A New Beginning

Terradin Forest, Hensberg Kingdom, Northern Continent.

The direwolves had disappeared completely into the thick trees of Terradin Forest. And thus, our battle with them came to an end. Ryuji-san stared sharply in the direction the direwolves had gone, gripping his sword tightly, as if his thirst for battle had yet to subside. His craving for the blood of the direwolves lingered.

Not long after the direwolves vanished, my body suddenly collapsed. I fell to my knees, clutching my chest tightly with both hands. My breathing was heavy, as if all the air around me had vanished. Every nerve in my body tensed, and my heart was pounding rapidly.

This feeling... the tension I felt right now was entirely different from the night of the ogre attack in Toffa Village. What is this sensation? Could this be the fear of death?

I hadn't realized it-no! I had underestimated this job. I had belittled the hardship of an adventurer's life.

In my mind, hunting monsters, exploring forbidden forests, venturing into dungeons, and living a life full of adventure sounded thrilling. I had envisioned adventures that were exciting, challenging, and far from boring.

But I was wrong!

This is the reality of an adventurer's life: filled with the stench of blood and the shadow of death. Adventurers tread paths of darkness that lead them to death. They hunt death itself-the wild and vicious monsters that prey on humans as their food.

I am a foolishly arrogant girl!

Being an adventurer is neither a heroic tale nor a story of glory. It's a calling-a deep call to those driven by courage, to those drawn by their curiosity for the ultimate truth.

Adventurers wander through dark forests brimming with mystery and danger, searching for answers, paying with their lives as the price.

This is the true life of an adventurer.

Yes... at this moment, I fully understood my foolishness!

"Are you hurt, Elena-san?"

Ryuji-san knelt on one knee with his sword in front of him, his face showing concern for my trembling, exhausted state.

"Yes... I'm fine. It's just... my body is still tense from the previous battle."

"That's completely normal. That situation was rather perilous. If you hadn't used light magic, we might not have escaped the direwolves' encirclement. But it's only natural for you to feel this tension after the fight. I experienced the same during my early battles. But after thousands of encounters, the tension gradually fades and is replaced by a thirst..."

He suddenly stopped speaking, his eyes casting downward in a blank stare.

"What is it, Ryuji-san?"

"Nothing. Forget what I said. So, what should we do with these direwolf corpses?"

He rose, extending his right hand to help me up.

"First, we need to cut some fangs and claws, then skin them to take the fur and hides. We can also gather some of the meat."

I stood and opened the bag I had prepared. My bag had spatial magic within it. Spatial magic manipulates space, so a bag enchanted with it would have additional storage inside without adding extra weight.

That's why a bag with spatial magic is one of the essential items an adventurer must have. This is basic adventurer knowledge.

I took out two knives I had prepared earlier, specially designed for extracting monster materials. These knives are sharp enough to cut through claws and fangs; they are called Looter Knives.

I handed one of the knives to Ryuji-san.

"You can take care of the monster over there, and I'll handle this one."

I said while pointing to the corpse of a direwolf on the ground. Ryuji-san began walking toward the monster I had indicated. But after a few steps, he turned to look at me.

"Are you sure you can do it, Elena-san? I mean... skinning one of these wolves."

"Yes... I'll do my best!"

Of course! I didn't want to keep troubling Ryuji-san. I didn't want to feel like a burden to him-or, more accurately, I didn't want to 'be' a burden.

I approached one of the direwolf corpses and knelt before it.

I started cutting the massive, sharp claws with the Looter Knife in my hand. Each claw was about 20 centimeters long, curved in shape. I could imagine the wounds these claws would inflict-tearing adventurers' bodies down to their very bones.

After cutting all twenty claws, I moved closer to the creature's horrifying head. Its large, red-and-black eyes stared tensely at me, its tongue protruding as saliva dripped from its mouth. I pried its jaws open with a sense of dread, exposing four sharp fangs about 15 centimeters long. Carefully, I inserted the tip of my knife into the gums around the fangs.

"Ugh...!"

It was tougher than I expected. Removing the fangs wasn't easy. So, I began scraping away at the gums bit by bit around each fang, finally managing to extract one. Then I repeated the process with the remaining fangs.

Next came the hardest part-skinning the direwolf. My right hand trembled as I looked over at Ryuji-san. He moved with skill and calmness, skinning the direwolf before him with precision, slicing and peeling the hide from the red flesh beneath.

"Haaaahhh..."

I exhaled deeply, trying to calm myself. Then I made an incision along the direwolf's back down to its legs. Blood seeped onto my knife and hands. The sight of the raw red flesh beneath the hide made my stomach churn, and the stench was nauseating.

No! I had to endure it. This is my life now, Elena. You're an adventurer.

Yes...

This is my choice. I chose to become an adventurer. I'm no longer a simple village Priest from Toffa Village. I am a Priest ranked C, a companion to an S-ranked Swordmaster.

I'm no longer a little girl. I am Elena Fearis, an adventurer from Hensberg Kingdom.

And today marks the beginning of my new life as an adventurer.

Time passed, and the sky turned a fiery orange, signaling dusk. Ryuji-san and I had finished collecting the claws, fangs, and hides of the direwolves. However, we only skinned five of them due to the encroaching evening. Afterward, we buried the remaining direwolf corpses to prevent them from decaying and polluting the environment.

Now, we were walking along the path out of Terradin Forest, heading back to Mildiesta City.

"I didn't expect it at all, Miss Elena-you really did it. I mean, skinning one of those wolves."

Ryuji-san said with a smile as he walked beside me.

Hearing his words, I stepped a few paces ahead, turned to face him, and replied proudly,

"Of course I did... I'm Elena Fearis, a Priest ranked C from Mildiesta Guild. So don't underestimate me, Ryuji-san!"

I cheerfully raised both hands as if casting a light spell. We laughed together. Today's experience was invaluable to me.

Then I turned back and resumed walking.

But...

Suddenly, my body was flung upward at incredible speed into the sky above Terradin Forest.

What... what is this?!

I could feel blood flowing, soaking my arm and clothes. Pain pierced through my shoulder. A high-pitched, terrifying screech echoed above me. I looked up and saw massive wings flapping as a large creature screeched menacingly.

It was a wyvern-a monster belonging to the Dragonkin.

Its massive claws had pierced into my shoulder, tearing through it. No... more accurately, my shoulder had been gouged by its terrifying claws. Blood flowed profusely, drenching my body. What's happening... no... no!

"Aaaaarrrrrggghhhh!"

It hurts... it hurts so much! Please... I beg you... let me go. Please...

"Elenaaaaaa!"

I heard Ryuji-san's shout from below.

Please... help... help me, Ryuji-san! Save me from this ferocious creature.

†*************************†

Hello, readers...

Thank you for following Elena Fearis's journey thus far.

In the next chapter, you'll witness Elena Fearis fighting for her life. Stay tuned for her adventure.

Well then, see you in the next chapter!