Chapter 19: The Double-S Task

Early the next morning, Amy and Big Green Mountain were up bright and early. Big Green Mountain was taking Little Green for a "dragon walk"—a task Chi Hanfeng had emphasized repeatedly before leaving: to "train" Little Green every day, helping it grow as quickly as possible. Chi Hanfeng had laid out Little Green's morning routine as follows: jumping from a height of at least 40 meters ten times, jumping in place fifty times, flapping its wings a hundred times, and running ten kilometers.

Amy's morning training involved communicating with magical spirits. These spirits were peculiar creatures, who loved the freshness of the early morning and the first rays of sunlight. Most magical spirits were most active at dawn, and by noon, they preferred to retreat into their spirit realms. Since Amy's training involved neutral-aligned spirits, morning was the most valuable time for his practice.

Eager to quickly improve their mercenary ranks, Amy and Big Green Mountain headed to the Mercenary Guild right after breakfast, hoping to find new tasks.

To their surprise, they found a large crowd gathered at the entrance of the guild, all looking up at something. This was unusual because, as Amy and Big Green Mountain knew, while most of the people at the Treehouse Tavern were mercenaries, only a few were ever at the guild at once. Usually, it was just a handful of people collecting tasks, settling payments, or claiming funds for deceased companions. A crowd like this was rare.

Amy and Big Green Mountain squeezed in to see what was going on.

Pinned to a post at the guild entrance was a bright crimson notice. Written in magical ink, it listed the details of a task, and in the task level section, it was marked prominently with "SS."

Wow—Double-S.

Over the past few days, Amy had spent a lot of time chatting with fellow mercenaries while riding the city buses (large sleds), getting to know the mercenary world better. Currently, mercenary organizations were divided into eight ranks: S, A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Individual mercenaries followed the same ranking system.

- Ranks E, F, and G were considered low-tier mercenaries and organizations. These were the bottom of the mercenary world, mostly handling menial tasks with low pay. Mercenaries at these levels had a high mortality rate, and earning 20 gold coins a year was considered fortunate.

- Ranks C and D were mid-tier mercenaries and organizations. Reaching this level was already a notable achievement, and mercenaries in this range usually earned a nickname. Organizations at this level often had a reputation in their region and could sometimes secure free lodging or a small base, exchanging these for minor protection services in times of need.

- Rank B consisted of high-tier mercenaries and organizations. Although there was only one level here, these mercenaries represented the core of the mercenary world, accounting for over 40% of all mid-tier and higher ranks. They were well-known in their own countries and neighboring ones, with many capable of making it into the Top 100.

- Ranks S and A were super-tier mercenaries and organizations. Across the four continents, there were only five super-tier mercenary organizations, all with state backing, making them forces to be reckoned with.

Interestingly, these five super-tier organizations all had names that included a color, each reflecting their native spirit beasts and knight mounts:

1. The Silver Snow Wolf Mercenary Group, based in Snowfield City in the Hammy Kingdom, boasted over 1,000 wolves, including 15 spirit wolves, making it highly effective for combat on the Icy Continent.

2. The Dark Green Earth Dragon Mercenary Group, headquartered in Scambrey, the capital of the Amy Empire, was the most formidable in known lands. With over 2,500 powerful earth dragons, including more than 20 spirit earth dragons, it also had other spirit beast riders like sand lizards.

3. The Bloodred Iron Cavalry Mercenary Group, based in the Holy See's capital, Uluru, was the largest organization, with three light-armor thousand-man units, one heavy-armor unit, and numerous earth dragon riders. This group was not only a mercenary force but also the most powerful armed force within the Holy See, responsible for handling rebellions and expeditions.

4. The Black Crocodile Mercenary Group, with fewer than 1,000 members, rode on fierce swamp crocodiles. Although mocked by B-rank organizations for its reclusive nature, it dominated the remote Facius Continent, where they seldom ventured beyond for tasks.

5. The Golden Dragon Knights, the only S-ranked group, were possibly the most legendary. Consisting of just three dragon riders, their history was longer than all four A-rank organizations combined. Said to be descendants of an ancient royal bloodline, they had unparalleled expertise in artifact hunting and consistently completed all their top-level missions. It was rumored that the current three members, newly A-ranked mercenaries, were in search of ancient relics.

Double-S?

Amy suddenly realized that there was currently no mercenary capable of taking on this task! Although the leaders of the four A-ranked mercenary groups were all S-ranked mercenaries, their organizations were not ranked S. Moreover, the only S-ranked organization, the Golden Dragon Mercenary Group, currently had no members of S-rank. So, was there really no one capable of accepting this task? Why, then, were so many people gathered around?

Task: Exterminate the Beast

Rank: SS

Location: Snow Forest

Hami Kingdom Reward: 10,000 gold coins

Northern Hami Kingdom Reward: 3,000 gold coins + an opportunity to contract with the high-level ice spirit, Aerlance

Task Description:

There have been frequent incidents of beast attacks near the eastern side of Snow Forest. Not only does the beast harm people, but, even more horrifying, it has a penchant for eating snow wolf brains. Over the past year, at least 300 snow wolves have been killed. The Hami and Northern Hami Kingdoms have sent troops to eliminate it, but the cunning beast is familiar with their tactics. It never attacks groups of more than ten soldiers, preferring to pick off lone fighters instead.

Completion Requirement: Kill or capture the beast.

Mercenary Guild Annotation:

Dear mercenary brothers, we regret to inform you that 15 mercenary teams have already been sent, all of whom have met with tragic failure—including an elite team of spirit beasts from the Silver Snow Wolf Mercenary Group.

Due to this, the task's difficulty has gradually increased from BB to SS level. However, we have reluctantly concluded that no current mercenary organization is suitable to complete this task. Therefore, we are opening this task to any mercenary group or individual mercenary who wishes to attempt it. To incentivize participation, the Mercenary Guild will add an additional 5,000 gold coins to the original reward for successful completion.

"Wow!" Amy exclaimed, slapping Big Green Mountain on the shoulder. "18,000 gold coins—that's a fortune! Let's take this task!" As she spoke, she rushed into the guild hall, shouting for the old clerk inside.

"Sigh… another one on a suicide mission," the old clerk muttered, shaking his head. "Today makes the thirteenth one… and 13 is an unlucky number. Would you like to make a will? I can help you with that for free."

"Come on, old man, I'm a swordsman and a mage, and he's a dragon knight. Is there any task we can't handle?" Amy boasted, puffing out her chest and making a funny face.

"Alright, since there are no restrictions on this task, I wish you the best of luck," the old clerk replied.

That afternoon, Amy and Big Green Mountain set out. Because of the dangers involved, Big Green Mountain worried about Little Green's safety. He left it with plenty of dried lizard meat and locked it up in a small shed for the duration of their mission.

The Snow Forest was quite close to the Treehouse Tavern—only a few days' walk away. The midsummer on the Icy Continent made for perfect traveling weather, with babbling streams and falling blossoms along the way. Amy sighed as they walked, recalling what Uncle Chi had told her: on such a beautiful day, one should be riding a magnificent steed like a prince in a fairy tale, rescuing a noble lady. The implication was clear, and Big Green Mountain could only shake his head with a wry smile.

By now, much of Amy's original naivety had been replaced by a cunning wit, thanks to Chi Hanfeng's five years of influence. Whether this was good or bad was hard to say. Many believed that Chi Hanfeng had shaped Amy's cunning nature, while others thought that Chi Hanfeng and Amy's relationship couldn't be explained by simply saying the student surpassed the master. Instead, Chi Hanfeng had simply guided Amy's innate talents.

It was a debate that could go on forever.