The old man who held him by arrowpoint has countless scars all over his face. The one that drew Rue's attention the most was that white slit that went through his left eye, like someone had dragged a knife over it. His eyes held a calm, calculating expression. He looked over the dancing ember behind Rue.

  “You did this, I take it?”

  “There’s no need for the bow and arrow, is there? I can answer your question civilly,” Rue tried to smile, one that a person could manage as sweetly as possible under a drawn arrow at least.

  “Civilly?” The man said, still holding the bow. “Interesting choice of words, kid. Especially where we are, one couldn’t be too safe, you know. After that attack, who knows what people will do for survival?”

  “I believe the Quest intended for us to work together. Maybe someone like you is the threat that will make people kill each other.”

  The old man's smile quirked. “For now,” He simply said.

  To Rue’s relief. He lowered his bow, although still with a nocked arrow, ready to launch. And Rue did not want to test the old man's reflex.

  “Name is Paxwell. Been a hunter all my life. Finally, just got the hang of it against these creatures and took some down. Imagine my surprise seeing you just kill a bunch of them like that.”

  Put it that way, then maybe it's understandable why he wanted to hold Rue at almost literal gunpoint. “I just got lucky they gathered. Disgusting little things mount each other, trying to reach meat, good fireball target.”

  “Anyway,” Paxwell cracked his neck, “Water under the bridge, right? It’s not like I shot you or anything.”

  Oh, Screw you. Rue wanted to shout. “Of course, sir. We humans need to remain civilized even in these conditions.”

  The old man rolled his eyes at the obvious sarcasm. “I see you chose a Mage? Young people and their fantasy.” He shook his head.

  “Not a fantasy now, is it?”

  “Suppose that's true,” Paxwell relented.

  “Well, it's nice to finally meet someone else after three days of being chased. But I’ve got a quest to complete.” Rue tried to move past Paxwell, who blocked the glowing line with his chest.

  The old men step in front of him, blocking Rue. “Quest? You’re not talking about the same quest everyone gets?”

  Not seeing any need to lie, Rue told him everything briefly. He tried to make it as fast as possible. “So now I’m on my way to save Lion cubs, and the Lioness is dying as we speak.” He spoke the last part out loud.

  (Lioness Health: 50%)

  “I see,” Paxwell muttered, digesting the information. With everything that happened, perhaps it's enough to make him believe Rue. “Mind if I come with you, kid?”

  “What for?” Rue did not like that. He wanted to keep the reward for himself. Especially the scroll, he did not plan to change his class, but he might be able to use it for trade or sell it for whatever currency there is. Sharing it with a stranger is a big no.

  “I reckoned if I stuck with you, I might be able to get something. And this mystical stag of yours might offer me something.”

  ‘“I don’t want to share the reward,” Rue said as bluntly as possible.

  “Oh? Do you think you can survive alone? How about this, we keep the party just the two of us and finish this quest. No one else included?”

  “That's only acceptable if you're good enough to justify sharing the reward.”

  “Fine, I’m willing to take 40/60.”

  “Not happening,” Rue almost spat on the ground for dramatic effect. “This is a special quest. By the Bearer of Frost himself”

  “Do you even know what that even means?”

  He admitted he doesn’t. But no one else in this tutorial has this kind of quest. Probably.

  “35/65 then”

  “20/80,” Rue countered. Giving up twenty percent for a reliable companion seemed reasonable. If this old man were reliable, that’s it. He does look like has the experience.

  “What am I? Wage slave? 30/70 and that’s final”.

  That’s barely acceptable to Rue. Paxwell is probably not going any lower, or this may prove him to be a horrid negotiator.

  “All right. 30/70. We'd better save all the cubs.”

  “You get the perfect guy then. I actually saved lion cubs before in the wild from other predators.”

  “Isn’t that illegal? Like you’re not supposed to interfere with what happened.”

  “Eh, who's watching? Now, how do you track this lioness?”

  “There's a blue line,” Rue pointed out. Before realizing he's the only one who could see it. “It will lead me to the lioness. Well, probably,” he added.

  The hunter nodded. Paxwell put his arrow back in his quiver. Rue let out a breath, his body suddenly got lighter all of a sudden.

  “Sorry for that kid,” he said, no doubt noticing Rue’s relief. “Here, it's not much, but take it as my apology.” Removing a wrapping from his pocket, he handed it to Rue.

  Food? Rue eyed it before accepting it. Why poison him when an arrow would do the job? He unwrapped the white cloak to find cooked meat waiting for him. It was cold, chewy, and there was no taste at all, but still, Rue ate it. Finding occasional fruit and rainwater was how he had been surviving. “Thank you,” Rue said, wiping grease from his mouth.

  “Horrid place, isn’t it? Suddenly being thrust here, barely any information except this quest,” Paxwell turned, motioning Rue to lead on. “I knew the big group was not going to stick from the get-go.”

  “You’re one of those who leave early.” No wonder he did not recognize him. The fur around his neck doesn’t seem to come from the Archer class starting gear. “I see, you've been doing well.”

  “Hardly, I spent the last three days on a side quest while avoiding these goblins.”

  “Side quest?”

  “Kill two boars for this,” Paxwell motioned to the fur. “The max reward is a new bow for five boars. But Time runs out,” He shrugged.

  “How come I did not get anything like that?” Rue wondered. That fur will be nice, especially in a cold forest that is borderline freezing like this.

  “I was the first to encounter the boar. In this area.”

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  “So the system rewards those who seek things,” Rue hummed. The way the Goblin attack happened might be some sort of punishment for not adventuring.

  “Anyway, lads,” Paxwell removed a dagger, eyes searching the tall grasses around them. “Tell me about those who stayed behind, would you? I encountered some nasty corpses, half-eaten too.”

  Rue flinched at the memory. He has seen the start of it. “The goblin attacked on the second day. I think there are around fifty of us? The guards were easily run down by them during a night attack. Mages panic, blowing their spell left and right, killing other people, archers too. Warriors full of hesitation, those who are brave enough become afraid when the goblin lands slashes at them. I ran with two others, we had been chased for three days and got separated.”

  “And you manage to fight them back at least,” Paxwell said. “So no one becomes a leader? Sounds like a mess.”

  “No, in the end, everyone just agreed to hunker down.”

  “Well, you survived.”

  Thirty minutes passed as they trudged across the forest. So far, no goblins or boars. At some point, Rue noticed the path they were taking became an upward slope, the climb had taken another turn, making Rue want to stop every five minutes.

  “Come on, youngster,” Paxwell grumbled. The old man somehow had overtaken him.

  Rue huffed, catching his breath. “This forest is huge.”

  “It's not that-” Paxwell stopped talking. He motioned toward Rue. Recognizing the sign they agreed on, both of them went and hid behind a tree.

  A couple of minutes passed. Paxwell has been staring at something. Rue tried to follow his gaze, but all he could see was endless darkness covered by the night and thick foliage of leaves.

  “You got a skill that made you see better?” Rue asked, whispering.

  “Aye, a passive called Archer Eye,” He answered absent-mindedly. “Quite convenient, one of the reasons I go solo from the get-go. Especially in a situation like this. Ah, there we go.”

  “Anything?”

  “Yes, a creature, humanoid, small, but not goblin. Too far to identify...”

  “Anything you can tell me?”

  “They have two ears pointing up, actually, that's probably horns. They’re bigger than goblins, but we still towered over them. Their skin is scaly, red like a…”

  “Like what?” Rue pushed.

  Paxwell glared at him. “Like a dragon. Lithe body. Only wore a loincloth. Their mouth reminds me of a reptile.”

  “A Kobold,” Rue guessed.

  “Maybe,” Paxwell said. “Only two of them. Both carry a spear.”

  “Can you take them?”

  “With that body? I don’t know. I’m having a hard time piercing the boars before leveling up.”

  “Can you point out where they are?”

  Paxwell pointed straight to where the blue line goes. Rue scrunched his face. Can they do it? Against two kobolds with natural armor as body?

  “Straight to them, I take it,” Paxwell grumbled. Rue gave him a nod.

  “How about this? I get into a melee, and you pepper them from behind.”

  “Why not just blast them with that fire of yours?” Paxwell protested.

  “Right, I should’ve asked you before,” Rue grunted. It’s been bugging him. “You’re an archer, right? Do you have this Magic Vein?”

  “Yes, Magic Vein Wood, what of them?”

  “What percentage are yours at?”

  “They got to 35% when I took down that boar. But, now they’re only 7%”

  “Mine is 48%. When I used that huge fireball, I felt something tear inside myself. And a sense that I shouldn’t have done that spread inside of me.”

  “So you're saying you don’t want it to increase? You think it’s like a muscle?”

  “Exactly!” Rue exclaimed, earning a glare from the old man. Muttering a quick apology, he continued, “Why else there’s wood beside it? And the straining too!”

  Magic Vein (Wood): 48%

  “I also want something to fight without spending my mana, those spears will be nice to have” Rue pointed out. “Besides, my fireball might draw attention. Let’s keep it as a last resort.”

  “Gotcha, kid, that makes sense. Then it's far better if I try to drop one now, get ready to charge in,” Paxwell nocked an arrow from his back. Bow string pulled, drawing an almost silent string thrummed. Blue swirl of light transferred from his arm into the arrow, making them glow in a blue shine. “This is called mana arrow, not that powerful and took a while to charge,” He explained.

  Rue opened his palm, cold frigid air cascaded on top of it, they hardened, forming in brisk wind into an ice that slowly extended, shaping itself into a thin sword. He gripped the cold handle, welcoming it. Rue positioned his sword down by his hips, hiding it under the cover of grasses.

  “Very fancy,” Paxwell commented.

  “Thank you,” Rue chuckled.

  In a loud snap of string, the arrow flew. A flash of blue from the arrow blinked - colouring Rue’s vision in a second, and it zoomed straight into the kobold chest. Then darkness overwhelmed Rue's vision again.

  “You got it?” Rue asked.

  “Yes, but it did not even fall. They’re coming.”

  “I'm going!” Rue sprinted across, eyes darting in expectation of his foe. The silence shattered like a frail glass as both Kobolds screeched the moment they saw him. Scales of white dominate their stomach ending to their limbs and neck, red scales replace them, leading to razor-sharp claws that make Rue wonder why they even carry a dagger. Yellow iridescent eyes glowed in the night, one had its eyes closed as it battled through the pain of the arrow.

  (Kobold. Lvl 5)

  (Kobold. Lvl 5)

  Another arrow was loosed before Rue met the Kobold's spear. The arrow landed on the injured kobold's shoulder blade, whose body snapped back in pain.

  Rue circled to the left, aiming to get them facing him and their back to Paxwell. It works for the healthy one; this one eagerly jabbed its spear across, chasing after Rue with pure anger.

  He kept jumping back, two times the spear almost impaled him. Rue battered the spear away, struggling to keep up with the rate the Kobolds managed. It pulls the spear and thrusts in repeated beats.

  It took all of Rue to keep his sword steady; countless cracks appeared as each jab carried more power. In a situation like this, perhaps it's better to have a normal sword. Rue grunted as the Kobold’s spear managed to sneak past his defense and drew blood off his cheek. He snapped his sword forward, thrusting into the Kobold's abdomen.

  The moment his Ice Sword connected, he met a solid defence - Rue's heart lurched. His sword shattered like glass from the impact.

  Taking advantage of his lack of defence, the Kobold tried to smash his spear at Rue’s side. But, Rue saw it coming - he jumped forward, trying to tackle the Kobolds.

  His body slammed into the Kobold’s thick body, and he received pinpricks of stab wounds. He recoiled back as dragging the creature down was out of the question. Rue reached out toward its dagger, stealing it from its sheath. Steel reflected his face as he drove it to the Kobold’s shoulder. He had aimed for the heart, but the Kobold dodged at the very last second.

  Rue rammed the dagger deeper. The Kobold shrieked, shrilling voice engulfing Rue’s ear – like a thousand drumming drums by his ears. He winced from the mere intensity of it. He caught the kobold’s teeth shining before it tried to chomp down on Rue's shoulder.

  Panicked, Rue let go of the dagger, flung himself backward to the ground, and he fell painfully, but his instinct was still alive. Rue whipped his right leg to the monster's feet. He groaned; it felt like a dozen needles stabbing deep into his leg. The Kobold spun in the air and crashed down with its head first to the ground in a sickening crunch.

  Not planning to give it any respite, Rue stomped down upon the Kobold’s back shoulder, the steel dagger jutted up, ripping through skin. The Kobold roared, it hit the ground with its free hand, the mere pain must’ve been brain-shattering.

  Picking up its spear, Rue lifted it up. Spear point glinted under the now tranquil night. He shoved it down to the back of the creature’s neck. Skewering deep, completely cutting off its voice.

  (You Have Slain Kobold. Lvl 5)

  (Level Up. General Lvl 4 → 5)

  (Level Up. Frost Apprentice Lvl 3 → 4)

  His breath left him in cold relief, his head still thumping with heated blood. As his euphoria calmed, the wound across his cheek suddenly flared. Rue winced; at least it's not his head.

  The other Kobold!

  He gazed up, panicked. Only to see another fell with its scaled upper body filled with arrows. Its long tongue lay beyond that crocodile-like jaw.

  “Kid!” A figure ran toward him with a bow drawn, and Paxwell was completely uninjured. “You kill the other one.”

  “Yes,” Rue shook his head in daze. Wind shifted in and out of Rue’s ears, cooling him down. “Yes, it's dead.”

  “Good job, kid,” Paxwell murmured, looking at the dead kobolds with a spear still lodged. “Can we split the loot to our respective kills? It might be too much to ask since you did most of the job. If you want..”

  “No, no. We can split it based on kill.”

  “I always know you're a good kid!” Paxwell said. He crouched, taking a dagger out of the Kobold's loincloth.

  That what went through your head when you aimed those arrow on me? Whatever old man.

  He pitied the one Kobold that was filled with arrows more than the one he killed. Imagine dying like that without a single fighting chance. Rue shuddered. Pax removed the shiny dagger, inspecting it under the faint moonlight.

  Right, he should do the same.

  “This is fun, isn't it?” Rue asked. He grinned at his new spear and dagger. Strange, he never felt so satisfied in obtaining something.

  “You're a strange kid.”

  “And you're old.”

  (Lioness Health: 46%)

  Goblins (35/100). Boars (4/50)