CHAPTER 1: A MEAL FROM THE SKY

On a brilliantly bright afternoon, in a world ruled by magic and swords, a young girl named Alize was traveling in a small caravan through a silent forest. With hair as golden as the sun and eyes as blue as the clear sky, she sat quietly. Her goal was set: reach the Silver Hearth, join the kingdom's third strongest guild to climb to the top, and finally escape the dark past she was running from.

Meanwhile, somewhere else in the very same forest, two unusual companions were wandering for entirely different reasons. Eren adjusted the long, metallic weapon on his back—a heavy club that was as black as the night sky.

"What the hell are we even looking for in this damn forest?" Eren grumbled. "Where is this boar? I'm starving, and I'm tired."

Walking right beside him was Barut, a companion who looked like an overgrown parakeet but possessed a highly cynical human face. "I guess you’re just not hungry enough, buddy," Barut said in a mocking tone. "Since you still haven't found it with your so-called 'sharp' senses..."

As they ventured deeper into the woods, a foul stench suddenly hit Eren’s nose. He stopped and turned to the bird with a glare. "What is this damn smell? Did you crap yourself or something? Dammit, tell the truth!"

"You idiot!" Barut squawked angrily. "Did you do it? If I did it, it wouldn't smell this bad!"

As the two were head-to-head, bickering in the middle of the woods, Barut suddenly noticed a colossal shadow looming right behind Eren. The bird froze, his beak trembling. "Er... Er... Eren... l-look behind you..." Barut stuttered, his voice shaking in sheer terror.

"Huh? What happened? You're acting weird all of a sudden," Eren said, scratching his head like a clueless monkey. Right at that moment, a massive drop of drool fell squarely onto Eren’s head. With a sickening splat, the young man slowly raised his gaze, tracing the drool all the way up to the source.

"What the hell is this thing..." Eren mumbled, oblivious to the fact that he was staring at their target. "Hey man, we’re not looking for a fight. There's a wild boar around here, have you seen it?"

Even the giant boar seemed momentarily confused by Eren's sheer stupidity. But that didn't last long. With a deafening roar that shook the entire forest, the monster lunged forward.

"Time to bolt, partner! Run with all your might!" Eren screamed at Barut. "Why am I running, you idiot?! I'm a bird!" Barut shrieked, already flying frantically.

A breathless, chaotic chase began. Eren and Barut fled for their lives, while the giant boar bulldozed through trees right on their tails. "How is this damn boar so big?!" Eren shouted, panting. "I wonder if it tastes good?"

"You absolute moron! Is this the time to think about that?!" Barut rebelled. "Stop! Why are we even running in the first place?!"

Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in Eren’s eyes. He slammed his heels into the dirt, skidding to a halt. He punched his right fist into his left palm. "Wait, you're right! Why are we running?" He turned to the beast with a wild grin. "I was looking for you too! I hope you taste good, you ugly beast!"

The atmospheric pressure around Eren spiked. The blood in his veins began to boil. He drew a massive amount of fiery energy into his throat. "DARK FLAME'S BREA—"

BOOM!

A massive explosion echoed through the forest. When the smoke cleared, Eren was standing there, completely covered in soot. "Dammit... I mixed up the chant," Eren muttered before his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed.

Barut swooped down, grabbed Eren by the collar, and started flying away. The boar roared, rapidly closing the distance.

In the caravan, Alize heard strange noises and pulled back the curtain. Before she could process the man flying toward them like a soot-covered meteor—it happened.

CRASH!

Eren and Barut slammed into the caravan, splitting it in half! As Alize and the shocked folk emerged from the dust, they saw the gigantic boar charging. They began to scream in terror.

Barut started slapping Eren's face mercilessly. "You stupid monkey! Wake up! If you don't get up, we’re the boar's new dinner candidates!"

Just as Alize was raising her hands to cast a spell, Eren slowly opened his eyes. "Dinner... Ah, right. That's why we came here, partner," he mumbled. In a flash, Eren launched himself into the air and roared:

"AWAKEN, DARK PULSE: STUN FORM!"

The club expanded into a colossal weapon and Eren drove it down upon the boar's head. The beast was instantly killed.

Without wasting a second, Eren reached into his pocket and began pulling out meter after meter of thick, heavy rope to tie up the beast. Alize’s jaw dropped. How is he pulling that much rope out of such a tiny pocket?! Is he mocking the laws of physics too?! she screamed internally.

Eren began humming a cheerful tune while tying the boar, but behind him, the caravan folk were foaming at the mouth with rage. Barut noticed the glares and whispered, "Eren... I think they're mad at us."

Eren scoffed. "We just saved them! What right do these idiots have to be mad?"

Hearing this, the folk grabbed broken planks and marched toward him. "Whoa, calm down, my friends! We can talk this out!" Eren held his hands up. "This boar was chasing you guys, right? Barut, tell them!"

Barut covered his face with his wing. You stupid monkey...

Unable to handle Eren's reckless attitude, Alize stepped forward and screamed: "YOU IDIOT! THAT BOAR WAS CHASING YOU! YOU RUINED THE CARAVAN!"