The star rating system for mercenary tasks is universally applied across the Castro Continent, with ten stars being the highest. A ten-star task is a monumental challenge capable of shaking a nation’s rule, exceedingly rare.
The Southwind Outpost bandit-clearing task Ye Chui had taken was a three-star task, already considered a high-end mission in Stan Town. Historically, the highest tasks issued by the mercenary guild were only four-star.
But now, due to the dark mages’ actions, Green had issued an unprecedented five-star task.
The Random Name Magic Guild, upon receiving this task, wasted no time packing up their tents, folding tables, and chairs, and began heading back on foot.
They had arrived by carriage, but after the dark followers’ attack, the carriage was damaged, and the horses fled. The horses brought by the Blue Fox Mercenary Group had also scattered due to the dark followers’ assault, leaving them no choice but to walk to White Horse Station to hire horses to return to Stan Town.
By the time they reached White Horse Station, it was already two in the afternoon. Without pausing to rest, Ye Chui hired a carriage with three horses and set off for Stan Town without delay.
“You all rest in the carriage. I’ll drive,” Green volunteered, taking responsibility since he seemed to have no other choice. His combat skills were the weakest of the four, making him best suited for logistical tasks.
The bumpy carriage sped toward Stan Town. Ye Chui, Debbie, and Reisha rested as much as possible to recover their strength. White Horse Station was over a hundred miles from Stan Town, and they estimated arriving around ten at night.
In the carriage, Ye Chui tried contacting Merlin again, but the messages kept failing to send, as if the iPad had lost its connection. It seemed his [WeChat] spell only worked when the other party used a communication spell like [Echo of Sound]. For now, only one-sided communication was possible, so Ye Chui gave up and rested.
Before putting away his grimoire, he glanced at the date display.
This world didn’t use a weekly calendar, but his iPad grimoire meticulously followed one. Today was Friday, and with tomorrow being Saturday’s discount promotion day, Ye Chui could proudly say that after midnight, he’d be invincible.
Evening soon arrived.
The sky darkened, and the unique chill of the Elven Prairie set in. Faint animal howls echoed in the distance. Green, who had been driving all afternoon, was sore but didn’t dare slack off. He diligently used the magic light on his wrist to illuminate the barely visible road ahead.
His heart was heavy with worry for his friends in the Blue Horn Guild, who, like him, weren’t adept at using magic for combat. He wondered how the dark mages might treat them, though he hoped the Blue Horn Guild’s leader would protect them.
A light appeared on the path ahead. As it drew closer, Green saw it was several swordsmen blocking the way. “Whoa!” He pulled the reins, stopping the carriage in front of them.
He quickly recognised them as Stan Town residents, part of a mercenary group he’d interacted with during a betting session. Wiping sweat from his face, Green asked, “Jeffrey, is that you? What are you doing here?”
“It’s Green! Thank goodness!” Jeffrey, a short, wiry swordsman, had a dark face that lit up with surprise under the light. “You probably don’t know yet, but Stan Town’s in trouble. We got word and are rushing back. Unfortunately, we ran into prairie magic wolves, and our horses bolted. Can you give us a ride?”
Green frowned at Jeffrey’s words. Jeffrey’s group was known for being cowardly, more likely to flee from trouble than rush back to it. Something was off.
He subtly reached back into the carriage, nudging Ye Chui’s curled leg and shaking it. “Sorry, our carriage is already full. We can’t take more people.”
“It’s only a few miles to Stan Town. Your horses can handle a bit more strain,” Jeffrey said, edging closer to the horses.
Green gripped the reins, ready to drive through, but Jeffrey acted first.
His figure blurred into a shadow, appearing atop the carriage in an instant, a signature short-swordsman ambush technique. His dagger pressed against Green’s throat.
Simultaneously, the other swordsmen surrounded the carriage with practiced coordination, raising their weapons, ready to attack.
Green let out a startled cry, but Jeffrey’s dagger tightened against his throat. “Make a sound, and you’ll never speak again!” he hissed, glancing at the carriage. “Wade’s in there, isn’t he?”
“What are you doing!” Green whispered. “Stan Town’s under attack by dark mages, and you’re robbing us?”
“Heh, truth is, the dark mages hired us to attack Wade,” Jeffrey said coldly, signaling his companions to prepare. “Kill Wade, bring his body to the church, and we get a thousand gold coins. The Grey Rat Mercenary Group’s never had a job this big.”
“You’re working for dark mages!” Green said angrily.
“No, no, we’re working for gold. For the right price, I’d kill my own father,” Jeffrey said, licking his lips, his eyes glinting coldly as he gave the attack order.
The Grey Rat Mercenary Group wasn’t particularly strong, but like their namesake, they skulked in the shadows, taking any job. With Ye Chui and Debbie being the most prominent figures in Stan Town, the dark mages’ sudden attack had caught the town off guard, controlling most of its people. To many, Ye Chui and Debbie, who were outside town, were the town’s only hope.
Yet, at this critical moment, the Grey Rat group was willing to ambush them for a thousand gold coins.
With no morals for the right price, they launched a surprise attack, aiming to overwhelm Ye Chui’s group with their strongest moves, expecting to reduce them to mincemeat, or so Jeffrey thought.
However, in the dim carriage, a sleepy-eyed Ye Chui glanced at the flashing red dots on his grimoire’s map, sighed softly, and unleashed a bolt of lightning from the carriage.
[Thunder Strike]
Jeffrey cried out in pain, tumbling off the carriage. With a boom, the carriage roof was torn off, and a massive figure leapt out. The Angry Clown, accompanied by Debbie’s exasperated voice: “Stupid Clown, I summoned you to fight, not wreck the carriage! That’ll cost money!”
Amid her shouts, the Angry Clown roared, landing on the ground like a mindless, violent gorilla. He grabbed a swordsman by the leg and flung him away. The Angry Clown, a perfect violence machine, was somewhat helpless against magic but had a huge advantage against swordsmen.
The Grey Rat Mercenary Group wasn’t strong, relying on a sneak attack. Their plan failed, and when their first strike missed, the swordsmen turned to flee, only to be chased by the Angry Clown.
Jeffrey, hit by Ye Chui’s space blade, wasn’t killed. He scrambled up, planning to escape in the chaos, but a silent, deadly blade sliced across his throat. He clutched his neck, blood seeping through his fingers. Turning, he saw Green holding his grimoire.
[Space Blade]
The only attack spell Green had mastered.
The brief ambush ended, barely a warm-up.
Ye Chui cautiously opened the carriage door, stepping out with Debbie and Reisha. The already rickety carriage, now roofless, was on the verge of collapse. Debbie was furious, glaring at the returning Angry Clown. Hands on hips, she shouted, “Idiot, you wrecked the carriage!”
“Roar!” The Angry Clown, low on intelligence but recognising Debbie, scratched his head sheepishly at her scolding. He bent down, picked up the wooden board he’d torn off, and tried to reattach it with a clatter.
The carriage, already down to four walls, collapsed into a flatbed with a bang.
Debbie: “…”
After grumbling and recalling the Angry Clown to the spirit world, Ye Chui looked at the road ahead, his expression serious. “Half an hour to Stan Town. We might face more ambushes. Stay alert, the real fight’s coming!” He paused, then said to Green, “Get your tent out to block the wind. It’s bloody cold at night.”
Green: “…”
He’d been driving in the open all afternoon, hadn’t he?
