In the middle of a green land stretched a long road, a path that rose and fell with the terrain it crossed. The sun was shining brightly, and birds stood on the branches of trees from which a few fruits had fallen. But unlike the other fallen fruits, a red apple rolled forward, tumbling down the hill where its mother tree stood.
The apple left the hill and kept rolling and falling until it hit a fuzzy, orange-colored head. It was fur—fur spread all over the head, with some patches of white, and pointed ears at the top, also covered in fur. Its long mouth extended with the shape of its nose, as the figure lay under the shade of a tree, staring up at the sky with yellow eyes. He wore a leather armor and was clearly a male foxen, Ponier.
"Wow, looks like the trip to Yavan is going to be full of good luck. Look, an apple fell on my head from the sky!" Ponier exclaimed, holding the apple that had hit him.
"An apple from the sky? Oooh, eat it, eat it now! And don't think about anything… don't you dare start thinking about why it fell or anything like that!" said a young man with white hair in a slightly raised voice. It was Laos, and it seemed they were resting beside a cart whose horses had fallen asleep.
Damn it! I don't want Staria to end up messed up like my old world. Gravity… then physics—all of it started because of a fucking apple. No, it wasn't the apple, it was that bastard Newton. Fuck you! I can't imagine schools like ours showing up in Staria too. This world is my dream, so there's no way I'm letting dumb science take over a beautiful place like Staria. Sure, there'll be some sciences here, but they won't be as ugly as in my previous world. Technology? Physics? Math? Fuck you!
"What? Why are you talking like that?" Ponier replied, confused. God, I sound like a complete dumbass.
"What? I just told you to eat it without overthinking."
"Oh… okay," he mumbled, taking a big bite of the apple.
Alright, it's been a while since we set out, and I heard the forests of Yavan are close, so we'll be there soon. The road's been quiet—no bandits or goblins like I expected. But it looks like this road isn't just some empty area. It's active, and there are a lot of carriages heading to Yavan too. We would've been one of them if these fucking horses hadn't decided to suddenly fall asleep.
Yavan… Wyverns… and the sleeping dragon. What a dangerous place. We don't even have a single clue about the boss we'll face. We're heading to Yavan completely blind. I think this is going to be dangerous. I mean, what if we go too deep and suddenly find ourselves surrounded by wyverns… but that's not what scares me right now. Wyverns, huh? Awesome. This world is becoming more and more like something out of a fantasy novel. Come on, who would've thought I'd ever see a wyvern in my life? I bet those bastards haven't seen any either, even though they're supposed to be heroes living in battle.
Speaking of those fuckers, I guess their lives are pretty hard. All they see is the battlefield—blood, corpses, and tons of demons. But I don't pity them… Yeah, my hatred still burns. It's like a flame that flares up whenever it starts to go out. Fuck them. They get legendary classes while I get NPC?!
God, what am I even saying? What nonsense. I'm such a hypocrite. No, no—it's actually good that I got the NPC class. That's good luck... I mean, unlike me, they're going through trauma and deadly battles… Wait, unlike me? I've gone through trauma and almost died in fights too. Actually, they get valuable rewards as compensation while I get one Nova and a random number of those fucking Bils.
Maybe their lives are better than mine. No—no maybe. They are better. They're living way better lives than this. I'd never turn down the chance to live their life. I'd live an amazing life—fight during the day, end it with my personal harem at night. Yeah. But still, this life isn't bad either. I'm still a beginner at fighting, and I have no real experience. So this is my deserved path for now... Funny how I seem all mature and content with that. Yeah, that's how I should be. I should accept what I have and not be greedy.
"Alright, we're moving," the driver said once his horses finally woke up.
"Here we go," Ponier echoed, standing up.
After that, we climbed into the cart along with the other four adventurers, and it took off again. What boring silence. God, I hate this kind of dullness. If those four weren't here, I'd be talking to Ponier, but since they are, all we can do is sit quietly and wait to reach Yavan. Looks like I'll have to kill some time talking with Thalesa… psst, Thalesa.
"What is it? You want to waste time on me like you did this morning?"
"Well, what else can I do? There's no one else to talk to," I replied.
"But you weren't talking before. The old Laos would've stayed silent until arrival."
"Oh really… yeah, yeah, I've noticed that too. I'm changing."
"Good. You really remind me of Gaziel, you know. There's a resemblance between you two—but he's still better than you."
"Gaziel… oh right, I remember! Yeah, I remember!"
"What? Remember what?"
"Yeah yeah, I remember! Yes!" I said, trying to annoy her.
"What are you even talking about?" Thalesa shouted. Looks like I failed to annoy her.
"Even the tavern owner told me I look like Gaziel. Do you know her? Her name is Fiona," I asked, hoping deeply for an answer. I really wanted Thalesa to know her.
"..."
"Fiona... is her hair pink?" I asked.
"No, it's orange."
"..."
"Great..." Thalesa replied with a trembling voice.
"What? What is it?" I asked in confusion. After that, silence spread, and Thalesa didn't speak.
"Hey... Thalesa, are you crying?"
"Yes..." she muttered.
"Damn! What's going on? What's Fiona's story?" I said. Man, this suspense is killing me.
"Alright, Laos. When Gaziel met me, he was already an adventurer. I traveled with him through many areas of the kingdom until we reached Iveleth. That's where we met two girls, Fiona and Barbara. I got to know them too. They were both very sweet girls. We formed a party and adventured together for a long time... Those were the best moments of my life."
"So you were a party."
"But it's not like that, Laos. The woman at the tavern isn't Fiona, she's Barbara."
"Huh?"
"Fiona had pink hair, and Barbara had orange hair. Okay, years ago, while we were a party, Fiona was such a sweet and extremely feminine girl, and Barbara would protect her with her life. They were childhood friends. Over time, we found out Fiona felt happy when she made people happy. Then she discovered she enjoyed shouting in a crowded tavern, 'Beer's on me!' because it made everyone happy."
"Eventually, Fiona started doing it more and more—so much that she'd go broke at times. After that, her dream became to build her own tavern, where she could keep making people happy with tasty beer. All out of her desire to bring joy to others. Honestly, Gaziel and I always made fun of her, saying her dream was childish and silly. But one person always stood by her and defended her—Barbara. Their relationship wasn't just that of two friends. They were like sisters. Barbara would protect Fiona with her life. They were inseparable—only death could part them."
"One day, in the forests of Yavan, we were attacked by a highly evolved wyvern. It was a Tier 9 monster. The four of us fought with everything we had, and in the end, Gaziel managed to kill it after Fiona sacrificed her life to save Barbara. That was the day we lost a party member. Gaziel sank into a deep depression and left Iveleth. He never returned to Iveleth or Yavan since."
"So Barbara built a tavern and named it after her friend, and people started calling her Fiona... But haven't you seen her before?" I asked, thinking about the story.
"You idiot. You kept asking me to sleep every time you were in the tavern. And besides, I've never seen her even once."
"Oh... seems like I brought back bad memories," I muttered.
"Yes. You did," Thalesa replied bluntly. God, she didn't even say, 'It's okay.'
"By the way, what rank was Gaziel?"
"Platinum... and Barbara was Ruby rank. She fought with a hammer. Her nickname was Hammer Bearer. Fiona was Silver rank and could cast spells, but only gray magic," Thalesa answered.
"Gaziel... fuck him. I hope worse things happen to him. He lost a party member, then his wife, and I hope he loses that filthy daughter of his too. Ugh, I hate him. I hope Deryal kills him!"
After that, Thalesa went silent and didn't want to talk anymore. Man, I'm certain of it now—Thalesa still loves Gaziel. She always changes whenever I talk badly about him. And now I realize… those weak Water Slashes—was she holding back on purpose? Was she trying to kill me?! Oh my god, I can't even trust my own power system. Damn it! I just hope she changes and starts liking me more than Gaziel. And to make that happen... I'll have to prove I'm better than him!
◆ ◆ ◆
"Forests of Yavan"—this was the title engraved on a sign at the top of a tall, proud wooden gate. Behind that gate stretched countless trees. Trees that blanketed the land. It was clearly a network of forests connected to each other, stretching out endlessly, and massive. This was the Forests of Yavan, Laos' next destination. And it looked like they had finally arrived, their cart stopping in front of Yavan's gate.
"Yooh! We're here!" I shouted with excitement as I hopped off the carriage.
"Forests of Yavan... is this your first time here?" Ponier asked as he got off too.
"Yeah. What about you?"
"I've been here before. So this is my second time."
So, we arrived in Yavan. And wow—what a beautiful place. I haven't even stepped inside yet, but just seeing it made a wave of joy rush over me. Its trees were pure, with green leaves—not like other trees with random colors. These were truly green. Pure green. With clean, brown wood. Even the ground was grassy, with blooming flowers scattered here and there.
As we moved forward, we saw two guards just like in Iveleth. But they weren't humans. They were... what were they called again? Dryads—yeah. Their skin had a greenish tint, and their eyes were yellowish-green. I won't forget their hair, with plants growing from it. They stood tall, holding long spears. God, if only the people here were elves, I'd be overwhelmed with nostalgia.
"Identification, please," one of the guards said.
We showed them our guild ID cards and entered the forest. Oh... my... GOSH! The place was stunning. There were some round houses—gorgeous homes. Like hobbit houses. Covered in plants with round doors and windows. The place was quiet, filled with trees. What a beautiful place.
"This forest belongs to the capital, right?" I asked as I admired the beauty surrounding me.
"Yes," Ponier repeated.
After that, I began to see the people around us. Most of them were dryads, with a few other adventurers from various races. Oh, it's a walking cow! Amazing! What race is that? Apart from these many different races, the dryads were the most prevalent. Some of them had pointed ears like elves, while the rest had regular ears. What a strange race. I'd heard about them before in Mana series, but I never expected to see them here.
After a while, as we continued walking, I nearly bumped into one of the trees. Damn, there are so many of these fucking trees, it's unbelievable. These woods are so dense. How are we supposed to fight here when even moving is tough? I hope there are some open areas without these annoying trees... But still, the place is breathtaking and so fantastical.
"So you want to kill a boss from tier 4 or above," Ponier said.
"Yeah," I replied.
"Hmm... actually, I have no idea. So, let's rent a room first."
Ponier moved ahead, and it seemed like he knew where a tavern was. So, I followed him, and we continued walking among the dryads. Their women had beautiful bodies, but would there be plants in their pussies? Damn, I really want to know the answer. Finally, we reached the tavern. It was like the other houses, but a bit larger, filled with plants, and had a round door.
The door was open, so we quickly entered. Unlike Fiona's tavern... or was it Barbara's? Anyway, unlike hers, this place was quiet, with only soft conversations and the sound of cups being placed on tables. What a peaceful and beautiful place. Ponier went to the order desk, and the tavern was crowded with waitresses. Some were beautiful female dryads, and others were female demi-humans.
At the desk was a dryad girl with long green hair, flowers blooming in it, and two branches at the top of her head, resembling horns. When I turned, I saw the people sitting around. Most of them were dryads, but there were a few adventurers from other races. Damn, there are so many adventurers here!
"Excuse me, I'd like to rent a room," Ponier said to the dryad standing in front of him.
"Of course, one nova and twenty bils for the night," she said with a gentle smile. She was much better than Fio—Barbara, for sure.
"One nova and twenty bils? That's a lot compared to Iveleth," I suddenly remarked.
"Yes, because this isn't Iveleth," the beautiful dryad whispered to me. How embarrassing.
"Alright, we'll rent one," Ponier said as he handed her the money.
After that, Ponier turned to me, placed his hand on my shoulder, and looked at me seriously. His yellow eyes, the scars on his face, his gaze was intense, a look I hadn't seen before. He moved forward a little and then said as he made his way to the exit: "Let's get serious!" It seemed like he was trying to hype me up. He doesn't know that the fire inside me has never died down since the Daemon battle. Yes, let's begin! Although this place is stunning, and one of the most beautiful I've ever seen in my life, it will never go beyond being a place to exploit... to gain power!