Chapter 9: Unexpected Events

  A new day arrived. Kiita woke up before everyone else, as usual. After waking, he diligently began waking Nitaan. His large, thick tongue splashed over Nitaan’s face.

  Nitaan gently stroked Kiita's head before getting up to survey his surroundings. There was still no movement from the other tents. Even though he is not a morning person, he still loves the peace in the morning.

  Birds had begun to fly. The sounds of insects rustling through the grass and the sounds of wild animals beginning to hunt—all sorts of sounds began to fill the forest, a sign that the forest was also waking up.

  Nitaan turned to see Elder Grai standing beside Injan's tent as usual. Even his posture and expression were the same as the night before. When Nitaan moved, Elder Grai glanced at him briefly with an emotionless face.

  Did this old sag even get any sleep?

  Nitaan started brushing Kiita's fur while thinking about the things he had to do today.

  According to the schedule, today we would venture deeper into the forest, where Learner level devil beasts are more abundant. Injan target must be higher level Learner. What a pain…

  Even though the mission only states Learner level devil beast, but Learner level devil beasts range from 1 to 5 words. In principle, hunting just three 1-word Learners would be enough, easy and convenient. Nitaan glanced at the other adventurer’s tent.

  The fact that Injan carefully selected people with so much skill and experience means he's probably not aiming for the easy way out. Nitaan sighed.

  The alpha thorny-tail wolf from yesterday was a 2-word Learner. Even though he praised us, he didn't collect any evidence of hunting it. Does that mean Elder Grai is the one keeping records? Or is a 2-word level hunter not good enough?

  Aiming for 3-word Learner…? Yeah, that makes sense, but if that's not possible, he'll probably use the 2-word Learner as well.

  Being a high-ranking noble is tough. Nitaan scratches Kiita’s belly to chase away his lazy thoughts.

  If it's just dealing with 3-word Learner there shouldn't be a problem. Those four adventurers are strong enough to handle it, same for me and Kiita.

  But if we encounter 4-word Learners... Nitaan's eyes gleam.

  Fah, Prai, Arun, and Ratri were all awake. The four of them chatted casually after getting out of tents.

  “The hardest thing about camping in the forest is not being able to take a shower. When I get back, I’ll stretch my legs and soak in a hot bath for 3 hours.” Fah complained.

  “We’ll all get all wrinkled.” Arun laughed.

  “As for me, when I get back, I should stop by Uncle Chai’s grilled pork stall. Since I ate barbecue yesterday, now I’m craving more.” Prai patted his stomach.

  “Once I get paid from this job, I think I’ll get a new bow. A bow made from five-striped pine wood sounds very interesting,” Ratri added.

  “What do you think Nitaan will make for us tonight? Last night’s meal was the best!” Fah smiled.

  “I don’t know, but I’m definitely going to ask Nitaan to make me more than yesterday. Last night’s portion was way too tiny!” Ratri’s eyes lit up.

  Nitaan, who was some distance away, twitched his eyebrow for no reason.

  “Good morning, everyone.” Injan stepped out of the tent. His clothes were smooth, his face clean and clear, and a faint, pleasant scent wafted from him. He was spotlessly clean, just as perfect as when they first met in Silalai town. Injan maintained the image of a wealthy young gentleman perfectly.

  Seeing this, Nitaan glanced down at himself, still wearing his favorite hoodie, his hair disheveled and untied. He secretly laughs at himself.

  “We’ll continue our journey in 15 minutes.”

  “Our goal today remains the same: hunt Learner level devil beast. If possible, we’ll avoid 1-word and focus on 3-word. However, if we encounter a 2-word, we will attack if the situation permits.”

  bulleyes.

  “I think we should travel a little further northwest to get closer to the center of the forest, instead of heading towards the other side.”

  When Injan mentioned the other side, everyone’s faces paled simultaneously. Everyone knew that the other side of the forest was the Warped Ravine, a forbidden zone for humans. Even Enlightened had little chance of survival entering there.

  “Entering the central forest increases the chances of encountering high-level devil beasts. And of course, if we encounter them too frequently, I’ll compensate you with extra payment,” Injun explained further.

  “Given the strength of our group, handling 3-word shouldn’t be a problem. Therefore, I want to focus primarily on 3-word.”

  “We could also hunt more than the mission’s quota. I’ll definitely pay you extra.” Injan continued his lengthy explanation.

  The four adventurers quickly nodded in agreement. Hunting devil beasts outside their target group is common. Adventurers can’t possibly ask all the devil beasts in the forest to go to sleep for hours to avoid them.

  Encountering other devil beasts is therefore a bonus for adventurers, especially if they contain valuable materials and are also not too dangerous.

  A generous employer like Injan is a rare find, so none of the four had any problems with it.

  Even yesterday, Injan gave all the fangs and the tail of the alpha thorny-tailed wolf to others and did not bother with his own share.

  “But in the event we encounter a 4-word.” Injan fell silent, sweeping his gaze across the four adventurers before settling on Nitaan.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “We’ll try engaging in combat. If it’s not too strong, I ask everyone to use all your power to kill it.”

  This time, it was the adventurers who fell silent. Killing a 4-word Learner devil beast wasn’t impossible for them, but it was also very risky. Sacrificing one or two lives was possible. Asking them to use all their power was like telling them to reveal all their cards.

  Injan took a deep breath before continuing.

  “If you succeed, I’m willing to pay you three times the amount. I can’t guarantee everyone’s safety, but in the event of unforeseen circumstances, you can escape on your own immediately without waiting for my orders.”

  The adventurers remained silent, exchanging glances, before Prai spoke up.

  “With all due respect, we have no problem with hunting additional devil beasts, and the contract we signed before accepting the mission already covered this. However, challenging a 4-word is not included in the contract.”

  “It was I who decided to increase the amount today after seeing your abilities. I understand that altering the contract like this is inappropriate, but since I see a chance, I will do my best to grab it.”

  “I am confident that I can pay all of you sufficiently. And of course, this is not an order. You all can withdraw. I will still pay the full amount.” Injan explained with a serious face.

  Prai looked at Injan’s face for a moment. He couldn’t detect any trickery or deceit, only honesty and unwavering determination.

  Prai turned to look at his teammates before smiling.

  “No problem at all. If possible, a slight increase in our starting reward would be appreciated,” the four adventurers smiled.

  “Certainly,” Injan sighed in relief.

  “And what about you, P’ Nitaan? Of course, you can withdraw immediately as well.” Injan turned to Nitaan.

  “I have no problem with that either. If anything really happens, I’ll be the first to escape,” Nitaan chuckled.

  “Tell us an escape route first before you do that.” Arun teased.

  “P’ Nitaan, Have you found any new tracks?” Injan asked.

  “There are a few weak devil beasts ahead, but if we go to the northwest, there’s something interesting.” Nitaan glanced at Kiita before answering.

  “About 1 kilometer away is a lake with a diameter of about 300 meters,” Nitaan continued.

  “Sorry to interrupt, but we can’t fight underwater devil beasts.” Fai raised her hand and said.

  “I can’t either.” Nitaan laughed.

  “The interesting one I mentioned is the Water Vortex Monkey. About 2 meters tall, with a strong, muscular build. It's a solitary animal, not living with a herd."

  "It possesses a trait derived from its species: a water whirlpool. It can manipulate water to swirl and attack enemies. It becomes stronger when near a water source."

  "During one of my patrols, I found a 3-word Water Whirlpool Monkey nesting nearby. I know one of its Words of Power, 'Size Shrink.' It can shrink itself, increase its agility, or reduce the size of anything it touches to a certain degree. The effect is short. Against a fellow Learner, it only lasts a few seconds. But being shrunk to the size of a 15-year-old child during a fight is no joke." Nitaan explained at length.

  "It usually stays in its cave all afternoon to sleep or play in the whirlpool. There are no other Learner devil beasts within a 200-meter radius."

  "That's all I know."

  Everyone listened to the detailed information with admiring eyes.

  "Head of Special Patrol unit, Nitaan Wongjantra." Injan smiled broadly.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  “Arun, restrict its hind legs. Prai, distract it from the front!” Injan’s clear and distinct voice echoed throughout the area.

  Soon, a large spear imbued with spiritual energy pierced the neck of the Monstrous bird. The shockwaves from the spear penetrated its body.

  The bird trembled, a hoarse cry of agony echoing towards the sky. Bright red blood splattered everywhere. Numerous formless arrows pierced its body like dummy targets.

  Prai raised his hand and grabbed the bird’s neck, pulling it to the ground. Many roots sprouted from the earth, tightly wrapping around its neck.

  Injan rushed in at the perfect moment with a silver knife in his hand. The silver knife glowed faintly before expanding into a long, sharp silver sword, plunging into the bird’s neck.

  The Monstrous bird thrashed about desperately, hoping to defy fate and survive this life-threatening situation. Another powerful force suddenly slammed down. It was Kiita who rushed in, pinning the monstrous bird's head back to the ground, immobilizing it.

  Injan seized this opportunity, using all his strength, plunging his long silver sword through the giant bird's neck. Blood gushed out, its ferocious eyes losing their spark before its body slumped to the ground, stopping its resistance.

  Fah thrust her spear into its heart once more. The shockwave crushed its heart.

  "Now that's all three." Prai released his roots, hoisting his giant shield onto his back.

  "The alpha thorny-tailed wolf, the water vortex ape, and the monstrous bird—two 3-word Learners and one 2-word Learner." Fah smiled, pulling her spear from the bird's body.

  "As for the ten other devil beasts, those were all taken care of along the way," Arun added with a smile.

  "As promised, the mission is complete. I will definitely pay you extra," Injan smiled broadly.

  “It’s a little disappointing that we didn’t encounter any 4-word.” Ratri shook her head.

  “It’s a pity, but since we couldn’t find any, that’s that. This result is already excellent,” Injan nodded.

  “Honestly, I’d like to try fighting a 4-word Learner as well. With members of this caliber, the chances of success are pretty good. Even if we fail, it’ll be a good experience,” Prai added.

  “Who knows, we might get lucky on the way back,” Arun commented.

  “I’m not sure if encountering a 4-word counts as luck,” Nitaan laughed.

  “The beak can be sold for around 3000 Gaia. There’s no need for my share.” Injan smiled.

  “Let’s rest for a while, then we’ll head back to Silalai town. If we don’t encounter too many obstacles, we should reach the town before dark.”

  Everyone nodded in agreement. Prai took on the task of butchering the ingredients. Fah and Prai found places to sit, wiping the blood from their weapons, while Nitaan and Ratri kept an eye on their surroundings. Everyone efficiently carried out their tasks.

  Prai and the others were pleased that their mission was accomplished. Although they were used to spending the night in the forest, they couldn’t help but miss soft beds. The only positive thing was that the food Nitaan carefully prepared, using exotic ingredients, was far tastier than the dried food they usually ate.

  The period of peace was short-lived. Kiita looked up at the sky, sniffing, baring its fangs, and making a low growling sound towards the edge of the forest. Nitaan seemed to sense something, his brows furrowed before he spoke in a low voice.

  “It seems we’re quite lucky,” Nitaan’s voice drew everyone’s attention.

  “About 200 meters away, Kiita initially didn’t find any traces. It’s as if it just suddenly appeared. I guess it might have burrowed up from the ground,” Nitaan said, his voice strained.

  "Underground? moles or rats devil beast?" Injan frowned.

  "A scorpion. Judging from its shell and scent, it's likely a Purple Cloud Scorpion. It possesses a trait from a species that can concentrate lightning in its tail and release it. It has potent venom, a hard armor-like shell around its body, and giant claws—a real killing machine." Nitaan took a deep breath.

  "From the scent and its size of over 3 meters, it might be a 3-word, but Kiita said it's dangerous, so I think there's a higher chance it's a 4-word." Nitaan finished explaining.

  Everyone fell silent before turning to look at Injan. Injan was the leader of this mission and their employer, all decision-making is his job.

  Injan lowered his head in thought for a moment, then looked up at Nitaan.

  "P'Nitaan, do Purple Cloud Scorpions have servant beasts or packs?"

  "No, Purple Cloud Scorpions, like most 3-word, are solitary, not relying on a pack or herd." Nitaan replied.

  "What's the environment like around there?"

  "Are there any other devil beasts higher than 2-word within 500 meters?"

  "No, the area is a small basin, mostly dry mud. There's relatively little grass and trees, making it difficult to ambush. Judging from how it's digging itself up, I suspect it's preparing to hunt again. It's at its most ferocious state."

  This time, Injan turned to Prai.

  "Do you think you can handle its attacks?"

  "Attacks from its giant claws aren't a problem, but the lightning released from its tail is quite dangerous. My shield is made of high-quality metal, an excellent conductor. But I can probably withstand the lightning for a few times." Prai said implicitly.

  "As for the poison, no chance," Prai said with a wry smile.

  "Arun, can you protect yourself from the poison?" Injan asked Arun.

  "If I get injected directly, I'm no better than Prai," Arun answers.

  "But I can prevent it from injecting the poison," Arun continued with a smile.

  "Purple Cloud Scorpion uses its poison by injecting it directly from its tail. It can't shoot poison directly, so just blocking its tail is enough," Arun said.

  Injan smiled again at Arun's confident demeanor.

  "For that thick shell, Fah’s power is a sure win since her impact destroys from within. But we can't be sure it will be as effective as we hope. If we don't have a way to destroy its shell, we'll have to resort to a prolonged battle," Injan muttered.

  "It's possible. Maybe not to destroy the entire shell, but I can render a part of its shell ineffective," Ratri said.

  Injan looked at everyone for a moment before sitting down on the ground, picking up a small piece of paper and a pen, and scribbling many characters on it. He mumbled to himself, his mind racing to consider various possibilities and formulate a plan that would maximize the chances of success.

  After a while, Injan stood up, exhaling softly. "I was absolutely right to hire you all."

  "Besides the triple pay increase, everyone prepare your stomachs! After this job is done, we'll have a big party at the Tea Cup restaurant," Injan eyes sparkling.