- Sky -

He checked himself for injuries, and saw that he had gotten away without a scratch. Perhaps luck had been with him after all. He went around collecting the bodies, then went back to his tent so he could go back to bed. He'd need to chat with the client before he sent in his mission report. When he got back to the tent, he checked his RINGS menu. He was surprised to see there were new upgrades available for his Camping Tent.

[Fluffy rugs! Almost as good as fluffy slippers! You need at least one large animal fur or an equivalent quantity of small animal furs to use this upgrade. Select this upgrade? Yes/No.] He chose [Yes]. [Warning: Cannot upgrade Camping Tent while it is occupied. Exit the Camping Tent, and try again.] He sighed and did as he was told. Now outside, he tried again. [Bear skin rugs feel nice on your toes. You have made progress toward multiple rooms. Keep a look out for more upgrades.] He looked at the next option.

[Brrrrr! It's cold out there! But it'll be warm on the inside. You need an insulating material equivalent to the external dimensions of the Camping Tent to choose this upgrade. Select this upgrade? Yes/No.] He chose [Yes]. [Excellent choice! Insulation is the key to temperature regulation. It will get warm. Consider finding another upgrade before you have a Summer heat wave. You have made progress toward multiple rooms. Keep a look out for more upgrades.]

[How much does a pound of feathers weigh? Feather pillows and down comforters are the key to comfort at night. You need a lot of feathers for this upgrade. Select this upgrade? Yes/No.] He chose [Yes]. [Sweet dreams await!]

He went back inside, and noticed as he did that the front flap was heavier than it was before. Looking around, he saw that the floor and walls were now covered in bear fur. It would certainly be warm. He made his way to bed, and the new blankets and pillows were super comfortable. He didn't bother keeping watch this time. He was too tired.

When he woke up in the morning, he was startled by his own irresponsibility. He chided himself for not keeping a watch rotation. He quickly sent one of his bodies out of the tent to ensure his surroundings were still safe. As soon as he opened the flap, he found the farmers standing outside his perimeter formation. They wouldn't be able to see inside, but they would still be able to tell that something was occupying space in the area. Given the obfuscation, the mortals would naturally assume that it was the work of a cultivator.

The Sun was approaching its noon peak, so he knew he must have slept late after fighting those bears. He wondered how long the mortals had been waiting outside, and more importantly how had they seen through the obfuscation? He sent Kyle outside of the perimeter to speak to the locals. When they saw him emerge from the blurry obfuscation of the perimeter, a cheer erupted, and an old man approached.

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"Young immortal, forgive us if we have disturbed your sleep. We saw you boys fighting off those flying grizzlies last night, and followed you up here to give our thanks. We are incredibly grateful. We only just put in the request to the mission hall a day ago, and we didn't think anyone would come so quickly. We all thought we would have to evacuate soon."

"I'm glad to help. Before I report to the mission hall, I need to ask you some questions. First of all, why was there only one bear listed in the mission details? Four grizzlies would normally take a larger or more experienced group to exterminate safely."

"I'm so sorry about that, young sir, but the last time it really was only one bear. The other three were new. I assure you we would have told the mission hall if there had been more."

"Alright, so why are your farms outside of the sect's perimeter barrier? Isn't it too dangerous for mortals to live this close to the forest without protection?"

"It's normally not a problem. You see, the barrier extended out past our farms until recently. I don't know why it stopped. We mentioned it to the mission hall when we sent the request in. Anyway, we just wanted to thank you in person. I can't believe they sent such young boys, but you can go back and tell them that you're done. We'll send someone to let them know about the extra work you did with those other bears, too. You should get credit for what you did. I hope the other two aren't injured?"

Sky had left his other two bodies in the tent. "No, sir, they're fine. But thanks for asking. Last question, how did you know we were here? Our protection array is supposed to obfuscate the area."

"Well, as I said, we watched you come up here. Also, if you'll forgive me for saying so, but it must be a low-tier array. Your camp is camouflaged, and we would not have been able to find the entrance, but we live in this area. It is obvious that the ground and landscape look different here."

"Okay, the mission is completed, so we'll be on our way soon. Have a good day."

"Alright, y'all be good."

With that the old man and the farmers bowed to him, then they went back to their farms. They left a basket of food behind without saying anything. He supposed it must have been meant as an offering, so he added it to his storage. One of his other bodies had just stepped into the kitchen to grab a ration. When he opened the cabinet, the basket of food was inside, next to all the other rations. This would be a convenient way to consolidate space, if food transferred to his tent automatically.

There was baked bread, cheese, fruits, and sliced sausage in the basket, so he helped himself to it instead of a ration bar. He loaded up the mission completion menu while he ate, and found that it was quite simple to send the written report. After that he attempted to send the verbal report. Jen answered the call, and her face appeared in front of him.

"Junior Kyle?!" She asked. She was clearly startled.

"Senior, I've called to give my verbal report on the mission I just completed. There may be urgent information."

"Alright. I'm listening."

He told her what happened, and made sure to mention that the farming village was not being protected by the sect's barrier.

"Report received. I will inform my Seniors about this. You may return to the mission hall to collect your rewards."

She closed the communication screen. Sky had no intention of returning to the mission hall. He opened the menu to collect his rewards, then started looking for his next mission.