Bai Hu. Also known as the White Tiger. I don't know much about history, but I do know about the Chinese mythology behind the legend thanks to some minor research on me and Hayate’s parts whenever we come up with any RPG campaigns at the time. If I remember correctly, Bai Hu is one of the Four Gods or Symbols and it represents the direction of the west and the autumn season. Also, I remember that the mythology mentioned that the white tiger would only appear during a time when the emperor ruled Japan in peace. In Japan, most of them called it "Byakko" and most of the media were inspired by it as well as the other Symbols. So it’s no surprise that this mythology found its way into this game.

Nonetheless, I’m still shell-shocked that this boss monster based on Byakko is now healing my brother with a kind of spell. I don't know what it is, but I could tell from my skills that it has so much mana within it that it could put Wind back on his feet in no time. Eventually, the tiger backs away as the glow on my brother's body begins to fade, and to my surprise, Wind manages to sit up and finds he’s able to move his hands and fingers once more.

"M-My hands..." he mutters and looks at his legs as he stands up. "My legs... I can move again!"

[Party Member]

[HP: 590/590]

[Condition: Healthy]

[NOTICE]

[The [White Tiger of the Beginning], [Bai Hu] has healed your party member, to full health.]

Whoa... If that's what the powers of the [White Tiger of the Beginning] are like, then it’s a huge relief that he’s not our enemy anymore. More importantly, I’m glad that Wind is okay.

I then notice him rub his left arm as he approaches the monster with a regretful look on his face. "I-I'm still surprised about all this, but... Thank you for saving me, Mr. White Tiger."

"Um... Wind..." I interject. "His name is Bai Hu and he's the guardian of this forest."

"Oh... I see. And since you seem to understand me, then I want to thank you again for saving me, Mr. Bai Hu. And we're sorry for invading into your home."

Bai Hu nods at this and before I can say anything to Wind, he suddenly approaches me and whispers, asking a favor from me. I’m surprised at what he had asked, but I decide to follow it for Wind's sake as I watch the tiger turn his attention to my brother.

[All is forgiven, young [Human]. However, you both must be aware of how dangerous these woods are for young adventurers like yourselves.]

As I turn to look at Wind, I see him raise his eyebrow as his expression turns to confusion. It seems that Bai Hu is right. Because of my race, I can communicate with him without any problems. But to anyone who wasn't an [Insignis], all they get are the typical tiger roars and growls. And that was no exception to Wind since his character was a [Human]. So all I can do was to translate everything that Bai Hu says to him. Plus, he’s my older brother and [Guardian Player], so obviously I couldn’t leave him locked out of the loop regarding everything in the game.

"Y-Yeah. Though, try telling that to the [Insignis] who dragged us out here without any warnings."

I quickly shiver as Wind gives me a quick glare, to which I quickly reply, "Come on! I already said I was sorry! Plus, I promised myself to do my homework before the next time we go into any dangerous places."

"Well… as long as you learned your lesson. Also, you owe me two days off from once we're done here, okay?"

I gulp as he says this. I really don’t like going for several days without playing . But then again, I kinda deserved it for rushing in while not knowing the dangers in the . I reluctantly agree to this with a sigh of defeat.

"Now that's cleared up, it looks like we can go over something important. For starters, Kazu mentioned that you muttered about wanting to save your home during the battle. Is that something to do with that mysterious fog and vines that we saw outside earlier?"

Bai Hu nods as I notice his expression turn grim.

[I'm afraid so. And since you already saw them, I can tell that you saw the damage they’ve caused to the forest.]

Even I can’t deny the destruction caused by that fog. I decide to step forward and speak.

"Yeah. I sensed a large amount of malicious mana through my [Aura Perception] and I doubt I could get rid of it with my current state."

[Don't blame yourself, young [Insignis]. Even with the power of 20 mages, it is not enough to remove the plague that is destroying the forest. I managed to find the source of its power, but even I can't destroy it completely.]

Seriously? We’ve already seen how strong Bai Hu was in battle, but it’s shocking to hear that he couldn’t even get rid of the plague in this forest. Not only that, but he also mentioned that 20 of the most powerful mages in couldn't get rid of it either. Something just isn’t right here.

"That's crazy. You were able to bring me back to full health with your powers," Wind spoke up again. "So why can't you get rid of that plague the same way?"

[That's because it's no ordinary plague. As young Kazu mentioned, there is a large amount of corrupted mana in that fog, and its power is on par with my abilities as the guardian of the forest. Not only that but staying in the source of the plague will also drain most of my mana, something that I haven’t encountered with other plagues from the past. If I stay there for too long, I will die from the lack of mana and the forest will be unguarded by bandits and other malicious beings.]

"So you're saying that this plague has somehow mutated into a new form?"

[Not exactly. But I sensed that some of the mana came from other [Humans] and [Elves]. I initially that thought both of you were some of those who brought that fog to my home until I learned of young Kazu's bloodline. That's the other reason I attacked both of you.]

Mana from [Humans] and [Elves]? Hang on, if that's true...

"Are you saying that this plague is man-made?!" I couldn't help but feel angry upon learning that possibility. If that's true, then whoever made and unleashed it must have some intentions of destroying the . "Who would have done such a thing?! And why?!"

[I don't know. All I know is that, even if most of the fog and the infectious vines are destroyed, they will regenerate over time and continue to spread themselves until my home is no more. The only way to destroy it completely is to go to the source of it, but as I said before, I can't enter it without the risk of draining my mana. Because of this, I can't rely on lesser guardians to take care of this problem as they have other jobs to fulfill.]

So whatever Bai Hu does, it's a lose-lose situation. I feel sorry for him. Not only does he have to deal with a man-made plague that could regenerate itself, but he has to protect the forest while the plague is still destroying it. I really want to help him with this mess, but how? It’s not like we can go in there and stop the plague ourselves.

...

Hang on a second... That's it!

"Mr. Bai Hu! If you can't destroy the source completely, then how about we try to go there and find and get rid of the source in your place?"

[What?!]/"What?!"

"Don't tell me you're planning to destroy the source all by yourself?!"

Oops... I hadn't thought clearly before declaring this to Bai Hu and Wind. But it’s too late to take it back. All I can do was to continue and explain everything to them.

"Well, I didn't say I had to go there alone, Wind. If you don't agree with this, then I'll respect your decision." I clarify my choice to Wind. "But I can't just sit here and do nothing. Bai Hu might be a monster, but this is his home, and I can't let this plague destroy it. Besides, isn't the job of an adventurer supposed to be helping those in need? Whether they be [Human], [Elf], or other races. Plus, isn't helping others is another way to give back? Bai Hu did save you despite what he did to us and I want to give back to him for that. Don't you want to do the same?"

"Y-Yeah... I guess so..." I can hear the reluctance in Wind’s voice when he agrees, which I can understand. "But isn't it dangerous for us to go and destroy the plague's source by ourselves?"

[Your [Human] brother is right, young Kazu. The source of the plague is powerful, and there is a chance that you wouldn't be able to survive the battle with your current abilities.]

"But we can't let this forest get destroyed by it. Please, Mr. Bai Hu! Let us take your place and eradicate this plague!"

I quickly get on my knees and bow to Bai Hu. I don't want to do this out of greed. I just want to help Bai Hu and save his home. But I’m worried that he’ll refuse my request due to my age. But to my surprise, I see Wind also go on his knees.

"Mr. Bai Hu, I know Kazu can be a bit reckless at times, but I know he wants to protect this forest as much as you do. Besides, even if you try to dissuade him, I doubt he would give up his goal of helping others."

Wind’s right, and not just because I want to fulfill my role as a mage adventurer. I’ve always had a habit of helping others in need even in real life. Ever since I became a fantasy novel fanatic and Hayate had become what he is today, I’ve wanted to do everything in power to follow his example and help out others who couldn’t deal with their problems alone. Those feelings even extend to NPCs in both tabletop RPG sessions and itself. So even if they’re not real, I won't stop helping them no matter what.

However, I’m a bit worried that Bai Hu would still refuse. But Wind then continues, "Also, Kazu is with me and as his older brother, I promise that I will protect him during our whole journey, and I assure you he will not die under my watch. So please, Mr. Bai Hu, give us a chance to deal with the plague's source."

Wind...

I’m left speechless once I see him bowing in front of Bai Hu like me. He can be overprotective, but he really cares about me. He’s always protected me from harm back home, so no doubt he’ll do the same here. I'm guessing since he knows me too well, he wants to take responsibility for my safety in case anything happens to me. This fact alone makes me smile, seeing how much he wants me to stay safe from danger.

But what about Bai Hu? For a few seconds, he stares at us with his face mixed with conflict and worry. Yet as seconds pass, he growls and says, [Alright, I will allow you into the source of the plague. But be warned that staying in its domain will drain some of your mana the longer you’re there. I will grant a blessing to protect you from those effects, but it will only be temporary. I can only grant this only once, so you have to be quick in subjugating the source. Regardless, do you still wish to proceed?]

I don't hesitate to nod yes to him as Wind does the same. We have decided to destroy the source and there’s no turning back to our decision.

[Very well. Then I will give you my permission. Raise your heads.]

I’m confused by his sudden request, but we obey to avoid any offense to him.

[Young [Insignis] Kazu and [Human] Wind. I will let you enter the domain of the plague and destroy the source of it. You are the only ones who can stop it and save my home. Make sure to destroy it completely and ensure the safety for the sake of the flora and fauna of the forest.]

[NOTICE]

[The [White Tiger of the Beginning], has given you a [Special Quest]. Because of your recent interactions, this [Quest] has been automatically accepted]

[Special Quest: Destroy the Plague***

Out of your desire to help Bai Hu, he allows you to destroy the source of the plague with his blessings. However, you must destroy it completely to ensure it won’t wreak havoc on the forest ever again.

Recommended Party: 2]

So it really is a [Quest], and not like the one we did before. One example of this is that the difficulty level of it was a bit higher than that of the [Quest] with the [Wild Bear]. Even more, it’s accepted into our [Quest Log] automatically. There’s no turning back now. But that’s okay. I have convinced Wind and Bai Hu to let us stop the plague, so it’s now or never.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Bai Hu. We’re not going to leave a trace of that plague behind! We’re going to save this forest for the sakes of both you and the !”

It appears that Bai Hu has been convinced by my words, as he nods to us before turning around. [Alright. I will escort you to the source. Until we arrive there, make sure you prepare your equipment and rest upon my back.]

“We understand, sir.” Wind bows to Bai Hu once more. “And that means we have to wait and keep our strength up until then. That, by the way, includes, but is not limited to jumping into dangerous areas without my permission. Got it?”

I gulp once he says that. I need to work on my patience...

In any case, I jump on Bai Hu’s back as Wind does the same. Once we did so, he then heads off to our next destination, at which we expect to find and destroy the source of the plague once and for all.

“Well, what do you know? They finally did it,” Mr. White muttered as he and Spears watched the event with the Palmer brothers on a monitor. "And it only took them a day to convince Bai Hu to destroy the plague rather than facing off against him in a boss battle."

"Yeah. It makes me wonder how that young man managed to survive his magic," Mr. Spears spoke up. "According to our data, most of the players who tried to defeat Bai Hu are often killed by that lightning storm attack."

"It's probably the [Mana Shield] that his brother cast on him beforehand. Although, even with his racial bonuses, it still wasn’t enough to lower the inflicted damage from that attack at his current level."

Mr. White then scratched his head at this strange predicament.

"It could be a bug, but if it was, then those players should have reported us regarding that fact instead of those complaints about its difficulty." Though, in the end, he couldn’t blame them considering that area was supposed to be the game's first real challenge. "Also, I would also guess that luck also played in the factor of Wind's survival. Either way, if it wasn't for Kazu's quick-thinking, he would have become one of the game’s casualties."

"In any case, let's observe them a little longer. Maybe they might do something special and unexpected regarding our little surprise [Special Quest]."

Mr. White's eyes widened when he heard this.

"Okay. But I'm surprised, sir. The only time you’ve seemed invested in here when you were dealing with the feedback and complaints from customer service."

"Very funny, White," Mr. Spears muttered in a deadpanned tone. "But you're right. Mr. Palmer's kids are breaking more barriers than we can imagine. I wonder where they’ll go from here after this."

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