I'm not a Witcher anymore.

At noon, the cacophony of cheap beer and animal dung echoed through the streets of the border town.

The group arrived at the Adventurers' Guild as agreed. Inside a softly lit private room on the second floor, the wooden door completely shut out the noise from the outside world.

Zig poured the heavy bag of bounty money onto the wooden table, the gold and silver gleaming brightly in the dim room.

According to Sieg's original idea, the spoils of this battle should be divided equally, but Kevin and the others insisted on following the rules of adventurers—the captain would take two shares, and the rest of the team members would each take one share.

Although Kevin was actually the one who gathered this makeshift team, after that near-death adventure, everyone knew in their hearts that without Zieg, they would have rotted away in that cold, stinking cave long ago.

Since everyone else insists, it would be impolite to refuse.

So everyone else received 4 gold and 6 silver.

Zieg himself kept 9 gold and 6 silver medals.

After the rewards were distributed, the atmosphere in the private room became somewhat heavy yet relieved.

The four of them arrived with their luggage, the leather shoulder straps leaving noticeable wrinkles on their clothes.

"Mr. Zieg," Kevin was the first to stand up, his expression sincere and solemn, "If you ever pass by the tumbleweed farm to the south, please be sure to come find me. I'll prepare the best wine for you, and we'll drink to our hearts' content under the sun."

Eileen, standing beside her, smiled with relief: "Me too. If you encounter any trouble, please feel free to ask if there's anything I, Eileen, can do to help."

Isabella gently adjusted her glasses, concealing a hint of melancholy in her eyes: "If you ever have the opportunity to visit the capital, please be sure to contact me."

Petra gripped her staff tightly with both hands, closed her eyes, and offered a final prayer for Sieg: "May the merciful Earth Mother forever protect you, Mr. Sieg. May your journey be safe and smooth, and may your path be forever illuminated by divine light."

Zieg stood with his back to the sunlight streaming through the window, the brand-new obsidian nameplate on his chest reflecting a faint glow.

There was a moment of silence in the private room.

It wasn't an awkward silence, but rather a silence where everything had been said, and both parties knew that saying another word would be superfluous.

He looked at the group of young people—Kevin's hand was still gripping his wine glass, Eileen's eyes were slightly red but she was trying to maintain a smile, Isabella was looking down and pretending to pack her bags, and Petra's lips were still moving silently, as if she had added something after finishing a prayer.

Zieg nodded in response to each of them.

The five of them walked out of the guild gate together.

The midday sun was scorching and brilliant, shining on everyone and dispelling the last trace of gloom in the hearts of those young men and women.

They stopped in their tracks on the bustling street and turned to look at Zig, who was standing guard at the door.

Sieg stood in front of the guild gate and waved to them briefly.

The four waved in response, then turned and walked into the bustling crowd of the border town.

Zig stood quietly until their figures completely disappeared into the distance, beyond the horizon and into the crowd, before slowly withdrawing his gaze and heading in another direction away from the town.

……

When we left the border town, the midday sun was still high overhead.

Zig did not walk far along the main road, but instead found a beast trail outside the town that was almost completely hidden by bushes. He followed it into the woods until the outline of the town disappeared completely among the tree trunks behind him.

The sturdy leather boots clattered softly and rhythmically as they stepped on the accumulated decaying leaves.

The midday sun was mercilessly sliced ​​apart by the towering, intertwined canopies, turning into dappled light that spilled onto the moss-covered trunks. Deep within the forest, the air was filled with the scent of damp earth mixed with pine resin.

He walked for about fifteen minutes and found a clearing backed by a giant rock and surrounded by dense forest on three sides.

The ground was flat, the fallen leaves were thick, and the branches and leaves overhead intertwined to form a natural net that even blocked out most of the sky.

This place is nice.

Zieg did not rush to open the book of adventure deep within his mind.

Instead, they first walked around the perimeter of the open space to confirm that there were no animal hoofprints or obvious entrances or exits.

Then start taking things out of the Book of Adventure.

The cast-iron animal trap was slowly pried open, emitting a sickening metallic spring-like sound.

He placed them in the gaps between bushes in several places he had to pass by.

Then, he took out several pre-sharpened wooden spikes from the book of adventure, chose two blind spots, and inserted them at an angle into the soft soil with the pointed ends facing outwards.

not enough.

He added three more strips, adjusting the spacing to a width just wide enough for an adult wolf to step into, yet difficult to detect in the dark.

Finally, he grabbed a handful of withered leaves and scattered them evenly on top, covering everything so that it blended in with the surrounding ground.

After surveying the surroundings one last time to confirm that the simple defensive line was sufficient to warn any living creature attempting to approach, Zieg turned and walked toward the weathered rock.

He sat down with his back against the base of the giant rock. A gust of wind swept through the treetops, ruffling the hair on his forehead, but he remained as still as a tree rooted to the ground.

Zig slowly closed his eyes, completely cutting off his visual perception.

The chirping of insects and the sound of the wind gradually faded away, and his consciousness began to sink, as if he were sinking into a bottomless deep sea, completely enveloped by pure and profound darkness.

In that boundless dark space, the Book of Adventure quietly emerged.

The pages moved on their own in the air without any wind, making a soft rustling sound as the thick parchment rubbed against each other.

Then, as if it came to life, the jet-black ink began to meander and flow across the blank paper.

The mysterious characters gradually coalesced, emitting a soft and tranquil glow in the endless darkness:

"Main Quest 1 Completed: Become an Obsidian-rank Adventurer"

"Gift Arrives: Agility +1 (Attribute)"

Current Agility: 6 → 7

Almost the instant the words froze, that familiar, ethereal energy surged forth once more.

This time, its arrival appeared more composed—no longer carrying the awkwardness and abruptness of its first attempt at crossing the limit, but rather like a stream that was already familiar with the course of the riverbed, flowing quietly and precisely to where it was meant to go.

A very subtle tremor came from deep within my spine.

It wasn't pain, but rather like a taut string being gently plucked by some invisible finger, then dissolving into the calm of one's breath.

A few barely perceptible soft sounds came from the joints, as if the rust on the long-stuck door hinges had been quietly wiped away.

The already thin barrier between the will of the brain and the execution of the limbs has been reduced even further in silence.

Zig remained seated in the same spot, letting these subtle changes settle into his flesh and bone marrow.

The book of adventure turns a new page, the ink coalescing into new guidance:

Main Quest Two: Advance to Iron-Rank Adventurer

Main Quest 3: Unlocked after completing Main Quest 2.