"So, this is the Nassen Forest?" His moon-white robe fluttered slightly in the wind. Ignoring his disheveled black hair, Archille stared thoughtfully at the dark, deep forest before him. Against the backdrop of the night, the entire forest looked exceptionally eerie.
"Hmm, it looks like there really is something here. It wasn't this unsettling last time I came." Mumbling to himself, Archille immediately stepped deeper into the forest. The moment he entered Nassen Forest, a pair of faintly red eyes watched him silently from the shadows.
It had taken him the whole afternoon of traveling to finally reach the territory of the Demon-plagued forest—Nassen Forest. Of course, the reason it took so long wasn't just because the journey was slightly long; the main reason was that this guy got lost along the way…
Don't laugh. After all, he had only been to this place once before. The last time he came to Nassen Forest was over four months ago, and it was purely by coincidence; you ask why he came back then? Oh, it was nothing. Just like this time, he got lost while on a mission, and tragically stumbled upon this place by wandering off~ Cough, so yes, it was purely a coincidence.
"Nassen Soothing Grass, Nassen Soothing Grass…" After aimlessly wandering the forest for a long time, Archille finally lost his temper. "WTF! Every single blade of grass here looks exactly the same!! Which freaking one is the Nassen Soothing Grass, damn it?!!" Archille scratched his hair frantically, making his already slightly messy hairstyle look like a bird's nest.
In truth, he actually had no idea what the supposed Nassen Soothing Grass looked like. He had merely heard of the item, knowing only that it existed, but he had never seen it firsthand.
The commission slip only specified the mission requirements and the reward amount. As for what the Nassen Soothing Grass looked like or its characteristics, it made no mention whatsoever! Forget about having any reference pictures! Thus, the current frustrating situation…
Ultimately, this situation was his own fault. Why did he run out to take the mission without even thinking twice? Now he was stuck, wasn't he~
In fact, even Guild Master Abdo hadn't thought of this oversight immediately. Seeing Archille rush out so quickly, he assumed Archille knew what the 100-year-old Nassen Soothing Grass looked like! So he hadn't thought much of it. Otherwise, he absolutely would have shoved a picture into Archille's hand before he left…
But it was too late now to dwell on it. He couldn't possibly run back and ask someone what the Nassen Soothing Grass looked like, could he? That would be too embarrassing! So, for the sake of his pride, Archille had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue his search.
Sigh, Archille thought, I wish there was a person here! I could just ask what the thing looks like! But it seemed impossible now. Archille shook his head resignedly. Since rumors of a Demon's existence had spread here, no one would dare to come back, at least not until that Demon was eliminated.
Huh? A Demon? Suddenly, a light bulb went off in Archille's mind. He slammed his hand against his head, silently cursing himself for being so stupid. How could I forget about this?! Didn't they say there's a Demon here? Doesn't that mean I can just find the so-called Demon, ask it what the Nassen Soothing Grass looks like, and be done with it?!!
Action followed thought. Archille immediately cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone, took a deep breath, and shouted at the top of his lungs: "Hey!!! Demon!!! Come out!!! Your mother is calling you home for dinner—"
"Thump—" The owner of the eyes in the shadows nearly stumbled and fell. Recovering himself, he cursed the foul-mouthed brat with a furious glare and prepared to leave. However, just as he turned his head, his pupils suddenly contracted violently, shrinking instantly from the size of a bean to the tip of a needle! He stared dumbfounded at the person who had suddenly appeared right in front of him!
"Oh, why stop the surveillance? I initially thought…" Archille examined the stranger's face, which was filled with alarm, with a playful expression. He couldn't help but tease, "You wanted to kill me when I let my guard down, but it seems that's not the case. Spit it out, what's your motive…"
Yes, the person who suddenly appeared behind the cloaked man was none other than Archille! In fact, he had known from the moment he first entered Nassen Forest—someone was watching him from the shadows! His senses were no joke. Although the person's stealth seemed quite high, they still couldn't escape his detection!
However, because he didn't know the person's true purpose, he hadn't said anything. He had been silently observing the person hiding in the dark, wanting to know why they were watching him! I don't recall offending anyone lately, do I? Archille thought, feeling slightly annoyed.
But after observing for a while, the person in the shadows hadn't made any move other than just watching him! This greatly puzzled him. Seeing that the person seemed to be about to leave, the somewhat impatient Archille finally took the initiative, using Shunpo to appear behind the individual.
"Hmph—" The shock only lasted an instant. The person immediately recovered from his astonishment. Snorting coldly, the cloaked man wasted no time and immediately unleashed a flame magic straight at Archille's head!
"Boom—" With a loud explosion, a watermelon-sized, crimson fire orb instantly burst in front of Archille! Sparks flew, and smoke billowed—
Seeing this, a smirk of satisfaction involuntarily appeared on the cloaked man's face, but before the smile could fully spread, it froze instantly! He stared in disbelief at the figure who reappeared.
"Cough, cough, cough, WTF! Are you trying to choke me to death?!!" Coughing desperately and brushing off non-existent dust from his clothes, Archille rushed forward and grabbed the cloaked man's collar. Ignoring the man's shocked and bewildered expression, Archille yelled at the top of his lungs, glaring furiously, "Or are you purely just trying to get yourself killed?!! If that's the case, I don't mind finishing you off right now!!!"
"Kill me! Go ahead and kill me! You should kill me right now!!" Hearing this, the cloaked man was momentarily stunned, then began struggling frantically, as if provoked. As he struggled, he roared hoarsely, "You're all the same! You guys are all the same! You just want to mock me for being bald, right?! Come on! Keep mocking me! If you don't kill me today, I swear I will not only shave the heads of everyone I see but, but I won't spare their leg hair either!!!"
"Shit!!!" Hearing this, Archille cursed silently, then flung the cloaked man onto the ground with a look of disgust. Vigorously wiping his hands on his robe, Archille stared at the man with a dark, icy expression, and said coldly, "After all that fuss, you're the so-called 'Demon'? Damn it! You're not a Demon at all, you're a pervert!! You like shaving people's heads? Seriously! Do you think you're an enlightened monk or something?!!" He didn't forget to glance at the man's head. Crap! He really is bald!~
"Why?! Why wasn't your hair burned off by my magic?! I want you to taste the pain of being ridiculed!!" Stimulated fiercely by Archille's words, the cloaked man became emotionally agitated again. He struggled to get up from the ground to fight Archille desperately.
"Cut the crap!" Archille kicked him back down mercilessly, threatening fiercely, "I am feeling exceptionally merciful today, so I'll give you a chance to reform! Tell me! Where is the Nassen Soothing Grass? Just hand over twelve stalks of Nassen Soothing Grass that are a hundred years old or older, and I'll spare your life today!!" He definitely didn't show mercy to perverts with malicious fetishes!
However, since he rarely caught someone who was actually breathing, how could he not seize the opportunity to squeeze some remaining value out of the person? It was a good thing he was still stuck on the Nassen Soothing Grass mission…
"I—" The cloaked man was about to speak, but at that very moment, a sudden change occurred…
"Thwack—" With the sound of flesh tearing and blood spurting, a massive stone spike suddenly erupted from the ground, piercing straight through the cloaked man's chest!
"Gurgle gurgle—" His red eyes widened. The cloaked man opened his mouth in disbelief, seemingly trying to say something, but could only manage a gurgling sound. Blood welled up, clogging his throat, and slowly spilled out of his mouth. Impaled on the sharp stone spike, which was three meters high, the cloaked man slowly stopped struggling, his eyes fixed on Archille nearby, filled with astonishment and resentment.
"A ha ha ha ha! A vengeful spirit! What a beautiful vengeful spirit!! Only those who die with intense resentment can produce such pure resentment!!! A ha ha ha ha—"
"Who is that?!!" Archille exploded! Listening to the hair-raising, hideous laughter echoing around him, Archille completely lost it! Since losing his memory, he had never been this angry! Yes, furious! Someone dared to kill a person right in front of him?! Although he detested this perverted individual, this was his prey! Only he had the right to dispose of his prey! Fine, very well! Someone actually dared to kill his prey without permission! I think you really are— Thinking this, Archille's eyes slowly grew cold. As his robe billowed in the wind, faint traces of magic power slowly diffused from his body.
"You've grown tired of living!!!"