Chapter 16: Mission preparations
Edward frowned slightly when he saw the contents inside. He had received instructions about the Cursed Lands and Dungeons before, when Professor Owen was teaching him.
He was very familiar with the information about the beasts inside both and their complexities, and he also understood the difficulties of traveling through a dungeon and a Cursed Land, both of which were very different.
The content here was simple, but extremely difficult.
There was only one line written.
"Bring me three heads of Fire Death Knights."
It was simple to understand, but in the simplicity of a mission lay its difficulty.
’Three Fire Death Knights...’ Edward clenched his fingers on the parchment.
It was difficult.
’But, according to my information, it’s not impossible to kill them.’ He thought and looked up.
"These are the same knights that, depending on your cunning, even a novice can kill, right?" he asked.
Owen nodded. "You should all know their weaknesses very well; it took us several classes to cover them."
"I understand." Edward nodded and rolled up the scroll and tucked it into his clothes. "I’ll be back soon," he said.
He stood up, gave a respectful farewell, and left.
Owen stood watching him from behind.
’It’s the most difficult mission that has ever been issued within this cursed land. You’ll have to be cunning, but you should remember that the danger in that place is not the beast, but the cursed energy. How will you endure it? It was our second class, little Lux. Remember it slowly,’ he thought and smiled before disappearing among petals of fire.
-
Edward walked through the city, heading for its most prestigious shops. More precisely, he was heading for a building called The Alchemy Tower, which was across the street from where he was standing.
’Second class, it was ten thirty in the morning when Professor Owen said it clearly. A low-level Cursed Land is dangerous because of its energy, not because of its beasts. I also remember very well that he mentioned the Cursed Resistance Pill, the only way for us novice Beast Masters to withstand that cursed energy,’ he thought.
’The problem is its cost. He didn’t say anything about it, but I remember hearing rumors that they could cost hundreds of Yakins and even thousands,’ he thought.
Professor Owen would never have imagined that Edward, upon arriving in this world, would first try to memorize everything the old Edward had learned about the Beast Masters and other important things.
He engraved it in his mind so thoroughly that he now remembers it with the exact date and time. So he was aware of the difficulties of a Cursed Earth.
The problem was that he didn’t have enough money. At best, he could buy more than five Cursed Resistance Pills, but the best-case scenario was always unlikely, so he couldn’t rely on it.
’Fortunately, I have a sword and don’t need to buy any, so I’ll only have to worry about potions and pills,’ he thought.
He gripped the sword hanging from his waist, covered in a sheath that hid all its peculiar beauty, and hurried across the street.
He soon entered a building over five stories tall, which stood out among the others in the vicinity.
As soon as he entered and took a few steps, one of the receptionists greeted him.
"Greetings, student. May I ask what you are looking for?"
"Potions and Pills," Edward replied, and looked at her. "Do you have Cursed Resistance Pills?" he asked.
The young lady smiled gracefully. "Of course. There is no other establishment in the city that has them as good as ours. Please follow me."
As she led him to another place, Edward was enchanted by the luxuries of this place.
"They compare to the luxuries of the elderly building. But unlike there, where you feel the pressure and can’t enjoy them, here, there is only a little warmth that comes from everywhere, camouflaged by the air from the fans, and makes you feel alive," he thought.
"Sir, these are the qualities we offer for the different types," said the young woman, pulling him out of his reverie. "Their duration and also the type of Cursed Lands in which they can be effective."
Edward focused his gaze and looked first at the prices. He didn’t care about the rest; for now, he needed to know if he had enough money for a few...
’A thousand yakins...’ He frowned when he saw that the first one he looked at was already so expensive.
So he decided to look at the next one...
’2,500? Damn, what does it have, precious stones?’ He shook his head and continued looking.
But he quickly realized that the first one he had seen was the cheapest... Some exceeded 100,000.
He was forced to go back to the thousand pills...
’A thousand... Too expensive,’ he thought, frowning.
-Works on all types of Cursed Land of any attribute.
-In Rank C Cursed Lands, they last 15 minutes and are 30% effective.
-In Rank D Cursed Lands, they last 30 minutes and are 60% effective.
-In Rank E Cursed Lands, they last 1 hour and are 100% effective.
The Cursed Lands are divided into ranks or levels, from Level E, the weakest, to Level S.
In this case, he had to clean up a Rank E Cursed Land, so each pill would give him 100% effectiveness for 1 hour.
The problem was that one hour was not enough. The main problem he saw with this mission was its duration, which could exceed three hours.
Obtaining three heads from three different fire death knights meant traveling across large expanses of land within the Cursed Land.
’If I remember correctly, this cursed land has four regions, three of which have Death Knights as local leaders. Those would be...’ He tried to remember.
’The Swamp Region, the Mountain Region, and the Jungle Region, right?’ He recalled.
An hour would not be enough to visit three different regions, each with different biomes and complications. That’s why he needed more time.
The Cursed Resistance Pills cover his body with energy capable of resisting the corrosion of the cursed energy of the Cursed Lands. This corrosion is quite harmful, more than the spiritual energy of low-level Beast Masters can withstand, so time is crucial.
He needed approximately three hours if no problems arose.
’But three hours... that’s three pills. 3,000 Yakins.’
It was painful to spend so much money on that. He looked up and gazed at the young lady. He had every intention of haggling over the price, but he didn’t have time.
"Four or more counts as wholesale, and for new students, we’re offering each one for $750 for bulk purchases," she said before Edward could speak, almost as if she had read his mind.
’Four for the price of three...’ This price was better. Plus, it guaranteed him an extra hour, just in case something went wrong.
Although it was still a lot of money, he nodded. "I’ll take four," he said, with pain in his soul.
The lady smiled placidly. "Very well, young sir!" she exclaimed.
The payment went smoothly, and soon Edward left with his purchases.