I'm a Immortal Tavernkeeper, But My S-Rank Daughter Doesn't Know That!

Victor’s first and second chances to live that day failed miserably.

The first time, he fought Gravisk alone and saw how impossible it would be to beat him in that situation. And the second time, Victor tried to look for options that could help him win, especially perhaps getting help, but his delay meant that Gravisk’s influence over reality grew to the point where the demon was able to assemble an army of undead without even being freed.

Now Victor had a third chance and after living a whole day for nothing, he was already starting to get impatient

Luckily, this time there was no pain or fainting, so he wasted no time. Victor got up from the small hotel bed, dressed and left the place as quickly as he could. It would be great to have breakfast or tea with Leebeth, but he didn’t have time for that now.

As he didn’t wind down for a minute, when Victor left the hotel, all the streets of the village were still empty and with a light layer of morning mist filling every corner of the streets.

A few people were walking and working, because the sun was up, but it was as if most of the town was still asleep.

So Victor walked calmly to the Hunters’ Association. He didn’t want to attract attention by walking fast.

As he entered the association building, Victor immediately saw a trio of hunters standing in front of the quest board and his eyebrows rose. Victor had only intended to check whether the trio who had accepted Elban’s request might still be here, and to his surprise they were.

The warrior of the trio, with his sturdy silver armor and a large sword on his back, exuded confidence and experience. He was a man of about twenty-five with black hair and a couple of scars on his face.

The archer, with an elegant bow, looked the youngest of the three, and was slim and short.

The cleric carried a wooden staff, had gray eyes, long white hair and clothes, and a suspicious look.

Victor approached slowly, watching the trio chatting as they looked at the quests available on the board. Without wasting any time, he approached the group, ready to start a conversation.

"Hello," greeted Victor in his friendliest tone, which wasn’t very affectionate by the way. "I’m looking for a group for today and you seem experienced. Can I join you?"

The warrior looked at Victor with an appraising gaze, quickly assessing him before answering. So, with his warrior’s gaze, he noticed how robust Victor looked even without wearing heavy armor and just by looking at the handle of Victor’s sword he could see how well cared for this old hunter’s sword was, so he didn’t hesitate any longer.

"Of course, all reinforcements are welcome," replied the warrior. "We’re planning to investigate reports of activity..."

"Wait." said the group’s cleric, placing a hand on the warrior’s chest.

Then the cleric stepped forward and placed himself between Victor and his friends. "What’s your name and rank? We’re Rank-C, we’re not allowed to group up with just any hunters."

At that moment, Victor pulled out his gold necklace, which indicated that he was a Rank-B hunter.

"My name is Victor. I’m a Rank-B Hunter," he declared, showing off the golden necklace that glittered under the soft light of the place’s lamps. "I think we’re on a similar level."

The cleric studied Victor for a few more moments with his gray eyes before nodding, apparently satisfied with the answer. "Very well, Victor. I’m Riggilo Chorster, the cleric of this group. This is Pyaxu, our warrior, and Orie, the archer," he introduced, indicating each member of the trio.

"It will be a pleasure to work with you." Victor replied.

"That’s how you say it!" said Pyaxu.

The archer, who had green hair and slightly pointed ears, nodded briefly with a serious expression.

The archer’s ears caught Victor’s attention and he decided to ask:

"Are you by any chance an elf?"

Orie nodded. "No, unfortunately I’m only half elf."

"It’s a good thing he kept his bow skills from his lineage, isn’t it?! HAHAHA!" Pyaxu shouted as he slipped his arm around Orie’s neck.

Victor smiled slightly. "What are you planning to investigate?" asked Victor, interested to learn more about a mission poster that the group’s cleric was holding.

Then Riggilo, the cleric, began to explain the details of the mission the trio were about to accept.

Riggilo, with his serious and committed manner, spoke about reports of an evil spirit haunting an isolated part of a forest near the village. He made it clear that, although the reward for the mission was modest by Rank-C Hunters’ standards, he felt it was his duty as a cleric to take care of threats like these, especially given their supernatural nature.

The trio explained that the evil spirit was wreaking havoc among the villagers who ventured too deep into the forest, resulting in unexplained attacks and mysterious disappearances. They showed a rough map of the area, marking where encounters with supernatural activity had been reported most frequently.

Victor noted the detailed notes on behavior patterns and times when apparitions occurred most intensely.

"The spirit is described as a shadowy figure, a cold and terrifying presence that seems to feed on the fear and anguish of those who cross its path," Riggilo explained in a serious and determined voice. "We believe that a purification of the place where these encounters take place could drive away or even banish this evil entity."

Victor nodded, but a mocking smile almost crossed his face. It was hard to talk seriously about this knowing that it wasn’t a real evil spirit, but the spirit of the hero Elban trying to get attention.

"So, how do we plan to approach this situation?" asked Victor thoughtfully.

Riggilo took the lead on the strategy, suggesting that they split up into pairs to cover more areas of the forest. He proposed that Victor go with Orie to investigate an area known to be the epicenter of the spirit’s apparitions, while he and Pyaxu would head to another hotspot reported by the villagers.

The group agreed to the plan and prepared to leave. Victor adjusted his sword at the waist, checked his backpack to make sure he had enough supplies and watched as the archer Orie prepared his bow and carefully selected his arrows.

A few minutes later, the quartet finally reached the Evergreen Forest.

Victor felt a little bad about not telling the whole true story right from the start, but he knew he would have opportunities and if he didn’t, Elban would.