Kaelus stood over the remnants of the Crimson Orc, a huge chunk of its core fragment pulsing with a dim red light. He quickly retrieved the core and the two valuable orc fangs before approaching the crude cage, made of thick tree branches.
Inside, three adventurers were huddled together. An elven woman and a man in his thirties had only minimal bruises, but their party leader, a middle-aged dwarven man, was in bad shape. A large, gaping wound on his upper abdomen was bleeding profusely, and it was clear he was dying.
"You... you defeated the Crimson Orc?" the elven archer stammered, her voice a mix of awe and disbelief. "You... you were the one who took out the Red Orcs silently? Who are you?"
Kaelus used his katana to slice through the cage's door. "I'm just an adventurer who took this subjugation quest like you guys," he said, the half-truth rolling off his tongue with practiced ease. "And I think there's no time for introductions." He quickly assessed their condition. "Do you guys have any healing pills or potions?"
The adventurers, still in a state of shock, looked at each other. "No," the man in his thirties finally said, his voice weak. "We already used all of our potions in the battle."
"Then we need to get back to the village. I will carry your leader; can you two walk?" Kaelus asked.
"Y-yes, we can," the elven archer replied, her eyes wide with gratitude. "Thank you for saving us."
Kaelus gently lifted the dwarven leader and held him in his arms. "You two must take it easy and walk to the village. Don't worry, the road is safe now. I'll go ahead with your leader; he's losing blood and needs to be treated right away."
"O-okay," the elven archer and the man said in unison.
With the wounded dwarf in his arms, Kaelus used a sustained Gale Dash, moving so fast he was a blur of green mana, reaching the village's entrance in just a few minutes. The guard from earlier was still on duty, and when he saw Kaelus carrying a wounded man, his eyes widened. "You... you're alive!" he shouted, recognizing the dwarf. "He's the leader of the B-rank party! You rescued him! Let's get him inside; he needs treatment!"
A bandaged man and woman who had been helping with the wounded, along with a doctor and several villagers, rushed out of a nearby house. "Leader!" the bandaged man cried out.
"Where are the others?" the guard asked, his gaze fixed on Kaelus.
"We are here!" a voice shouted from the entrance. The two other adventurers, weary but alive, stumbled into the village, and the villagers quickly helped them.
The local doctor inspected the dwarf. "He's in critical condition, but luckily we have healing pills from the House of Aurumglow. I've already given him one, and he'll be fine after some rest."
"That's good. Then I'll take my leave," Kaelus said, ready to go.
He left the house and headed for the village entrance, where the two rescued adventurers were giving a detailed account of the battle to the villagers and the guard. The onlookers were amazed, their gazes fixed on Kaelus as he approached. An elderly man, the village chief, accompanied by the guard, approached him.
"You must be the adventurer who took down all the Red Orcs," the chief said, his voice full of respect. "I am Corben Ironhand, the chief of Valeridge Village. May I know your name?"
"Kaelus," he replied.
"You must be an A-rank adventurer, but I think even a normal A-rank can't solo a Crimson Orc. May I know what your rank is?" the chief asked.
"I'm just an F-rank adventurer," Kaelus replied simply, his tone level despite the stunned attention of the villagers and the rescued party. "I'm here for an herb collection quest."
"An F-rank?" Chief Ironhand repeated, his face a mix of deep bewilderment and shock. The relief of victory was immediately overshadowed by the unbelievable claim. "An F-rank adventurer defeated a Crimson Orc? May I see your mage card?"
Kaelus retrieved the card from his belt and offered it. The Chief took it, scanning the etched markings, and his shock only deepened. "A peak 4-Star Mage? How is this even remotely possible? The team you rescued—The Verdant Vandals—is a full party of seasoned 5-Star Mages. How did you manage to defeat the Crimson Orc with so little strength?"
"It's true, and we saw it with our own eyes," the elven survivor, her armor scraped and dented, stepped forward to confirm. Her voice shook, not from fear now, but from the memory of the sheer, focused destruction Kaelus had wrought.
"T-there's no need to doubt him," the dwarven leader of the Verdant Vandals said, having rested enough to walk toward them, albeit with a slight limp. He gripped Kaelus's arm with a strength that belied his injury. "Thank you for saving my life, our lives. We owe you a favor, and we will repay it soon."
The dwarf then turned to address the entire gathering, his voice resonating with authority as the villagers listened intently. "We saw the fight. And I swear upon the name of our party, The Verdant Vandals, that we are telling the absolute truth. As for his adventurer rank, he must be a newly registered adventurer, so he has to start at the bottom F-rank."
He looked back at Kaelus, his eyes wide with a respect earned only in the fire of combat. "But I know you will soon climb those ranks due to your performance. And as for your mage card, I don't know, but you may just surpass even a 6-Star Mage in sheer elemental output. Your wind magic alone—the way you moved, the control, and how you took out those Red Orcs one by one—we simply can't match that. Even our enhanced magic as 5-Star Mages can't defeat the speed and focused power of that skill. You were everywhere at once, delivering what looked like twenty cuts in a single breath."
The implications settled over the crowd: Kaelus was a prodigy, or something far rarer—a true elemental genius whose control trumped sheer rank.
"Then pardon my offense, Mr. Kaelus," Chief Ironhand said, stepping forward again, his respect now palpable. He gave a deep, formal bow. "I will personally notify the House of Aurumglow of what has transpired here, giving them a full accounting of your valor." He paused, his expression shifting to an earnest plea. "Is it okay with you to stay here just for tonight? We will be having a feast to celebrate your victory over the Red Orcs."
Kaelus considered the offer. He had no urgent plans, and a warm meal and a bed would be a welcome change from the open road. He smiled. "I would be honored."