Chapter 73
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Chapter 73: Test
“Mr. John, what should we do next?” Odel asked immediately after their partnership was settled, her eyes showing earnestness with a sly edge. “Start exploring now? Stay put to gather intelligence? Or focus on collecting more emerald leaves?”
Midi gave a wry smile internally. The testing begins already?
Odel’s question held no malice—just genuine consultation.
Yet posing such broad strategic inquiries was itself an assessment. A leader’s evaluation, no less. Adventurers faced far more complex scenarios than regular soldiers or warriors.
Battle mattered most for survival, but couldn’t guarantee success. To explore regions or seize treasures from rivals, combat alone proved inadequate.
Thus Odel urgently sought to measure Midi’s overall capabilities.
But to Midi, whose vision spanned the entire Arad continent, this posed no challenge. After reviewing the intelligence, he’d already formed a complete plan.
“Miss Odel, our path is simple. Adventure means removing every danger blocking our way until we reach the treasure.” Midi spoke with calm authority.
Listening nearby, Alyn marveled—not only was Midi a master swordsman, but he could hold his own against her revered leader!
The eavesdropping Morning Star captains wore disappointed expressions. Such empty grand talk! Like nobleborn platitudes about “removing dangers” without concrete plans.
Odel stayed composed, sensing more to come.
Midi’s voice turned icy. “As you noted, our greatest threat is the Blood Blade Mercenary Corps. Since adventure requires eliminating dangers…”
“We eliminate Blood Blade.”
Odel’s heartbeat stuttered.
The captains’ faces twisted comically. Midi said it as casually as mentioning disarming a trap to a comrade. But comparing Blood Blade to some pitfall?
Silence gripped the camp. Even Alyn’s usual smile vanished—this proposal shocked the Blood Blade-hunted girl.
None could argue. Adventure meant removing threats. Blood Blade being the largest danger, eliminating them came first. Otherwise, even finding the Elven Kingdom’s heritage would lead to theft or annihilation.
The logic stood flawless… yet something felt wrong.
An elemental mage blurted, “But we can’t defeat Blood Blade!”
The camp stirred—ah, the real issue! Should versus could. Charging stronger foes meant seeking their own demise.
The Belmar Duchy strictly limited mercenary corps to 300 members to control armed forces. Exceeding meant rebellion—both Queen’s and Senator’s factions would send armies.
Yet Blood Blade Mercenary Corps operated differently.
Backed by the Blood Blade Thieves Guild doing nobles’ dirty work, they fielded 600 members. Their noble patrons, bound by secrets and bribes, turned blind eyes to the doubled roster.
The Morning Star Mercenary Corps had just over forty members, with their strongest being the roaming gunslinger Odel at Level 35.
Forty against six hundred? It was suicide.
“We can’t fight the Blood Blade Mercenary Corps,” Odel said bitterly, spreading her hands. “I told you—no one can stop them.”
“I can defeat them,” Midi stated calmly.
His words carried an unnatural weight, plunging the camp into silence once more.
Every gaze locked onto the freckled boy with messy hair and pale skin—some viewing him as a fool, others a monster, some with disbelief, and a few with genuine awe…
The last came from Alyn. Though she might one day become the Morning Star’s vice-captain, she was still an impressionable adventurer, utterly captivated by Midi’s bold declaration.
Noticing their skepticism, Midi smiled. “I don’t mean fighting six hundred alone—that’d be troublesome even for me. First, we destroy their town supply base. Your thoughts, Captain Odel?”
The Blood Blade’s base held a hundred mid-level adventurers, reinforced by layers of defenses. To small corps like the Morning Star, it was an iron-clad fortress spitting fire.
This base blocked third-rate groups like theirs from entering the town, forcing them to camp secretly in the wilderness. Resupplying and repairing equipment became arduous, slowing their forest explorations.
Midi aimed to crush this obstacle, weakening Blood Blade while restoring the town’s order. As a seasoned commander, he refused to let enemies control his supply lines.
His priority was always severing the foe’s logistics.
Yet for the Morning Star, attacking such a base seemed impossible.
Odel wavered.
Refusing meant ending their new alliance. Accepting risked annihilation.
She acknowledged Midi’s strength—unfathomable, even after clashing with him. But defeating thirty was trivial compared to assaulting a hundred-strong fortress.
Adventurers thrived in exploration and trap disarming, not sieges. Could even someone like Midi succeed?
Her eyes met his.
No trace remained of his earlier awkward disguise. His gaze now held razor-sharp clarity, yet calm as still water.
Odel’s breath hitched—not from his intensity, but his utter composure. He treated this raid as routine, not a life-or-death struggle.
Suddenly, she recalled his wording: facing six hundred would be “troublesome,” not impossible.
Arrogance? Confidence? Her mind churned.
Then she understood—this was a test. Not of strength, but resolve.
Midi didn’t need the Morning Star. To a siege expert like him, a hundred-strong base was trivial. At Level 20, he’d stormed York County guarded by six thousand Crimson Flame Legion elites. Now at Level 33 with Ultimate Intent, failure here would shame him into seeking reincarnation.
He sought to measure Odel’s determination. Trusting his judgment in bloodshed, obeying instantly amid danger—this was essential for claiming the Elven Palace’s heritage, far beyond mere honesty.
After a prolonged silence, resolve hardened Odel’s eyes. “We’ll do it. Together, we’ll break Blood Blade’s base.”
“Thank you.” Midi’s smile warmed as he extended his hand. “I’m John of the Hawk Brigade. Let’s fight together.”
