“After the task is accomplished, apart from an equal share of the rewards from the Ruins, I can offer you an additional reward of 100 gold coins. What do you think?”
As soon as Caitlin mentioned the Ruins, Howard had already halted.
Ruins, instances.
These were the two quickest ways for the awakened to increase their power!
Especially the Ruins, where one might obtain special treasures dating back millions of years.
Unfortunately, Ruins were incredibly hard to find.
No one in the entire Soulspark Academy knew their locations.
Now, with someone willingly sharing the information, how could Howard refuse?
“What do you want me to do?” Howard asked, his voice as cold as ice.
“Before encountering an extraplanar creature, you don’t have to do anything. But once we encounter one, you must step in,” Caitlin paused before continuing, “Extraplanar creatures are extremely rare; we’ve never met one before. We need your help to contain it. If your contribution is significant, we can further discuss the rewards.”
Hearing this, Howard nodded slightly in agreement.
All he had to do was step in when they encountered an extraplanar creature — this was practically handing over gold coins to him.
It was well known that the level and strength of extraplanar creatures were tied to the map.
The Silent Forest was a level 1 to 60 map; any extraplanar creatures appearing there would certainly be below level 60, potentially even weaker than the Dual Blades Mantis!
Although Caitlin and the others were of a lower level, Howard had confidence in his ability to kill the extraplanar creature.
Having recently upgraded his equipment, his current strength could not be merely measured by levels!
“By the way, could you wear a mask?”
Caitlin’s face lit up with joy before she chuckled, “We aren’t the only group exploring the Ruins. You are too handsome; without a mask, others will surely recognize that you are not a guard of our family.”
As she spoke, the guards behind Caitlin twitched at the corners of their mouths.
They glanced at Howard, then lowered their heads in shame.
Howard’s handsomeness made them feel inferior.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t have a mask,” Howard shook his head.
“No mask?”
“It’s alright, I have one here!”
With a smiling face, Caitlin took out a white Death God mask from her storage bag and handed it to Howard.
[Ding dong! Congratulations to the awakened Howard on receiving Caitlin’s gift — Death Mask!]
Upon receiving the mask, Howard immediately began inspecting its properties.
[Death Mask — Special equipment]
Level: 1
Tier: Gold
Equipment attribute bonus: None
Skills: Intimidation (While wearing the Death Mask, enemies within a 20×20 yard radius will be intimidated, reducing all their attributes by 2%), Reaper’s Descent (While wearing the Death Mask, the wearer’s damage to all enemies will be amplified by 3%).
With a slightly raised eyebrow, Howard was astonished.
He hadn’t expected the mask Caitlin gave him to be gold tiered equipment.
Moreover, it endowed him with two rather remarkable skills — reducing all attributes and amplifying damage, which would make many awakened individuals marvel if word got out.
Howard finally realized he had encountered a wealthy little lady.
Not only was she blessed with exceptional talent, attaining an A-level class, but her family background was also incredibly formidable.
However, Howard was not the kind of person to be easily smitten.
Despite feeling a surge of astonishment, he promptly wore the Death Mask and said, “Let’s set off. Lead the way.”
“Okay!”
Caitlin, with luminous eyes, observed Howard under the Death Mask, instructing the guards to lead the way while walking shoulder to shoulder with him.
“May I know your name?” Caitlin asked with a smile, adding, “As a gentleman, you shouldn’t remain indifferent after knowing a lady’s name, right?”
“Howard Hughes.”
Considering that they would be collaborating with Caitlin and her team in the forthcoming exploration, Howard disclosed his name.
“Howard, you look quite young, yet possess the ability to kill extraplanar creatures. Could it be that you have awakened to an S-level class?” she asked, before continuing, “I don’t recall seeing you in Saint City before; did you come here for training?”
Caitlin bombarded him with a series of questions, leaving Howard somewhat overwhelmed.
Given that they were now teammates, it seemed inappropriate to decline answering.
Reluctantly, he engaged in a rather disjointed conversation with her.
In no time, without revealing much about himself, Howard managed to learn quite a lot about Caitlin.
Caitlin Bass was indeed the daughter of the Mayor of Saint City, who had previously been immersed in her studies at Adia’s higher education institution.
Now, she was home visiting her family during the summer break and unexpectedly stumbled upon the Ruins while adventuring in the Silent Forest.
During their conversation, the group entered the region of the Silent Forest.
Contrary to Howard’s expectations, they did not venture deep into the forest but headed towards the side instead.
After an indeterminate amount of time walking, a stream suddenly appeared before the group.
Ahead of the stream, a group of people were already waiting.
“Hahaha, Caitlin, you finally made it!”
“If you had taken any longer, I would have thought you were afraid of the extraplanar creatures,” a jovial voice rang out as a young man dressed in battle attire stepped forward.
“Tsk, even if you were scared, I wouldn’t be!” Caitlin retorted without hesitation, “If you are afraid, go back home to mommy as soon as possible. Don’t wait until we’re inside the Ruins to start crying, because no one will pay attention to you by then!”
Howard scanned the group and was surprised to find a familiar face among them. .
Abby… was actually there!
Aside from her, there were several classmates who had awakened to A-level talents. Howard quickly grasped the situation; the young man was likely a high-level awakened individual, specially transferred from another city by the superiors.
Seeing how familiar Caitlin and the young man were, Howard deduced that he must be Caitlin’s classmate.
This realization startled Howard; Caitlin and the young man didn’t look much older than his group, yet they were entrusted with leadership, what did this signify?
It seemed that in cities more advanced than Saint City, the leveling speed of the awakened was faster, and their combat power was stronger.
While Howard was lost in his thoughts, Caitlin cast a glance at Abby and the others, speaking up, “Glyn, are you really planning to bring this group of rookies, who have just awakened, into the Ruins?”
“You should think this through. The Ruins are fraught with danger. I advise you to at least bring the guardians assigned by your family.”
“Caitlin, that hurts, you know,” Glyn replied with a smile.
“Since the tutor entrusted me with this task, it means they trust in my abilities. I believe that even within the Ruins, I can ensure their safety.”
“Aren’t you afraid of the Extraplanar creatures descending?” Caitlin spoke with a derisive curve to her lips.
“Once a space rift emerges, Extraplanar creatures will surely come. We haven’t encountered them yet, which likely means it has been hiding. Now that we want to thoroughly explore the Ruins, we can’t ignore it.”
Glyn chuckled, replying, “I will take care of the monsters we meet first. When it comes to Extraplanar creatures, your team will deal with them.”
He continued teasingly, “I don’t believe that you, known for always having a trick up your sleeve, would agree to my request to explore the Ruins without any preparations.”
“…”
“Then take good care of these novices yourself.” Caitlin spoke no more.
After all, she had discovered the Ruins together with Glyn, and it was his prerogative to choose who to bring with him.
As long as Glyn was willing to contribute, the exploration of the Ruins would continue.
Yet, at Caitlin’s words, the students from Soulspark Academy, including Abby, couldn’t help feeling indignant.
They were considered geniuses among their peers, enjoying the favorable treatment from both the headmaster and the teachers.
Being dismissed as novices by Caitlin was something hard to swallow.
However, their levels were too low, and having been previously intimidated by Glyn, none dared to voice their discontent without Glyn speaking first.
They could only muster their inner strength silently, vowing to prove themselves to Caitlin.
Abby, on the other hand, seemed to look past Caitlin, her eyes firmly fixed on Howard, a deep puzzlement filling her gaze.
Sensing Abby’s focus on him, Howard couldn’t help but feel a stir within.
Despite his masked face, she sensed something amiss, revealing the depth of her affection towards him.
It was notable that none of the other classmates recognized him.
“Alright, let’s enter the Ruins sooner and aim to explore it thoroughly before nightfall,” Glyn declared without further ado, gesturing with his hand before taking the lead and jumping into the water.
Seeing this, Abby no longer hesitated, abandoning her gaze on Howard to join her classmates in leaping into the water one after another.
“Howard, I’m counting on you for the Extraplanar creature matter,” Caitlin voiced, to which Howard replied earnestly, “Once we are inside the Ruins, don’t mention my name.”
He was no fool; intending to fabricate a story to elude the suspicions surrounding Sterling’s death, Howard couldn’t afford to let the other classmates discover his presence in the Silent Forest.
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