After spending two days in hedonism, Drake felt rejuvenated and ready for another adventure. It was finally time to register for the war between the Kingdom of Aleria and the Kingdom of Draconis over the Ferronite mine found near their shared border. He had accepted the quest from the Aleria Kingdom.
His followers were sad that he was leaving the territory so soon. Many offered to follow him but Drake refused and told them to work hard to improve themselves and the territory.
He took his original group of Yumi, Ayame, Aria, and Zara as the new addition to the group. Previously he told them to focus on the event, hence he left to explore alone, but with the event completed, they were allowed to follow him again.
Unexpectedly, Zara and Yumi became close friends during the time they stayed together. It was Yumi who requested Drake to let Zara follow him. Drake easily agreed as she was one of the few new followers who had already become his zealot.
As for the different rankings that were set to be announced in less than two weeks, Drake just told them to work hard for that. He knew that with their loyalty he had no need to even say anything, and they would perform their best.
They left the territory and first reached the Black Forest territory where Drake took his RV. With his group in tow, traveling in the RV seemed like the best option for comfort and efficiency. They teleported into the Windmere Kingdom, arriving in the Ravencrest Territory. From there, they journeyed to the Aleria Kingdom, reaching a bustling border city preparing for war.
The city was alive with activity. Soldiers marched in formation, blacksmiths hammered out weapons, and traders hawked supplies to the incoming troops. The air was thick with the scent of metal, sweat, and anticipation. Drake and his group made their way to the recruitment office, a modest building that seemed dwarfed by the surrounding chaos.
Inside, the office was crowded with mercenaries. Lines formed in front of army officers who registered the recruits. The room buzzed with a mix of emotions: confidence, fear, hope, greed, and bloodlust. Each mercenary's face told a story of why they were there.
As Drake and his group stepped inside, conversations paused, and all eyes turned toward them. The attention was particularly focused on the women with Drake. Unlike the other female explorers, Drake's companions carried an air of elegance and power that stood out in the rugged crowd. Drake himself looked more like a young master from a wealthy family out on an adventure rather than a hardened mercenary.
One mercenary, a burly man with a scar running down his cheek, sneered. "Look at that, a noble playing mercenary," he muttered to his companion.
Drake didn’t care about anyone watching them and went behind one of the lines to stand and wait their turn. The girls followed him, ignoring the stares and whispers from the crowd. After giving them a few scrutinizing looks, almost everyone resumed whatever they were doing.
But there were still some who liked to put their noses into others' business and underestimated Drake's capabilities.
“Hey brat, what are you doing here? This place is not for pansies like you. Go back home and suck your mommy’s titties,” a big burly man just in front of Drake said, laughing in a condescending tone. He was jealous when he saw Drake being followed by his beautiful companions and wanted to put him in his place. Everyone once again watched them, anticipating a good show.
The girls looked ready to cut the burly man to pieces, but stopped when Drake said, “Sorry, I left my 'caring about your opinion' card at home.”
The girls chuckled at that, but the burly man looked pissed.
“You puny brat dared to talk to me like that?” the man said angrily and punched at Drake's face.
Drake easily stopped the punch with his palm and held it tightly. The man tried to pull his hand back but failed.
“Let go,” the man roared.
Drake just smiled and started twisting his hand. The man cried out in pain, but Drake didn’t stop. Soon, a cracking sound started coming from his hand.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, please let me go,” the man begged, his face twisted in agony.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
Drake stopped but only when the man’s hand was half broken. The man left the office hurriedly but didn’t forget to give a hateful glare to Drake. Seeing his look, Drake chuckled and glanced at Ayame, who nodded in understanding, showing a terrifying smile.
As the man disappeared, Drake's mind drifted back to the task at hand. ‘Some people never learn’, he thought. ‘But it’s always amusing to see them try.’
The onlookers who had been watching the show resumed their work after it ended. Such fights were common among mercenaries, so no one cared much about a little scuffle, not even the army officers. The officers secretly looked down on mercenaries, seeing them as greedy and unreliable. As long as the fight wasn’t between extraordinary mercenaries, they wouldn’t intervene. Mortal mercenaries were mere cannon fodder in the war, with only veteran mortals being somewhat useful.
Drake approached a desk as his turn came. There was a low-ranking officer, Lieutenant Brandt, sitting behind a stack of papers. Brandt barely glanced up as Drake handed over the notice he had received from the mission hall in Windmere City.
Brandt showed mild interest in him because of the earlier scuffle. He could tell that Drake was a veteran from watching his skills as he was a rank 1 extraordinary. It was a great feat to become a veteran at his age.
All the army officers tasked with registering the mercenaries were rank 1 extraordinary. That was because it was expected everywhere that mercenaries and explorers were a rude bunch who did whatever they wanted. Since many such people were extraordinary, at least extraordinary officers were needed to keep them in check.
Brandt’s mild interest in Drake was fleeting. He knew that even as a veteran, there was not much Drake could do other than becoming a higher rank cannon fodder. Even Drake's companions were mortals like him.
Brandt thought like that because Drake’s companions each had hidden their strength with the item they purchased from the shop and looked no different from a mortal. Below rank 4, no one could find out that they were extraordinary. As for Drake, it was indeed true that he was a mortal, but he had also hidden his strength. He had consumed various stat fruits. Because he was a mortal, he could only acquire minor rank 1 strength, defense, and agility. But with his skills, that was more than enough to deal with rank 1 extraordinary.
“Names?” Brandt asked.
“Drake Stone,” Drake replied, “and these are my companions, Yumi, Ayame, Aria, and Zara.”
“Don’t expect any special treatment because of your earlier display,” Brandt said disinterestedly.
Drake nodded. "I understand. Just point me in the right direction."
Brandt handed Drake a basic map of the Ironclaw Mountains where the mine was situated. "Your task is to reconnaissance around key positions around the mine and report any enemy movements. Here, this is your insignia that you can show to Commander Damian, who will provide you with detailed instructions," he said plainly. "Take care of your expenses on your own," he continued.
Drake accepted and left with his companions.
As they left the building, they looked around the city market to buy some supplies for the journey. After some time, they felt that someone was following them. They didn’t react and continued to roam around, purchasing various things. The market was bustling with activity, filled with the sounds of haggling vendors and the smells of exotic spices and fresh produce.
They wandered through the market, occasionally stopping to examine merchandise, all the while keeping a discreet eye on their surroundings. The group following them wasn’t very subtle, making it easy for Drake and his companions to keep track of them.
After they were done shopping, they left the market. The followers were still on their tail. They went towards a small alley. After some time walking they reached the end.
“Hahaha, here I was thinking about how to take you to a quiet area, but you idiots walked to your death on your own,” the burly man from earlier laughed loudly. His hand still looked like before.
He was standing with eight other burly men. They were part of his explorer group. They were purchasing supplies so he went ahead to register the group for the war.
Drake and his companions looked calm as they watched him as if jumping clowns. They became angry and irritated when they saw Drake and his companions looking at them like that.
“Brat, do you think you are very strong? There are so many of us. We will first kill you and then play with your companions to our heart's content,” the burly man laughed. His companions also laughed hearing that.
“You are tight Joseph. They all look so beautiful. I have never been with such beautiful girls, today is our lucky day,” one of the men in the group laughed. “But didn’t you say that that kid has four companions? Why are there only three?”
Joseph was shocked and then he noticed that one of the twins was missing. As if on cue, everyone heard a few thud sounds. Something fell from the building on the side.
Ayame jumped down and joined Drake. “They were the last ones,” she answered his inquisitive look while pointing to the objects that fell.
Joseph and his group looked towards the fallen objects carefully and found that they were three heads. Not just any heads, they were heads of their leader and two other companions.
“LEADER! NO!” they screamed in grief seeing the decapitated heads of their leader and companions.
They turned towards Drake and his group and watched them like angry bulls but before they could say or do anything, they died with an arrow sticking in their heads.
After dealing with a small interlude, Drake and his group left the alley.