?
In the branch chief’s office on the second floor of the Quest Guild, Oleg sat at his desk with a furrowed brow.
Regarding the Treant sightings in the North Sunny Wasteland, Oleg had initially planned to seek the mayor’s assistance.
If Sunny Town were willing to dispatch a patrol team of about twenty people, and the Quest Guild could organize another thirty or so, they should be able to complete a search of the North Sunny Wasteland within a day, locating and eliminating the Treants.
However, Oleg had previously disagreed with the mayor on the matter of “Trial Management,” so this time, his request was denied twice.
Concerning “Trial Management,” the mayor had proposed an idea to charge fees for “Level 1 Difficulty – White Trials.” This would generate revenue for the town and address the issue of the “White Trials being hard to come by, while Yellow, Orange, Red, and Purple Trials run rampant.”
Oleg disagreed with the mayor’s proposal, believing that it would merely force the poor to their doom.
As a result, the two developed a grudge.
Oleg’s current plan was to wait for Nassar’s return and have him risk his life as bait in the Wasteland, luring out the Treants. Then, the other ambush bounty hunters could swarm and eliminate them.
Nassar was indispensable because he was the second most powerful bounty hunter in Sunny Town, only behind Oleg. At 26 years old, he was already a 36th-level Sword Wielder.
Considering Oleg’s advanced age and inability to engage in intense combat, Nassar was essentially the town’s number one fighter.
Only by doing so could they ensure that the person acting as “bait” would not lose their life.
— (Nassar should be back the day after tomorrow… I hope the Treants don’t reproduce too quickly…)
.
“Branch chief…!”
As Oleg was troubled, a golden light hurriedly entered from outside the door – it was Emilia.
“What’s the matter, Emilia? You’re out of breath.”
“It’s… about… the Treant… task…”
Emilia placed a cloth bag on the table and then turned to close the room’s door.
“What are these magic cores?”
Oleg opened the bag and took out its contents.
Based on his experience, he could tell that these four spherical objects were likely Tier 2 demon magic cores, but a professional appraiser would need to determine exactly what they were.
“They’re Fir Treant magic cores.”
Emilia handed an appraisal report to Oleg, who took it with disbelief.
He read it three times before confirming he hadn’t misread.
“Great! Which team hunted them? Did Nassar come back early?”
“No, it wasn’t… It was a newcomer named ‘Banning’ who hunted them. He also asked me to tell you to meet him at the ‘usual place’ in an hour.”
“Ah? Banning? The young man who came with the Scarlet Family’s golden emblem?”
“Yes, it’s him.”
“I never would have expected…”
Oleg pondered for a moment, many thoughts racing through his mind. However, he prioritized checking the time to ensure he could meet this incredible young man.
“Emilia, did Banning say anything else to you?”
“He told me not to talk about it.”
“Oh…” Oleg nodded, appreciating the young man’s low-key demeanor.
“Emilia, I’m stepping out for a bit. You can remove the Treant task from the hall’s mission board.”
“Understood.”
.
Oleg had not visited the tavern in broad daylight for quite some time.
The monotonous days in Sunny Town made him feel that his heart might give out before his body succumbed to old age.
However, Banning’s arrival rekindled his long-lost excitement.
A first-tier warrior, below level 20, single-handedly defeated four Treants, level 30 or higher – such madness!
What strategy had Banning employed?
Undoubtedly, he used fire, the most effective weapon against Treants, but ordinary flames wouldn’t suffice. Most Treants possessed a certain resistance to fire, and the majority of people would give up before they could truly ignite them.
Banning appeared rather young; did he have experience in this area?
Furthermore, the treant’s roots and vine attacks were exceedingly lethal. If one were not a heavily armored warrior, a first-tier warrior would face certain death upon being struck – akin to dancing on a knife’s edge!
The more Oleg pondered, the more curious he grew about Banning’s methods.
Amidst his anticipation, he finally greeted Banning’s arrival.
“Branch Chief, I didn’t expect you to arrive so early.”
“Hehehe, after hearing about your exploits, I simply couldn’t sit still!”
Oleg stood up to shake Banning’s hand, and upon doing so, felt more confident in his assessment—Banning’s hands were those of a seasoned warrior.
After sitting down, Oleg handed Banning the task reward and the “Meditation Ring” as a bonus, asking if there was anything else he could do for him. Banning was straightforward and requested Oleg’s help with two matters.
“Regarding my defeat of the treants, please keep it a secret, Branch Chief. You may do as you wish with the credit, but I still want the reward.”
“Additionally, I’d like to forge a sword and hope you can recommend the finest craftsman in Sunny Town.”
Oleg agreed without hesitation, but he had one small request: he wanted Banning to recount the previous night’s battle.
Though Oleg’s body had aged, his warrior’s heart remained. Even just hearing the story would satisfy him.
Banning generously shared the tale, and upon hearing it, Oleg’s satisfaction and confidence in Banning’s abilities grew.
Oleg knew that if word of Banning’s methods spread, many would boast, “I could do it too,” but in reality, any who attempted it would surely perish.
—(I truly must thank you, Viviana, for recommending such exceptional talent…)
—(For the sake of Sunny Town’s long-term peace, I must do everything to keep him here…!)
.
Later, at Oleg’s invitation, they visited a familiar weapon shop.
The attentiveness of the craftsman was heightened when the Quest Guild’s Branch Chief personally escorted a client for weapon forging. He assured Banning that he would complete the work within five days and produce a sword that would not disappoint.
“Sir, I’ll take my leave and return to the guild.”
“Very well, thank you for today, Branch Chief.”
Banning watched Oleg depart, then slowly headed towards the Quest Guild.
(Silly Nissen: Eh? Since you’re both going to the Quest Guild-o, why not go with the Branch Chief?) 𝒐𝗏𝑙ℯxt.𝐜𝑜𝔪
(Tyler: It’s because I have some clandestine business to attend to.)