Chapter 120: Bandits
[B-Ranked Quest!]
[Quest: Eliminate the Bandits]
[Details:
A group of armed bandits is attacking merchants along the forest route outside the city. Eliminate or capture them.
Required party size: 3-5 members
Rewards:
Team leader: 400 credits.
Members: 650 credits/team member.
Deadline: 7 days
{Enter your party details to check the eligibility}]
---
[B-Ranked Quest!]
[Quest: Harvest Thunder Lilies]
[Details:
The Academy Alchemy Department requires fresh Thunder Lilies, a rare herb that blooms only during thunderstorms in Stormhill. The area is inhabited by electro-elemental beasts. Harvest 20 mature Thunder Lilies and deliver them without damaging the flowers.
Required party size: 1-2 members
Rewards:
Team leader: 350 credits.
Member: 200 credits.
Deadline: 5 days
{Enter your party details to check the eligibility}]
---
[B-Ranked Quest!]
[Quest: Exterminate the Goblin Camp]
[Details:
A goblin camp has rapidly expanded near Oakshade Village, with reports suggesting the goblins are preparing coordinated attacks on nearby settlements. Eliminate the Goblin Chieftain and destroy the camp.
Required party size: 4 or more members
Rewards:
Team leader: 500 credits.
Members: 1,600 credits/team member.
Deadline: 10 days
{Enter your party details to check the eligibility}]
---
"Hmm... all of these quests sound interesting," Vlad murmured as he browsed through the different B-Ranked quests that had been unlocked on his Manaphone after he was promoted to Squire Grade.
His thumbs moved swiftly across the screen as he entered the party details for each quest.
[Quest: Eliminate the Bandits]
[Party Leader: Vlad Lumberjack
Party Members: Chloe, Noah Silva]
[Submit]
---
[Quest: Harvest Thunder Lilies]
[Party Leader: Max Caldren
Party Member: Vlad Lumberjack]
[Submit]
---
[Quest: Exterminate the Goblin Camp]
[Party Leader: Vlad Lumberjack
Party Members: Chloe, Noah Silva, Max Caldren]
[Submit]
---
Just like that, Vlad submitted the party details for ten B-Ranked quests that he found the most appropriate. The glowing screen dimmed before disappearing back into his storage ring.
He had to wait two days after his promotion to Squire Grade for Chloe to unlock the Mana Blade as well. Besides, it was the weekend, so he did not need to worry about skipping classes while completing the quests.
---
"Damn it! How did I get dragged into all of this?" Noah muttered, his face contorted in annoyance as he sat at the front table beside Max in the cafeteria. Around them, the usual chatter of students echoed through the spacious hall.
Chloe and Vlad sat opposite them, both invited by Vlad to discuss the quests.
"Well, you can’t blame anyone that you don’t have enough credits to even pay for your meals," Vlad shrugged, slipping the phone back into his pocket.
His words only caused the frown on Noah’s face to deepen. If not for his empty account, he would have never accepted Vlad’s offer to create a temporary party with him. The other students avoided him because of the incident he had caused last year, and most quests did not allow solo parties, so he had little choice if he wanted to survive.
"Alright then, we’ll start with the Bandit quest since Max needs to prepare for the Thunder Lilies quest," Vlad explained, his tone excited yet serious.
He turned to Max before continuing, "Max, I’ll return by noon. I hope you finish your preparations by then."
"Gotcha, bro!" Max replied with a thumbs up.
Noah, Chloe, and Vlad left the academy, reaching Velarum City through the Convocation Hall. The illusionary door at the end of the short stone pathway shimmered faintly beneath the morning light. It allowed them to leave the academy only after they scanned the code displayed on their phone screens that they had received upon accepting the quest.
The code granted them permission to leave for twelve hours. If they failed to return before the deadline, they would have to pay a fine. If similar incidents happened repeatedly, their quest licenses might even get revoked.
They had only just begun walking along the stone-paved streets of the city, bustling with horse-drawn carts and elegantly dressed pedestrians, when Chloe gently tugged at Vlad’s sleeve.
"We couldn’t eat food in the city when we first arrived here," she said, a hint of hidden excitement lacing her voice. "Can we eat after finishing the quest?"
Vlad’s eyes drifted toward the tallest tower in the city, the very same tower where he had gone on a date with Seraphina. The shattered windows had already been replaced, and the restaurant appeared to be back in business.
"Sure we can," he replied with a gentle smile.
The trio entered a mutton shop whose owner had commissioned the quest to the academy.
After gathering the necessary information regarding the number of bandits, their exact location, and their estimated strength, they prepared accordingly before leaving the city. Soon, they arrived at the stone pathway leading into a dense forest a few kilometers away.
"It’s been a long time since I wore the clothes of commoners," Noah said, adjusting the backpack resting on his shoulders. He wore a plain linen shirt, skin-tight trousers tucked into high boots, and a bandana that concealed his silver hair.
Vlad wore a similar outfit along with a heavy backpack. Meanwhile, Chloe was dressed in a knee-length sleeveless skirt. Her hair, usually tied into a high ponytail, flowed freely all the way to her lower back, enhancing her beauty several folds. Her skirt was neither as plain as what commoners would wear nor as extravagant as the dresses of high nobles. She looked like the daughter of a wealthy merchant family.
"Vlad, can I wear my trousers under the skirt?" she asked, her knees pressed together. "It will be difficult fighting like this."
"You have no sense of fashion," Noah retorted before Vlad could answer. "What idiot wears trousers under a skirt?"
"You are the last person I want an opinion from, Stinky White," Chloe replied, giving him a judging glance.
"What beef do you have with m..."
"Let’s go. I’m fine with it," Chloe said, cutting him off mid-sentence as she walked ahead.
"Don’t take her words to heart," Vlad chuckled, patting Noah on the back before following her.
"Damn it, one day I’m gonna make these two regret their tongue and actions," Noah muttered, clenching his fists as he stepped forward.
The trio entered the forest with Chloe walking in the middle while Noah and Vlad stayed on either side as though they were her bodyguards escorting her safely through the woods. To anyone watching from afar, they appeared completely ordinary, possessing nothing that made them stand out.
The reason for their disguise was simple. No person in their right mind would dare mess with students from Arcane Academy, an institution that accepted only those with exceptional talent. Not to mention, many of its students belonged to influential noble houses.
They had only reached halfway through the forest when two arrows whistled from the high branches on either side of the dirt path, one aimed directly at Vlad and the other at Noah.
Both immediately drew their swords from their storage rings, cleanly striking the incoming arrows out of the air.
"Oh, you seem sharper than you appear," an amused voice echoed through the trees as four men emerged from the bushes on either side of the path. Their faces were hidden behind masks, while numerous scars stretched across their chests, forearms, and backs.
Two more remained perched on branches roughly fifty meters away, their bows already drawn and arrows aimed directly at the trio.
"This is the territory of the Hungry Hounds," one of them declared as they unsheathed their swords and pointed them toward the trio. "We keep the wild animals away for the safety of travelers. You must pay a protection fee."
"Then why did you attack us?" Noah demanded, his tone sharp as he glared at them with his gem-like blue eyes.
"Not our fault. We thought you were a group of wild animals," the bandit shrugged mockingly.
"They are all full of shit," Noah snapped, unsheathing his sword from its scabbard. He was about to charge when Vlad tapped him lightly on the shoulder.
"How much do we need to pay to pass?" Vlad asked, his question causing Noah to flinch.
"Why do y..."
"Calm down, let me handle it," Vlad said, cutting Noah off mid-sentence.
"Haha, so there is someone with a brain among you," the bandit laughed. "We would have let you go for five gold coins, but that pretty friend of yours has already raised his sword at us."
His eyes narrowed as a grin spread across his face, one that not even the mask could conceal, as he declared, "Leave everything you possess here... along with this lass. You see, since we stay in the forest, we don’t get many women here, not to mention one as beautiful as her. My brothers are quite hungry, so bring her to u..."
Before he could finish his sentence, blood splattered across the ground as a sword pierced through his cheek from one side and burst out through the other.
"I have heard enough," Vlad muttered, his crimson eyes glaring coldly at the bandit.