"E-Excuse me! Everyone, please calm down and form an orderly queue! Students who have already assembled a team can come up to register with me first!"
Standing on a small wooden platform temporarily set up in front of the mission board, Yelena stood on tiptoe as best as she could, shouting at the top of her lungs toward the teeming, clamorous crowd of students before her.
However, her voice was so feeble amid the boiling waves of sound that it was almost completely drowned out. The vast majority of students remained immersed in excited discussions, recruitment shouts, and bargaining, completely ignoring the petite Disciplinary Committee member's pleas.
After all, it was rare for the academy to issue a large-scale, high-reward practical subjugation mission.
According to the mission description, participating students could not only earn generous gold coin rewards based on the quantity and level of undead slain, but those could also be directly converted into precious academic credits!
For students who were financially strapped or had mediocre grades in certain theoretical courses and desperately needed practical credits to compensate, this was undoubtedly a golden opportunity to turn their fortunes around!
Spurred by the immense incentives, the square in front of the mission board had long since morphed into a chaotic, fanatical talent market and party-recruitment fair:
"Any rich guys or gals out there who aren't short on cash and just want to gild their kill records?! Top-tier hero guard available! Dedicated to escorting you safely, clearing areas efficiently, and giving all the combat credit to you! DM for prices, satisfaction guaranteed!"
"Super team of fifteen led by third-year veterans! Well-balanced lineup, tons of experience! We're only missing fourteen sturdy, reliable front-line meat tanks! Requirements: thick-skinned, tanky, and no lower than LV 20! Bring your own gear and potions, loot distributed by contribution! First come, first served!"
"Top-student team from the Department of Alchemy, specialized in handling undead remnants and negative energy! Now recruiting two powerful magic DPS users, preferably fire or wind attributes! We provide full potion support and post-battle purification services! Generous rewards, limited spots!"
"Sisters-only team recruiting! Girls only, no stinky men! Goal is safety first, steady point-farming! Already have stable healing and support! Looking for a few more reliable sisters to slack off together... ah no, work hard together! Say no to grinding, keep it harmonious and friendly!"
All kinds of voices blended together, creating a clamorous wave of heat that threatened to blow off the roof. Everyone was trying to find the most reliable teammates or sell themselves for the best price.
Listening to the shouts echoing back and forth around them, Silvia gently tugged on her friend's sleeve beside her, a trace of concern in her pink eyes as she softly suggested:
"Victoria, this is our first time taking part in an official subjugation mission outside the academy, and the targets are undead... It sounds a bit frightening. Why don't... we join a larger, more experienced-looking team? That should be much safer."
In the past, cautious Victoria might have adopted Silvia's suggestion without hesitation. Playing it safe, taking steady steps, and coasting along with a large squad to reap some experience and academic credits would have been her most likely choice.
However, having survived life-or-death battles in the second layer of the dungeon and soared in level—her strength surging to LV 28—what burned in Victoria's gray eyes was no longer just caution, but a desire for self-proof and a spirit of challenge so intense it nearly overflowed.
She was no longer content with merely being a slacker riding coattails, getting a slice of the pie under the protection of a large group.
She was going to go big!
She wanted to prove that even without relying on anyone's special favor, she, Victoria, could rely on her own strength to stand out and make a name for herself in this large-scale mission!
"No!"
Victoria shook her head, her tone resolute, even carrying a hint of eager excitement.
"We'll form our own team and act independently!"
"B-But..."
Silvia blinked and reminded her, "The mission rules state that a party needs at least three people to register. Right now... we only have two. Should we... go call Senior Greg along as well?"
She instinctively brought up this most natural option.
"Call Greg?!"
Victoria reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, shaking her head rapidly with her voice pitching up a notch. "No! Absolutely not him this time!"
"Why?" Silvia asked, puzzled, her pink eyes filled with confusion.
In her eyes, having Senior Greg join them would offer an immense guarantee for both safety and mission efficiency.
"Because... because he's still recovering from his injuries right now!"
Victoria's eyes darted around as she quickly conjured an excuse:
"Besides, think about it. When we saw him earlier, he looked like he was thoroughly enjoying himself, so it's best if we don't disturb him for now, right?"
Hearing Victoria mention Greg recovering from his injuries and enjoying himself, the gentle smile on Silvia's face vanished instantly, as if a thick shadow swept deep within her pink eyes.
She lowered her head slightly, a few strands of silky pink hair falling down to conceal half her face. Her lips moved silently, seemingly muttering some extremely faint words, and the aura around her turned inexplicably cold for a moment.
Although Silvia's reaction was a bit odd, seeing that she had successfully diverted the topic, Victoria inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
She naturally wouldn't reveal her true reason.
Call Greg along?
What a joke!
Victoria vented wildly in her heart:
If that guy comes along, with his monster-like strength, wouldn't clearing out these ordinary undead be as easy as chopping vegetables?
The entire mission would probably turn into his personal solo show, with us just tagging behind to pick up loot!
Where would be the sense of participation in that?
How could I prove myself then?
Furthermore, with his personality of squeezing every penny, after the mission ends, the lion's share of the rewards would definitely be swept away by his sophistry again!
Now that I finally have a rare chance to operate independently, how could I let him take a piece of the pie again!
This time, I'm going to take the top spot!
I'll let everyone see that I can stand on my own two feet!
Victoria grew even more resolute in her mindset.
However, she also realized that Silvia was right—the mission really did require at least a three-person party to participate, which meant they were still short one person.
This vacant third spot couldn't just be filled by any random person.
A teammate who was too weak would drag them down and increase risks, while a teammate with bad character might cause conflict during loot distribution.
Therefore, she needed to find someone with decent strength who at least wouldn't drag them down, and ideally someone who wasn't overly stingy about gains.
Just as Victoria knitted her brows, scanning the noisy crowd while her brain rapidly filtered through potential candidates—
A beautiful figure that seemed completely out of place with the surrounding noisy environment parted the crowd and walked gracefully right in front of her and Silvia.
It was a blond girl.
She wore a neatly tailored academy uniform with a thin, off-white long trench coat over it. Her long blond hair shimmered with a soft luster in the morning light, her azure eyes resembled a tranquil lake, and the corners of her lips held a perfectly measured smile—friendly yet maintaining a subtle distance.
Her posture and poise were flawless, as if she were not standing in a chaotic mission square, but about to step into a high-class social banquet.
"Hello, you two Class A first-years."
The blond girl's voice was clear and pleasant as she initiated the greeting, her gaze lingering politely on Victoria and Silvia's faces.
"I am Catherine Roman, second-year. Seeing you standing here for a while, are you considering taking part in this suburban undead subjugation mission?"
Rate on N.U.
