Chapter 1355 First Expedition [3]

Chapter 1355 First Expedition [3]

The Norn Family was openly hiring mercenaries that could pass their tests, so Damien didn't need to do too much digging to find what he needed.

The only real requirement was combat power. Everything else was relative, and things like unity were completely unnecessary. There was already the Norn Family's personal army among the participants, so the mercenaries were being treated more like meat shields than anything else.

Though, Damien didn't care much.

The reason he chose this task out of everything else wasn't that complicated. He wanted to form a connection with the Norn Family, and if possible find himself an audience with the Sapientia Clan.

If he could get that far, finding ways to gain experience wouldn't be difficult and he'd have an umbrella to shield him if the need ever arose.

He didn't doubt that he could've gone straight to the Veritas Clan with Yulia if he just asked, but that wasn't what he wanted.

He had to think things through. In the Heavenly World, "Damien Void" wasn't a nameless genius.

He was a high-level figure of Void Palace. Even if he himself didn't consider it so, others weren't the same.

If he took a favor from the Veritas Clan without knowing anything about the ongoing circumstances, how would that reflect on Void Palace?

Whether the Veritas Clan was a hostile power or an ally, he couldn't accept favors easily when his decisions had so many implications.

Instead, he had to stack up favors from others, so that when the time came for him to see his birthright for the first time, he could approach with confidence and a name that others couldn't look down on.

Naturally, forming relationships with other forces was a great way to do this.

'I didn't think about it, but maybe the Saint Emperor's memories made me more conniving.'

Those memories had engrained themselves in his psyche and subtly changed his thinking, allowing him to make informed decisions with more accuracy and caution than ever before.

And with that caution in mind, Damien made his way over to the designated location to apply as a mercenary.

It was a martial field roughly ten kilometers away from the Norn Family's main residence. From the employer family, there was a strange old man, a woman roughly Damien's age, and a man who looked like the middle ground between them.

They watched and vetted the participants as they fought against members of the Norn Family's army. Not all those who won would be selected, and sometimes, even if the challengers lost they'd be recommended for the party. The original content can be pinpointed to n0v3lbin•

Damien arrived as another nameless mercenary without even the credentials to prove his qualifications. He watched amidst the crowd as person after person was chosen.

The Norn Family group was interesting, but that was granted since they were the employers.

'That woman looks around my age but her soul is a few hundred years old. Is that the standard of geniuses in this place?'

Geniuses in the lower universe reached Divinity after several thousand years, and geniuses in the Heavenly World did the same in a quarter of that time at most.

'Where does that leave me?'

The guy who reached Divinity in less than a century...

'...wow. If I wasn't me, I'd want me dead expeditiously.'

Damien smiled wryly.

The expedition was set to take place in three days, so he had some time to prepare, not that there was really anything to do.

'But since I do have time, I should use it properly.'

Asteron was a melting pot. With so many people coming from all over the place, there was no shortage of geniuses in the city.

'Three days, huh...'

Damien smiled to himself.

'Then, let's spend three days properly understanding the standards of these higher world existences–'

–was what he said.

But really, truly, honestly, if one looked into his heart...

He just wanted to beat some people up to relieve his boredom.

It seemed the status of an average man had affected Damien, because his demeanor as a peak genius had completely left him.

Instead, he was reverting just a bit to that man he used to be, who didn't have to worry about responsibilities and put his own fun over everything else.

Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing...?

Only the Heavens knew at this point in time.