“I used to be an adventurer like you, then I took an arrow in the knee.”

—Anonymous, the Guard

“As I had said, I have already decided and made up my mind that I still want to apply as an adventurer.”

I frowned as I repeated my answer towards the receptionist in front of me, after I had handed in my application form to her. Trying my best to glare as hard as possible at the nosy receptionist, who was showing a face that says ‘Are you serious?’

How dare she take me so lightly, was this the kind of attitude a receptionist should have? I will have her know that I am as serious as poison.

“I apologise if I had offended you miss Lynton. Even so, I will still strongly advise you to reconsider this.”

The receptionist in charge of the counter had a hard look on her. She seemed young but she was still obviously at an older age than me. Was she concerned about me, or was it something else?

“While it is true that anyone can become an adventurer, but being an adventurer was not as glamorous as it seems. Many people had lost their lives due to this and it is my duty to to warn the applicants of the possible hazards before they apply.”

I was aware that being an adventurer was not as great as the rumors say. In a sense, the adventurers were no different than mercenaries except that they focus on hunting monsters than killing people. While many people tried to ignore it, their rates of death was not something to scoff at either.

I still felt a bit uneasy when I listened to what the receptionist had to say. Was this some sort of test? I have heard before that all the newcomers will receive some sort of interview that will evaluate their resolve during the registration. Was this something like that? If it was, it must be quite effective.

“Additionally with your current profession, you will be hardpressed in trying to find a guild to join and you will be ill equipped in fighting against the monsters alone without forming a party.” The receptionist looked at me seriously as she spoke in a way that seems to be trying to dissuade me.

I hesitated a little as I felt my confidence shaken a bit. This...this sounds a bit serious and troublesome too. I tried not to gulp as I kept my expression as straight as possible so as not to show my worries.

“O-of course I have already made my decision." I gave my response as I tried to appear as confident as possible, I would not be discouraged that easily. "So are you going to do your job and just accept my application already?” I tried to urge the receptionist. This was still the best choice I could think of, or at least it was what I tried to tell myself.

“Very well miss Lynton, I will respect your decision on this. Please wait for a while as I handle your registration.”

The receptionist started inscribing something in a piece of parchment, she then stood up to enter the room behind the counter. She appeared shortly afterwards with something in her hand.

“This tag will serves as your identification document, it also allows you to accept requests in the adventurer association that are equal or lower than your current rank.” The receptionist proceeded to start giving me a brief explanation and she passed me the metal tag.

Only after I had received the tag from her, that I finally breathe out a sigh of relief. I was a bit afraid that she might reject my application.

“It also gives you permission to use the various common facilities in the consortium buildings found across the other towns, such as our depositories and the inns. But that excludes the guilds themselves.”

After she finished talking about various other privileges and functions of the adventurer system. She then points towards a large bulletin board.

“The requests are pinned onto that board. I would personally suggest you to start by cleaning the sewers and killing the giant rats to get yourself used to your job.”

I raised my eyebrows when I just heard what the receptionist had said, that did not sound appealing at all. I really hope the smell would not stick to my robes if I did accept such requests.

“Alright, that’s it for the registration. Thank you for coming.”

The receptionist nodded at me and then she waved for the next person in line. A long queue was forming in front of the desk, so I quickly move away to allow the line to move forward.

I had just became an adventurer, or so I thought as I walked towards the giant board in front of me. While I had appeared calm on the outside, my mind was still deep in thought, worrying about what to do next as I passed through various people in the building.

The atmosphere inside the building was incredibly lively right now. There was a large crowd of people coming into the place at every moment. Some had come to take requests, while others came to report their progress, there were also people who was even here to make a request.

It was obvious that the adventuring trade in this town was flourishing after they had discovered a dungeon nearby. And the amount of people flooding towards this town due to the aftermath of the war also helped to increase the amount of requests and applicants too.

That said, it did not help to improve my troubled mood as I tried to stifle a sigh.

I was one of those people who had just entered the town too, the army had raided village I was in and I barely managed to escape with my own life. All I had left now was the wooden staff in my hand, some personal belongings, a few coins and some other supplies that I brought with me.

I slowed my footsteps when I arrived in front of the board where the job requests are posted. Staring at the requests, I was starting to get deeper into my thoughts to think about ways to earn some income.

I really wanted to put off getting into the sewers as my last option but most of the better requests had been taken by the other adventurers already. I was still lacking in coins and I really needed to do something about it before I start earning pennies by killing whatever things found inside the town’s smelly sewers.

I could try to make some weak potions and sell it for a merger amount of money but it was still a doubt that whether people would even want to buy it from someone as shady looking as me. There was already an apothecary shop in this thriving town and they do not seemed to be the type to appreciate the competition either, not at this point of time.

I could sell the potions directly to the shops itself but I needed ingredients to brew more of such concoctions. To do this, I either need to hire some adventurers to get it for me or I try to risk it by doing it myself.

Even so, I do not think that I would be able make much of a profit by hiring adventurers to do it for me anyway. So that left me the choice of becoming one instead.

Additonally, given with my current proficiency, the potions I brewed were not that effective even when it was compared to the low quality potions sold in shops. And it does not seem like the people would be any more interested in the medical tonics and salves that I produced either.

What can I say? My initial training under my teacher was focused on training my familiar first. Followed by learning various basic hexes and curses, and then trying other simple forms of magic while assisting in rituals. It was only after it had taken two years of my training, that I was finally able to start learning how to brew better potions.

But at that time, my teacher were one of those people who had stayed behind to fend off the raiders to ensure that the villagers and I could escape from the place before it was sacked. I really doubt I will be seeing her anytime in the future.

Even after a month had passed, I was still barely more experienced than a novice in brewing potions, and I could not train myself in making better potions either. Not when I could not afford better ingredients.

While I was desperate, I felt that it was not worth it to sell away the current few precious potions I still had for a few small changes. So the only choice I was left was to put my abilities to work as an adventurer, so I could gather enough money to continue my training again.

Thinking over my options, I was actually starting to miss that old hag already….

“Hi there, are you interested in joining us on an adventure?”

While I was mulling over what to do next, my thoughts were interrupted by the loud voice of someone behind me.

“Huh?”

I freezed a little as I slowly turned around, I noticed that the person talking to me was a young woman clad in armor. She had light brown hair and she had a battle axe strapped behind her back. There seemed to be three other young girls standing not that far away from her.

“You are a witch right?” She asked with a serious face.

“Why yes, I am Indeed….a witch.” I tried to replied carefully as I try not to stammer while speaking.

“Good, you are just the help we might need!” The tall girl started speaking cheerfully.

They told me that they had noticed my conversation with the receptionist and knew that I needed a new party to join. It seems that they were also a group of newly formed team of adventurers but they already had a few experiences in delving the dungeon near the town together.

They were a team composed of a warrior, a ranger, a mage and even a healer. While the mage in their team was a pyromancer, they did not have a person who could reliably use holy magic against the undeads in there.

Since they will soon need to dive into the dungeon again for another treasure hunt, so they wanted to recruit me as an additional secondary support to bolster the team in their fight against the monsters. While I also had a sneaking suspicion that being a girl was also the reason why they wanted me join their full girls team. It was still an opportune offer, but one that I still had to consider first.

While most of my abilities were restricted inside the dungeon, it does not mean that I did not have any options left to choose. I could still cast acid spells to deal with the undeads and I could help weaken the enemies with hexes in the battle for others to finish them off. I was also glad that the team already had a healer, so I could at least help preserve some of her spells by using my healing items for wounds when we were not in battle.

It was a tempting offer and it was not like I was left with any other better options available for now, and I would need to enter the dungeon sooner or later anyway, despite it being a bit earlier than I had expected. So in the end, I chose to accept their offer.

“Welcome to the team!" she happily told me as she introduces the other members behind her.

"You can call me Kelrine Lymsel.” She said as she patted my back in a friendly manner while she was smiling toothily. “So may I know how should we refer to you as?”

“My name is Nevia Lynton, you can just call me Nevia.” After some consideration, I politely told her my name.

—

When I was standing in front of the dungeon’s dark entrance that was only big enough for a single wagon to pass through. Yet I was hesitant to take a step further into the dungeon until the others hurried me on. The brown crumbling doorways was so dark that even the flames of their torch was only bright enough to illuminate the few stairs in front of them. Despite its diminished size, I still felt that I was small in front of it, like it was something out of my power, out of my league.

It felt ominous and oppressive. The sight of it definitely does not look as welcoming for the adventurers to enter at all. The cold breeze that blew out from the entrance, carrying the stench of blood made fully sure of that point. Like it was sending an foreboding message, daring the people who enter here to uncover the possible dangers lurking inside. More like taunting them.

I knew that it was not the time to back out now so I harden my resolve and continue to walk on, into the dark abyss.

I would not be here risking my life just to collect some bat tooth for making my potions right? No, the spider eyes and venom found here could be pretty useful too, so does the other possible insects. What am I doing? Why am I trying persuade myself in doing this right now?

Inside the dark tunnels of the ruins, the five of us were fumbling through the darkness. The flickering lights from the torch did not help to ease the uneasiness in my heart, as we walk through the claustrophobic hallways.

The eerie shadows writhe and dance to the torchlights, its movement were sending false alarms about possible enemies. The only sound of the unnervingly loud echoing footsteps made by the adventurers in hallway was not helping either.

The cold air was stale and dusty, as I tried not to shudder as I walked on nervously, clutching tightly on my wooden staff as if my life depends on it. All this stress was afflicting mild paranoia and delusions to my already strained mind.

I casted a look at the others, the adventurers walking in front of me were the female warrior and a ranger. I was walking at the center of the group with the pyromancer and the healer following slightly behind me with a slower pace while covering my sides from behind. They all appeared calm as if they were already used to coming to this accursed and forsaken place.

Despite the assuring feeling I felt when walking with the other adventurers around me, but it was still a bit uncomfortable as they were still strangers to me. I was already slightly regretting about entering the ruins with the others. I was not mentally prepared for this and who would know that delving in a dungeon could be so damn terrifying!

Along the way, we had killed a few weak monsters as we tread forward carefully inside the ruins, the darkness in front of us was still as impenetrable to the torchlight as a pitch black veil. It unnerving to walk without being able to see anything in front of you, except the enclosing walls beside us and the few feet of ground ahead of us.

Sensing my uneasiness through the corner of her eyes, the ranger walking slightly in front of me had rather been observing me for quite some time now. So she decided that it was better to strike up a conversation with me to help ease some of my tensions while being here. I recalled that her name was called Laria.

“I knew that witches are well known for casting curses and making poisons, but I was still quite curious about what you all do actually. You people were always so secluded, being in the forest while practicing your witchcraft.”

While I was grateful that the ranger had started a conversation with me but that was still quite a rude topic to start as. I guessed that she was not normally the type person to start talking to others first.

“We mainly try to learn about drawing powers from the spirits by the help of rituals and potions. However, there are others that uses more…. drastic measures to bind the spirit’s powers, such as the use of blood rituals and soul magic.” I give her a curt insight as an answer instead.

I used to have a familiar with me, but it was lost when it was trying to help me distract the pursuers during my journey here. I could resummon it in a ritual, but that was something to be done later, since I had only just got to the town before I found a party.

“Oh, so you are just like a mix of a herbalist and shaman then.” The ranger spoke bluntly, her face was blank from any emotions when she saw me pouting my face.

I tried to refrain myself from snorting childishly after hearing what she said, as I almost wanted to rebuke the other rude girl for being such an unsophisticated person by over generalising on our craft. Why dooes everyone have to keep on confusing over what we do?

She might as well claim that a golemancer and a geomancer was the same too. Or even a wizard and a warlock. And so does every other trade that might seemed slightly similar to them. She should just call every spell caster a sorcerer instead of a mage and be done with it.

“No, despite us having the same roots, what we focus on are different from the shamans, alchemists, druids, or any other possible job classes.” I tried to answer the ranger’s question as politely as possible. “While many professions might overlap at times in their field of study, the direction and the method to use it differs from each other. Making up their own principles and specialities.”

Just like the the same sky we share, the same air we breathe and the water we drink, magic can be the same yet different. It was why we had different types of professions in the first place.

While we were talking, we had started to enter an area that seemed like an antechamber. Our path forward had started to split again this time. We had went through many forks and turns before, and such a case was no different when we had entered this place. But this time it was branch out to three different directions.

Laria immediately stopped talking to me and started to take out a piece of parchment that seems like a map brought from the association. She then wrote something down as markings, taking notes on the direction we had taken before and the possible routes we could go ahead. So as to not get lost in where we were going.

She then started discussing with Kelrine, about the possible dangers and benefits on which of the path they should take. Keeping track of the possible bounties and direction in mind.

While the ranger and the warrior was talking. The mage and healer was now making preparations to make a campfire, they seemingly had decided that it was time for them to set up camp here. I tried to join in and help them in their work too as they were now trying to place a ward around the place.

Just when we were about to start working, I was the first to hear something in a distance. “Shh, did you hear that?” I quickly told the pyromancer about it in a quiet whisper.

She also seemed to hear it too, as the faint sounds grew louder. It was the sound of footsteps. We quickly stop our work to notify Kelrine, interrupting her discussion with the ranger.

Laria also noticed it as she moved in front of us along with Kelrine. The rest of us got back to our original position as we got our spells ready to face the monsters ahead of us. The echoing sounds of footsteps were now able to be heard by all of us, so does the faint noise of moanings and growlings in the distance had revealed to us of what possible enemies we were going to face.

I was starting to feel nervous again, even when I knew about their weaknesses. Despite I had experienced fighting some spiders and bats with the party in this dungeon, but I had not personally fought in a battle against the undead before even till now.

I could feel sweat flowing down my cheeks as I clutched tightly onto my staff again until whites began to form on my knuckles. The tension was unbearable as I watched on, waiting for the undeads to show themselves.

But what we saw was totally outside of our expectations, I started shivering as I saw a swarm of huge spiders had started crawling out of the tunnel, like an ant's nest. They quickly covered the whole antechamber in a swirling darkness.

Despite the shock from the spiders' appearances, our mage immediately reacted by casting a fire ball spell that shot forward onto the huge spiders that were moving in front of us. The spell burst forth in a huge flame as they burnt the spiders around it.

It was at that time, that the undeads had started appearing from the tunnels following the swarm of spiders. I saw Kelrine rushed forward into a jump, rising her battleaxe as she slammed it into the horde of spiders, crushing them. She then swing it against a charging zombie, decapitating it, all the while roaring loudly in a battle trance and excitement.

I also started releasing my own hex spells at both the spiders and the undeads, afflicting them with weakening effects. Even the undeads that were unable get tired were starting to move sluggishly. I immediately started casting another spell, this time trying to make them more vulnerable to attacks.

While individually we were strong against each of the spiders and undead. But there were just too many of them. I did not have the time to count but just the estimation of the number of undeads must have already been over fifty, that amount was enough to put aside a classroom in Magvus for another lecture, or that was what my teacher had told me before. And there were only five of us!

Even while the the healer was setting up some sort of a ward, the pyromancer was still casting her fireball spells at the horde with Laria rapidly firing arrows at the monsters. Kelrine was still fighting the undeads, bashing skulls and dismembering limbs as she was getting further and further away from our group.

The undeads could sense the living and all these ruckus was starting to attract other undeads from the other tunnel entrances as they continue to flood into the antechamber through the corridors.

Eventually a loud scream could be heard, it was from the healer, I could see a few arrow shaft jutting out of her chest as she slumped onto the ground. Tracking the direction to where the arrows came from, I saw a few of the skeletons were actually holding bows!

It all started to go downhill from there after seeing that the healer had been taken out. Laria immediately called for us after she had swiftly fired a few shots at those skeletons’ heads.

“There are too many of them, we need to retreat while we still have the chance before they overwhelm us!” Laria shouted as she pointed towards the path we had just came from.

“B-but Kelrine was still out there! And what about—”

“Nevia, we don’t have a choice here, we either leave now to report on this mess or we all die here together!” Laria stared coldly at me as she said that. It was obvious that in this new team, she did not know nor care too much about Kelrine or the other members of the party.

The female mage was grasping tirely but she also seemed to agree with Laria about this, despite the fact that I had just voiced my doubts. Just then, another loud scream was heard. I turned my eyes to see the horrible sight of Kelrine getting engulfed by the undeads.

Her movements seemed to be dulled as a huge spider was biting onto her leg. She was then seized by more of the undeads, pulling her down, repeatedly biting pieces out of her while she was crying out in pain, dying as she still struggled.

The pyromancer and I continued to cast our spells while Laria tried to cover for us as we moved towards the path of our retreat. And finally, the mage had ran out of mana, allowing a few of the huge spiders in the swarm to take this chance to jump at her, causing her to trip and fell as more spiders gathered around her.

After firing her last arrow, Laria quickly turned around to run but more of skeleton archers had managed to fire more arrows at us. Some had landed a few hits on us. An arrow hit me in the shoulders while two arrows hit Laria in her upper back and slightly above the back of her calf. She then fall to the ground in front of me, as her face distorted greatly in pain, but she was still alive.

I was currently standing near the exit, I really wanted to escape but another part of me wanted to save Laria. The pain in my shoulders was unbearable as the arrowhead continues to tear at my muscles everytime I move. But I still tried to move forward, towards Laria but I froze up when I was halfway there. I could not help it as I saw a zombie was striding forward just behind Laria, more of them were joining in from behind.

“Help me! Please, save me!" Laria was shouting loudly to me.

She crawling towards me, her wide blue eyes were desperate as tears were flowing down from her eyes, the rotting of the moving corpse moving ever closer behind her. She was pleading to me, but I just stood there.

I was hesitating, as my breathing was starting to turn heavy, my mind was conflicting among my two choices. To try and risk saving her with the monsters being so close away from her or just run away like she always had. I did not move and I could not move.

Laria was starting to scream frantically as a zombie grabbed her leg, I tried to help her as I raised my staff to fire an acid spell. My mouth was dry but I started chanting but….nothing happen….there was no spell being casted. My mind was currently so clouded and emotional that I could not visualise the spell without realising it myself amongst the pain and confusion here.

I heard Laria’s scream of pain as I felt my knee buckle and gave way. I slump onto the ground as I witnessed what was unfolding in front of me. Pool of blood was forming on the ground as chunks of flesh was bitten out of Laria while she was still alive and in pain, her cries echoing inside the room.

I could not save her. No, I was too afraid to save her, I hated it but my mind was turning hazy as I stared at the gruesome scene in front of me.

“H-help me! Please….help….me.” She cried weakly, frothing as she loses strength. The lights had started fading away from her eyes.

I was not a person who was afraid of the dead or the undead, but the sight of her dying haunted me. Her eyes was still staring widely at me even till now…. when she was alive just moments ago…. and the memories of the past was starting to resurface again.

Of the times, when my teacher had tried to protect me from the soldiers. Of the times when I saw the villagers being chased down in the forest….of the times when the soldiers started stabbing at them. Of the times when a villager had arrows sticking out of him as he lay on the ground dying. Of the times, when I saw someone pleading to me for help….all the while, I was quivering inside a bush that I was huddled in.

The torches that were thrown onto the floor when the battle had commenced, were begining to flicker out, and once again the darkness was slowly starting to engulf the surroundings. All that was left, was the faint noise of the moanings and growlings again and a dead pale face lying in front of me.

My eyes were blurry as tears started flowing down my eyes as I turn to stare at the ceiling, my throat was sore and dry as I tried to grasp for air. I could not even cry properly, as I felt my lower body becoming a little warm. All I could feel that time was despair…. and sadness as I sensed the shadows of the undead moving towards me. I was afraid of the imminent death and reality…. Even more so, I was scared to face it as I could not do anything about it.

In the darkness, a flickering ray of light could be seen as it flew past me, suddenly bursting brightly into a raging shower of flames, burning away the flesh and bones of the undeads, as they stagger and started falling one by one.

"….Huh?"

I slowly turned my head around as I saw a person quickly rushing past me to decapitate a skeleton in front of me and then continued to fight the other undeads that had went past the flames.

I did not have time to call out to him, nor could I do anything. I had tried to but there was no voice in my throat, amidst the stress and anxiety.

At that time, I realised that there was a silhouette of another person walking in slowly from behind, with a second horde of the horrifying undead following after him as they started to surround me, they did not attack me as they just stood there silently, their faces were either rotting or disturbingly hollow.

Without me noticing it, the person who was in dark robes was already standing beside me, it was as if his body was a spectre under the cover of darkness. He was facing towards me, his fingers that was holding on to a staff was ghastly pale.

"….Ah…." I tried to talk, but I was still having trouble pronouncing, as if it felt like I needed to learn to speak again.

"Well…. as expected, there is still someone alive."

The robed man was hooded as he looked at me. When I finally had a glimpse through the darkness of his hood under the light of the fire. What I saw was again a deathly pale face, almost bloodless, like a corpse….and that moment, was when I threw up the contents of my breakfast on the ground.