Chapter 20: First victory

After walking for almost 20 minutes. Karl sees a massive gate in a distance. Now, there are no skyscrapers, no roads or people. They are walking a dirt road, around them is nothing but flat empty land. Karl notices that a huge circular wall is covering the entire city. It has a huge gate with large metal doors.

Currently, Karl and Zena are moving towards that gate. Now, Karl sees many people waiting in line to exit the city. They too get in line.

"Listen, Leo. They will ask you questions like your reason for leaving. Let me do the talking." 

"Okay."

Finally, their turn comes. There are two guards wearing full plated body armour which looks expensive. Zena steps forward and Karl sticks behind her. One guard puts his hand forward and Zena hands him the piece of paper which she got from that old man. The guard reads it and looks at Zena and Karl.

"Purpose of leaving?" His voice deeper than a normal person.

"Quest. To kill 12 white manned desert wolves."

"When are you going to return?"

"Not sure, wolves this season were ferocious. Might take a week or so." The guard grunts.

The other guard looks at Karl. "You are taking that kid?" Karl keeps a poker face but inside he is very much annoyed. Compared to Zena and the guards, Karl is pretty small.

The guard laughs "If you are a man at least try to challenge me in front this lady. That could save you some respect." Karl's expression doesn't change. Zena puts her hand around Karl. "I know how much respect my man gets. So, keep your opinion to yourself and if-"

The other guard who was asking questions cuts in. "Stop it. You can go." Karl sneaks a glance at Zena and notices her face is red and the guard behind still glaring at him.

'This could be a problem.'

Zena and Karl pass through the gate and sees sand all over the place. 'We are in the desert region? But inside, the temperature doesn't raise that high?' Karl wonders. Zena on the other hand opens compass through her watch.

"Come, we will move towards south."

Thus, their journey begins. They have been walking for last 2 hours non-stop, until they hit a sandstorm. Their visibility got so low that they couldn't see anything ahead. Still, they decide to keep on walking.

After another 40 minutes of walking, they are out of the storm. Karl is slowly starting to feel the heat. On the other side, Zena seems perfectly normal. Karl's throat has gone dry, his entire body is covered in sweat and his head hurts. Another 30 minutes passes. Karl's vision is fading. Just as he is about call Zena.

"Leo! Come here." Karl walks sluggishly towards Zena. There he sees a huge ridge of sand but that's not why Zena called him. On top of that ridge Karl sees a white lion like creature moving forward.

"That is a white manned desert wolf."

'Wolf? That size?'

"Come! If we move faster, we might catch up to him." Zena runs forward. Karl groans but follows her. The wolf moving forward without much care. Zena and Karl are just 60 meters behind the wolf.

"This is your first time. I do it. Watch me." Zena whispers to Karl. He stays behind and she moves closer to the wolf. Suddenly wind changes its direction. "Great." Zena says as she slowly stands up.

The wolf suddenly stops and smells the air. He turns back towards Zena and growls at her. The wolf runs towards Zena in frenzy. She stays calm. She raises her hand and a red magic circle appears. A small ball of fire was blasted towards the wolf. But he dodged it very easily.

Zena smiles and fire comes out of her boots as she flies straight at the wolf. The wolf opens its mouth. But Zena doesn't wait and fires another fireball straight into wolf's opened mouth. The wolf's head blasts away. Blood spilling everywhere.

'Wasn't that a little too much?' Zena turns back and waves at Karl.

"Well, how much is this worth?"

"About 300 red photons?" Again, Karl is confused. '

Okay, I really need to know about this world's currency.'

"I am just curious, but what was the most expensive thing you owned?" Karl asks. Zena crouches near the corpse. "I own a pair of knuckles which had the power to transfer your element to your attack which can give more power. Of course it is super durable too."

"Price?"

"Around 650 blue photons." Karls turns silent as he is thinking about something. 'Red, Orange, Blue. Wait.'

"Zena, does green photons exist?" Zena looks up at Karl.

"Yes? What are you talking about?"

'It's the light spectrum. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet. These must be the photons. But what is the ratio between them?' One question after another. Karl sees Zena is doing something.

"What are you doing?" Karl asks.

"Taking his teeth?"

"Why?"

"To show the guild that we actually killed it."

"We have to take evidence after every kill?"

"Yes. Anything like teeth, bone, limb or the entire corpse."

"If that's the case, can't we just take 12 teethes from this corpse alone and tell them that we hunted them?"

Zena laughs. "That's not how it works. Every creature has a different mana signature, they can easily figure out that those teethes belongs to one wolf. Don't try this or you will be banned from this block from ever taking a quest."

"Okay."

Zena stands up. "Get ready. Now, it's your turn."

"What?"

Zena turns towards the way they came. Karl turns back and sees a growling wolf which is twice the size of than the one on the ground. "We are dealing with wolfs. Of course, they would be in packs." Zena pats Karl's back.

"Finish this quickly before others come."

'Nice.'

The wolf dashes towards Karl. Zena steps aside. Karl doesn't move as his body hasn't registered that he is in danger. Just as the wolf is about bite Karl's arm, he uses levitating steps and appears few meters away. He takes a deep breath and summons his magic circle. A sharp rock is in Karl's hand. He takes stance for levitating steps.

'I will let it come closer then dodge it and smash this into his eye and back away.' Just as Karl is making a strategy, the wolf opens his mouth and a light blue magic circle appears. Karl panics.

"I forgot to tell you! This one is an adult. Unlike the last one. This one knows how to use spells." Zena yells in the background.

'Thanks for the early info.'

An ice sickle is formed.

'Ice element? In this desert?'

The sickle launches at Karl but he dodges very easily. The wolf growls and walks in a circle around Karl. Karl also walks into his opposite direction. Both waiting for the other to make the first move.

'That sickle only flies in a straight line. It took him 4 seconds of cast time to launch the spell.' Karl smiles.

Suddenly Karl steps forward towards the wolf. He throws a rock straight at the wolf. The wolf moves to right in order to dodge it. But just then Karl appears there.

'How predictable.'

He quickly summons another rock and smashes into the wolf's eye. He immediately backs away.

The wolf groans in pain, he looks at Karl. The wolf opens its mouth again. '4 seconds.' Karl appears near the wolf. '2 seconds.' Summons another rock. '1 second.' Just as the sickle is about to launch, Karl smashes the wolf's head with rock. Disrupting the spell, the sickle pierces the wolf skull as a result. The wolf falls to the ground.

Karl smiles at his first victory. He crouches down and summons another rock to cut the wolf's teeth. This time Karl feels the pain in his chest.

'This early? We just started.'

"Good work." Zena pats Karl back from behind.

"Tell me, How did you knew that white manned desert wolfs can't move while casting a spell?"

"I didn't. I just hoped it won't move." Karl answers.

"How reckless."

"Thanks. Anyways, how much is this wolf worth?"

"Uh. This an adult so probably 1500 orange photons."

'10000? Maybe?'

"How much is 10000 red photons in orange photons?"

"1?"

'Bingo.'

"And how much is 10000 blue photons in violet photons?"

"Just 1? Why are you asking such dumb questions?"

Karl smiles.

"The heat is effecting me so I am asking you question to check my sanity."

"Oh really?"

A loud howl of wolves was heard just near Karl and Zena.