Chapter 3 : The masked person

Sora approached the counter and asked for the price of a room. The receptionist replied with a smile:

"Hello, here are our rates: one night costs 10 bronze coins, two days cost 5 silver coins, three days cost 3 gold coins, and a week requires a crystal. If you don't have silver or gold coins, you can pay in bronze. In that case, three days would cost 25 bronze coins, since one silver coin equals 5 bronze coins, and one gold coin equals 10 silver coins."

Sora vaguely understood the explanation, but knowing that three days cost 3 gold coins, he chose that option without dwelling on the conversions. He took the key to the room at the back and settled in immediately, realizing that the bronze coin conversion seemed like a subtle way to scam customers.

As he slept peacefully, a violent explosion echoed in the middle of the night. Sora woke with a start and rushed outside. The explosion had come from the city entrance.

He ran toward the gate and discovered three giant goblins battling a masked figure armed with an unusual katana emitting a white glow. The stranger appeared to be struggling, and Sora prepared to intervene.

But before he could act, the man suddenly sheathed his katana, formed a circle with his arms, and shouted:

"Jinkan!"

In an instant, the three goblins were sliced in half, struck down by an attack so fast it seemed to occur in a fraction of a second.

Sora stood frozen, stunned by the scene.

As he tried to approach the warrior, the masked man hurried away the moment he spotted Sora, as if he recognized him and wanted to avoid him.

Troubled, Sora watched the man vanish into the darkness before returning to the inn, wondering about the identity of this mysterious fighter.

The next morning, Sora went to the adventurer's guild, eager to test his abilities.

He requested an F-rank mission, and the receptionist pointed him to the quest board. He selected a simple task:

"Kill at least five rabbits and bring back their bodies."

The woman approved his choice and wished him good luck.

Sora left the city and ventured into the wilderness to search for rabbits. However, after twenty minutes without success, he sat on a rock to think.

Accidentally, he pressed a hidden lever, triggering a mechanism that opened a trapdoor beneath his feet.

He fell abruptly into a dark, damp cave.

Scanning the surroundings, he noticed skulls scattered across the ground.

Suddenly, a giant goblin emerged from the shadows.

Panic surged through Sora, but remembering the courage of the mysterious fighter from the night before, he refused to give in to fear.

Gathering all his determination, he charged at the monster,but the goblin smashed him violently against a wall.

Lying on the ground, Sora felt a deep sense of frustration. He thought of his friends and apologized inwardly for his weakness.

Then, a memory from middle school resurfaced,a mysterious girl had once said to him during a time of bullying:

"No matter what you go through,humiliation or hardship,never give up. If you quit today, you'll quit for the rest of your life. So get up and keep moving forward!"

These words echoed powerfully within him.

With renewed determination, Sora sprang to his feet, and suddenly, white lights appeared around his arm.

Fueled by this newfound energy, he charged at full speed toward the goblin and struck with a punch into the air.

The monster burst out laughing, mocking what seemed like a failed attack,until it was violently hurled backward by an overwhelming force.

The impact was so intense that Sora himself was propelled against a wall, hitting the rock so hard that he unintentionally opened a tunnel leading to an unknown place.