CHAPTER 291: ONE STAR MISSION

"Solaris, I said."

The words hung in the air like the light blades themselves, sharp and undeniable. Someone’s mug clattered to the floor, the sound impossibly loud in the silence.

An older adventurer in the corner whispered to his companion, voice barely audible. "Solaris... the kingdom of light. They say it still exists somewhere, hidden in the clouds."

Let them wonder.

The display of light element—so rare that most people lived their entire lives without seeing it—had planted seeds of doubt. Creating weapons from pure light and doing it instantly? The burly man’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, one of the luminous blades tracking the movement with predatory precision.

Still, skepticism lingered in some faces. Light element users existed, however rare. One talented individual claiming ancient heritage didn’t prove anything. Myths remained myths for a reason.

Time for me to show them something. Serpahine thought.

Without warning, without even a gesture of preparation, Seraphine moved. Light erupted from her palm—not Leon’s white radiance but tinged with purple, crackling with barely contained energy. The sword materialized faster than thought, and she drove it down into the wooden table beside the registration desk with enough force to split the grain.

The burly man looked down, face going from pale to ghostly white. The blade of light had embedded itself between his legs, missing his important areas by mere inches. Steam rose from the scorched wood.

"Two light users," someone breathed. "Together. That’s..."

"Impossible," another finished.

Not impossible. Just improbable enough to be believed.

Two unknown light elementalists appearing together? The odds defied calculation. A light element manifests perhaps once in ten million people. Two together, both powerful enough for instant manifestation, both claiming Solaris as their origin?

The math forced belief where skepticism had reigned.

The burly man’s hands shook as he picked up his quill. "I... I’ll prepare your IDs immediately." His voice cracked like a teenager’s. "No further verification needed."

Leon dismissed his array of swords with a thought, the weapons dissolving into motes of light that drifted upward before vanishing. The tension in the room eased fractionally, though nobody resumed their previous activities. All eyes remained fixed on the trio at the desk.

The registration process proceeded in near-silence. The man’s scarred fingers trembled as he filled out three separate forms, occasionally glancing up as if to confirm they hadn’t disappeared. Or transformed into something else. Or started glowing.

"Names?"

"Leon."

"Seraphine."

"Loriel," the green-haired woman added, trying to project confidence despite her obvious nervousness at the attention.

"Ages?"

"Twenty-two."

"Twenty-three."

"Twenty."

The lies flowed smoothly. Who would challenge them now?

"Previous residence before... before Solaris?"

"We’ve only known Solaris," Leon replied simply.

The man didn’t press. He finished the documentation in record time, then pulled three bronze cards from beneath his desk. Each bore their basic information on the front. On the back, the rectangular spiral of the Dominion Union had been etched with precise detail—the symbol that granted legitimacy throughout the Middle Domain.

"One hundred fifty silver total," the man managed.

Leon counted out the coins without complaint.

The man then produced three bronze necklaces, each bearing a single star alongside the Adventure Guild’s crossed-sword emblem. "Your adventurer badges. One-star rank, the beginning level."

He cleared his throat, professionalism slowly returning despite the light sword still embedded in his throat. "To increase rank, complete missions from the board. Each successful mission earns points. Enough points mean promotion. Higher ranks access better missions, better pay, better resources."

His eyes darted between them. "Given your... capabilities... I’d normally require a strength test. But I think we’ve seen enough. You’re registered."

Leon took the badges, handing them to Seraphine and Loriel. Each slipped the chain over their head, the bronze catching lamplight. Official adventurers now, with all the rights and opportunities that entailed.

They moved toward the mission board, feeling dozens of eyes tracking their movement. Whispered conversations erupted in their wake.

"Solaris..."

"Two light users..."

"Did you see how fast—"

"—never seen anything like—"

"—thought it was just a legend—"

Good. Let the story spread.

The mission board dominated an entire wall in a separate section of the guild. Hundreds of posters overlapped, some fresh, others yellowed with age. The organization was clear—sections divided by star rating, from one to five. A placard explained that adventurers couldn’t accept missions above their rank.

Restrictive. But understandable. Keeps rookies from dying pointlessly.

Leon scanned the one-star postings, searching for something useful. The majority were mundane to the point of insult. Finding lost cats. Helping with neighborhood repairs. Delivering packages. Clearing basements of regular rats, not even monster variants.

Nothing is worth our time.

Other rookie adventurers clustered nearby, stealing glances at the trio. Some snickered, seeing the bronze single-star badges.

One posting caught Leon’s eye. The parchment was older than most, edges starting to curl. "Collection Quest: 100 Blue-Spotted Mushrooms. Location: Thornwood Forest, outer edges. Reward: 10 gold coins."

Ten gold was exceptional for a one-star mission. Most offered silver, maybe one or two gold coins for dangerous tasks. But Leon understood why this had gone unclaimed for two months despite the pay.

Thornwood Forest. I read about that.

The forest was famous for its wild beasts. Even the outer edges held enough danger to make veteran adventurers cautious. For one-star rookies, it was essentially suicide. The mushrooms themselves weren’t the challenge—surviving the collection was.

Perfect.

He snatched the notice from the board. Several watching rookies scoffed openly now, not bothering to hide their disdain.

"Thornwood? They’re insane."

"Ten gold won’t help if you’re dead."

"Pretty boy’s trying to impress his women."

Leon showed the mission to Seraphine and Loriel. Seraphine studied it with tactical interest, already calculating approaches. Loriel, however, practically vibrated with excitement.

"A real adventure mission!" Her eyes sparkled with genuine enthusiasm.

This is going to be so fun! A real adventure!

Loriel recalled the day since her young age, she was chosen to be a saintess. Churches kept their saintesses confined, protected, controlled. Freedom in name only, caged birds with golden bars, in name she has everything, yet confined by rules. She’d met adventure only a few times in her life.

But she had read a lot about them in the heroic books she had read since her youth.

The sneering from nearby rookies intensified.

"Even the women are idiots."

"Shame. They’re beautiful. Won’t be after the beasts get them."

"Rich boy playing adventurer, going to learn the hard way."

Nobody warned them about Thornwood’s dangers. Nobody mentioned the beast territories, the dangerous flora, or the reasons experienced adventurers avoided the area. They were content to watch perceived rivals walk toward disaster.

Leon thought for a moment to teach them a lesson, but he chose not to.

They left the guild, ignoring the mix of whispers—some awed from those who’d witnessed the light display, others mocking from those who hadn’t. The story would spread. By tomorrow, half the city would know about the supposed Solaris natives.

Leon led them through the streets with confidence, his memorized map providing perfect navigation. At the city’s northern gate, guards examined their bronze Union IDs with bored professionalism.

"Business?"

"Adventure Guild mission."

"Pass."

No harassment, no excessive questioning. The IDs worked as intended, granting smooth passage. They emerged onto the northern road, Thornwood Forest visible as a dark line on the horizon.

"Sixty kilometers," Leon announced. "We could take a carriage, but..."

"Running’s faster," Seraphine finished.

Loriel nodded eagerly, already stretching in preparation.

They ran. Not at full speed—that would have been inhuman enough to draw attention from any observers. But fast enough that the journey took less than thirty minutes, their enhanced bodies covering ground with tireless efficiency.

The forest edge loomed before them, ancient trees creating a wall of bark and shadow. Seraphine and Loriel breathed heavily, more from excitement than actual exhaustion. Leon gave them five minutes to center themselves, studying the tree line.

Darker than expected. Denser too.

"Ready?" he asked.

Both women nodded. Loriel’s hand went to her side, then stopped, remembering she had no weapon. Leon noticed the gesture and made a mental note to address that later.

A sword materialized in his hand from thin air—not light-forged but actual steel pulled from spatial storage. Loriel’s eyes widened at the casual display.

She shook her head in amazement, as this might be his space-related ability. "Is there anything you can’t do?"

More than you know. But let’s keep some mysteries.

Leon expanded his spatial awareness, sending invisible waves through the forest. The feedback painted a detailed picture in his mind—every tree, every stone, every growing thing within a kilometer radius.

There. Forty-seven mushrooms matched the description. Small, tiny spots on top, growing in clusters near fallen logs where moisture collected. Their unique shape made them easy to identify even through spatial sensing.

This skill is almost unfair for gathering missions.

No beasts detected in the immediate area. Disappointing but practical. They could complete the mission without incident if the pattern held.

"This way," Leon said, leading them into the shadows between trees.

The forest swallowed them whole, darkness and silence replacing the open road’s brightness. Somewhere in the distance, something howled—long, low, and hungry.

Loriel moved closer to Leon unconsciously. Seraphine’s hand crackled with purple-tinged lightning, ready.

Let’s see what Thornwood has to offer.

There was a good reason he chose this location in particular.