Chapter 197 – Another Mission

“This is truly intriguing”!

Punk murmured softly while seated on a magically conjured chair, a faintly glowing black card in his hand densely covered in hastily scribbled characters.

Three days had passed since the assault on the Church. Following that “raid mission,” Punk had rejected Bloodclaw’s suggestion to “plunder the city.” After all, there was little worth looting in a small border town, and delaying their retreat risked being surrounded by enemy forces. Thus, both of them returned to Sunset City as swiftly as possible, bringing nothing extra aside from five vials of “High-Concentration Holy Water.”

Punk was quite satisfied with the gains from this “mission.” The process of eliminating Priest Erok had been unusually smooth, with the only regret being the accidental destruction of that Formal-Level short staff.

After the battle concluded, Punk successfully retrieved five fully filled vials of “High-Concentration Holy Water” from Erok’s storage ring. During the subsequent distribution, Punk alone claimed four of the vials.

Bloodclaw expressed considerable anger but ultimately could only complain helplessly.

After all, his role throughout the operation had been rather limited, and his strength as an eleventh-level vampire warlord left him with little leverage to dispute Punk’s decision.

After the mission concluded, Punk returned to the base but did not resume his magical research and experimentation.

Punk was certain that the turmoil in the Dillon Kingdom would not subside due to a single setback for the “Church Faction.” The Church of Dawn was an unequivocal chaotic good organization, and Bishop Kasparqi, having lost five Formal-Level clergy, would inevitably launch a retaliatory strike like a starved wolf.

Thus, Punk had been awaiting further developments in the Dillon Kingdom’s unrest. Now, he had gotten what he waited for.

The originally pitch-black black card now displayed another mission from the “Nightwalker Alliance.” This time, the mission omitted tedious pleasantries and formalities, getting straight to the point with a concise and clear description, no longer making futile attempts to conceal the “Glory Faction’s” weakening state.

“Mission Description: General Vick is about to lead a hundred-thousand-strong ‘Noble Allied Army’ to besiege Mig Fortress. The ‘Church Faction’ aims to lure Princess Trelinka into intervening by ‘slaughtering innocent civilians,’ while Vick Swordsaint has been ordered to eliminate all key members of the ‘Glory Army’ who rush to Mig Fortress’s aid.

Mission Requirement: Rescue Princess Trelinka and escort her to Dead Tree Territory, safely delivering the princess to the lord of Dead Tree Territory—Bidolan Greenvine.

Mission Reward: The Master-Level necklace carried by Princess Trelinka—’Tears of the Spring’—may be claimed as payment. Additionally, the Bidolan Greenvine Family is willing to exchange three Master-Level items for Princess Trelinka.

Target Intelligence:

Princess Trelinka is a ninth-level Apprentice-Level knight, accompanied by one tenth-level Formal-Level warrior and one eleventh-level Formal-Level stalker as guards.

Vick Swordsaint Intelligence:

General Vick is a fourteenth-level Formal-Level Sword Saint, primarily practicing fire-type battle aura with secondary training in wind-type battle aura. He is a devout follower of Sinya, the Maiden of Frost and Snow.

Equipment: Master-Level greatsword—Wind-Bathing Punisher:

Increases battle aura condensation by 10%, reduces battle aura consumption by 20%, and enhances combat skill potency by 30%.”Formal-Level Enchantment Effects—”Spellbreaking”, “Sharpness”, “Preservation”, “Agonizing”.

Three Formal-Level spells per day—”Greater Daze”, three Master-Level divine spells per day—”Smite Evil”, one Master-Level spell per day—”Annihilation”!

Formal-Level Armor—War Song: Increases Battle Aura protection by fifteen percent, one Formal-Level spell per day—”Iron Body”.

Proficient Combat Skills:

Formal-Level Combat Skill—Charge

Formal-Level Combat Skill—Unicorn Assault

Formal-Level Fire Combat Skill—Flame Dragon Armor

Formal-Level Fire Combat Skill—Blazing Slash

Formal-Level Wind Combat Skill—Gale Thrust

“This is a task with limited risks and exceptional rewards.”

That was the conclusion Punk reached after reading the mission briefing.

Undoubtedly, the mission’s rewards were generous. Including the spoils obtained after defeating Vick Swordsaint—the Wind-Bathing Punisher—the entire operation would yield up to five Master-Level items, along with at least two or three Formal-Level pieces of equipment! (No one yet knew about the “treasure” Vick had obtained from Kasparqi.)

Even if some of the spoils would be divided among his “teammates,” Punk, with his thirteen mage levels, was confident he could claim at least one to three of the items.

It was important to note that Master-Level magical items were exceedingly rare and precious—often, an entire Kingdom could scarcely produce a few. Throughout his journey, Punk had only managed to obtain one Master-Level Mage Robe after numerous life-and-death struggles. As for someone like Bloodclaw, who lacked both strength and luck, he couldn’t even produce a single Formal-Level piece of equipment.

This illustrated just how scarce and valuable Master-Level equipment was. Thus, even Punk was deeply tempted by the mission’s lucrative rewards.

Of course, such generous rewards came with risks. For instance, this Vick Swordsaint was likely even more formidable than Tisha Xia’er. Then there was the question of whether the Archmage “Silver Staff,” who had consistently aided Princess Trelinka, would willingly part with five Master-Level items. And what if… too many “Nightwalkers” participated in the operation, leading to internal strife over uneven distribution of spoils?

Punk wasn’t overly concerned about the first two issues. The first to risk their lives in a deadly clash with Vick Swordsaint would undoubtedly be the two Formal-Level professionals under Princess Trelinka. Moreover, Punk wouldn’t be the only one joining the encirclement and attack against Vick. Lastly, intelligence on this Sword Saint had already been thoroughly leaked.

According to Punk’s estimation, as long as three “Nightwalkers” besiege Vick General, they would have at least a seventy percent chance of victory.

As for whether the Archmage—Silver Staff—would pull a double-cross, Punk wasn’t too worried either. When the time came, he could simply take Princess Trelinka hostage and, combined with the powerful capabilities of the Haitzita Magic Box, ensure his escape from a Master-Level powerhouse with at least seventy percent certainty, regardless of what happened to others.

In truth, his greatest concern was internal strife arising from “uneven distribution of spoils.” If this issue coincided with the first two problems and erupted simultaneously, the likelihood of a total party wipe would rise to seventy percent.

Unfortunately, since most members of the Nightwalker Alliance belonged to evil alignments, the probability of such internal conflict was anything but small.Punk sat on the hard chair, fiddling with the Black Card as he carefully pondered. In the dark laboratory, only the agonized moans of the “test subjects” could be heard. Golem One, draped in a burlap robe, stood motionless behind Punk. Such an environment allowed Punk to concentrate intensely.

He deliberated for over five minutes, employing more than ten Divination Spells to aid his judgment. Finally, Punk reached his ultimate decision!

“Since an opportunity has presented itself, I must seize it. At the very least, I should go take a look. If the situation turns unfavorable, I can always retreat. Even if internal conflict truly breaks out…”

As this thought crossed his mind, the magical energy in Punk’s pupils began spinning rapidly. He clenched his fist, and bursts of magical light particles traced several sharp trajectories through the darkness. The formidable pressure of a thirteenth-level spellcaster abruptly erupted within the basement!

“If any fool dares to court death… let’s see who emerges victorious in the end.”

(End of Chapter)