【Ding! Weekly Commission has begun generating.】
【Commencing retrieval of the number of letters collected by the Host.】
【Retrieval time remaining... 6 days, 23 hours.】
【Would you like to end retrieval immediately and begin the Weekly Commission?】
“End it.”
【Ding! Your weekly Messenger tasks have been updated.】
【Ding! Weekly Commission has been updated.】
【Content: Escort 512 replies back to New Covenant City and deliver the letters into the hands of each designated recipient.】
【Route: Caran City → Audo Canyon → Black Demon Forest → New Covenant City.】
【Time Limit: 14 calendar days.】
【Commission Completion Conditions: Signing rate exceeds 70%.】
【Basic Reward: For every letter delivered, reward x1 random Novice Magic.】
【Extra Reward: Slight increase in magic control precision and mana capacity (Reward based on distance between stations).】
【Risk Warning: Demon activity in the regions passed through is as high as 90%; rumors suggest Legendary demons are mixed among them.】
I never imagined that I, who could escape from the eyes of a Legendary demon, would almost die because I got too ahead of myself.
After crawling out of the cow pen, Lin Gui collapsed on the ground and plucked the straw clinging to his hair.
Recalling the scene just now, he felt a lingering fear.
As expected, I’ve been suppressed for too long.
The excitement of soaring through the sky had completely released the pressure accumulated within his heart, which had been closed off for nineteen years.
From above the clouds, he could see the enchanting sunset glow, but down on the ground, night had already fallen.
Lin Gui quietly gazed at the twinkling stars in the sky.
“Thanks, system. You saved my life.”
【Don’t look down on system rewards next time~】
【By the way, Host, do you have any regrets?】
“Regrets about what?”
【You forgot that back in New Covenant City, you took on many letters outside of the commission.】
【If you had refused them then and waited until you departed from New Covenant City again...】
【You could have obtained at least 400 more Novice Magic spells...】
It was true; if he could randomly get a few more Levitation spells to increase his familiarity, Lin Gui’s strength would improve significantly.
Levitation perfectly complemented the Shroud of the Gloomy Night, compensating for the latter's biggest drawback of being unable to move after casting.
Thinking about it that way, his loss was quite substantial—over 400 skills.
But as for whether he truly felt regret...
Lin Gui let out a light chuckle and replied.
“Why would I regret it? That was what I intended to do from the start.”
【...】
“Alright, time to get to work. I’m full of energy now!”
After recovering a bit of mana, Lin Gui stood up.
Following the path back, he found the bag he had tossed onto the ground.
Fortunately, the location was quite secluded, so the letters inside hadn't been lost.
Pulling out a blood-stained envelope from within, Lin Gui remembered that the reward for this quest seemed to be...
A random special magic?
The task was simple: just give this letter to the Captain’s wife, who was a staff member at the Adventurer's Guild.
“System, can you introduce this special magic?”
【Host, don’t you already have a special magic on you?】
Ah—a magic like the Shroud of the Gloomy Night.
Lin Gui’s interest was piqued, but he also felt a sense of unease.
Since coming to this world...
Everything he possessed had been obtained through numerous hardships, difficulties, and failures.
His current magical strength and the self-created magic he could be proud of, the Shroud of the Gloomy Night, were results of the steps he had taken one by one.
Yet now, he was seemingly obtaining things so easily...
There couldn’t be a trap in this, could there?
With an anxious heart, Lin Gui set out to deliver the final letter in Caran City.
Unexpectedly, up until the moment the task completion prompt appeared and the reward was credited, nothing had happened.
The Captain’s wife knelt on the ground, weeping.
The receptionist leaned over, squatting down to comfort her.
The surrounding adventurers, having heard the news, couldn’t help but lower their heads.
Captain Barnard’s death had been confirmed.
There was still no news of the other six Gold Rank adventure groups, but... no one held out hope.
The usually bustling Adventurer's Guild was now shrouded in a gloomy haze.
Lin Gui didn’t feel much; being an adventurer was a profession where the death rate exceeded fifty percent.
He had seen death far too many times.
Yet this ordinary scene was shattered the moment he stepped out the door.
Before he even had time to adjust to the dim light outside...
A squad of fully armored guards silently surrounded him, their cold metal spaulders glinting in the twilight.
Their movements were coordinated as they blocked every possible path of escape, and the atmosphere instantly grew tense.
The squad leader at the front stepped forward, his face stern and his gaze sharp like an eagle.
His eyes swept over Lin Gui before settling on the bulging messenger bag on his back.
“You are that messenger?”
The leader’s voice was low, devoid of any emotion.
Lin Gui’s heart skipped a beat, but he maintained a calm expression.
“That’s me. Is there a problem?”
“We received a report that you are connected to the final letter of the Gold Rank adventure group leader, Barnard.”
The leader’s words were clear and cold.
“That group and the seven collaborating teams have been confirmed wiped out deep within the Black Forest, with no survivors.”
He paused, his gaze becoming even sharper.
“However, according to multiple residents, you have been traveling closely with a silver-haired, red-eyed half-demon in recent days.”
“Coincidentally, that half-demon is... the sole survivor of this incident.”
The surrounding air seemed to freeze.
The leader took a step closer, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, his voice lower but even more threatening.
“Now, please explain why the final letter of the fallen Captain was delivered by you?”
“And why are you acquainted with the sole survivor?”
“What exactly... is your connection to the annihilation of the adventure groups?”
Before Lin Gui could respond to the guard's questioning, the suppressed atmosphere around them was suddenly ignited.
“A half-demon... is it that ‘Crimson Thorn’ Theia?!”
A burly adventurer among the onlookers slammed a fist onto the wooden table beside him, knocking over his tankard as ale poured out.
“I knew something was wrong with her after she came back from that mission!”
“Captain Barnard and the others were wiped out; why the hell is she the only one who lived?”
Another scarred archer spoke in a shrill voice, filled with undisguised suspicion and rage.
“And now she’s hanging out with some messenger of unknown origin!”
“I’ve heard that betrayal runs in the blood of half-demons!”
“Who knows if she and this guy worked together from the inside to lead the Captain and the others into a trap!”
Malicious speculation and accumulated grief instantly found a vent.
All those suspicious, angry, and uncomprehending gazes were like tangible blades, pinning Lin Gui in place.
Outside the entrance of the Adventurer's Guild, the originally solemn atmosphere abruptly turned sinister.
Several impulsive adventurers even instinctively gripped the hilts of their weapons as they slowly crowded in.
They formed a second, even more unstable perimeter with the guards.
In the distance, the Captain’s wife, who had received the testament, also had suspicion in her eyes.
The guard captain frowned, seemingly wanting to maintain order.
However, seeing the brewing storm before him, he temporarily chose to remain silent.
He merely stared even more vigilantly at Lin Gui, who was at the center of the storm.
Facing the sudden surge of hostility and the accusations that threatened to swallow him whole...
Lin Gui’s expression darkened completely.
He ignored the spittle almost hitting his face and the malicious glares.
He suddenly raised his head, his gaze locking onto the leading guard captain.
His voice rose above the noisy clamor, so cold that not a single ripple could be heard:
“Put that nonsense aside for a moment.”
“Tell me, where is Theia now? How is she?”
His question caught everyone by surprise.
There was no defense, no panic.
The focus of his concern was actually on that half-demon who was currently being condemned by everyone.
Rate on N.U.
