[ Outside goblin cave ]

  Raven comes up with the goblin's leader head sticking on his sword.

  The goblins flee on his sight, Raven just walks out of the forest untouched.

  [ The road ]

  With his bag ready and sleeping bag ready, with his pockets full and blood wiped off his sword, Raven takes off.

  [ The road, between earlier and later ]

  Raven walks the road, he makes sure he's heading the right way by asking people on his way.

  Sometimes he feels like he's lost so he would walk until he sees a road sign.

  Sometimes he would tag along to wagons until their ways split.

  But as soon as he got near Redstone city, trouble started.

  [ The road, a week after leaving ]

  Raven can see the city on the horizon, he looks forward and he sees three people coming his way.

  The first and the one on front, a warrior who wears no armor on his upper body instead he wears a tank top.

  His pants are baggy and are clearly padded with metal plates, he also wears boots similar to that of Raven's, his name is Gorr and he's number one mercenary on the southside of the kingdom.

  The other two are a mage and a healer, the mage wears a dark purple robe and a pointy hat, the healer wears a white robe and a golden circlet.

  The mage is Magus, also a contender for number one mercenary on the southside but he doesn't indulge himself in barbaric thoughts like Gorr does.

  The healer is Sarah, she lacks damaging abilities so she's far from being number one mercenary but she has the ability to heal someone split seconds away from death but she can't make body parts grow back or resurrect the dead, such abilities are only heard of legends but she's the best on the southside at what she does.

  Raven feels an abnormal aura surrounding them, these aren't normal people.

  Raven continues walking forward, he walks past them and then.

  "Hey you, where do you think you're going?" Gorr says.

  Raven turns around, he looks Gorr in the eyes with no fear.

  "I can clearly see that you're stronger than me, but I will at least take your arm off before you kill me." Raven said.

  "And where did this courage come to someone still so green? I can see you barely went through any battles worth mentioning." Gorr questions Raven thinking he's bluffing.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  "I lived my life like shit shoveling shit, now I have a purpose, a chance, and I will be damned if I let you throw it in the garbage with paying the price." Raven says, unshaken.

  "You're unwavering, so how about this, me and you, fuck, I mean..." Gore says.

  "Not my type." Raven says

  "I mean fight, I meant fight!" Gorr says.

  Gorr turns red, his friends chuckle.

  "He got rejected, look at him turning red." Magis says.

  "He's always like 'I am masculinity incarnate, I am the manliest man on earth.', now he's trying to make out with a man." Sarah says.

  "Shut you two!" Gorr yells.

  Gorr turns to Raven, the comedic sequence ends, Gorr looks Raven down in the eyes.

  "Let us fight." Gorr utters three simple words.

  "You got it big man." Raven says.

  The two move off the road, Raven pulls his sword out and Gorr pulls summons his great sword.

  "Fight!" Sarah yells.

  It's on, Gorr charges towards Raven and swings his sword, Raven dodges.

  Raven is agile and quick enough to dodge with ease, but Gorr isn't number one for nothing.

  In the midst of Gorr's attacks, Gorr throws out a kick that catches Raven off guard.

  Raven flinches, he looks up and he sees a big hunk of metal coming down on him.

  Gorr swings his sword down and he misses, Raven is too slippery.

  Raven doesn't wasted the chance, he does what he promised to do slices Gorr's arm off.

  Raven notices the many scars on Gorr's arm, and a lot of them go all the way around.

  With only one arm, Gorr still can use his sword but it will be way more slower, so he decides to take it one step further.

  "Strength: Grade one." Gorr casts a spell.

  The air around Gorr is different, it's more intense, Gorr swings his sword.

  First swing, it's still not fast, Raven is too fast for him still but then.

  Second swing, it's way faster, too fast, Raven's head flies off.

  "Heal him!" The mage yells.

  Before he realizes it, Raven has his back on his neck, but now he has a nasty scar that goes all around it.

  Raven looks around and Gorr has his arm back, but no new scar for it's already full of scars and Raven cut through a scar.

  Raven looks on the ground and there's no arm on the ground.

  "So if he still has it around, she can heal him, but it isn't regeneration." Raven thinks.

  "What's wrong with you? I cut your head off and you're in another world like nothing happened." Gorr remarks.

  "I don't really know, I care but I don't think it requires my immediate attention, my head is back on my shoulders, isn't it?" Raven explains.

  He doesn't have to worry himself with meaningless thoughts, he's soaking what happened in by learning through it, panicking and overreacting won't lead to anything.

  "Well I guess I would leave for your own devices now, remember me, number one merc on southside, Gorr." Gorr introduces himself.

  "People say that I am the actual number one but whatever, I am Magus." Magus introduces himself.

  "And if you ever get your head cut off again, just come for me, I will heal it back to it's right place, I am Sarah." Sarah introduces herself.

  [ Redstone, sun fall ]

  The sun falls down behind the mountains, Raven has reached his destination.

  Raven goes to an inn, orders dinner and rents a room, tomorrow will be a big day.

  [ Redstone, next morning ]

  Raven wakes up ready for any job that comes his way, he heads to the middle of the city, there he finds a task board, but... it's empty.

  A man stands next to Raven.

  "You woke up late." The man says.

  "What do you mean?" Raven asks confused.

  "There is too many mercs and adventurers in this city, you snooze and you will find nothing." The man explains.

  "Fuck me, what should I do now?" Raven wonders.

  "You gotta either join a guild, the big one here, and pretty much around the whole kingdom, is the adventurers' guild, it doesn't specialize in one type of jobs but in provides low to medium level jobs of every type." The man explains.

  "How can I join?" Raven asks.

  "You can't, you're either recruited or someone vouches for you." The man answers.

  "So how can I do that?" Raven asks.

  "Ooh, glad you asked, I know just the man, follow me." The man says.

  Raven follows the man while talking to him.

  - So who are you?

  - Me? I am Nomed, a merchant.

  - I am Raven.

  - So what are you doing here? Raven.

  - I am on a journey to become stronger.

  - Why do you want to become stronger?

  - Because something will happen, and when it does, I need to be strong enough to stop.

  - Now you lost me, can you be more clear?

  - I can't explain it to you.

  - Your loss, here we are.

  Raven stands before a big building, Nomed stands next the door.

  "Welcome Red Muscle, the locale mercenary organization in Redstone, after you."