The man who Yoon-seok had questioned was giving him a strange look, but thankfully, he kindly answered. There were two main reasons why mission challengers were looking for partners.
âYou know each mission has a special challenge. If you want to aim for it, youâd better get a partner.â
Even though it wasnât a guarantee, it was still easier to survive with partners and operating as a squad for a mission that required many people, the man said. Anyway, did the man join a team already, so he had a lot of time and nothing to do? He answered all of Yoon-seokâs questions patiently. But, maybe because he looked like a beginner, he didnât invite him to join his squad.
âThank you.â
âNah, but it seems like youâve only made probation difficulty up till now? I canât believe you donât even know about thisâŚ.â
ââŚâ
Far from the difficulty of probation, this was his first time on a mission at all, but Yoon-seok didnât say it. If he said he was a dueler, he would be treated as a mentally ill patient or receive unwanted attention. As time went by, the man returned to his group, and Yoon-seok summarized the given information.
âSo this is how the difficulty is divided.â
Different from what heâd expected, space wasnât divided through levels. It was only that the mission must be carried out unconditionally. If the mission was Dungeon Attack, the depending on the floor level, and if it were Bounty Hunting, the number of flyers needed to be attained would increase. As for this guarding mission, the date varied depending on the difficulty level. Probation 1 day, General 3 days, Proficient 7 days, Expert 15 days, Only 45 daysâŚ
âSo when theyâre all goneâŚare you saying that I have to guard by myself from then on?â
Thinking so, Yoon-seok looked around. It seemed no one chose to be an Only challenger. Maybe itâs because there werenât even any from duels, but they all appeared to be part of a group. While Yoon-seok was standing absent-mindedly, a man with a big beard clapped to draw their attention.
âMy name is Carios Wellington! Iâm a third-degree Holy Warrior of Triad who is in charge of the general affairs of this schedule. Although I know itâs your job to complete the commission, Iâd like to say thank you very much for coming all the way here!â
Dressed in silver-colored plate armor like a medieval knight, he looked out and thanked them. What followed was a short briefing about the mission.
âOur destination is Jarisman Harbor, and your mission will be over as soon as you get on board the ship headed for the Levant Neutral Country.â
Murmurs erupted among the challengers. Most of them said, âHuh? It was Seheranbad?â in surprise.
After hearing that, Yoon-seok also had something in mind. Levant Neutral State. Ragna Hambledon, who heâd met on the fourth floor, said that was her home country.
âI will not put your lives on the scale for nothing! We have information that evil heathens are after the pontiff. Itâs going to be extremely dangerous. If you want to leave now, I wonât stop you!â
Holy Warrior Wellington confessed the difficulties to come, giving challengers time to make up their minds again. Of course, there were no drop-outs. It was only natural because they werenât hired soldiers but challengers from the Tower.
Wellington didnât know that, but he was thrilled.
âIt was said that the spirit of Edenbahmâs soldiers are truly extraordinary, so itâs true!â
Someone in the crowd raised their hand to ask a question.
âWhat year is it now?â
ââŚ517.â
Wellington answered easily, with a look on his face as if to say what kind of question was that. Again, another commotion ensued.
âSo it was five hundred years ago, right?â
âI wondered why Edenbahm was so underdeveloped, so this is it?â
Most of them were from Seheranbad, with colorful hair and diverse races as humans, beast people, and elves. On the other hand, most of the people who werenât from this area were calm except for some of the groupâs challenges.
âIs it possible to go back to the past through this place? Then maybe I can find the Heavenly Devilâs copper that appeared five hundred years ago!â
âHey, look at those bunch of punks getting all worked up. Whatâs so great about martial arts? Itâs too late to learn now anyway. Are they going to keep risking their lives?â
There were people from Moorim and Earth. However, not a single man from Killian was seen, such as an Orc and Lizardman. It didnât seem like a coincidence, but was there a reason?
Their departure time approached.
âThen letâs go!â
Wellington led the group on horseback to the wagon, and the challengers followed suit while guarding the area.
âThere wonât be monsters coming out on the first day, right?â
âI donât know. I just hope itâs time to camp out.â
Three or four people gathered to each group, enjoying small talk. Yoon-seok was the only one who quietly followed the march without talking to anyone. Some people looked at Yoon-seok strangely, but they didnât talk to him. Even though they tried to approach with curiosity, the crowd next to him stopped them.
âHey, donât talk to him. I think heâs not good enough; heâll only drag us down if you do that.â
That treatment was good enough. No, it was better not to approach. Yoon-seok just kept his ears perked and eavesdropped on their conversations to gather information.
They left the town-like castle and walked along a forest road that looked like an unpaved road.
âChikkkkkkkk!â
At least a dozen Orcs descended to attack the group. The Orc that Yoon-seok had seen before was a ferocious creature but understood language and civilization. The Orcs here were different, however. They let out a high-pitched nasally sound as they attacked. Of course, their levels were terrible.
âWow, now thatâs an Orc!â
A challenger believed to be from Seheranbad sliced down the Orcs as if they were glad to return to their hometown. The others were the same. The battle ended blandly without Yoon-seok taking part, and Wellington, the commander-in-chief, led the group back without saying much.
There was no significant attack afterward. As the day slowly fell, Wellington stopped marching and began preparing for camp. In the meantime, each challenger was called in to be given a dayâs allowance. It seemed like this kind of calculation was common.
âHey, this mission is a piece of cake. I should have just picked a greater difficulty instead of probation.â
Unless another attack broke out during the camp, they considered the mission successful at dawn and would return to the waiting room.
âShin Sang-hyun, did he come up like this?â
That would explain why he was so weak even though he was on the tenth floor. Apparently, if the mission were completed successfully three times regardless of the difficulty level, they would get to ascend, and their rewards would accordingly.
âSir Wellington, Iâm going to wander around for a bit. Do you mind?â
It was a request from a member that had received attention for choosing the Expert level. Wellington approved and admired their professionalism.
âI guess heâs looking for a challenge.â
âThey come here to lead a hard life.â
The eyes of the challengers who saw them leaving the camp werenât very good. Funny enough, while they treated them like fools, there was deep envy in their eyes.
âYouâre back! Was there anything I needed to take care of?â
âNo.â
âAnyway, thank you for your hard work! Iâll postpone the night watch today, so rest comfortably.â
The challengers giggled as they returned empty-handed about an hour later.
âIt must have been a waste today.â
âWill it be easy to find a challenge?â
Yoon-seok couldnât understand such feelings from the bottom of his heart. If youâre going to be jealous and whisper behind their back, shouldnât you do the same?
âNow, Iâm going to set the night watch, but I want you to bear with me even if you have some complaints! Youâre going to take turns doing the dirty work together anyway, no?â
Soon after the schedule was set, the challengers slept easily with the distributed blankets wrapped around them. Yoon-seok followed suit and laid himself on the floor, but he couldnât sleep at all. Not because the floor was uncomfortable, but because of {Bloodseekerâs Ultimatum}, he didnât feel tired at all.
âItâs awkward to suddenly go to sleepâŚâ
This chapter is scrapped from readlightnovel.org
When was the last time heâd slept? At least not since he was brought to the Tower. Although he fainted dozens of times during his duel with the Heavenly Devil, it was far from being the same as having a good nightâs sleep.
âI guess Iâll just practice until dawn.â
Of course, he couldnât do sword exercises alone in the middle of the night, so he replaced it with meditation. There were some negative aspects since it was an unexpectedly long-term mission, but it was okay to spend time like this. However, Yoon-seokâs concentration was bound to be cut off soon.
This was because of the filthy conversation he couldnât help but be bothered about as challengers spoke around the bonfire.
âKanna Blitz, sheâs a woman, isnât she?â
âWho knows? I wouldnât say I like it either way. I donât know why the pontiff is always in the wagon. I canât even see their face.âŚ.â
âThatâs right, soâŚwhy donât you go check and come back? The mission will end tomorrow morning anyway, so we should have fun before then.â
âBut isnât the Wellington or something Holy Warriors guarding them?â
âThatâs the kind of guy you can just kill. You donât have to worry about other challengers. Thereâs a magic-blocking spell. Everyone will sleep tonight without knowing anything.â
The man, who was initially negative about the wizardâs proposal, brightened up, thinking that thereâs nothing to lose. It was the same for the other men who just listened next to them. Soon, the wizard chanted the command, and magic spread widely in the air. At the same time, all the noise disappeared, and silence descended.
Yoon-seok quietly got up from his seat. The five men on watch were creeping up to the wagon in the heart of the campsite.
ââŚâ
Why was there trash everywhere? Or did everything look that way to him because he was seeking a reason to kill?
âNo way.â
He was aware of it since returning from Earth. That was why he tried so hard to suppress his emotions until he rid himself of the side effects of {Bloodseekerâs Ultimatum}. There were a few people with judgment marks among the group, but he had left them alone so far because of that.
But now, his mind changed.
Yoon-seok had constantly been suspecting himself, but he was lured forward as if the world was telling him over and over again that there was no need for such doubts. Eventually, Yoon-seok decided not to think about the future. It was better to regret what heâd done in the past when the side effects disappeared.
It was better than the regret of turning a blind eye to their behavior today.
ââŚâ
Yoon-seok looked at the men approaching the carriage with mixed emotions and swung his sword in the air. Was it because the noise was muted?
No sound was made. It was justâŚ
Flop.
It wasnât long before their bodies fell to the floor in front of the wagon. The wizard died, and the effect was lost. Fortunately, the sound wasnât that loud. Relieved that there were no light sleepers here, Yoon-seok quickly approached them and began to clean up.
Screeeeeeeeech-!
Their blood was absorbed through {Bloodseekerâs Ultimatum}, and he removed the bodies neatly by using his skills. There were subtle traces on the ground, but no one would think that it was from a human. It was time to go back to his place.
Click.
The wagon door opened, and a young girl in her early teens poked her head out. Did she think she saw a ghost in the middle of the night? The girl saw Yoon-seok standing in front of the carriage and was stunned, breathless.
ââŚGasp!â
As if sheâd woken up recently, the girlâs voice was hoarse.
âHey, who are youâŚ?â
âMs. Kanna! H-hereâs the d-demonâŚâ
Not a ghost, but a demonâŚ
While he couldnât even smile, a girl dressed in a white robe appeared in the carriage. It was Kanna Blitz, the pontiff they were guarding. As it was their first face-to-face meeting, Yoon-seok grew curious and glanced over her. But when he saw the woman scolding the girl for a short while, he couldnât help but go blank.
âElle, I told you not to get off the wagon. And to wake me up no matter what.â
âButâŚyouâll be tired, soâŚâ
Pontiff Kanna Blitz called the girl Elle. He didnât know if itâs a nickname or a name. He didnât even know how common the name was in this world. It might just be a position or a nickname.
âIs it just a coincidenceâŚ?â
Yoon-seok didnât know much about Elle. Gorgeous body curves lined through the silhouette of her robe with shiny scarlet hair cascading down. That was the only thing heâd observed on the outside.
Yoon-seok looked at the girl again. She was disheveled, maybe because sheâd just woken up, but her hair color was the same. As for her body, he couldnât make any judgments because of her youth. Moreover, her voice was much softer, and even their auras were completely different.
After all, only their hair color matched. But when he heard the name Elle, she looked different in his eyes.
âElleâŚ?â
Yoon-seok muttered quietly.
And the only thing looking back at him was cold, harsh gazes.