Anthony's gaze lingered over the mission board, his fingers brushing over the various parchnts, each detailing tasks that seed mundane and beneath his expectations.
As he scanned the array of assignnts, he couldn't shake the feeling that the life of an adventurer should be far more thrilling than this.
Instead of epic quests and life or death battles, what lay before him were trivial errands, escort missions, herb collections, and the like.
A sigh of resignation escaped his lips as he stared at the board, his hopes dissipating like the delicate grains of a sandcastle consud by the tide.
In a quiet mont of contemplation, he decided to pick a mission, any mission.
He had already chosen to step into this world for a reason: to relax, take a breather before his seclusion training began.
His eyes landed on one mission that stood out, a Rank 10 task involving the eradication of a monstrous creature terrorizing a nearby town.
The beast had been preying on the citizens, leaving only death and despair in its wake.
The reward offered was modest, rely a fifteen low-grade mana crystals, but that ant little to Anthony.
The challenge was all that mattered.
With a purposeful step, Anthony walked toward Kerm, mission paper in hand.
"You've already chosen your first mission?"
Kerm observed, her voice a perfect blend of professionalism and curiosity.
She had been watching him closely since his arrival, no doubt intrigued by the newcor who had dispatched Vaz so effortlessly.
Anthony nodded in confirmation, passing her the parchnt.
Without missing a beat, Kerm glanced over the paper, processing the details with swift efficiency.
In one seamless motion, she tossed him a device.
"This will guide you to the location of the town"
She said, her voice steady.
"I wish you success on your first venture. But be cautious. Many adventurers have fallen to this beast, underestimating its strength"
Anthony offered a faint smile, accepting the device with ease.
"Thank you. I'll be fine"
Her smile grew just a hint more knowing.
"Still, do not let overconfidence blind you. This creature has claid far too many lives already"
Anthony's smile never wavered, the quiet confidence in his deanor undeterred.
"Just prepare the reward"
He said, before turning and leaving the guild.
Outside, he made his way to the car, the cool evening air whipping past him as he set off in the direction indicated by the device.
The journey was uneventful, his thoughts focused solely on the task at hand.
Upon reaching a certain distance, Anthony parked the car and proceeded on foot.
The town was nestled on the outskirts of a dense forest, its towering stone walls standing as a silent testant to the town's struggles.
As he neared the gates, two guards, dressed in the town's livery, raised their hands in caution.
One of them stepped forward, placing a hand on his sword.
"State your business"
The guard commanded, his voice thick with suspicion.
Anthony, unbothered, presented his adventurer card with a fluid motion.
"I was sent by the Adventurer Guild"
He stated plainly.
The guards exchanged a brief glance before stepping aside.
They led him deeper into the town, eventually stopping at a modest building at the heart of the settlent.
The woman who greeted him inside was elderly, but despite her age, there was an undeniable aura of power around her, a quiet, but formidable presence that hinted at her B-rank status.
Her age, though, was a point of curiosity for Anthony.
Why would soone of such years be in charge of the town's defense, especially when even the guards were no less than A-rank warriors?
He couldn't quite place it, but his attention shifted back to her as she began to speak.
"Adventurer"
She greeted him, her voice warm yet tinged with underlying worry,
"Thank you for answering our call. The creature that haunts us strikes every night. We've fought it off ti and again, but we can't keep up this battle indefinitely. We've lost many, including children. We need you to end this, once and for all."
Anthony listened intently, but his expression remained neutral.
The details were grim to others but no to him, but this wasn't his first encounter with monsters.
"I will take care of it tonight"
Anthony responded succinctly, his voice calm.
As he left the building, he could feel the weight of the townspeople's gaze on his back.
Hope had been reignited, if only faintly.
The creature had cast a long shadow over this town, and Anthony was their beacon in the dark.
Nightfall descended swiftly upon the town, bringing with it an air of quiet unease.
The citizens huddled indoors, knowing that soon the monster would co, and with it, the familiar scent of death.
From within the thick woods surrounding the settlent, a low growl broke the silence.
The ground seed to tremble, and in the distance, the piercing red glow of the creature's eyes glead through the trees.
Anthony stood at the edge of town, awaiting the inevitable.
The creature soon appeared, a hulking mass of muscle and malice, its grotesque form barely visible beneath the cloak of night.
Its glowing eyes locked onto Anthony's figure with unnatural intelligence.
Each breath it took was accompanied by a foul, decaying stench that clung to the air, a grim testant to the destruction it had wrought upon this town.
Without warning, the beast lunged, its massive claws swiping at Anthony with terrifying speed.
Its attack was so fast, it cleaved through the air like a storm, the force of the blow strong enough to cut through wood like paper.
But Anthony was faster.
In a fluid motion, he sidestepped the strike, his katana already drawn.
With a graceful arc, he slashed across the creature's exposed flank.
The katana bit into the beast's tough hide, but the blade rely sparked, the creature recoiling from the impact more in surprise than in pain.
"So, you're not just mindless brute strength"
Anthony remarked calmly, his voice almost taunting.
"Interesting"
The beast snarled, its hackles raised as it circled him, testing his defenses.
Anthony mirrored its movents, his body light on its feet, his senses razor sharp as he awaited the next strike.
The creature attacked again, this ti feinting a blow to his legs before pivoting to strike at his torso.
Anthony anticipated the feint perfectly, twisting his body to avoid the attack.
His katana flashed in the moonlight as he retaliated, a diagonal cut grazing the beast's shoulder.
The wound was shallow, but the dark ichor that poured from it sizzled against the ground like acid.
The beast howled in pain, its roar reverberating through the town like a thunderclap.
But Anthony, unmoved by its fury, simply observed.
'This is boring'
He thought to himself.
He had fought beings of Paragon and higher ranks before, and now here he was, battling an SS rank monster.
The contrast in difficulty was laughable.
With a quiet sigh, he sheathed his katana.
The next mont, Anthony vanished from his position, reappearing in front of the beast in the blink of an eye.
Before the creature could react, Anthony's palm struck its belly with an almost casual force.
The impact was nothing short of catastrophic.
With a ghastly split, the creature's back split open, its innards spilling out as if by divine will, the organs and entrails spilling from its body like a grotesque, unfathomable flood.
Anthony turned, his gaze cutting across the town's gathered citizens.
Their faces were etched with a mix of awe and horror, but Anthony had no interest in their reactions.
He had completed his task.
Without a word, he severed the beast's head with a single stroke, then shot into the sky, vanishing into the night like a phantom, leaving the town to process the aftermath of its deliverance.
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