[Congratulations! You have reached Level 37.]

Alistair dismissed the System message in haste and rolled behind the tree as a troll threw a rock in his direction. It collided with the remains of a goblin shaman, burying it deep into the soil. One less thing for him to worry about later.

"Should we get the Guildmaster?" Barrett called from his hiding place behind another tree.

"No. With the shaman gone, we can do it.," Alistair objected, looking for an opening. Although it didn't mean it was easy. While this troll was not evolved, its level was rather high, most likely close to evolving.

Alistair activated his <Lightning Dash>, which at Rank D inflicted a good amount of damage to enemies that happened to be close enough to him while he dashed. The troll received a nasty shock, bellowing angrily, and Alistair used the moment of confusion to swipe at the back of the monster's knees. His sword connected with the target, drawing blood and forcing the troll to the ground. "Now, Barrett!"

Barrett emerged from behind the tree, brandishing his large sword and heading straight for the troll. The monster, unable to move, threw his club at the man. But despite his size and heavy weapon, he dodged by rolling to the side.

Alistair hit his sword against his shield, drawing the troll's attention to himself. In the meantime, Barrett resumed his attack, slashing mercilessly with his giant sword. Even something as big and tough as a troll didn't stand a chance because if it was something Barrett had in spades, it was raw strength.

[You've assisted in defeating <Troll – Level 27>. You've gained + 42 exp.]

Alistair guessed that the man was about as strong as he was, even without System's aid. But Alistair knew he couldn't swing a sword that huge as easily as Barrett. As he has been discovering lately, he actually preferred a more agile style of battle—he even switched his sword to a lighter one, and instead of using full plate armor, he resorted to lighter protection, keeping the pauldrons, knee, and chest guards.

"Good job," Alistair said, seeing the troll fall to the ground.

"Thank you, Captain!" Barrett saluted dutifully, then relaxed. "One would think that with a horde of monsters we've fought through, we'd be closer to the passageway, but there's no sign of it here either."

Alistair frowned. For the last three days, he, along with every free man and woman from the Adventurers Guild, has been combing through the nearby forest in hopes of finding at least a clue to the location of the passageway. Unfortunately, the only clue they got was in the form of monster attacks.

At first, Alistair took it as a good sign. More monsters should have meant that they were getting closer to the source of their appearance. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to be the case, as there was no pattern to where monsters were coming from. It seemed like there were more of them everywhere they went.

"Let's head back to Sunglow for now. It's starting to get dark. Sound the return signal," Alistair commanded. Barrett retrieved a small whistle that hung on a chain around his neck and blew on it. A bird-like cry came from it—loud and clear. Everyone in the Guild knew that when it was sounded, it was time to return home.

As Alistair and Barrett made their way back to the stone wall, others from the search party converged, looking equally ragged and tired. Whenever somebody would join up with them, Alistair would ask whether they had found something. Unfortunately, the answer was always no.

When Remi and one of the other elves joined up, Alistair perked up. Their senses were far better, so he put a lot of hope in them. But they haven't had any luck finding anything either.

"It's like the passageway is hiding from us. Either that or it's further away than we thought. Or thoroughly hidden," Remi said with a deep sigh.

"We'll continue searching tomorrow," Alistair said with a straight face, but the pressure was slowly getting to him. Due to Barrett's lack of common sense, the whole town knew of the passageway and their mission to find it.

The townsfolk didn't understand what it was, but they did know one thing—it caused more monsters to appear, which naturally made them nervous. When Alistair and others passed the gate threshold, they could see a few curious people gathered nearby.

"Did you find it?"

"Any clues?"

"Are there more monsters out there?"

"Perhaps, you need more help searching."

Guildmaster Arriane came down from the wall where she must have been patrolling up until then and shot a glare at the small crowd. "Don't you all have work to do? I don't go into your homes and take your tools, telling you how to do your job, do I?"

"But aren't passageways to the Monster Realm dangerous?"

"It is important to find it as soon as possible!"

"What if something stronger than the ember wyrm comes out!"

One popular and actually rather realistic theory circulating the town was that Sienna had come from the passageway. Alistair had no qualms with it—it was very likely that it was what happened.

Except that people were quick to make up stories as to why Sienna came through. The most popular theory was that she was being chased by an even more powerful monster. This monster was likely on its way to the Human Realm, if it wasn't roaming the surrounding forests already. Or at least so people believed.

"Will you all calm down? The passageway has likely been open for a while now—we merely wish to ascertain its location. There is no increased danger to the town. Please go home!" Arianne said sternly.

A few protests came from the crowd, but the Guildmaster's glare was scary enough for them to skulk away. She sighed once they were all out of earshot. "Please, tell me you have found something. They are getting more persistent by the day."

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"No…" Alistair said, staring down at the ground.

"Dammit! If only somebody hadn't prattled about this secret mission to the townsfolk, we wouldn't be under such pressure," the Guildmaster glared at Barrett, who looked down like a guilty puppy.

"I'm sorry… I didn't expect that people would take such an interest in it."

"Of course they would. It's a passageway to the Monster Realm, you dimwit! Appearance of these has been wiped—" Arianne stopped mid-sentence, but everyone nearby knew what she was about to say. Depending on what was on the other side of the passageway, the nearby territory might become too dangerous for humans. People in Sunglow would have to move.

Of course, some passageways were perfectly safe. System users and even some normal people ventured there on a regular basis to get rare materials and ingredients from the Monster Realm. But one could never know which kind had opened near Sunglow. That's why it was so important to find it.

"I'll find it soon," Alistair said resolutely, thinking of continuing the search on his own if need be.

"We need some strategy instead of just blindly searching the forest or following the trail of monsters. Go speak with Etrian and Gilbert," Arianne commanded.

"Master baker and drow tailor? Why?" Alistair cocked his head. They hardly seemed like the appropriate people to ask for help in this situation.

Then again the last crisis was averted by a small girl with a pastry in hand—who am I to judge?

"Because they're the oldest and most traveled individuals in Sunglow. If anybody knows how to find the passageway, then it'd be them," the Guildmaster explained.

"Very well, I'll go talk to them at once," Alistair nodded. His empty stomach secretly hoped that there were still some leftover pastries at the bakery.

He did not waste any time, heading straight to the tailor's despite the exhaustion. The way to the shop was well-known to him as Alistair frequentred the shop. He liked the garments the drow produced. They were high-quality and comfortable to boot, not to mention far better than anything else available in this town.

Alistair was not surprised to see the drow sit at a sewing machine when he entered the shop. "Good evening, Master Tailor."

"Oh, if it isn't my favorite customer. Good evening, Lord Sinclair," Etrian stopped his work and bowed gracefully. "What could I offer you today?"

"I'm afraid that I have come to ask for your help and not purchase new clothes."

"Of course. Ask away. If it is within my power, then I shall help you." The drow said with a smile. Alistair had to suppress a shudder. While he did frequent this shop, Etrian still unnerved him. Church had painted the drow as dangerous as any monster, and it had taken a while for Alistair to accept that this man was harmless. Even so, he was still wary of Etrian.

"I'm sure it has reached your ear that we are currently looking for a passageway to Monster Realm that has likely appeared somewhere near Sunglow."

"Oh, yes, everyone has been talking about it for days. Rather dull topic if you ask me. Not like their prattling will make the search easier," the drow shook his head disapprovingly.

"Yes. I was hoping that perhaps you know something that could help us locate it."

He must have passed through one to get to the Human Realm. While elves have hidden cities in the Human Realm, drow do not, so he must have come through a passageway to get here.

"I'm afraid I won't be of much help in this regard. I have only gone through the Realm passage once. Since I was running for my life at the time, it didn't cross my mind to look at the details or what was located in the surrounding area," he shrugged nonchalantly, but the gesture seemed a bit forced. Perhaps, the topic was an unpleasant one for him.

"I see. That's a shame."

"Indeed. However, if you want help in locating the passageway, I'm sure you'll find answers in our local bakery," the drow smiled pleasantly.

"Yes, Guildmaster instructed me to speak with Master Gilbert as well," Alistair nodded. Etrian chuckled as if he had told a funny joke. "Is something the matter?"

"No, no. I'm sure it'll all turn out alright so long as you keep an open mind."

Alistair didn't understand what the drow was talking about, but decided not to dwell on his cryptic messages. "Very well. Good night to you then."

"Good night and good luck." Etrian waved with an amused look on his face. Alistair felt a bit puzzled by it.

Better be careful around him. I still can't make sense of that man. If he can even be called that.

He took a last glance at the drow and left, heading to the bakery. His uneasiness didn't linger for long. Each next step seemed easier than the last. Before long, the familiar, old building came into view. But it wasn't the same old building he saw when he first visited the bakery.

It was before Melina had arrived in Sunglow—he had been curious to try the local bread, but the shop was already closed by the time he arrived. He remembered how put off he was by the dirty windows and paint peeling off the walls. The paint was still peeling off, but there were noticeable improvements.

The doors and sign were fresh, and everything had been cleaned spotless, not to mention that the jungle in the backyard had been turned into a clean garden. He had contributed to the cleanup himself after all and it was a pleasure looking at the place, how it was slowly but steadily recovering.

All thanks to Melina. She's amazing—instead of turning away and going to a better place, she stuck around and is now fixing everything. One has to admire her determination.

The front of the bakery was all dark—obviously, it was never open this late. However, Alistair saw some activity in the backyard. He didn't even need to look closely to know that it was Melina.

"Good evening, Miss Melina!" He greeted her from afar. That seemed to startle the girl, and she dropped the notebook she'd been holding on the ground.

"Lord Sinclair! What brings you here at this hour?" She stammered, picking up the notebook and brushing the dirt off it. Sienna appeared from System knows where, scurrying up on the girl's shoulder.

"It's a bit embarrassing to admit, but I came here seeking help."

"Help?" Melina cocked her head curiously, but then realization dawned on her face and her expression darkened. "Is this about the passageway to the Monster Realm?"

"So you're aware of the problem as well."

"It might have been my fault that Barrett told it to everyone. I apologize. No doubt it has caused you a great many troubles." She clutched her notebook, looking genuinely guilty.

"Oh, no! It was by no means your fault! The blame is fully on Barrett," Alistair said, but her expression remained equally gloomy.

"I suppose. What kind of help are you looking for exactly?" She asked cautiously.

Is she nervous for some reason, or is that just my imagination?

A scene flashed before Alistair—a large burst of energy with the color shifting from blue to purple to red and back to blue. The light was blinding and disorienting, and somebody was standing in the colorful deluge. But the vision was so brief and so overwhelming with color that Alistair could not make sense of who it was.

"Are you hurt somewhere?" Melina asked, and Alistair realized that he had clutched his head as the vision had caused a sharp throbbing pain in his temples.

"Just a mild headache. Don't worry about it. I was hoping to speak with Master Gilbert. Guildmaster said he might know something about passageways," Alistair said, straightening himself and pushing the vision out of his mind. They were too common for him to try and decipher each one.

But they appear more often whenever Melina is around, and I still can't understand why. The week I spent in the bakery was especially bad. The visions even made their way into my dreams, making long, nonsensical nightmares, most of which I couldn't even remember in the morning.

But while I was patrolling the forests and searching for the passageway, I didn't get a single vision. I hope I get a reply soon, I really want this to end already.

Relief washed over Melina's features, and she pointed towards the back door. "Of course. I'll lead you to him."

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