As the once-prosperous Rah Kingdom retreated from the stage of the third War of the Gods, everyone who had been following the conflict, both openly and secretly, offered their 'praise' to the King who had led the Rah Kingdom to this point.
Given the advantages created by the Late King of Rah, even a pig inheriting the throne would have found it difficult to lead the Rah Kingdom to this state.
However, thanks to this King of the Rah Kingdom, the chaotic situation, whose duration was previously unknown, suddenly became clear.
A wise man publicly predicted the third War of the Gods: within three months, the Emerald Kingdom would draw the curtain on the third War of the Gods and gain the qualification to enter the Divine Kingdom.
As if to respond to the wise man's prediction, on the third day after taking over the Rah Kingdom's territory, the Emerald Kingdom assembled its army and marched with great momentum towards the Diam Kingdom, which bordered the southern part of the Rah Kingdom.
A major war was on the verge of breaking out.
Among the five nations chosen for the third War of the Gods, if the Emerald Kingdom's combat power was 5, the combat power of the other three nations was 2.
With the Rah Kingdom, the only one capable of contending with the Emerald Kingdom, gone, how long could the remaining three nations last even if they united?
Everyone believed that the Emerald Kingdom's first battle against the Diam Kingdom would be an easy, overwhelming victory.
Only the person they 'praised' did not think so.
They might have forgotten that the Rah Kingdom had launched a week-long offensive against the Diam Kingdom, gaining no advantage whatsoever, and both the Late King of Rah and the The Great Prince had died mysteriously.
As the ultimate winner of the third War of the Gods in the original work, the Diam Kingdom was not as simple as it appeared on the surface.
...
Just as the Emerald Kingdom launched its offensive against the Diam Kingdom, a masked young man walked into the Mercenary Association in the Gray Mist Territory of the Emerald Kingdom.
"I want to commission a quest."
The young man slammed his palm heavily on the registration counter.
His unfriendly attitude immediately attracted the attention of everyone in the hall.
Commission a quest, fine, but why shout so loudly?
The mercenary standing by the counter, waiting for quests, saw the young man, who was disheveled and looked like a beggar, and was about to mock him.
But then he saw the young man's hand move away from the counter, revealing a high-grade magic crystal of excellent quality.
He was instantly stunned.
The young lady who was serving behind the counter immediately stood up after seeing the alluring high-grade magic crystal, and respectfully asked, "May I ask what quest you wish to commission?"
"Escort me around the Dusk Swamp, requiring three mercenaries who know third-tier martial arts, no less than three people," the young man said.
"May I ask your name?"
"Barrett."
"Mr. Barrett, perhaps you are from out of town and are not aware of the situation in the Dusk Swamp..."
"I know," the young man interrupted the counter lady's kind reminder, "The Dusk Swamp is filled with a gray mist that dispels magic power and interferes with magic power condensation, making it impossible to use magic inside, right?"
"Uh... yes."
The counter lady responsibly explained the situation to the employer: "The magic beasts inhabiting the Dusk Swamp are very dangerous, so the commission fee will be higher than normal..."
"Not enough?" The young man pushed the high-grade magic crystal over.
"Enough, enough."
The counter lady happily put away the magic crystal: "May I ask if you have any other requirements?"
"No."
"Alright, I'll arrange a suitable..."
"Miss Misha, we'll take this quest."
Before the counter lady could finish speaking, a large, thick hand reached out.
The young man looked up and saw a burly man over two meters tall, with his upper body exposed, who had appeared beside him at some point.
As soon as he appeared, all the mercenaries who had originally wanted to snatch the quest dared not approach.
"Lord Byron."
The counter lady looked at the burly man with some fear, her expression troubled: "This gentleman's commissioned quest requires three mercenaries who know third-tier martial arts, but your team..."
As the counter lady spoke, her gaze shifted behind the burly man.
The young man also looked curiously.
Good heavens.
One man with four girls.
Two of them were even beastfolk.
The counter lady gathered her courage and continued: "It seems none of the four of them know third-tier martial arts."
"Then please change the requirement." Byron looked down at the young man, his hand, large enough to cover the young man's entire head, landing on his shoulder: "I alone am worth three."
The young man calmly observed him, making no statement.
"Byron, do not be rude to the client!"
An old, authoritative voice came from deep within the Mercenary Association.
Only the voice was heard, not the person.
Upon hearing this voice, Byron couldn't help but pout, reluctantly removing his hand from Ron Leinter's shoulder.
The counter lady breathed a sigh of relief, she bent down, her face apologetic: "I am truly sorry for giving you a bad experience, I will immediately find you the best quality..."
"No need, he'll do," the young man said lightly.
Byron, who was about to leave with the four girls, stopped in his tracks upon hearing this.
Five pairs of astonished eyes looked over.
No, six pairs.
The counter lady was stunned for a moment, thinking she had misheard, and was about to continue selecting quality mercenaries for the young man when she heard him speak again.
"But I have one condition."
The young man's gaze swept over the five people one by one, pausing on Byron, and said, "I want to learn one martial art or magic from each of you."
"No problem!"
Byron grinned, agreeing without thinking.
Fearing the young man would regret it, he quickly went to the counter lady to register the quest.
Although the Tian Tu Mercenary Group, which Byron had only recently formed, did not yet meet the requirements to accept B-rank quests, Ron Leinter had already decided, so the counter lady had no choice but to help him register the quest.
After registering the quest, the group walked out of the Mercenary Association.
"When do you plan to go to the Dusk Swamp?" Byron asked.
"Time waits for no one, let's leave now."
The young man's pace was hurried.
Byron kept pace.
"Although I don't know why, I'm still very grateful you chose us," he said gratefully.
Seeing the young man look at him, he chuckled: "To be honest, our Mercenary Group has never accepted a B-rank quest before."
"But don't worry, I've done B-rank quests before, I guarantee I'll bring you back safely from the Dusk Swamp," he said, patting his chest.
His past sounded like it had many stories, but the young man was not interested, merely giving a slight hum.
"Let me introduce myself, my name is Byron, and I am the leader of the Tian Tu Mercenary Group."
Then he introduced the four shy girls behind him: "These four are children I adopted when I was on quests before; this is Ruiji, I found her in..."
He babbled on for a long time, and when he finished and saw the young man had no reaction, he began to assess the young man's strength.
He sensed a significant amount of magic power within the young man and asked, "You said before that you wanted us to teach you one martial art or magic each, you want to learn my third-tier martial art, right? To ensure you can learn it, I'd like to know what your current strength is?"
What is my strength?
The young man's mind stirred.
A panel visible only to him appeared before his eyes.
{"Name": "Ron Leinter"}
{"Race": "Human"}
{"Age": 17}
{"Level": "LV.24"}
{"Affiliation": "Rah Kingdom (King)"}
{"Territory": "None"}
{"Reputation": "None (0 / h ↑)"}
{"Experience": "800 (0 / h ↑)"}