Free Web NovelChapter 49: Hero Complex
The C-Rank portal’s gate hummed with its usual energy as Damon and Sera approached. The same fourth-year officer from their first visit manned the checkpoint, his weathered face registering faint surprise at their return.
"Back already? I heard you were on medical leave."
"Change of plans." Damon stepped onto the platform. "Did an alchemist come through this morning? Brown hair, about this tall, probably looked like she’d never been in a portal before?"
The officer consulted his tablet. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
"Lena Hartwell. Came through about two hours ago with a guide. Rook, C-Rank, solo authorization, specializes in escort contracts." He looked up. "Your friend?"
"Something like that."
"She’s in good hands. Rook’s solid. Retired from the Slayer corps after an injury, been guiding for three years. Never lost a client." He paused. "Though most of her clients aren’t alchemists with no combat experience."
"That’s what I’m worried about."
"You heading after them?"
Damon nodded. "We’re going to the main city. Same route."
"Main road’s marked. Stay on it and you’ll catch up before sundown if you move fast." The officer tapped his tablet, and the portal flared to full brightness. "Good hunting."
They stepped through.
Verdant’s Edge was quiet in the late morning. The market vendors were setting up, the blacksmith’s hammer already ringing across the square, but the streets were thinner than usual. Most hunting parties had already departed.
Damon went straight to the town hall. The same gray-haired clerk was at the counter, her expression unchanging as they approached.
"Back again. Here for more information about residency?"
"No, something else. The alchemist who came through this morning, Lena Hartwell. Did she register here?"
The clerk pulled up her ledger.
"Hartwell, Lena. Registered at 8:15 AM with guide Rook. Destination: Thornhaven via the main road. Expected travel time: two days." She looked up. "They departed approximately ninety minutes ago."
"Thank you."
They left the town hall and headed for the main gate. The northern road stretched ahead, a wide dirt path flanked by rune-carved markers that pulsed with faint protective magic. The forest pressed close on both sides, ancient trees casting dappled shadows across the packed earth.
"She’s got a ninety-minute head start," Sera said, adjusting her staff. "On foot, with an alchemist who’s never done a forced march. We can close that gap in an hour if we push."
"Then we push."
They moved.
The main road was safer than the hunting trails. The academy had cleared it decades ago, and regular patrols kept the larger predators at bay.
But it wasn’t empty. A pair of dire boars crossed their path twenty minutes in, and Damon dropped them with two quick Lightning Lances before they could even turn to charge. freёwebnoѵel.com
[DIRE BOAR DEFEATED] x2
[EXPERIENCE SHARED: 750]
[BOAR TUSK +4]
[BOAR HIDE +2]
[SOVEREIGN’S TRIBUTE: +85]
[TRIBUTE: 963]
"At least we’re getting something out of this detour," Sera said as they kept running.
"We can sort the inventory later."
She nodded. They pressed on without slowing.
The road curved north, following the contour of a low ridge. The trees thinned briefly, revealing a vista of rolling green hills and distant mountains capped with something that might have been snow or clouds. A river glittered in the valley below, its course marked by a line of darker green.
"Beautiful," Sera murmured.
"Keep moving."
They ran for another forty minutes. The tribute counter ticked up twice more as they passed through the territories of smaller predators, wolf scouts and something with too many legs that Sera incinerated before Damon could even identify it.
Materials flowed into their inventories automatically, but neither of them paid attention. The only thing that mattered was closing the distance.
[TRIBUTE: 1,043]
Damon’s lungs were starting to burn. His ribs, still tender from the dueling class, throbbed with every stride. Sweat plastered his hair to his forehead, and his uniform was soaked through.
Beside him, Sera wasn’t faring much better. Her breathing had gone ragged, and her staff hung low in her grip.
"You look terrible," she panted.
"You’re not exactly glowing yourself."
"Ninety minutes. How have we not caught up to them yet?"
"The main road’s safe. Maybe they’re just... walking faster than we thought."
"Or maybe we panicked for nothing."
They rounded the next bend, and there they were.
Lena and Rook were strolling up the main road at a leisurely pace, two figures framed by golden afternoon sunlight. Rook had her sword sheathed across her back, her hands empty, her posture relaxed.
Lena walked beside her, gesturing animatedly at something in the treeline, probably identifying an alchemical ingredient, knowing her. Her satchel hung comfortably at her hip. Her robes were spotless.
They looked like they were on a nature walk.
Lena glanced over her shoulder, noticed the two haggard figures approaching at a dead sprint, and waved.
"Oh, Damon! Sera! You caught up!"
Damon skidded to a halt, doubling over with his hands on his knees. His chest heaved. His legs screamed. His carefully allocated stat points had done nothing to prepare him for running flat-out for over an hour straight.
Sera collapsed onto a nearby rock, her staff clattering to the ground. "Water," she croaked. "Someone tell me one of you has water."
Rook raised an eyebrow at the two of them. "You two look like you’ve been fighting a war."
"We were trying to catch up to you," Damon managed between gasps. "We thought... we thought you might be in danger."
"Danger?" Lena tilted her head, genuinely confused. "Rook said the main road is perfectly safe. We’ve been walking for almost two hours and haven’t seen a single monster. It’s been lovely, actually. I identified three rare herbs I’ve only ever read about in textbooks."
"Lovely," Damon repeated flatly.
"Mhm. Oh, and we saw a deer earlier, but it ran away before I could get a good look at it." She paused, finally taking in his appearance. "You’re sweating. A lot. Did you run the whole way?"
"We thought—" Damon straightened, still breathing hard. "We thought you were in trouble. The road, the monsters, the—"
"The main road is patrolled," Rook said, her tone carrying the faintest hint of amusement. "That’s why it’s the main road. I’ve been guiding on this route for three years. Worst thing I’ve ever seen was a boar with a bad attitude, and it wandered off after I glared at it."
"A boar," Damon said.
"With a bad attitude," Rook confirmed.
Sera let out a strangled laugh from her rock.
"We ran for over an hour. We killed two boars and a wolf pack. We didn’t stop for anything." She pointed weakly at Damon. "He was so worried he didn’t even check his inventory."
Lena’s expression softened. She walked over to Damon, reached into her satchel, and pulled out a clean handkerchief.
"You really are ridiculous..."
