Hidden Legend Mission!

The next day, after finishing their shift with the city guards, James and his group made their way to the mission hall of the Mercenary Association to hand in their tasks. Carmen, looking pleased, collected his mission reward; a hefty sum of over 150 spirit crystals. In stark contrast, James received a meager reward of less than 10 spirit crystals.

James raised an eyebrow as he glanced at the considerable amount of spirit crystals Carmen had taken, a bitter thought crossing his mind. "Old Man Huang was killed, but he barely had anything. For someone with that much power, he was pitifully poor."

What James didn't realize was that the treasure Old Man Huang carried wasn't a reflection of his wealth. The storage bag in question held only the recent spoils from robberies he'd committed, goods stolen in the days leading up to his demise. After all, someone flaunting the Art Hall's name would naturally have wealthy targets.

As if to rub salt in the wound, Carmen nonchalantly produced a stack of number plates from his coat and handed them over to the staff. James's eyes twitched involuntarily, there had to be more than a dozen plates in that pile.

The staff member at the counter was momentarily taken aback by the sight, but quickly regained composure. She extracted the rewards stored in the number plates and passed them to Carmen. He accepted the spirit crystals with satisfaction, then turned to James.

"Brother James," Carmen said, smiling, "wait for me for two hours. I need to step out for a bit."

With that, he tossed a spirit crystal to the staff member in charge of the passage, igniting the flames under his feet. In the blink of an eye, Carmen shot into the passageway, disappearing from sight.

James, still processing the speed at which Carmen vanished, muttered to himself, "In a hurry, huh? The ground must be burning under your feet to make you run that fast."

Left with some time to kill, James found an empty chair and settled in, casually observing the hustle and bustle of the mission hall. The place was alive with mercenaries and adventurers, all perusing tasks and planning their next moves. Among them were more than a dozen top-grade F-level warriors, but none radiated a presence that made James feel even remotely threatened. In fact, very few even possessed the ability to use Aura, which surprised him given their ranks.

As he scanned the crowd, his gaze fell upon a young girl seated not far from him. She had a striking figure, though her appearance was a bit disheveled. Her hair was messy, and she wore thick glasses perched on her nose. A lollipop dangled lazily from her lips as she concentrated on fiddling with a mechanical device resembling a notebook.

Perhaps sensing his gaze, the girl paused her work, pulled the lollipop from her mouth, and looked up at James. She offered a quick smile, waving the candy in his direction, before resuming her task with the machine in her hands.

James quickly averted his eyes, dismissing her. She was only a lower F-grade, lacking any aura that would indicate a threat. But something strange had caught his attention. When he had looked at the girl, his Life Harvest skill had unexpectedly grayed out on his panel, accompanied by a small notification: "No living being sensed. Skill cannot be used."

This piqued his curiosity. "there are powerful people hidden everywhere" he mused under his breath. "This place is full of surprises."

---

Two hours later, Carmen emerged from the passage, looking refreshed. "Sorry for the wait," he said with a grin. "Shall we go, Brother James?"

Without further delay, the two of them left the mission hall, making their way to an abandoned mine under Carmen's guidance.

As they entered the mine, James couldn't shake the strange, unsettling sensation that seemed to permeate the air. It was as if a faint, ominous presence was lingering deep within the cave, reaching out toward them. The further they ventured, the stronger the feeling grew, and soon, a wave of disgust began to bubble up from within James, emanating from deep inside his core.

His eyes briefly flashed red, and the instinctive hunger of his Life Harvest skill stirred. He opened himself to the energies around him, sensing the breath of life hidden in the corners of the cave.

"There's something here," James muttered to himself, his senses heightened. "Something... alive."

The mine was eerily silent, an unsettling quiet that hinted at something amiss. James, keenly attuned to the thirst for life, was astonished to find that not even a single bug scuttled through the dark tunnels. This absence only heightened his alertness.

With a swift motion, he extended his hand, summoning the Sickle of Death into his grasp. The weapon materialized as if pulled from the very shadows of the cave.

"The art of hiding martial arts?" Carmen observed with a mix of surprise and curiosity. He stepped closer, lowering his voice. "Brother James, have you sensed something unusual?"

James turned to him, momentarily caught off guard. Through his life perception, he noticed something alarming: Carmen's vitality was subtly fluctuating.

"83.54... 83.53... 83.52..." The numbers in his mind ticked down, each second revealing a slight drain.

"Do you feel that strange energy in this cave?" James asked, studying the vital energy coursing through his own body, which seemed far more stable than Carmen's.

Carmen hesitated, his expression shifting. Instead of answering, he raised a hand, motioning for James to back off. He then took a step back, positioning his body with practiced ease: left hand forward, right hand resting against his abdomen.

A surge of rich energy coursed through him, flowing into his open palm.

"Hah!" With a fierce shout, he clenched his fist. The air around him ignited, transforming into an intense flame that engulfed his hand, radiating heat like a miniature sun.

"Go!" Carmen shouted, driving his fist toward the depths of the cave. The flames erupted forth, a torrent of fire that swallowed the darkness, roaring toward the spot he targeted.

Boom! The explosion echoed through the cave, the force melting the stone walls into molten rock that dripped like wax from a candle. As the flames receded, a gaping hole appeared where the wall once stood.

Peering into the newly opened space, James's breath caught in his throat. Inside lay a brilliantly lit hall, dominated by an enormous, bizarre stone statue at its center.

"This is the ruin I mentioned," Carmen said, his voice low and urgent. "I felt this strange aura before, but now it's even stronger in here."

James nodded, the oppressive sensation intensifying with each passing moment. The source of the foul energy was undoubtedly emanating from that hall.

Suddenly, his mind was bombarded with notifications:

[Feeling the aura of the great demon. Please be careful.]

[Detecting the breath of the great demon. Opening hidden task: Dead Spirit Evolution - Ruler of the Night.]

A wave of urgency washed over him as the details unfolded:

[The Demon Clan and the Undead Clan are two of the most powerful races among the dark creatures. For countless years, they have waged war for dominance, their hatred ingrained in the blood of the Undead.]

[As a member of the Undead, how can we retreat in the face of the demon race? Even if we are only F-grade, we shall not falter before an A-grade demon! Today, we must embody the noble fighting spirit of our kind. We will fight to the death against this despicable foe!]

[Quest Level: Legend]

[Task Requirements: Defeat the A-grade top demon.]

[Mission Reward: Heart Method - Dark Night (Elimination upon failure).]

[Do you want to accept the mission?]

[Yes] [No (not selectable)]

James's heart raced as the weight of the mission settled upon him. This was more than a mere encounter; it was a call to arms, a test of his very essence as an Undead warrior. With a determined glint in his eyes, he turned to Carmen.

"We have to move," he said, gripping the Sickle of Death tighter. "This demon won't wait for us to prepare."

Carmen nodded, his own resolve solidifying. "Then let's show this creature what we're made of."

Together, they stepped into the unknown, ready to confront the darkness that awaited them.