The last snow of winter fell silently, only to slowly melt away under the warm sun of early spring.
New green buds sprouted once more on the treetops of Olivius City, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of earth thawing.
For Helos and Julius, this winter had been exceptionally long and incredibly productive.
Under Werner’s cold and inhumanly harsh training, every day felt like a race against their limits.
Sweat soaked their training uniforms, the ache in their muscles never ceased, and their minds remained in a state of high tension at all times.
However, now that spring had truly arrived, they looked back and realized with a start that they had long since been reborn.
Helos’s swordsmanship was no longer just for show. She could now wield that slender mithril sword with ease.
When combined with various strange and eccentric alchemy potions, her combat style had become deceptive and unpredictable.
She might still lack the strength for a direct head-on confrontation, but any enemy who dared to underestimate her would likely pay a heavy price amidst her sly laughter.
Julius’s transformation was even more significant.
His sword techniques had shed all their raw stiffness and rigidity, becoming steady and fierce.
His use of Holy Light was no longer limited to simple offense and defense; he had learned how to coat his blade with it, increasing the power of his slashes.
He had also learned how to use the Holy Light to interfere with an opponent’s vision, creating opportunities for himself.
The young man was like a piece of steel that had been repeatedly hammered; under the fire and the forge, he had gradually tempered his own sharp edge.
Meanwhile, Gavi had become the most reliable, and most headache-inducing, sparring partner for the two of them.
Her combat instincts had become increasingly terrifying through these months of honing. In every sparring session, she could push Helos and Julius to their absolute limits.
But it was precisely during this high-intensity confrontation that the cooperative abilities of the two improved rapidly.
They learned how to read each other’s intentions in the shortest time possible, and how to use a single look or a gesture to complete complex tactical maneuvers.
On a spring afternoon, the sunlight was warm, and a gentle breeze brushed past.
The training ground had regained a rare moment of tranquility.
Julius leaned against the Weapon Rack, his eyes closed as he rested. After a morning of high-intensity training, beads of sweat still clung to his forehead.
Helos looked much more comfortable. She was wrapped in a soft blanket, lazily curled up beside him, using his shoulder as a comfortable backrest. She held a leisure book she had found somewhere in her hands.
Gavi stood silently not far away as usual, like a loyal Sentinel guarding this brief moment of peace.
“Hey, young man.”
Helos flipped a page of her book and spoke suddenly without looking up.
“Hmm?”
Julius did not even open his eyes, letting out only a lazy response from his throat.
“Spring is already here, right?”
“Yeah.”
“In other words…” Helos’s voice carried a hint of subtle excitement, “shouldn’t we also consider the target for our first hunt?”
Hearing this, Julius finally opened his eyes slowly.
This question was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly sending ripples through his heart.
It was true. They had spent an entire winter working hard for this goal. Now, the time had finally come to fulfill their promise.
He turned his head to look at the silver-haired head beside him and could not help but ask, “Do you have any ideas?”
“Me?”
Helos was stunned by the question.
She blinked her pale purple eyes and looked up blankly, seemingly only just realizing that she had not actually given the matter much thought.
Her original intention was merely to meet the activation requirement for the Valiance Arts — ‘kill a Magical Beast by any means.’
As for which specific Magical Beast to hunt, there were no clear regulations in her alchemy.
‘Could hunting a relatively common Magical Beast work?’
Her brain began to spin rapidly.
‘If that’s the case, there’s no need to challenge high-level, extremely dangerous Magical Beasts. Choosing a low-level one within our control will fulfill the conditions while minimizing risk.’
“I don’t seem to have a specific target.”
She thought for a while and eventually shook her head honestly.
But in the next second, as if she had suddenly thought of something, a sharp glint flashed in her eyes.
“Wait!”
She sat up straight abruptly, her book hitting the ground with a *thud*. “Why are we worrying about which one to pick ourselves?”
Julius was startled by her sudden reaction. “Then what else should we do?”
A cunning smile, like that of a little fox, appeared on Helos’s face. She leaned toward Julius and lowered her voice, her tone full of enticement.
“Why don’t we go check out the Adventurer’s Guild?”
“The Adventurer’s Guild?” Julius was stunned.
“Exactly!” Helos’s eyes were sparkling.
“Think about it. The Guild’s request board must have all sorts of subduing missions for Magical Beasts. Wouldn’t it be fine if we just took a suitable mission from there?”
Her speech grew faster, clearly excited by her “genius” idea.
“This way, we can not only achieve the goal of hunting a Magical Beast but also naturally register as adventurers and start our ‘second career’!”
“Most importantly…”
She paused and winked at Julius, showing a money-grubbing smile. “We can earn an adventurer’s reward while we’re at it! Three birds with one stone! This is the most profitable deal in the world!”
Julius stared at her blankly, unable to speak for a long time.
He had to admit that although Helos’s proposal sounded a bit like she was being “unproductive,” it actually made a lot of sense.
With their current strength, going to the Adventurer’s Guild to take some low-level subduing missions was indeed the choice with the lowest risk and highest reward.
Furthermore, being able to experience the life of an adventurer was undoubtedly very attractive to the two of them, who had always lived in the closed environments of the Church and the Duke’s mansion.
Seeing the wavering expression on Julius’s face, Helos knew she had already succeeded halfway.
She redoubled her efforts, nudging him with her elbow as she continued her persuasion.
“How about it? Think about it. In the future, we’ll be respected adventurers! We can travel the continent freely, explore unknown ruins, and slay evil dragons — most importantly, we can make a lot of money!”
“Stop, stop, stop.”
Julius was stuck between laughter and tears by the beautiful blueprint she drew. “The way you describe it makes it sound as unreliable as a story told by a Bard.”
“How is it unreliable?” Helos curled her lip in dissatisfaction.
“Uh, if you could really make a lot of money, would Mr. Kyle be living such a hard life?”
Julius sighed but finally nodded, a helpless yet expectant smile appearing on his face.
“However… fine. I admit, your proposal is indeed very tempting.”
Looking at Helos’s sparkling eyes, he ultimately could not refuse her suggestion. Moreover, he was quite confident in his current strength.
Seeing that Julius did not refuse, Helos excitedly punched his arm.
“Then it’s settled! Let’s go check out the Adventurer’s Guild tomorrow!”
Oh boy, here we go.