Adventurer of Many Professions

The Sagla Forest was a place that even the bravest adventurers hesitated to enter. As perilous as the infamous Moonlight Forest, it was teeming with vicious creatures that roamed freely. When night fell, the forest turned into a predator's paradise, only the foolish or the exceptionally prepared dared to linger.

Yet tonight, amidst the suffocating darkness, a flickering bonfire cast ominous shadows upon the trees. The crackling flames illuminated a gathering of dangerous-looking individuals. They were not lost travelers or desperate survivors. No; these were the infamous Black Wind Bandits, a name that sent shivers down the spines of every adventurer in the town of Wittes.

This ruthless band of outlaws, over twenty strong, was a mixed company of men, women, and even sub-human races. Each of them was a seasoned fighter, with half their number being silver-ranked adventurers, while the rest were at least bronze-ranked. Even a party of gold-ranked adventurers would think twice before taking them on.

Yet tonight, frustration simmered among them.

"Damn it! Those knights must be taking some kind of stimulant, why the hell are they chasing us so relentlessly?!"

The speaker was a man clad in red leather armor, a bow and quiver slung across his back, a dagger strapped to his waist, and a deep scar running across his cheek. His name was Scar, and his voice was thick with frustration.

"Hah!"

A scoffing sound cut through the night. The source was a tall, muscular woman with feline features; striped fur, piercing yellow eyes, and a pair of sharp tiger ears twitching with irritation. This was Tigress, one of the group's strongest warriors.

She leaned forward, her powerful arms resting on her knees as she sneered at Scar.

"Scar, you're the reason we're in this mess, and you damn well know it," she growled. "You remember what you did to those five bronze-ranked adventurers we ran into two days ago?"

The firelight reflected in Scar's eyes as his face stiffened. The rest of the group turned their attention toward him, their expressions dark.

Two days ago, the Black Wind Bandits had crossed paths with a small party of adventurers. Frustrated by the knights' recent harassment, they had slaughtered them mercilessly; not an unusual act for the bandits. But Scar, driven by his sadistic tendencies, had taken it further.

One unfortunate soul had been subjected to their signature torture, a brutal method of execution that left no patch of skin or flesh intact. When the Knights of Wittes arrived at the scene, they were greeted by a sight so gruesome that their usual mission; driving the bandits out of town, shifted to total extermination.

"You all joined in!" Scar snapped back, trying to shift the blame. "Why is it suddenly my fault?!"

"But none of us tortured them!" Tigress's snarl was accompanied by a thunderous slap against the ground. The impact sent chunks of earth flying, her raw power undeniable.

Her claws twitched.

"If not for you, those knights wouldn't be after us like rabid dogs!" she hissed. "Before, they just wanted to drive us away. Now? They want us dead!"

Her frustration resonated with the rest of the bandits, their cold glares pinning Scar in place. Even the most ruthless criminals among them had survival instincts and Scar's reckless bloodlust had put them all in grave danger.

---

Tigress's body tensed, her fingernails elongating into razor-sharp tiger claws.

Scar's breath hitched.

"Tigress… w-what are you doing?" he stammered, instinctively reaching for the dagger at his waist.

In an instant, a clawed hand seized his throat.

Scar gasped, his eyes widening in panic as Tigress lifted him slightly off the ground.

The other bandits merely watched in silence.

Not a single soul moved to help him.

Scar realized with a sinking dread, they all blamed him. If the knights weren't on their tail, they might have even found his actions entertaining. But now, as they hid in the depths of the Sagla Forest, fearing an impending ambush, their resentment had crystallized into something lethal.

"Shit," he thought. "These bastards are leaving me to die!"

Just as he fumbled for his weapon, ready to make a desperate move—

A deep voice cut through the tension.

"That's enough, Tigress."

---

The moment the voice rang out, Tigress shuddered. Though her expression remained fierce, she hesitated before snarling and tossing Scar to the ground.

Scar hit the dirt hard, his body slamming against the forest floor with a sickening thud. He coughed violently, gasping for breath.

The voice's owner remained unseen, but his authority was unquestionable. Only one person in the Black Wind Bandits could silence Tigress with mere words.

Scar didn't dare lift his head.

Because at that moment, he knew, his fate was no longer in his own hands.

The Gathering Storm in the Sagla Forest

Scar clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging into his palms.

That damn tiger woman!

He swallowed his anger, forcing himself to stand despite the throbbing pain from Tigress's throw. With a deep breath, he took a step forward, bowed slightly, and muttered through gritted teeth, "Thank you, Captain."

Seated at the heart of the Black Wind Bandits, facing the crackling fire, was Black Wind, the infamous leader of this ruthless group.

He was clad in gleaming silver plate armor, its polished surface catching the firelight, reflecting an eerie glow. In his left hand, he held a helmet with a full-face mask, while beside him, embedded into the earth, was a massive dark-red greatsword. Every piece of his equipment radiated an undeniable aura of power and prestige.

Black Wind was no ordinary bandit. He was a golden-ranked adventurer, a force to be reckoned with.

Scar felt the weight of Black Wind's cold stare upon him, but the leader merely gave him a nod; acknowledging him, but offering no words of comfort or support. There was anger in those eyes, but also restraint. Now was not the time for internal conflict, not when they were being hunted like animals by the Knights of Wittes.

The tense silence was broken when Black Wind turned his gaze to another figure by the campfire, a thin man in light armor, his body partially leaning against a massive black bear that sat beside him.

The sight would have been bizarre anywhere else, but here, among the Black Wind Bandits, it was a reassuring presence.

The black bear was enormous, even sitting, it towered over most men, standing nearly two meters tall. Its fur was thick and sleek, and despite its size, it remained unnervingly calm and obedient as the thin man rested against its side.

Black Wind's lips curled into the faintest of smiles.

The other bandits, even the strongest among them, looked at the thin man with a mix of respect and gratitude. Not because he was particularly powerful, on the contrary, his physical strength was weaker than even Scar's. No, their respect came from something else entirely.

Because if it weren't for him, they would have been dead or captured long ago.

The man's name was Tom, and his profession was one of the rarest and most valuable in the world; a Beast Tamer.

Unlike warriors, assassins, or mages, Beast Tamers relied not on their own strength, but on their ability to control creatures far stronger than themselves. Through special skills and contracts, they could tame monstrous beasts and make them their allies.

The black bear beside Tom was his most formidable companion, a Mountain Violent Bear, a creature stronger than most silver-ranked adventurers.

Even an entire bronze-ranked adventurer team would struggle to bring one down.

And yet, for Tom, it was as gentle as a house cat.

Black Wind turned to him and asked, "Tom, does your Wind Eagle need a rest?"

Tom tilted his head slightly, glancing upward.

The bandits followed his gaze, but in the moonless night, none of them could see anything except the assassins and thieves among them, whose keen eyes picked up a black silhouette circling high above.

It was Tom's second companion, his Wind Eagle.

This eagle was the very reason the Black Wind Bandits had managed to stay one step ahead of the knights every single time.

From its vantage point in the sky, the Wind Eagle could spot approaching enemies long before they got close. Each time a squad of knights moved in their direction, the eagle would signal Tom, allowing the bandits to escape before they could be surrounded.

Tom shook his head. "Let it keep watch a little longer." His voice was quiet and hoarse, but the weight of his words was unmistakable.

Then, his expression darkened. "Captain, I've heard troubling news."

Black Wind's brows furrowed as Tom continued. "Because of what happened two days ago, the Knights have placed a high bounty on our heads. The Adventurer's Guild has issued a kill-on-sight order. And the reward…"

He hesitated for a moment before revealing the number.

"Ten gold coins for each of us. Minimum."

A heavy silence fell over the group.

Then, like a spark igniting dry tinder, anger and unease rippled through the camp.

The implications were dire. With twenty-five of them, that meant a bounty of at least two hundred and fifty gold coins, enough to rival a platinum-tier commission.

Such an insane sum meant that not only knights, but also bounty hunters and gold-ranked adventurers might join in the hunt for them.

The bandits turned to glare at Scar again, their fury reigniting.

This was all his fault.

Scar shrunk back into the shadows, his face pale, his breath shallow. He had no words, only fear.

Black Wind, his expression grim. "Captain, I'm worried that this bounty will attract gold-ranked adventurers. If that happens, we won't be able to run anymore… What should we do next?"

All eyes turned to Black Wind.

The leader of the Black Wind Bandits remained silent for a long moment, his gaze flickering over the faces of his subordinates. Then, at last, he spoke.

"In that case, we move at dawn. We will pass through Sagla Forest and head to the border city of 'Somaer'."

At the mention of Somaer, the tension in the camp shifted.

The bandits exchanged glances, their fear giving way to something else; hope.

If they could make it to Somaer, they would be outside the jurisdiction of the Knights of Wittes. In that lawless border town, bounty notices meant little, and even gold-ranked adventurers would be hesitant to start fights without cause.

For now, it was their best shot at survival.

The fire crackled. The shadows of the bandits danced in the flickering light.

Tomorrow, they would leave Sagla Forest behind. Continue reading stories on My Virtual Library Empire

But whether they would survive the journey to Somaer… that was another question entirely.