"Here, grab this potion!!" Klaus yelled.
Just as a hand reached out to grab it, a monster suddenly slammed it away—
The potion flew mid-air and smashed right onto the creature…
---
Earlier that day…
"It's been days since we went out on an adventure," Sebastian groaned, visibly bored out of his mind.
"Yes, because we have to focus on training Sukiro," Sapphire replied, walking around with a relaxed stride, enjoying the calm nature around them.
"I get that, but we are hunters—adventurers. We have to go somewhere! We can't just be stuck here!" Sebastian exclaimed, his eyes drifting toward the sky.
Sapphire paused for a moment. "Well… we can take a quest and still keep Sukiro's training going."
"How?" Sebastian raised an eyebrow.
"I mean, it's training as well—exploring, hunting, going into dungeons. Sukiro will gain experience from all that. He must be bored too; he's been training non-stop for a while now."
"First we had him train in the basics… then we took a small quest. Recently, we've been training him under our direct guidance."
"I think taking him to a dungeon will be a break in itself. He's been going at it for two days straight," she added thoughtfully.
"That's true. It's about time we all stretch our legs," Sebastian grinned.
---
Later that day…
The party stepped into the Guild Hall and spotted a particularly interesting quest.
"It's the desert village we visited back in the day," Klaus said, pointing at the quest poster.
"Yeah… it is that desert village, huh?" Elijah added, his voice tinged with surprise.
"The quest is to guard the village from the surrounding monsters that recently escaped from the dungeon," Sebastian read aloud.
"Well, what are we waiting for then? Let's go!" Sapphire chimed, her eyes lighting up. "It's also when they start their festival!"
Elijah's face dropped.
"Guys… I don't think we need to go there," he said, clearly uneasy.
"Let's just… train Sukiro or something."
"Ooh, is Sensei Elijah suddenly caring so much for his dear student now?" Sebastian teased with a smirk.
"Shut up!!" Elijah barked. "We can take some other quest. There's no particular reason to take this one."
"We all know why you don't want to take this quest, Elijah," Klaus said casually. "There's no need to hide it."
"There's no reason!" Elijah yelled.
"Oh really? No reason?" Sirius raised a curious eyebrow.
"Come on, come on! Tell me—I wanna join in the fun too!" Sukiro said, buzzing with excitement.
"Shut up, brat! There is no reason here!"
"It's almost like someone doesn't like to dance," Sapphire chuckled.
"Not you too, Sapphire!" Elijah groaned, disappointed.
"Actually…" Sukiro began, surprising even himself, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but Elijah's right."
The entire party turned to stare at Sukiro, stunned that he of all people would say that.
"Dancing is a waste of time anyway. It's better to train than waste time with that stuff," Sukiro scoffed.
"Sukiro," Sapphire said softly, "life is more than training… more than hunting. Life is a gift. You never know when it might end, so live it to its fullest. It doesn't matter if you fail or succeed."
"It's all life, okay? Enjoy it. Try new things. Be you," she smiled warmly.
"…Mom, is your speech over? Can I go now?" Elijah grunted from behind.
"Shut up, idiot," Sapphire chuckled.
"…Okay," Sukiro replied in a calm tone. "Let's go to this village then."
Sapphire smiled softly in return.
---
Suddenly, a scream echoed from the nearby forest.
The party exchanged tense glances—and without a single word, they burst through the guild doors and sprinted into the woods.
They darted between trees, tracking the source of the cry. Elijah quickly activated his detection magic, and his eyes widened.
"There!" he gasped. "It's an open dungeon! The monsters have escaped! We have to suppress them immediately!"
"An open dungeon?! And it's this close to the guild?!" Sirius snapped furiously.
"It's an ORC!" Elijah shouted. "We need to move—she won't last long!"
A massive orc stood over a terrified woman, gripping a bloodied wooden bat. She crawled backward, trembling, hopeless.
The bat swung down—
But it stopped, frozen mid-air.
"You okay?" Elijah asked gently, his hand raised at shoulder level, magic pulsing around it.
In one smooth motion, Sebastian appeared beside the woman, scooping her up and carrying her to safety behind a tree.
"Don't move. We'll take care of this," he said with quiet resolve.
Elijah balled his fist. The wooden bat crumbled in an instant.
His gaze darkened, magic crackling around him.
This time, it wasn't the weapon that shattered—it was the orc. Elijah's magic crushed it brutally.
More monsters surged from the dungeon.
The rest of the party arrived.
Sebastian walked forward slowly, cracking his knuckles one by one.
"You monsters… disgust me."
Orcs and goblins charged.
But they didn't know they were up against The Emeralds.
Klaus downed a strength potion—his body bulged with muscle, radiating a terrifying aura. His arms now towered over the orcs. He punched through them like paper.
Elijah summoned fire, incinerating his enemies in a blazing storm.
Sirius used his brute strength to tear them limb from limb.
Even Sapphire danced among them, daggers flashing, slicing through with elegance and speed.
And Sebastian?
He had become a battle maniac. Leaping from head to head, he tore his foes apart with his bare hands.
Meanwhile, Sukiro charged with his dagger, clashing against goblins and orcs. He used his shield to drive them back, then finished them off with a swift strike.
The low-level monsters were annihilated.
But then—the high orcs appeared.
The Emeralds didn't even flinch.
But Sukiro… he struggled.
A high orc swung its bat—and Sukiro barely blocked it with his shield. The sheer force sent him flying into the trees.
The orc lunged.
Sukiro rolled to the side—just in time. The dagger he'd dropped earlier pierced the orc's eye. The creature shrieked in pain.
Using the moment, Sukiro dashed forward—his shield crashed into the orc's neck, snapping it with a sickening crunch.
He collapsed to the ground, panting, blood dripping from his mouth. He retrieved his dagger.
And then… a shadow loomed behind him.
He rolled away just in time.
He looked up.
An enormous goblin stood there—the semi-boss.
Eighteen feet tall. Ten-foot bat. Red eyes glowing with rage.
Its swing came fast.
Sukiro raised his shield—
But it wasn't enough.
The shield bent under the impact. Sukiro flew backward again, crashing into a tree so hard it snapped in half.
He groaned, blood dripping from his mouth, clutching his side.
Pain pulsed through his ribs. He staggered to his feet, drawing his remaining dagger.
"Grab this potion!" Klaus yelled from behind.
Sukiro's hand stretched toward it—
But the semi-boss swiped at him—knocking his arm away.
The potion flew—
And shattered on the monster instead.
---
Author's Note:
Hey guys—it's me, the idiot author!
I thought it'd be fun to give you a quick scale of how massive these monsters are:
Regular Orcs: 10–12 feet tall, green with red stripes. They wield massive wooden bats they crafted in their own world. Sometimes they even duel with them.
Common Goblins: 4–5 feet tall. Also green. Some carry bats, some don't.
The Semi-Boss (Goblin): 18 feet tall, wields a 10-foo
t bat! Yup, it's huge. Red eyes. Pure nightmare fuel.
Hope you guys are enjoying the series! If so, please reach out, comment, and keep this in your collection! I'd love to hear your thoughts and theories.