With a swift push, Raymond teared himself away from the bed. Immediately, he moved towards the corner of his room, where a wooden table stood unremarkably.
There were three items kept on the table.
One was a black overhead robe, made up of rough cloth. It wasn't exactly comfortable but it did its work of covering his face.
Next was a simple longsword. Its sheath brown in colour, made up of hollow metal.
The last item was an ornate golden ring, which glowed like a dazzling firefly in the serene silvery moonlight. There some runes etched on its surface showing it wasn't an ordinary ring.
It was a space ring, as well as the last remaining relic of House Sylvaris. Seeing it Raymond didn't have a particular change in his expression as he slowly picked up all the items.
The robe found his head, covering his face while the sword hung at his waist. At last, the golden ring slipped on his finger as he started to move out of his room.
The door opened with a low creak, that travelled like the noisy buzz of a siren, in the quiet of the midnight.
He stepped out. Quickly and quietly he got out of the guild hall, there were some members in the hall however most of them were drunk while some were busy with their quest discussions.
It wasn't that Raymond wasn't allowed to go outside of the guild hall whenever he wanted or anything. It's just that he wanted to avoid questions that Serenia and Alariv might ask seeing him going out.
As soon as he got out of the guild. The cool wind of the night hit him. The surroundings outside were obviously dark however the moonlight coming from the twin moons in the sky illuminated the land enough.
Gripping the hilt of his sword tightly, Raymond moved towards the forest.
*****
The forest at night could only be described as ethereal. Long trees arched their branches high into the sky, their leaves fluttering and rustling in the gentle and cool wind.
Fireflies and other types of glowing insects blinked into the surroundings like tiny bulbs as they hovered in the air. While the silvery moonlight bathed the forest in its dreamy glow.
Shadows stretched long and gentle across the ground, weaving between roots and stones, while the distant sounds of nocturnal life echoed faintly through the stillness.
It felt peaceful…almost unreal.
"Damn, this world truly is beautiful." Raymond spoke in astonishment, as he gazed through the forest in awe.
This forest was the specific reason why Alariv chose to build the guild here. Here the monsters were mostly novice to intermediate rank and even then they loved deep inside the forest.
It was canonically a good place for them, as hunting monsters, gathering basic herbs and acquiring basic materials was a bit easier here.
Raymond moved deeper into the forest. However, just then his steps froze. A low, dull growl echoed in the quiet forest making his grip on the sword's hilt instinctively tighten.
Slowly, he turned his head towards the direction where the sound came from and moved towards it.
'Calm down, calm down…you have to face them someday, better right now than ever.' He whispered in his mind trying to calm his mind.
Nervous yet quiet, he reached the nearby tree and looked over it. There, in the small clearing between the dense foliage he finally saw it.
His heart beat fastened.
It was a lizard-like creature, but far from anything natural he had ever seen.
Its body was long and unnervingly lean, stretched over taut muscle and covered in jagged, uneven scales which looked more like shards of dark stone than skin.
The scales scraped softly against each other as it moved, producing a faint, grating sound that set his nerves on edge.
Its limbs were thin yet powerful, ending in long, hooked dagger-like claws that dug into the ground with every step.
Each movement was slow… deliberate… as if it was savoring the moment. Its head was the most disturbing part.
Elongated and slightly crooked, as if twisted unnaturally, with a jaw that opened just a bit too wide. Rows of needle-like pointed teeth glistened in the dim light, slick with a dark and viscous sheen.
It's eyes.
Two narrow slits glowing faintly in the dark, fixed onto its prey that lay in front of it without blinking.
Feral and hungry.
When it breathed, a low rasp escaped its throat, uneven and broken, like something that shouldn't be alive.
Raymond's breath hitched as he sucked in a cold breath. Right now, it made him realise the reality of the world he was in…
He knew about these monster's, however one in real life rather than pixels was undoubtedly terrifying.
Yet Raymond didn't run…rather forcing his mind to calm down. He began to act as mana coursed through his body smoothly.
From the back of the tree, he raised his hand towards the direction of the monster. Mana surged through his limbs as a chill erupted from his hand.
A spike formed in the air, radiating cold vapour in the night air. The monster seemed too engrossed with its food, to notice anything different.
With a deep breath, he hurtled the spike towards the monster. Like a razor arrow, the spike cut through the air and hit the monster straight, into its neck.
The sound of tearing flesh echoed instead of munching this time, then…
"Krieg" The monster roared in an unbearable agony, the spike had stuck deep into its neck which was unprotected by its armour.
Instantly, the monster turned its head towards the direction from which the spike came from. Blood dripped from its wound constantly, staining the grass in the vile shade of green.
Its eyes were frenzied…not only was it interrupted while eating, it was also injured. No doubt, it was seething in rage and pain.
However, Raymond didn't give it that chance as another frozen spike came for the monster. However, this time the attack didn't connect.
At the last moment, the monster twisted its agile body, avoiding the sharp spike as it hit the ground and shattered into azure shards.
Immediately not giving Raymond any chance the lizard lunged at Raymond. Its limbs filled with power as it moved towards Raymond.
Raymond's hand trembled.
Both from the fear and the strength he was unknowingly putting into his fist, his knuckles turning white. However, even in this dangerous situation, he kept his mind calm.
Here he couldn't afford to make a mistake, as that would undoubtedly lead to a rather painful death, which he really wasn't much interested in.
Thus, seeing the monster dashing towards him he immediately came out from the back of the tree and moved in front of it. With a smooth pull of his hand, his blade came out of its sheath.
"Keeighh." The monster screeched as it lashed at Raymond. It's jaw opened wide, razor like teeth glistening with saliva eager to tear him in shreds.
Raymond didn't move from his place as he looked at the monster attacking him, quickly the lizard was mere inches away from him.
So much that he could smell the foul odor filled with blood and carnage coming from the lizard's mouth.
Then, just as the lizard's jaw was about to snap him in half, he dived towards his side, rolling on the ground.
The monster coming at him with a fast momentum couldn't stop itself. The lizard's mouth hit the tree, its teeth scraping the wood.
Raymond didn't waste a single moment, with a swift dash filled with determination and adrenaline he lunged at the ghastly lizard.
Blade met flesh.
Raymond thrusted his sword, plunging it straight into the other side of the monster's neck.
"Keeighh" The lizard screeched, however this time it was filled with agony and a dying whisper. Green blood erupted from its neck, dying Raymond's clothes in a hot, terrible stench.
The monster writhed harshly, trying to free its neck from the blade however Raymond didn't stop. With a rough grunt, he pushed the blade even more, forcing it to phase through the other side.
And phase it did.
The blade's tip came out from the other side of the monster's neck, dripping with blood from the monster. The lizard's eyes dimmed as its frenzy slowed, agony taking over on whatever consciousness remained.
Soon its eyes stopped blinking, as its body stopped trembling. The monster was dead.
"H-holy! I did it. Haha, damn I killed my first ever monster." Raymond laughed as he realised the monster was dead.
He moved away from the monster's eyes while it lay still. For a moment, he couldn't believe that he had killed a monster so easily.
However, the adrenaline rushing through his veins…the hot viscous blood dripping down his clothes…the body of the dead monster and lastly…
~Ding.
[You have killed a (Novice- ranked monster) named Argian Stone Lizard.
Congratulations on your first kill host.]
The faint chime of the system rang in his head, as saw the system window.
That this wasn't a dream, it was a reality, his reality from now on. A triumphant smirk came upon his face as everything settled in.
"Haha. That was scary but exhilarating." He spoke lightly as he moved towards the dead monster to take his sword back.
However in the chaotic things, Raymond forgot one thing.
Caution prevents Tragedies
As soon as, he took his first step. His vision tilted. The world turned upside down then into a blur as Raymond was thrown in the air.