(Tutorial Quest: Defeat the Goblins and Boar tribe.)

  Goblins (68/100). Boars (25/50)

  (Reward: Move to next phase of the Tutorial)

  (Reward: Skill Option)

  (Reward: Access to System Shop)

  (Reward: Access to Kill Point System)

  (Reward: 1000 Points)

  (Special Reward: Chest of Beginning (Uncommon) - Will be granted to those who claim the most kills)

  (Special Reward: 5000 Points - Will be granted to those who claim the most kills)

  (Quest: Trial of Frost)

  (Slay Goblins group that has been terrorizing this area. 68/100)

  (Reward: Class upgrade from (Mage) to (Frost Apprentice) upon taking on the quest)

  (Reward: Class upgrade from (Frost Apprentice) to (Frost Class Option) upon completion of the quest)

  Rue scanned his still ongoing quest briefly, on second look, this was a great chance, one that he wished for if he had his Magic Vein on a good number. “They will be surrounded if Paxwell releases that arrow,” Rue hissed at Alquin, who still hadn’t given the order to charge.

  “Pax is not going to let that arrow fly, Rue, he must’ve seen them with his eagle eye,” Benedict said. The man did not turn as he said it. His entire body quivered with calm breath, like he was expecting something.

  “Them?” Yom asked, but there was no response from Benedict.

  The night is tense, as more goblins and Boars keep coming out from the shadows. It is as if the shadow itself were birthing these monsters. The hulking Queen of Boar also content to wait for her force to grow by the passing second.

  The Icen crash rang again through the night, reverberating along the already tense moment where everything was about to snap, only an invisible thread holding the carnage that about to occur.

  The moon chose now as the time to dapple its moonlight as if it were curious. Rue glanced at the strange light that pierced through dense leaves above him toward his arm.

  Thanks to the strange, sudden light, they could see the enemy forces better. Emily stepped forward, bow still drawn. Her mouth moved, muttering a number. “Twenty-seven,” She said, pausing a bit before continuing her count. “And twenty-five boar”

  Alquin clapped her on her back, muttering ‘Good job’, then he turned with vigor toward the rest of them. Toward all thirteen of them. “If we brought them down!” He shouted, pausing a bit, his voice rumbled along the air, to Rue’s very own body. “We might as well clear the tutorial! Do any of you want to run? And spit on your dead friend? Then go ahead!”

  Rue had thought the speech wouldn’t work, but he was pleasantly greeted by steel-like determination behind the expression of the newcomers, even the women who had fired that fireball at Benedict and Yomi. Perhaps mentioning their dead friend raised an anger inside.

  “Now we wait until-“

  Steel rang, then the sound of weapons clashing against each other clanged. This sound is very familiar to Rue. From behind the Boar and Goblin line, another group appeared, this group has natural armor encasing their body, and a level far surpassing them. The Kobolds have arrived. Blue lightning burst, tearing the wide crescent formation, burning goblins and Boars alike. Rue's body clenched as his hand tightened around his Long Bone. Who can tank those spells now that he cannot use Time of Obsidian Ice?

  They have to charge and take advantage of the situation-

  “Now!” Alquin screamed. He raised his axe high up and screamed a visceral battle cry. The old man charged ahead, leaving the entire group dumbfounded.

  Benedict shortly followed, side by side with Alquin.

  “Uh- They’re fighting the Kobold, right? Do we need to…” Yom started.

  “Warrior! What are you waiting for? Go!” Emily snapped.

  Rue is the first to move; he grasped Yom back, encouraging the nervous youth forward. “Stick together, let's go!” Rue urged. Every melee fighter gathered by him, apparently waiting for Rue to charge, but before that. He needed to confirm something quickly. Rue gazed at the HuGoblin, and as expected, both were still hesitant. “I hope both of you fight with us. Will you?”

  “Rue, we don’t know.” Rita dropped her gaze. Yomi, who was ready to stand by Benedict, slumped down after seeing the Goblins.

  Cold sweat went down Rue's head, and Alquin and Benedict almost met the enemy line. Still, convincing Rita and Yomi to fight could be the difference between victory and death; this is as important as fighting.

  Rue's eyes went to Emily, and she gave Rue a nod, understanding what he wanted her to do. She has to try convincing them.

  I’ll leave it to you.

  “Let’s not let the old man die too quickly!” Rue said. He began running and hated himself for missing a step, almost falling. Still, he kept running, dashing toward where Goblin and Boars tried to kill Alquin and Benedict, who fought side by side. “Use the trees, the boar shouldn’t be able to move freely,” Rue shouted.

  He stepped over a thick bramble root to propel himself forward, jumping over a dense bush to find himself face to face with a boar. They have a fearsome tusk, but without any speed behind that body…

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  Rue side-stepped an attempt to gore his stomach by the boar. He brought his sword up, slashing down right across the boar's head, his Long Bone stopped as it connected with a squishy part of the boar. Pulling his sword and stabbing again, Rue punctured its brain, killing the Boar without any difficulty.

  (You have Slain Boar. Lvl 5)

  Four figures ran past him. Rino, Yom, the Warrior, and the Scout bring their weapon down on the boars. Most of the goblins decided to rush toward where the Kobolds are, along with that huge Boar Queen that rumbled the earth. The huge boar was fighting a golden creature, still too far for Rue to make them.

  Rue naturally sought Yom, who was fighting beside Benedict. The youth flailed around, rolling beside a tree as a boar smashed straight beside him in a crunching heap of flesh. Benedict had taken down the boar straight by slashing its throat; he scanned for a new target and settled on another that was about to charge at him.

  Besides Yom, though, two small shadows appeared; they licked their tongue and leapt at him. Rue went into action, but he was too far – an arrow flew through, straight into the Goblin side, pinning it to the tree. The other goblin raked across Yom’s shoulder, who thankfully managed to position his shoulder shield to catch the brunt of the strike.

  With one hand grasping Yom's other shoulder, he pulled the man down straight to the ground and faced the lone Goblin.

  The weak creature has a battle sense. Its eyes went bulging as Rue was in front of him, quickly noticing it could not take him down. The goblin tried to turn, but Long Bone gouged deep straight through its head.

  (You have Slain Goblin. Lvl 5)

  “Stay with the group, Yom!” Rue pulled him up. Dragging him to where the heat of the fighting is.

  “R-Right.” He let himself be dragged before finally walking on his own. They joined Alquin, the old man who had various cut wounds across his shirt, blood coloring them in a smear of red. The worst one is that deep puncture wound in his shoulder, barely covered by his skeletal shield.

  “Boar got you?” Rue asked, before meeting a boar charge that tried to take advantage of the situation. He stabbed his sword deep into its eye, and blood flowed like a waterfall.

  The boar raised both of its legs, roaring in pain. As it rose its front body, Rue shoulder charged the creature, with his skeletal shield head first. The boar fell by his back in a crumpling heap of flesh, and Rue ended its life with a quick swing.

  (You have Slain Boar. Lvl 5)

  “Got too reckless,” Alquin coughed, hand pressing his wound. “Should’ve waited for you kids.”

  A brown haired girl suddenly appeared there beside them, kneeling beside Alquin. Eve put her hand on Alquin's wound, and green mana streamed straight to the old man.

  Rue had to blink. He looked back to see the archer and mages firing spells, and Eve was certainly not on the backline.

  “What are you doing here?” Yom guffawed. He blocked a goblin attack, but was completely distracted; his sword was knocked back by a rusted spear of the green creature.

  Rue rushed forward, grabbing the spear, stopping it from impaling Yom. He stabbed his Bone Sword deep into the Goblin's throat, letting it fall.

  (You have Slain Goblin. Lvl 5)

  “Yom! Are you okay?”

  “Eve! What are you-“

  A boar charged straight at them. This one is dangerous; it has the speed of a charging horse. Just to his luck, the boar had a straight path toward them without being interrupted by any trees. Rue quickly glanced at Eve, who was now healing Alquin. They’re not done.

  Can he do it? Receive the charging boar head-on? He should’ve been right? He is much higher level than the boar.

  So, Rue charged forward.

  Eve and Yom shouted after Rue. He briefly heard Alquin convince them that Rue would be fine. “He will be all right,” The old man said.

  Honestly, Rue’s not sure about that, but he had watched a clip of a matador at work before, the result of his years of procrastination. Now he will put it to use. Rue skidded to a stop, dragging his feet against a gnarled root. He shrugged his Mage cloak off; sometimes, he forgot he still wore this thing. He threw it wide, covering the boar's eyes – its tusks gouged two holes in his cloak. Anger briefly rose inside Rue, then he dodged left, holding his sword in an upward motion. The boar's feet caught the root Rue had spotted, causing it to tumble to the ground, and Rue decapitated its neck with a downward cleave. The boar's head went flying straight toward Yom's feet, who kicked it over in mere reflex.

  (You have Slain Boar. Lvl 5)

  “Al!” Rue called. “You can move now? All of us are very separated.”

  “Yes, kid,” Alquin coughed, standing supported by both Eve and Yom, who still had their eyes gaping open.

  A sudden blue light zips across the forest, toward deeper, where the Kobolds are. That was Mana Arrow. Rue looked at the source of the spell, Paxwell still crouched atop a branch, nocking another one, and began charging it with Mana.

  Rue tried to look at what he was shooting, before he instantly got his answer. Two bolts of lightning fired at the Paxwell position. The old man jumped, and he seemingly hung in the sky for a couple of seconds before releasing a blue arrow of mana, flying straight at one of the Robe Kobolds.

  He couldn’t tell if the arrow hit or not. Rue’s eyes were focused on Paxwell, who was standing on another branch. When did he jump over? Didn’t he just hang in the air?

  “That’s a new skill!” Someone shouted. Rue looked at Gilbert, who was in the middle of a pushing contest against a boar. The Boar's forehead pushed against the blue-haired man's shield, and Gilbert grunted. He stabbed deep his own Long Bone straight to the boar's eye, killing it in an instant. “He just leveled up.”

  “Huh,” Rue said, unsure what to say. “It’s nice to see everyone is fine.”

  “Rue! Come to big-sis here!” Clerence, who was fighting behind Gilbert, called him.

  Big sis? She’s way too old to even be called a sister.

  Rue looked at the battlefield. He wanted to go where Rino and the scout were; they were fighting off three Goblins. But, they surely can hold out until he gets there.

  Making his way to Clerence, the red-haired woman put both of her palms to his cheek, and a warm glow settled inside of Rue. From her fingertip, a golden flame lurched inside of him. She was burning something, something that had been holding him back. “You can heal your Magic Vein with Cold, right?”

  “Yes?”

  “With this ability, I can soothe the invisible Vein; the Vein did not exist in your body, even though you can feel it. But, there are plenty of ways to heal it, like eating proper food and sleep, or the ability to hasten its recovery by burning.” Clerence then muttered. “So many impurities… They’re keeping your Vein from healing. I will burn them, Rue, and this will hurt.”

  “Burn them?” Rue gulped. “A Vein?”

  “I told you, they’re not in your body, more like your astral body. Hmm, in your case, my spell might hurt you more, since your body would prefer to banish these impurities by freezing them, because of your class, it would’ve been healthier for you. But we’re in a dire situation, so beggars can’t choose. Eve? Dear, can you cast healing on Rue and also shove the potion down his throat? Just in case”

  “Hold on, why do we need a healer?”

  “Sure!” Eve hopped beside him and knelt, pushing the red vial to his mouth. She laid a hand around his chest, and green mana settled inside his body.

  “All right,” Rue gave up. “Do it.” As he said his last word, a searing heat began to creep inside him, an invisible trail of body felt with an overwhelming pain that reaped all of his senses. Rue bit deep into the Vial, and glasses broke inside his mouth. He forced the liquid in, briefly suppressing the pain. Eve Magic also joined in the battle inside of him, the green ambient of life met the fiery golden flame, trying to dominate each other.

  “Clarence? Are we done?” Eve called, and she tapped Rue’s cheek with her other hand. “Rue, stay with me!”

  “Far from it,” Clerence said. “You still have more potion, right? Don’t worry, this does not cost him his mana, so there will be no Mind Down, but he needed to stay awake.”