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CHAPTER 1 HAD UNDERGONE THE REPARATION PROGRAM: BATCH ONE

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Hello, this would be my first time ever writing a fiction! English is my second language, so please do point out any mistakes that I have made.

NOTE:

Chapter 1 - 6 has been repaired as of 9th May, 2015. Chapter 7 - 9 shall be reworked on when I have the time.

Writing style is improved from chapter 10 and onward.

" " ' ' <--- thoughts

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A pair of yellow eyes spied on the back of a lone man. They carefully analysed him while hiding their presence behind some bushes.

The man seemed to be standing still while looking at the trees in the distance, oblivious to his surroundings. A perfect prey. The man did not seem to be carrying the long fangs humans usually strapped to their waists; he did not seem to be a hunter.

However, something seemed off… the wolf could not shake off the uneasy feeling it had.

It and its pack had hid themselves well and they have strategically surrounded the man. The young ones were already itching to bite into the warm, soft flesh of their prey. Even now, their mouths continued to salivate as they imagined the taste of blood on their tongues. The alpha wolf itself was hungry; they haven’t had a meal for a whole day… food had been scarce in the Millennium Forest lately.

'But why had the man been staring at the ground?...' the wolf thought. It was suspicious of traps, but it could not find anything unusual even as it scanned the surroundings again and again. The absence of any weapon on the man was also reassuring.

'Perhaps, perhaps this man is just an idiot?' it was the easiest conclusion that it could come to.

After a moment of deliberation, its stomach finally won over its head in the battle of attrition.

Its ears moved, reconfirming the position of the pack. The pack lolled their tongues out in anticipation.

It was time.

It sprang out of the bushes to pounce the man, and the pack members howled excitedly as they followed suit.

The man turned his head around, and their eyes met.

A deathly coldness swept over the wolf's body, and its heart quivered. It saw the shadow of its own death... within the man's violet eyes. The man blurred, and a silvery streak lashed out at an incredible speed. That was the final image it saw before darkness claimed its vision.

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‘Let’s see…..six, no, seven wolves…I seem to have brought the attention of a small pack’ Aaron thought while his senses flared.

As a peak Advanced level warrior, he was capable of sensing movements and sounds within a ten-metre radius of himself. Of course, he had sensed the wolves long ago. Their padded paws may have masked the sound of their footsteps, but their heavy breathing resonated in Aaron's ears.

‘Now assuming the worst case scenario that all seven possess the lowest quality of fur, I would get around 4 silvers and most likely I’d have better luck than that.’ Aaron Blackstone waited and waited in the clearing of the forest while hiding his excitement. He diligently calculated his monthly budget. Figures and numbers fly about his mind in a storm of financials.

‘Damn it! How long are these wolves going to take? I’ve waited for half an hour here staring at the ground!' He resisted the urge to grit his teeth. 'Chase is home alone and I need to prepare lunch soon!’ Skipping lunch is not even worth considering, Chase needs to have a balanced diet.

Aaron could have just initiated an attack on the wolves but they were thinly spread out around his position. The possibility of letting half the pack getting away was quite high, should he choose to engage them. Having half of the spoils escape was not an option he was willing to take, for the sake of his family he must earn more money. Even a sliver of silver was a luxurious amount to obtain these days.

His skin prickled. He sensed a discrete wave of bloodlust. The wolves were about to pounce.

The sound of rustling leaves accompanied a large grey-furred wolf leaping at his back. Aaron twisted his torso around as his hands swiftly went inside his shirt. A pair of trusty steel daggers appeared in each of his hands. He completed this action even as the wolf was still in the air with its maws spread apart, revealing two rows of sharp fangs.

The daggers gleamed for a brief moment, reflecting the sunlight from the midday sun.

‘Over a metre in length, high-quality fur, nice colour, JACKPOT!’ He cheered inwardly.

The dagger in his right hand whipped out like a viper and penetrated the wolf's skull, instantly killing it with minimal damage to the body. At the same time, another wolf was rushing towards his seemingly unguarded back.

He lifted one foot and slammed the heel of his hard leather boot against the snout of the wolf behind him. A satisfying crunch resounded when the wolf flew a considerable distance away, smashing hard against a tree trunk.

A couple of wolves skid to a halt while three others still stubbornly tried to attack despite the obvious overwhelming difference in power. The coordination between them had been thrown into disarray due to the pack leader's death.

The wolves which decided to attack were quickly dispatched by Aaron and the remaining ones turned tails to flee. Aaron spun his daggers around and threw them with pinpoint precision towards the retreating wolves backs. With dull thuds, the daggers found their marks and tore through the beasts' flesh, silencing them.

Aaron did not let his guard down after decimating the wolf pack, years of experience on the battlefield had taught him that the dead do not necessarily stay dead. There had been a few occasions where the corpses of his slain enemies reanimated themselves and mindlessly attacked him. The chances were slim, and no such cases had been reported in the Millennium Forest, but better be safe than sorry.

No weapons in hand, he carefully approached the corpses. After making sure the wolves were truly dead, he pulled out his knives.

Thin, sticky red threads hung over the blades, prompting him to shake the blood off in one practiced motion. The daggers were nothing special, they were forged from fine steel by an expert blacksmith but they do not have any enchantments or the like.

Magical items with enchantments were rare and powerful; they were either forged by legendary blacksmiths or hidden away in dangerous places around the world where only the worthy may acquire them.

However, the dual daggers Aaron possessed were sharp and in excellent condition. He had taken good care of them for the past twenty years and the daggers had returned the favour by never failing him.

Aaron delicately skinned the wolves but he was by no means slow at doing the job. Years of experience had exponentially improved his speed and precision. After he finished skinning the wolves, he piled up the corpses in the clearing. He collected some dry leaves and sticks and arranged them around the corpses.

He held out his right hand, and trained it towards the kindling.

'Come on... come on...' Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead as he poured in maximum effort.

Focusing his Mana on his right hand while aiming at the mound, a small fireball slowly took form a few inches away from his open palm. Rather than scalding his skin, the fire radiated a pleasant warmth as it danced in midair. He shot it towards the leaves, and the flames instantly devoured the kindling. The flayed carcasses shriveled and darkened as the heat burnt them to ashes, leaving nothing but charred bones behind.

Aaron had never been gifted with the affinity to magic. He took too much time to invoke a Beginner-level fire spell like ‘Fireball’, thus he never bothered to use magic in battles. In fact, that one spell he had just cast was about five times more tiring than the battle he just had.

He could have just brought a box of matches, but he insisted on using Magic to do simple tasks for a reason he never shared with anyone.

The corpses were burnt to prevent them from being eaten by the goblins or other dangerous creatures inhabiting the Spring layer of Millennium Forest. Monsters were notorious for their reproductive speed and leaving food for them would cause them to increase in numbers.

'If only we could just eat them' Aaron thought. Sadly, the safety of eating monster meat was highly questionable.

'Riley had it bad that one time with the Skulker soup. Lucky he ate it first' His face blanched as he recalled the diarrhea one of his men had suffered from.

Satisfied, Aaron left the Millennium Forest with a sack full of loot slung over his back. He quickened his pace and ran. He jumped across the winding tree roots, launched himself over obstacles, as free as the wind.

Wherever he traveled, he ran to keep his body fit while building up stamina. He spared a glance at the looming canopy of trees behind him. They cast an ominous gloom over the forest, halving the power of daylight.

The Millennium Forest, it was named as such due to it being discovered approximately a thousand years ago. It was classified as one of the 'Three Wonders of Armus'. It had not expanded or shrunk by even an inch over the years, its verdant fullness maintained their conditions, preserving a pristine air.

It consisted of multiple layers, each identifiable by the surroundings and the creatures inhabiting it.

The outermost layer, where Aaron was, bore the appearance of a regular forest in Spring... thus the name. Regular, in the sense of the common hardwood trees and monsters which made their home there. If one traveled around the Armitage kingdom, he or she could easily find dozens of forests that possessed similar ecosystems to the Spring layer.

A few centuries ago, a group of experienced adventurers had attempted to delve into the heart of the Forest. Their records however, told of their failure.

Despite not making it to the end, it was not a fruitless venture. The records left behind by its surviving members described their discovery of ruins belonging to ancient civilisation, deep within the forest. Their efforts at researching the historical site were hampered by the dangerously powerful monsters which resided there.

That was, and still is, the deepest part that had ever been depicted in written form. Perhaps that was the farthest reaches of the Forest that had ever been explored as well.

'I doubt it, there must've been plenty of others who made it just as far or further' Aaron thought.

Humanity had around a thousand years to unravel its mystery. Surely, there must have been some who succeeded.

'Maybe they just didn't share what they found' A comfortable breeze blew over the grassland, ruffling Aaron's jet-black hair. 'Or they pushed themselves and died. Just like her' The corner of his lips curled downwards, mirroring his souring mood.

The feeling of the leather-filled sack bouncing against his back banished the cloudy emotions. 'At least I got a good haul today, for the first layer that is'

The feature that sets the Millennium Forest aside from others of its kind is the multiple rings around it. Each layer had its own distinguishing characteristics and that is greatly enhanced by the fact that the flora and fauna do not encroach upon another zone.

A goblin may only be found in the Spring layer, a Mistwalker may only be seen in the frosty Winter layer deeper inside. The creatures of the forest tend to their own specific habitats under some intangible rule. The strength of the creatures escalate in proportion to the depth of the Forest, just like dungeons.

Thus, it was widely speculated that the Forest held unimaginable treasures within its elusive core. But Aaron never dreamt of delving that deep into the forest himself. No, he wouldn't step a foot into the fifth layer if he could help it. Never again with a capital 'N'.

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Just as Aaron left the Forest, a man entered it. Clad in a dirty cloak, he gave off the feeling of a beggar or perhaps a vagabond. His unevenly shaved beard reinforced his unfavourable image even further. He looked like the type of man who concerned mothers would warn their children not to approach in hushed voices.

He looked ahead, in the direction of the forest core. His eyes glittered as he muttered something to himself.

"Just a bit longer... just a bit longer, brother.."

Not long after he went inside, the clouds above darkened and peals of thunder drowned the sounds of shrieking beasts within the Forest.

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Aaron's house was a common one, built with stone bricks and a gable roof, not too small and not overwhelmingly large.

There were not many houses outside of towns and cities. Those who live outside were usually hunters or adventurers and they were rarely sociable enough to have a family. Aaron’s nearest neighbour lived miles away, and their relationship only extended to a nod when running across each other.

Water dripped off his entire body as Aaron stood in the doorway. Who would have thought that halfway home, a freak storm would pop out of nowhere?

Grunting to himself, Aaron took off his muddied boots and left them outside before entering the house.

In the living room, he saw a little boy sitting on a chair with a pile of books on the desk in front of him. The boy raised his pair of violet eyes from the book he was reading and looked at Aaron. Witnessing Aaron's figure standing in the doorway, he opened his mouth to speak.

“Hi, dad.” said Chase Blackstone.

Aaron frantically ran towards his son and cupped the boy's head in his palms. The boy was the spitting image of him, with the black hair and violet eyes that were identical to his. However, unlike his hardened and manly countenance, Chase’s face was as innocent and soft like the ten year old boy he was.

“Chase! Chase! Are you all right?? Is your stomach fine? Had it been so hungry that it started eating your surrounding organs?!” Aaron asked a torrent of questions, his eyes fearfully wide and his palms sweating with nervousness.

“Dwad..I Ewm Fine” Chase mumbled. Speaking was hard as his father’s hands squished his cheeks together.

“Thank God!” Aaron exclaimed and let out a huge sigh of relief as he released his crushing grip on the boy. “Now just you wait there while I whip some lunch for the both of us” He gently patted Chase on the head while pinching the boy's cheek with another hand.

With that, Aaron went into the kitchen and donned a cooking apron. The sight of a well-built man with manly scars all over his body putting on a white apron was comical, if not downright creepy. Humming to himself, he skilfully handled the kitchenware and ingredients like an expert housewife. However, Chase Blackstone was used to his father’s antics and was not all that bothered by it.

The book in his hand greatly fascinated him. It was a copy of the journal of a famous adventurer named Gale. It described all the great feats he had achieved in the Great Holy Empire of Bosco up until the point where he mysteriously vanished about thirty years ago. Chase had read the book more than fifty times and he had yet to grow bored, the stories of slaying dragons, bestowing life to golems and cutting down an undead king never tired him.

“Put those books aside first Chase, come here and eat with me!”

Aaron’s voice from the dining room snapped Chase out of his fantasy. Chase obediently closed his book and put it atop the pile he had read on the table.

He then entered the dining room where his father was already seated on one of the three chairs around the circular dining table. Aaron held a spoon and fork in each of his hands respectively and was taking in short, ragged breaths as he stared wide-eyed at the piping hot food on the table.

Chase did not dally and sat down. The third seat was empty as usual. It had always been empty for as long as he remembered.

He grabbed his cutlery and immediately started eating, knowing that his father would not so much as touch the food unless he ate it first. And true enough, as soon as Chase took a bite, Aaron ravenously stuffed his mouth with half of the food on the plate.

“Swo Chwy, aw ur owrr udees?”Aaron spoke with his mouth full while his hands reached out for even more food. Chase completely understood though, years of living together had given him the skill to comprehend every piece of his father's garbled words. His skill might have already reached the level of Legendary in this regard.

“I’m doing fine, I’ve pretty much memorized the world map and I’m almost done reading through the bestiary.” Chase stated. He frowned as he tries to cut a particularly stubborn piece of meat.

With a loud gulp, Aaron swallowed all the food in his mouth.

“Great, at this rate you’d definitely be accepted into the Academy once you hit twelve years old!” He reached for a glass of water and glugs it down.

“Oh, My son will be a renowned scholar known all throughout Armitage" He paused. "No..... the whole world!” He corrected himself in a dramatic fashion.

“Just a little bit more, just a little bit more and I’d have gathered enough money to pay for your five year stay in the Academy” Aaron continued to blabber as his eyes glistened. He dabbed the tears away using the sleeves of his worn-out shirt and smiled warmly at Chase.

“But dad…. I don’t want to be a scholar..” Chase cut in.

'I never said I wanted to be one..' He groaned inwardly.

“Hmm?" Aaron raised an eyebrow. "Well that’s fine, you could be a scribe or an inventor or anything!” He rubbed his chin, giving thought to the new prospects.

Chase put down his cutlery and stared at his father.

“I want to be an adventurer and explore dungeons while slaying monsters all around the world..”

Aaron's eyes bulged in astonishment which soon changed into a stern gaze.

“No.” Aaron replied gravely.

“Why?”

“It’s dangerous.” Aaron answered.

“Then teach me how to take care of myself..” Chase leaned forward, making it clear that he was serious.

“No. You’d better off be living in the city.." Aaron swallowed. "Peacefully.” His tone of voice grew heavier with each reply, showing a striking contrast to his earlier attitude.

Aaron’s expression darkened as he gazed at the only empty seat at the dining table.

Chase knew that his father still regrets the incident nine years ago. Iris Blackstone was a very willful woman, almost as much as she was stubborn. She and Aaron participated in the previous Great Exploration nine years ago. Chase did not know the details but it ended with Iris losing her life. As a result, Aaron became an overprotective father who would not let Chase endanger himself.

Chase knew his father loved him and just wanted to protect him. But, today something was different, he could not hold back from stating his desire in front of his father.

“Dad, I won’t lose my life out there…I’d just start off small like killing goblins and such and then safely progress as I train myself. You know, step-by-step training to sharpen my skills and such..” Chase tried to soothe his father by explaining.

*BANG* *clang clang* *CRASH*

Aaron slammed his fist on the table, the dining ware clattered and some fell on the floor breaking into pieces. The porcelain plates shattered into shards, just like Chase's hope of convincing his father in this conversation.

“No, and that is final.” Aaron said, his face livid. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

He averted his eyes from the table and looked at the pieces scattered about. He silently stood up and began to clean up the mess. “Stop reading those foolish adventure books, they’re giving you some weird ideas.” He talked to Chase over his shoulder.

“Chase, I know you’re a smart boy, that’s why I know you would get this stupid idea out of your head.”

Chase sat in silence and continued to eat his meal. He could only watch his father's back as the latter was sweeping the floor. The mood in the dining room was gloomy, like the weather outside.

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The next morning, Aaron readied himself for a trip to the neighboring village. The amount of loot he had stockpiled was taking up a considerable amount of space in the house and they needed to restock on ingredients in the kitchen. These trips usually take about half the day to complete. As such, he immediately headed for the door after breakfast so he could make it back by dinner.

“I cooked some extra for lunch, make sure you eat them later.” Aaron said while he tightened the bindings on the bags. “Take care now and study properly, okay?” He patted Chase on the head and gave him a friendly ruffle.

Chase didn't reply. Aaron stared silently before coughing lightly.

"Listen, I know you might be feeling bored at home. How about this, I'll bring you along to Thanes next time and you can look at some new sights" Aaron said. "I'm sure you'd rethink about what you said yesterday once you realise that it was just a fleeting idea. So don't sulk like that, okay?"

Chase nodded silently, and Aaron could do nothing but sigh to himself. 'It's just a childhood dream, he'd grow out of it soon... hopefully.'

Chase waved goodbye as his father went out of the door and headed towards the nearest village, Thanes. The weather was bright and sunny, the gloomy mood of the previous day had dispersed. Chase stood still by the doorway, keeping his father's back within his sight. He stayed there, until he could no longer see his father.

‘Sorry dad, I’ll prove it to you that I am serious about this. I'll show you that I can survive just fine if I plan carefully.’ He balled his fingers into fists.

Making sure his father was no longer in view of the house, Chase ran upstairs into his father’s bedroom. ‘Now, I’m pretty sure dad stored some of his spare daggers somewhere in here…’ As his eyes scanned the room, he spotted the corner of a wooden chest poking out from underneath Aaron’s bed.

‘That must be it’ He deduced.

He takes hold of both sides of the object and dragged the chest out from underneath the bed. The bottom part of the chest scraped off the layer of dust that had settled on the floor, leaving a noticeable trail behind.

His guess was spot-on, inside the box were two daggers identical to the ones his father used along with some recovery potions. He unsheathed the daggers and held them in his hands. They were heavier than he thought but it was not to the point that he could not swing it.

Chase had seen his father train in the early hours of the morning before sunrise numerous times. He had keenly observed the forms his father practices and how he trained his body.

Chase had been emulating parts of what Aaron did in secret whenever Aaron was out. A childish attempt which had most likely been wrongly executed, but at least he got the general idea. He did not neglect his studies though, he respected his father’s dearest wish for him to go to the Academy and he quite enjoyed reading. He just didn't want to be a scholar.

What's wrong with being an educated adventurer?

‘This is so different from the sticks I usually use’ Chase looked at his own reflection on the shiny surface of the daggers. He sheathed the weapons back into their leather scabbards and tucked them on his belt. ‘I’d just do something simple and quick today, kill a goblin and bring back something as proof’ He nodded confidently.

Chase marched into the kitchen and filled up an empty bag with his supposed lunch while grabbing some bandages along the way.‘Can’t go adventuring without any food now, that’s rule number one for adventurers’ He thought as he stuffed the wrapped piece of meat into his bag.

‘All set and ready to go’ He saddled the bag over his shoulder and tied it firmly.

Chase confidently stepped outside and bathed himself under the bright sun rays. 'Been a while since I went out' He took a deep long breath, enjoying the warm air flowing into his lungs. Eyeing the vast sea of trees to the west, he renewed his determination.

“Let’s do this!”