The morning after Alaric's promotion [E-Rank] was a bright, wind-kissed affair. Veldroth's stone-paved streets bustled with chatter and bootfalls, the clink of coin purses, and the clatter of wagon wheels over uneven flagstones.
Market stalls were alive with color—dyed fabrics, potions in glass vials, simple weapons hanging in rows. It was the kind of day the world seemed to lean forward, waiting for something to begin.
For Alaric, Aurevia, Cellione, and Serineth, it was the start of their first mission together.
***
Their first stop had been a small but well-known outfitter tucked between a blacksmith's forge and an herbalist's shack. The scent of oiled leather filled the air as they stepped inside.
"Welcome, welcome!"
The shopkeeper greeted, an older man with a bushy beard and eyes that flicked straight to the badges on their cloaks.
"Adventurers, eh? Freshly minted?"
Aurevia offered a curt nod.
"We're looking for gear. Functional. Lightweight."
The shopkeeper chuckled.
"That narrows it down to half the store. Let me show you something."
Cellione browsed with wide eyes, her fingers brushing over staff handles and mana-thread gloves. Serineth examined a grimoire pouch with reverence, the stitched glyphs catching her gaze like fireflies.
Alaric chose a sturdy travel robe with runic lining—discreet, but protective—and restocked his belt with smoke vial, just in case.
At one point, Serineth hesitated at a shimmering wand tip.
"Too much for your budget?"
Alaric asked softly, stepping beside her.
She nodded, then shrugged it off.
"I'll earn better eventually."
Without a word, he slid a few extra silvers onto the counter. The shopkeeper raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Serineth stared at him, whispering,
"You didn't have to…"
"I didn't. I wanted to."
Her thanks came as a quiet smile.
***
The Adventurers Association of Veldroth was modest compared to those in larger cities, but it stood proud. A two-story building of aged stone and timber.
Inside, the scent of ink, parchment, and steel filled the air. Quest boards lined the far wall, neatly divided by rank and region. Behind the main desk, a stern-eyed receptionist sorted mission slips. It seems Lirael wasn't here today.
They approached, and Aurevia handed over their identification tags.
"Looking for a first mission,"
She said.
"[E-Rank] Party. Four members."
The Rank of a party is generally determined by the rankof the leader. Since Alaric is now a full-fledged [E-Rank], naturally calling their party an [E-Rank] won't be a problem.
The receptionist's gaze lingered on Alaric a second longer than necessary—his golden eyes never failed to draw attention.
"I'd recommend a basic sweep mission. There've been sightings of [Rank-1] beasts near the Glimmerpine stretch. Forest wolves and Needlefang boars"
Alaric exchanged a look with the others.
"We'll take it."
The receptionist stamped the slip and handed it over.
"Return with proof of subjugation. Be careful. The forest's magic is unstable this time of year."
***
Outer Forest
By afternoon, the group stood at the edge of the Glimmerpine stretch, another section of the outskirts of Verdant Veil.
Where the trees shimmered with faint iridescence, their bark laced with mana threads that danced like veins beneath the surface.
Cellione adjusted her robes, her fingers trembling slightly.
"This is real. We're actually doing it."
"You'll be fine,"
Alaric said gently, scanning the treeline.
"Stay focused. Trust your training."
Aurevia stood beside him, arms crossed. Her sword remained sheathed.
"I'm only stepping in if something goes wrong."
The hunt began slowly—light footprints, claw marks in the soil, a tuft of fur snagged on a low branch.
Eventually, they found a small pack of forest wolves drinking from a brook, their eyes glowing faintly with mana.
"Ready your spells,"
Aurevia instructed.
"You cast first. We'll observe."
*****
✢═─༻༺═✢═─༻༺═✢
✶ I Reincarnated as an Extra ✶
✧ in a Reverse Harem World ✧
⊱ Eternal_Void_ ⊰
✢═─༻༺═✢═─༻༺═✢
*****
Cellione took a step forward, inhaling deeply. Her voice rang out:
"From the breath of the world, I call the burning thread. Ignite—Ember Spirel !"
A ring of fire spun outward from her staff, cutting through the air and slamming into one of the wolves. It yelped and scattered, the fire singeing its fur.
Serineth followed immediately, both hands raised as her voice danced with arcane cadence:
"By stillness born and shadow stirred, bind the path—Umbral Snare !"
Dark tendrils erupted from the earth, snagging another wolf's legs and holding it fast.
"They're good,"
Aurevia murmured.
Alaric nodded, though his gaze was keen.
"They are. But they're using long chants. That's dangerous in close combat.But atleast their training paid of."
It was common knowledge in Elarion: all mages begin with access to every element. Their magic is wild, unshaped—raw echoes of the world's seven divine threads. But as they rise in rank, their true elemental affinity awakens, chosen by their soul's alignment.
Fire, water, wind, earth, shadow, light, or aether. Rare tools could detect it early, but most couldn't afford such luxuries. Nor did they need to. Time revealed all.
Another wolf lunged for Cellione—too fast for her to chant again.
Alaric blurred into motion, a streak of gold and white. In a single step, he was there, intercepting the beast with a low sweep of his staff, knocking it aside. His foot pinned its neck. Calm. Efficient.
"Don't rush the next incantation,"
He said gently.
She nodded, breathing hard.
"I—I panicked."
"You adjusted. That's what matters."
Behind them, Serineth finished off her wolf with a piercing "Shard of Night" spell—sharp, black crystal lances that punctured the creature cleanly.
A moment of silence followed. The forest held its breath.
Then came Aurevia's voice.
"You've both passed."
***
They gathered the monster cores—small, pulsing gems harvested from within the beasts' chests. Proof of kill, and a valuable crafting resource.
As they walked back through the forest, Cellione whispered to Serineth,
"Did you feel that? The fire was... different this time. Warmer. Deeper."
Serineth replied,
"My shadows moved faster. Sharper."
Alaric smiled faintly behind them. Their affinities are beginning to stir.
As the sun began to set, dousing the treetops in golden fire, Alaric glanced toward the horizon.
This world had begun to unfold.
The sun wove golden strands through the dense leaves above, casting dappled light across the moss-covered earth.
A gentle breeze stirred the underbrush, carrying the sweet scent of damp earth and distant blossoms.
Alaric walked calmly at the front of the group, his short sword sheathed at his hip, hood shadowing the upper half of his face. Each step he took was light, silent, purposeful. Behind him followed his companions—
Aurevia, calm and steady; Cellione and Serineth, both slightly breathless with anticipation. Their packs were lightened, their new gear freshly purchased that morning in Veldroth.
It had taken them a full day to prepare. Leather armor, enchanted trinkets, basic potions, a map of the Verdant Veil's outer zones—
they had acquired everything an [E-Rank] party needed. The girls had deferred to Alaric in every decision, from the choice of boots to the threading of mana into their spell focuses. And now, here they were—on their first sanctioned monster hunt as a team.
"Remember,"
Alaric said without turning, his voice soft but absolute,
"this is not about brute strength. It's about control. Clarity. Harmony."
"Yes, Master,"
The three replied in unison.
***
Their prey emerged soon after—a pack of three Needlefang boars, small but vicious magical beasts with barbed tusks and erratic movement.
Alaric stepped aside, resting his back against a nearby tree as the boars snarled.
"Serineth. Cellione. Handle it. Aurevia, stand by. Intervene only if necessary."
"Yes, Master!"
The two mages responded, taking their positions.
They spread out slightly, not too far to break their line of sight, but enough to avoid overlap in spell range. Then came the incantations—long, melodic, echoing faintly with the rhythm of Verdant Veil itself.
Serineth raised her hand, tracing glowing runes in the air as her eyes glowed soft green.
"By root and sky, through pulse of growth—Verdance heed my will! Floraspina: Thornbind Lash !"
From the ground, vines surged upward, tipped with thorny blossoms, and lashed toward the nearest boar, halting it mid-charge.
Cellione followed, her voice steadier now, threading cold through the clearing:
"From slumbering mist and chill of breath, I summon stillness—Frigoris: Spear of Ice !"
A sharp lance of ice spiraled from her palm and impaled the restrained boar with a clean, muffled thud.
The second and third boars darted forward.
"Synchronize!"
Alaric called.
They adjusted instinctively—Cellione stepped left, Serineth right. The second boar lunged at Serineth, but a burst of wind knocked it off course—
Aurevia had deflected it with the flat of her blade, still standing guard without breaking posture.
The fight ended quickly. The last boar fell to a joint-cast spell—ice and thorn binding it into stillness before a single flame burst ended its life.
***
Qfter dealing with the boars, they stored the corpses in their spatial pouches. Suddenly-
"Master,"
Cellione said, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek,
"how will we know our affinity?"
"In time,"
Alaric said simply.
"Your true element will respond to your soul when you're ready. Until then, the world remains open to you. Every element—fire, water, wind, stone, light, shadow, even time—is accessible. But as you rise… the one that belongs to you will call louder."
Serineth nodded slowly. Although Alaric said that like a wise Master teaching his ignorant disciple, in truth he learned about these things only few days ago.
After he got promoted to [E-Rank] and got access to the Association's Library. Nobody knew that. Alaric needs to have some dignity as their master.
"But there's no way to know early?"
"There are tools,"
Aurevia said,
"like elemental mirrors or resonance crystals. But they're rare. Veldroth doesn't have them. And few can afford them."
Alaric's voice deepened slightly, filled with calm assurance.
"Do not be in a rush. Your power is already unfolding."
As they were chatting,
Suddenly, a deep rustle tore through the trees. The air changed—thicker, charged.
A hulking beast stepped into the clearing, covered in bark-plated fur, its six glowing eyes oozing sap-like mana. A Verdant Mawbear. A [Rank-] monster of the Outer Forest.
Which is rare. And even rare that their this far from the border of the Inner Forest, which the [Rank-2] of outer forest are generally found.
Cellione stepped back instinctively.
"That… that's not a boar."
"No,"
Alaric said calmly, placing a hand on her shoulder and gently guiding her behind him.
"That's a creature from the border Inner Forest. A [Rank-2] stray."
"Master—"
Serineth started.
Alaric didn't draw his blade. He looked to Aurevia.
"Handle it. Don't let it be damaged too much. I want the core intact."
"Yes, Master."
She stepped forward with unhurried grace, drawing her blade from its sheath in a single whisper of steel. The bear roared and charged.
Aurevia did not flinch.
She whispered a single phrase—
" Second Style: Gleaming Split."
And in the next moment, the Mawbear was in two clean halves, its body never even touching the ground before the life faded from its eyes.
A soft thud. A silence. And then the forest exhaled again.
Aurevia wiped her blade on a cloth and bowed slightly.
"It is done, Master."
"Good work,"
Alaric replied.
***
The sun dipped behind the ironstone walls of Veldroth, its spires casting long shadows over wide avenues bustling with merchant wagons, armored patrols, and cloaked adventurers.
Even after nightfall, the city—the second-largest and second-strongest within the Kingdom of Velmora—never truly slept.
Its fame as a frontier stronghold beside the Verdant Veil made it a nexus of commerce, magic, and monster-hunting.
Alaric walked calmly through the eastern gate, his hood drawn low, his three followers a step behind. Their presence turned heads.
The guards recognized them and stood straighter. None dared ask questions.
Their spatial pouches were laden with monster corpses and refined materials. Even the [Rank-2] Mawbear—a beast that could devastate a common patrol—had been slain, its core and hide intact.
Their first stop was the Adventurer's Association, housed in a grand stone building draped in red banners. Inside, chandeliers of everlight crystal shimmered above marble counters and organized queues.
A senior clerk personally attended them.
"A full Mawbear heart, seven Needlefang tusks, intact Razor-Tuft pelt..." the man muttered, eyes scanning over the table in awe.
"Submit them under my name,"
Alaric said softly, placing his proof token on the counter.
The man bowed.
"Understood, Master Aurelian. It will be processed immediately."
With a glance, Alaric turned. Aurevia was already speaking to the quartermaster in a corner, exchanging precise counts, rarities, and bonus appraisals.
An Adventurer can sell their loot to the Adventurers Association or to some other merchants they fit or have signed a contract with. They can just provide the proof of their Misson completion and take the rest of the loot with them.
It possess no problem. Rather it is a common practice among Adventurers nowadays.
They didn't linger. From there, they walked westward through the merchant district, a bustling maze of well-lit shops, artifact traders, and guild stalls.
At the end of a quiet street stood a sleek stone building marked with a silver leaf over a black circle—the personal merchant firm Alaric had discreetly contracted months ago.
The merchant awaiting them inside bowed until his forehead nearly touched the counter.
"Master Alaric. Valuation chamber is ready."
They laid out the excess: alchemical glands, rare claws, even the Mawbear liver—materials not needed for submission but too valuable to waste. Alaric watched the initial count, nodded once, then left Aurevia to handle the rest. They earned quite some from the loot.
Enough to buy a spatial ring. More convenient and with more space, but equally expensive. A staggering 10,000 gold coin. He will think of that later . His mind is occupied with something else right now.
***
Night settled over the highlands as they returned to their house.
Alaric entered first, pulling off his gloves, his expression pensive. He removed his short sword from its sheath and rested it on the wall beside the entrance, the runes on its blade pulsing faintly in the candlelight.
The others followed silently. Even Serineth, normally the most expressive, hesitated.
Eventually, she stepped forward, concern soft in her voice.
"Master… you've been quiet. Is something wrong?"
Alaric didn't answer right away. He turned to the window, gazing at the distant silhouette of Verdant Veil beyond the silver-lit fields.
"No,"
He said finally,
"but there's something I want to test tomorrow."
He turned toward her, his golden eyes sharp but unreadable.
"You and Cellione should rest well tonight. It will be a… hectic day for the two of you."
Serineth blinked, uncertain whether to feel apprehensive or excited.
"As you wish, Master."
She bowed gently, but before she left, her eyes lingered on him for a moment longer.
After they left Alaric stayed their for few moments before going to his bedroom. He took a shower and felt refreshed.
And then went to bed. But he couldn't sleep because certain thoughts were keeping him awake. And until the didn't get his curiosity quenched, it seems like sleep will be a luxury for him tonight.
-To Be Continued