[30 minutes ago, after Savior and Viper Fangs left...]

  The players were still shell-shocked at what they witnessed. When they first witnessed the [Duel] between a young archer and a rough warrior, they thought the latter would win due to the boy's lackluster [Archery Mastery]. But to their shock, he was able to prove them wrong as his arrow was the final move to defeat the warrior. And the [Duel] happened all because the warrior was being rude to the boy's young brother, who was a potion merchant at that time. It was so shocking and amazing that it trended on several video streaming sites and social media afterward.

  They thought that it was the last time a [Duel] would trend worldwide at a fast pace. But then, another came between a mysterious [Insignis] player who fights with his fist instead of a wand against one of the members of [Viper Fangs]. Despite having different win conditions, the [Insignis] showed another crazy display of unusual physical strength as a clip of him throwing the warrior around like a ragged doll was trending for days.

  At least, that's what the young man in a green robe predicted after witnessing the fight with his own eyes. He was only passing by when he saw the plane generated and watched the [Duel] in question. He barely knew the seemingly new [Insignis] player, but he was amazed at how he could endure the brutality his opponent gave him. But in the end, he earned his victory fair and square with a huge twist. He reminded him so much of the young [Insignis] mage who almost blew up the . But he was too different in terms of personality and fighting style. It would be a crime to compare either of them.

  "Hey, Zale! What are you staring around for?!" A voice called out. "If we don't get back to the HQ, the blacksmith is gonna chew us out!"

  The young man smiled as he turned away from the disappearing [Duel Plane]. "Yeah, yeah. I'm coming. I've just found something interesting in that [Duel]."

  "What kind? The part where the [Insignis] boy rampaged at that Viper guy like a wolf?"

  Zale smirked. "That and something about him piques my interest."

  [Present time]

  Madeline Raven. According to Lyco, she sometimes roams around the hall reading her book on the sofa. Whenever a player tried to talk to her, she mostly talked about the gods and their connections beyond the [Summoning War] and the [Atonement Era]. While her design is unique, she's mostly a minor NPC to everyone. So it's a big surprise for me when I unknowingly triggered her event just by mentioning the among other things.

  Right now, we're sitting in one of the private meeting rooms on the upper floors of the guild hall as we look at Madeline without any hints of hesitation on our faces. As much as I want to stare at the professional and clean setting despite the medieval setting and the lack of lavish decorations, we have other things to discuss right now. With some exceptions to keep the village hidden, we shared everything that we knew about the forest and the events that followed.

  [I see... So you had to intervene when you realized that the "treasure room" in question looked too much like a shrine. Is that correct?]

  I nodded. Mentioning a shrine was a tricky one since it was part of the village. I just had to tell her it was an abandoned one where valuable treasures were sealed inside the shrine that served as offerings to the Gods of Nature and Darkness.

  "Yeah. I didn't want to desecrate a sacred place, so I had to stop them before they could vandalize the shrine to open it. I don't want to say more, but I know it's not just a one-time raid." There was also a second attempt where Lyco got more involved, but I would rather not mention it for her mental sake.

  She nodded while humming in thought. [I was afraid of this. There have been reports of strange individuals requesting the adventurers to investigate some suspicious "dungeons". One of them being the with reasons of monsters "rampaging" and strange items appearing. However, it's rare for those said items to appear without any logical sense such as the [Mana] reacting or lost adventurers and there were no signs of corruption ever since the plague that was rumored to corrupt was cleared, so there's no other reason for monsters to rampage unless there was human intervention.]

  I see. So it's not an isolated incident. Madeline was right about them since the said incident was resolved by those brothers, and there were less [Urgent Quests] about rampaging monsters posted in the board earlier.

  "So about the , what is it really?" Lyco asked. "If it's not a [Dungeon], then why is it so important and dangerous to low-level adventurers?"

  [That's simple: The forest is a landmark.]

  ...What?

  Lyco and I look at each other in confusion, wondering what she meant.

  "Landmark? As in those rumored [Mana Landmarks] I've heard about?" Lyco asked, recalling that term from an updated info from the lore wiki.

  [Not exactly. The forest itself isn't filled with [Mana] like the [Mana Landmarks], but it's famous due to its connections with the Gods of Nature and Darkness, along with their spirit followers.]

  Spirit followers... She must mean the Spirits of the Beasts. Looks like some of the info Fenrir gave me is somehow public, yet never mentioned often. But just in case...

  "Is there any reason why?" I asked what could have been an obvious question to me.

  [Well, this is a bit of a far-fetched story. But there are legends about them that revolve around men and women transforming into wolf monsters under the full moon.]

  ...I knew it. So [Lycans] are public knowledge as myths and legends. Looks like the village tried to keep their existence a secret to make sure it remains a legend in the public eye, and I know they did it for a good reason.

  "Seriously?! People can turn into wolf monsters?! Is that even real?!" I don't know whether Lyco is acting surprised or trying not to do it too much.

  [Why, yes, it is. There's not a lot of info about them. But some say they were split into two factions during their inception: The wolves who were blessed by the gods and the wolves who were strayed with their sanity lost from their inner beasts.]

  The true [Lycans] and the rogues. So far, it follows what Fenrir told me so far about the [Sub-Race]. But I'm surprised there were also legends about them. I don't know how they managed to record them as mere stories to everyone that lasted till this day. But thanks to them, at least we know the werewolf rumors here weren't limited to the real world itself.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  [In fact, the forest itself was rumored to be one of the birthplaces of those wolf monsters. The ones blessed by the spirits governed by the Gods of Darkness and Nature were responsible for guarding the sacred life living in

  . While they don't have the same authority and power as a [Mana Guardian], they at least have enough to guard their homes away from their hostile enemies. They even used other blessings to create weapons and armor to aid them in battle in a similar way to other civilizations.]

  Weapons and armor... Now I understand the gist of it.

  "If the forest was so important, why did it fade into near-obscurity?" I asked. "You said it yourself that it's an important landmark of the country."

  Madeline sighed. [That's the thing about time and humanity. We always fear the unknown, and hearing about [Humans], [Elves], or [Insignis] turning into humanoid beasts like the [Beast Folk] was puzzling and scary for them. Before the was founded, found itself in a flurry of [Wolf Hunts] out of pure mass hysteria. Whenever a monster attacks, people will have an excuse to point at the "transformed" in question. Eventually, what was once an act of desperation and panic turned into a whole wave of discrimination. Not even the [Beast Folks] and [Feles], the only two who were seemingly immune from the effects, are safe from their prejudice.]

  Damn... That's sick... It's obvious why those [Races] were immune, but the thought of them acting as scapegoats disgusts me. I hate that racism and other discrimination exist in . But if you exclude it, it wouldn't make an interesting storyline since it's currently happening in real life. I still hate it, but even writers have to dirty their hands to create obstacles and drama for the characters to resolve.

  [Eventually, the kingdom took notice and quickly stopped any unnecessary violence and deaths driven by paranoia, jealousy, and fear. And to ensure such acts would never be repeated, no one but the government and the monarchy is allowed to organize any disjointed executions against the people, regardless of whether they were accused or not. I've admitted it wasn't a perfect law since it didn't stop the discrimination, but it lessened the casualties as the brief era of [Wolf Hunts] ended. As for the , they deemed it as "dangerous", yet they didn't deem it as a [Dungeon]. Instead, they barred every adventurer from entering without any proper permission via a [Quest] or orders from the higher-ups. Ever since those tragedies, no one dared to enter the forest to this day, and historians prefer studying the forest from a distance lest they want to anger the gods and monsters.]

  I see. It must have been hard for Madeline to share this past tragedy with us. Even in this beginner town, it has some scars that need more time to heal. But something isn't right about this story. She said no one dared to enter the forest, yet Lawrence managed to enter it during the beta test. Was this part of the masquerade, and what kind of [Quest] did he do to earn his [Sub-Race]? More importantly, how in the world would they know about the forest's sealed treasures? There were too many questions running through my mind, and I doubt I can discover it in one sitting.

  "Then this brings a question: When did the rumors start?"

  [Not long ago. Ever since the plague in the was quelled, adventurers were approached by mysterious [Quest Givers] scattered around town. I tried approaching them myself, but none of them gave time for me time to interact with them. Even after that failure, I tried reporting them next. Unfortunately, the town guards also didn't bother with my requests. So far, none of the adventurers I know have accepted their [Quests]. But it's only a matter of time before they start accepting them from those shifty figures.]

  But someone did accept them. Savior and his band of sycophants must have met one of those figures under our noses. And when I questioned where they got the [Quest] from, they simply told me it was from a giver. No roles, no details about their appearance and personality, nothing. If I tell her now without any proper evidence, it will devolve into a wild goose chase.

  I gained nothing with evidence, but I have some important information to track them down.

  "When do those shifty figures usually appear in ?"

  [Mostly during crowded days. Speaking of which, I suggest you two be careful with tomorrow. I heard they're going to have a battle royale arena of sorts in the central streets. Who knows what kinds of people you might run into?]

  Then I got my second reason.

  "Thanks for the warning and info, Ms. Raven. We promised we'll be careful in the event. I'm planning to participate anyway."

  "Wait, already?!" I quickly elbow Lyco before he says something incriminating. "I-I mean, yeah. Thanks for your help!"

  Madeline smiled at us and nodded. [Anytime! If you need more history info, I'm here at the guild hall whenever you want!]

  With that, we left the meeting room and the guild hall without a fuss. However, as we left, Lyco is glaring at me with his brown eyes and a pout. And it's creeping me out.

  "What is it this time?" I narrow my eyes. "I really got everything we need from her. There's no point to probe her more if she doesn't know anything about..."

  "Dude, are you seriously planning to participate after everything we heard?!" I stopped walking the moment I heard his accusation. "I know what you're pulling off here, but if what she said is true, there's a chance Savior might have reported everything about you and your antics. There's a low chance for us to encounter one of those suspicious givers in a crowded street tomorrow."

  I sighed once he told me a hard-hitting fact. "Knowing Savior, he's doing everything to find something to take revenge on my mutiny. Even if I try to find them during the event, there's no way I can do double duty."

  "And I know I can't do it. Sien already reported all about me in the second run, and I already feel like I have targets painted on my back," Lyco added. "I won't stop you from participating, but we're walking on eggshells if we make enemies with a potential criminal associating with the [Viper Fangs]."

  Crap... Lyco's right. I was planning to enter the event and beat up one of the Vipers if I encountered them for answers. But thinking carefully, the [Hidden Quest] is 3-stars for a good reason. I can't drop my guard if those guys are truly are dangerous as Madeline thought. Even worse, there might be a chance that all of the NPCs here might get involved in my secret war against them. I can't let that happen!

  But then, a thought crossed my mind.

  "What if we bring a third party into the mix?"

  After we discussed the culprit and the suspicious figures, I decided to take the logical step of grinding and hunting. Leveling up my [Martial Arts] to 15 isn't enough. I have to be strong enough not only to endure the onslaught this event would bring, but to prepare myself to face off against Savior, Ewa, and the rest of the [Viper Fangs]. However, our trip to our new hunting ground is met with a few obstacles.

  "Why am I tagging along?!"

  Namely, having Lyco complain for the whole trip.

  "Why not? You also need some well-deserved training, too," I explained. "While you're not going to participate in the event, at least try grinding for once. Besides, what have you been doing while I was stuck in the village completing my transformation? I'm worried that you might end up lagging with my fast growth."

  "I get that. But I don't know if I can catch up to you," Lyco answered. "You got your racial passives with your [Lycan] and all I have are [Human] stat buffs. I don't know if I can level up fast enough to get to your level in a few days."

  He has a point. When it comes to my [Sub-Race], I have a lot of advantages in my sleeve to level up with any use of boosters from the market. But even if I start getting serious about grinding, that doesn't mean I have to leave him behind.

  "I wouldn't worry about that. Besides, do you know what tomorrow's moon phase is?"

  Lyco hummed. "Tomorrow's the New Moon..." He then gasps. "Wait, are you saying...?!"

  As expected of my fellow writer. [Lycanthropes] are supposed to be humans cursed to transform into wolves at the full moon, similar to werewolves. The difference is that we can transform willingly at night with our strength and mind, depending on the moon phase in our current location. All phases have their pros and cons, and the New Moon is no different.

  In this case, the New Moon will be [Lycan's] greatest enemy to level up. And I intend to take advantage of this weakness.