"Alright, that's the plan. Go to the Temple now so that you can come back as soon as possible." Daedalus continued as he urged John to leave immediately.

John saluted once more before heading northeast to the Glenfort Temple. After a couple of minutes of running, he arrived at the Temple. From the distance, he could see a figure surrounded by a group of kneeling villagers. That must be the priestess - Allegra. As he neared the priestess, he could make out her appearance. She had long black hair with green eyes and healthy cheeks. She looked no older than thirty but displayed an aura of wisdom and elegance. She wore the typical priestess clothes - a silver robe - and a golden wreath on her head. The priestess turned towards him when she heard his footsteps.

"Welcome to the Temple! Oh my, you're injured. Come and let me heal you."

"Thank you." John bowed.

After the priestess healed him, she held out her hand. John stared at the hand, unsure of what she wanted. The priestess glanced at him and stomped her feet. "Ahem...money."

"What? That healing wasn't free?"

"You serious? How do you think I pay for food? That healing magic took a lot out of me. The least you could do is compensate me."

"O-Okay...okay. How much?"

"Not much, 100 pieces of silver."

"A hundred?! Sounds reasonable." John exclaimed before nodding his head in agreement. The price seemed expensive to any ordinary folk, but for someone like him...each time he defeated an enemy, he would earn more than a hundred silver coins on average...it was nothing. John reached into his bag and pulled out a bag of a hundred silver coins. He tossed the bag towards the priestess.

"Thank you! My name is Allegra, what's yours?" A beam of light flashed on the priestess's lips.

"John. I was sent here by Daedalus to buy an elixir."

"An elixir eh? Come in, come in. I got many types of elixirs. Which one do you want?" Allegra replied as she led John into the Temple. To the far corner of the Temple, there was a small shop with a few elixirs on display.

John looked at the elixirs on display. They were the Elixir of Fortune, the Elixir of Stamina, the Elixir of Power, the Elixir of Protection, the Elixir of Speed, the Elixir of Wisdom, the Elixir of Vitality, and the Elixir of Battle. These elixirs on display were the standard elixir for each type. Naturally, there was a "greater" version, but those versions were incredibly expensive. Beside the elixirs was a manual that described the usage of each elixir and their price. After careful consideration, John decided to buy the Elixir of Speed. This elixir would increase his attack speed by fifteen percent for seven days, which was really helpful given that there were many monsters to be dealt with in the near future.

Once he spent the five gold coins for the Elixir of Speed, John headed back to the Training Hall. There he saw Daedalus all prepared to leave for battle. When the head trainer saw John, he asked if the young man was able to purchase an elixir. As soon as John showed Daedalus the elixir he bought, the old warrior told him to consume it immediately, which he complied.

"Good work, John! Now that you've taken the elixir, you'll be able to tackle on the next task I will be handing to you."

"I'm ready whenever. What will my next task be?"

"While you were out, I had received new reports from my scouts - the Rath'een army is planning another incursion into our village, this time by burrowing into the old well on the edge of the town. This well is a vital part of everyday life in Glenfort Village and for it to be desecrated by those Rath'een bastards would prove demoralizing to the villagers. We must protect it at all costs."

"Protect the well? Got it, how hard can it be?"

"Very hard. I received more reports that stated that the Rath'een force coming up through the well is being led by a powerful Rath'een Warlock - a very dangerous creature, well attuned to the magic arts."

"A warlock? Something like a mini-boss monster?"

"That's right. That's why I had you buy an elixir. But even so, if you meet this warlock, run. I heard from my scouts that this warlock is different from other warlocks in terms of attack power and vitality. Anyways, I have assembled a group of my finest warriors and they're on their way to the well. Once everyone has arrived, we will venture into the well to stop the Rath'een squadron before they can enter the village. You should come with us."

"Alright. When do we leave?"

"Now."

"Okay, let's go then."

"Oh, by the way, here's a few containers of poison. This poison is a special type of neurotoxin. Apply it to your dagger before each attack and it'll provide you with a neurotoxic attack that does small amounts of damage over time. The Shadow Walkers has always liked to use this type of attack and in the past, they had termed this attack the Neurotoxin Stab."

"Thank you sir. I will use it wisely."

As they walked towards the old well, they met with a couple of warriors heading in the same direction. Soon, there were about twenty warriors, including John, following behind Daedalus. Once they reached the old well, they immediately saw a couple of Rath'een warriors scurrying out of a large hole. The warriors quickly took action and after a few seconds, they were able to stealthily and brutally dismember the enemies. The warriors scanned the surroundings and looked down at the hole, making sure that there were no more Rath'een bastards in sight. Once they confirmed that every place was clear, Daedalus gave the signal to descend to the bottom of the hole. At the bottom, there was a large tunnel connecting to god knows where. Everyone lit up their own torches as they entered the dark tunnel.

The twisting Rath'een-made tunnels quickly enveloped the group of warriors within an oppressive darkness, barely hiding the Rath'een menace that lay just beyond their torchlight. One by one, the warriors began to disappear, as if the darkness itself was swallowing them whole. After turning a corner, John realized that Daedalus's group had completely disappeared! A piercing shriek carried through the tunnels at that moment, and the Rath'een army began their attack. Sounds of fighting and injuries could be heard echoing in the dark tunnels, barely clear enough for others to sense their location. John, having no where else to go, decided to walk towards the source of the sounds. As the sounds grew louder, a Rath'een Brawler appeared out of nowhere and lunged at the young warrior.

John rolled to the side and threw his torch at the Rath'een. As the Rath'een Brawler dodged the torch, John quickly lathered his dagger with the neurotoxin. Then, with a stab, he pierced the Rath'een Brawler and left a sizable wound on its side, green liquid mixing with the monster's blood. The Neurotoxin Stab skill did a whopping thirty-two damage plus poison. The sensation of blood mixing with poison must have been so uncomfortable that the Rath'een Brawler forgot about John for a moment as it tried to rub the poison out of its system. This was enough time for John to thrust out his steel sword and unleashed a Piercing Strike through one of the monster's lungs. The rat-like creature countered by swiping its paws at him. Unfortunately, its attack was shallow and only did less than a tenth of John's total health. As the Rath'een Brawler struggled to breathe, what with one of its lungs destroyed, it did not notice the incoming sword as its head was subsequently beheaded. John searched through the body's clothes and found fifty-seven pieces of silver as well as a small healing potion.

The young Shadow Walker strolled towards the torch that was, thankfully, still lit and picked it up. He placed the burning torch on top of the corpse and burned it. The fire from the burning corpse provided a larger range of visibility, allowing John to see a doorway in the distance, which led down another pathway. John glanced at the new pathway and felt an intense aura coming from within it. This must be where the leader was! At first, John wanted to find the others before taking on the Rath'een Warlock. However, he felt that he was ready. Even though Daedalus warned him about the prowess of the warlock, how hard could it really be? As John walked along the new pathway, he met another Rath'een Brawler. This Rath'een Brawler was eating something that looked like a human skull and only noticed John when he thrust out his poisoned dagger, doing a sizable thirty-one damage. The poison fluid flowed within the Rath'een Brawler's veins, causing it to curl up in pain. As the Rath'een bastard laid on the ground twitching, John laid down the torch and pierced his sword into its throat, nailing it to the ground. The rat-like monster struggled roughly and managed to whip its tail into the young man's side. John felt his strength leave him as he tumbled into the wall. Luckily, the sword was still embedded in the Rath'een Brawler's throat.

The young Shadow Walker breathed a sigh of relief and rested for a bit. He waited for a few minutes, hoping that the Rath'een bled to death. However, he had underestimated the tenacity of these monsters. Even after struggling for the past few minutes, the Rath'een Brawler still had enough energy to twitch and gargle...could be cursing but since its throat was mangled, all that was heard was rough gargling. Anyways, John decided that he couldn't wait for the monster to die from blood loss and prepared to end it quick. Waiting for the right moment when the monster stopped struggling for a bit, John rushed in and made a grab for the sword. As soon as he pulled it out, the Rath'een Brawler made a feeble swipe but that attack was knocked aside with a stroke of John's dagger. Next, John swung the bloodied sword towards the monster, preparing to end its life once and for all. However, with a stroke of luck, the Rath'een Brawler managed to roll out of the way. A smirk of defiance appeared on the Rath'een's toothy mouth. Annoyed with that smirk, John threw his dagger. With a swoosh, the dagger penetrated the Rath'een Brawler and brought a load of pain to it.

Then, the young man stomped at the monster, kicking it flat on the ground. He raised the sword in the air and glared at the monster. Their eyes met. John could see the fear in its eyes. The Rath'een Brawler was practically pleading for its life. But, John could not give out any compassion for the beastman. He averted his eyes and plunged the sword down, beheading the rat-like creature. After killing the Rath'een Brawler, John searched the corpse's clothing and found forty-four silver coins. The young man touched the corpse with his torch, burning the corpse and further illuminating the tunnel. As he made his way deeper into the tunnel, he could hear more shouts and sword clashes echoing on all sides. Daedalus and the others must be in another tunnel next to his! For all he knows, maybe they're taking on the warlock right now. John took a couple of more steps forward and found a doorway. He walked in and froze in shock.