The days passed quickly, like a video fast-forwarding. As the weeks go by, the sunny spring days slowly turned into summer, the sun only getting hotter day after day of traveling towards its zenith and back. It's already been a month since I've started training as an adventurer in the camp. I've only grew closer to Mason and Alessia as time went on, learning bit by bit about the mysterious world I'm residing in.

As for Rona, our relationship still isn't as close as we used to be back before I joined camp, but she's at least talking to me now. Our conversations were short, yes — but her grudge against me is slowly fading. Leaving the room the moment I enter is not a common occurrence anymore. Time really can heal any wound, but this scar between Rona and I will require a bit more time to fully heal, possibly an extra push or two as well.

I'll be honest: I didn't know what to do. I thought everything would've cleared up with a small discussion to fix any misunderstandings, but that has only caused more problems to arise. Ignoring the problem is one thing, but I can't avoid it forever. I need to do something, but I just don't know what I'm supposed to do. James doesn't want to directly help me either — though it's only to my request. I promised him I'd fix it myself.

I can't ask for Arianna's help either — how could I possibly do that? She'd given me so much help before, and even now, is doing so much for the whole family. I'd only feel more guilty if I asked for her aid one more time, and if I did so, that would be incredibly selfish of me. I'm already indebted to her in many ways.

As for my friends, I'd rather not trouble them with my own problems. They're living peacefully in camp, where they found their passion — where I found my passion — so can't possibly break that lull.

These internal conflicts only keep compounding upon themselves inside my heavy heart. I have no choice but to fix this myself. It's a problem I caused, and a problem I'll fix. In a way, that would be selfish as well — keeping this problem to myself without asking for anyone else's help — it'll only get worse as time goes on. But I'll try. I'll heave myself up with every bit of experience I acquire and tackle it on in a new way. It's been a month, yes — but I'm not giving in anytime soon.

At camp, my experience in combat improved rapidly. With my five boomerangs (still unnamed), I've begun to master the use of Vector magic. The movements I can pull off are much sleeker than before, moving in cheeky ways and very much unpredictable. Since my fighting style is predominantly long-range, I needed to learn a bit of close-range defence as well. A small stiletto will always be by my side, hanging silently under my belt, to strike at anyone or anything that could somehow escape my boomerangs.

During practice one day, I've been approached by the receptionist girl that escorted me on my first day here. The same straight brown shoulder-length hair, with small streaks of pink strands adding a bit of flavor to her hair. Her eyes were sharp, which shone misty gray under the sunlight. With one hand on her hip and another holding out a piece of paper, she greeted me with a professional smile.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Neswitt. Would you mind taking a break from your practice? I have a bit of news for you."

"Oh? Ms. Nandisk?" I stopped throwing my boomerangs and turned to face the brown-haired girl. She was slightly taller than me, eyes almost aligning with the top of my head. I was about to reply when the boomerangs I threw flew back and collided with the back of my head. "What news a— Ouch! What was that?!" Massaging the back of my head, I turned back to see the brass boomerang lying limp on the ground, as another came swopping beside me.

I recoiled away to avoid getting hit again. Looking back at Ms. Nandisk, I noticed her smirking as she caught my flying boomerang with her free hand. "Ah, I'm terribly sorry for my bad timing. Shall I come back later?" She handed me my boomerang.

I took it, though felt slightly flustered about being hit by my own weapon. "N-No, no! It's fine — I'll clean myself up and hear you out. Is it anything urgent?"

"Compulsory, but not urgent. Direct message from the director." She paused for a bit, looking up at the sky, then continued. "Ah, how about we continue this conversation underneath some shade? I unfortunately do not fare well with sunlight, especially during summertime."

"That's fine. I need a bit of a break either way."

Ms. Nandisk nodded and walked away, back to the porch behind the main building. I hastily picked up the rest of the boomerangs lying on the ground and rushed towards the porch area as well, wiping myself with a towel as I do so. I had been sweating for a while now.

We sat across each other, on benches of a rather small rectangular table just beside the doorway into the building. Ms. Nandisk held out the letter with an air of professionalism and continued where we left off. "Now, Mr. Neswitt, this letter is a message from the director. Is there a reason as to why he asked me to hand it to you instead of giving the message directly by himself?"

"...Not that I know of," I replied slowly, trying to rack up any possible reason to send me a message. The boomerangs, perhaps? He did give me those as a freebie...

She sighed. "Well, if there's no reason behind his actions, then I suppose you may have the letter." I took the white parchment from her outstretched hand, observing the little thing on both sides. There was no address on it — just a plain white envelope. A single red seal boasting the camp's crest held the apex of the envelope's flap down to its main body. I scraped it away and opened the envelope, but stopped when I realized there might be a reason why he didn't just give me this directly.

"Uhm..." I pondered on my words, "am I supposed to open this privately?"

Ms. Nandisk looked at me, then at the message in my hands, then back at me again. "As far as I'm concerned, the director did not specifically say it is private business when I was handed this letter. You may choose to open this privately if that's what you wish, though. I shall take my leave now. Thank you for your time, Mr. Neswitt."

"A-Ah, thanks for the message, too."

The girl nodded and entered the building, leaving the table to myself. I cautiously lifted the fold open and took the contents out, sprawling out another piece of paper — this one harder and a bit wobbly — with cursive handwriting written on. If it weren't for the translation stone in my pockets, then this would've just looked like black chicken-scratches.

The message itself read:

Mr. Ernie Neswitt,

It has come to my attention that your journey at the Allestris Official Training Camp for Adventurers has reached a month-long. For that, I congratulate and thank you on the behest of staying with us.

Now, onto the business. It is customary for all campers who have stayed and trained here to face a challenge — a test of sorts to evaluate what you have learned so far. I sincerely apologize for not giving you this information beforehand, however it is to be kept a surprise for all new students training here. I hope you can swear that you will not spill this to any new additions to this camp following your arrival.

To further discuss this test, please meet with me, Director Elshire, in the director's office as soon as you can manage. Latest is due by three days from now. I hope to see you soon. Good luck.

Yours truly,

Lagardo H. Elshire,

Director of Allestris Official Training Camp for Adventurers.

My mouth was dry after reading that letter. Cold sweat formed on my forehead, but I could swear that was only imaginary. I turned the letter around to find any more additional information hiding around, but there were none to be found. Questions arose in my mind.

Another test? What will it be this time? Should I tell Mason and Alessia about this? Have they both already faced such a test? What am I supposed to do first?!

I held my breath as I ponder my choices. Telling Mason and Alessia would be the first thing I'd do, but from my discerning of the message, I am apparently not to tell anyone about this.

...

Wait, am I not supposed to tell anyone about it, or just newcomers? Arrgh, this is really messing with me. What's with the sudden stress building itself up inside? I could've sworn I was perfectly calm just a minute ago.

"Maybe I should just meet with the director and get it all done with..." I muttered to myself, keeping my voice low enough so as to not let anyone else eavesdrop.

I stood up and resolved myself to meet with the director. That's the first thing anyone should do in a situation like this, right? Right?

***

"Ah, how kind of you to visit me so soon, Mr. Neswitt. Have a seat, if you please," the director greeted me as I stepped in, hands outstretched over his desk, gesturing towards the seat directly across from him. I approached the seat cautiously, looking for another prank the director has potentially set up.

He laughed. "Mr. Neswitt, I assure you no pranks are set up this time. You need not be so cautious."

"...I'll take your word for it." I slowly sat myself down on the cushioned seat, but decided against it. This man's words most not be trusted at face value, is what I've learned after staying at this camp for a month or so. I took the chair by its back and shook it, only to have one of its back legs topple over, making the now three-legged seat unstable.

"..." The director stayed silent as he watched the spectacle unfold, though a grin was evident on his face.

"... Director Elshire," I started, glaring at him with a glint of animosity. Before I could continue talking, the sunglasses-man cut in.

"Yes, my dear Mr. Neswitt? Is there a problem?"

"Oh, a problem there is, Mr. Director of Allestris Official Training Camp for Adventurers! Why in god's name do you take pleasure in making such childish pranks?"

"Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-hah!" He laughed like a maniac this time, hands spread wide and head tilted up and all. I raised an eyebrow at this conman of a director, beginning to question why he of all people is managing this place. Actually, I'm beginning to question his sanity by now.

"I daresay I'm more amused than I originally planned to be with that prank," he continued.

"Please, Director Elshire. This isn't a game!"

"Oh, but it is!" he bellowed ecstatically as if drunk on bottles of hard alcohol. "It very much is! Why do you suspect I wear sunglasses despite being inside?"

"I... Well..." I struggled to respond to that question, opening and closing my mouth, trying to say something but ultimately could not. "W-Well, I thought it was just a fashion sense, that's all..." I trailed off.

"Ah, a big misconception that is, Mr. Neswitt. I wear sunglasses because they hide my true face, not just for fashion purposes. But I must say, your compliments make me think this pair possesses quite a bit of flair. Does it suit me that much?"

"...I said no such compliments, sir."

"I shall ignore that last response. Now, onto our actual business. I presume you're here because of the letter I sent you?"

"Yes, sir. But I question — why didn't you just call me up directly?"

"Oh, what do you think I was doing this whole time?" He gestured to the shelf on his left, where a singular, long and sharp silver katana lay, shining ominously under the warm golden light of the display.

"...I'm not following you here, sir."

He sighed. "I thought you'd get it immediately. The chair, Mr. Neswitt. I was cutting the chair!"

I only blinked several times at him, all the while an awkward silence passed. He cleared his throat and continued. "Alright, let's actually get on to business now. How have I made you wonder about the test, may I ask?"

"Your letter very much made me worry in cold sweat, director."

"Good, then. Will you take the oath of not telling any new members of this camp about this test? All other campers here have done a test after their first month of staying at this camp, and you are no exception."

I merely nodded.

"This test is not fixed. I take the liberty to bend the task in hand to whatever I see fit for the person in question. You yourself may have a say in what sort of task you intend to be tested on."

"So, I can suggest something to test myself? Am I allowed to just say, 'My test will be getting back on you for trying to prank me twice?'"

He chuckled. "Ah, you may, but I will oversee your choices. If it is not up to my standards, then your suggestion will not be accepted."

"Figured," I clicked my tongue. "Can you give me some examples of tasks that other campers have done? As a reference, you know."

"Of course," he nodded with a broad smile. "Who in particular are you interested in?"

"Well, for starters, what were Mason's and Alessia's tests?"

The director paused for a bit. "For those two," he said slowly, "who were still six- and seven-years-old at the time of their one-month milestone, their tasks would be several times easier than yours. Are you still curious?"

"Yes, please tell me."

He sighed. "In Mr. Bruggs's case, he went on to a test of patience — placing him in a locked room with a single door, he had an hour to escape. If only you knew how impatient of a kid he was back then; this test was perfect for him!"

"Was there a key for him to escape?"

"That's the point, Mr. Neswitt — he had to make one. All the necessary tools were given: soft clay, a knife, oil, a means to conjure fire, and a lot of time to spare. All it would've took was patience."

"But director, how is that related to being an adventurer?"

"See here, Mr. Neswitt, an adventurer isn't just strength and speed. One needs to have a variety of traits — and patience is one among them. If you can't be patient in a situation that calls for a long wait, then you're as good as a fleeting memory. These things are convenient to have while adventuring around, but when a situation really calls for your patience, then you know you'll be able to endure it."

"Uh, okay... What about Alessia?"

"For Miss Hayes," the director raised his eyebrows, "it was a test of courage."

"A test of courage?" I raised my eyebrows in amusement. "For Alessia, that fearless friend of mine? Are you sure you got the right person?"

"I very much only have one Alessia Hayes in my camp, Mr. Neswitt."

"This doesn't make any sense..."

"It will once you listen. You see, Miss Hayes was not as thick-headed as she was now compared to five years ago. She would bend to anyone's wills, but only if it serves her right at the end. If she sees inconvenience, then her stubborn side will all but show."

"But that doesn't have anything to do with courage!"

"Oh, the test of courage is slightly different from what you were thinking, Mr. Neswitt." The director paused for a bit, taking a sip from the porcelain cup of tea on his table, which I did not notice was there before. "Emastian Tea — quite flavorful, I'd say."

"..." I looked at him with pleading eyes to continue.

"As I was saying," he wiped the excess off his mouth with the back of his hand, "this 'test of courage' has a twist. It may function normally as one — walking through dark woods with eerie sounds — however, the scares are all performed by her fellow members of camp. The kids loved doing that.

"And I must mention that Miss Hayes is a person of pride — she still is now — and does not like to acknowledge her inferiority. If she'd been scared by any one of those campers, then her pride will fall."

"I'm still not following," I frowned.

"It'll get there. This test of courage had one single purpose — to teach her the art of losing. Or, in a more accurate description, to not seat herself on such a high horse. That girl never lost a battle before, Mr. Neswitt. Not once against her peers, much less the kids under her age; she could go toe to toe against some of the kids a fair bit older than her as well. Her pride was definitely swelling up, so you see, and I personally had to teach her why it's a mistake to bathe in that pool of delight for so long."

"What did you do?"

"Why, it's simple, can't you think? I made the kids do dirty tricks on her, from unseen jumpscares and elusive ambushes — the sorts of tricks I'd pull on the kids. They learn, Mr. Neswitt, and so did Miss Hayes. As fearless as you said she is, the poor girl couldn't take any more after getting to the halfway point. She was humiliated, outplayed, forced to lose the moment the game started. She burst out crying that night."

"...That's—"

"Cruel, you say?" The director smirked. "Maybe, if you didn't know the whole story. But you'll know right here and right now. Whenever that girl was humiliated, she would lash out like a vicious dog and scream, scream until her voice wheezed. She hated losing as much as she hated being humiliated. But that night, instead of seeking vengeance of her humiliated by potentially harming the kids, she resigned.

"She yielded. She accepted her defeat. Despite all her pride, she abandoned it in that situation and chose to surrender. That was the development I hoped for inside her. That was the final goal to her full membership of this camp."

"...So your intentions were to humble Alessia?"

"Precisely so." He took another sip of his tea, then turned his full attention to me. "Now, enough with other people's affairs. It's your turn for a test now. Have you got anything in mind?"

I thought for a long moment. Using my friends' tests as reference, I ought of any plausible thing for me to be examined on. It was hard — the main purpose of these tests is to evaluate your growth. Thinking about the weaknesses I have and see if there's any possible way to use them as the main theme wasn't easy. We all don't want to acknowledge our flaws. We want to prosper, be the perfect little angel we all think ourselves as. But in this situation, that flaw is supposed to be displayed like a piece of art.

Showcased and examined, to see the progress within myself. Ignoring those flaws would be impossible. But as any other normal human, I couldn't think of any. Rather, I didn't want to think of any. My mind merely pulled a blank slate.

Slowly, I shook my head. "...No, I can't think of anything."

"Ah, that is fine, Mr. Neswitt. I already have one in mind. A very good one, at that. I wouldn't have changed my decision even if you'd suggested something. Well, unless your suggestion is so good it even surpasses my evaluation skills."

"What is it?" I was now incredibly nervous to hear. This test could be something incredibly challenging... It tests the very worst flaw I possess, and forcibly makes me take them on...

The director smiled, widely as can be. "A quest."

"A quest?" I muttered along, "What sort?"

"Mr. Neswitt, what other quest is there?"

"...Well, I thought you'd tell me the contents of the quest..."

"Beg my pardon there, Mr. Neswitt, but the choice is yours. It is you who decides what quest you shall go on."

"I get to decide?"

"Yes. Now, no time to waste — move yourself to the Adventurers' Guild to find a suitable one. Take Mr. Bruggs and Miss Hayes with you, if you please."

"What? Now?"

"Yes, now." He took one last sip of his tea. "Get out of my office already."

***

The guild building was grandiose, to say the least. Standing on its own on a large plot of land, settled nicely inside of the commercial district of town, this hemispherical structure is hard to miss. Exterior wise, it boasted white quartz walls, with pillars on the outer side of the walkways around the building holding up a curved overhang. The whole building had three floors tiered on top of each other, its size shrinking as it went from base to tip.

Inside was a different story. Wide and tall windows gave the space an open feel, not to mention the high ceiling with a single, absolutely breathtaking chandelier hanging grandly on top. On the ground stood many adventurers; man and woman, teen and seniors, wearing a variety of adventurers' clothing. The welcoming space was quite welcome indeed — it was a tavern, exclusively for adventurers only.

At the rear of the building, where the hemispherical shape ends and a rectangular stretch began, was a long counter that touched both ends of the building. Seven alcoves lined the wood-and-marble counter, each with workers standing diligently behind; if not chatting with a fellow adventurer, then they would be scribbling away on their parchment.

"This is... grand," I said absentmindedly.

"I'd say the same if this was my first time coming," said Mason behind me. He and Alessia came with me to choose a quest for my test, since the director allowed it.

"You guys have been on quests before?"

"Once or twice," he replied with both hands casually behind his head.

"Or five," Alessia corrected.

"Yeah, yeah, we all know you're a prodigy. No need to brush it off on us," Mason sneered.

"I'd say the same. We're here for Ernie's first quest, remember?"

Mason merely rolled his eyes at Alessia's retaliation.

"Let's go see the quest board first, Ernie." Alessia pointed to one of the pillars by the left side of the room, where a large bulletin board was stuck on. It had a brown frame and indigo board, with several pieces of paper pinned on. The same went for the other four pillars, all to its right: from the one closest and going to the right, the colors change from dark green, orange, maroon, then on the final board on the rightmost pillar where the least quests were pinned on, purple.

"Is there a reason for this fancy setup?" I asked.

"There is, actually," Mason explained. "The quest difficulties increase from left to right, going from beginner tier, to novice, advanced, elite, and master, which is the hardest. Easy to find for however skilled you are."

"Convenient."

"Seeing as though Ernie is a complete newbie to this," Alessia grinned dryly, "we should be heading for the beginner board where slimes and efflemps are the norm, not dragons."

Mason shrugged nonchalantly. "Wasn't planning to fight one."

As we approach the dark blue bulletin board, the small text on the pieces of pinned parchment became visible. Some of them have pictures, mostly in monochrome, though no title. Just a large body of text. Have they learned what visual hierarchy is?

We slowly scanned the available quests. They range from de-infesting small shrubland patches from annually invasive throtmecks (whatever that is), helping a merchant reposition their goods from one side of town to another (wasn't that a job for laborers?), to finding a lost pet aroo called Sniffy, which apparently looks somewhat like a dog but with rabbit-like ears and a puffy tail, according to the picture, at least.

My wandering eyes then landed on a particular quest:

GROUP OF SACK-ELVES SPOTTED IN ARRIAN REGION OF WEST EYGRON-HALARIS

Task: Find and kill all spotted sack-elves in the mentioned region; destroy hide-out (crucial), and loot all previously stolen possessions.

Difficulty: Beginner

Reward: 4 cot per sack-elf + 40% of loot share + 3 taurin pay in advance

I looked at it earnestly. I didn't know why it caught my eye — it just did. Many questions arose in my mind as I read on. Sack-elves? Alcovian region of west Eygron-Halaris? Hide-out and previously stolen possessions? 4 cot? 3 taurin? Loot share? What do these all mean?!

As my eyes spasmed, Alessia and Mason took notice of me. The former was first to speak. "Ernie? What's up?"

"Um," I snapped out of my trance, unable to express the questions in my mind, since I wanted to ask all of them at once, "does this quest look enticing to you?"

"Hm..." They both examined it, eyes squinting harder and harder, until they reached the bottom. Both their eyes widened.

"Say..." Mason muttered, "That's quite a reward, for a bunch of sack-elves..."

"Mhm..." Alessia muttered her agreement. They both let me out of this, for some reason.

"Uh, guys, what are sack-elves?"

"Oh, sack-elves? They're a bit like elves with pointy ears, but tinier, like as tall as my waist. A species of elves, but not closely related to the normal ones. They've got slightly greenish skin and love to steal," Mason emphasized the "love" part.

"So like goblins?"

"No, not even close. Sack-elves are petty little creatures. The things they steal are trivial, if I must say. They take not the precious things, but the crucial ones. Like clothes, maybe. Little annoyances, is what they are."

"They aren't much dangerous," Alessia continued, "Sack-elves can't exactly fight with their tiny fingers, so they overwhelm in numbers. They aren't that heavy, though — that's possibly why it's a beginner-tier quest."

"The reward ain't bad, either," chirped Mason. "A three-taurin advance pay, and 4 more cot per sack-elf... the 40% loot share ain't bad as well..."

"What," I raised an eyebrow, "does all that mean?"

"Well, have you not used money here in Allestris yet, like at all?"

I shook my head. "No... are they the currency here?"

"Yeah, all of Phrycantis uses it. Cot is the smallest, then taurin, which is worth 12 cot; after that is ecklen, worth 6 taurin; and highest is barris, worth 4 ecklen."

"...This is confusing."

"Well, whatever currency you're used to, scrap that out of your mind. This is what you're going to use here now."

"I'll try. What about the loot share?"

"Pretty much our royalties," said Alessia. "We do the deed, then get a portion of that work back, either in coinage or raw loot, whatever you desire. The other 60% goes to the guild."

"Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

Alessia shrugged. "They need profit somewhere to function."

I pondered as I stared at the quest, almost burning a hole through it with my glare. I decided it would be worth it, from what Alessia and Mason said.

"I think I'll take this quest," I said, finally. "Seems easy enough, judging from your words. The reward's good as well, right?"

"A bit too good," Mason grinned. "Let's get that registered at a counter."

***

In the surprisingly comfortable alcove in the service counter, Mason, Alessia and I squeezed in to watch the affair happen. Behind the counter and the single pane of glass separating us is a woman with brown, curly hair tied up in a ponytail. Her olive-colored face had freckles; her eyes were large and shone yellow; her lips were big, but it only adds to her beauty and petite.

She wore a white tunic with long sleeves, reaching to her wrists, over it was a black vest with multiple buttons and pockets; in one she kept several pens and quills. The rest of her body was hidden by the countertop, which had several open books and pieces of paper lying around. An ink bottle here, and an empty mug there. The sense of professionalism still stood despite the hectic workstation.

"Welcome, to the Allestris Branch Adventurer's Guild, miss and misters. Come for a quest, hm?" Her smile showed her shining white teeth, voice smooth with experience.

"Ah, yes. A beginner-tier quest, about the sack-elves?" I handed the attendant the quest paper while Mason spoke, more formally than usual.

"The sack-elves, I see. Quite a nice pay as well. Our requester was kind enough to supply all of the advance payment. Not a common thing among lower-tier quests, you see."

Mason nodded, but did not continue to speak. The worker took a stamp from behind the counter and slammed it onto the bottom of the quest paper. She nodded and stored it in a tray to her left, then flipping her book — which I now noticed was actually blank — to a new page. "Name of adventurers tackling the quest, if I may?"

With a nudge on the side by Alessia, I was prompted to speak first. "Ernie Neswitt."

The worker nodded and scribbled down quickly. "Age, hm?"

"Ah, we're all twelve here," said Mason, "and I'm Mason Bruggs."

"Alessia Hayes," she said to my right.

She nodded again and scribbled down more things. Once she was done, she opened a cabinet from under her dest and took out a brown sack, which jingled as it was heaved through the small, circular hole in the glass pane. I took it carefully.

"Here's the advance pay," she said, "and the trackers."

"Trackers?" I asked absentmindedly.

"For keeping track of your kill-count. How else are we going to know how much to pay you then?"

"Oh," I blushed slightly.

"You're new, I know. It's alright to ask questions. But everything's fine and dandy now. Your quest has been accepted. The guild expects your return in at least a week, given the sixteen-hour journey to west Eygron-Halaris and back. If nothing shows up a week after the deadline, then a rescue party'll show up, got it?"

We all nodded.

"Alright, move out. Good luck to y'all!"

We shuffled out of the alcove one-by-one, then to the tavern part of the guild building, near the entrance.

"So that's it? We got the quest?" I asked excitedly.

"Yup," Mason nodded. "We should prepare before going out. This is part of your test, right, Ernie?"

"Yeah, for my one-month milestone at the camp, or something."

Alessia sighed. "That director is so meddlesome. Better get this done quick."

"I agree," said Mason. "Quests are great and all, but there's a reason I don't like going for them so much."

"Then let's get going," I said, pushing the double-door outwards and into the roofed landing zone. "We've got no time to spare."