Caster waited for the next day before he stepped out. Although he had slayed many monsters and demons, he didn’t get much of a reward at that. His armor was even getting cut to a hit. And his sword was broken. He didn’t want to use the Nether Iron as a weapon to avoid getting noticed again.As he was angry, Caster moved towards the signpost, his eyes glancing through for any search party or mission to complete so he could make some income in this realm.'What’s going on? There’s not even a single Monster notice. Did I get them all? Maybe they ran away deeper into the forest?'Caster was known as the Monster Slayer for a reason; he had cleared out a good number of monster hideouts in the past three months. He mostly used hit-and-run tactics to lure a small group out for slaughter. He used some of the taller trees as coy and also used some dark forests to his advantage. Caster also used the points he had gotten from killing the monsters and demons to level up some of his basic skills
A giant snake lingered in a dimly lit stone corridor, snacking on some rotten meat. It seemed like a dead pig. In an instant, the giant snake got up as it felt something had intruded into its space.Suddenly, the snake lifted its head and let out a high-pitched wail, sensing something in the distance."Mana arrow!"Before the creature could react, a blue arrow of energy pierced it, exiting through the other side and dissipating into the wall. A group of four adventurers approached.Leading the way was a large, muscular man with brownish skin, his body resembling a chiseled marble statue. Despite his minimal armor, his prominent muscles, especially his abs, were striking.Beside him, a white-haired man with pointy wolf ears and a bushy tail wielded two long daggers. He was much shorter than the muscular man, making him stand out.Following them was a redhead in brown leather armor with a bow slung over his shoulder, along with the shortest member, a young boy named Caster, who had brown
Caster noticed several coins scattered on the table. A quick calculation told him they added up to more than 150, which was more than the value of a large silver coin.He then watched the bartender swiftly pocket the coins, leaving behind three large pitchers filled with a mysterious brew. The table was already cluttered with various half-empty bottles."What’s the holdup, Caster? Start drinking!"Elvis shouted, seizing one of the pitchers and drinking straight from it. Caster, unsure about the contents of the drink, observed as the robust woman took a swig, the liquid spilling down her chin onto the table. Despite spending several weeks with these men, he was still amazed by their drinking habits. They were celebrating his successful trial period and gearing up for a deeper dungeon expedition."Isn’t it inappropriate to bring a minor here?"Caster's eyes narrowed as he looked at the group. Although he possessed the wisdom of someone older, he appeared to be only seventeen. His comp
Caster’s spell hit a boar, wounding it. Despite his aim being off, the group quickly defeated the creature. Feeling confident, they moved to the second level, greeted by a large gate and wide stairs.“Want to hear something interesting, Caster?”Caster nodded at Salvador while they descended. The movement seemed to ease his discomfort.“For some reason, monsters can’t enter these stairs. If you ever need to escape, head here and wait for us.”Caster nodded, noting the corridor lit by seemingly magical torches. The second level resembled the first but had a higher chance of encountering multiple monsters at once.“This floor is like the first, but with more frequent monster appearances.”Caster noticed Andem raising his hand, signaling the party to stop and ready their weapons. Andem sniffed the air, pointing to a tree.“Two, one there... and one over there…”Caleb nodded and directed Caster to the left. Caster chanted his spell, targeting the right-side enemy. He saw something green a
Caster felt his adventure slowly winding down after nearly half a year. He had reached his level cap. His adventurer party ventured to the third floor of the dungeon but decided to stop there as the demon attacks became more vicious and troublesome. The variety of demons increased, demanding new defensive tactics since their old strategies no longer worked.The toughest demons on that level were the Dragbears—creatures with gorilla-like bodies and boar heads. Caster finally saw Elvis's large magical hammer in action. The hammer's magic activated with mana, causing a small explosion on impact. When timed well, it could instantly kill a Dragbear in one hit or at least incapacitate it. However, the hammer required a lot of mana, which a warrior like Elvis didn't have in abundance.Caster thought that a weapon like that was situational and needed to make every hit count unless someone had enough mana to use it constantly.Sitting in his rented room, Caster was lost in thought. The ca
He had gotten used to the gruel served at the inn. The bartender, George, had started improving the recipe and even offered him free water to wash it down."Heading out early in the morning, boy?" George asked.Caster nodded. "Something like that. I have to visit the Westwoods. I’ll most definitely get back in about five or six hours."George nodded while cleaning up. Caster passed by the gate guards, who knew him well by now and nodded back. He saw some carriages lined up at the entrance and walked past them, heading to the log cabin in the woods.Unbeknownst to him, a certain person was watching. The figure passed the gate guards and watched from afar as Caster disappeared into the distance. The person clenched his fist, deliberating something, then left soon after.'Should I run there? My sprinting abilities leveled up past the basic ones.'He thought for a moment, then chose to walk despite feeling lazy. He figured he could reach his destination within an hour. His skills had impr
The next day, Caster rose early and made sure to eat breakfast before heading out. He had grown accustomed to the inn's gruel, and the bartender had even started improving the recipe. George, the older man who ran the inn with his wife, Sarah, offered him free water to wash it down."Heading out early, boy?" George asked."Yeah, I need to visit the west woods for something. I’ll be back in a few hours," Caster replied.George nodded while cleaning up, and Caster headed out. The gate guards, familiar with him by now, gave him a nod as he passed. He noticed some carriages lined up at the entrance and walked past them, making his way to the log cabin in the woods.Unbeknownst to him, someone was watching. The figure slipped past the gate guards and observed from a distance as Caster disappeared into the woods. Clenching his fist, the person deliberated for a moment before leaving shortly after."Should I run there?" Caster thought. "My sprinting abilities have all leveled up past the ba
The two figures faced each other. One was a boy not even eleven years old, and the other was a tall man with long, unkempt chestnut brown hair and a bushy beard that hadn't seen a trim in months. His bloodshot eyes told tales of sleepless nights."Wait, are you the one the Barren sent to hunt me down? He never asked you to kill me, did he?" Caster's eyes widened in realization.The man furrowed his brows, straightening slightly as he swung a throwing knife between his fingers."Nice. I can see that you have already figured it out. It doesn't matter, right? No one has to know what happens. There are plenty of dangerous beasts in this forest," he said, stepping closer.Caster backed away, understanding the man's intention. Despite his original orders, the man wanted him dead."Are you out of your mind? Killing a noble's son? Even if I'm in an unknown land, I'm still a noble! You'll pay for this!" Caster shouted, desperation in his voice.Killing nobles was a grave offense. Any commoner
Caster was mature enough to see the world as it was. He understood that most younger folk saw it through a lens of hope and ambition, their dreams of treasure and fame setting them apart from his more grounded approach. Some were from humble beginnings: sons and daughters of farmers; young people from families that were better off but that had fallen on hard times and now were boy or girl determined to claw back some of that perceived lost respect, no matter the price."My jaw twisted into a small smirk as I imagined their wide eyes and wide, baseless plans and all they think is, ‘Get some gold, a shiny sword, you’ll be a hero.’" It was the same story, time and again: things that were often only dreams, rarely aligning with reality.Lowfield had been a deliberate choice despite what she had become. Knowing full well it wouldn’t be clear, he took the fast route but he took the fast route. The road taught him about its steep hills, its rocky passages and on occasion, the unfriendly tra
The early morning breeze bit into the cloak and the underdress at Caster’s shoulders as he walked the narrow cobblestone path into Lowfield. Today he had gotten rid of his imposing helmet and heavy armor. Dawn's fresh smell of its own earth together mingling with the familiar taste of his workshop on his clothes. He wasn’t hiding his identity, or painful silence had been left behind, today. Today was about remembering the life that kept breathing after his magesmith-tools stopped.The caravan had added liveliness to the town which reminded me of festival time, the town was waking up. Some of the faces settling onboard Caster recognised—newcomers amongst the adventurers. With fresh ambitions and none of the resolve yet tested, they walked on their own journey wide eyed and reminded him of the person he used to be. He watched the newcomers with a kind of quiet amusement, catching snippets of eager chatter about dungeons and imagined battles, bravado thick in the air.A young man, prob
Casting his small treaty of provisions, a load of stale bread crusts, some wrinkled fruits, and a hard wedge of cheese that once lived on a more hospitable broke surviving clunk to clunk. He made a gagging noise as he peered at the dried meat again and poked it with distaste. "Wouldn't it kill the fates to give me a real meal?" Just once. Something hot, even." He sneaked a look over at where a stove should be, the ones that made his mouth water when a hearty stew bubbled away. For a moment he smirked, "No stove yet … maybe I could conjure a magical pan up." "Oil might be asking for a miracle."Peering out the window he squinted at the city in the early light. Carts creaked along cobbled paths and vendors hawked fresh fish and newly baked bread in the place I had walked into, even now. He’d done a lot with the house in the week that he’d been there, turning it into something livable, barely. "What the hell?' he murmured, 'Doors actually close now' he concluded feeling a bit more proud
Caster adjusted his grip and took a close look at his work, scrutinizing every line and angle of the newly crafted weapon handle. The wood was tough but carefully sanded, bearing faint, meticulous patterns he had engraved over hours of work. "Alright," he muttered, almost to himself. "Let's see if this holds up."He lowered his gaze to the small, rough-edged mana stone beside him. Its surface shimmered faintly, a testament to the raw energy that pulsed within it. With precision, he made a tiny opening at the base of the handle, using one of his tools to keep the gap just wide enough for the stone to fit snugly. Holding his breath, Caster slid the stone into place, his hand steady even as he felt the twinge of nervousness in his gut. One wrong move, one crack, and the handle would split, and the entire effort would be wasted. He exhaled, the pressure off his shoulders as the stone was secure. He picked up a little hammer and taps the opening closed, sealing the stone.Caster was co
Caster’s gaze shifted between his rough tools and the iron-cast walls around him. The dim, flickering light from a lone torch cast dancing shadows on his workbench, where the worn mace lay, waiting. Each scuff and nick in the wood handle held a tale of its own; it wasn’t just a tool but a companion, a weapon that had been through as much as he had. And here he was, weighing its life and usefulness like a weary healer judging the last pulse of an old patient.He ran his hand over the handle one last time, tracing the grains and grooves with a practiced eye. “Adding a stone’s one thing,” he muttered. “But what it needs is stability.” His fingers slid to a small crack, an old fracture that hadn’t yet spread but threatened to. “If that widens… this thing’s done.”His hands worked without thought, reaching into the assortment of stones, metals, and powders he had scavenged over time. His fingers found a small, rough mana stone, and he rolled it between his fingers, feeling its faint warm
Caster knocked metal hard on metal, the sound reverberating in the almost pitch black workshop. With every hook an aura of magical energy was discharged providing brief glimpses of light on the roughly completed stone walls. It smelled of hot metal and a low, tense buzz, which seemed to say that the room itself had tensed to watch him.Caster, still young but hardened by the trials of his craft, stood poised over his latest project: a shield, its shape still raw but which is already starting to look graceful. Though not tall and still somewhat thin, he seemed to possess good illating strength, every punch he landed being calculated. Each movement was accompanied by complex magical ripples, which Indragni had seen on the surface of the shield before a layer of runes he more or less sketched with great detail. In addition to a frown a look of intense concentration took over his face only to be interrupted the occasional lean back to examine the painting.After several more strikes, he
Caster climbed the winding stone stairs leading upward from the basement of Lamba fortress as the red rays of the morning sun spread across Lowfield. He sighed as he breathed in the crisp morning air and hours spent wading through dim and damp caverns had taken a toll on him. The bustle outside was a stark contrast to the quiet gloom below. Merchants, hawkers, and small-time dealers filled the open area, all eager to cater to the steady stream of adventurers drawn to the dungeon.“Potion for mana, sir?” called a nearby merchant, brandishing a small flask that shimmered faintly in the sunlight. Clearly, the man wasn’t going to miss any opportunity to sell.He gave her the distinct pleasure of a faint smile and a polite shake of his head. “Not today, but thanks.” The merchant glanced up as he passed saying “As he passed his gaze fell on a young boy standing beside the merchant with his hands outstretched each palm held small stones of different colors.”“Lucky charms,” the boy put out
Caster climbed the winding stairs stone leading upward from the basement of Lamba fortress as the red rays of the morning sun spread across Lowfield. He sighed as he breathed in the crisp morning air and hours spent wading through dim and damp caverns has taken a toll on him. The bustle outside was a stark contrast to the quiet gloom below. Merchants, hawkers, and small-time dealers filled the open area, all eager to cater to the steady stream of adventurers drawn to the dungeon.“Potion for mana, sir?” called a nearby merchant, brandishing a small flask that shimmered faintly in the sunlight. Clearly, the man wasn’t going to miss any opportunity to sell.He gave her the distinct pleasure of a faint smile and a polite shake of his head. “Not today, but thanks.” The merchant glanced up as he passed saying “As he passed his gaze fell on a young boy standing beside the merchant with his hands outstretched each palm held small stones of different colors.”“Lucky charms,” the boy put out
Caster met them along the way quite often, which slowed down his progress. As he fought, he had to wait for them to finish before he could move on. “Hey, Caster! Need a hand?” one adventurer called out, swinging a sword at a monster.“No thanks! I’m good,” Caster replied, keeping his eyes on the battle ahead. He knew he could be accused of stealing if he forced his way through. Caster wished to avoid conflict with others, at least for now. He didn’t want to risk incurring their wrath or losing potential allies. “Once I get a silver-grade card, things will be different,” he thought. With higher levels, prestige wouldn’t be far behind, and the dynamics of encounters would shift dramatically.The level wasn’t that large; if someone knew the way, they could stroll past most dangers and quickly descend to the second level. Caster recalled hearing about hidden paths that only seasoned adventurers were aware of. These shortcuts could be the difference between life and death, especially dee