Chapter 224: Mission

“Was that the new sword technique you just practiced?” Looking at the chaotic scene, he asked Rodhori with a complex expression.
He hadn’t stopped paying attention to this guy these past few days; on the contrary, he watched his practice every day. He noticed that Rodhori had been repeating a brand-new sword technique, one he had never seen him use before. Moreover, Rodhori’s progress was astonishingly fast. On the first day, he seemed clumsy and unremarkable, but by the second, third, and now fourth day, his improvement surprised even him.
What had seemed like an ordinary technique had developed tremendous power after just a few days of practice. He couldn’t fathom the mystery behind it—the endless variations. Sometimes, Horri would wonder silently: if he encountered this technique in battle, what were his chances of winning?
The answer he came up with made him ashamed—only five layers. That meant he only had a mediocre chance of countering its attacks. After all, he was at the advanced stage of the Imperial rank, with years of experience gained from surviving life-and-death situations. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him a quasi-saint-level warrior. Yet Knight Rodhori was merely a newcomer who had entered the Imperial rank just a few days ago. Even so, he wasn’t confident enough to block this attack! What did this imply? It meant Rodhori’s strength had far surpassed the early stage of the Imperial rank and reached a much higher level!
“Mm, not yet proficient. Need more practice! Why did you come here? Is there something?” Rodhori asked skeptically. This guy hadn’t shown up in front of him these past few days, so his sudden arrival made Rodhori think of the saying, “Those who come without reason always cause trouble.”
“Get ready. We’re leaving tomorrow to carry out a mission. Rest well today!” Horri said softly, looking up at the setting sun.
“Leaving for a mission? What’s going on? What kind of mission?” Hearing this, Rodhori’s spirits plummeted. He had no idea about any mission, nor why he should be involved. He didn’t seem to be a member of this organization! This arrangement filled him with confusion and a hint of displeasure.

“As ordered by my master, he should explain it to you tonight. I’m just passing on the message!” With a bitter smile, he said helplessly to Rodhori. He really didn’t know how to answer Rodh’s questions. Speaking too much could reveal mistakes, so it was better not to say anything at all.

“Also, your technique is quite strong. I’m not sure how to deal with it next time. If you become more proficient, it might be very useful!” Seemingly remembering something, Horri said shamefacedly. If Knight Rodh still claimed he wasn’t proficient with such a technique, then what would it be like once he became proficient? He couldn’t imagine it.

“I’m leaving now. You should rest well too, not stay lost in thought.” His good mood was ruined by this news. With a hint of dissatisfaction, Rod headed toward his room.

“Who’s there?” As soon as he entered his room, Rod shouted loudly. Under the light of the setting sun, he saw someone sitting at his desk, back to him! Someone had sneaked into his room, and he only noticed when he entered—this made him gasp. If this person had intended to harm him, he would likely already be dead.

“It’s you! What do you want? I won’t go on that mission. I’m not part of your organization; there’s no need for me to help you!” But soon he recognized that the person in front of him was the man in black, though today he was wearing gray clothes. Yet even in this attire, Rod felt a sense of familiarity. That back seemed familiar, and he had seen it more than once! Rod was sure he had met him before. That sense of familiarity made it seem like some idea was about to surface in his mind.

“You’re back. You’ve practiced well these past few days. You must go on the mission tomorrow. I’m sure you’ll be interested. The opponents are Nightingale, Silverwing, and the other two. Weren’t you looking for them? Here’s your chance to take revenge! Interested?” Hearing Rod’s shout, the man turned to look at him calmly, as if he already had him in his grasp. It was still the silver mask, but now it seemed especially annoying to Rod.

“Them? Why would you attack them?” Slightly stunned, Rod asked in confusion. He hadn’t expected the targets to be these people. Was there some grudge or something? They were members of the Dark Organization. Didn’t this man fear offending the Dark?

“The Red Mark assassination team, composed of these four people, has carried out 171 missions over the years—40 minor missions and 131 major ones—without a single failure. The only failure was at your hands. Heh, you’ve become famous too! Rest assured, this is a fight to the death—either you die or they perish. Otherwise, this grudge between you will never end. If you don’t want to be haunted by others all the time, you’d better join this mission. As for me, I have no particular goal; I just want to eliminate this scourge! Decide for yourself whether to go or not. I’m leaving now. If you want to go, get ready. Meet in the courtyard at dawn tomorrow. Four people will accompany you—Hori will lead them!”

The man paid no attention to Rod’s attitude. After speaking indifferently, he glanced at Rod with interest before walking out, leaving Rod standing alone at the door.

It was a frustrating feeling. It made Rod feel as though his every thought was exposed to the other man, like a naked girl in front of a pervert, as if he were under the other man’s control.

“Damn it!” He cursed violently, walked over to the table, and sat down, deep in thought.

Clearly, after learning the goal of this mission, he became interested and really wanted to join. But the other man’s words and tone made it hard for him to swallow his anger!

“Damn you, bastard!” After an unknown amount of time, he cursed fiercely, stood up, and began packing his belongings. After some hesitation, he decided to go—hatred ultimately triumphed over resentment.

……

Dawn was breaking, and Rod had already arrived in the courtyard. The cool air at dawn made him tighten his clothes. As agreed, Hori and the others should be arriving soon. Waiting quietly, Rod still felt somewhat dissatisfied.

Suddenly, four figures rushed forward from ahead and arrived at Rod’s side in an instant. The leader was Hori, accompanied by three men in their late twenties. Standing side by side, each of them had an unremarkable appearance—the kind that would go unnoticed in a crowd.

Their eyes were cold and calm, as if nothing could distract them. That coldness was natural, forged over years of experience.

“You’re here. Let’s go!” Hori glanced at Rod, smiled faintly, and then spoke to the men beside him.

“By the way, put this on first!” Immediately, Hori took something out of his bosom and threw it in front of Rod before speaking.
Rod instinctively reached out to grab it. Upon closer inspection, it was a human skin mask—a very delicate one, far superior to the one he was wearing now, with an even more effective disguising effect.
Understanding what he meant, Rod without hesitation put on the mask right away. It transformed him into the appearance of a frail scholar, with a somewhat pale complexion and a delicate look, as if he could be knocked over with just a gentle push. It was truly a convincing disguise.
Following the others, they quickly headed outside. Once on the street, which was deserted, they moved swiftly in the quiet surroundings. It didn’t take long before they reached the outskirts of Iron Bar Town. The fact that they encountered no trouble under the cover of the mask relieved Rod somewhat.
Outside the town, a carriage was already waiting. They got on the carriage and rushed off into the distance.
“Seven days for the round trip, one day for the mission. We need to be back here in eight days. This beast tide is a bit strange; it’s likely to erupt again during this period!” Hori reminded them while watching them from the carriage.
Eight days was a tight deadline, meaning they couldn’t afford any mistakes, otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to complete the mission.
“A beast tide? What exactly is going on?” Rod had heard about this since the day they entered the city, and hearing it mentioned again today only increased his confusion.
“A major beast tide occurs every ten years. The so-called beast tide is when the magical beasts in Collins Forest, driven by some force and led by a powerful beast, attack Iron Bar Town. The scale is unimaginable! It’s extremely dangerous. The losses and deaths caused by each beast tide are beyond imagination. The entire continent unites to fight back; otherwise, if Iron Bar Town falls, disaster will strike.
Today is the year when the ten-yearly beast tide occurs. However, the beast tide that was supposed to happen a few days ago didn’t occur, which is strange. That’s why the empire, the continental alliance, various powerful figures, and rescue teams are still concentrated in Iron Bar Town, ready to deal with any potential crisis at any time!
If necessary, we need to step in and help. We can’t let those beasts enter human settlements! Time is tight—no one can afford to make mistakes!” Hori sighed and explained Rod’s confusion, feeling worried and fearful even he, who was so strong.