not. I don't want to live through a war; I'm only 15. Although I want to meet Cristel and Silia, the novel states that they were very beautiful, the most beautiful in their guilds... well, until I arrived, two years before the war started. I also wonder what Vain is like? According to the novel, she and Silia were some of the few women who had Valkyrie blood, which is why they had white hair."
Finn walked through the enormous, tangled city until he reached the city center, where all kinds of food stalls, shops, and hotels were located for visitors from other cities. After walking and browsing the shops in the center, he headed toward a large city map floating right in the middle of the street.
The map showed absolutely all the shops in the city and the exact location of the four largest guilds in the kingdom and the capital. Each guild was located at the city gates, in order to protect the capital from any invasion or attack.
Finn checked the exact location of the guilds. Although he already knew where the FreeWalker guild was, for some reason the previous Finn didn't know anything about the other guilds or the people in his own guild. His memories were nothing more than the most important places to Finn, and the people were nothing more than moving blurs that sometimes spoke, only when given a mission. Not wanting to delay any longer, Finn headed toward the Freewalker guild. If he wanted to survive in this world, then he would have to complete missions like the previous Finn had.
Finn walked for a few minutes before getting on what appeared to be a bus, but it didn't have wheels or a mechanical engine like the one in his world. It was powered by a large magical orb that remained in the hood and used modified gravity magic to keep it floating in the air. Behind the bus, there was a small exhaust from which air came out and pushed the bus forward.
Finn waited on the bus for a few minutes until he finally reached the bus station, which was a few meters from the guild. Standing right in front of the guild's enormous wooden doors, Finn sighed calmly and entered, taking in an environment that left him in awe.
The guild was enormous on the inside; Finn swore it was even bigger than it was on the outside. The guild was divided into several sections decorated with different cultures, which Finn recognized from his previous world, as well as the people or guild members who dressed differently; some were dressed in Roman attire, others in a more Asian style, and so on.
'In the novel, they mentioned there were various cultures from around the world, but I never thought it was like that. I thought there were just a few decorations, not that each floor was completely themed around different cultures. It's like entering a fantasy world of each culture. It's amazing. I can't wait to see the different districts of each culture in the city,' Finn thought, amazed. 'Today I only walked the tourist path, which is a straight street.'
Finn walked up to a large mural in the center of the guild. The mural extended to the guild's roof and had several floating paths that allowed all members to access it from any level of the guild. And although this mural was open to the public, everyone knew that the mural contained nothing but the low-rank missions, from E to B. The high-rank missions, from A onward, were on the top floor of the guild, which only certain people could access.
'Okay, what quest will I take? I don't want to take on too tough a quest since I'm only supposed to be a D-rank... that's right, my rank! How was I supposed to look at it?' Finn searched through his clothes, trying to locate a specific item. 'According to the novel, guild members could see their information on a status screen that appeared when they pressed a golden card that everyone has...'
After a few seconds, Finn found the card stuck to his armband and pressed it without hesitation.
Name: Finn
Race: Human
Class: D
Gifts: None
Blessings: None
Strength: D
Agility: D+
Durability: C
Magic: D
UP: None
'UP?... UP!! How did I forget!? Unlocked potential is one of an adventurer's most important resources' Finn thought. 'UP, It's a way to temporarily acquire more power, like a power-up. It's an invention of alchemists who managed to access more power through the anima. The more attuned one is to their anima, the more UP they'll have... the fact that I don't have one means my attunement is really bad.'
Before Finn could continue examining his condition, a young man with dark skin, thick curly hair, wearing what appeared to be a typical adventurer's outfit, ran up to Finn, grabbing him by the collar and quickly dragging him toward the reception room where jobs were accepted and groups were formed.
"Back off, you bunch of bitches! I asked for Finn first and you know it, now he's my team!" Darwin said, drawing his sword threateningly and turning to look at the receptionist. "Hurry up and register our group. I don't know how long I can keep these beasts away!"
'What's going on?' Finn thought, frightened, watching as several people in the guild approached them, eyeing Finn like a prize.
The poor receptionist simply did what Darwin asked, while the others screamed. In a matter of seconds, the receptionist held up a piece of paper showing everyone that Finn and Darwin were now a team. With the team confirmation, the other adventurers quickly dispersed, though they were still clearly angry.
"Sigh, that was close..." Darwin sighed, then looked at the receptionist, showing him a quest. "This will be our first quest!"
[Quest Class: D
The merchants have been having trouble crossing the Great Gap Bridge. While some claim they've been losing goods without realizing it, others indicate they were attacked by an organized group of goblins.
Make sure you find out what's going on and take charge if possible. If not, return safely and report to your superiors.
Time limit: none.
]
"Sigh, all right," said the tired receptionist.
---
"Well, from now on, our journey to greatness begins, Finn, and I won't leave you like those ungrateful bastards on your previous team!" Darwin said excitedly.
The two had already left the capital and were walking toward the mission site, which was about three days away from the capital.
"Sure... although I don't understand the rush of having a team," Finn replied, confused.
"That's normal. You've always had a team, so you didn't know the disadvantages of being alone..." Darwin replied distractedly.
A few seconds passed, and Darwin thought about it until he noticed something strange. Darwin stopped, half-thoughtful, and then looked at Finn, confused, as if something wasn't right.
"You... Did you talk?" Darwin asked incredulously.
"No, it was your imagination," Finn replied sarcastically, then continued walking.
"Of course, that must have been it..." Darwin affirmed, believing him for a few seconds. "!!!... No, no, no, you definitely talked!" Darwin said, astonished.
"Of course I talked. We're two hours away from the capital with no one around but you and me. Who else is going to talk if not me?" Finn replied.
"Since when do you talk?!"
"Since always?" Finn replied.
"Nooo, you're mute!" Darwin said confidently. "And with no emotions at all. Merlin told us that after examining you!"
This time Finn was speechless, because this guy, despite seeing him talk, didn't believe it was possible.
"So what? Am I talking out of my ass, or is it your schizophrenia that's making you hallucinate?" Finn asked.
"No, I mean you're cursed! Your soul was 90% consumed by a demon. Merlin said you were practically just an empty shell!" Darwin revealed.
"Well… Not anymore, I'm cured," Finn said, not knowing how to respond.
"That can't be cured!"
"Well, am I here or not?"
"Yes… but how?"
"And how would I know? I just woke up today and realized I was alive, as if I were just becoming aware of my existence," Finn said, trying to convince Darwin.
"Becoming aware? Maybe your soul wasn't consumed after all… Maybe all this time your soul was just restricted by the curse!" Darwin affirmed. "Or maybe… maybe all of this is a product of my imagination and nothing here is real, and maybe I never left that mansion!"
'Wow, how quickly this escalated…' Finn thought, but an idea quickly came to him and a smile formed in his face. "Or maybe this is nothing more than a construction in your mind to protect you from your terrible reality. Maybe you never recruited me and you went on the mission alone, but it was too much for you and you ended up being captured by a group of goblins who are now trying to breed with you!"
"No, no, NO, NOOOOO!" Darwin shouted at the top of his lungs.
. . . . .
Finn pulled a granola bar out of his backpack. These granola bars were created especially for adventurers because they were cheap and rich in protein. Darwin walked silently beside him, his eyes still red from the sudden breakdown he'd had.
"Do you want one? They say it's good for pregnancies."
"Leave me alone."
"Oh come on, it was just a joke. Besides, you still haven't answered my question," Finn said. "Why is it so important to have a group?"
"Yeah, groups are important because a mission is never 100% safe… not even 50%. Often, missions that should only be E or D-class missions can end up being C or B-class missions, sometimes even A-class missions, just because a monster felt it was okay to step out of its comfort zone. That's why only those who have a team or are extremely strong can take on missions higher than D rank."
"I see. That's why you were desperate for a team, but why didn't you team up with each other? There were several people looking for a team," Finn said, remembering all the adventurers who wanted him on their team.
"I wanted to, but none of them accepted me. They all already had a team of three or four people, and they were only looking for one more person: you."
"Why? What's the difference between you and me? We're both D-class."
"Profit. It was more profitable for them to choose someone like you, who only I received the minimum amount for a mission without complaining to someone like me, who can demand my fair share of the money."
". . . Are you saying they stole money from me in my old group?!" Finn asked excitedly.
"Yeah, basically, and once they reached Class C, they kicked you out of their group… do you really not remember anything?" Darwin asked.
"No. I only hear the voices when they asked me to go on a mission, or something like that, but everything else is just like floating blobs moving around."
"That sucks."
"Yeah…"
They continued walking until they reached the entrance of a forest. The forest seemed to have only one path leading to the exit at the other end, however, the path was so long that according to Darwin it would take them at least two days to get out.
"So... how did you end up being an adventurer?" Darwin asked, unsure of what to say.
"Great question, I ask myself that sometimes too," Finn replied.
"Right, you have no memory of almost anything..."
"Can you use magic?" Finn asked curiously.
"Not really. I can only emit light from my hands and a little fire, but I have to use the Impe Stone to create fire," Darwin replied, raising his hand and showing a golden light.
'Imperial Stone, huh?' Finn thought, remembering that magical stone. 'If I remember correctly, the Impe Stone or Impeacciae are used by those without a magical core, basically the majority of the guild. The Impe Stone allows you to use natural magic and manipulate it, but after a lot of practice, of course.'
"What about you?" Darwin asked.
"I don't know, to be honest. I doubt I can use it since, from what I saw, my magic was Level D," Finn replied.
"Sigh, I understand. My magic is also Level D."
The two continued walking for a few minutes. Everything seemed very quiet, too quiet for a magical forest, if you asked Darwin. After walking a few meters, the two saw a large tree lying in the middle of the road. It looked as if it had been knocked down after a strong impact.
"It's a pretty big tree. I doubt the goblins toppled it, much less with brute force," said Finn, looking at the broken base of the tree.
Darwin examined the fallen tree, noticing a mark on it, but not being able to see it completely because it was on the side that was against the ground.
"There's a mark here. Help me roll the tree so I can see it better," called Darwin.
After some effort, they managed to roll the large tree, getting a better view of the mark and also observing the damp earth beneath the tree before turning it over.
"Is that a foot? It's huge," said Finn, amazed by the size of the foot, which was almost as big as his entire torso.
"Wet soil and a huge human foot? Why does it look familiar?" Darwin stood and looked deeper into the forest, seeing several arrows and puddles of water and mud everywhere, but the most striking thing was the horse footprints everywhere. "Finn, we have to get out of here!"
"What? Why?" Finn asked, confused.
The sound of branches breaking and bushes rustling caught Darwin's attention and growing concern, as he now looked completely terrified. The sounds eventually intensified, indicating that it was rapidly approaching them.
"FINN, RUN!!" Darwin shouted, pulling Finn along.
Before the two of them, a huge creature came charging straight towards them. The creature had a female humanoid body but a horse's head that seemed unhinged.
"Oh my God, what is that?!" Finn asked, running.
"That's a horse-woman!" Darwin replied.
"And what does it want?!"
"Rape us!"
"No, just rape you!" Finn shouted, quickening his pace.
"That idiot, it's not going to ask us!"
"Why? God, I'm not a furry!"
The two ran at top speed through the trees, trying to confuse the horse-woman with the trees, but she simply destroyed all the trees by crashing into them. Finn swore he had never run so fast in his entire life.
After running a few meters, or maybe kilometers, the destruction caused by the horse-woman stopped, so the two stopped to see if she was still following them, but they couldn't find her.
"Did we lose her?" Finn asked hopefully.
"It seems so," Darwin said, trying to locate the horse-woman.
Boom!
There was a loud crash of something hitting the ground, followed by two enormous, muscular arms grabbing Finn and Darwin. The horse-woman charged the two of them throughout the forest, constantly crashing into various trees. With his one free hand, Darwin quickly and constantly punched the horse-woman's ribs in hopes of freeing herself from the grip, but it didn't seem to hurt her at all.
'This is bad! She's trying to knock us unconscious with the impact against the trees. I don't know how much longer I can last!' Darwin thought, worried. 'Finn, hit her as hard as you can, don't stop!'
'Shit, she's so strong, and her huge tit is suffocating me!' Finn thought, gasping for air. 'I have no choice, I have to do this!' 'I'M NOT GOING TO BE RAPED!'
CHOMP!!
The horse-woman let out a scream of pain, followed by a great leap that lifted them into the air, where she freed them while she writhed in pain.
'We're free!' Darwin exclaimed.
'And next time I'll bite your other one!' Finn shouted.
It didn't take long for the two of them to realize they were in midair and falling straight into a cliff.
'A cliff!?' Darwin exclaimed, looking down the long drop and at the same time, he managed to see a large wooden bridge. "We've reached the bridge yet!? How fast did that damn horse-woman run? We were still more than a day away!" "But this is okay! Many adventurers pass through that bridge. If we can call for help, we can get rid of this beast!" he thought, trying to look at someone on the bridge.
"Darwin, watch out!!" Finn shouted, trying to warn Darwin.
Darwin turned around only to see the horse-woman falling at great speed towards them.
"FUCK!!" Darwin shouted.
The two were hit by the horse-woman, falling directly into the cliff.
From the bridge, a young red-haired woman with golden eyes, golden armor, and a white skirt was followed by a small squad that seemed to be her team. They were all walking calmly when they heard a scream and saw three people falling from the sky directly into the cliff in the distance.
"Is it my imagination, or are several people falling off the cliff?" asked a woman dressed in a long black robe.
"Cristel, you see them too, right?" asked a young gentleman.
Cristel narrowed her eyes, focusing directly on the people falling and managing to see them clearly, almost as if they were right in front of her.
"Those are… Darwin and Finn?" Cristel asked, surprised.
"Do you know them?"
"I've never spoken to them, but I know who they are," Cristel affirmed.
"Incredible, you know almost everyone in the guild!" exclaimed a young woman carrying a small bear.
"Hmm, as the next guild master, it's my duty to at least meet most of the guild members, since one day you'll all be under my care," Cristel stated seriously.
"Shouldn't we help them? It's a long way down…"
"No, we'd only get in the way of their mission and adventure. Just look at them, great adventurers living the good life," Cristel said proudly.
"I see…" the mage replied, unsure.
'Who would have imagined two D-class adventurers trying to tame a horse-woman, a B-class beast? The perfect representation of what a male adventurer should be, strong, tough, and dominant. Once they finish their mission and return to the guild, I'll congratulate them myself' Cristel thought with a big smile. 'Sigh, I still remember my first time taming a horse-woman, it was… beautiful. Although back then, I was already a Class B adventurer, not a Class D like them, and I was accompanied by Ron and Vero, two young half-wolfs. It was definitely a great night… I should visit them sometime soon. I haven't seen them in two years.'
. . . . .
"Why the fuck isn't anyone helping us?" Darwin shouted, watching as they got dangerously close to the ground.
"I have an idea, do the same as me!" Finn said.
Finn grabbed the horse-woman by the head and, using his legs, pushed her abdomen. Darwin followed his example, and the two managed to turn around, putting the horse-woman underneath them.
The two held each other tightly, awaiting the imminent impact with the ground.
BOOM!!