Neon’s settlement wasn’t the residential type. Every single person present inside was a worker of the Chain of Veylor organization, and they had all been killed.
As they walked out of the mansion, corpses littered the ground. They carefully navigated past the bodies, heading for the front entrance where the sound of fighting could still be heard.
"Anna," Gabriel called out.
She stepped forward and said respectfully, "Yes, master."
"I need you to handle the men on the wall."
"On it!" She nodded and dashed off into the distance.
Gabriel and the children waited quietly for a while. Soon, they heard sounds.
’Miss Anna—Agghhh!’
"Why are you attacking us?!"
BANG! BANG! BOOM!
"She’s a trait—!"
Some time later, there was silence, and Anna reappeared beside them.
"It’s done." She bowed.
Gabriel nodded his head in admiration. ’You can finally rest, big guy.’ he thought inwardly as he finally laid Grizzlenaught off from his duty.
Afterward, the group left the settlement and walked toward the train track. They encountered a few monsters, which were dealt with by Anna and Gabriel.
’I should stop ignoring my skills and use them more often if I want them to level up.’ he thought as they encountered some monsters.
For the next couple of minutes, Gabriel proceeded to use Dark Flame Orb, incinerating any monster in his path to ashes.
The elven children would cheer from time to time as if he had done something huge, which made a small smile appear on his face.
By the time they arrived at the train track, Gabriel checked the timer on his status and saw that only a few minutes were left before the train that dropped him off would return.
The entire rescue mission had only consumed a few hours. If they had been any later, they would have had to wait even longer for another train.
Some time later, the train arrived and picked them up. At first, the driver hesitated, but after Gabriel explained the situation to him, he agreed.
During the ride, the other passengers—adventurers—were all curious to know what a group of elven children was doing around this region, but none had the courage to walk up to the masked man to ask him.
---
"Y-you really did it." Edgar exclaimed in shock when he saw the children. He was stunned and speechless at the same time.
He had expected Gabriel to be killed, imprisoned, or better yet, turned into a slave and traded.
"You... actually pulled it off?"
Gabriel removed his raven helmet, revealing sweat-soaked hair and cold, electric blue eyes that gleamed with confidence. "Was there ever a doubt?"
"Yes, there was." Edgar nodded his head. "Initially, I thought you’d be killed, your body turned to minced meat, or you’d be turned into a slave who would live a life no different from a dog."
Silence.
The children looked at Edgar weirdly—even Gabriel was speechless.
Then Anna broke the silence, murmuring, "Oof, those are lots of details."
"In other words, you set me up?" Gabriel didn’t know if he should laugh or cry.
"Wrong. I just didn’t believe in you—there’s a difference between that," said Edgar.
Gabriel said nothing.
Suddenly, a soft tug on his cloak snapped his attention downward. The boy whom he had given food to earlier looked up at him, his eyes trembling. "W-will we be safe now?"
"Yes, you will," Edgar replied as he tapped both of his ears, and they turned pointy just like those of the kids.
Their eyes all lit up at once when they saw this scene.
At the same time...
[Ding! Quest Completed]
[+3 Levels Gained!]
[Ding! You have received +15 free stats]
After Edgar took the children to another room, he returned with a scroll.
[Reward Received: Random Epic Skill Scroll – Shadowstep]
Gabriel mentally noted the newly acquired skill but didn’t check its details yet. His eyes remained on Edgar.
"So... does this mean I’ve earned your trust?" he asked.
Edgar smirked and crossed his arms. "You’ve earned enough for me not to have you killed."
"How generous."
The older man laughed and gestured toward the door while saying, "Come back tomorrow. I’ll introduce you to some... interesting techniques you won’t find in your typical guild manuals."
"Thank you." Gabriel made a low bow and left with Anna trailing behind him.
As they left, Edgar’s gaze lingered on Gabriel’s back for a while. After he left, Edgar retrieved a crystal orb and, pouring mana into it, activated it.
When he did, the holographic figure of a majestic Elven beauty appeared.
"Edgar, why did you call?" the woman asked, her voice sounding displeased and her expression that of someone who had been asleep.
"Sorry for interrupting your sleep, Your Majesty." Edgar apologized respectfully.
Before this person, the cockiness he had displayed before Gabriel was nowhere to be found, and he seemed no different from an obedient servant.
"It’s about the children," he said. "They have been rescued."
"That’s very pleasant news." The woman’s expression lit up when she heard this. In an excited voice, she added, "You shall be rewarded accordingly for your efforts."
"Milady," Edgar whispered.
"What is it?" The mysterious woman frowned.
Edgar scratched the back of his head. "I wasn’t the one who rescued them."
"Another person rescued them again?" The woman frowned.
"Yes." Edgar smiled wryly.
"And let me guess—you want to ask me if it’s alright to teach him the Empire Military Art as well?" The woman sighed, resting her cheek on her palm.
Edgar grinned sheepishly. "Milady is truly wise."
The woman rolled her eyes. "You always do this, Edgar. You throw impossible tasks at people thinking they’ll die, but when they don’t, you suddenly want to train them."
"This time feels different." Edgar’s voice softened. "That boy... he’s not just strong—he’s stubborn. And something about him... feels familiar. I can’t place it yet, but I want to see how far he can go."
"You said the exact same thing for the last person." The woman facepalmed.
"Erhr, you’re right. I guess they are both special."
There was silence for a moment.
Then, the woman’s voice drifted out again. "Very well. You may teach him the basics. But remember, Edgar—should he become a threat to the Empire, you will personally handle him."
Edgar’s grin widened. "Of course, Your Majesty."
The crystal orb dimmed, and the connection ended.
The Elven Military Art... it was a fighting technique known only by the elite military men of the army. Once learned, a single existence could destroy a battalion of Awakened without relying on a single skill.
It was a technique not restricted to the Elven race alone, but they were the ones who created it, and there had only been a few cases where they’d bestowed it to outsiders.
"Let’s see how those two will interact... I bet it will be interesting." Edgar smiled as he turned and left the room.
...
Outside, Gabriel walked quietly through the streets with Anna behind him. Now that he was away from immediate trouble, he finally decided to check out his [Demonic Exorcist Class] and the boon they brought.
***
AN: Two Chapters for both books will be uploaded from next month! Thanks for supporting Extraction Talent!
New Goal:
100 Golden Tickets: 1 Extra Chapters.
500 Power Stones: 2 Extra Chapters