10. Side Quest (2)

Before it was too late, before the magical flames could consume Khalisa, the fire split apart and vanished.

The deadly spell dissipated harmlessly upon contact with another opposing flame; Alden's Circle Slash. The fiery skill spun in a wide circular arc, following the path of his sword, intercepting the Mage Imp's attack at the last possible instant.

Khalisa's eyes widened in utter disbelief, blinking several times rapidly to make sure she wasn't hallucinating or seeing things. She'd been certain she was about to die—had already accepted it in that frozen moment of terror. But Alden had saved her.

"Are you hurt?" Alden asked, genuine concern in his voice. He wanted to make sure she was alright, though his attention and body positioning had already shifted forward, placing himself between her and the Mage Imp.

The creature didn't give them time to recover or regroup. It raised its rune-carved staff high and charged forward, its face twisted in magical fury. Alden saw this as a potential opportunity to break through its defenses while it was committed to the charge, but he was a crucial second too slow in recognizing the feint.

As soon as the Mage Imp slammed its staff down into the earth with both hands, a concentrated burst of flame erupted from the point of impact.

The explosion spread outward like a shockwave, a ring of fire expanding rapidly and scorching everything within its radius. The heat was intense enough that Alden felt his skin blister even before the flames reached him.

Circle Slash was still on cooldown—five more seconds, an eternity in combat. With no shield remaining to block with, no defensive skills available, Alden had no other choice but to brace for the inevitable impact. He crossed both arms in front of his face and chest to protect his vital areas and minimize the damage as much as possible.

[Health: 60/500]

[Status Effect: Burning - 10 damage per second for 10 seconds]

The attack had cost him one hundred and sixty HP in a single hit, and the lingering burn effect—just like Archie's flame attacks—clung to his skin and clothes, painful and incredibly difficult to cleanse without water or specific items.

But then, at that critical moment, Alden felt it again. Warmth, but a different kind. Gentle and life-giving. Translucent emerald leaves bloomed in the air around him, swirling like cherry blossoms caught in a spring breeze. The healing magic forced Alden to glance back over his shoulder.

Khalisa knelt there, both hands extended toward him, her face set in absolute concentration. She caught his eye and gave a subtle but firm nod, silently communicating her support, instilling confidence in him through that simple gesture.

The leaves touched his burned skin, and relief flooded through him. The burning status effect was cleansed completely, the flames snuffed out. His health began ticking upward rapidly.

[Health: 140/500]

If not for Khalisa's intervention, Alden would have been at death's door again within seconds. The burn damage alone would have reduced him to zero HP before he could do anything.

Summoning the Sword of Ancient Silverbane from his inventory in a flash of dark light, Alden gripped the Epic-tier weapon with both hands. It was heavier than his silver sword. The blade seemed to drink in the surrounding light, its dark metal gleaming with an almost predatory hunger.

Alden dashed forward, closing the distance to the Mage Imp before it could cast another spell. His sword slashed deep into the creature's hide, cutting through its tattered robes and biting into flesh beneath.

The Imp shrieked—a high-pitched, agonized sound—and staggered backward, green ichor spraying from the wound.

But Alden didn't relent. He attacked relentlessly, his sword rising and falling in a brutal rhythm. Slash. Stab. Slash. Each strike drove the Imp further back, each blow accompanied by a spray of blood.

The creature's health bar dropped at an alarming rate, faster than damage from Alden's strikes alone should account for. The bleed effect from the Silverbane sword was working exactly as designed, dealing consistent damage over time with each successful hit. The effect stacked once as the description promised, and the Imp's health hemorrhaged away.

The Mage Imp's staff began to crack under the assault, splinters flying with each blocked attack. The creature was desperate now, its movements growing erratic.

[Circle Slash skill available]

The notification appeared just as the Mage Imp attempted to repeat its earlier ground-slam trick, raising its damaged staff for another area attack. But this time, Alden was ready. He'd seen the tell, recognized the pattern.

His fiery Circle Slash collided directly with the Imp's magical weapon at the apex of its swing. The impact was catastrophic—the already damaged staff shattered completely in a burst of splinters and dissipating magical energy. The creature stood there for a moment, shocked, holding nothing but a broken stick.

And with the bleed effect still ticking away, that moment of vulnerability spelled its end.

The Mage Imp collapsed, its body already beginning to dissolve into particles of light.

[Congratulations! You are now Level 6!]

[Spoils Acquired:]

- Mage Imp's Broken Staff (Crafting Material - Uncommon)

- Mage Imp Mask (Crafting Material - Common)

- Imori Dust ×5 (Crafting Material - Common)

"You did it!" Khalisa exclaimed from behind him, her voice bright with genuine joy. She was already standing, the fear completely replaced by excitement.

"No, we did it," Alden corrected, turning to face her with a slight smile. Partnership. Teamwork.

Several more Imps were emerging from the deeper forest, drawn by the sounds of combat and their fallen mage's death scream. Their eyes burned with fury, and they were already swarming toward the two reincarnators with murderous intent.

"Damn it, we need to get out of here!" Alden shouted. "Now!"

The creatures let out feral battle cries. It reminded Alden viscerally of the wave defense mission, though this swarm was less organized and slightly smaller in number. Still, there had to be at least a dozen of them, maybe more emerging from hiding.

Neither he nor Khalisa could handle this many enemies at once in their current state. They were both low on resources. His stamina depleted, her mana nearly empty from constant healing. Both were defenseless against sustained assault.

Continuing the fight here would be nothing short of suicide.

"Behind me, Khalisa!" Alden positioned himself between her and the approaching horde, raising his Silverbane sword defensively.

She immediately understood the severity of their situation, wasting no time rushing to stand directly behind him where he could protect her. But then she said something unexpected: "Wait, let me hold them off for a moment!"

Alden felt a flash of confusion. Hold them off? How? She was a healer, not a—

Khalisa brought both hands together at her chest, her fingers forming a precise triangle shape. Between her palms, a soft blue-green light began to emerge and grow, pulsing with natural energy. When she suddenly thrust both hands downward toward the earth, the ground beneath their feet trembled and shook.

The soil split open in multiple places, creating fissures to both the right and left of their position. From beneath the disturbed earth, massive roots burst forth with explosive force. They twisted and writhed like living serpents, covered in sharp thorns.

The roots entangled and immobilized the charging Imps, wrapping around their legs and torsos, lifting some completely off the ground.

The thorns pierced flesh, dealing minor but consistent damage. More importantly, the creatures were completely trapped, unable to advance.

[Skill: Thorned Roots - Duration: 10 seconds]

"A clearer exit path, am I right?" Khalisa said with a satisfied smile, slightly breathless from the mana expenditure.

Alden stared for a moment in genuine surprise. He hadn't expected a healer to possess a crowd control skill like this—most games kept those abilities separate. The immobilization effect with its relatively long duration of ten seconds was incredibly valuable tactically.

He couldn't let this opportunity slip away. "Brilliant! Let's move!"

Alden charged forward through the gap Khalisa had created, his sword flashing as he cut down any Imps that had avoided the root entanglement or were positioned outside its range. He carved a path through their line, moving with desperate speed.

Khalisa ran close behind him, trusting him completely to protect her. She was nearly hit several times—crude spears thrown by Imps farther back whistled past her head and shoulders, close enough that she felt the wind of their passage. But they kept moving forward, never stopping, Alden clearing obstacles while she maintained their escape route.

Once they finally broke free from the immediate horde and put some distance between themselves and the pursuing Imps, Khalisa clasped her fingers together again in that same triangular configuration.

Roots surged forth once more from the forest floor behind them, this time growing and crawling to form a thick, tangled barrier between them and their pursuers. The wall of thorned vegetation effectively blocked the Imps from following any further. Khalisa's face broke into a wide, triumphant smile.

"See you later, assholes!" she called back toward the frustrated creatures, her fear completely replaced by adrenaline-fueled confidence.

They ran and ran until they were finally, blessedly out of the dense forest completely, bursting back into open daylight. Both of them immediately collapsed against the trunk of a large tree at the forest's edge, breathing heavily, their bodies trembling with exhaustion and fading adrenaline.

Alden looked around as his breathing gradually slowed, and for the first time, he truly witnessed and believed in the existence of Khalisa's dimensional instance system explanation.

Right in front of them, easily visible now that they'd exited their private instance, other reincarnators were gathering in multiple groups. They spoke to one another casually, comparing loot, discussing strategy.

"I knew we could survive those awful Imps!" Khalisa grinned despite her obvious exhaustion, sweat streaming down her temples and soaking her green robes. "That was terrifying and exhilarating!"

"You could've used that root control skill earlier so we could've escaped immediately without fighting," Alden pointed out, though his tone was more teasing than critical.

"And who was the one who decided to fight it instead of running in the first place?" Khalisa shot back, turning to face him directly with one eyebrow raised in challenge.

He let out a small sigh, followed by a genuine smile, freely admitting his fault. "Fair enough. You're right. That was my call."

As Alden's breathing finally returned to normal and he could focus on his surroundings properly, he noticed something that contradicted what he'd understood about party mechanics.

Some of the reincarnator groups gathered near the forest entrance had far more members than he thought possible. From what both Khalisa and his own experience had taught him, a standard party could have a maximum of five people.

But some groups here had ten members. Fifteen. Even twenty in one case, all gathered in a loose formation and listening attentively to one imposing man who stood at their center. He had a massive greatsword strapped to his back—the weapon was easily as tall as he was, the blade nearly as wide as a person's torso.

"Who are they?" Alden whispered.

Khalisa sat beside him properly, drawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. Her eyes focused on the large crowd with an expression that mixed longing and admiration.

"That's a Guild."

"A Guild?"

"Yeah... it's kind of like an organization," Khalisa explained, her voice taking on an excited, almost reverent quality. "It's essentially a team—but on a much larger scale! They can have dozens or even hundreds of members, all working together toward common goals."

Alden studied the group more carefully. They were clearly all above level ten based on their confident bearing and quality equipment. Their gear was distinctive and well-crafted, obviously not the basic starting equipment or random loot drops.

Enhanced stats were practically visible in the way they carried themselves. The melee fighters wore full steel plate armor, polished to perfection. One warrior even held his helmet casually under his arm, his face visible—scarred and experienced.

"Are they here to fight the Shaman Imp boss?"

"I think so," Khalisa replied, still hugging her knees, her gaze distant but focused. "There's no way a Guild would mobilize this many people with that kind of expensive preparation and coordination just to farm regular mobs. They're definitely planning a boss raid."

Her expression was wistful, contemplative. There was something in her eyes—a spark of hope, of longing for something just out of reach. Noticing this subtle shift, Alden asked gently, "Do you want to join them? A Guild like that?"

"I mean... who wouldn't?" Khalisa replied immediately, her voice full of honest yearning. She didn't even try to hide it.

"For someone like me, it's incredibly important. A Guild isn't just about having a large party for difficult content. It's an entry point to knowledge and resources we might never be able to uncover or afford on our own. There are so many features, benefits, and systems that can dramatically boost our growth rate and experience gain."

She paused, gathering her thoughts, then continued with even more enthusiasm.

"But what interests me most personally is the Guild Librarium. Unlike the regular public libraries you find in towns—which mostly contain basic information and NPC-written texts—the Guild Librarium contains actual notes, real documented experiences, personal insights, and detailed strategic guides all written by fellow reincarnators who've gone before us."

"Those who've already reached the second floor of Ascendria, or even the third floor, no doubt carry knowledge far beyond anything we can imagine down here," she said, her eyes meeting Alden's directly, burning with intellectual curiosity.

"Knowledge about advanced classes, hidden quests, rare crafting recipes, boss mechanics, optimal stat builds—everything."

"This world is absolutely vast. I'm completely certain there are still countless secrets hidden throughout it, mysterious and untouched locations, mechanics we don't understand... all waiting for someone to discover them and document them properly."

Alden found himself nodding. He couldn't deny it—he, too, was genuinely intrigued by the deeper mysteries of this new world he'd been reborn into. The lore, the magic system, the purpose behind it all.

"What are the requirements to join a Guild? Can anyone apply?"

"It depends on the specific Guild and what they're looking for. They recruit based on what roles and classes they currently need to fill out their roster. But the absolute baseline requirement for almost every established Guild is being at least level ten. Some of the more prestigious ones require fifteen or even twenty."

She looked down at her knees, her expression falling slightly. "Still... even though I meet the level requirement now, I think I'm probably not good enough. I don't have raid experience or proven performance metrics. I'm nobody."

Alden stood up, brushing dirt from his clothes, and offered Khalisa a reassuring, genuine smile. He extended his hand down to her.

"You already possess deep, valuable knowledge about game systems and mechanics—even without being part of any Guild. You figured out dimensional instances, explained stats and skills to me, knew about gathering quests and crafting. And your class as a Grovekeeper is literally one of the most desperately needed roles in any group content. Healers are always in demand. I'm absolutely certain any reasonable Guild would accept you in a heartbeat."

His smile widened as he kept his hand extended. "Aren't we here in Ascendria to become the best possible versions of ourselves? To grow and improve? You can't do that if you don't take chances."

Khalisa froze for a moment, processing his words. Then her expression shifted, mirroring his encouraging smile. Nodding firmly, she reached up and took his offered hand, letting him pull her to her feet.

"Thank you... really. For everything today." Her grip was warm and strong. "Let's head back to Firstden together and turn in our quests!"

The afternoon sun was warm on th

eir faces, and for the first time since arriving in Ascendria, Alden felt something he hadn't experienced in either of his lives:

Hope. And the beginning of genuine friendship.