Chapter 86 - A Difficult Quest

"Well, it's got nothing to do with me, anyway."

Rynold was overly casual at the sudden revelation while Oliver was still in shock. After a few moments of silence only did Oliver manage to recover.

With a click of his tongue, Oliver asked, "How can you tell that the devil's presence was there?"

"Hmm...," Rynold tried to find a way to properly explain it in words. "Well, it's like looking at a piece of fruit. Let's say there's a melon and you can't tell if it's fresh or not. But, somehow, deep in your heart you can feel that it's still edible. So, you crack it open and eat it."

Oliver was taken aback by Rynold's answer. "You're telling me that you based it all on instinct?"

Raising his hand to his chin, Rynold thought before answering. Even though there wasn't too much to think about.

"Yeah, I guess that's one way to put it. Besides, if I get it wrong, what do I have to lose? At least this way, we can make confirm that the devil is conscious inside your body."

Rynold raised his finger and tapped the side of his skull. It was as if saying, "knowing is half the battle," without actually saying it.

"Well, whatever it is you think you're doing. It worked," Oliver confirmed Rynold's suspicions. "The devil is actually still inside my head. He's not as vocal as I thought he would be, though..."

"Pssh," Rynold scoffed at Oliver. "Dude, whatever it is you're thinking I suggest you stop it. There's nothing you could do to change the fact that devil's attached to you now. The only thing that you can do is to face it moving forward. It's something that only you can do. Nobody can really help you there."

Oliver knew that. He knew that only he could actually face the devil that was starting to uproot his entire existence in this world. At least, for now, he could put his mind at ease as the devil doesn't seem to be doing anything detrimental to him. Well, not that he'd want to sit idly by anyway.

Bidding his good friend goodbye and leaving him to whatever madness he was doing, Oliver headed out of the workshop to meet up with Margareth.

Hoping that the Librarian had thought of something that would fit his criteria, Oliver breezed through the corridors and soon landed at the Library doors. With a swift knock on the door, Oliver brazenly went in. He saw that nothing had changed since the last time that he left.

"Do you have anything for me?" Oliver asked as he entered the room.

Margareth looked up from her table and stood up. The two didn't have to have a casual conversation or small talk. It was purely business at this point. This was practically the only thing that the two had in common. Not that they'd actually acknowledge it.

"Among the many things that I could assign you to, I don't think that they would increase your strength in a short amount of time," Margareth started to explain the different types of assignments. Most of them were intrinsic tasks that were focused on supporting the Tree from the inside.

Naturally, Oliver wanted to get stronger, not doing random errands here and there. Surprisingly, though, the requests that Margareth listed were considered as quests by the system. However, the rewards and experience gained were completely negligible at best. It truly was a waste of his time.

"However!" Margareth announced with a loud voice to catch Oliver's attention. "There is one task that would require you to go out of the Tree and battle. It isn't something I would recommend to a person without a fully developed Mana Core. But, seeing as how nothing seems to satiate your appetite to get stronger, this would be your ideal choice."

Oliver looked at the quest details that appeared in a window before him. The details weren't very descriptive as there was a simple requirement to complete it.

[Subjugate and Conquer.]

That was it. That was what Oliver needed to do to get a quest complete. However, the rewards were completely dependent on how well he executed the mission. Suffice it to say, this quest was a difficult one. The more ambiguous and vague something was, the harder it would be.

"I'll take it," Oliver said with a determined yet happy look on his face.

Margareth couldn't help but shake her head. She wondered if humans were always like this. Crazy and stubborn. Considering the humans she's encountered so far, who could blame her?

"I feel obliged to warn you of the dangers ahead. You would encounter beings who are far more powerful than you currently are. Going in alone would put your survival rate at-"

"Never tell me the odds," Oliver interrupted before Margareth could finish.

"Besides, he ain't going in alone." A voice came from a person who was standing by the door, "I heard what you are planning to do. Hope you don't mind if I tag along, heh."

'Another crazy one appeared,' Margareth thought to herself as another human came into the room.

"Chris, right?" Oliver said as he held out his hand.

Nodding, Chris shook Oliver's hand as this was the first time that the two had interacted.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Oliver continued the conversation. "It's not going to be a walk in the park for either one of us. I won't hesitate to leave you once things get hairy, either."

Chris chuckled at Oliver's warning. "Then let's hope that it won't come to that. I can pull my own weight when it comes to it too. Nothing to worry about."

Oliver simply nodded at Chris's baseless claims. Even though he wanted to go in alone, there was a gigantic risk in doing so. He had to admit that he wasn't strong enough on dealing with something like this alone. As much as he wanted to go charging in alone, though, Rynold was right.

There was a fine line between bravery and stupidity.

Margareth sighed at the determined look that both humans had. Hoping that she won't be the one to blame when things go south, the elf shook her head. It seemed like whatever she said wouldn't change their decision.

"Alright then," the Librarian said, defeatedly. "Since both of you are determined to go in this mission, I will now brief you with the requirements and tasks that you need to accomplish for the mission to be successful."

She led the two of them outside and climbed aboard a floating platform. The three of them left the Library and descended the Tree. Along the way, Margareth explained the mission details. She deliberately explained everything in excruciating detail to act as a gigantic warning for the mission ahead.

"We're here."

The three alighted from the floating platform and walked down a path. Surprisingly, there weren't a lot of people around. Obviously, this place wasn't meant for the residents of the Tree as the elves that passed by carried weapons and wagons.

"This place," Margareth explained, "is the area for teleportation in and out of the Tree. Naturally, it's a separate space from where you first came in. This area serves as the nexus for coming and leaving the Tree. It's meant for delivery and transportation of our warriors."

"This is actually pretty cool," Chris noted as he looked around and took in the scenery.

Margareth directed them to a wide, open platform. She then inputted some coordinates on a tablet to the side of the platform and the platform started pulsating with white light.

Before letting the two of them leave though, she first cast some Enchant magic on both of them. Although it wasn't visible to the naked eye, Margareth managed to place some tracking magic on both of them. It wasn't protocol for the warriors to get tracking marks, but she felt it was necessary considering where they were going.

"Alright, you're good to go," Margareth stood before the stone tablet. "I wish both of you luck on the journey ahead," the elf said before pressing on the tablet.

The platform shone a brighter, more intense light as the teleportation commenced. Their destination was a dimension that was corrupted by uncontrolled wildlife and dark Mana. The goal was simple. Clear the place of the dark Mana and recover it to its former glory.

Oliver's expression of determination was seen as he faded out of Margareth's sight.

The elf sighed once more as the two left. She seriously didn't want to be blamed if things went south. Moreover, she didn't want to be the one who would receive Rynold's wrath if things did go wrong. Her senses told her that no matter what, Rynold was something she had to avoid angering.

As Oliver and Chris landed, the two were surrounded by trees and over vegetation of the area. What astounded them, though, that the creatures were alerted to their presence as soon as they appeared.

Just like that, a battle commenced.