One man and one hybrid pixie traveled through the jagged mountain terrain. Rus is doing all the work like what a proper host should do, sometimes even carrying the wagon on his back to traverse a spot that could damage the wagon.

He was away from home for 4 weeks, 11 days of those were used in the city and the rest was spent on the road. Going west and traveling for half a day they will reach the border of Manus Kingdom.

The Manus Kingdom is one of the eight Kingdoms that’s under the control of the Red Dragon Empire. Its location is at the forefront of war along with the other two kingdoms in the northwest and southwest part of the Empire.

From the crooked hilltop, both saw the Manus Kingdom. Rus took a break lighting up his usual medicine, he did this every day after lunch. According to her observation, it seems like he belonged to a military lineage that’s fighting within the borders with the Sydu People of the Togoah Desert.

But everyone silently knows the aim of the Empire is not defending the borders or the safety of its citizens, but to ransack the Togoah Desert with its vast natural resources like minerals, metal mines and the most important of all. Genoa.

Genoa is also used as currency called Genny and if it’s processed, it can be mixed with other material and will give that certain item a capability to store or manipulate mana, it can only be done once, and you’ll need an extremely large amount.

Semira took this time to strike a conversation to gain more information about Rus and his affiliation with the Manus Kingdom.

“Hey, Rus what type of house will you provide me with? The Kingdom has many people, I don’t want to be in a crowded place.”

“Huh? Who said I’ll give you a house?”

“But you said you’ll fulfill your promise!”

“Yeah, I will. But who mentioned it will be a house from the kingdom?”

“You mean!!!”

“Exactly.”

It could be a barn, it would be uncomfortable but I can bear with it, but what if it’s a pigpen, a small dog's house, wet cave, or an ancient dungeon?…. What if winter came? Did I make a mistake? It can’t be. My Mother transported me near him. There must be something, anything.

Semira’s thoughts ran wild, she regretted not being able to specify what type of shelter she needs.

Since the stories he heard from her parents and traveling merchants about the Empire, Kingdom, and Cities are extremely lacking.

“Trust me, you’ll meet my wonderful family tomorrow morning,"

My mom always told me that those who say the words “Trust me” are full of confidence or will fail miserably.

Semira kept the thoughts in her head but her face reveals what she’s feeling inside. He can feel the anxiety just by looking at her. So, he grabbed the wooden shaft of the wagon and pulled it opposite to the direction of Manus Kingdom.

***

Somewhere inside the Hundred Fang Mountains, there is a canyon, and in the middle, a river is flowing through between the curved jagged rocks.

6 people found a road leading inside the canyon. Half of them are trying to finish their proficiency rank examination, specifically the Practical Quest.

But the Manus Kingdom is near the border of the desert and the target they are searching for are Threat-Level 3 Monsters. To pass the examination they need to kill at least three, One kill per person.

But this place is lacking in monsters and creatures, it’s just that this area is the safest among others and that’s why they could get permission from their family to conduct the practical quest in this location.

Holli Heisen, 17 years old, 2nd-Rank Swordsman, daughter of a Viscount in Manus Kingdom and knight in training for House Heisen. To be recognized as a full fledge knight she needs to have a 5th-Rank Badge from the Swordsman Guild.

“This armor is so last year’s model, I feel fat and ugly wearing them, I wish daddy would buy me the ones that came out a few days ago. They are light and comes in a different color now, they are pricey but it’s worth it.”

Justin Liler, 17 years old, 2nd-Rank Bard and son of a wealthy merchant, their influence spreads in Manus up to two other kingdoms in the border of Togoah Desert.

They mainly sell war supplies like arrows, rations, tents and the likes, they are the main supplier for the army of House Heisen. He’s been pursuing Holli ever since their parents introduced them with each other and wouldn’t miss this chance to be with her.

“Lady Holli, your unmatched figure can be compared to a sculpted flawless white jade, no matter what you wear your beauty will shines beyond the horizon. If you want when we get back, I’ll buy the armor for you. No! I’ll buy the whole shop!”

Ronald Isley, 18 years old, 2nd-Rank Mage and one of the apprentices of a 5th-Rank Wizard living in Manus City. His master’s reputation is widespread. Wizards and Arch Wizards are famous with firepower, especially during a war and when you became an apprentice of a wizard that means you have a bright future ahead of you.

Justin considered Ronald as a rival in love. They have been pursuing the same girl for quite some time now, no matter the timing these two won’t miss the chance to blow on airs at each other.

“The only redeeming quality you have is your money, and that isn’t even yours. Lady Holli’s gracefulness can’t be measured by any monetary value you present. We all know inside that head of yours is a dirty lump of dung.”

Hodin Zabaza, 22 years old, a 3rd-Rank Acolyte, got surprised on a Practical Exam mission from the Adventurer's guild because of the high commission that was posted. Now he knew why no one was taking it, these types of Evaluation missions are normal.

A 1st-Rank or an Iron badged Novice will be surveyed by a 2nd-Rank Copper badged skilled personnel and vice versa. But from 3rd and up they will rely on their own because from the 3rd-Rank you are deemed a professional. Hiring someone else to do your mission is contradicting the purpose of being an adventurer to earn money.

Getting a promotion in rank will depend on the authenticity and evidence of your exploits. But there is always an exception.

“Sigh!”

Beside him is the reason for the sigh that came out of his nose.

Sergio Blue, 29 years old, 4th-Rank Paladin, he is the personal guard of Holli. This practice is highly discouraged at every guild because to test the real combat and survival capabilities of an individual there shouldn’t be any external Help during the Exam period. Even though he said that he would just observe and won’t help with the exam, his presence alone is enough to remove the sense of danger and tension from the examinee.

This is one of the reasons a divide has formed between ranked nobles and ranked commoners.

From a commoner’s point of view having a noble in their company is like having a paper tiger and will all put them in danger when the going gets tough, sure there are nobles that really distinguish themselves above the rest but those are few in numbers and even them are being affected by it.

In a noble’s point of view, commoners are just leeching off them because they can always hire a high-ranked adventurer to accompany them to do their bidding, and thus a gap was formed.

Aside from that, there are many reasons they won’t join a group of commoners, but among the very top is a lot of nobles view the commoners as a lower kind of species. They strongly believe they are the descendants of a Dragon.

“That’s enough you two, let’s go to the path we saw earlier after we eat breakfast, there might be some Threat-level 3 monsters there. I don’t want to stay in these mountains for a month, and our supplies are getting smaller, I don’t even have any make-up left!”

At the very back leaning on a tree and staring at the 3 red-haired youth that’s arguing, is a blond guy with green eyes around his 30s. Beside him is all the luggage of his clients; tents, food, clothes, kitchen wears that’s x3 as big as him and anything that the clients feel like not carrying is handed to him.

Please! we would all die from hunger, but you’ll never run out of make-up.

The Porters Guild also require their members to have enough physical strength to be listed in the Adventurers List as qualified porters. Like a regular guild, they have a collection of knowledge from porters that contribute to the organization because they are expected to do all the menial task.

“Porter, prepare something for breakfast,"

“What would you want to eat Milady?”

“Anything,”

He skillfully took the kitchen supplies from the clustered items that were bundled and tied together like a professional Jenga player. They can compare the outdoor cooking station to a mini kitchen from a small household.

He cooked a simple meal comprising fried eggs, honey bacon, tomato soup, and a garlic baguette finally placing them on top of the foldable table. This set of meal is a luxury to the blond guy since all the ingredients he used are top-notch.

The four guys sat on their chair ready to eat while the noble lady just stands near the table they are sitting, arms crossed.

“The food is not to my liking!”

This has been the 19th time the situation occurred during their travels, he has been a porter for almost 15 years, encountered new and old adventurers alike, survived countless dangerous moments.

But this is a first for him, truly heaven doesn’t disappoint when it comes to trials for the mortal man. He could only calm his nerves and swallow his thoughts.

If only there’s a cure for such disorder.

The porter was about to whip out a new set of meal for the lady because he has no answer for the riddle this girl is playing. Suddenly the paladin raised his hands and signaled everyone to be on alert! He spotted something.

The atmosphere suddenly went from a merry picnic to a vigilant state.

All of them quickly ditched the meal they are about to have and scouted the area leaving the porter aside. Surveying the location roughly a hundred meters away from the entrance they found leading to a canyon. They spotted an Orc and 2 Goblins walking side by side.

The 3rd-Rank Acolyte Hodin assessed the monsters he saw and if it’s fit to be the practical exam targets. What he saw surprised him because he was expecting this trip to be a failure with no monster or creature showing up and him cashing out the remaining half of the reward.

“1 High Orc and 2 mutated Goblins your luck is good, just 6 days in the safe zone and there’s a Threat-level 3 High Orc and two Threat-level 3 Albino Goblins. They might even sell for a good price if you capture the two Albino goblins alive. It’s considered pass if you slay or capture the 3 of them. Since they seem to be a group you can also take them down by cooperating with each other."

The 3 red-haired youth planned their strategy on how to take care of the monsters. On the side, the Paladin was chanting a spell that’s obvious to the Examiner.

“Forge from the will of the Holy Maiden [Sacred Protection], Defy the law of life [Dew of Vitality]”

All the buff was targeted at Holli, Hodin was irritated by what he saw and quickly stopped what the paladin was doing but it’s already too late. The buffs were already released, and it will stay for at least 10 minutes.

“Hey! You said you will just observe! Why did you cast support skills to the girl, I might as well report a failure on my end.”

“Sure, you will, just remember that we’re out here in the wild no one will know if you encounter danger and got killed in action, and beside the High Orc is not suitable for a practical exam target. It might suddenly endanger the Lady."

“Are you threatening me? Any more help from you and the assessment for the 3 will be a failure."

“No of course not, I’m just reminding you that the Lady’s father is a Viscount and one of the Vice Generals of Manus Kingdom."

“Tsk! damn nobles!”

While the Acolyte and Paladin are talking. The 3 finished their preparation for battle. The bard strummed the strings of his sanxian that can also act like a wooden mace in times of need.

He played the basic [Song of the Wind], that increase the agility of the target audience. The only drawback is he cannot stop playing and the audience needs to be in a distance where they can hear the song.

The mage cast [Fire Arrow] to lure the orc in their location while the swordsman was waiting behind a large boulder to start an attack and ambush the enemy.

Orcs are generally green in color, as they grow stronger the color darkens and most High Orcs have grayish dark skin. The Orc they are trying to hunt is a female with short curly hair and seems well equipped for its kind.

The magic that was flying towards the Orc was parried by the broadsword with a huge swing. The speed that the Orc manifested was unexpected from its size. Dust flew everywhere by the collision of the sword and fire magic. Holli was nervously preparing to unleash her skill as soon as the monsters passed by the boulder and go for the kill.

This is it. After capturing these beasts, I can finally go back and take a long bath and beauty rest.

The Acolyte and Paladin are still observing in a distance and it seems that everything is in favor of the three 2nd-Ranked Adepts. The dust finally settled down and the monsters should rage in anger and rushing towards the mage, contrary to their expectation the 3 monsters ran away.

“Quickly slow it down so I can hack it with my sword!"

“Guide the cold winter breeze [Ice Arrow]”

The magic traveled fast hitting the shoulder of the Orc. They could hear it growling from a distance, but the 3 monsters kept running.

Holli, Justin, and Ronald have no choice but to give chase. These are the only Threat-level 3 creatures they saw in the past week of traveling through the Hundred Fang Mountains.

It’s clear that the three monsters are native in this rocky environment and is not running aimlessly wanting to flee.

They tried their hardest to catch up with the monsters and almost losing sight of them at times, and then an opportunity arrived.

Ahead of them is a blockade of huge rocks with only a small clearing, and in that small space, an almost 7ft tall guy is pulling a wagon. The wagon was filled to the brim with a little girl on the driver’s seat and was passing through the open path.

Holli cannot help but rejoice in this opportunity, she quickly raised her voice so the guy pulling the wagon can hear her clearly.

“Hey! You! The guy pulling a wagon. I’ll give you the privilege to let me owe you a favor, tilt your wagon vertically and block the monsters going your way!!!”

The sleepy look on Rus’s face is gone and was replaced with alertness, he ignored the request that the female swordsman made, he dashed forward facing the 3 monsters and passed them by.

Rus came face to face with Holli, pulling his arms and punching the lady’s face pummeling her head to the ground, her body bounced once due to the impact. Rus drew his sword, grabbed Holli’s hair, lifted her head up and planted the edge of the sword in her neck.

Everyone was aghast due to the sudden turn of events, they are not aware of the reason this guy would suddenly attack them. The examiner and supposed to be observer Hodin and Sergio hasten their steps to the scene.

With a loud voice Rus finally opened his mouth and ask a question in an angry tone.

“What are you doing here!?”

With an expression of pride and indignation, the bard was the one to answer Rus.

“I, Justin Liler, 2nd son of the leader of Liler Merchant Group, the dumb-looking mage is an apprentice of a 5th-Rank Wizard, and the lady you’ve just assaulted is the only daughter of a Viscount and Vice General of Manus Kingdom!”

The acolyte and paladin finally arrived and was shocked at the sight they saw. The personal guard of Holli cannot help frowning and demand for her release.

“Commoner! Do you know who you’re messing with? Release her Lady right now or I will take your life!"

Noticing the Silver Badge shaped like a shield, he knew this party will be hard to deal with. But the answer he’s looking for has not been heard. The acolyte tried to mitigate the situation since this is not something he signed up for.

“Hello. I’m Hodin, 3rd-Rank Acolyte and Examiner for these 3, Brother there might be some misunderstanding here."

Everyone around him was not prepared for the following events that will occur in a few seconds.

The answer he was waiting for finally arrived, it’s just not what the people around him have been hoping to hear.

“Sorry, Father *chwik*”

“We" “Smelled” “father” “far” “away” “to” “welcome” “back”

Seeing someone hurt his family member after a long journey, sends pangs of pain in his heart and at the same time warms it. Because they welcomed him, and they knew the right action to take in case danger comes along.

The Orc can speak well since she has been taught by Rus since childhood until finally becoming a High Orc, though She still can’t help but to let out a grunt now and then when speaking. The albino twin Goblins can only speak one word at a time, they speak in tandem to finish the things they were trying to say.

Among all of them in the scene, the most devastated of all was Semira. This isn’t what comes to mind when she heard him say 4th Head of a family. Unfortunately, there’s no going back now! She already made a bet with this human.

Whether it was fulfilled or not, she can take back the wings when the promise is broken or if Rus died.

Swollen face, and a broken nose, Holli was tearing up from anger and humiliation! Finally, Rus looked at the people in front of him answering the questions they pose earlier.

“Son of a merchant, dumb mage, daughter of a noble, examiner and a babysitter.

Now let me ask you all a question, do you know who I am?”

“No!!!!”

The five coincidently answered in unison.

The whole time Semira was traveling with Rus She has never seen him smile. But right at this very moment, you can see a wide grin on Rus’s face. A sinister smile that looks like the incarnation of all evil things combined.

The nightmare started when Rus asked a question.

“Isn’t that such a wonderful thing?”