Reality Of Growth

As they ran up to the man, Amukelo felt his stomach churn violently. He had seen death before—monsters ripped apart, beasts dismembered, blood soaking the ground like spilt wine—but this? This was different. This was human.

The body was slumped against the base of the cliff, barely resembling a man anymore. His right leg was completely torn away at the thigh, jagged bone sticking out from the mangled flesh, crusted pool of blood stretched back toward the path. That must have been where the blood trail ended—he had crawled all the way here, dragging himself with his arms until his body finally gave out.

His face was unrecognizable. The skull had caved in on one side, his jawbone shattered and hanging loosely, connected to what little was left of his flesh by thin, sinewy strands of muscle and skin. His eyes—or what remained of them—were nothing but hollow sockets, one crushed inward while the other was still half there, milky and lifeless, barely clinging onto the remains of his swollen face. His chest had deep, unnatural indentations, where the golem must have repeatedly crushed him before losing interest, leaving behind a mess of broken ribs and torn organs, spilling slightly from the gaping wound in his abdomen.

Amukelo stumbled backward, gripping his stomach as bile rose up his throat. His breaths came short and quick, and before he could stop himself, he bent over and threw up. The acidic taste burned his throat, his body shaking violently as he wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve.

"God..." Idin muttered under his breath, his voice low and grim. "How many people do you think it's killed before this?"

Bao's face twisted in visible disgust, her hand hovering near her mouth as if she were fighting back nausea. She had seen corpses before—but this wasn't just death. This was slaughter. Brutality. Before Pao could even get a good look, Bao instinctively grabbed her, turning her away from the sight.

"Don't look." Her voice was firm, almost desperate. Pao nodded weakly, her hands gripping Bao's sleeve tightly, trembling slightly.

Bral stepped forward, his jaw clenched so tightly it looked like it might break. He squatted down, observing the mangled body with a cold, unreadable expression. After a moment, he let out a slow, controlled breath through his nose.

"There's nothing we can do for him." His voice was tight, restrained—his anger barely contained beneath the surface.

Then he stood up, dusting off his knee before looking at the group. "The best we can do now is report this to Llyn's authorities. If they can identify him, they can inform his family." His hands balled into fists at his sides. "Let's not stay here."

They all turned away, leaving the twisted, broken corpse behind. They didn't exchanged words for a long time. The mood was heavy. 

Amukelo walked slightly behind the others, his mind replaying the image over and over. He tried to shake it, to push it away, but every time he blinked, he could still see it in vivid detail.

The way the jaw hung. The empty, crushed eye socket. The unnatural way the body slumped.

He clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white. Why did this feel different? Why did this feel worse?

Idin seemed to notice his silence, slowing his pace to walk beside him.

"It's unfortunate," he said, his voice steady, but his gaze distant. "But the higher we climb in ranking, the more we'll see things like this. The stronger the threats will be. The more bodies we'll come across."

Amukelo didn't respond at first. He kept walking, his mind racing, then after a long pause, he muttered, "You know… it's nothing like killing monsters."

Idin glanced at him, waiting for him to continue.

"When you kill a monster, it's different," Amukelo said, his voice quieter now. "Even if they look a little like humans, they're just… creatures. They don't think. They don't feel. They hunt, they kill, and eventually, something stronger kills them. That's how the world works. But this?"

He exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "This was a person. He had a life. He had a family waiting for him somewhere. Maybe he had kids."

He swallowed thickly. "It's heavier. It's disgusting."

Bral sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Unfortunately, this is the world we live in." His voice was grim, hardened with reality. "People die, Amukelo. Sometimes in ways they don't deserve. Sometimes because the world is just cruel."

His footsteps slowed slightly, and his eyes drifted to the dirt path ahead. "That's why the only thing we can do is get stronger. Protect the ones who can't protect themselves."

Bral didn't look angry anymore. Just… resigned. Like he had already come to terms with this long ago.

Then he glanced at the sky, the golden hues of late afternoon bleeding into the horizon, and muttered, "And trust that God has a better place for them."

As they cane back to the adventurer's association, they approached the counter, where the same lady from before greeted them with a bright smile, her voice warm with congratulations.

"Congratulations on completing this difficult quest!" she said, as she handed them their reward. "The quest exceeded the predicted difficulty, and your guild has officially become a Silver Rank One guild. And you are well on your way to Silver Rank Two."

Amukelo could hear the pride in her voice, but it felt hollow to him. He glanced at his companions, their faces drawn and tired, and he could tell they all felt the same way. There was no excitement, no triumph in their hearts—just the heavy reality of what they had faced. The fight against the golem still lingered in their minds, the gruesome death of the merchant.

Bral sighed deeply, breaking the silence. "Usually, we would celebrate a victory like this," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "But I don't think we have much to celebrate right now. Let's take a day off from questing and rest. We've all earned it, and we need to regroup before we dive into the next one."

Amukelo nodded in agreement, though part of him felt restless. The thought of simply resting didn't seem right. He had pushed himself so hard, and yet there was so much more to learn. But for now, it was enough to focus on the training they had planned. They needed to grow stronger—each and every one of them. They couldn't afford to stay stagnant, especially after the brutality they had witnessed.

Over the next few days, their training became their sole focus. Amukelo worked tirelessly, pushing his body and mind to their limits. Previously, he had always been driven by his desire to fulfill his promise, but now there was a new fire inside him. The fight with the golem had shown him how fragile they all were. He could no longer afford to simply be good enough. He needed to be better. 

As the days passed, he noticed something different. His companions, too, were working harder than before. Bral threw himself into his training with even more intensity, his usual carefree attitude replaced by a quiet determination. 

After days of rigorous work, they gathered once again at the quest board. This time, the mood was different. It wasn't as somber as it had been after the golem quest, but there was still a shared understanding between them. No one spoke much. Everyone was focused. Everyone knew that the next step would be crucial.

Bral was the first to speak. "Let's find something where we can help someone. We've trained enough. It's time we put it to use." He scanned the board, his eyes scanning each quest carefully.

After a few moments, Pao spoke up, pointing to one of the quests. "What about this one?" she asked, her finger resting on the notice. "It's Silver Rank One. The dangers are manageable, and it's for a good cause."

They all gathered around her to read the details. The quest was simple on the surface: a merchant was seeking protection as he traveled from one town to another. The dangers were listed as potential bandit and monster attacks. Idin nodded after a moment of thought. "I guess after the golem attack, people are more cautious. But yeah, this is a good quest."

They agreed to take the quest. Amukelo, though still hesitant, felt that it was time to improve his social skills further. He wasn't sure why he felt this way, but he couldn't shake the desire to connect more with others, to truly feel like part of a civilization.

After taking the quest, they met with the merchant. He was a stout man with a thick beard and wide, nervous eyes. As they approached, he greeted them with a deep sigh of relief. "Oh, you're such a blessing," he said, wiping his brow. "I couldn't travel without protection. Recently, many of my friends have been getting attacked by monsters, or worse, by bandits. These roads are becoming more dangerous, and we can't travel alone like we used to."

Bral nodded, stepping forward. "Good that we can help. So, what's the plan? How many days will this quest take?"

The merchant scratched his chin thoughtfully, glancing at the sky. "The travel itself will take only half a day in one direction. Once we're there, I'll need to restock on goods. So, I think we'll be back in Llyn in two, maybe three days at the most."

They all nodded, preparing themselves for the journey. Despite the lighter mood, the weight of the last quest still hung heavy in them. But they knew they couldn't stay idle forever. They had to keep moving forward.