After spending most of the morning exploring Medai Village, from feeling out the narrow, cobblestone streets with their uneven paving, they visited each shop, where the creaking wooden doors revealed the characteristic scents of leather, metal, and occasionally the faint trace of smoke from the kitchen behind.
They carefully took notes on important information they gathered from the stories of experienced players who had been there before, and by the end of their round, all three felt confident enough to officially enter the next phase of their journey.
When they returned to the quest board tucked beneath the wooden eaves of an old tavern, the sunlight had now faded the early morning mist, slipping gently through the leaves and moss-covered roofs, casting fragmented rays on the worn surface of the board.
The quest papers, pinned in a strangely orderly manner, looked like pieces of a large puzzle of this world, some faded, the corners curled by wind and rain, while the new ones added this morning remained flat with bold, decisive handwriting as if reflecting the writers themselves.
Ren carefully skimmed through each description, his sharp eyes narrowing slightly whenever he came across a high-risk task marked with special symbols in the corner of the paper.
He didn't say anything, but that silence felt heavier than any warning could have been, and Yuna and Nautilus, standing on either side, understood that well.
No words were needed; there was no need for debate. They would not take risks right now.
They would start with the basics, because a group unfamiliar with the terrain shouldn't be running, and a team that hasn't fought together shouldn't rush into the jaws of death.
"This one," Ren said quietly, his voice low but sure, as he pulled out a quest paper pinned at the bottom corner.
The paper was somewhat old, but the content was still clear. "Eliminate the wild beasts causing trouble on the southern outskirts of the village. Clear them so the villagers can safely work the fields. The reward isn't much, but it's enough to get started."
Yuna tilted her head, looking over, her gaze showing agreement mixed with slight relief. "Good for getting familiar with the terrain," she said, her voice calm but carrying a sense of reassurance.
"And we won't have to go too far. I think starting with these kinds of tasks is reasonable... safe, but not boring."
Nautilus, with his sharp eyes that always seemed to be looking ahead, hadn't taken his eyes off the more complex tasks pinned near the center of the board.
A few of them involved deep mine infiltrations or escorting goods through dense forests, areas that even the seasoned players still approached with caution.
He paused before a few high-reward quests...
But then he slowly nodded, his gaze shifting back to Ren and Yuna. "We need to test ourselves, but we also need to be sure. These simple tasks will help the group warm up, get a feel for how the area works... and most importantly, understand ourselves better."
The three of them exchanged a silent nod, a tacit agreement between those who were no strangers to the pressure of survival.
With the quests rolled up in hand, they left the board behind, their steps echoing steadily on the dry stone road, mixed with the distant sounds of everyday life in the background.
By now, the sky had risen higher, the deep blue more pronounced, and the light brighter, as if the whole world was watching their cautious yet determined steps as they officially entered the whirlwind of quests, where the real challenges silently awaited ahead.
Though this was the first task on the list, and categorized as the simplest on the board, for the three of them, who were coordinating together for the first time, with every breath and every step still not quite in sync, each action, each small choice, whether it was a glance or a tightening grip on a weapon, carried significant meaning:
It was the beginning of a bond, the first bricks laid for a group that might continue forward together in the not-so-distant future.
The southern outskirts of Medai Village, where they were tasked with patrolling and clearing out the wild beasts causing trouble, was a semi-wild land with unpredictable terrain. From low, dew-covered meadows to sparse tree clusters, where the sunlight filtered through the yellowing leaves, casting rays between the branches.
The villagers often used this area for grazing livestock or planting seasonal crops, but because of this, it had also become a prime gathering spot for wild animals.
From innocent grass rabbits to the aggressive Fang Boars or Dire Wolves, who had a habit of hiding in the underbrush and suddenly charging like a storm to knock anyone who dared trespass on their territory.
Ren led the way, not only because of his superior combat experience but also because he had something that inspired trust in others, silent certainty, sharp eyes, and a demeanor as though he always thought one step ahead of everyone else.
The sword at Ren's hip swayed gently with each step, the glint of the steel catching the sunlight as it filtered through the distant trees.
The weather today was perfect, an ideal time for a quest, to hunt monsters, and level up...
Yuna walked behind on the right, keeping a reasonable distance to observe her teammates without obstructing their movement; she firmly grasped her shortsword, occasionally glancing over her shoulder as if to reassure herself that she was in the right position.
Nautilus stayed close on Ren's left, saying nothing, but his attentive gaze and the subtle nods when he noticed something out of place showed that he was memorizing every detail of the terrain, from the soft ground to the direction of the wind passing through the grass.
"There are fresh footprints," Ren said softly, his voice not loud but clear enough for the two others to hear in the near absolute silence of the afternoon.
He stopped by a depression in the moist ground, a clear sign that a large creature had passed through not long ago.
Nautilus immediately bent down, placing his hand on the ground to feel. "Not an ordinary animal," he said after a moment of thought, his gaze slightly tilted as if searching for some forgotten memory among old notes.
"The earth's been disturbed pretty deeply, with several claw marks mixed in, definitely Fang Boars.
They're low-level, like the wild boars back in the Starting Town, but a bit different. Sometimes, they travel in packs. Even though our levels and equipment are a bit better, it's still dangerous, especially with this kind of terrain."
Yuna tightened her grip on the sword hilt, her toes shifting slightly as if preparing to take a position. "Let's stick to the plan," she said quickly, her eyes not leaving the bushes ahead. "I'll draw them to the right, Ren, you go straight for the leader. Nautilus, cover the back, and if you see an opening, finish it off. Fast, clean, then retreat."
They didn't need any more words. Ren's nod was the signal. Like three shadows, they began to separate and move into the formation they had practiced earlier.
Yuna shifted to the right, trying to appear within the monsters' line of sight. Nautilus fell back, lowering himself to prepare for a surprise attack.
And Ren, like a sharp spear, pressed forward toward the growing sound of rustling in the bushes.
Then the Fang Boars appeared, five in total, each with sharp, curved tusks, red eyes filled with aggressive bloodshot streaks, and dirty gray fur caked in dirt. They screeched, their hooves tearing up the earth in a threatening display, before charging like a whirlwind.
Ren spun, drawing his sword in a fluid, almost unbelievable motion, then slid sideways, slashing the leader from the flank. A bright red streak broke the air like a torn piece of cloth.
Yuna, with precise steps backward and a steady breath, kept two of the boars away from the main formation, drawing them to the right.
She twisted her wrist, blocking a charge with the tip of her short sword, then quickly slipped away to avoid being trapped between them.
Meanwhile, Nautilus remained silent, not making a sound. As the third boar missed Ren and turned away, he silently advanced, thrusting his sword into the monster's side, then immediately withdrew, as if he had never been there.
In just a few minutes, the battle was over. Red pixelated fragments hung in the air like withered red flower petals blown away by the wind, then vanished without a trace. The ground was left only with the marks of hooves and a few broken tusks.
Yuna knelt, sweat dotting her forehead, but her eyes were bright as she looked up at the other two. "Not bad... for the first time working together."
Ren nodded, his hand resting on the sword hilt, his eyes still focused on the distant grass. "It's fine, but we can be faster. More decisive if we face stronger enemies, or if the environment isn't as open as this."
Nautilus picked up a piece of tusk, turning it in his hand as if analyzing it. "In the mines, visibility is limited, no clear light like out here... If we don't sync every second, someone will get hurt before we can act."
They didn't say anything more, but the look they exchanged was different now, not a challenge, but a silent acknowledgment. They were slowly understanding each other, slowly finding their place within the three-person team.
And as the sun continued to climb higher in the blue sky, casting long streaks of light across the rocky path, the three of them, with sweat on their foreheads, light scratches on their sleeves, and sharp eyes, took another step toward their next mission.
No need for great rewards, no need for applause. Just one more battle, one more step forward. Because this world wouldn't let them stop.