A woman can be seen standing atop a towering cliff that is several kilometers high, the wind causing her cape and hair to sway vigorously.
She stood in the sunlight, her white armor gleaming with golden runes of magic. Her long white hair reached her waist, and she held a white staff in her left hand. The staff was adorned with several gems that shone brighter than diamonds, making it look incredibly valuable and strong.
She held a communication crystal in her right hand, which seemed to suggest that she had just finished delivering a message. The device promptly vanished, reappearing inside her space ring.
Currently, she is observing an enthralling view under the cliff. The river is shallow, white, and adorned with pebbles and big stones scattered a few meters apart.
The river originates from a waterfall that's a few kilometers high. From a distance, the river appears to be over eighty meters wide below the cliff. This is due to the fact that the opposite side of the cliff is a rocky mountain that's a few hundred meters high..
Despite the waterfall being kilometers away and surrounded by tall mountains, the woman has no trouble seeing it from such a far away distance.
As you look beyond the cliff and rocky mountain, you'll spot some towering trees that resemble banyan trees. These trees stand as tall as five hundred meters and feature long vines that dangle from their branches. You might also spot some magic beasts flying around the trees. Some of them are perched on long branches, while others are busy guarding their nests.
The white-haired woman kept marveling over the magnificent scene of nature for several hours, and only when she heard an emotionless voice sounding from behind her, that of a man, did she finally shift her gaze and turn her body to face the other way.
" The mission has been completed; our contract will be terminated as promised; here is the proof." He threw a head in front of the woman leisurely sitting on top of the tall cliff and turned around to take his leave.
But before he could even take a few steps, the woman called Lilith spoke," The emblem we gave you and the gold you have accumulated during the three decades you spent with us, Tom, you know how this works after all."
The fully armored man didn't bother to stop walking and only gave short replies to Lilith," I have destroyed the emblem, and about the gold, well, I'm keeping it with me."
Mathias couldn't see that Lilith frowned the moment he uttered the words, but even if she did so, he wouldn't care nor mind.
His words were absolute, and anyone who would try to defy him would meet the same end as every enemy he once faced.
" What happened to your spear Tom? Why are you carrying a sword on your back? Plus, your inju..."
Before the woman could even finish her last words, a foul wind blew upon the top of the cliff, tearing the helmet of Mathias and revealing his skinless terrifying face.
Right after, his hair began rapidly growing till it reached half of his back, swaying with the wind.
He vanished from his spot, but the moment he did so, Lilith's expression changed to that of an ugly one, as she soon noticed a sharp sword kissing her neck, just a few inches away from cutting her throat.
" What happened to me is none of your business! My next action is none of your business! My injuries are none of your business! Waste my time even a second more, and your head will be sent rolling!"
Right at the next moment, his figure could already be seen reappearing on the edges of the jungle a few meters in front of Lilith, his long sword on his back looked like it was never unsheathed out of its place.
But the white-haired woman knew what just happened, and the words she heard made her shiver, sending a cold chill running down her spine.
Even though her arrogance was always beyond the roof, and she placed no one in her eyes except her master, at this moment, all of that arrogance was nowhere to be seen; only fear was deeply attached to her face.
She didn't know what exactly happened with Tom, but he jumped from someone who always used to be stuck at the Body Strengthening Stage, which is slightly weaker than her, to someone who is at the Core Formation Stage.
The difference in one major realm was like the difference between heaven and earth in this world, and Lilith, who was only in the great mage realm, which is equivalent in strength to the Body Strengthening Stage, had no way of resisting Tom if he wished to kill her right here and now.
Even though she knew that her master would surely avenge her and kill Tom in a matter of days, she didn't wanna anger him this much any more than she had already done with her privy questions.
What use would it be to kill Tom if she was already dead?
It would be better if she swallowed this loss and later told her master about this sudden development.
After all, she was certain that her master would be interested in what happened to Tom, especially his skinless body that looked to be an injury impossible to heal.
As a matter of fact, Tom ignored all of her taunting words from the beginning, but only when she was about to mention that detail did he take action, which made her tread carefully on this path, letting him be for now.
' Did you really think you could leave our organization, like leaving your own house or what, just because you got suddenly stronger? Just wait till I go back to our headquarters.'
Killing intent was flickering out of her eyes the whole time, the image of someone threatening her in such a way made her fume with anger, and she vowed that she would take her revenge.
Meanwhile, Mathias had already crossed hundred of meters when Lilith was building her rage and protecting her arrogance; he stopped running, halting his steps, and took a white letter of mysterious origins out of his storage ring and checked the contents of his next mission once more.
Next mission: Make your way to the mountains of Irinas and deliver this letter to the hatchling true dragon.
Rewards: Unknown.
Punishment of Failure: Death.