Chapter 21: The First Mission

The subsequent tests were carried out without many issues. After all the commotion, the following results seemed somewhat disappointing, and except for a little girl who revealed the element of Álmos, most participants possessed the four primary elements or had no notable characteristics. 

Meanwhile, Li arrived at the square, ready to start his first mission. Amélie had already explained the basics he needed to know to prepare for the upcoming challenges. The instructor had taught the boy much more than just how to fight. Upon arriving, he noticed two people already examining the options on the mission board. 

"Akemi and... what was his name again?" Though, Li, not bothering searching through his memory. 

"Hey, kid! You finally made it; we need one more to attempt this challenge!" yelled the albino. The man didn't seem to care much. 

"A mission for three people?" Getting closer, Li looked at the board. The white-haired young man pointed to one of the spheres in the upper half of the wall. As usual, the description was short and ambiguous. "Where's the big guy? I think his name was Simba." 

"That arrogant jerk went on a mission alone!" replied the man. 

"Does he see himself as humble?" thought Li and Akemi, but they remained silent. 

Mission: The Nightmare of the Goblin King 

Objective: Prevent the destruction of the village. 

Difficulty: B- 

Requirements: Min: 3 | Max: 5 

Reward: 800p + Hercules Elixir 

Secondary Mission: ? 

"Why choose this mission?" Jihan asked, curious about it.

"Cost-benefit. This part of the board has a low price to be chosen, but the rewards are good, and the missions are theoretically easier. This one, for example, 'prevent the destruction of the village,' I suppose it could mean either eliminating a threat or ensuring the village survives an attack, nothing too complex," Akemi explained. 

After a quick glance at the options, Li came to basically the same conclusion. The objective was clear, though not very specific, which gave the group a wide range of possibilities to accomplish it. Due to the name and the condition to complete it, he assumed they might have to kill the Goblin King to prevent the village's destruction. 

"Do you know him?" Jihan whispered to Akemi, referring to the other man. 

The Half-Elf simply shook her head but didn't seem displeased. 

"Well, anyway, I don't want to waste time; do you plan to join us?" the albino boy hurried him. 

"Yes, let's get on with it; the less time we spend here, the more advantage we'll have." 

Since they agreed, Akemi took the orb, and they headed to the platform. 

"I haven't introduced myself yet; my name is Li Jihan." 

"Xu Wang, just try not to be too much of a burden, rookie." 

"Well, it's part of his personality; there's not much I can do." Not wanting to create trouble, Li just accepted the man's words and remained silent. 

Akemi crushed the orb in her hands, and a light enveloped them, transporting them from the hall. Unbeknownst to the group members, many eyes were on the first trio to take on a mission after the release. 

"Place your bets, gentlemen. How will they perform in the mission 'The Nightmare of the Goblin King'?" a more cheerful voice asked. 

A man in armor placed his hand on his chin, thoughtful, and soon replied: 

"It's an unusual mission, a trap, so to speak. It's not as simple as it seems and, in fact, can be considered a test of intelligence more than strength, which considering the participants' profiles... well, we can only wait to be sure." 

Everyone else paused to listen to what the man had to say, as he knew exactly what the challenge was about. 

"I heard this mission is based on one of your adventures, sir," the cheerful voice commented. 

"Yes, but it was a long time ago; I sincerely hope they don't have as much difficulty as I did... I'm curious to see which path they will take..." 

"Especially him..." he thought. 

Far from there, three people appeared in another setting. A wall made of wooden stakes converged into a large gate, where two men were on watch. As soon as they noticed the trio's arrival, they went on guard. 

"Strangers, identify yourselves!" one of the guards shouted over the gate. 

During the training, Amélie explained the basics of the mission system used in the testing phase. All the options were simulations of past events and pre-recorded memories in the participants' minds as they entered them. This way, the situation would feel more real, and the evaluation even more accurate. 

"We are knights sent by the order to deal with the goblin problem," Xu declared. "Open the gates!" 

The men above showed sudden dissatisfaction. Li quickly associated the movement of one guard's lips to discover what they were saying. "They only sent three people? It's the same as sending no one!" 

"They expected more people," Li whispered to the group. 

"How do you know?" Wang asked. 

"They just said so," he replied. 

"I didn't hear a thing; what is this kid talking about?" Xu thought to himself. 

"Are you going to let us in?" Akemi shouted. The guards agreed among themselves, and soon the doors began to open. 

Despite the young appearance of the trio, the "people" in the simulation suspected nothing, the mission was programmed so that all life forms saw the participants as their identification should be. In the case of the three youngsters, they were all seen as knights belonging to the ancient order of Babel, a long-forgotten group; only their physical characteristics remained similar to their real ones. 

As soon as they passed through the gate, they encountered a village in shambles. The wall of thick wooden stakes, which seemed impassable, was destroyed in several spots. Walking through the village, they spotted dozens of wounded that were being treated, and other dozens of bodies were being dumped into large pits, while mothers and fathers cried as the scarce soldiers clenched their fists, powerless to change what had already happened, merely hoping to survive another night. Additionally, hundreds of goblin corpses were burned in large bonfires, and even with so many fatalities, the fear on the local warriors' faces was clear, they were at a significant numerical disadvantage. 

"What happened here?" Li thought. "What a heartbreaking sight..." 

Shortly after, an older man, who seemed a bit better dressed than the rest, approached. To his left, a child with a dog in her arms played, probably the only smile alive in the whole village. On the other side, a warrior in supposedly white armor, now stained red with blood, walked nobly. 

"You must be the help sent by the order. I, Beldor, the village leader, humbly welcome you to our village Edremit... or at least what's left of it," the older man introduced himself. "As you can see, despite the people's efforts, the destruction is intense. I am sure Babel is aware of the threat that plagues us, so even though there are only three of you, there's no doubt you are more than enough to deal with the Goblins." 

"So that's what he was talking about," Xu Wang observed Li from the corner of his eye. 

Akemi perked up her ears, and Li straightened his posture. The old Beldor had left no gaps in his speech. While he criticized the order's stance on sending little help, he maintained appearances, praising those who came and removing the burden from himself. So, if they failed, the blame would be absolved from the village leader, who had already done his part. 

"I agree, there's nothing to worry about," Akemi declared, ignoring the man's provocation. "Now that we're here, the soldiers can be more at ease; we will resolve the situation as quickly as possible." 

"Perfect, why don't we go to the village center? You must be tired from the journey; I'll provide more details about the problem and let you decide how to proceed..." said Beldor. 

"Oh! How cute," exclaimed Li. The small dog left the girl's hands and approached him, sniffing him. Jihan extended his hand to pet the puppy. 

"Serves you right for touching that flea-ridden thing," Wang mocked. The puppy had bitten Jihan's hand and then ran back to its owner. 

"Sir, I'm sorry!" the little girl immediately showed concern, extending her hands to help the man. "He's usually very gentle with people..." 

"Maria, it's alright, I'm sure that for the powerful warriors of the order, a mere puppy's bite wouldn't cause any harm," the village leader reassured the girl. 

"Yes, yes, it's alright," Jihan said through gritted teeth while caressing his hands behind his back. "What sharp teeth!" 

"If that's settled, why don't we hurry, then? We have much to discuss..." said the chief. "Bator, please, lead the way." 

Easing the situation that had just occurred, the armored soldier cleared the path and asked the group to follow him, along with Beldor and the little girl who never left their side, carrying the puppy.