The smell of fresh bread and spiced broth drifted up from the common room below as Yoshiya opened his eyes. Morning sunlight poured through the small inn window, striking the polished edge of his staff where it leaned against the wall. Across the room Omina stretched her arms and yawned, her dark hair falling in front of her face.
"Up already?" she murmured.
"Today's busy," Yoshiya said. "Let's get your sword first."
They gathered their gear and went downstairs. The innkeeper set down two wooden trays—steaming porridge, a heel of bread, and watered wine. They ate quickly, paid the day's fee—**two silver and fifty copper each for the room and meals**—and stepped into the brisk Korvath morning. The street smelled of stone dust and forge smoke, the hum of the city already rising around them.
Tetsukichi Muramura's smithy was loud even from the road. Sparks shot from an open window as the hammer rang like a bell. When they entered, the bearded smith looked up from his anvil with a grin.
"Ahh, my young adventurers! The sword's ready," he said, setting down his tools.
Omina's eyes widened as he lifted the blade from a padded stand. The steel had taken on a **grayish, solid sheen streaked with red-black scratches**, like veins of cooled lava. At the base of the handle a **smooth blue stone** pulsed faintly, waiting to drink mana.
"It's beautiful," she whispered, wrapping her fingers around the hilt. She let a thread of mana seep into the stone. It felt steady, like water filling a cup instead of spilling.
"That gem will store your power for a stronger Aura Blade," Tetsukichi said. "Don't burn it all at once."
Omina smiled and strapped the sword to her hip. "This will help. Thank you."
The guild outpost was already crowded with adventurers when they arrived. Yoshiya squeezed through the throng to the counter where Akira handled requests.
"Looking for something that pays well?" the clerk asked.
"Yes," Yoshiya replied. "We need to build funds for better gear."
Akira tapped a slate. "I have a chain quest package—multiple small objectives in the southern forest and the Doom Forest edge. Do it all in one trip for maximum payout. It's within your rank."
He listed the tasks:
* **Hunt Dire Boar**, retrieve meat (50 copper per kilo).
* **Hunt Earth Wolves**, retrieve pelts (1 silver per wolf).
* **Harvest Sun Shrooms**, (30 copper per piece).
* **Harvest Ore**, (70 copper per kilo).
* **Scout Doom Forest**, report findings (1 silver).
Yoshiya glanced at Omina. "What do you think?"
She hesitated. "That's a lot at once."
"We can handle it. The more we bring back, the better," he said, already signing the forms.
As they turned to leave, a familiar voice called out. "You two are really loading up the board."
They looked back to see Yumi leaning against a pillar, her small wand tucked into her belt.
"Need money for upgrades," Yoshiya said.
"If you ever want quick coin, ask me. I know some bounty hunts," Yumi said with a wink.
"Next time," Yoshiya promised.
They parted ways and stepped into the sunlight, heading south out of the city. Yoshiya shouldered a new sack for loot while Omina checked the straps of her sword.
The path narrowed as they left Korvath. Birds called from the canopy. The smell of damp soil thickened, mixed with the tang of wild herbs.
Their first objective came quickly.
A lone Earth Wolf padded from the undergrowth, yellow eyes fixed on them. Yoshiya shifted his stance, staff forward, shield shimmering faintly.
"I'll handle it," he said.
Omina had already crouched by a cluster of pale Sun Shrooms sprouting from a log. "Go ahead. I'll pick these while you fight."
The wolf lunged. Yoshiya braced, the ward on his shield flaring. The beast struck and rebounded. A twist of his staff cracked across its muzzle. It collapsed. He skinned the pelt and dropped it into the sack slung over his shoulder.
"First one down," he said.
"And three mushrooms gathered," Omina replied cheerfully.
They pushed deeper, Omina darting between trees to pluck herbs and glowing fungi. Yoshiya kept watch, staff ready. When the second wolf appeared it sprang from a rock outcrop.
This time Yoshiya pivoted, letting the attack slide off his shield, then jabbed with the staff's butt to topple it. Omina helped skin the carcass but returned quickly to gathering plants.
"Two pelts now," Yoshiya muttered, stowing them.
At a rocky bank they drew their pickaxes. Metal clanged on stone as they chipped away several kilos of ore. Omina filled small sacks and passed them to Yoshiya.
"More weight for you," she teased.
"Better than leaving it behind," he said.
A third wolf attacked near the edge of the clearing. Yoshiya spun, shield first. This time he used the shield's rim to push the beast sideways, opening it for a quick strike with his staff. Blood spattered the rocks. Another pelt went into the sack.
A low grunt rolled through the brush. Leaves shook. Then the boar charged, tusks like curved daggers.
Yoshiya planted his feet, remembering Tetsukichi's advice: don't block head-on—**deflect**. He angled the shield just so. The tusk struck and slid, the beast stumbling past.
"Now!" he shouted.
Omina's sword flared blue as she triggered Aura Blade. She slashed the boar's flank, cutting deep. The beast squealed and collapsed.
They worked quickly to carve the meat into manageable pieces, wrapping it for the guild. Yoshiya's arms ached from the weight as he added it to the already bulging sack.
"That's seven kilos at least," Omina said, wiping sweat from her brow.
"Feels like more," Yoshiya groaned.
Near the shadow of the Doom Forest a fourth wolf lunged while Omina knelt over a bed of strange flowers. Yoshiya intercepted it, shield flashing. The wolf snapped at his leg but he struck down with the staff and it went still.
"Got it," he said, breathing hard.
"Look at these," Omina whispered, showing him a handful of glittering ore shards and purple blooms. "I've never seen them before."
He frowned. "We'll show the guild."
They spent an hour mapping claw marks and sulfur vents, noting sinkholes and eerie humming sounds deeper in the trees. Yoshiya drew quick sketches while Omina kept collecting samples.
By the time they turned back, the sack on Yoshiya's back was bulging with meat, pelts, ores, herbs, and shrooms. He carried it with both hands now, leaning forward under the weight. Omina carried only her sword.
The sun was low when the city walls came into view. They trudged through the gates and straight to the guild outpost, dusty and tired.
Akira's brows rose at the sight of their haul. "That's… a lot."
They laid everything out on the counter:
* **7 kilos of boar meat**
* **4 Earth Wolf pelts**
* **7 kilos of ore**
* **2 kilos of Sun Shrooms**
* Plus unusual stones and herbs from the Doom Forest.
Akira tallied the rewards, counting coins into two neat stacks. "Total comes to **thirteen silver** for the main objectives."
Yoshiya exhaled. "Not bad."
"Wait here. The investigator wants to see you."
They were led to a corner table where a gray-haired man spread their samples across a cloth. He examined the stones, sniffed the herbs, his expression tightening.
"This isn't normal," he muttered. "Activity like this near the Doom Forest… the guild will want a report."
Yoshiya explained what they had seen—claw-raked trees, sulfurous holes, the odd hum in the earth. Omina laid out her collection of ores and flowers.
The investigator finally looked up. "You've done valuable work. For this intelligence, an additional **two silver bonus** each."
He slid the coins across the table.
Outside, the night air felt cooler. Omina poured the coins from her palm back into their shared pouch, smiling faintly. "Feels heavier than this morning."
Yoshiya adjusted the strap on his shoulder. "And tomorrow we'll make it heavier still."
They sat for a while on a bench near the guild door, watching other adventurers come and go. Around them Korvath glowed with forge light and lamplight, a city of stone and ore humming under the night. The day had left their muscles sore and their minds wary of the strange things stirring in the south.
Omina rested her hand on her sword's new hilt. The blue stone pulsed gently under her touch. "We're getting stronger," she said. "But the forest… it's changing."
Yoshiya nodded. "We'll be ready."
As the two of them walk back toward their inn, the pouch heavier, their steps slower but sure, the smell of iron and stone thick in the Korvath night.
Omina drew the leather pouch from her belt as they walked. She loosened the cord and tipped the coins into her palm. The silver pieces clinked softly in the lamplight, a small mountain of today's work. She thumbed through them without speaking, then gave a low whistle.
"After the inn and food we still have plenty left," she said. "Seventeen silver in all. More than enough to cover next week's expenses—and maybe a little for upgrades."
She poured the coins back, tightened the cord and slipped the pouch under her cloak. Yoshiya caught the faint smile on her face and felt one tug at his own.
"Good," he murmured. "Let's keep it that way."
They turned the corner toward the inn, the weight of the pouch warm against Omina's hip, a small, steady promise clinking with each step.