Phantom Ghosts of Arter Forest

[New Era of Xin - Year 21]

[Northern Countries · Arter Forest]

"Huff~ Huff~"

In the forest, a young man leaned against a tree, gasping for breath in great heaves.

"Finally... finally got away."

The young man stared at the notched longsword in his hand, a chill running through his heart.

"To think there'd be such a dangerous bird-type Magic Beast in Arter Forest. Good thing I blocked its beak with my sword, or my chest would've had a gaping hole in it."

After his breathing steadied, young Milo reviewed the battle just past. "If it were Father or Brother handling this, would they have been this ragged?"

"No, if it were Brother, that bird-shaped Magic Beast would've been the one running."

Recalling his brother's ferocious prowess, Milo slumped to the ground, sighing weakly.

"A talent like that is practically a monster. How could someone with my aptitude ever catch up?"

"I really don't know what the old man at home is thinking every day, insisting I train with Brother as my goal."

"But..."

Milo glanced at the scroll tucked inside his robes, and confidence surged within him.

"Mother, wait for me."

"Once I find this secret realm, my strength will no longer fall short of Brother's, and you won't have to argue with Father over me anymore."

Suddenly, just as Milo had recovered a sliver of stamina, he seemed to hear a faint, elusive sound echoing in the forest.

"Who! Who's there?!"

Instinctively, Milo shouted toward the direction of the sound, but the moment the words left his mouth, he clapped a hand over it.

Damn it! He'd forgotten his father's lesson!

In the jungle, before locating the target, one must never reveal one's own position first.

Forcing himself alert, Milo gripped the notched longsword tightly.

Now clear-headed, he chose not to flee—with only a shred of stamina left, he wouldn't get far. Better to preserve his strength for a desperate fight than be chased down without resistance.

Gripping the sword, back against the tree, he scanned his surroundings. The young noble Milo suddenly let out a bitter laugh.

When it came down to life or death, he realized how useful his father's teachings were. He just needed to follow the steps as instructed, as if the seasoned warrior were right there beside him.

If he survived this time, he would definitely listen carefully to his father's combat experience from now on.

"Tap—tap—"

A light footstep came from afar, instantly caught by Milo's focused attention.

"There!"

The longsword let out a sharp hiss as the tip aimed at the sound's origin. Every muscle in Milo's body tensed, pouring his last ounce of strength into the strike.

This one blow would decide victory and defeat, life and death!

With his concentration pushed to its peak, a thin mist seemed to rise around him, and the footsteps drew near.

Suddenly, a figure stepped out from the trees to the side.

Bracing his stance, Milo, having mustered all his strength, thrust forward instantly—but the blade stopped less than half an inch in, halting of its own accord.

"M-Mother?"

"What are you doing here?!"

Milo stared in shock at the figure—it was his mother, Yawa.

Her eyes were brimming with tears as she looked at him, calling his name.

"Milo."

"Why did you suddenly leave home without telling Mother?"

"Alright, Mother won't ask anymore. Come here, let Mother see you."

Hearing his mother's call, Milo immediately dropped his sword and rushed toward her.

"Oh, Mother."

"This place is so dangerous—how did you get here? Did Father and Brother come too?"

As he reached his mother's side, Milo suddenly asked, glancing back to look for his father and brother.

"Mother, she..."

Flew up!

A thick beam of magical light swept through, and the figure of Milo's mother before him was blasted into scattered fragments by the spell.

"MOTHER—!"

Milo's heart shattered as he wailed at the sight of his "mother" torn apart.

"Alright, what's with all the shouting?"

"Look closely. That's not your mother."

Suddenly, another voice came from deeper in the forest. Milo turned to look—it was the direction from which the beam of magical light had struck.

"What do you mean by that! You attack my mother and then insult her! Do you think I don't know whether she's my mother or not?!"

Milo roared at the mage who had appeared, squeezing out a shred of strength from his already spent body. He hoisted his longsword and moved to strike at the arriving Guter.

"Hmph."

"Should I call you filial, or unfilial?"

"You'd fight me to the death for your mother, yet you won't even turn around to look at her one last time?"

Look at his mother's remains.

Unable to bear it, afraid to see the scene he imagined, Milo had shut his eyes and desperately avoided looking in that direction.

But this mage kept bringing it up.

Hesitating, Milo gritted his teeth and glanced back.

Yet on the ground, there was no trace of his mother's body—only chunks of monster remains blasted into fragments, gradually dissipating into the air.

"Th-this is!!!"

"A Phantom Ghost." Guter said flatly from behind. "Young Master Milo, is it? As a noble, you should have learned about this type of monster in your studies, shouldn't you?"

"Y-yes."

"I knew such monsters existed, but I never expected to encounter them here in the Northern Countries."

"Aren't these monsters supposed to be distributed only around the [Vilai Region] of the Central Countries?"

"Heh. Monsters migrate—there's no reasoning with them." Guter shrugged in reply.

The young noble Milo was still shaken. Recalling his perilous situation just moments ago, a wave of fear washed over him, his heart pounding violently.

After taking a few deep breaths to steady himself, Milo placed a hand over his chest and bowed deeply to Guter.

"Honorable mage sir, thank you for saving my life."

[Ding!]

[Daily Quest: Daily Good Deed — Completed]

Hearing the system notification, Guter's eyes flickered. He felt a hint of goodwill toward the sincerely grateful young man before him.

Then again, it was only natural—this was a life-saving grace. If even that couldn't elicit genuine gratitude, he might as well have saved a dog.

"Can your body still manage to walk?"

Guter looked at Milo and asked. The man was in such a state that, as a fellow human, he couldn't just abandon him here.

"Hmph..."

"As much as I wish to travel with you all right now, I truly have no strength left."

"I'd like to rest here for a while. Could I beg you to wait for me? Once I recover a bit of stamina, I'll go out with you."

"I swear on my family's honor—once we're out, I will reward you handsomely. My family is—"