The peaks of the Orlando Mountains, with the Sacred Sword Peak towering into the clouds, are covered with snow from halfway up the mountain, and the peak itself is shrouded in clouds, elusive and invisible.

Legend has it that at the icy peak, which has not melted for ten thousand years, secrets of the ancient wars between gods and demons are hidden. Yet, no one has ever managed to climb to the top to unveil the truth.

The Sacred Sword Peak is steep and difficult to climb, and the Soron Canyon at its base is even more impassable for gods and ghosts alike.

The canyon is always enveloped in a grey, year-long fog. Its cliffs are as smooth as if cut by knives and axes, and a large river, the Don River, runs down one side of the cliff, crossing the Soron Canyon. The canyon is overgrown with weeds and bizarre rocks, scattered with broken armor, weapons, and bones - remnants of ancient battlefields.

It is said that many years ago, mercenaries and adventurers came to the canyon in search of treasures. However, after thousands of years, even the once divine armors and spiritual weapons have lost their magic, now no better than scrap metal found on the streets. Those who found treasures in the canyon are few and far between, but many have gone missing or gone mad after leaving the canyon. Due to its strangeness, Soron Canyon gradually became a forgotten place, rarely visited by humans.

One day, a team of mercenaries broke through the mist at the entrance and slowly entered the seldom-visited Soron Canyon.

This team was none other than the "Blue Sylph" mercenary group.

Caines had wanted to escort the goods into the canyon alone, but not a single member of the mercenary group wished to leave him.

"Trust is the life of a mercenary!" This was the oath every member of the Blue Sylph adhered to.

A mercenary shouted, "If we are not allowed to accompany you just because of danger, that's mistrust among brothers, and we do not deserve to be mercenaries of the Blue Sylph!"

Caines smiled contentedly, knowing he could not dissuade his mercenaries. For their beliefs, even death was not feared. After all, he had experienced it once before, and today was but another repetition.

The mercenary group set out as planned, but they took an extremely remote route.

Although there are no paths in the Orlando Mountains, generations of hunters and mercenaries have explored and found a route more suitable for travel. However, it was this very route that gave the hidden enemy an opportunity to lure monsters to ambush the mercenaries.

To prevent the enemy from setting traps on the road again, Angus led the mercenaries on a rarely traveled route. This detour around the outskirts of Soron Canyon took twice as long to reach near the entrance of the canyon.

Despite the extra time and distance, the mercenaries encountered no accidents along the way.

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Caines, Adeline, and Angus, leading the group, with the mercenaries behind them with crossbows cocked and swords drawn, were all prepared for battle. Even Arthur took out three sharp arrows and placed them on his bowstring.

The fog in Soron Canyon was thick, and just a few dozen meters in, the entrance was no longer visible.

Caines signaled, and the entire team stopped, "Our mission is to escort the goods to the entrance of the canyon, and we'll wait here for the person to receive them."

"I think we might never meet the person to receive them," a slender figure slowly emerged from the mist of the canyon.

It was the elf, Ilaya, who appeared in front of everyone. He had somehow made it in front of the team and entered the valley first.

Ilaya was holding a person, a plump man with his head drooping weakly, his originally extravagant golden robe stained with dried blood.

"Dead?" Angus exclaimed in surprise.

"I found him already dead, stabbed through the heart with a sword. Judging from the body, he has been dead for a long time," Ilaya laid the man flat on the ground.

"Is he the person we were waiting for?"

"The body has been tampered with, and aside from his clothes, there was nothing left on him."

Angus began to examine the body, marveling as he did, "Boss, this is too strange. He was neither a warrior nor a magician. If he was just a merchant, how did he get here alone?"

Throughout the process, Caines remained silent in thought. He had thought that meeting the client would solve many mysteries, but now, even the person they were supposed to meet was dead.

"How he died has nothing to do with our mission. Since the person to receive the goods is dead, our mission ends here. We should leave now," Caines made a surprising decision.

Curiosity killed the cat. The entire mission had been strange from the beginning, and strictly following the mercenary code ensured maximum safety.

"What about this body?" Angus asked.

"Take it with us. We have to give an explanation to the Mercenary Guild."

No one questioned Caines' decision, and the mercenary group began to slowly retreat towards the entrance of the canyon.

"It's such a pity, isn't Captain Caines going to wait a bit longer?" A dry, hoarse voice suddenly came from the mist of the canyon.

The entire team stopped in their tracks. Caines did not speak, his hand gently grasping the hilt of his sword behind him, his eyes fixed on the direction from which the voice came.

The fog churned, and a gaunt man in a black tight-fitting suit emerged from the fog. A black leather mask completely covered the man's face, leaving only a pair of eyes shining with a cold light.

Caines and Ilaya exchanged glances, seeing shock in the elf's eyes. Ilaya had entered the canyon ahead of the mercenaries and had already searched the surroundings of the entrance, yet this person had managed to evade the elf's senses, indicating his strength was far superior to Ilaya's.

"Who are you?" Caines asked coldly.

"No comment," the response was equally cold.

"What do you want? Perhaps we can help. As a mercenary group, we can accept any commission," Caines slightly softened his tone.

"I personally admire Captain Caines' strength shown along the way, but unfortunately, we are also on a mission."

Caines sighed softly, knowing all was lost.

The man in black's words had essentially revealed his identity; Caines was facing a professional assassin organization.

From the sword through the heart method of killing, the man's black attire and reluctance to show his face, to the way he stood with only one side of his body facing them, Caines had already guessed the man's background.

There's no negotiating with assassins; they are but cold tools in the hands of others.

"Everyone, retreat from the canyon!" As Caines issued the order to retreat, his own body leaped forward, a fierce sword aura slashing towards the man in black.

"Since you've come, none of you shall leave," the man in black let out a cold laugh.

One after another, black figures rushed out of the fog towards the mercenaries...