Déon, as he did every morning for the past three years, had just finished his morning run.
He was sixteen years old, and in four years, many things had changed. Déon was now so well-built that one could mistake him for a warrior. Since that fateful day when his father had explained to him the forgotten Sword of Truth technique, he had devoted himself to training religiously, but he still had not reached the first stage.
It was worthy of a technique created by someone suspected of being in the SS rank. However, even if he had not yet reached the first stage, he had already fully mastered the basics of the sword and could fight using it.
As for the archery technique, he had learned the first movement in barely a year after beginning his training. If he had not yet mastered the entire technique, it was because he had not yet awakened his aura. His stats had also progressed quite a bit but had not yet reached the pinnacle of rank F.
Usually, Nox left very early — the role he played in the village was no small one. But for some reason, he was late.
"Oh Déon, there you are, I was waiting for you. Here," he said, handing him a paper with a list of magical creatures on it.
On the list his father had given him, there were a total of four creatures. And the task he was being asked to perform was not that simple. He had to capture some alive and kill others.
"Hmmm," sighed Déon as he looked at the list.
"Don't worry, the magical creatures you have to kill are all corrupted; they threaten not only the ecosystem but also our village. Their elimination is essential for the well-being of everyone. As for the others, just take some of their blood after capturing them, then release them," Nox explained before tossing him a few vials.
"These vials are for collecting the creatures' blood…" guessed Déon, looking at them.
"That's right. You have one week to accomplish this task. If you feel you can't do it, then give up. But know that simply carrying out this mission might open your eyes. I almost forgot—above all, do not go to the middle of the forest; it could become dangerous," commented Nox before leaving.
"Open my eyes? Not go to the middle of the forest?" He wondered what his father meant by that. His father intrigued him. He was the chief of the village, but Déon did not really know what he did. Despite being surrounded by a dangerous forest, the village was far too peaceful. Rare were the times he had heard of anyone leaving the village in the past two years.
Aside from the coming-of-age ceremony, where the newly matured had to venture outside the village, the place was too self-sufficient. Not wanting to be too curious, he stopped dwelling on the matter.
Although the deadline given to him was a week, he wanted to prove himself. Déon wanted to know if he was strong or not, and the only way to know was by facing creatures.
He had planned to stop by the library to ask Madame Jeanne for some advice, but in the end, he chose not to go. Over the past three years, he had grown close to Madame Jeanne. She had taught him quite a few things, and naturally, they had bonded.
But he knew that if he went to see her, she would tell him to prepare more, likely give him a ton of advice he already knew, and perhaps even inform his mother. Déon's mother and Jeanne were so close that one could think they were from the same family.
After taking a bow and arrows from the barn, Déon grabbed the sword his father had given him on his fifteenth birthday, a few portions prepared by his mother, stored them in his dimensional ring, and headed toward the forest.
Half an hour later, Déon was already in the forest. He could sense presences all around. It was the first time he was using his skill in hostile terrain. On the list his father had given him, it was written that he had to capture a golden rabbit, a silver fox, and kill a giant scorpion and a corrupted hydra lurking near the village.
None of the monsters exceeded level E. Not long after entering, Déon soon found himself facing a golden rabbit — a creature with exceptional agility.
It took him a lot of time, but he finally caught the golden rabbit. He was so proud of himself; his first hunt was a success.
[ Ding! ]
[ Your agility increases by +1 ]
[ Your endurance increases by +1 ]
The system was sending him level-up notifications when suddenly, Déon was sent flying by a tail strike that hurled him dozens of meters away.
Déon had felt the threat coming and had reacted in time. Yet, he had not been able to completely dodge the blow because of his rather low agility stat. Looking up, he saw the creature responsible for his broken ribs — a corrupted hydra.
The creature was covered in black scales, with crimson eyes, and measured about seven meters in length. Déon, who had been eager to hunt and live an epic adventure, now that he had a taste of what he longed for so much, felt his heart pounding wildly — and all he wanted was to run.
Thinking of running was one thing, but actually escaping was another. Could he even get away from such a creature?
"I don't want to die. No. I'm not going to die here."
Clearing his thoughts, he began running toward the center of the forest. He had no other choice; he didn't want to put the entire village in danger. At the moment, it was the most reasonable decision.
The corrupted hydra had launched after him, spewing poison that melted trees on either side. At first glance, this creature exceeded rank F. This was not something he could handle at his current level. If he was still alive, it was only thanks to his innate ability.
The enhancement of his senses allowed him to avoid the hydra's direct poison shots while maintaining his speed. After thinking carefully about how to face this beast, Déon realized he would have to risk his life if he wanted to get out of this mess. He then began to slow his pace, feigning fatigue.
Behind him, the hydra was closing the gap more and more. But that was perfect — if everything went well, he might be able to kill it, thought Déon with a confident look.
A few seconds later, the hydra was already upon him. The moment it caught up, it opened its jaws toward Déon to swallow him whole.
Déon had already guessed what the hydra would do once it caught him. He was certain that a creature of its type must have a certain level of intelligence. If it had been more aggressive during its first attack, Déon wasn't sure he would have gotten away with just broken ribs.
So he was certain the next attack would be more decisive. Stopping abruptly as the hydra lunged at him, Déon pulled his sword from his dimensional ring and plunged it into the left head's right eye, dodging its snapping heads.
Ssshhhk!
The hydra roared in pain, lashing out with its tail at full speed, but Déon, having sensed it coming, dodged before resuming his run. He had left his sword lodged in the serpent's eye because, according to what he had read in books, it could regenerate.
While the hydra thrashed about, Déon quickly put some distance between them before hiding behind some bushes. The hydra had already marked him, and no matter where he ran, it would eventually find him.
Taking his bow and arrows, Déon took position as the hydra charged toward him, following his scent. Soon, using "Shadowless" — the first movement of the technique — Déon loosed his first arrow, aiming for the left head's right eye. But the arrow did not reach its target.
Instead, it struck the hydra's scales and bounced off. With his current strength, piercing those scales was too much for him. His only way out was to blind all of the hydra's eyes and then find a safe way to finish it off.
In the moments that followed, Déon unleashed a volley of arrows toward the hydra. He was convinced that once its eyes were destroyed, it would either become vulnerable or try to flee — but this time, he was wrong. Even with all its eyes destroyed, the hydra continued charging straight at him, spewing its acidic shots.