Chapter 79: A Shocking Notification, End of the Mission

"He did it! Oh, dear Uncle, you're too awesome!" Leya said with joy as she ran out from the ruined woods.

"Haha, we actually completed such a terrifying E Rank Mission; I knew it was an excellent choice to join him, wasn't it, Illiak?" Quon said as he nudged Illiak's side with his shoulder.

Illiak lowered his head and mumbled, "We didn't do much... but um… well, y...yeah, I think it was good to join him."

"Huh? What was that Illiak? I didn't get that, can you say it more clearly?" Quon asked as he didn't hear much of what Illiak said.

"Nothing… nothing…" Illiak said while keeping his head down.

Looking at the lively scene, Herculean, who had gotten down from the tree, wiped the blood from his mouth, which had yet to close from his shock; he was still shaken up by how Marius defeated such a vicious beast.

'Even those newly emerging Famed Warriors of the D Rank would have some trouble fighting this beast, it would take a good bit of strategy and skill for them to kill it, but this guy treated it like it was some walk in the park, so crazy...'

Herculean thought to himself in disbelief.

Not minding the others, Marius, who looked at the corpse of the Silverback Mystic Ape, had a bright expression as he saw a notification.

_____

Ding!]

[You have defeated a Silverback Mystic Ape, you have completed your E Rank Mission, return to the Seeker's Union to receive your rewards!]

Ding!

[Converting Silverback Mystic Ape's life force into EXP.]

Ding!

[Host body has yet to adjust to mystic power, EXP has been stacked.]

Ding!

[Due to the concentration of EXP, the Hosts body adjustment phase has been accelerated.]

Ding!

[EXP has reached the threshold, no further EXP can be stacked, Host body adjustment phase is complete. The Host can now open the Advancement Trial Zone!]

_____

'Hahaha, talk about a blessing; it truly was as I'd anticipated, now I can strengthen further and better protect my family!'

Marius thought to himself while laughing, his fist tightly clenched as if trembling with excitement.

"Huh, what's with the uncle now?" Leya murmured with a strange look on her face, even more so as she saw him laughing like an idiot.

"It might be a type of victory ritual..." Quon said with a thoughtful expression; Leya frowned as she didn't think it was so.

Illiak, on the other hand, stared at Marius more intently, his eyes flickering as his thoughts remained unknown to all.

Marius paid them no mind; no one knew better than him the value of his current change and the benefits of strengthening at an accelerated rate. Though he didn't show it on the outside, he was, in fact, a bit concerned for his family, even more so after hearing Ria's details of her past and his entire family's current circumstances.,

As such, the faster he can improve his strength, the better he will overcome or resist the unexpected.

No longer dallying within his thoughts, Marius gestured towards the corpse and spoke to Leya and the others. 

"Well, we're done here, pack up our proof, and what's valuable, it's time to head home..." 

"Darn, he's treating us like porters again!" Leya cursed, but though she said this, she had already started to clean up the corpse.

"So what? We couldn't do anything in the end; we are stronger than him by at least One Star, from what I've sensed. Yet, his Inborn Skill can put him on a level comparable to those Famed Warriors," Quon said with a thoughtful expression on his face; he too was helping out; he had already received the prove, being the head of the ape.

Leya showed a curious look at this time; she had similarly noticed this fact; she spoke whisperingly, "Quon, what rank do you think his Inborn Skill is?"

Quon made a pensive look before giving up and replying with a helpless smile, "No idea, it's definitely not like ours; then again, we have yet to complete our mastery. It could be that instead of training his mystic power, he spent most of the years building a strong foundation with his techniques and Inborn Skill." 

"Hmph! I think it's the latter," Leya said, refusing to believe her Inborn Skill was lower than Marius.

Illiak though meek, also felt a bit the same; his face even had a slight look of not wanting to admit he was inferior.

"What are you brats doing? Hurry up, or I'll leave without you!" Marius's voice sounded from the side as he turned around and started to leave.

"Hey, wait up! We're not finished yet!" Leya said as she picked up her pace.

Quon and Illiak moved around flustered; Marius snickered at this and paid them no mind; his attention landed onto Herculean.

When Herculean saw Marius come over, he didn't wait but moved in front of him and bowed before speaking in a tone of gratitude.

"We meet again; I didn't think I'd end up being saved by a master like you; I sincerely offer you my gratitude."

Marius smirked at this and walked up to him; he then smashed his hand onto Herculean's muscular shoulder, a powerful force stirring him as he pulled in an upright stance and spoke.

"Don't mention it, it's nothing pal, come now, a man shouldn't lower his head so easily, rather than saying sappy words, let's wash it down with some drinks!"

Herculean was a naturally brute-like man by nature, so he knew 'brute -language,' he smacked Marius's shoulder with his hand as well and replied, "Haha, that's great! My brother, you're right; liquor is the only way for men to share gratitude, don't worry, I'll be paying for it. Might I ask, what's your name?"

Marius gave him a good look and answered, "It's Marius."

"Good to meet you, Sir Marius, the name's Herculious, but please… like my friends, call me Herculean!" Herculean said with a smile.

Marius seeing that his mood had recovered, asked, "Okay, Herculean, I'm curious, are you going to bury them?" 

When he said this, he pointed towards the corpses of the former comrades of Herculean. Herculean looked at them with a tinge of sadness in his eyes as he replied, "That's right, although we weren't that close, it was still my fault that they had fallen here; I should have never gotten so confident. Since I survived, the least I could do is offer them a comfortable place to rest."

Herculean didn't idle when he spoke but moved towards the bodies; he promptly gathered them and cleaned up the area.

Marius's eyes flickered at this, his eyes showing a recollective look as he saw Herculean moving the corpses of his allies. Soon, he found himself recalling a battlefield, an incredibly tragic one, filled to the brim with corpses from many forces. He alone stood at the center of this field, covered in blood and bruises, as he stared at a few faces he once called - friends...

As if he didn't want to think about it anymore, Marius forced himself away from those memories; he took a step towards Herculean while muttering to himself.

"Well, it's not that late; I'll help him out before we head back."

The scene here, though, one of victory, taking on a slightly somber mood as two large men neatly arranged the corpses of a dreary battle, putting their souls at ease.