Who holds the throne holds everyone by their throat
This saying has been around for centuries, yet it still has a huge impact on the lives of the people of the Capital. Their minds were still locked at the idea that the King's words were final regardless of whether it was for good or bad. It has been twenty years since the boundary collapsed, demons from the other side of the world summoned portals to human settlements and lay waste. It affected the entirety of the kingdom, its economy, and everything in general.
Nineteen years ago, THE GRAND ENIGMA happened. A huge portal appeared in the sky which was enveloped with waves of black auras that kept sending strong creatures from the demon continent, usually a portal was only as large as a simple house but at that time it was as if the world was covered in massive darkness. The village Bundreth suffered the worst, as it lacked capable adventurers and soldiers to protect it.
Adventurers are people with gifted abilities, they are assessed and ranked from A to D, and S as the highest ranking. Adventurers' abilities are awakened when they reach the age of twenty
There are only ten S-rank adventurers in the kingdom and some of them fought the THE GRAND ENIGMA, they somehow managed to stop the spreading of the remorseless slaughtering of the otherworldly monsters but many villages suffered greatly they never recovered. Became wastelands.
Hanbin was born in one of the affected villages, he was barely one year of age when he and his mother fled from their hopeless place and sought shelter in the Capital, one year after the calamity caused by THE GRAND ENIGMA his mother took her own life for an unknown reason, everyone assumed that the loss of her husband from the ENIGMA was too much for her to handle, but even so, most people hated the fact that she left her son alone.
Needless to say, Hanbin became an orphan at a very young age.
...
Now, he is in his twenties. He was assessed two days ago and given the rank of a low tier C. He is a mage, specifically a pyromancer. In terms of ability, Hanbin is much stronger than a regular person. He is sturdier and recovers a little faster than those who are not gifted. Because of this, he chose the path of being an adventurer, but a guildless one, as no guild had offered him a contract after the assessment.
There are a total of 10 guilds in the Capital alone, 3 of them are major ones - Might, Swords and Roses, and Ultima guild. These three major guilds are composed of powerful individuals who are not lower than low-tier A ranks. Even so, They are all still regulated by the kingdom's Raid Regulators' Agency and must abide by its law. Unfortunately for Hanbin, C ranks are considered mediocre adventurers and major guilds would never die to enlist them. As for other minor guilds, C and D ranks must apply for it and must undergo a recruitment process that may take days or even weeks before the results are given. During the process, they must keep their noses clean and avoid trouble. The good thing about being a member of a guild is the Health insurance that is given to every member. Regardless of how strong or weak a certain guild is, the Kingdom shall provide medical support to its members. In the Capital, medical bills are one of the most expensive bills to pay. It could range from 300 silvers to a thousand. Only a few can afford it.
Ever since the boundary collapsed, the import and export of local products and goods were limited which resulted in a high unemployment rate. Regular jobs are no longer available for the gifted, and is mandated to serve the Capital by becoming an adventurer. In other words, Hanbin didn't have much of a choice.
...
Hanbin steeled himself as he participated in a raid that fateful day.
Most adventurers that gathered in the area knew one another a little, given they all gathered every time there were raids. Those who arrived exchanged greetings over a coffee provided by the RRA.
"Hey, Mr Sung over here!"
"Oi, Yoobin! It's been a while! I thought you were dead?"
"Ha! Almost. But was nursed back to health by the Recovery Office."
"Health insurance was a huge help I see! Good thing you're a guild member eh?"
"Besides, my wife is pregnant with our third child."
"Ha! Ha! We adventurers know there's nothing like raids like this to make some money."
Embarrassed, Yoobin chuckled along with Mr Sung's loud laughter before asking a question: "So why hasn't the RRA summoned us as often? Is there a shortage in low stars raids?"
"No, of course not! There are rumors that the major guilds are paid for exclusive raids..." he lowered his voice. "It's not true that the kingdom's wealth is declining, they say high star raids produce raw materials that can be sold for a large amount of silver. I'm sure they're paying the strong guilds to do the dirty work and the RRA to collect the loot on behalf of the kingdom. So I think we're here to do the same."
"What?! You mean we will be paid to kill the monster but can't collect the loot in the area?"
"Yes. We're just here to kill."
Disappointed, Yoobin nodded silently.
"The absence of the major guilds typically meant it wouldn't be a large payoff and while it was always the case, that usually meant a low-star raid. However, there is no such thing as a guarantee right?"
Yoobin sighed and nodded when he noticed a young man with a cloak that stood uneasily as he looked around. Behind him was a woman, trembling a little as she tried to squeeze her bag.
"It seems they're sending off newbies as well."
Mr Sung looked back and saw the two newbies and waved to one of them.
"Hey! Hanbin!"
It was Hanbin, he nodded politely at Mr. Sung and noticed the woman behind him. He then turned around and greeted her with a smile.
"Those two newbies mean we can rest assured that this will be easier than I thought, Yoobin"
Yoobin's eyes went wide and leaned closer, "Is the newbie guy that strong?"
"Ha! I guess you wouldn't know. You were bedridden for years right?"
Yoobin nodded, "Come on! Stop beating around the bush and just tell me."
"He was assessed two days ago. And he came out of the RRA office without a contract from any guild. That means-"
"His rank was low that guilds are not dying to sign him in? Not even the smaller ones?"
"Shhh he might hear you. Besides, since the RRA is limiting the members of a guild, the smaller ones stopped scouting at the assessment area and just posted their recruitment process. In short, newly awakened D and C rank adventurers must apply and undergo a long recruitment process."
"Damn, there's too many things that changed while I was away huh."
"That's Hanbin, he is a C-rank mage. I've known him since I always see him working in the orphanage before he was awakened."
"A c rank you say? I think that's decent enough for a simple raid like this. He's not bad at all."
"Though it may be true that C ranks are decent adventurers, his lack of experience can be his biggest problem. The raid is a tricky one."
...
"I won't blame you for being afraid, it's your first raid after all right?" Hanbin smiled a small smile as he looked at the woman.
"I'm sorry." The woman lowered her head.
It was her pretty face that stood out, though her skin was darker than fair, it complimented her beauty so much.
"Name's Harbin. Nice to meet you!" Hanbin offered a hand
The woman gazed upon him and her face was covered with uneasiness.
"I'm Soma. A healer."
"A healer you say, that means you don't have to worry too much then. Healers are naturally at the rear end of a party, you just have to take care of the wounded that's all."
Soma nodded before saying: "You seem to know a lot about raids, I'm sure you're experienced at this."
Hanbin chuckled and shook his head, "No, today is my first."
Soma's eyes widened and her face full of confusion, then turned red as she laughed a little. "I shouldn't be worried if a first-timer like you ain't that worried at all"
Both laughed at each other.
The RRA employee gave each a magical stone. Each stone was glowing bright blue and was used by the RRA to pinpoint their exact location.
"This raid will be easy. But expect the worst and always be prepared. Remember, everything in that raid area is the property of the kingdom, do not take anything. We will pay you accordingly. That's all"
Everyone listened and they silently hissed at the thought of having no authority to own something from the raid.
"At the center of this forest lies the ground zero of the portal, destroy the talisman and the portal will close. The forest is swarmed by armed goblins so be careful." The RRA employee added before leaving the premises.
"Let's get this over with." Mr Sung signaled to Yoobin and they both headed straight towards the forest. He looked back to the two newbies and called, "Hey you two! Follow us!"
"Soma, let's go."
"Okay Hanbin"
Other adventurers formed groups on their own. Hanbin, Soma, Yoobin, and Mr Sung were the group with the least amongst the raid.
"Hey kid"
"Mr Sung?"
"I've been dying to ask, what type of mage are you?"
"Pyromancer, Mr Sung."
"I see, there's not much pyromancer I've known that can use fire well. Unfortunately, you can't find a mentor for that."
"Is that so, Mr Sung?"
Yoobin placed his arm around Mr Sung's shoulder before asking, "Aren't you a mage as well?"
"Y-yes. But I'm not proficient at using fire. I'm more into buff and debuff spells. Others often hire me to boost their abilities and weaken enemies. But yes I do use fire as my main attack."
Hanbin was amazed by it but kept a straight face, he thought Mr Sung was an outstanding adventurer whose experience exceeded the abilities of any higher ranks. He looked beside him seeing Soma wearing her worried face again, this time her body was shaking from fear.
The forest stretched on forever. The strongest ones including Mr Sung led the way. As they walked through the forest, the light above would not pass through, the canopy was thick enough to cover the place with darkness. Hanbin and Mr Sung cast a little fire cupped in their palms to light up their path.
Some of the well-known mages in the Capital can summon light lanterns that illuminate better than fire, even for a simple raid, skills like that are a great help.
Yoobin walked beside Hanbin, "It seems the goblins are too afraid to come out."
Hanbin nervously chuckled at Yoobin as he looked around.
"How long do you think we're walking Hanbin?" Soma was trembling even harder as she walked closer to him.
Hanbin offered her his hand and gave a reassuring smile. "I don't know, must be around thirty minutes or more." Without hesitation, Soma held it.
"It seems we're walking around in circles."
"We're not Soma, the forest was just too thick that's all."
"Huh?!"
He looked behind to see Soma standing there. He was shocked at how ashen-faced she looked.
"What's the matter? Are you sick?"
"O-over there..."
He turned to the direction she was pointing. It was a large tree. Soma was pointing right at it. Hanbin cocked his head in confusion. For him, it was just a tree.
Soma couldn't stop stuttering, "S-something m-moved right there."
"What?" No matter how many times Hanbin stared back at the tree, he couldn't detect any weird movement. "Come now Soma, you're probably just seeing things."
Whether or not she registered her words, Soma kept standing her head bowed, and gripped her arms tightly.
"Wait" Mr Sung signaled everyone to stop.
Suddenly, Hanbin was also filled with dread. It was strangely quiet. Others also felt it, an evil aura from that direction Soma was pointing.
Everyone drew their weapons and stood in their fighting stance.
"Everyone be prepared."
Right at that moment.
THUMP! THUMP!
Everyone was startled by the sudden noise, and birds flew fast away from the trees.
"What was that sound?"
Mr Sung ordered the party to form a battle formation, but most were too afraid to move. Yoobin, too, was petrified by it. The foul scent from that tree was too strong and they all felt something coming towards them from behind it.
Mr Sung shook his head and then stood in front of Soma and Hanbin, who were frozen in fear, summoning a fire surrounding his hand.
"Everyone! Calm down!" Mr Sung knew his words meant nothing, even him was struggling to wrap his head around the fact that they were all frightened from a simple raid.
"This was supposed to be a low star raid, why am I trembling?"