Chapter Fifteen: Looking for Answers

Shawn and Ash were heading to the Forbidden Forest when they met some adventurers who were also going there. Their party was composed of three men and two women. Shawn could identify their roles by just looking at them.

Usually, in order to be called a party, a group must have a magician, a guardian, a healer, an assassin, and a tamer. The most important role is that of the healer, someone who heals his or her wounded members, which is necessary for their survival.

But when it comes to assault, an assassin is much needed—someone who can move swiftly and inflict heavy damage against the enemy without getting noticed or caught.

The protector of the party is known as the guardian. He possessed heavy armor, so one must be strong enough to carry on the equipment in order to be called a guardian.

Magicians are commonly known as the most intelligent of the party. They use magic and mana to deal damage in either chanting or magic circle ways. Magicians are the most common people in this world.

The tamers, on the other hand, are the ones who could call their tamed creatures or familiars to help them. It can be a dragon, a slime, a bird, etc. But nobody had ever summoned a hero.

"Hey, lad. Are you having a quest too?" A big guy asked Shawn. He was probably the leader of their party. He had a sword and a shield, indicating that he was a guardian. His rank was that of a master, and he could perform advanced magic.

Shawn was surprised at how he knew such details about this man. It hadn't happened to him before; he wondered if it was also a part of his skills, or maybe it was caused by King Orc's ring. He knew that having this ability to peek through everyone's status was convenient.

The guy stepped closer to Shawn and tapped his shoulder, but before his hand could land on it, Shawn dodged away. He was also shocked at how he did it, but he moved so fast like never before.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to touch you," the big guy apologized. He was also shocked by what he saw. It took him a while to recover his composure and ask, "By the way, would you like to join our party?"

Shawn knew what this guy was trying to do. He was probably planning to make use of Shawn's abilities because he saw that he had some skills. It seemed like he wasn't a good leader after all.

"I'm sorry, but I have something to say." Shawn hadn't finished his words when a woman interrupted in a loud, domineering voice.

"Do you think we would let a guy like you go?" she asked as she moved towards Shawn. "Your ability will only go to some bad parties out there."

Is she trying to make him believe that their party is not a bad one either? Shawn wondered. Although he didn't want to cause trouble, it seemed like it was unavoidable. So he told Ash to step aside and hide.

The woman had long, pointed claws, and she could move swiftly like Ava. She also had an assassin's skills. She didn't hesitate to attack Shawn. The sharp edge of her claws scratched his face, and blood spurted out.

Shawn didn't feel any pain coming from the scratch on his face, but it was a shame that he hadn't seen that coming. This woman might also have had the ability to conceal herself, as she easily caught Shawn's neck the moment he blinked. She was as fast as lightning. Then she was holding him tightly, not letting him move.

"Move, or you'll die, Mister Strange. Do you still have the plan to refuse?" She asked. "Better choose to accept our offer if you still want to live."

Shawn was quite uncomfortable with the woman's grip, so he decided to surrender. He didn't want to die because of his pride. His Adam's apple bobbed as he felt her breast touching his back.

"Now, answer me, will you join our party?" The big guy asked again. This time without kindness in his voice, but rather arrogance.

Shawn knew that they wouldn't treat him well if he joined them, but he couldn't put Ava's brother in danger, or she would skin him alive. Now he only had one chance, so he just decided to join them.

"Okay, okay," Shawn replied as he slowly raised his arms, surrendering his freedom to the party of bad guys. "I will join you, so just let me go, you freak."

"How dare you call me that?" The woman asked, then she slapped Shawn's face. She was the second woman who had ever slapped him aside from Ava. The other three were just watching them as if they had their own worlds. What a weird party!

"Let him go, Greg," the big guy ordered the woman who was holding Shawn again. "You don't have to treat him that way."

The woman named Greg let Shawn go. But hearing her name, Shawn couldn't help but laugh. Greg was the name of his dog. The woman became more angry at him, knowing that she was being laughed at by the strange boy.

"I'm going to kill you," Greg said as she stepped towards Shawn, attempting to commit murder as her stare grew fierce at him, but the big guy told her to stop.

"Cut the crap; let's keep moving," the big guy ordered, as if they had something more important to do. "We're supposed to go already."

The party continued walking inside the forbidden forest. Shawn was forced to follow them even though he didn't have any idea where they were heading.

Greg didn't leave her eyes on Shawn. She wasn't even blinking, and that made her creepy as hell. She kept reminding Shawn not to do something he would regret. She would cut off his pet if he'd try to escape.

After a few moments, they stopped in front of a dungeon to rest for a while. Shawn didn't expect to be there again, where he had his first kiss with the Orc. Gross! He still couldn't forget that day.

After taking a short rest, the party continued inside the dungeon, filled with goblins and orcs. It was King Orc's territory. Shawn got interested in what they were planning to do here; they might not know that it was a place of orcs.

As they kept going, Shawn heard a lot of voices in his head. The king and his daughter were there. But it seemed like they were not as strong as before. Perhaps it was because of the ring.

One by one, the party killed each orc they encountered. Shawn realized that their mission was to subjugate all the orcs in this dungeon. This quest was usually given to rank M adventurers.

Seeing King Orc the Great and Shriek, Shawn didn't feel good. He knew he should do something to stop these people from killing the weak orcs. Their eyes were begging, and that was enough to convince Shawn that they were in grave danger.

It didn't take him a while to decide to return the magical ring to the king. He knew it was for good. The orcs weren't doing anything bad to them, so he shouldn't let them die.

"What are you doing?" The big guy asked Shawn. It took him a moment before he realized what Shawn was planning to do. He tried his best to stop him, but it was too late.

Shawn successfully returned King Orc's ring, and it made him invincible. He growled, and the party was immobilized. Then they were slowly absorbed by the ring before they could even react. Shawn was confused about what happened before he realized that his plan had worked.

King Orc recognized that it was Shawn, his daughter's husband, who saved her life. He offered him a hand to rise up from being dragged down to his knees after the strong impact of his power. King Orc was surprised by his unexpected visit with those troublesome adventurers.

"Son, it's nice that you've come to pay a visit. Are you here to see my daughter?" King Orc asked without any anger in his voice.

Shawn didn't know what to say; it wasn't that he didn't want to see Shriek again. It was just that he didn't like the inexplicable smell of this place filled with mushrooms. He couldn't stay longer here, or else he would suffocate and die.

"I'm sorry, King Orc, but I have to go now. I still have something important to do," Shawn replied politely, finding an alibi as he didn't want to anger his father-in-law. "I hope you won't mind."

"No, I won't. But do you really want to return this ring to me?" King Orc asked. "You know, I'm not someone who likes to get back the things I've given."

"I think you deserve that more than me; besides, you can use it better than anyone else." Shawn smiled at him. "To be honest, I don't really know how that works. I never knew it could absorb my enemy like that."

King Orc was flattered by Shawn's words, making him realize that not all adventurers are bad; there are some who are innocent, and Shawn is one of them. He hoped that everyone had the same heart as him.

Before he could go, the king gave him the ring again for the second time. He told him that he deserved it more than him. Shawn was hesitant at first about whether he would accept it or not, especially because he knew that the orcs needed it the most. But because the king insisted, he ended up accepting it.

"Just go here when you need our help. Our home is always open for you," King Orc said. "My daughter will be happy if she sees you again."

Shawn bid farewell to the orcs. As he got outside, he checked if Ash was still there. He knew that he had been following them, so he signaled for him to stay outside the dungeon because he knew it would be dangerous inside.

"I've been calling in for you like a crazy boy outside this creepy dungeon, but you didn't respond, so I thought you were dead already," Ash said in a sad tone. "I'm so grateful that you came out alive."

Shawn was surprised by the way Ash talked. He sounded like a friend who was so adventurous that a man would always invite him to join in outdoor recreation. Perhaps he was already so influenced by him that he gradually adapted his behavior.

"Of course I will, so don't be sad now. I still have my plans to marry your sister before I'm dead," Shawn replied sarcastically. "Let's keep going."

Ash had nothing to say. At his age, he does not know much about love yet. But he hoped that everything would be fine and that his sister could find someone she deserved, not someone who'd hurt her.

Ever since he met Shawn, Ash has always idolized him, even if he seemed strange. He was always excited when he was around because he wanted to know a lot of things about his origin.

It wasn't easy to be stranded in a place where you don't know anyone; you would have to survive alone, so Ash always admired Shawn's bravery and determination.

They continued gathering information that could lead them to the demon lord. They encountered different creatures along the way, but with Shawn's newfound ability, he was able to communicate with them without any barriers. Communication has become his primary skill. He asked them if they knew where the demon lord resided.

One question with different answers as always: some creatures told them that the demon lord resides in the underworld, some said that in the Spade Kingdom, others said that in the Fire Kingdom, but the most interesting answer they received was that the demon lord didn't exist; he was just an illusion created by the mind to scare the youngsters.

Shawn wondered, If the demon lord was just an illusion, then what was the point of looking for him? What was the point of trying to defeat him? And who was the killer of Ava's parents?

Shawn didn't obtain enough information to answer his questions, so he decided to keep going.