The . A forest filled with dangerous beasts and guardians who protect the sacred treasures hidden behind trees filled with large amounts of mana. It is said that these treasures hold the keys to power and greatness to whoever conquers the forest, and if they manage to defeat the master of the wilds, they will be granted the forest’s secrets and knowledge. However, you have to prepare yourself if you're planning to face the master. Because if you charge into battle ill-prepared with weak equipment and unhoned skills, you may end up getting the worst of the forest’s storms.

And unfortunately for me and Wind, we have found ourselves face-to-face with the master itself.

"RROAAARRR!!!!"

My eyes widen when I hear its roar, at which I nearly drop my staff in shock. If what I’d sensed with my [Magical Affinity] skills is true, I may have just jumped into an impossible battle without any thought to it.

"Kazu, what the hell did you drag us into?!" Wind shouts as he draws his bow and arrow, and his arms start to quiver.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't know that this place was the boss level area of that wilds!" I panickedly apologize as I tighten my grip on my staff. "But I doubt we’ll be able to escape easily, though..."

"I agree. I’d usually go with the option to fight, but even I’m not stupid enough to choose that option so quickly. And ] using an escape item might also lead us to our deaths if we’re not careful.

When it comes to boss monsters, escaping from them is not as easy as in most tabletop RPGs we played in the past. Most of the time, they’d have the ability to block off the entryway of the area. The only way to remove the block is to either kill the boss monster or use a spell or item to escape from the fight, the latter of which can only be used when players either accidentally stumble into a high-level boss area or didn't have enough items to survive the fight. However, the monsters would do everything to stop escape by disabling the player’s items and spells, such as knocking them from their hands or using a special spell to prevent any kind of escape. Even more, their behavior can be unpredictable and can change depending on the players' actions.

As for both of us, we know that escaping here might cause our deaths if we don't know what this monster could do first. If we try to use an item right then and there, it might find a way to stop our escape. We need a plan to get out of the area safely without provoking the tiger in the process. Looking around, all I can see were trees surrounding the whole field and sunlight peeking through the leaves above us. Plus, I can only see one passageway out, which is where we came from in the first place.

This is tough to figure out... But I have to do it if we want to get out of here.

"Wind, think you can distract the tiger with your [Hunting] skills for a bit?" I whisper in my brother's ear as I pull out a bottle from my satchel (which was actually my [Inventory]) and held it very tightly as I aimed it near the tiger.

"Wha- Are you nuts? Can't you see how strong that tiger looks?! You can't win against it by yourself!"

I just sighed at his response and say, "You think I don’t know that? Just don't try to hit it. Use your arrows to divert its attention and I'll try to blind it with my [Tempest Blow]."

Wind's eyes widen as he scratches his chin and looks into the tiger's menacing yellow eyes. "Are you sure that’ll work? You might get hurt if you try that."

"Just trust me, Wind. I know what I'm doing. We have to work together if we want this plan to work."

While most of my [Wind] spells are offensive-type, [Tempest Blow] is a buffing-type spell that imbued our weapons with its [Wind] attribute for a few minutes. While it won't damage the tiger, it can affect our surroundings. In other words, I can combine it with the forest’s gravel to blind the tiger’s vision, which will allow us to make our escape from there. I doubt it would be effective against the boss, but it’s our only chance to escape.

Thankfully, Wind relents as he sighs and stands up to face the tiger. "Alright. But please, be careful."

I nod and smile at Wind, knowing this might work. Without any hesitation, I quickly throw the bottle and both of us covered our mouths as an info window popped up right in front of me.

[Smoke Bottle]

[A bottle containing a special liquid that can turn into a non-toxic smoke. Very useful in escapes and ambushes.]

As the description said, smoke begins to envelop most of the field immediately after the bottle broke as we split up and run around the monster as fast as we could. I can’t do anything on my part right now, except hide in the smoke until Wind successfully distracts the monster. However, because of this, I can’t see anything in the smoke and I can't risk clearing without exposing my location. I just have to keep running until...

TWAANG!

I quickly stop as an arrow flew towards me. I manage to dodge it, with it just barely missing my left foot. Eventually, I hear Wind's voice booming in the field.

"Hey, you wild cat! Over here!"

That must be his signal. Without any second thoughts, I raise my staff and began my incantation.

“Spirit of Slyph, hear our call. Trap our enemies with the stormy gale and imbue our weaponry with your blessing! [Tempest Blow]!”

I swing my staff as hard as I can, at which it summons up a large tornado that swallows us and the whole field.

[NOTICE]

[The skill, [Tempest Blow], has activated. Your current party will gain a [Wind Element] imbued to your weaponry.]

As the skill description says, my staff is now enveloped with a small gale of air. It’s awesome to see my staff like this, but it’s not the only reason I have cast that spell. As the wind starts to get stronger, the dust from the ground is caught in the tornado, and I quickly cover my eyes to avoid being blinded as well.

"Come on, please work...," I mutter as I wait for the dust to blind the monster. When I uncover my eyes after that, I notice that the tiger was trying to rub their eyes and realize my chance.

"Alright! And now..."

I tightly grip onto my staff as I smack the tip on the ground and begin the incantation.

“Mana of creation, hear my call."

Just a few more and we'd home free!

"Help us esc-"

[Why...]

Huh?

[Why now?! Why are these humans trying to pester me at an inopportune time?!]

Wha-? It was the same voice I’d heard earlier. But where...?

[How frustrating! All I want is to save this forest, but they had the nerve to invade my home during this crisis!]

"His home"? Hang on, he’s saying that some humans are pestering him right now. Was that voice talking about us? If so, does that mean that voice belongs to...?

[Enough is enough! I will kill all humans who will destroy my home, starting with that hunter!]

Hunter? Oh no, he must’ve meant Wind! My brother was in trouble!

Unfortunately, before I can find him, the tiger lets out a roar, at which several dark clouds began to form in the sky. Even more, I feel the wind starting to pick up as it blows away most of the smoke around me, and the tornado that formed from my spell as well. Not only is the whole field visible again, but I can also see Wind holding his bow, and he looked very shocked. I guess that plan backfired... Dang it...

[NOTICE]

[Because of the unknown monster's attack, your [Tempest Blow] spell has been nullified. All buffs from the spell are removed as a result of the spell's sudden nullification.

Also, your [Minor Mana Detection] has detected a large amount of mana about to be released. Due to your skill's current level, we are unable to determine the spell or its target.]

A large amount of mana?! Drat, I know [Minor Mana Detection] doesn't have more info about it, but I know who was in danger.

"Wind, watch out!" I scream as loud as I can. I then slam my staff onto the ground once more and since I hadn’t finished my last spell's incantation, I had another chance to cast a different spell.

“Aura of Arcana, hear my call. Aid me to create a barrier to protect my allies from harm! [Mana Shield]!”

I raise my staff as it releases a large ball of mana and swung it in Wind's direction. Once it hits him, it explodes in a blue aura as it forms itself into a small barrier dome that covers him completely.

"H-Hey! What the heck is this?!" Wind shouts as he taps the barrier in shock. I want to explain about the spell, but before I can do so, the tiger roars once more and a lightning bolt falls from the sky and hits my brother with a loud thunderous boom.

"WIND!!!"

The power of that lighting is definitely not like my [Lightning Bolt] spell. If that’s what the power of a boss monster was, then I’m afraid that Wind might not survive the tiger's attack, even with my protection spell. But when I run up to him, my eyes widen as I see him lying on the ground with the barrier around him destroyed by the storm. Seeing him like that causes me to repeatedly yell his name until I reach him and attempt to help him back up to his feet.

However, I’m most worried about whether or not he had actually survived. If he hadn’t, not only would his body disappear and most of his current [EXP] be halved, but he would have to log out and wait until the first part of the penalty was finished. I keep repeating his name, begging him to wake up. It’s my fault and if I hadn't been so hasty to explore more of the , Wind wouldn't have been in this situation.

But then, I hear a low voice below.

"K-Kaz..."

That’s… Wind's voice... He sounds so weak. Does that mean that he’s going to die? No, please... I couldn’t fight alone against that tiger! Without him, I... I...

"K-Kaz... M-My [HP]... L-Look..."

[HP]? What is he talking about? I remain confused until I see it above his head.

[Party Member]

[HP: 5/590]

Wait, he only has 5 [HP] left?! If that's true, then that means he's still alive! Although, I can’t really say he was safe considering he was still in critical condition. Unfortunately, I don't have time to celebrate as the tiger began to run in our direction. I quickly take out one of my [Health Potions] and give it to Wind to drink.

"Come on, Wind! Drink up! I can't let you die here on our first expedition! You said we were going to survive this together!"

Despite my pleas, Wind refuses the potion as he shifts his position to lie on his back and look at me. I’m worried he might accept his fate, but he says, "I-I wish I could take it. But... I can't move my limbs. I-I think that attack somehow paralyzed me."

Paralyzed? Wait, the tiger's attack might have been a [Thunder] spell!

Once he mentions this, I quickly go over his party status page. While I can’t see most of his stats, I can see his status condition and his [HP] and [SP].

[Party Member]

[HP: 5/590]

[Condition: Paralysis]

[Paralysis]

[You are unable to move for a few minutes and you cannot attack or use your [Mastery] skills at that time. Can only be cured by [Paralysis Antidote] and [Nature] spells.]

So he is paralyzed. With that, I decided to help him out by putting the potion in his mouth so he can drink it without using his hands. While I don't have any healing skills, I can still at least use Wind's arms to help him use the item despite his condition. Eventually, he manages to drink most of it as his [HP] restores up to a yellow bar.

[Party Member]

[HP: 311/590]

[Condition: Paralysis]

That takes care of his [HP], but he is still unable to move and I don't have any items to cure his [Paralysis]. What's worse, the tiger is getting closer and Wind's eyes widen once he partially regains his strength and slightly moves his head to see what is behind me.

"Oh no..."

I say the same thing when I see the tiger approaching us. And considering my current height right now, I don't have the strength to carry Wind with my spell and escape that monster. However, my biggest worry isn't Wind or my safety. Rather, I'm more worried about the tiger.

"K-Kaz, you have to leave me and get out of here right now."

“Huh?!” I turn around as I look at my older brother with my eyes widened.

"What are you saying, Wind?! If I do that, you’ll be killed!" I protest, not wanting him to sacrifice himself for my sake.

"If I don't, you will be. I already promised that I’d protect you from any dangers here and that includes monsters and bad players in ! I already vowed to do this before and there’s no way I am going to go back my word!"

Wind...

That's right... He hadn't hesitated to protect me from my old bullies that day. And because of that, he had changed for the better, even if he did become overprotective of me sometimes. But, the more I’ve come to rely on him, the more I’ve started to feel a sense of helplessness from my past life. If I keep relying on him, I’ll never forgive myself if something happened to him for my sake.

With that thought alone and without any second thoughts, I stand up and step forward against the tiger.

"Kaz, what are you doing?!" I hear Wind shouting right behind me. "I told you to get out of here now!"

I know what he was trying to do. But I’ve decided not to let him sacrifice himself because of me. And also, I need to know more about the tiger. Something seriously isn't right here.

"Kaz, I'm telling you to get out of here. Now! Do you hear me?!"

I refuse to move an inch until I can confirm my suspicions first. Plus, the tiger has already closed in on me and is about to open his mouth to bite me. Knowing this, I stand my ground and glare at it while avoiding showing emotion at this, at which I can still hear Wind ordering me to get out of the area.

[Foolish human... You have made your final mistake!]

The tiger then puts his mouth above my head. I can guess what would happen next as I close my eyes.

[Now you will pay for disturbing m-!]

"You say you're busy saving your home, right?"

The tiger stops as I find myself staring at his tongue. My eyes are still closed, but I'm guessing that he hasn’t killed me after hearing what I’d said.

[W-What did you say, human?]

Whoa... Does he understand me? Huh, I think I need to learn some kind of language to speak to it, but I'm guessing he could also understand this world's common language (i.e. English in real-life) as well.

"I said that you seem to be busy, and considering we unintentionally entered your home by accident, I would like to say we're sorry for intruding."

I don't know what to expect next. All I can do is open my eyes to see if whether or not he accepts my apology. But when I open them, I’m surprised to see that the tiger is now moving his mouth away from my head and sitting down right in front of me.

[You're sorry...? Hold on a minute, human. Did you just understand my language just now?]

I nod yes as I try to remain calm despite our current situation.

"Y-Yes. I-I don't know why, but I can translate your language. Including your mutterings about your home being in danger earlier."

Yeah, I can’t believe that I was talking to a tiger either. I don't even know if it really can talk or not, but I guess I have some kind of skill that allows me to communicate with certain monsters like this one. But I’m a bit nervous about this. He might think that Wind and I are nothing more than just more adventurers. Besides, we did enter here without any knowledge of this area. I don't even know if we could escape here alive.

I brace myself for the worst. But instead after a few seconds of silence, the tiger starts to chuckle slowly. And then, his chuckle turns into a literal roar of laughter. I quickly cover my ears at the loudness of his laughter.

[I can't believe it! HAHAHA!!! A human can understand me, AND is apologizing for breaking into my home? HAHAHAHA!!! This is all too surreal for me to believe!!!]

I guess this means he has forgiven me. All I can do was to turn and look at Wind, whose expression turned into confusion at this sudden turn of events.

"So... Does that mean you’ll let us go home?" I ask sheepishly, hoping he might set us free and log out for the night.

However, the tiger suddenly approaches us and says, [Not until I know who you really are. You seem strange for a human being. Not unlike that other human behind you.]

I gulp when he says this. He’s right, I’m not like Wind. Well, in terms of my true identity in the game. Although, this could give me the chance to reason with the tiger. "I-If you like, you can check up on me and Wind to prove that we mean no harm to your home."

If we want to get out of here alive, our best bet is to prove ourselves. However, as I wait for the tiger to reply to my suggestion, I quickly notice my pants being tugged, at which I look down and saw Wind, who seemed to recover from his [Paralysis] condition.

"Are you sure we can trust that monster?" he whispers to me without attracting the boss monster’s attention. "What if he kills us on the spot?"

I just nod at this. "I'm sure we can reason with him. Dad did say most of the [NPCs] are like the ones we played in our tabletop RPG sessions, so maybe we can just talk to him rather instead of killing him to escape."

Well, there’s also the game's AI, but I don't know how that worked. However, I remember reading of one incident from a thread in the game's forum. According to the post, there was one reported incident about a party who tried to fight off a boss monster found in a dungeon near . During the battle, they relentlessly attacked the monster, including what they thought were its minions. But when they realized how strong it was, they attempted to retreat to try to get stronger. However, the monster not only blocked off their only escape route and killed their mage, but it became berserk and killed the rest of them, leaving no survivors. No one knew how it all happened, but some had guessed that it may have had something to do with the game's advanced AI.

Regardless, all I can tell from that incident was that that party seemed to tick off the monster for some unknown reason. And I seriously don't want to follow that example. I just have to wait and be prepared for anything.

[It seems you speak the truth, strange one. Allow me to investigate both of your persons for a moment.]

I sigh with relief once more as I gently lay my staff on the ground and stretch my arms out wide.

"Go ahead. Wind, are you okay lying down for now?"

I can hear Wind's sigh behind me.

"Yeah. It's not like I'm going anywhere for now."

With that, I let the tiger sniff my body first as I try to stay still and avoid any unnecessary movements that might anger him. I’m still nervous and scared, but all I can do is wait until he was finished. Once he finishes with me, he walks towards my older brother and sniffs him next. Like before, I wait for him to finish as I stare at Wind, who seems to struggle to not move due to his current condition. Eventually, the tiger stops and approaches me with a neutral expression on his face.

[Hmmm... It seems I've made a mistake in judging you. Both of you possess a large amount of mana, yet you possess a larger mana reserve and a unique mana signature. Just who are you, young man?]

So he wants to know who I am, huh? Well, I can do that!

"Me? I'm Kazu of the [Insignis] race!" I declare before I turn and point at my brother. "And this is Wind. He's my big brother."

The tiger begins to hum loudly as he stares at me intensely. To be honest, I’m a bit nervous about him staring at me like I’m a statue. But then, his eyes suddenly widen as he is slowly backing away from me.

[A-An [Insignis]?! Wait a minute, are you saying that a member of the most-technological race of all is a brother to a mere human?!]

I gulp again as he shouts those words. Thank goodness Wind didn't understand him or else, I’d have to keep him down if his [Paralysis] suddenly wore off. Regardless, I have to come up with an excuse or the tiger might think we're lying.

"Y-Yeah! My mother is a [Human] merchant and my Dad is an [Insignis] magician. So that means I'm sort of a half-[Insignis] human and Wind got some of his mana from our Dad."

Will that be enough to convince him? I’m a bit worried since we’re actually just players of an online game. But role-playing is my specialty and I hope it gets through to him.

[Hmmm... Your story alone sounds very plausible. Some [Insignis] married to humans out of sheer love and from your actions alone, it seems you two have a strong bond with each other. Not to mention you showed no signs of malice towards me and my forest.]

To be honest, I’m hoping to find a strong monster to fight in these woods. But after that fiasco, I decided to rethink my plans right now since the boss monster was still right here. He continues to stare at us for a few more seconds until he says, [Very well! I will accept your apology.]

I gasp when I hear this. Does that mean... we're safe?!

[But on the condition that you do not divulge to anyone what you’ve just seen here. This forest is sacred and I prefer not to encounter more [Humans] like your brother. It will be less of a burden for both of us if you accept my terms.]

It doesn’t seem like too bad a deal. So then, I have to be careful whenever we talk about our present situation with others.

"I accept. Consider our lips sealed about these deeper parts."

The tiger nods, as if he approves of Kazu's determined goals.

[Very well. As our token of gratitude towards you, I will help your brother and tell you what happened.] The tiger declared as he backed away from the meter ahead. [You can think of it as my apology for injuring your brother.]

That’s even more good news, but... something was missing.

[Oh, and before I forget, I would like to introduce myself to you first.]

Of course. he hasn't introduced himself.

[My name is Bai Hu, the [White Tiger of the Beginning] and I am the guardian of the ! And as an apology for my actions, I will heal your brother by my own hands.]

Huh... A [White... Tiger... of the Beginning]?

Why do I have a feeling this will lead us to a new quest?

Wind's Masteries

[Archery] Level 14

[Woodcrafting] Level 7

[Swordsmanship] Level 15

[Cooking] Level 4

[Wind] Level 10

[Physical Enhancement] Level 9

[Hunting] Level 13

Kazu's Masteries

[Arcana] Level 17

[Thunder] Level 12

[Wind] Level 13

[Alchemy] Level 12

[Magecrafting] Level 10

[Magical Affinity] Level 15

[Scribe] Level 4