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58/Straight line
🕑 Added 2023-06-02 02:13:40 +0000 UTCIt was early in the morning when Logan woke up, time for him to meet the Guild Master once again. He splashed his face with water before waking up Aria. They both got dressed and headed downstairs to the ground floor of the inn to have breakfast.
This was generally how each of their days began. Logan usually had a hot chocolate with a local pastry. Aria always had the same thing. Still sleepy, she took a sip of the chocolate and burned her mouth.
"Ouch!" she hissed.
Logan couldn't help but smile at her. She was sometimes as innocent as a child, despite what she had been through. Seeing Logan tease her, she made a brief grimace before starting on her pastry, allowing her hot chocolate to cool down a bit.
From the beginning, Logan always let Aria have the bed while he took his usual chair to sleep. Sometimes, he would see her trembling and sobbing in her sleep, a sign that her demons and terrible experiences were still very present.
As they ate peacefully, many eyes in the inn were turned toward them. Some of those glances were filled with jealousy and desire. Over time, Aria had partly recovered. She was a stunning beastwoman with snow-white fur, beautiful eyes, and radiant, soft skin. These were the distinctive features of her tribe, but she surpassed those criteria.
Because of this, she attracted the desire of many men who dreamed of possessing her. However, when Logan's red eyes looked at them, they all looked away, returning to their own business. Some were simply impressed by his eyes, but others knew who he was. A young man who had recently arrived and registered as an adventurer.
In a few months, he had completed numerous missions, even setting the record for the highest number of quests completed in a single day. When he returned from one particular day, he came back covered in blood, with cold, emotionless red eyes. That's how the nickname "Red" was given to him by the adventurers present that day, and he rose in rank.
During one mission, he returned with the heads of three other adventurers. The Guild's investigation revealed that they had tried to kill him and were responsible for the deaths of many other adventurers. However, bringing back the heads of three men was not normal. It was something horrifying that left a mark on many. They imagined that if they went against him, it would be their own heads rolling on the ground. More recently, he had defeated a sea serpent that had been terrorizing the Circular Forest and had killed numerous adventurers.
Furthermore, no one had seen him fight except for the porters, so his abilities were unknown. For all these reasons, it was important not to act recklessly around him, as most adventurers understood.
Right next to their table, several men seemed particularly enthusiastic. They were talking loudly and cheerfully, holding their drinks. Their conversation revolved around a topic that had become hot news in the city. A topic that was spreading from mouth to mouth, causing everyone to talk about it. That thing that excited people was a single word: Heroes.
It was no secret that the country of Sigma and others had summoned heroes. But Sigma seemed to be the first to officially introduce them. Posters had been put up overnight, inviting citizens to the official presentation that would take place in three days.
"We're finally going to catch a glimpse of these famous heroes!" exclaimed one of the men.
"I heard there are twenty of them, and among them, only the top six have been chosen."
"There's even a rumor that one of them has a Hero class, the strongest of all, and can wield multiple elements, including light!"
"Light is a very rare element!" replied the man, almost spilling his beer.
"Oh, tell me about it!"
"But what will happen to the others?" curiously asked one of them.
"Apparently, some of them were so talented that instead of letting them go, Zem took a handful of them under his wing in the Kingdom's Knights."
"If they were that talented and weren't chosen as heroes for the country, it means that the officially chosen heroes are even stronger than that!"
"It must have been a really good summoning."
"Yes, I still remember the day the king announced that he was going to summon them. Now I can't wait to attend the induction ceremony."
Speculations, rumors, with heroes at the center of all discussions. People seemed very excited, which was understandable considering all the disasters and incidents related to dungeons that continued to escalate. People had fallen into a certain passive and yet morbid fear. The fear of the sudden appearance of a dungeon or worse, a dungeon rupture and its disastrous consequences.
Logan, who only briefly listened to the conversations, didn't care at all. The only thing he hoped for was that Maïli was safe and the moment when he could confront his enemies. For now, Logan had to focus on what he needed to do, which was to save those who could be saved as quickly as possible. He gently wiped the crumbs of the pastry from Aria's lips. After breakfast, it was time to go to the guild.
Logan and Aria, after briefly walking through the streets, entered the guild's doors. Marie, who was at her counter, seemed to be waiting for them with a smile. She then took them to the Guild Master's office, where he sat in his beautiful armchair.
They took their seats and it was the guild master who initiated the conversation:
"I hope both of you are doing well." (Stanislas)
"We're fine, thank you. And you?" (Logan)
"Well, being a guild master can be exhausting." (Stanislas)
"I don't doubt it." (Logan)
"Enough with the pleasantries, let's get to the point. What's your decision?" he asked, looking at Logan attentively.
"At the moment, I have no means or connections due to my recent arrival. With so few resources available, it will be difficult for me to do anything. That's why I have no choice but to accept your offer and condition." (Logan)
"I see that you've thought it through.," he said, placing a small bag filled with gold coins on the table.
That was his reward for killing the sea serpent.
"Very well, in that case, I will provide you with everything you need. I'm listening." (Stanislas)
"I need a place where I can keep everyone safe for a long time. There are more than 100 girls from the Aria tribe in total. Additionally, I need potions of Curis Latil accordingly." (Logan)
"Alright, I will provide you with all that, but you know that nothing is free in this world." (Stanislas)
"I suspected that it wouldn't be entirely free and without a catch. Now, the question is, what do you want in return?" (Logan)
"You undoubtedly remember the incident with the serpent." (Stanislas)
"How could I forget? We almost died." (Logan)
"Well, as you suspected, it was the work of someone. We have some reports mentioning men dressed in black lab coats. We don't know who they are or what their goal is. They appear and disappear like ghosts." (Stanislas)
"What do I have to do with them?" (Logan)
"I'm getting to that. We have reports indicating that something is being prepared. One of our informants noticed several monsters approaching a village. And most importantly, he saw one of those men in robes with those monsters. Everything suggests that they will attack that village very soon." (Stanislas)
"A taming ability?" (Logan)
"Perhaps." (Stanislas)
"So, what do you want me to do?" (Logan)
"I want you to save all the villagers in that village." (Stanislas)
"When should I go there to intervene?" (Logan)
"Starting today. By the way, I heard that the heroes are going to be presented." (Stanislas)
"The heroes, pff, it's uninteresting news." (Logan)
"I see." (Stanislas)
"Moreover, if I intervene, I might also come into contact with those infamous men, right? What are the orders regarding them?" (Logan)
"As they are still an unknown group, we don't know their strength, so be careful. Nevertheless, it would be preferable to capture them alive." (Stanislas)
"Very well, but why did you think of me?" (Logan)
"Because it's the first time I've seen a class called Avenger." (Stanislas)
"What... When?" Logan said, surprised.
"Since the beginning." (Stanislas)
Stanislas tossed him a necklace, which he caught. It was completely black and metallic with small engraved patterns.
Analysis:
[Necklace of Secrets: Regardless of the level of analysis and the skills of the opponent, they will be unable to see your status window.]
"Consider it another gift from me. And to answer your question, I believe you're competent enough for this mission. Your reputation is growing gradually with your exploits, speaking of which." (Stanislas)
Marie, at his words, placed a completely black-colored card in front of Logan's eyes, indicating that Logan had just been promoted for the second time and had become a Rank D adventurer.
"Everything will happen within the next three days, the rescue and the induction of the new heroes. I hope you're ready, Logan, or should I call you by the name people know you by? I hope you're ready, Red?" (Stanislas)
Logan's eyes gleamed with a bright light, as if to answer his question.
