Chapter 114: Meeting an old acquaintance
Kayn spent a night on the small hobbit hole. He blocked the entrance and other holes with some grasses he had gathered around. And then lit up a small campfire inside to cook his food and provide heat for the cold night.
The next morning, as soon as he got out of the hobbit hole and surveyed his eyes in the surroundings, he soon notices dozens of bodies of monsters that got killed through different means.
Even without needing to look closely, Kayn could already guess that they have been hunted by monsters that are a lot stronger than them.
All of a sudden, an idea pops up in his mind.
…..
The Canyonside Town is already bustling with a lot of activities the moment Kayn arrived.
He was already registered to the Green Horn Village and received an Identification Card, so he simply showed the card to the guard at the gate and he was immediately granted entry.
If he had come from any other territories though instead of the Green Horn Village, there's no doubt that those guards would definitely thoroughly check on him.
As he walks through the street, a considerable number of people would glimpse in his direction. It wasn't because he is young though nor was it about the fact that he is a new face in this town. Instead, it's because he is carrying five monster bodies on his back.
"Excuse me, young man, are you perhaps looking for the market to see all of those?"
An old man suddenly approaches Kayn after noticing him looking around cluelessly.
"Yes, I want to sell what I've hunted last night,"
Currently, he has disguised himself as a hunter that went hunting last night. He made use of a few of the monsters that he found outside the hobbit hole and then made himself look the part in order to perfect the disguise.
The reason why he chose to disguise himself as a hunter is that almost all Villages and Towns in 'The Bridge' would welcome hunters into their territories. Of course, that's only if they have a clean background. Otherwise, only a few Villages and Towns would be welcoming them.
One of the intentions behind that is that hunters are one of the main providers of materials for their territories and also one of the biggest sources of income since most of the time they would simply spend their income on the services the territory provides.
"You can go straight here, and once you see a crossroads, you go right. Afterward, you go straight, and after some time, you'd be able to see the market,"
"Thank you," Kayn slightly bowed his head respectfully before going on his way.
Following the instruction of the old man, Kayn soon arrived at the market.
He looked for the stall that accepts monsters' carcasses, and as soon as he found one, he immediately sold all of the monsters.
In the process of selling, he didn't bother to barter for more profit since he only needed those monsters' carcasses for disguise. Moreover, those were just free loot anyways.
"If I remembered correctly, I can find missions a territory offers at their Barrack's bulletin board," Kayn muttered to himself.
With that in mind, Kayn asked one of the merchants for directions to the Barracks.
…..
As soon as Kayn arrived at the Barracks, he was instantly greeted by a long line of people from the bulletin board to the entrance.
"Has it always been this long?" Kayn asked himself.
"It always has been,"
Kayn turns to look at the person who responded to his question.
The man was wearing eyeglasses and seems to be in his mid-twenties. He is wearing a magician's robe and is carrying a wooden staff in his right hand, implying that he is a Mage.
"He is probably the earliest batch of people that entered 'The Bridge'," Kayn thought to himself.
"I guess I was being rude," The man scratches his head. "I am Jude, your name is?"
"I am Kayn," There is no need for him to hide his true name since Chief Kylo only recognizes his face. And even if the latter tries to get information about him from somebody else, they'd still not be able to provide his name because only the people he interacted with in the Green Horn Village know about it.
"If it's okay to ask, are you new in the Canyonside Town?"
Kayn nodded his head.
"No wonder," Jude rubs his chin. "I won't beat around the bush. I belong to a party that is currently lacking one person to fill in one spot to complete the first requirement to accept the mission. We don't require any exceptional person, we only need one that won't be a deadweight on us,"
"I understand where this is going. But how can you be so certain that I am not going to be a deadweight to your party?"
"Well…" Jude scratches his head before heaving a heavy sigh. "To tell you honestly, we've been trying to ask everyone that comes in through that door to join our party for the past week. We've probably asked more than fifty people already. And as you can see, we've failed to recruit all of them,"
That's to be expected. After all, no one would definitely join a random party, especially if the members of the said party know each and there just so happens to be a single spot missing.
"I know that we have met just a short moment ago, and you are definitely cautious and doubtful about our identity and intention. If you are interested, we can ask every single clerk that you choose in the Barracks to check the reviews of our party,"
"Let's put that aside for now," Kayn quickly interrupted. "Tell me what mission you want to accept first,"
The look on Jude's face right now is honestly so funny. It's as if he is looking at the only hope their party has right now so that they can finally proceed with the mission they have been wanting to complete for a week.
That is one of the two main reasons why he decided to give Jude a chance.
The second main reason is, he actually recognizes Jude.
Jude, also known as Judge of Fire Jude. He was a very famous figure in the future known for being one of the strongest Mages when it comes to using the fire element.
In the past, Judge of Fire Jude was one of the most loyal subordinates of Selena, the Empress of Flame, along with Leah. Unfortunately, contrary to Selina who only faked her death, Judge of Fire Jude died for real.
If he recalled correctly, Judge of Fire Jude was one of the people that were present at the time that Selina was said to have died. Most definitely, he was not lucky enough to survive whatever happened during that specific moment.
"I am afraid to say, but I can't say it. It's very confidential, that's all you have to know,"
"Then do you expect me to just accept it without knowing how dangerous exactly it is?"
"That…" Jude immediately realized his mistake.
"You actually don't have to tell me the exact detail of the mission. Instead, just assure me that it is not hard, that I would be safe, and that I can handle the mission just fine," Kayn decided to help Jude so that next time he would know what to do.
"How would I know that?"
"First, you ask them about their level,"
"What level are you, then?"
"I am currently at level 10,"
"Then what's next?"
"Are the monsters or whatever is in that mission something that a level 10 can handle?"
"Probably,"
"Where is it located?"
"Springwater Canyon,"
"Exact location,"
"Along the river of Springwater Canyon,"
"What a coincidence, I was also intending to look for a mission over that location," Kayn felt slightly surprised.
"Then it seems like we have the same goal. How about you just come with us, and maybe we can help you too,"
"Not yet," Kayn shook his head. "Lastly, what type of mission is it?"
"Just a scouting mission,"
"A scouting mission…" Kayn can't help feeling slightly suspicious of the intention of the person who posted this mission. He thought, "Perhaps he is looking for something else,"
"Now for the final piece of information, which in most cases, is what would make the person you are trying to recruit want to join you, what is the reward of the mission?"
The main reason why all of these Heroes have gathered in the Barracks is obviously not because it's their responsibility and duty to help, that they are bored and just want to do something, nor is it because they want to do a charitable thing and an act of kindness.
The exact reason is that there is a reward for completing the missions posted on the bulletin board.
If it wasn't for that, let alone these Heroes, even ordinary people won't bother to look at any of the missions posted on the bulletin board since there's nothing to gain from doing so.
Jude instantly understood the point of Kayn's question. With a bright smile plastered on his face, he whispered to Kayn, "We will be getting 5,000 coins,"
Kayn can't help blinking his eyes in doubt.
"I know it is very hard to believe, but through our connections in the Barracks, our friend, who is a soldier of the Canyonside Town, quickly hid that mission before it can be posted on the bulletin board so that he can give it to us,"
"As of this moment, he is still keeping it to himself, patiently waiting for us to gather enough members in our party,"
"Alright, I am in!"
Whatever mission it was, Kayn decided to find out about it later on. As of now, all he is thinking about is he doesn't want to let this opportunity slip by his fingertips.