Villain's Requiem

I woke up before dawn, the darkness outside my window a familiar comfort. I'd always been an early riser, well not always but I do try.

And I found that the stillness of the morning helps me think more clearly.

I got dressed quickly, grabbing my sword and heading out to the inn's training area.

And yes. The inn has a training area. It was at the backyard.

The air was crisp and cool, with a hint of dew and earth. I breathed deeply, feeling the familiar thrill of anticipation.

First, I'll start with some sword drills. I'd been practicing the same forms for a while, but I never got tired of the feeling of the sword slicing through the air. I moved through the drills smoothly, my muscles warm and loose.

As the sun began to rise, I switched to hand-to-hand combat. As a close combatants mage, hand to hand proficiency is a must.

I practiced a series of kicks and punches, my movements swift and precise. I was in the zone, completely focused on the sensation of my body moving through space.

Finally, I decided to add a little magic to my training session. My spell casting wasn't all bad but not very impressive especially given the countless hours I've spent practicing spells.

I started with a simple fire spell, feeling the familiar surge of heat and energy as the flames erupted from my fingertips. I practiced manipulating the flames, shaping them into intricate patterns and forms.

Next, I moved on to lightning magic. This was always the most challenging part of my training.

While my affinity with lightning was the same grade as fire not to mention my obvious preference for it.

It was still one of the most difficult as it required a delicate balance of energy and control. But I was determined to master it, and so I conjured lightning, letting it flow through me.

This was what I did when I entered elemental mode. Contrary to how easy I made it seem, it required really high control.

As for ice. I still hadn't figured out that one yet. For now I would take it slow.

As I finished my training session, I felt invigorated and refreshed. I then headed towards my room to have my bath and head out for my first quest.

**********

As I entered the guild, I noticed the same lady who had registered me as an adventurer working at a desk.

Seeing her, I headed in her direction as she, too, recognized me and smiled in a professional way at me.

"Good morning, Alex."

She greeted me as she began to search under her desk for something.

"Good morning."

I responded to her as I waited for her to finish what she was doing.

"Here are the quests that you can take at your current rank."

She responded while handing me a list of quests.

I checked into it and discovered that there were a total of four quests. Two of them included menial jobs that Grade 7 adventurers usually took.

What remained were two quests, one was for killing goblins and the other one for killing kobolds.

"I'll take the one about killing goblins"

I said as I handed back the list to her, which she accepted with a hesitant look.

"Are you certain about that? Despite how weak they are individually, they always operate as a group. If they team up, they can easily take on an [E-] rank mage. You'll be in big trouble if that happens. Just take the easy ones for now, you can slowly take the hard ones. There's no rush after all."

She said, concern written all over her face.

She appeared a little concerned about my safety, which I understand.

Who knows how long she's been working here. She's probably seen a lot of rookie adventurers die, but I needed to kill some enemies as soon as possible so I can use devour to grow stronger.

"I appreciate your consideration, but I will take this quest."

I responded to her while looking at her face.

"Sigh… alright, I'll handle the paperwork, just try not to get yourself killed out there. It's your first day afterall."

She said this as she pushed back into her seat with a wry smile, bringing out a stack of documents the size of a small mountain.

It was the administrative side of adventurering, a work as important as confronting the animals of the wild.

Her pen skittered across the page as she diligently logged my information and laid down the parameters of the quest.

"Ten coppers for every goblin you kill, and their left ear as proof, standard procedure around here."

She stated that, her tone was back to it's normal professional mannerism. It was a tempting reward for adventurers as many of them are commoners.

But I was born in a noble house and as such wasn't in desperate need of cash. Although it wouldn't hurt to have more.

I shrugged as I recognized the paperwork and the promise of a reward.

"There isn't really a deadline for finishing the quest, so take your time," she advised me, and I nodded in agreement.

I then proceeded to leave the guild hall. Alright time for my first real fight in this world.