Chapter 139: A Daunting task

"Now I know what kind of undead I want to create—a Legendary Thief capable of stealing anything, even from high-ranked beings."

Selene and the others nodded.

"Yes, Master. That could be very useful," Selene said.

Kaiser nodded.

"But I don’t have enough suitable corpses to create one. Let’s head back."

The others nodded, and the group began descending the mountain.

Once they reached the city, Kaiser immediately headed toward the Adventurer Guild.

He wanted to find out whether there was a dungeon nearby where Shadow-type monsters or monsters with abilities similar to thieves could be found.

If he could find a suitable monster, he might be able to create the undead he wanted without having to search for a corpse manually.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city...

"What?"

Alex stared at the Elf Captain as if the man had just started speaking another language.

"What do you mean I have to hunt a monster two ranks above me to join the Elf Guards?" he asked in disbelief.

"That is the requirement for anyone from a foreign race who wants to join the Elf Guards," the Elf Captain, Sigurd, explained.

"You can ask around if you don’t believe me. I’m not messing with you."

Alex frowned.

He had been hoping to join the Elf Guards so he could obtain the Forest’s Blessing and safely leave the forest.

But now he had discovered that joining them was far more difficult than he had expected.

"Okay..." Alex muttered.

Sigurd sighed.

"You’re a good kid, so don’t get too worked up over it."

Alex nodded before leaving.

Once he was outside, he let out a long sigh.

"Damn. What should I do now?"

Alex was stuck in the city.

The only reliable way he had found to leave the forest was by joining the Elf Guards. If he became one of them, he would receive the Forest’s Blessing, which would allow him to travel through the forest safely.

But now he had to defeat a monster two ranks above himself just to qualify.

For Alex, that was almost unheard of.

He sat down beside a nearby fountain and rested his head against his hand.

"I thought I got an easy start, but now it’s turning into a hellish start."

He sighed again.

"The dungeons here only go up to Rank 2. Once I reach Rank 3, where am I even supposed to level up?"

Alex stared blankly at the water flowing through the fountain.

"Damn this luck."

He then remembered his extra life.

Alex’s expression became thoughtful.

"Should I kill myself and hope I respawn in a better location?"

He seriously considered the idea.

But there was also one major problem.

"What if I respawn somewhere even worse?"

Alex shuddered at the thought.

He had no idea how his extra life worked.

It might send him to another random location.

It might even send him into the middle of a dangerous dungeon.

"Yeah... probably not worth the risk."

Alex leaned back against the fountain.

"Then what am I supposed to do?"

He remained there for several minutes, thinking.

Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind him.

"You’re still here?"

Alex immediately recognized the voice.

He turned around and saw Sigurd standing behind him.

"Captain?"

Sigurd crossed his arms.

"You look like someone just told you that the world is ending."

Alex sighed.

"Pretty much."

Sigurd raised an eyebrow.

Alex then explained his situation.

After hearing everything, Sigurd remained silent for a moment.

"Why don’t you just find a group and hunt a Rank 3 monster together?"

Alex stared at him.

"Because the requirement says I have to defeat it myself."

Sigurd nodded.

"That’s true."

Alex’s shoulders dropped.

"See? I’m screwed."

Sigurd thought for a moment before speaking.

"There might be another way."

Alex immediately looked up.

"Another way?"

"Yes."

Sigurd looked toward the forest.

"There are special hunting grounds deeper inside the forest where stronger monsters occasionally appear."

Alex’s eyes narrowed.

"How strong?"

"Rank 3."

Alex’s eyes immediately lit up.

"Then I can hunt one!"

Sigurd shook his head.

"I didn’t say it would be easy."

Alex’s excitement disappeared slightly.

"What do you mean?"

"The monsters there are not ordinary Rank 3 monsters. They are stronger than most creatures of the same rank."

Alex’s expression became complicated.

"Great..."

Sigurd chuckled.

"But if you really want to become an Elf Guard, that may be your only option."

Alex clenched his fists.

He looked toward the massive forest surrounding the city.

Then he took a deep breath.

"Fine."

Sigurd raised an eyebrow.

"I’m going to do it."

Alex stood up from the fountain.

"If I need to kill a Rank 3 monster, then I’ll kill one."

He paused.

"Though I’d prefer not to die."

Sigurd smiled.

"That’s probably a good idea."

Alex looked toward the forest once more.

"Where do I need to go?"

"Here is the map," Sigurd said as he handed him a map.

Alex took it and carefully looked it over.

After thanking Sigurd, he turned around and left.

As Alex disappeared into the distance, another elf suddenly appeared beside Sigurd.

"Why did you give him the map?" she asked.

"Hmm?"

Sigurd glanced at her.

"He is different from the others. We elves can live here our entire lives without feeling anything wrong, but for a human, this place can feel suffocating."

He paused for a moment.

"It could become so unbearable that he might even kill himself."

"But he could die fighting that monster," the female elf pointed out.

"It’s better to die in battle than to kill yourself," Sigurd replied.

The elf nodded.

"Pity. He was quite impressive for a human."

She looked in the direction Alex had disappeared.

Sigurd glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

"Oh? Are you interested in another male? That’s a first."

He expected her to blush or deny it.

Instead, she simply nodded.

"Yeah. He’s the first male I’ve found interesting and likable, even though he’s from another race."

Sigurd stared at her.

For a moment, he wondered if the world was ending today.

The normally cold and distant Siena had actually admitted that she liked a man.

And not just any man.

A human.

Sigurd looked toward the direction Alex had gone.

’Damn, this kid stole the Ice Princess’s heart.’

He couldn’t help but feel impressed.

Many elves had tried to court Siena over the years, but every single one of them had failed.

Yet this human had only been in the city for a month and had somehow managed to catch her interest.

Sigurd rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

’Should I ask him for some lessons?’

He seriously considered it.