The evening sky above the City of Elfier began to change to an orange hue. The air was cool and peaceful as Fyar and Cyhas walked side-by-side along the city's stone streets.
As they walked, Fyar told her about how he had met Illya's group, and how they had forced him to join.
Cyhas listened to every word with full attention. Her eyes showed admiration as Fyar explained things that sounded foreign to her. In return, Cyhas showed Fyar several important places in the city, such as the location of the large public library, the training area commonly used by adventurers, and a few small restaurants that she claimed served the most delicious food.
They stopped at a clothing store. Fyar bought a few simple shirts and pants for his daily needs. He also spoke with the tailor to order some custom clothes. Using a piece of charcoal and a sheet of parchment, Fyar drew the designs of the clothing he wanted. Thanks to his experience as an agent, his sketches were incredibly detailed, clearly showing the form of a dress shirt, a blazer, and a jacket.
Fyar's total spending at the store came to fifty gold coins. Now, he had one hundred and fifty coins left.
As the sky darkened and the city's lamps began to be lit, they parted ways at an intersection. Fyar returned to the inn. His body felt tired after a full day of walking. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he fell into a deep sleep.
In a forest not far from the City of Elfier, Zaefal stood looking down at the corpse of a high-level demon he had just defeated. The demon had died in its human form. The body was neatly dressed in a nobleman's suit, its black hair was combed back tidily, and its pair of red eyes now stared blankly at the night sky.
Zaefal let out a long sigh. "A high-level demon. Why was it here?" he muttered to himself. "I felt something was off this morning. I didn't expect it to be a demon disguised as a human."
He crouched down and searched the demon's pockets, finding an identity card. Zaefal's brow furrowed as he read the information on it. "From the card's design, this demon likely came from the Randiru Kingdom, the kingdom of demons. Level thirty, no wonder I almost died fighting it."
He got up and leaned against a tree, gazing at the sky filled with twinkling stars.
For the past week, he had felt that something was wrong in the city, precisely since the arrival of a mysterious nobleman. Every day, there were at least three cases of murder, followed by an increase in violence and disputes among the nobility. When Zaefal tried to investigate, no one knew where the nobleman came from. He claimed to be visiting to offer investments but always refused when asked to show his identity card.
His suspicions had been correct. The nobleman was a demon in disguise.
But for what purpose? Zaefal thought. Haven't humans and demons agreed to a peace treaty for the last thirty years? He couldn't understand the demon's objective at all. Could this be the movement of an organization? Various possibilities flashed through his mind.
Suddenly, an excruciating pain exploded in his head. The pain spread rapidly through his entire body, so intense that he had to grit his teeth to keep from screaming. His muscles tensed up and his vision blurred. After a few seconds that felt like an eternity, the pain slowly subsided. His mind cleared, and he could feel cold sweat on his temples. The adventurer's card in his pocket glowed brightly for a moment before returning to normal.
With a slightly trembling hand, he quickly took out the card and looked at its contents.
Zaefal
Age: 28
Level: 29
Status: Active Adventurer
Class: Hunter
Level Up Status: 0%
Requirement for Level 30: Kill 4 dungeon bosses in the same day.
His eyes widened. I leveled up? Nine levels at once? He stared at the card in disbelief. Is it because I killed a high-level demon? Or because its level was so much higher than mine? Now he understood the source of the immense pain. He had never heard of such an extreme level-up.
Neither in the academy nor in the library was there any information stating that killing a high-level demon could drastically accelerate one's level progression.
"Congratulations on your level-up, Zaefal. Or perhaps, it would be more fitting to call you a hero."
The calm voice of a woman came from in front of him. Zaefal immediately looked up. A woman with pink hair and a pair of large white wings stood there. She wore all-black clothing that contrasted sharply with her wings. Her pair of golden eyes stared at him intently.
The woman flicked her finger. A black chair that seemed to be made of shadow materialized from thin air behind her. She then sat down gracefully, crossing one leg over the other.
"Who are you? An angel?" Zaefal asked. He pushed himself to his feet, his body in a ready stance. The fact that this woman knew his name made him extremely wary. "What do you mean, hero? I am not a hero."
The woman chuckled softly, her voice melodic and cold. "The current you has not met me yet. But the you of the future will know me."
The me of the future? Zaefal grew more confused. Is she a time traveler? But according to my teacher, time travel is impossible.
As if she could read his mind, the woman gave a faint smile. "I was tasked by my master to deliver your future memories, at the exact moment you reached level twenty-nine."