First mission

Mira crossed her arms, shaking her head. “Marcus really should stop bringing kids into danger…”

Venn, the young alchemist, grinned and raised a hand. “Hey! Look at me! I joined young too, and I’m still alive!”

Silas scoffed, leaning back against the wall. “You’re alive *mostly* because of us. If you had to survive on your own, you’d be long dead.”

Dylan and Jake stood awkwardly, unsure whether they were supposed to respond or just wait for instructions. The atmosphere in the room was thick with experience—every adventurer had seen more than they had, survived more than they could imagine.

Then, Garek stood up.

The towering warrior moved with careful precision, walking toward the mission board. He scanned the scattered parchments pinned to the wooden surface before plucking one off. Turning, he strode toward Dylan and Jake, handing them the piece of paper.

“Let’s see how you handle a basic one.” His voice was deep and firm. “This is as simple as it gets—survive. Retrieve the required materials, evade any unnecessary battles, and come back alive. If you succeed, your mission is complete. No monster-slaying required. Understood?”

Both Dylan and Jake nodded quickly.

Jake straightened his posture. “Yes, sir. Avoid all possible conflicts, gather the requested materials, and return safely.”

Dylan smirked. “We’ll *try* not to kill anything along the way, but no promises.”

Without hesitation, Jake slapped the back of Dylan’s head.

“Dylan, stop trying to get us killed.”

The room remained still, the adventurers watching them with mixed expressions.

Venn chuckled. “Well, at least they’ve got each other’s backs!”

Silas exhaled. “Yeah, ‘good friends’… If you consider getting yourself killed because of someone else a good friend.”

Lucas shrugged. “A real friend wouldn’t drag someone to their death. But it’s their problem, not ours.”

Dylan and Jake ignored them, focusing on the mission at hand.

Just as they were about to leave, Mira spoke up.

“Wait. Before you go…”

Both turned back.

Mira’s tone was steady, but there was an underlying seriousness in her voice. “If, by any chance, you run into Sans on your mission, can you tell him to come here? We have an important request for him.”

Jake hesitated. “Uh… sure. But… who’s Sans?”

At that moment, Garek sat back down and answered in a casual, matter-of-fact tone.

“Sans is the King’s right hand. He’s also the last surviving member of the Phoenix Alliance Clan. He handles almost everything in Silivia—from collecting resources and materials, rescuing adventurers, and completing every type of task, to even supplying the city with gear.”

Silence.

Dylan and Jake stood frozen, their brains struggling to process the sheer weight of that statement.

The King’s right hand.

The last Phoenix survivor.

The one responsible for keeping Silivia running.

It was too much. Too fast. Too insane.

Dylan blinked. “…Can you… repeat that, please?”

Garek exhaled, shaking his head. “No. Just focus on your mission and don’t worry about Sans. Forget what doesn’t concern you.”

Dylan and Jake hesitated, glancing at each other. But after a moment, they turned away and left the room, closing the door behind them.

Descending the Stairs—Processing the Truth

As they walked down the stairs, heading toward the exit of the Adventurers’ Guild, neither of them spoke.

Then, in hushed murmurs—

Jake frowned. “Sans… the King’s right hand… and basically the person Silivia depends on…”

Dylan rubbed his chin. “If that’s true… then wouldn’t that mean he’s the guy we were looking for? The one who could craft better gear for us?”

Jake gave him a flat stare. “Dylan… did you not *hear* all the things this Sans guy does?”

Dylan nodded. “Oh, I heard it. Loud and clear… This Sans guy is an all-in-one.” His voice dropped slightly. “Just how strong is he…?”

Jake’s expression darkened. “Do you think… he might be stronger than the King?”

Both of them stopped in their tracks.

A heavy silence fell between them.

The idea was insane… but at the same time, it made sense. If Sans was doing *everything* they claimed—things entire groups of people were struggling to do—then his strength must be beyond comprehension.

Dylan frowned. “That would explain… a lot. But first off, there’s no way a human could handle that many tasks! That’s impossible! He’d die from exhaustion!”

Jake crossed his arms. “Yeah… but… why would they lie to us?”

Dylan scoffed. “Maybe they just want us to be scared so we quit before even starting. You know—because we’re ‘too young’ or whatever. Come on, Jake! This Sans guy doesn’t exist. He’s just a made-up legend to intimidate rookies like us.”

Jake hesitated. “…Maybe… But… what if it’s true?”

Dylan exhaled, then suddenly punched Jake’s right shoulder playfully.

“Let’s stop overthinking and just prove ourselves. Let’s show these adventurers how real guards handle these so-called ‘dangerous’ scavenging missions. Adventurers are weak—they need guards like us to do the real work!”

Jake hesitated, then nodded slightly. “…Yeah. Let’s make these adventurers see how real guards can *easily* carry them through their own missions.”

With renewed confidence, they stepped toward the guild’s exit.

But somewhere in the back of their minds… the mystery of Sans lingered.

As they walked through the streets of Silivia, Jake kept his eyes on the mission paper, reading its details carefully.

"It says here… We just need to retrieve some resources from a nearby field. Crates containing supplies and materials—food, wood, some minerals, and other resources. 0/3 crates. F-rank mission."

Dylan scoffed. "Pffft, only three crates? Too easy. And what’s the F-rank thing?"

Jake shrugged. "I don’t know. Maybe it’s just an adventurer thing. Probably something they use to rank their missions."

With nothing else to discuss, they continued their journey, leaving the safety of Silivia’s walls and entering the dense forest once again.

The Mission Begins

After a long trek through the woods, they finally emerged into a clearing—a small field surrounded by trees. Scattered across the grass were a few wooden crates, exactly as described in the mission.

No monsters. No threats. Just crates.

Jake exhaled in relief. "Alright… Grab the crates, and let’s get out of here. I don’t want to deal with any more skeletons for a looong time."

Dylan grinned, stepping forward with confidence. "Relax, Jake. This is easy. Watch."

He reached down, gripping one of the crates. It was heavier than expected, but he managed to lift it without much trouble.

"See? Easy. It’s a little heavy, but I’m just built different compared to those adventurers."

Jake rolled his eyes before grabbing another crate. "Alright, let’s move."

Just as they turned to leave—

Boom!

A purple fireball came out of nowhere, slamming into Dylan’s back and knocking him off his feet. He hit the ground hard, the crate tumbling out of his hands and skidding across the dirt.

"ARGH!" Dylan groaned, pain flaring through his body.

Jake spun around in alarm, gripping his crate tightly. His eyes widened in horror as a decaying zombie shambled into view.

But this wasn’t just any zombie.

Its flesh was melting, as if consumed by an unnatural force. Half of its body was skeletal, the other half a rotting, dripping mess of decomposing flesh. In its bony left hand, it clutched a twisted wooden staff, purple flames flickering at its tip.

"Dylan, get up!" Jake shouted, but before he could move—

Whoosh!

Another purple fireball shot toward him.

With no time to react properly, Jake raised the crate like a shield. The fireball exploded against it, sending splinters flying in all directions. The crate barely held together, now a charred, broken mess.

Thinking fast, Jake hurled what remained of the crate straight at the zombie.

Smash!

The wood fragments crashed into its half-exposed skull, stunning it for a brief moment.

Seizing the opportunity, Jake rushed to Dylan, grabbing his arm and pulling him to his feet.

"We’re leaving. NOW."

Dylan, still winded from the attack, nodded. "Yeah, yeah, good idea!"

Without wasting another second, they grabbed the two remaining crates and ran.

The decaying zombie, regaining its senses, launched more fireballs, the burning projectiles exploding against trees and dirt behind them. The ground trembled with each impact, the fiery blasts narrowly missing them as they sprinted through the forest.

Back at the Adventurers' Guild

By the time they reached the Adventurers’ Guild, they were completely exhausted.

Outside the building, both of them doubled over, gasping for breath, sweat dripping down their faces.

Dylan, still recovering from the earlier hit, barely managed to speak. "Don’t… say a word…"

Jake, between ragged breaths, raised an eyebrow. "Why? Because it took you getting blasted to finally learn your lesson?"

Dylan scoffed, shaking off the exhaustion and frustration, then pushed forward, stepping inside the Adventurers’ Guild without a word.

Jake followed close behind, sparing a glance at Alice, who stood behind the counter, her usual energetic expression shifting to one of mild concern as she watched them enter.

Jake sighed. "Sorry, we ran into some problems… and my friend isn’t in the best mood after the mission."

Alice nodded in understanding. "Oh, I see… Don’t worry, it’s fine."

Jake gave her a quick nod before hurrying after Dylan, who wasn’t stopping for anything.

Returning to the Scavenger Team

Upstairs, they reached the Scavenger Team 1 room. Since their hands were full, they knocked on the door with their feet.

A moment later, Venn opened it, stepping aside to let them in.

Without a word, both entered and dropped the crates onto the floor with a dull thud.

Venn tilted his head. "So… how did it go?"

Dylan slowly turned toward him, his glare sharp, his posture tense. He looked ready to kill someone.

Jake awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. "Well… we had an incident."

Garek, sitting with his arms crossed, raised an eyebrow. "What kind of incident?"

Jake exhaled. "We were at the site, gathering the crates, but a monster showed up. It destroyed one of the crates and left Dylan badly injured."

Lucas, who had been listening quietly, smirked slightly. "Yeah, your friend definitely looks like he’s knocking on death’s door. If I had to guess, he’s also suffering from poison damage. Don’t worry—I’ll take care of it."

Lucas stood up, walking over to Dylan. Without waiting for permission, he started assisting him, ensuring that Dylan didn’t exert himself any further, helping to lessen the poison’s effects.

Garek, watching carefully, leaned back in his chair. "Well… you retrieved two of the three crates. And more importantly, you came back alive."

Jake frowned slightly. "But wasn’t the mission about retrieving resources?"

Garek smirked. "Technically, yes. But the real test was survival. The mission was structured in a way that you’d either return successfully… or not at all. The crates were just a bonus—the *real* goal was making it back in one piece."

Jake absorbed the explanation, nodding slowly. But before he could respond, something unexpected happened.

The mission paper in his hand began to glow.

Jake looked down as the text shifted and changed, new details appearing before his eyes.

F-Rank Quest

Retrieve resources. Come back alive.

Come back alive - Quest objective → 225 XP

Crates 2/3 - +66% reward bonus → 148.50 XP

The moment Jake finished reading, the paper burned into ashes and dust, disintegrating before his eyes.

A trail of glowing yellow energy emerged from the remains—one strand flowing into his body, and another streaking out the door, disappearing into the air.

Jake blinked. "Uh… what was that?"

Garek leaned forward. "That trail was the experience reward your friend deserves. Since both of you completed the quest, the XP was split. The system automatically distributes rewards based on contribution—so if one of you does more, that person gets more. If both contribute equally, it’s evenly shared. That’s why lower-ranked adventurers usually prefer to take simple quests alone—so they don’t have to split the rewards."

Jake nodded slowly, processing the information.

Then, Garek stood up, walking over until he was standing directly in front of Jake.

"Go get some rest. Tomorrow, you’ll have another resource scavenging mission."

Jake straightened. "Understood. What’s the task?"

Garek smirked slightly. "You’ll be retrieving minerals from a mine. Don’t worry—it’s clean of monsters. I’ll give you the details tomorrow, along with the location."

Jake nodded again.

With that, he turned toward the door, stepping out of the room with the intention of heading straight home.

But something weighed on him.

Despite knowing Dylan was being treated, he couldn’t shake the feeling of unease. His friend had barely made it back. If that monster had been any stronger, if things had gone slightly differently…

Jake clenched his fists.

He was worried.

And he hated feeling this powerless.