As Richard ran through the forest, making his way to the place which was marked on the back of Troy’s letter to Juvia, he came across five wolves which he all killed, but not scavenged as he was in a hurry. Killing those five wolves, he levelled up to . Running out of the forest, the first thing he saw was the sea. But it was not blue like the sea was supposed to be, it was scarlet. The second thing he saw was the sand. But it was not golden like the sand was supposed to be, it was scarlet just like the sea. The third thing he saw was the small rowboat lying in the sand. And the fourth thing he saw was the back of a man, no not of a man, but of a teen who was standing by the rowboat and looking at it. “A kid?” he thought and saw his name, level and health above his head.

Closing his eyes, he took in a deep breath through his nose, held it in for a few seconds and breathed out of his mouth before opening his eyes. He started walking towards Troy.

“Juvia, you are finally here!” Troy said in an excited voice with his back turned to Richard. He turned around. His pupils constricted and eyes widened.

“Wrong,” Richard said.

“Who are you?” Troy said as he furrowed his eyebrows

“How old are you, Troy?”

“I am sixteen—but who are you?! And how do you know my name?!”

“Still a kid,” he thought.

Stopping an arm’s length away from Troy, he unsheathed ‘midnight’ with his right hand and extended it, stopping it an inch away from Troy’s neck. “Do you know what you did, Troy?”

Troy gulped down his saliva and fear reflected in his eyes.

“I—I wa—wanted to esca—escape my dut—”

“No, you committed treason!” Richard said, interrupting Troy’s words.

“I di—didn’t! I didn’t be—betray my vi—village!”

“You didn’t betray your village, yes. But you did something much worse. You betrayed your race.”

“Wh—”

“Don’t talk, listen,” he said interrupting Troy’s words for the second time.

Troy gulped down his saliva.

“Do you know what is the punishment of treason, Troy? It’s execution. But since you are just a kid, I will give you a chance. Tell me where are those degenerates hiding and you won’t get executed.”

“I—I do—don’t kn—know wh—what yo—you are talk—talking about.”

“Werebeasts.”

Troy’s pupils constricted and he clenched his teeth.

“They are not degenerates! And I don’t understand what you are talking about! When did I commit treason against my race?!”

Richard pulled out Troy’s letter.

Troy’s eyes widened. “Where did you get that?!”

Richard ignored Troy’s shout. He lowered his eyes to the letter and began reading it out loud, “Dear, Juvia. I am sorry that instead of seeing me, you are reading this letter. Your alpha said that if I betrayed my village, he would welcome me into his pack and accept me as your mate. But I can't do that and yet I want to be with you. Let's run away, together. I will be waiting for you at the marked location on the back of this letter. I hope to see you soon my love. Yours, Troy.” He raised his eyes to Troy. “First, you are calling a werebeast by its name. Second, you apologise for not meeting it face-to-face. Third, you talk about a deal with the werebeast alpha. Fourth, you say that you want to be together with it. Fifth, you ask to run away together with it. Sixth, you refer to it as your love.”

Troy frowned. “How is that treason? Why can’t I call my love – Juvia, by her name? Why can’t I apologise to Juvia, when instead of seeing her in person, I leave a letter. I didn’t accept father in law’s proposal, so why does it matter? Why can’t we run away together? Why can’t I call her my love? And why do you have that letter?! Did you do something to her?!”

“Even when I gave him a chance to live when another wouldn’t. And even when I explained to him what he did wrong when another wouldn’t bother, and yet he still… Damn brat!” Richard thought and said, “If you think that you didn’t commit treason, then let’s go to the count. But when we see him, you will get executed for treason, and your sister for her entire life will be known as the traitor’s sister. I am sure that her life will be hell.”

“My sister has nothing to do with this!”

“That may be, but she is your sister and she will be implicated because of your actions.”

“No way,” Troy mumbled and lowered his head, looking at the ground.

“But it doesn’t have to be like that, Troy. Tell me where are the degenerates hiding and your sister won’t be labelled as the traitor’s sister.”

Troy continued looking at the ground and not saying a single word.

“Don’t misunderstand me, Troy. Even if you don’t tell me, I will still find them. So what will it be? Tell me and let your sister live a normal, happy life with her big brother safe and sound. Or don’t tell me and make her life hell with her big brother executed.”

A few more seconds passed and Troy slowly nodded his head.

“Alright,” he mumbled in a barely audible voice.

Richard sheathed ‘midnight’ back into its sheath.

Troy raised his head, raised his arm and pointed his finger in a direction. “Their village is in that direction.” He pointed his finger in another direction. “Their alpha’s den is in that direction.”

Richard unsheathed his sword and swung over his head down.

“Ah!” Troy shouted out.

A sound of crashing wood sounded as the rowboat got destroyed.

“Go back to your sister and remember, if I catch you talking to werebeasts, I am going to treat you as one of them,” Richard said as he sheathed ‘midnight’.

Troy hastily nodded his head a few times and ran into the forest.

“I have to prepare before going to their alpha’s den or their village,” Richard thought. He walked into the forest and spent the next eights hours killing and scavenging the wolves. In those eight hours, he killed and scavenged thirty-six wolves which also levelled him up to . Returning back to the city, he first went to the cook, selling him the meat. Then, he went to the enchanter, selling him the bones. Then, he went to the alchemist, selling him the ears, noses and paws. Selling all those items, he made nine gold and forty-five silver coins. He walked over to the middle-aged man who asked him to collect ten wolf pelts. He pulled out all forty-five pelts that he scavenged and gave them to the man.

The middle-aged man bowed his head.

"Thank you very much!"

Notification messages started flashing.

“I will be on my way then.”

The middle-aged man bowed his head once again as he said, “Thank you very much for your hard work.”

Richard walked over to the little girl who asked him to find her big brother.

“Thank you for finding my big brother,” she said with a smile on her face and notification messages started flashing.

“Your welcome,” Richard said with a faint smile on his face. Then, he looked around and said, “I don’t see Troy anywhere, where is he?”

A pouting expression appeared on her face. “Big brother locked himself inside his room as soon as he returned. And every time I knocked on his door and asked him to come out and play with me, he only shouted at me, telling me to leave him alone.”

“I see. I will be going then.”

She nodded her head. “Mhm. See you later, big brother adventurer.”

He walked to the blacksmith’s – Lazarus’ building and entered it. He saw Lazarus sitting behind the counter with crossed arms.

“You are here. I will go get your spear,” Lazarus said as he stood up.

“Is it the best rare two-handed spear that I will ever lay my eyes on?” Richard said as he started walking to the counter.

Lazarus harrumphed. “What do you think?” He walked through the door that was behind the counter.

Richard stopped in front of the counter.

Lazarus walked out with a black spear covered in red markings in one hand and a spear sheath in another. He placed both the spear and its sheath on the counter. “Like you already know, this is the best spear that you will ever lay your eyes on and its name is ‘darkness’.”

Richard looked down at the spear and information floated up above it.

He looked up at Lazarus, pulled out fifty silver coins and gave them to him.

“The ‘darkness’ is now yours.”

Richard took the spear’s sheath and put it on his back. Then, he took ‘darkness’ and sheathed it in its sheath.

A notification message flashed.

“I have wolf claws and teeth for you, interested?”

“How many?”

“Claws and teeth from forty-five wolves.”

“Two gold and seventy silver coins.”

“Deal.”

Richard pulled the wolf claws and teeth and placed them on the counter and Lazarus gave him two gold and seventy silver coins.

“First the bat claws and teeth, now the wolf claws and teeth, will you bring me werewolf claws and teeth next?”

Richard shook his head. “Don’t joke around, blacksmith. Those things don’t deserve to be made into anything. The only thing that those things deserve is death.”

“Those words of yours are the same words my old friend said to me a long time ago…” Lazarus said and looked deep into Richard’s eyes before continuing, “I have decided, I will forge you the best weapon that I have ever forged.”