The sky was covered with dense grey clouds, while beams of light poked holes through them. A gentle breeze flowed through the area, covering the vast forest and shaking its leaves.
The rays of sunshine squeezed through the cracks of a horse-drawn carriage, rocking up and down, bumping over the dirt road surrounded by thick trees.
Inside the carriage were multiple figures, among them, a young boy.
Liam had his eyes closed as he laid his back against the carriage seats. A few days had passed since he had tempered his body and got accustomed to training with the Psionic Rune.
‘Apparently, mental energy can be restored through regular rest and sleep. Though, a small side effect is the immense migraine I have to go through, and the bloodshot eyes that come with it.’ Liam thought, entering his sea of consciousness. ‘When I reach the first rank, I’ll be able to use spells too.’
His mental energy had been restored since he slept well the night before in preparation for the mercenary guild test. At the same time, his mental sphere walls seemed just a tiny bit more expanded.
Which brings him to now, surrounded by a group consisting mostly of stern, scar-faced burly dudes who shot deadly glares at him.
“Kid, you sure you didn’t get lost on the way to the nursery?”
The deep voice resonated from a tanned man, whose hairless head and severe, irritated expression made him seem uninviting. He stared at Liam, who calmly had his hands crossed.
Liam slowly opened his eyes to stare at him, his cold green irises expressing indifference.
“You look like an overgrown thumb.” He abruptly replied, before closing his eyes again.
The others held a laugh, but others with similar features grew more hostile.
Blood rushed to Thumb’s head on those words, his fists clenched as he jumped off his seat.
“Enough! Sit down.”
A robed man with noble features sitting in the front of the carriage spoke. He rested his elbows on his knees and leaned forward, and no expression could be deduced from his face.
“We’re almost there, I’ll brief you on the mission once more.”
Thumb let out a low growl, before sitting back down, his eyes stuck to Liam’s figure.
Liam’s attention shifted to the robed man, who was also the test coordinator.
“A group of bandits have pillaged a nearby village down east. There are no cultivators in their group, but they are many in number, and nearly all are veteran fighters. Your job is to work as a team and successfully take them down.
“Banditry is punishable by death in Ucladd, so uphold the law.”
The world of cultivation was, indeed, much more ruthless than Liam’s first life. In a world where dragons and hostile races existed — governed by power and lineage — the weak had it much worse.
‘I’ve already killed once. There’s no need to shy from it now.’ Liam thought with a dark expression. Inwardly, he knew the path he’d set on would be riddled with bloodied corpses.
Eventually, the carriage came to a stop. All participants, totaling to six, came out one by one to survey the surroundings.
The carriage had stopped atop the skirt of a mountain, allowing everyone to see the entirety of the distant forest, including the small village situated right in the middle.
Beacons of dark smog rose up from the air at that spot, forming a dark cloud of ash around it.
“Good luck. We’ll be here”
With that, the carriage began to ride away, leaving the six by themselves.
‘This won’t end well.’ Liam thought, as his gaze probed his fellow team members.
Inwardly, he had already given each a nickname, as he wasn’t bothered to remember their names.
Baldy, Blades, Spear, Chains, and finally, Thumb, described by their respective features and weapons.
“How about we start with an introduction and state what weapon we use?” Baldy assumed leadership.
A friendly expression rested on his face as he said, “My name is Ivan, I wield a mace. What about you all?”
The introductions continued — with Liam barely listening — until it eventually became Liam’s turn.
“Liam, dagger and sword.”
All the participants had their eyes on him, looking him up and down. Some had distrusting and hostile gazes, while others were impressed.
Ivan — Baldy did his best to redirect everyone’s attention.
“Alright, now that we all know each other, let’s move in groups of two. Judging from the size of the village, it’s faster to clear if we split up.”
The group simultaneously nodded in response, before each one found their own partner.
Liam and Thumb were the only ones who didn’t team up.
“There’s no way I’m teaming up with this kid. I’m going alone.” Thumb shouted, before taking out his giant longsword and making his way towards the village.
“That idiot!” Baldy shouted, before shaking his head and sighing. He shifted his gaze towards Liam and spoke apologetically. “I’m sorry kid, but can you go alone?”
Liam instantly nodded. In truth, he didn’t trust anyone in the group anyways.
A moment later, Baldy began to talk strategy.
The plan they concocted was for everyone to converge in the middle, while at best, silently taking out the bandits on the way.
Liam was to cover the east side, while the west and south were covered by the rest.
Without further delay, they began to execute the plan.
.
.
.
The walk towards the village through the forest wasn’t long. Liam jumped between tree branches until he got close enough for an inspection.
As he silently made his way to the entrance, the foul smell of blood entered his nose.
There were no noises or humans in sight, but Liam kept a vigilant eye.
It didn’t take long before he saw the massacre that took place.
Severed body parts scattered everywhere, detached heads with blood still spurting from them, men and women, ruined corpses were littered like trash.
The surroundings were tainted red, while the nauseating stench of blood only got thicker.
Some blood patches were dried, giving the impression the bandits had started with this area and moved deeper in.
Liam’s expression darkened, the scene made him frown deeply.
‘If this is how brutal it is without cultivation, what world have I gotten myself into?’
Liam started to make his way through the village routes, hiding behind the village huts as he kept a low profile.
From what Liam could see, nobody was spared.
Not even children or guard dogs, their expressions covered with shock and disbelief.
Liam couldn’t help but feel pity.
‘They didn’t have any power to protect their families. As a result, they suffer the consequences.’
As he thought so, the voices of bandits entered his ears.