CLEAVER OF SIN - Chapter 366

Chapter 366: Ten Days
The team didn’t need to contemplate much, what was there really to contemplate, to begin with? They had arrived, and the mission reward had doubled. Any hesitation or delay risked other students meeting with different facilitators and snatching the mission before they could even accept it. The choice was obvious.

Without a moment’s hesitation or unnecessary overthinking, Asher spoke decisively, “We will take it, then.” William and Finch immediately nodded in agreement. This was, without question, the highest paying mission available at the moment.

As Asher, Finch, and William finally finalized their mission selection, the facilitator abruptly dropped the book he had been holding and quickly tapped the surface of his desk. A small circular rune flickered to life, glowing faintly as it pulsed with energy. In an instant, a scroll materialized above it, drifting down softly until it landed on the desk. The facilitator picked it up and promptly handed it to Asher.

“Any questions? Or perhaps any special equipment you might need, smoke bombs, Astra bombs, or other mission specific tools?” the facilitator inquired, his tone professional yet slightly impatient.

“I don’t need any of it,” Asher replied swiftly. William and Finch shook their heads as well. They had no intention of wasting the small amount of points they had on supplementary tools or consumables that were unlikely to be necessary.

“Safe journey, then,” the facilitator concluded, handing each of them two teleportation scrolls. Receiving them, the trio immediately stored one scroll each in their space rings and kept the other in hand.

Asher’s gaze swept over William and Finch, who returned his look with silent, confident nods. They were ready. The point sharing method remained unchanged, rewards would be distributed according to each member’s contribution.

With everything prepared, the team tore their teleportation scrolls in unison. In a flash of blinding white light, they vanished from the Logistics and Mission Operations Hall.

“Finally,” the facilitator muttered under his breath. He leaned back in his chair, resting his feet on the top of his desk as he sank deeper into the seat. A bored expression remained plastered across his face as he resumed reading the book in his hands, seemingly unfazed by the rapid departure of the team.

Asher opened his eyes the instant he felt his senses snap back into place, grounding him in the physical presence of the world. His Omni Perception immediately expanded to its full capacity, allowing him to see through every object and subtle detail within a hundred meter radius.

The only thing that greeted him was an endless expanse of trees, one tree after another, forming a vast, impenetrable forest in every direction.

“Can’t the Star Academy at least teleport us directly into a city or something? Why must we always appear in the middle of a forest?” Finch immediately complained, his voice tinged with frustration as he took in the overwhelming greenery surrounding them.

“I’m guessing they could, but they won’t,” William replied calmly, his analytical mind piecing together the reasoning. “It’s probably to prevent nobles from panicking over the idea that anyone could teleport into their territory at any time. Or at least something like that, though I’m not entirely sure.”

“Well, they could at least teleport us near a city wall. They can manage that much, surely,” Finch sighed, clearly unconvinced.

Asher remained silent. He retrieved the mission permit scroll from his space ring and carefully unrolled it. His eyes scanned the parchment, absorbing every detail meticulously.

‘Ten days this time,’ he thought with a subtle sigh. ‘Does this have to do with the destination, the so called wilderness? Is it really that far?’

The next moment, a familiar compass appeared in his hand, its presence offering a small measure of comfort amidst the vast wilderness.

“Let’s focus. The mission has already begun, and we have ten days, plus the usual extra day, that’s eleven days in total,” Asher spoke, his voice calm but brisk, drawing William and Finch’s attention.

He held the compass in his hand, recalling its mechanics. Only when Astra energy was channeled into the device did the needle point to the correct direction. A thought, however, flickered through Asher’s mind:

‘What if I channel Star Energy into the compass?’

The temptation was strong, but prudence prevailed. If the compass were to shatter, they would be forced to navigate blindly, potentially wasting days out of the precious eleven they had.

“Let’s move, people,” Asher spoke. Astra energy coursed through his veins, and an Astra forged foothold emerged beneath his feet, lifting him gently into the air. Finch acted immediately, his soul bound chain weapon spiraling into a circular helix beneath him. He leaped onto it, smiling with anticipation. William, having copied Ryaen’s ability, created a flat, circular bone structure beneath himself and mounted it, ready to follow. Together, the trio surged forward in a burst of speed, leaving the forest floor behind in a blur.

They followed the compass’ guidance with ease. Minutes slipped by as they soared over the landscape. Along the way, they encountered small groups of bandits, but no confrontation occurred. The bandits were simply too slow, unable to reach airborne opponents moving at such incredible speeds. William, Asher, and Finch had no desire to waste energy and time unnecessarily, so they ignored the would-be attackers entirely.

Almost an hour later, they arrived before a massive city wall. A line of people snaked toward the gates, waiting to enter.

“It seems we’ve arrived at another noble’s territory. I wonder which noble family this belongs to,” Asher observed in a calm, neutral tone. While he recognized some of the prominent noble families, the Dukes and Marquises, he had little concern for Viscounts, Counts, or Barons. Their territories were inconsequential to his memory.

Asher’s eyes shifted to Finch, who was still perched on his helix shaped chain, a wide grin stretched across his face. Through his Omni Perception, Asher could see William wearing an identical expression. He didn’t need to ask to understand why his teammates were so visibly delighted, the reason was too obvious to him.