6 Livingwood Forest

-Entered Livingwood Forest: +2 Potential Points

2 points this time? It seems like more dangerous locations will give me more points, awesome! William's eyes became shiny gold coins at the thought of his future prospects. William danced around like a fool for a moment, before realizing that he was in a dangerous forest filled with the unknown.

William proceeded further into the forest, then injected a small portion of mana into the Quest sheet. A hologram appeared in front of him showing the size and shape of the mushroom, but it didn't seem like there was a tracking function.

Knowing that mushrooms usually grow in dark, moist areas and usually at the base of trees, William decided to begin his search in matching areas of the forest.

His knowledge didn't disappoint, as Will quickly located a group of 3 Lifeshrooms growing on a nearby tree stump. They were glowing bright green like a uranium rod, so it was hard to miss. The mushrooms weren't exceptionally large, so he placed the Lifeshrooms in his pocket and continued forward.

As William walked, he tried to remember the pathway back. I really need to bring a backpack or something. I can't afford a map, and even if I could it would fill my pockets completely. What am I going to do if I find an unparalleled treasure growing in a cabbage patch that appears once in a million years? William complained internally about being poor. Why didn't the System provide at least 10 advantages right at the start like the books said it would?

"At least give me a Spatial Ring! Everyone gets a spatial storage! And make it one that even the most powerful people don't own." he called out to no one. A nearby squirrel that was minding its own business lowered its ears, feeling that it was the target of William's ranting.

***

Half an hour later, William had collected 8 Lifeshrooms, but was struggling to find any more. He was about to move deeper into the forest, until Will realized how quiet it had become. The trees were still, and no small animals could be heard.

A loud roar sounded in the distance, followed by a blast of intense wind that swept William off his feet and sent him rolling across the ground. The wind blades created slash marks on the surrounding trees, and some smaller bushes were cleanly sliced in half.

Will attempted to recover, but his efforts were wasted when a second blast of wind sent his body tumbling through the air. Will landed once again with a grunt as the impact rocked his insides, while long scrapes appeared on William's arms and legs.

William learned his lesson by the third wave. He quickly crawled toward a nearby tree before sitting up. The third blast of wind rushed by either side of the tree harmlessly. Will was thankful that he wasn't directly in front of either blast of wind, else there would be one less peasant in the world.

Status

———

STATUS:

—Health: 70/100

—Mana: 43/150

———

The wind did 30 damage?!? Just how strong is the owner of that roar?? Will was terrified at the thought of seeing a Beast of that standard. It might not seem like much, but the wind probably would have been an insta-kill if William were at point-blank range. He got up and ran to the next group of trees. The Beast didn't seem to be after him, but he wasn't taking any chances. It wasn't long until William saw the path leading out of the forest.

He reached the boundary, then proceeded to run a bit further until there was a large distance between Will and Livingwood Forest. 'Better safe than sorry' he thought.

Even though there were only 8 Lifeshrooms in William's possession, he didn't think getting the last two would be possible for the time being. William walked back to his home where his mother was waiting with dinner.

"Oh honey what happened to you? It's barely been half a day since Charlotte was last here and you're already injured again," Misha started before rushing to get a cloth to treat William's wounds. "Don't tell me you keep hurting yourself just so that cute girl can visit more often."

"It's not like that!" Will responded with a tinge of red on his face. "There was a Beast in the forest that almost killed me with nothing but a roar. I had to leave without finishing my Quest just so I could survive another day." William finished with a sigh.

"Don't be ridiculous. A Magical Beast hasn't appeared in that forest in decades. Why would it decide to come out now? I'm pretty sure the closest Magical Beast is a two day trip north from here." Even Will's mother wasn't eager to take his side on this matter. Misha had lived outside Thin Creek Village her whole life and had only heard of one Magical Beast in the Livingwood Forest.

"But it's true! I didn't see the Beast, but do you really think I would do this to myself?"

"Okay fine, I believe you. Just make sure not to move too much until your wounds recover." Although Misha constantly worried about William, him coming home covered in injuries was nothing new.

William thanked Misha and headed out toward the village. His Guild License was probably ready since it had already been a long time, and he didn't feel ready to return to the forest just yet.

***

"Welcome back! How was the Quest?" the receptionist called out to William as he stepped inside.

"It was okay, but I wasn't able to get all the Lifeshrooms. There's a strong Magical Beast fighting and I can't get close enough to gather the rest that I need." he responded.

"HAHAHA! YOU CAN'T EVEN FINISH A ONE STAR GATHER QUEST?!?" the red haired youth was still in the Guild hall drinking at a table with a group of lackeys. He pointed in Will's direction and mocked, "Look everyone! The commoner can't even gather mushrooms without getting beat up!" a cacophony of laughter resounded through the hall.

"You're still here?" William retorted, instantly crippling the smug expression on the youths face. He stood up from his seat and was about to teach William a lesson when the stern voice of the receptionist could be heard from behind the counter.

"That's enough Briar," she returned her attention to William with a smile and held out her hand, "if you give me the Lifeshrooms you have I will fill in for the rest, since you reported abnormal Magical Beast activity. Can you describe the Beast for me?"

"No, I didn't see the Beast once. I heard a roar and barely had time to react before a windstorm nearly killed me." William recounted the events from before.

"Based on what you described, it may be a Foundation Establishment Realm Beast." The receptionist wrote some notes at her desk. "We will put out a Quest for someone to take care of it soon, but in the meantime I would suggest avoiding Livingwood Forest."

"Thank you." William replied. He handed over his 8 Lifeshrooms and received the Quest reward of 5 Silver Coins from the receptionist. She marked off on her sheet to note down his achievement and also handed William his newly created Guild License, which was almost the same as the temporary license. There was also a brown dot in the top left corner signifying his rank of Semi-Bronze.

-Completed your first Quest: +3 Potential Points

-Own one Copper Coin: +1 Potential Point

-Own one Silver Coin: +3 Potential Points

"Your license will update on its own every time you register a completed Quest with a Guild, but make sure not to lose it because there's a 1 Gold Coin fee to recover your information." she stated before returning to her work.

William was still thinking about his recent notification when he heard "1 Gold Coin", nearly stumbling in the process. From this point, William's Guild License became a family heirloom, which would be dusted off every morning. William wondered how many potatoes a Gold Coin could buy..

While William was daydreaming, Briar walked past and placed his hand on the front counter. "I'd like to take the Quest to defeat the Magical Beast in Livingwood Forest." Briar looked back toward William with a smirk.