Early the next morning, Talon headed to the guild branch in Bluefeather City. It was a large building, with architecture that proclaimed the grandiose of the Aurumia kingdom. It had many tall, colorful, translucent windows. There were no guards around, but hundreds of people entered and left the place, creating a bustling atmosphere. Tall opaque crystal boards hung on the northern wall, with words flickering in and out of existence. As a mission was completed, it vanished from the board. Whenever a new mission was available, the content appeared on the board as well. Talon was flabbergasted; this was far more impressive than the chalk and board used by the small guild branch in Eryndor.The general hall of the guild building was buzzing with conversations, people calling out here and there, trying to rally others to join a team with them, and so on. It was like a raucous marketplace.Talon was soon face-to-face with one of the dozen attendants stationed in the general
The Kingdom of Aurumia was a competitive place, evident in the behavior of its noble families. Nobles constantly strived to outshine their peers. Earl families tried to outdo other earls, and dukedoms aimed to surpass one another, all under the watchful eyes of the Royal family. Even Talon, in the remote town of Eryndor, had heard tales of this competition from traveling bards and minstrels.Since Luth came from an Earl family in the Bluefeather Duchy, Talon guessed that this young noble might be more willing to answer his questions if he knew Talon was from a rival territory. He might even answer just to spite the Ironflower Duchy. Talon’s hunch proved correct."Hahaha," Luth laughed out loud. "I knew you must have been from that backward region when you didn’t even know what a Warrior was. Ironflower is truly the home of blockheads. No wonder."After satisfying his ego by insulting Talon’s hometown, he finally replied, "In the world, a Knight is neither high nor low. So, it is relat
The Aerindel family had ruled the Bluefeather Duchy for over 500 years. Duke Aerindel, a man of immense power and influence, stood as one of the most formidable figures on the continent. The duchy itself was renowned for its abundant gemstones, a high population of awakened wildlife, rich silver mines, and expertise in animal taming. It was a place steeped in history and adventure, one that Talon had heard many tales about, especially since Master Eobard's bloodline traced back to this region.As their caravan approached the outskirts of Bluefeather Duchy, a multitude of other caravans came into view, drawing the attention of Vaila. Her bright red eyes sparkled with curiosity as she watched the bustling activity around them.Every now and then, she peppered Talon with questions, which he answered with a patient smile.After fending off a goblin raid, the remainder of their journey had been remarkably peaceful. The caravan had managed to preserve their numbers, and apart from a few inj
“Argh!” The Wind Mage goblin screamed as one of its five enemies landed a strike on its back. It could feel the blood gushing out of the wound, feeling more tired after each injury. Waving its spear around haphazardly, it tried to retreat, but the five Talons didn’t give it a break. They rained down more and more attacks, leaving deep gashes and injuries on the goblin.The goblin kept retreating until it finally became too tired. Even the spear in its grasp felt as heavy as lead. It could barely lift it to fight, let alone swing it. Its raspy breath could be heard from behind its helmet.“Cowards!” it roared in goblin tongue, but the Talons only looked at it with amusement. This enraged the goblin. If it were to die, it would rather die in a glorious manner.“For the King!” the goblin roared as it rushed towards the Talons. It spent every ounce of energy left within it to swing the spear, but after being blocked a couple of times, one of the images caught the spear and thrust its swor
Goblins are among the most rampant monsters on the continent, well-known for their impressive breeding capabilities, though truly exceptional goblins were uncommon. However, some goblins manage to outshine the rest, becoming leaders to whom other goblins bow. For monsters, especially goblins, bowing to greater power isn't easy, indicating that every single goblin leader is Awakened.Talon had heard of Awakened monsters before, but he had never encountered them since the regions around Eryndor were too peaceful, and most monster-hunting quests he had joined didn't involve Awakened monsters. This was his first time seeing a group of monsters with not just one, but multiple Awakened among them. The leader was a monster that had attained a perfect awakening of its profession, making it very awe-inspiring.Talon rushed through the chaos, swinging his sword and shooting out mental pierce attacks simultaneously. Goblins fell left and right around him.The fight between Master Eobard and the
Talon’s shout was quickly followed by a roar from the trees. Small green men with elongated ears, half-dressed in leather, came running out of the forest with swords, spears, and clubs.“Goblin attack!” the leader of the escorts shouted while drawing his sword. The other adventurers sprung into action immediately.The convoy descended into chaos. Even Vaila woke up from her sleep, but since it was nighttime, she could hardly notice the true nature of their attackers; she could only make out their frames.“Talon, what’s happening?”“Stay in the cart,” he said, throwing a bundle of clothes over her.A familiar synthetic voice rang in Talon’s head, accompanied by a sky-blue translucent screen appearing in front of him again.---[Mission:— Kill at least 30 goblins. (0/30)— Kill the Goblin leader. (optional)Rewards:— 100 Coins per normal kill. 400 Coins per Awakened kill. 1000 Coins for the Goblin leader.— 1x Fortune Ticket.— 5 Karma]---A goblin jumped towards Talon with its short
Talon popped his head into the room through the small crack of the door, only to see a dozen eyes staring at him in fear. But when they realized it was Talon, he could almost hear them exhale the breath they had been holding. They all knew Talon; he was once an orphan here too. They just never expected to see him in the middle of the night. Since the orphans never left the orphanage, none of them knew about the news circulating around town that Talon had died during a mission. When Vaila saw that it was her sworn brother, she smiled and ran towards him. He opened the door and accepted her hug.“Where have you been?” she murmured, her voice shaking.Talon smiled and patted her head. He was glad she hadn’t heard about his apparent death yet. It would have been heartbreaking for her. After all, she was only thirteen and could barely take care of herself if he died.He broke off the hug and stared into her bright red eyes. “We can finally leave.”His words shocked her as she didn’t unders
Talon had been an orphan for as long as he could remember. His parents were unknown, and he was found on the doorstep of the Holy Mother Church’s orphanage when he was a baby. Growing up in the harsh nvironment of the orphanage, Talon was maltreated by the caretakers and often abused by the older children. This forced him to become self-reliant and strong-willed.During his time at the orphanage, Talon met Vaila, a young albino girl who quickly became a target for bullies as soon as she arrived. He remembered how weak and frail she had looked back then. Vaila was six years younger than Talon, and he soon took on the role of her guardian, beating up other kids who tried to bully her and giving her his share of food when there wasn’t enough.Later, Talon discovered that Vaila was afflicted with a strange disease that not only rendered her physically weak but also meant she wouldn’t live past sixteen years of age. He had heard stories and legends of magical elixirs and artifacts that cou
Talon didn’t reach Eryndor until the next day. Even with the Ring of Vitality keeping his stamina up, he still had to rest a couple of times. Thankfully, he didn’t encounter any threats during the journey. There was a good chance that Eren’s massive attacks had chased away all the predators within a kilometer radius, but he couldn't be sure.Eryndor was a large town protected by five-meter-tall stone walls. Guards patrolled the walls, and a few ballistas were mounted for defense. The town gate, made of oak wood, was only shut during bandit raids and at night. Since Talon arrived just before noon, the gates were still open. Outside the town, open fields stretched out, with farmers busy planting crops. Talon stood just behind the tree line, watching the farmers go about their business. After what happened to him, it would be foolish to appear openly in town. If anyone recognized him, the Verdant Brothers would soon hear about it, even if they weren’t currently in town.‘Risky, too risk