“Well, since you are so confident, then you should just focus and pick yourself a good mission!” Mary was quite good at changing pace, and she continued, saying, “Oh right, what do you think about my skin? Is it delicate and smooth? I can feel the condition of my skin is getting better and better!”
Staring at how Mary gently licked her lips and wore an arrogant expression, Greem shuddered. He hastily let go of Mary’s arm and tried his best to focus on the list of in front of him.
……
Cleanup the Great Graveyard (3/10) Orange Mission
Mission details: Elite Grade Immortal Creatures were found at the Great Graveyard, located south of the Tiga region. Ten Apprentice Adepts are needed. During the mission, Viscount Gary will send a squad of two hundred elite guards to assist with the cleanup.
After mission completion, Viscount Gary will issue a mission accomplishment certificate.
Mission rewards: 30 Knowledge Points, 3 Magic Crystals, 10 Zhentarim Association Merit Points.
……
Abnormal Creature in the Lands of the Giant Willow (2/3) Orange Mission
Mission details: Traces of an abnormal creature have been found in the Land of the Giant Willow, located near the south border of the Talion Forest. Eleven local villagers have gone missing. Three Apprentice Adepts are urgently needed for an expedition into the depths of the mountain to find the source of this abnormal creature.
After mission completion, the Zhentarim Association’s local base will issue a mission accomplishment certificate.
Mission rewards: 20 Knowledge Points, 1 Magic Crystals, 5 Zhentarim Association Merit Points.
(If the Apprentices who carry this mission can resolve the source of the disaster, based on the evidence provided, the reward will be increased considerably.)
……
Griffin Cliff Domestication Mission (0/3) Red Mission
Mission details: The Griffin Cliff, located in Rahia, urgently needs the expertise of three Apprentice Adepts to help them capture Griffins, assisting Beast Master Hank. The mission will be concluded after successfully domesticating ten Griffins.
Mission accomplishment certificate will be issued by Beast Master Hank of Rahia.
Mission rewards: 50 Knowledge Points, 10 Magic Crystals, 30 Zhentarim Association Merit Points.
(Upon completion of the mission, the Hamilton Company will provide a private reward.)
……
Underground Cave Investigation Mission (4/10) Red Mission
Mission details: Traces of subterranean creatures have been found in the Underground Cave of Nigond. An investigation team, consisting of ten Apprentice Adepts, is urgently needed. The team will be required to venture at least ten miles into the underground, investigating the activity of living creatures in that area.
Status of the mission will be determined by the Zhentarim Association’s base in Nigond.
Mission rewards: 70 Knowledge Points, 12 Magic Crystals, 50 Zhentarim Association Merit Points.
(The Underground is well-known for being rich in Dark Grass, Phantom Mushrooms, and Night-Eyes Stones. If any of these materials are harvested during the mission, you may keep them.)
……
……
Line by line, a list of missions, taking place in nearly all the dangerous regions controlled by Zhentarim association, was laid out before them.
In the center of Adept Continent, in order to protect the ecosystem that nurtured the demonic resources of their mother Plane, all the Adept associations and alliances had strictly prohibited high-ranked Adepts from carried out any devastating development to the mainland. Therefore, humans only occupied around 35% of the land, the rest was a boundless savage land with no human activities. Countless demons and strange creatures were living freely in these places.
When faced with some of the more commonly seen wild beasts or demons, locals would be able to defend themselves or chase these creatures away by force. But when they encountered those frightening demons, who possessed terrifying abilities…. Small villages being slaughtered overnight was not uncommon in this world…
Thus, whenever something like this happened, in order to clean up these frightening demons, who intruded into the human world, those local authorities would need the help from the powerful and supernatural Adepts.
Obviously, those lofty Adepts would never travel so far for these kinds of petty issues. Hence, most of these supernatural forces were countered by Apprentice Adepts. Through all sorts of missions, they obtained the resources they needed, training themselves and helping to maintain the safety of human society along the way.
And this was how Adepts maintained this world.
Greem thoroughly examined every single message he found in the list of compulsory missions. At the same time, the Chip, which Greem had ordered to deactivate its scanning features, was sorting and summarized every single mission, quickly copying all the data into it’s memory.
Among all these compulsory missions, Greem was only capable of accepting Orange missions. He would never dare touch those Red missions.
A legend, at the top of the list, stated that Orange missions were only suitable for Advanced Apprentices. Apprentices below this rank would have to be prepared to face a certain degree of danger. As for Red missions, they were prepared for Pseudo-Adepts. Perhaps even most Advanced Apprentice would have slim chances of surviving these missions.
But, obviously, this was a bizarre and fantasy world of Adept. There was a huge uncertainty for any of these missions… even for those simple missions with the annotation of ‘safe’.
Let’s take, for example, the investigation type missions, which were the most common mission type on this list. It was extremely risky to venture deep into a dangerous area, however, those investigation missions in ‘safe’ regions weren’t somewhere you could relax either. The demons that normally appeared around mortal villages were some low-risk creatures, like Swamp Ooze, Gnome, or Stirges. A Beginner Apprentice could fairly easily handle them.
But, if luck was against them, perhaps they would have to face Wyverns, Rock Monsters, or Forest Spirits. All of these were extremely frightening creatures. Even an Advanced Apprentice would be in a life-threatening situation if they really met with these demons.
Thus, picking a mission was like gambling, as no one knew when bad luck was going to strike. Every year, 13% of Apprentice Adepts died while trying to complete missions.
After a quick selection process, the Chip had picked an Orange mission that suited Greem perfectly. It had examined each mission and removed the ones with the most uncertain elements.
……
Apprentice Alchemist of Klage Training Mission (1/3) Orange Mission
Mission details: An Apprentice Alchemist of Klage is in the middle of completing his training mission. He urgently needs three Apprentice Adepts to accompany him into the Well of Treasures.
The mission will be considered complete after the Apprentice Alchemist’s training mission has been completed. The mission accomplishment certificate will be issued by the Apprentice Alchemist.
Mission rewards: 20 Knowledge Points, 3 Magic Crystals, 1 Tranquility Potion, 1 Potion of Invisibility.
……
The difficulty of this mission was not high. The Well of Treasures was a training field that all Apprentice Alchemists had to visit. It was a place with countless ‘little toy’ that had been casually placed by master Alchemists throughout the thousands of years it had existed, awaiting newcomers to dig them out.
Although they were only little toys, no matter what, they were crafted by master Alchemists. Each and every one had great research value. Some might even find the legacy of a master Alchemist in a random object.
Therefore, this Well of Treasures was the traditional treasure hunting ground for all Apprentice Alchemists.
But every Apprentice Alchemist was only allowed to enter that place once. He could bring one item from the place, but also had to leave one item behind. This was the true purpose of t
he Well of Treasure.
There were all kinds of crafted items in there, and most of them were pretty dangerous. For example, if an Apprentice Alchemist wanted to bring away a crafted golem, the only way he could was by defeating it. As most of the Apprentice Alchemists were really weak at the elementary stage, the Alchemist Association allowed these Apprentices to hire three helpers. But, these three helpers weren’t allowed to bring anything out from that place.
It seemed that this was a pretty easy Orange mission, so long as that Apprentice Alchemist wasn’t an overly greedy guy, trying to challenge one of those really dangerous items, this mission could be completed easily.
Also, the mission reward of 1 Tranquility Potion had attracted Greem as well. It could increase the Spirit of Apprentice who had less than 10 Spirit by 1. It was considering an ultimate treasure among all Beginner Apprentices! (This item could only be used once. Afterward, it would have no more effect!)
After making up his mind, Greem whispered his decision to Mary, and she, too, felt it was the right choice after evaluating the risks. As for Mary herself, she simply chose the Red mission to investigate the Underground Cave.
Relying on her Vampire characteristics of flying, fighting, and regenerating, she was confident that she could stay alive, even when faced with some rather dangerous demons. Thus, she purposely picked the mission where she had the highest chance to encounter many different species of demons.
It wasn’t tough to tell that Mary was in a stage of exponential growth, and what she needed most was the blood of powerful creatures!
Chapter 34
Now that he had decided on the mission he was taking, he needed to sign up quickly.
After all, every mission noted how many apprentices were currently applied to the mission, and how many could take the mission total. These were listed in the parenthesis. Once a mission had all its slots taken, it would disappear from the list. If he was too late, his preferred mission could slip away right in front of his eyes.
After making the announcement, Adept Anderson disappeared without saying anything else. Of course, all the secretarial work would be left to Apprentice Leader Ellen.
As expected, Ellen instantly took the garrison mission of the Swamp Tower, which was also the only Green mission on the list. His ‘minions’ had gotten in on that mission as well. Although the mission could still fit in few more Apprentices, Ellen had taken the dominant position, showing a look that said whoever paid the highest price would get a place on the mission.
Feeling indignant, but not daring to speak out, some weak Beginner Apprentices crowded around Ellen, lowered their voice and tried to bargain with him. Some rather good looking female Apprentices even gave him appreciative looks, squeezing themselves closer to Ellen. But most of the Beginner Apprentices actually gathered around the three strongest, chatting amongst themselves as if they were discussing on something. Obviously, they couldn’t make up their minds on what to do.
Mary grabbed Greem and approached the crowd gathered around Ellen. Raising her brows, those soft-speaking fellows immediately moved to the side, revealing Apprentice Leader Ellen, who was sitting comfortably in the middle.
Though Ellen portrayed an aloof look in front of these Apprentices, when faced with the three strongest and Mary, he didn’t dare act tough.
The three strongest were Advanced Apprentices, acknowledged by all Apprentices. If a confrontation erupted, Ellen, who was barely an Intermediate Apprentice, even with the help of magical items, would never be the match of them.
As for Mary, Ellen was truly freaked out by her.
Even though he had become the Apprentice Leader, whenever he thought of his previous encounter with Mary, with her ferocious, frightening face and her blood splattered body, Ellen just couldn’t stop the shivering sensation that went down his spine. Besides, after being taken away by Adept Anderson, Mary was safely released. Obviously, she was being raised by Adept Anderson in the Tower. Without sufficient excuses and reasons, Ellen would never want to confront Mary.
Staring at Mary, who was now approaching him, Ellen tried his best to keep a calm exterior, but his pale face and wandering eyes betrayed what he truly felt. When faced with this terrifying Vampire, he felt intense fear in his heart!
“I am signing up for the Underground Cave investigation mission. Sign me up now!” Mary never took him seriously, and behaved with a domineering attitude.
Without saying any word, Ellen took out the Apprentice Leader’s magical talisman, infused it with his Spirit energy, and a small screen immediately light up on top of it. The content showing on the screen was the Underground Cave investigation mission Mary chose.
Mary took out her magical talisman and pointed it at the screen. Immediately, the number showing how many Apprentices had signed up for the mission had changed from (4/10) to (5/10). It looked like four Apprentices had signed up for this mission before her.
It was now Greem’s turn to sign up.
“I would like to accept the Apprentice Alchemist of Klage Training Mission!” Greem spoke in a calm voice.
Ellen briefly gazed at him, then, remaining silent, he adjusting the content on the screen. Following with the swaying of the screen, the mission Greem chose was shown.
Greem didn’t say anything either. Without hesitation, he took out his magical talisman and pointed it toward the screen. But, something out of his expectations happened. Right when the magical talisman as about to touch the screen, the mission on the screen suddenly flicked in a bizarre manner, and reverted back to the previous mission, which Mary had chosen.
Not expecting this change, Greem’s magical talisman touched the screen.
In next second, the number of participants for the Underground Cave investigation mission had changed from (5/10) to (6/10).
This never seen before occurrence startled everyone at the scene, and even Ellen seemed puzzled by it. With a wry smile, he said,
“Aiyaya… what’s going on? It seems the magical equipment broke! What should we do now… Uh…. Do you want to go and see the Master Adept? Maybe he can cancel this mission for you?”
While everybody was still in shock, Mary exploded.
Without warning, Mary’s sharp nails started to glow as they piercing through the air toward Ellen’s heart with a jarring noise. It was a short distance, and, together with the huge gap between their Agilities, perhaps Ellen wouldn’t even realize he was being attacked until Mary was crushing his heart in her hand.
But, when Mary’s death-dealing claws were about halfway to Ellen’s body, a huge, dark hand, shining like plate mail, suddenly stretched out from the side, both hands instantly colliding.
It looked like the two hands had only collided once, but, for some unknown reasons, in an instant, the huge hand, which looked like the claw of a monster, shattered. In fact, it was sliced into pieces by Mary’s razor sharp nails. Although it seemed Mary was in the advantageous position in this exchange, there were no pieces of flesh or blood to be found in the shredded hand, the tiny fragments having transformed into countless black scorpions, quickly clinging onto Mary’s arm.
Mary took a step back and swiftly moved her arms, quickly killing all the scorpions that had been trying to attack her. At this moment, Evil Bugs, whose body was fully covered by a cloak, was seen standing beside Ellen.
The huge hand belonged to him.
Flying around while making buzzing noises, the swarm of scorpions soon returned to Acteon’s sleeve, like bees to their hive. Over the next few seconds, peace returned to this place. A bizarre scene had played out before them, and it had shown the frightening abilities of Evil Bugs.
The paled-face Greem took one last look at the screen, turned around, pulled Mary, who behaved like an overprotective mother cat, and left quietly. Strangely, the aggressive Mary didn’t behave recklessly this time. This was because, with her sensitive senses, she had noticed the other two Advanced Adepts had quietly stood up, and were approaching the scene as stealthily as possibl
e.
No idiot could become an Apprentice Adept, and those Advanced Apprentices were all as crafty as foxes. Except for a few weird guys, most of the Advanced Apprentices knew how to restrain themselves in order to protect their own skin. Mary, a girl who had suddenly skyrocketed to Advanced Apprentice, clearly posed a serious threat to the position of the three strongest. Thus, intentionally or unintentionally, the three of them had grouped up in an attempt to elbow Mary out.
…………
Before they separated in front of Greem’s room, Mary looked like she intended to say a few words to comfort him, but stopped when she saw his sad smile.
Stepping back into his room and gently closing the wooden door, Greem silently stood in the dark for a long time.
He was clear about what happened today, and it wasn’t entirely Mary’s fault. If he really thought about it, Greem was sure that it must have been Evil Bugs who had ordered his mission be switched to Mary’s. Although he wasn’t sure whether this was because of the intruder incident yesterday, or if the three strongest were just trying to cause Mary fear, but, in short, Ellen’s little trick must have been authorized by Evil Bugs.
Conflict between the powerful brought disaster to the powerless!
A situation like this was, in fact, the sad reality for the powerless.
Greem totally had no intention of seeking the truth in today’s misfortune, because he had decided to work hard for his future.
The red Underground Cave Investigation mission was a dangerous mission. If he was a Pseudo-Adept, it would be a challenging mission. If he had the ability of an Advanced Apprentice, it could be life threatening. But he was only a Beginner Apprentice!
Mixing himself in with a group of Advanced Apprentices while being so weak… although Mary would definitely take care of him, he would still need to have some usable abilities. Yes, maybe Mary did appreciate his kindness during her difficult days, but that wasn’t enough for her to risk her life to save him.
Considering all that he was about to face, what Greem really needed was an ability that he could protect himself with.
Age of Adepts c1-1513 Page 25