Chapter 108: Chapter 107: The Miserable Hawke

With a figure of such power presiding over this place, it was no wonder they could keep the situation under control and force the various factions to maintain a basic level of order.

Just as he was preparing to go see the mission hall, a familiar and haggard figure stumbled out from the direction of the medical station.

The man’s left sleeve was empty, his face was ashen, and his eyes had lost their former spirit. It was Hawke.

"Hawke?" Ian hurried forward.

Hawke looked up blankly. When he saw Ian, a flicker of light sparked in his eyes before quickly dimming again. He forced a smile that was more like a grimace.

"Ian... you’re still alive. That’s good."

Ian supported him and saw that not only was Hawke’s left arm gone, but he also had numerous unhealed wounds on his body. His aura was faint; his injuries were clearly severe.

"What happened? Where’s the Third Cleanup Squad?" Ian asked in a low voice.

With a pained look in his eyes, Hawke began to recount what happened, his words halting and sporadic.

As it turned out, there was a High Level Apprentice named Gard within the Third Cleanup Squad. He came from a Wizard Clan, had an overbearing personality, and was extremely powerful, approaching the Tier One threshold.

During a joint cleanup operation, Hawke’s and Gard’s teams simultaneously discovered a small pack of injured Nightwalkers, among which was an elite one about to advance to Tier One.

Hawke’s group was the first to strike, severely wounding the elite. But Gard suddenly interfered, stole the final blow, and claimed he had been the one to lure the Demon there, so the spoils of war belonged to him.

Hawke argued his case, but Gard attacked him directly. They clashed briefly, but Hawke was no match for him and was severely wounded by Gard’s Corrosive Witchcraft.

The Official Wizard in the squad favored Gard, lightly dismissing the incident as a mere "internal dispute."

Still recovering from his injuries, Hawke’s reactions were a half-step too slow during a subsequent cleanup mission. He was ambushed by a lurking Demon, and his left arm was severed at the root.

Although he managed to survive, his strength was greatly diminished. The team saw him as a burden and ultimately arranged for him to be sent back to the main stronghold with the other wounded to perform whatever simple tasks he could still manage.

’Gard...’

Ian silently repeated the name. His eyes were calm, but he committed it to memory.

He took out some Healing Potions and Stable Spirit Recovery Potions, pressing them into Hawke’s hand.

"Heal your wounds first, and make it back alive. The people at the rally point are still waiting for you."

Hawke clutched the Potions, his eyes turning red as he nodded emphatically.

"Ian, thank you... You have to take care of yourself, too."

"I know." Ian patted his good right shoulder. "Get some rest."

Watching Hawke’s stooped figure walk toward the barracks, Ian turned and headed for the mission hall.

’In this place, without strength, you can’t even get basic fairness.’

The warzone’s mission hall was a spacious stone building. The interior was brightly lit by glowing Crystals embedded in the walls.

In the center of the hall, a massive, three-dimensional map made of Energy hovered in mid-air.

It marked the known Demon Nest distributions, Demon activity zones, danger Levels, and the approximate locations of the various cleanup squads within a radius of hundreds of miles of the Rotting Moss Cave.

Surrounding the map were dozens of mission Light Curtains, constantly scrolling with updated information.

[Scouting Mission: Investigate the types and number of Demons inside the "Poisonous Mist Rift Valley" northeast of the Rotting Moss Cave. Reward: 20 Merit Points, 200 Magic Stones. Recommendation: Team of at least three High Level Apprentices.]

[Cleanup Mission: Annihilate the newly discovered Fungal Beast Swarm in the "Worm Mud Swamp" area (estimated 30+ individuals, including a Tier One Leader). Reward: 200 Merit Points, 800 Magic Stones, one Tier One Protection Scroll. Recommendation: To be led by an Official Wizard.]

[Collection Mission: Obtain complete Shadow Silk Threads (10 or more) from a "Shadow Weaving Demon." Reward: 300 Merit Points, 1000 Magic Stones, one consultation opportunity for Tier One Witchcraft.]

[Bounty Mission: Kill the "Soul-Devouring Demon" confirmed to have appeared on the outskirts of the Rotting Moss Cave (Tier One Peak, specializes in Spiritual Attacks). Reward: 500 Merit Points, 2000 Magic Stones, exchangeable for one guidance session with a Level Two Wizard (limited time).]

...

The missions were dazzling in their variety, with vast differences in difficulty and rewards.

The hall was bustling with people. Wizards and Apprentices formed long lines to accept missions, submit proof of completion, and redeem rewards. Amid the clamor was an air of efficient lethality.

Killing one of the lowest-level Demons was worth one Merit Point, equivalent to 10 Magic Stones.

Killing a Tier One Demon was worth 100 Merit Points. As for Tier Two Demons and above, Ian didn’t know yet; there was no information of that kind available at the moment.

’Magic Stones are easy to earn, but Merit Points are hard to come by.’

Ian went to the back of the line for submitting proof of completion.

When it was his turn, he placed the leather pouch filled with Abyssal Crystals on the counter.

The Wizard Apprentice behind the desk finished counting, then took Ian’s Demon Hunting Jade Token and docked it with a stone disc covered in Runes.

The Jade Token vibrated slightly, and its color visibly deepened a shade.

Ian took the Jade Token back and immersed his Spiritual Power in it.

On the back of the Jade Token, dense, minuscule points of light appeared, representing the Tier Zero Demons he had killed. There were so many that they almost merged into a luminous mist.

In addition, nine much brighter star-like points were scattered among them—those were the Tier One Demons.

At the same time, a piece of information flowed into his mind: [Merit Points: 1968 (Tier Zero Demons: 1068, Tier One Demons: 9)]

’I wonder what level these Merit Points put me at among the other Apprentices?’

He then quickly browsed the missions, and after considering his own capabilities, he soon selected a few targets.

His body had been enhanced by the Limit-Breaking effect of the Rock Bear Potion, and he also possessed the Earth Vein Resonance trait. His Endurance and recovery rate were astonishing, and his close-combat abilities far surpassed those of an ordinary Wizard Apprentice.

He had achieved meticulous control over several commonly used forms of Instantaneous Witchcraft and methods of spiritual protection.

His Energy Shield had even undergone Secondary Limit-Breaking, giving it a defensive power comparable to some Tier One Defense Witchcraft.

Plus, with Gaga hidden in the shadows, who possessed Shadow Jump and the Omen Eye...

’As long as I don’t run into a swarm of Tier One Demons or a Tier One Peak-level existence, my safety should be guaranteed.’

Ian stood before the mission hall’s Light Curtain, his gaze sweeping over the scrolling lines of mission info, but he didn’t step forward to accept one immediately.

He turned, walked out of the hall, and blended into the bustling crowd in the square, beginning to carefully observe the operational Rules of the stronghold.

The central Rock Fortress was a restricted zone, and the barracks area radiating out from it was clearly stratified by rank.

The closer one got to the fortress, the more orderly the buildings became and the denser the Protective Runes. The residents were clearly Official Wizards or Apprentices with powerful backgrounds.

The outskirts, on the other hand, consisted of crude stone houses and even tents, crammed with "Free Persons" like him who had just completed their basic missions.

Ian walked toward a stone house with a plaque that read "Residence Management Office."

Inside sat a middle-aged Witch with a lazy expression. She wore the badge of the Silver Ring on her chest, and her aura was around the level of a High Level Apprentice Peak. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"I’m applying for a long-term residence," Ian said.

Without looking up, the Witch tossed a dusty Stone Slab at him.

"Look for yourself. They’re priced by zone, paid for with Merit Points, and billed monthly. You can’t buy a residence here with Magic Stones."

Ian caught the Stone Slab and infused his Spiritual Power into it.

[Outer Zone Simple Stone House: 10 Merit Points/month. Note: Basic protection only. No silence features, no Purification.]

[Middle Zone Standard Single Room: 30 Merit Points/month. Note: Includes basic soundproofing and simple Warning Runes.]

[Inner Zone Independent Residence: 80 Merit Points/month. Note: Silence Barrier, Warning Runes, basic elemental filtering.]

[Core Zone Cultivation Room (Official Wizards only): 200 Merit Points/month. Note: Independent protective formation, adjustable elemental environment, Middle Level Purification effect.]

’The prices really are steep, and they only take Merit Points.’

Ian now had nearly two thousand Merit Points. It seemed like a lot, but if he wanted to live in a residence with a Purification effect to support his Cultivation, the expenses would be enormous.