The group spent a long time in the Whispering Forest, moving from one monster zone to another. They left the field of awful flowers, to another place with slithering serpentine Profanities. Micheal had no problem eliminating them, but Cassandra and Amy struggled quite a lot. It was especially true for the latter. In the end, Amy managed to kill three Profanities in total, while Cassandra killed four. It was good progress, actually, since they got more points from the Profanities, compared to Micheal.As such, Cassandra was only 10 points away from the target of the ‘Marked’ rank. She slumped close to a tree slump, her chest heaving with great effort. Amy crashed close to her, the girl barely managing to breathe. The serpentine Profanities had put their defensive skills to the test, because they were awfully fast.Micheal glanced over. He chuckled softly and continued his act of harvesting a few berries. He had purposely decided to not help the girls in their battles, only stepping i

Upon hearing the masked Hunter’s question, Desiree’s hand hung in the air. She dropped her fork and calmly regarded him for a moment, before saying, “Your reason for wanting to get closer to the palace is none of my business, but I do hope it won't result in one unfortunate event after the other? This simple inn is my source of livelihood, and I'd like to keep it that way for as long as I can.”Micheal responded in a similarly calm manner, “You don't have to worry. Whatever happens won't affect this place.”“Hm,” The woman glanced at Cassandra and Amy, before exhaling softly. She then said to him, “Well, I mentioned earlier that you will soon receive an invitation from the upper echelons of First Light guild. That includes the monarch of this fort. There's a very high chance that you'll be summoned to the palace very soon, so you don't have to bother yourself.”She smiled, then added, “After all, it's not everyday you find an unaffiliated hunter who is on par with the strongest folks

“Would you like to join my party?” Faced with that question, Darrion Donovan’s gaze turned a bit solemn. He remained quiet for the longest time, seemingly in deep contemplation, before finally speak. When he did, he asked, “Tell me, hunter, what is your reason for climbing the tower?”“My reason for climbing the tower?” Micheal raised a brow. Darrion nodded. He watched Micheal keenly, anticipating his answer. The boy, meanwhile, let out a soft chuckle. Then, after pondering for a moment, he said, “My reason for climbing the tower… what could it be indeed..”“At first, It was out of the need to not be looked down upon by anyone. No matter the situation, you always see the strong trampling all over the weak. It makes me wonder, why? Shouldn't those with strength protect the ones without power?”He exhaled softly. “But, perhaps that was childish thinking. No matter how strong you grow, there will always be someone, something, out there that you cannot match.”Darrion listened quietly.

Two days later, On the second floor of the tower, Micheal sat atop a dune as his hair swayed violently. In this place, there was scorching heat, and sand tornadoes whooshed past every now and then. Somehow, it reminded the teenager of that hellish realm. He had spent the last two days hunting Profanities without rest. When the monsters on the first floor wouldn't respawns quickly, he had to move on to the second. Here, he fought a bunch of crab-like Profanities, with durable shells and large stingers. Of course, they all had been weak compared to Micheal's strength. So, he blitzed through them as usual. As another sand storm began to form in the distance, Micheal dusted the dirt off his Midnight Hide armour and groaned loudly. “My body is actually quite sore. Hunting for two days without rest and swinging that insatiable sword did quite a number on me.”He reached into his inventory and pulled out a Rune of Vitality. For the party later, he needed to make sure he was in top notch

“You're also going to the party?” Micheal asked, surprised evident in his tone. Desiree scoffed. “Kid, who the hell do you think I am? I was once one of the executives of the First Light guild.”Oh? Micheal was pleasantly surprised. He pulled a chair and sat down. The moon was still bright, so it meant there was still quite some time before nightfall. “Why were you kicked out of the guild then?”“Kicked out?” Desiree grumbled. “You mock me, child!”Kid, now child… ah, this woman is going to be a pain in my butt. Micheal inwardly shook his head, contemplating his life's decisions. Oblivious to his thoughts, Desiree continued, “I was once part of the guild. Until that brat of a boy tried making an advance on me. Would you believe it? Simply because his father owns the guild, he believes he can do anything.”Classic Devon… Micheal felt his head throb, then asked, “So? You left due to the disrespect?”“Huh? No.” Desiree suddenly grinned. “I hit his head on the glass table, making sure I