"Life doesn't care about your plans, it has its own."

[ New quest available: Good heart!

Quest Grade: Common

Particularity: Expires in 5 minutes

Objective: Help the bartender from 'Mongul Sun' escape from being beaten by thugs.

Reward:

- 3 soul coins

- 6℅ higher reward for the next quest

- increasing the connection with the spirit guide by 1℅ ]

[ Accept / Deny ]

Liyno's voice echoed in Azar's head as the information was displayed as a mental image.

Really? Azar asked in his mind. He was currently on an alleyway, near Roltus' house. He just managed to find the address and was about to pay the reko a visit.

At least you have enough good will to not send me quests when I'm in combat, Azar talked with his spirit guide.

He wasn't pleased by the quest grade, and the rewards were almost useless to him. But if he didn't take it, he would have one less quest this month. And the reward percent bonus could be pretty useful if the next quest was an epic one.

Guess any amount counts.

[ ACKNOWLEDGED ] Soul coins

Type: currency

Use: The currency can be used for buying; skills, techniques, potions, materials, armor, artifacts, herbs, etc, in the [ Astral Shop].

Abandoning his plan for the moment, Azar accepted the quest and immediately Liyno told him the coordinates. The "Mongul Sun" wasn't far from his current location, so it didn't take long for Azar to arrive in front of the bar.

[ Time remaining ]

4 minutes and 28 seconds

Liyno reminded.

Opening the old and barely holding door, Azar was hit by a strong scent of booze. His nose seemed to cave in and his pores closed and his body hair was about to fall. He came back out instantly, taking a large breath of fresh air before entering again.

The skinny bartender was laying on the bar with a piece of cloth in his mouth. Surrounded by drunk customers, he tried to beg for being spared. From his body and actions it could be said that this wasn't his first beating.

Azar was wearing the black uniform and mask of the Midnight assault team. He had a pair of fingerless gloves but still coated his hands in an energy layer, for keeping his hands clean.

Sending a small impulse in his feet, Azar's body seemed to flicker as he arrived behind the furious customers. Without a presentation or an announcement of his presence, he grabbed his first victim by the arms, then broke them clean.

The remaining people didn't even had time to react when their arms were broken in succession.

They were taken by surprise, by the sudden pain and strange position of their limbs. They could still groan in pain though, as the alcohol flooding their nervous system wasn't enough to fully numb their senses.

Their slow minds were unable to comprehend what happened, and by the time they looked around, all of them were in the same situation.

Azar appeared in front of them, unleashing some aura, enough for them to flee in panic. After checking the condition of the skinny dude and taking out the gag in his mouth, Azar disappeared without a trace.

[ Quest Completed ]

Rewards added to your persona;

+ 3 soul coins

Current balance: 8.741 soul coins

+ 6℅ in the next quest's rewards

Total bonuses: 6℅

+ 1℅ connection with the spirit guide

Connection established: 68℅

[ Quests remaining ]

Beast Hunter - Rare Grade

Azar focused his attention on the remaining quest. He received it at the beginning of the month, but he didn't have time to complete it. He needed to make some free time though, as all the unfinished quests will disappear at the end of the month.

Returning to his previous position, Azar checked the security of the target's house with the help of his [Spiritual Perception], then stepped forward and entered directly.

He wasn't fully sure that the noble known as Roltus was actually a reko in disguise or not, so he needed to be careful. Using his [Stealth], Azar entered in Roltus' dormitory, unnoticed.

The man was writing something on a piece of paper, a poem from what Azar could tell. He didn't exude any uncommon energy and was acting like a normal human. However, Azar used more then just his usual senses to test Roltus.

And after using his [Spiritual Perception] on the man's body, Azar could see an unusual entity. It was like the core of the being emitted a black, waving energy that was blocked from passing outside by some sort of barrier.

"How did you found me, human?" Roltus asked in a calm voice, still writing on his poem.

Azar was taken by surprise, but he returned to his usual, calm demeanor, in the next moment. "You have sharp senses, reko," he said canceling [Stealth] and pulling a chair with his mental power.

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"Hahaha! You seem to be accustomed to my race, who sent you here?" Roltus said putting his writing aside. He seemed impressed, or maybe surprised by the human's reactions.

"I'm here at the command of Lord Kaden. Mr. Virshka, we discovered what happened in the tunnels," Azar said respectfully. He tried to play a game in hopes of finding more clues.

The reko nodded his head and was about to speak when, he suddenly stopped. A smile appearing on his face. "If you came dressed in a different attire, you would've really fooled me. Hahaha, how lucky of me." the reko laughed loudly.

Azar let out a sigh, accepting his failure.

"You must be Aizen. You fit the description." Virshka nodded in appreciation. "In situations like this, I should say that I'm pleased to meet you, right? But I'm not," the reko turned serious. "How do you know my name?"

"One of your friends was kind enough to tell me," Azar said, still sitting. He didn't reveal any changes in behavior or voice, but inside, he was quite mad. From the reko's words, he could understand that his identity and appearance as Aizen was already known.

But how? he asked himself.

"Have you captured someone?" Virshka asked with an amused expression. "It was so quiet in your absence that we hoped you died. How come you've returned?"

"I was too bored to stay home, how come you know so much about me?" Azar asked slowly, an evil smile getting born on his face.

"You've done a sloppy job, that's why." Virshka laughed.

So it was that time, Azar said in his mind.

He met a reko before leaving for the Forsaken Lands. In that confrontation, he was forced to retreat and run for his life. Good thing that he wore the assault uniform and the mask that changed his appearance, otherwise his real identity would be the one exposed. That reko should be the one who spread the information about him, Azar was certain.

But Majah didn't knew a thing. Could it be that only the pure bloods received the information? . . . I need to see what's in his head, Azar said for himself.

"Your eyes betrayed you, human," Virshka said. "I assume that our little discussion is over?"

"Yeah," Azar said with a sigh.

Virshka jumped from his bed, taking the initiative to attack. His human cover was torn to pieces the second he used his inner energy. This detail didn't escape from Azar, but now wasn't the time to enjoy his discovery as a long claw slashed at him.

He didn't have room to retreat in the eventual continuity of the attack, so he advanced, entering the distance for close combat. A black mist came out from Azar's shadow and Eno appeared behind from it.

The reko's eyes grew big seeing his predicament. The reinforcements he asked for couldn't arrive so fast. He ate a solid punch in his figure, as close combat wasn't his forte, and was sent flying, crashing into the wall.

The loud sound, together with the shaking of the mansion, alerting the people from the house and making them run outside in the yard.

Eno didn't remain watching as he dashed at the reko, wanting to grab his neck.

"Fools!" shouted Virshka as a vortex of energy materialized around him, mincing the wall and cutting Eno's hand in thousand of pieces. He smiled at his deed, expecting a desperate cry of pain. But Eno remained silent, his other hand transforming into a blade that pierced through the whirlpool of energy, straight into the reko's body. A black flame then appeared in his eyes as the reko was the one ending up screaming.

"Your voice is music for my ears," said Eno as he increased the power of his spiritual fire.

"Sir, is everything alright?" asked the guards swarming inside like locusts on a tender grass field.

"Immobilize him!" Azar instructed, moving to deal with the newcomers. He wanted a chance to use his mind reading technique and extract some information from the reko, if possible.

"Scram!" Virshka screamed as the vortex of energy forced everything around him away. Except for Eno, who remained as steady as a rock. His spiritual fire burning at maximum intensity.

The reko trembled from the pain, his posture lowering as his energy left his body.

"Fools," Virshka said with a shaking voice. A black energy erupting through his skin and expanding rapidly in every direction.

"He's about to self destruct," warned Azar feeling the chaotic energy bursting forth. He gathered his energy wanting to forcefully seal the reko, but Eno didn't move.

A black hole appeared below Virshka, and he fell inside the abyss. Eno remained silent, his skill sending the reko inside his personal dimension.

Azar put to sleep the last guard and watched his seneschal, ready to intervene. But no explosion sounded even after Eno start moving again. He turned around with a delighted expression and a wide smile while black enegy came out of his nose and mouth without a stop.

Azar relaxed seeing his condition. "Where did you actually sent him?"

"You can call it my stomach," Eno said grinning. "Do we wait here, in case he called for backup?" he breathed out a a black, ashen air.

"No, we don't know their power or numbers," Azar replied. "We hide and wait. If we can win, we take them on. If not, we retreat," he said waiting for Eno's approval.

"No objections," answered the latter.

Azar nodded his head. He focused his attention on the room, Aves sending wave after wave of energy that cleaned all their traces.

In just a few minutes, silhouettes start appearing on the rooftops in the area. They didn't step in the light emitted by the sun stones, but remained under the cover of the night, assessing the situation. Not long after that, two normal humans entered the house from the main door, but came out just as fast.

Azar and Eno remained hidden in the shadow of a pillar. Using his [Spiritual Perception], Azar was able to observe the silhouettes from a distance. He could count another three rekos, while the rest were most probably humans.

When those who entered the house departed in silence, the silhouettes followed their example and disappeared as well.

"They will hide for a time," Eno said calmly.

His hand had already regenerated since he didn't have blood or bones, and he was ready for another round. Unfortunately, his playing partners were too many, and he couldn't engage.

He could take them on, even kill some, he was an [Enlightened Ascendant] after all. But he was inside a city, and such fight would definitely cause victims and attract the attention of all the forces.

"We have more time to prepare."

Eno nodded his head, leaving the place, but continuing to travel through the shadows' world.

"Where next?"

"I have a quest, but I'm waiting for a better one since I have a reward boost." After looking at his pocket watch, Azar continued. "It's late, I think I'll go home to meditate . . . if you don't have something in mind already," he said observing Eno's expression. "Why have you even asked if you already wanted to do something?"

"Good manners," Eno said. "I didn't want to make you feel bad if I decide on my own." He smiled from ear to ear.

"Fuck off!" replied Azar. "So, what do you have in mind?"

"Men sport."

Eno kept quiet over the short journey, his mind thinking of something pleasant as the smile on his face turned stranger and wider. What could he possibly refer to as "men sport" and be so happy about?

Azar had no idea, but he found the second they emerged from the shadow world because they were inside an underground fighting facility. The place was huge like a colosseum, with thousands of people watching the fight in the great arena.

"Look what I'm doing at this hour." Azar chuckled at the amusing situation.

"Wanna join?" Eno asked, definitely referring to fighting.

"No, I'm gonna grab some popcorn and watch the show," Azar joked. His answer bringing them both into wholeheartedly laughter.

Eno was accustomed with the place and people in charge as he immediately registered themselves as fighters. This seemed to be one of the ways in which he spent his free time.

"No signature moves or known skills, and cultivation suppressed at [Adept Practitioner] level. Let's see what you can do," Eno said, placing his hand on his master's shoulder.

"Do you want me to keep a hand tied at the back too?" Azar just joked, but Eno took it seriously.

"If you want to." He approved honestly.

There were no [Aikyam] level cultivators fighting in a place like that. Azar was not sure that the protective barrier would even be able to withstand their power. From what he saw, the fighters were mostly [Adept Practitioners], with a [Master Channeler] rarely stepping into the stage.

For him and Eno it was a good way to help the passage of time, but nothing more. At first, Azar thought that Eno wanted to bring him here just for fighting, but after he used his [Spiritual Perception], he found the real reason.

"Is it real?" Azar asked looking at the enormous horn coming from the ceiling. From his observation, it should be from a Darkened Beast similar with those from the Forsaken Lands. But what was it doing here? And why did it seem like a simple object with no aura. If he didn't use his skill, there was no way to observe it's characteristics.

"You tell, that's why I brought master here," Eno said seriously. "If you win ten consecutive matches, you get the opportunity to sit on it and practice for a few hours. They use it because it increases the energy absorption speed. I tried it once and I felt strange. I came here many times ever since, but I can't explain the feeling."

Azar looked at his seneschal with contempt. "And why haven't you take it home for examination?" If Eno was attracted by something, then by no means was that thing simple.

"Because master told me to not take something that dosen't belong to me," Eno answered in a serious voice.

Azar wanted to say something, but shut his mouth, unable to find the right words for a time.