The cry of birds and insects, the sound of the wind flowing through the leaves of tall trees.

The sunlight bounced its way through branches as it turned into green upon landing on the ground.

The soft soil submerged at the weight of adventurer stepping on it.

A newly formed party just a month ago.

“Be careful! Witch in the forest are known for their trickery, they disguised themselves as an animal or a person.”

The caution came from a half-elf druid. He wore leather armor, a wooden shield, and a club.

“Hahaha! Then it's your job to discern which is a witch!”

A tall, furry beastmen said. A golden yellow fur with a cat-like eye. The lion-kin walk in front wearing pieces of metal armor and a spear.

“Come on guys take this seriously!” Ranted the thief halfling. She was wearing a garb that was easy to move, her dagger in her waist.

“Hhmm, the forest suddenly became quiet, no?” Muttered a male human cleric. Clad in a white robe as he carried his staff, the symbol of Herne, god of light, was hung as his necklace.

“Now that you said it... Hey Rust, can you use that finding something miracle?” Said the female wizard of the group.

“Detect Evil...” The human cleric retorted, clearly displeased for not remembering one of the few miracles he have.

“O Divine Herne, lend us your light and gui—”

“Watch out!” The beastmen with his sharp eye spotted a swift knife that came from the tree. With his claw, he deflected the knife.

“The witch!” Shouted the druid. The witch had nasty features, green skin, and long sharp claws.

“Maeir... Mittre! Magic Bullet!”

The mana in the air compressed into a fine orb, then launched itself to the witch.

The witch immediately dropped down as the tree above her was chip by the bullets.

“You finally show yourself!” Said the wizard. Her pink hair flutter as a gust of wind blew it.

Liliana and her party took a quest from a small village.

It was written that several people were gone missing after entering the forest. They suspected a witch, and they were right.

“Saeril!” She shouted. The druid half-elf took a piece of vine from his bag of catalyst.

“Nymphs and pixies, time to play, let's set up traps to the enemies of fae! Root Prison!”

The ground from below tremors then spurted thick roots targeting the witch at an alarming speed. One of the roots managed to hold the foot of the witch, then the other roots followed.

“Quick before she breaks it!” Said the druid.

With a quick thrust, the Lion-kin pierced the witch in the stomach. The hardness of the witch skin was nothing to scoff at, the tip of the spear almost bent before penetrating the witch.

“AAAAAHHHHH!!!! CURSE YOU ADVENTURERS!” A deafening scream almost burst the sensitive eardrum of the half-elf and the lion-kin.

When the witch broke the snare, Liliana already had her spell ready.

“Eleila... Yerpe... Elemental Orb!”

A ball of rainbow color burst in front of the witch. Though the ball doesn't have lighting characteristic, a bolt of electricity run through her body, causing her to be paralyzed once again.

The half-elf rushed with his shield raised and hit the witch in the head with his club.

Critical.

She swayed the same way the club was heading. Blood gushes from her forehead.

Maybe because the witch did not show that much of resistance, the half-elf lowered its guard and was met with a slash in the shoulder.

“FOOLS!” The witch shouted.

“Saeril move away!” From above, the halfling came descending. Her hands in the dagger coated with poison. The half-elf, Saeril jumped back as he held his bleeding shoulder.

The dagger easily cuts through the eyes of the hag, the blade reaching the brain.

“AAAAAAAHHHHH!” Her last scream still managed to instill fear from the adventurer.

Huff and puff, the halfling sat with her back on the ground, her hands supporting her.

“W-we did it... We did it! You did it Toira!” Liliana rushed to the halfling, Toira, and hugged her.

“You're so awesome mouh!” Liliana said as she rubbed her cheeks to Toira.

“Hahahaha you're such a kid Liliana,” Toira said, though she did not hate the clingy attitude of their leader.

“What about me? I'm injured too, no hugs?” Saeril muttered.

“Then can I offer you one?” Beside him, the male cleric Rust said jokingly.

“Urg... Just heal me already.” Saeril became annoyed.

“A perfect accuracy, I know that halflings have talent in killing.” The lion-kin, Yarjerit calmly examined the corpse of the witch.

“What do you mean by that!?” Toira exclaimed.

The party proceeded to laugh at the sight of their companion bantering to each other.

After this, they were to celebrate at the guild, part the reward, and who knows after that? Liliana certainly knows what, she would go to her usual spot inside the guild in the evening, and there she will see the figure of Darwyn sitting alone.

Fufufufu, it's a witch this time, I wonder how would he react? It was her routine to constantly boast about her achievement in adventuring to Darwyn.

The day goes on as usual... Or that was what they thought.

The party was about to go back to the guild when they heard some sort of rumbling. A low gurgle that even the biggest of bears could not reproduce.

The party went quiet as they trace the source of the sound.

Behind the trees, a monkey-like monster with red blood fur stood on four. It was 7 feet tall with muscular arms and a boulder-like shoulder.

Smoke comes out from its mouth... It was looking at them.

“R-ready!” Liliana's quick wits snapped the party out of its shocked state.

“Our objective is to escape from that... That monkey! Run!”

The retreat of the party was the sign for the monster to hunt them.

“Th-that's an l-lesser demon! A Simidar!” Rust informed the party as he runs. Because of how big the demon is, the trees obstruct its movement.

“Good good, keep running and...! Duck!” Liliana saw a boulder thrown at them. Since they cannot afford to stop, the party rolled over and run again like it was nothing.

“Acere...Arcus...! Acid Arrow!”

Distorting the weave of mana, Liliana casts another spell. Acidic arrow made its way to the Simidar. The demon blocked the spell with his red fur, causing it to melt. It melted, but that was it.

“Tsk!” That was one of her highest level spells yet, and that was the only thing that it did. Fighting this demon was beyond hope. A bright light beyond the trees, the party will soon exit the forest, but that also means that the trees that hindered the demon would no longer help them.

“Rust! Can you cast Protection!? A big one, like, super big!” Liliana shouted.

“I can't do a miracle if I'm running! I need to concentrate on that!” Rust replied as he struggled to breathe.

“Yarjerit! Can you carry Rust!?” Then her head turned to the tall Lion-kin of the group.

“Easily!” He said and carried Rust into his shoulder. “Wha! I, I guess I can now!” Rust shouted.

“Do it when we're about to exit the forest! I want it big and wide!”

Their foot nearing the grassy field, and when they are about to leave, Rust opened his mouth.

“O Divine Herne, bringer of light! Lend us your scared hand and help us against the darkness! Protection!”

A wide dull light materialized just from light. Herne the compassionate never fails to hear her children.

“How long could you hold it!” Liliana asked as she looked behind her back, carefully observing the raging demon.

“About one minute!”

“That's fine!”

The demon followed them without noticing the barrier in front of it. Thud! The demon slammed itself to the barrier, head first.

Enraged by this, the demon punched and pound the unmoving barrier. Each hit fastens the heartbeats of the adventurers.

“S-Saeril! How many spells you still have?”

“Er, about three! Maybe with a little rest, I can have four!”

“Three's enough! I want you to cast fog and that spikey trap of yours!”

“Coming up!”

She was chosen as their leader for a reason. She had an innate talent to lead and command people—well, not as good as Darwyn of course.

“Wakey wakey! I just need a little dust, water and a lot of pixies! Create Fog!” His first spell. His strength dwindled in half, but he cannot afford to fall, not yet.

“Up on the ground, pointy and around! Hidden in the grass, harpoons can be found! Earth Spike!” Another one. The ground formed itself into pits with spikes inside it.

He almost stumbled down if not for the Toira slapping his back.

“T-thanks...”

“Save that for later!” Toira said, somehow blushing. At the shoulder of Yarjerit, “The miracle is gone!” Rust exclaimed.

“Umu, then run!” Yarjerit said putting the cleric on the ground. Then again, he catches for his breath.

It was foggy at the back so they could not see, but they hear a roaring sound of Simidar.

“We esc.... Hah!...ped! Hah!” The running made Liliana tired as she was not physically strong like the front liners of her group. Rust got plenty of rest through the shoulder of Yarjerit.

“Kya!” Then she was lifted by Yarjerit himself. “Leader needs to rest!” He shouted, followed by laughter.

“Tha... Thanks... Hah...”

Her pink hair stuck to her forehead and neck, her breathing rough as steam came from her collar.

She looked quite erotic, but Yarjerit, who could not understand the aesthetic of humans, only saw her as a sweat-drenched girl.

Saeril would steal a glance at her from time to time with a red face, and he was often met with a pinch from the angry Toira.

The cold wind felt nice as it flowed through her face. From the horizon, she could the gates of the town.

“To the town!”

“As you wish!” Yarjerit replied with vigor.

That demon was fast, but I guess we could enter the town before it reaches us, then the guards will take care of the demon!. She thought. With this, their adventure ended safely. She cannot wait to tell Darwyn everything about this. A demon inside the forest? Who would have expected that kind of development!

When they are nearing the town's gate at the, what they saw, completely destroyed their hopes.

Two familiar faces registered from her memory. The hero and the princess, heavily injured yet, alive.

Before the two was a demon of some sort.

“T-that's Long Horns... A-a middle-ranked demon...!” Rust muttered in despair.

This was too much. Liliana thought. Her party was tired and out leveled by two demons back and front. They have to do something, they must or they will die but...

“I... I don't know...” Was all she could say. She knew it, the party knew it, there was no salvation from this.

But maybe, just maybe... What if she prayed from the same goddess as him, perhaps he would come? No, do not ask for the impossible.

Just when I was starting to love this world... She thought.

In her past life, she was nothing, everyone ignored her, that was why she indulged herself from reading novels about a person being transported from another world.

The hope of turning into a new leaf, having friends, and lover! O how good it is to be true! But the world she ended up was different from what she was expecting.

The monsters are more powerful than the humans, you could only cast a limited amount of spells, there was no good dragon that would train her and teach her magic.

But it was fun... She thought. Having this as her last adventure? Then so be it. But there was one thing that she hoped since going into this town before she even met her trusted party.

I wonder, what was he like behind the armor?

At least, a glimpse, yes, just a glimpse of his face, that would suffice. When resignation finally settled into her heart, one of her party spoke.

“Hey... Who's that?” The one with the sharpest sense, Yarjerit said.

A lone man carrying a shield half his size. He was tall and big, one would question if a bear was inside that metal.

The white and shiny armor that he wore yesterday was no longer to be seen, but instead, the old well kept heavy plate appeared.

Does he always look so cool? She wondered.

With the symbol of his goddess marked into his shield, Darwyn stepped into the battlefield.

For the first time, her party, the hero and the princess would witness why only the chosen few could enter the world of A-rank.