The world turned eerily silent; a sudden exhaustion hit his body hard until he dropped to the ground, kneeling. Jin's heart still beating relentlessly, the echoes of clashing steel and the burning spirit with killing intent, leave a lingering feeling of emptiness in his mind after surviving the battle.
Jin saw the puddle of blue blood smear his pants. The warm liquid that permeated his clothes had stopped bleeding, but the burning sensation each time he took a breath was torturing his mind.
#####
[Side Quest Complete]
Reward: Dungeon key
#####
A blinding light descends as it envelopes the body of the goblin leader. It consumes it, turning it into a particle of light before condensing itself into a key, hovering before his eyes. The key has a golden frame with a Red jewel at its tip.
It floated slowly, approaching where Jin was. Then, it settled on his palm simultaneously as he reached for it. The weight he felt on his palm brought back his scattered mind toward the event that just happened.
[Dungeon Key detected]
[Do you want to enter the Trial Dungeon]
[Yes or No!]
"...Huuf, I need some treatment first!".
He ignored the translucent panel before him and took a health potion from his bracelet. A red blood fluid contained within a glass vial his parents had prepared came in handy. He downed the content in one go, letting the bitter taste shimmer down into his throat and settle in his stomach.
"Bleerg! That tastes like grass, alright!'. Jin spits his tongue as he can't hold the bitterness stuck in his mouth.
Something inside him began to churn, and a warm sensation began to spread all over his body, settling itself within his side and neck. Slowly, the injury around his body healed. Jin didn't feel like burning every time he breathed, and the open wound on his neck was closed, but it still left a blood trail.
"Thank you, Mother!".
All of this was thanks to his mother, who slipped every potion she had in store inside the bracelet to make sure he could use it whenever he needed it.
Jin looked around and was left alone within the cave. He reluctantly had to finish his guild quest to receive his money.
"Let's get to work!".
He cut the goblin ears one by one before leaving the place and didn't notice that a pair of eyes had observed Jin's every move the first time he entered the cave.
After ensuring that the boy had walked far away from the place, the robed man gazed toward the place, which was filled with goblin corpses, and found something amusing happening.
A lone wolf appeared and looked around with its keen eyes, afraid that a nuisance would disturb its meal time. The wolf began to shred the goblin's body using its teeth.
The still-warm flesh and metallic flavor further enchanted the taste as it devoured the goblin.
"I think you got the hang of it!".
Suddenly, a shadow obscuring the wolf's view made all the fur around its body stand up and tremble in fright. The shadow shoved its entire right arm into the wolf's mouth before mercilessly cutting it itself.
The beast acted instinctively, swallowing the entire arm. It then looked toward the smile hidden under the robe. It was so sinister that even the monster in the innermost part of the forest paled in comparison.
"Don't disappoint me, little wolf!".
*Whine!
There was a strange surge within the beast's body. It was darkness so malice that it swallowed up its consciousness. The beast's body started to swell up, cracking all over and reassembling back in a grotesque way. All of the limbs were growing twice the size, with blood-colored veins spread on their skin like tattoos.
The change also happened to its face. Its muzzle became elongated and sharp, pointy teeth forced their way from its bleeding gums. The eyes that once showed intellect now turned red, burning with the desire to devour everything.
*Awooo! The howl that shook the atmosphere echoed within the forest, away from Jin, who had already arrived at the east gate.
"Good, let's proceed with the plan!" The robbed person looked toward the successful experiment he had conducted and tried hard to hide the evil smirk plastered on its face.
*****
As Jin entered the crowded Adventure guild, he was welcomed by the alcoholic smell that assaulted his nose, turning his mind dizzy, and the laughter that shook his eardrums, making him want to get away from the place soon.
He proceeded toward the line before the receptionist's desk and waited for his turn to come. While waiting, he observed the other adventurers, who shared a smile together with their comrade in arms, holding a booze in hand.
Jin sighed and then tried to look elsewhere but found no one who acted solo like him. 'Party, huh? Well, it was worth a try!'.
"Next person, please!".
Finally, it was Jin's turn, and he hurriedly took out his hunting proof. He placed more than a dozen pairs of goblin ears, which baffled Layla, who watched it with a twitch on her cheek, and the adventurers who lined up behind him.
"Adventure Jin, this was?".
"Goblin ear, and please hurry up, for I have something urgent to do after this!".
There was a silent descent between the two before Layla caught a glimpse of a blood stain on Jin's neck, but it seemed the wound had closed. She sighed in relief and started the process of counting the materials.
"Please wait for a bit!".
Following Layla's line, the other adventurers, curious as to how the kid could hunt that many goblins by himself, soon nodded in silent understanding. The wound that still showed on his neck and the smell of iron that permeated from the kid's drenched pants were testaments to his effort in fighting a large number of enemies, but he managed to emerge victorious. All adventurers who watched him could do nothing but admire the kid's resolve.
"Here is your reward: a pair of goblin ears is one silver coin. After counting the material, you killed thirteen, so your reward is one gold and three silver coins."
"Thank you!" Jin took out the coin on the trays, bid his farewell, and nodded his head toward an adventurer who accidentally met his gaze.
As he stormed off from the building, Jin finally could breathe the fresh air that filled his lungs and rejuvenated his exhausted mind. The sky was still bright, and there were a few more hours before his curfew arrived.
"Let's take a look!". He clenched his hard-earned money and wandered around the town, searching for something interesting.
He visits several stalls that sell food, but many of them consist of simple meals like sandwiches, skewers, fruit, or drinkable juice. It was a good choice, considering the process of making it and the ingredients that were added were all healthy for his stomach. However, something is still stuck in his mind.
"Man, I miss some sweet stuff!". While grumbling, Jin savored the sandwich while leaning against the store wall that sells clothes.
The bread was hard to chew because it was made from whole wheat, but thanks to the crisp and crunchy vegetable and the salted meat that melted in his mouth, that was enough to fill his empty stomach.
"Right, why not make some dish? I know!".
"...Hm, Young master Jin, what are you doing here?".
Walking alone in the market, Jin stopped in his tracks, hearing a familiar voice call his name. When he turned to the source, he found Iris holding several paper bags filled with ingredients to greet him.
"Mrs Iris?!".
As usual, the contradicting facts about her appearance still clogged his thought process and made him a bit awkward about communicating with her.
"Waah, big brother. Nice to see you!".
Nina, who arrived behind Iris, soon beamed in glee, meeting Jin at this time. She hopped energetically like a rabbit and held Jin's clothes tight upon smelling a metallic odor and the wound that was still etched into his neck.
"Big brother, are you okay? There is blood on your neck?". Nina turned pale, and tears started to accumulate in her eyes.
"Ah, Nina, this was not a wound! I got it after killing some beast, and the blood got to my body. Because you know, I am an adventurer".
"...Is that so? Adventurer, so you are the same as my mom?".
"Hee, I didn't know that your mother is also an Adventurer".
While the two of them were talking harmoniously, Iris' eyes were shrunken as she could smell more blood coming from the inside of the boy's body. The explanation and the trace were a mess; the boy probably wanted to make her daughter feel at ease.
"That's right! Big brother, come to our house. My mother is going to cook a special dish to celebrate her health. Of course, I will help, too."
"Is that so? Nina is such a good child". Jin reached out and unconsciously patted the little girl's head, which squirmed in delight.
Her soft and delicate hair soothed Jin's heart, but soon, he realized that Iris was also around, so he awkwardly removed his head and tried to politely refuse the offer.
"I'm sorry, Nina, but…?!".
Unlike what he had in mind, Nina ignored the boy's plea and dragged him closer to her mother's side.
"Can big brother join, Mom?".
Iris, who saw the glittering hope in her daughter's eyes, sighed in resignation. She knew that once her daughter wanted something, it was hard to refuse her, seeing those adorable large eyes that reminded her of someone.
"Alright, this also counts as repaying debt for healing me this morning".
"Eh, are you sure, Mrs Iris?".
"Yeah, but go home first, wash yourself, and change your clothes! Then inform your family that you don't need dinner for tonight!".
Her precise instruction left Jin baffled, and his jaw slackened to the ground. He looked down and saw Nina, who now gripped his hand tightly with a big smile on her face.
"Alright, I will take on your offer".
"Yippie!". Nina's cheerful shout echoed within the crowded market as it roused everyone's attention with a warm smile and the harmonious family they have over there.