The sky was red in the dream. Eli walked to a pedestal, placing Dregorn's head on it. Mountains of corpses were strewn across the dreamscape. She looked forlorn, as if she were in a haze.

"Oh. Welcome."

"Regretting your decisions?" I teased her. Her expression looked sad when she placed Dregorn's head. Unlike other corpses which were strewn on the ground, Dregorn's head seemed special to her. Does this mean her quest for vengeance finally begins? Or ended?

"Hm… I'm sorry, I guess." A feeling was transmitted. She didn't feel sorry for them, but she felt sorry for me. I had abandoned Alicia, Ludwin, and everyone else in Althemer. I didn't care very much about Ludwin, but Alicia and Safira were important. I didn't really want to leave them if possible. But alas, I have to. For her. For the girl who seeks vengeance before me.

"I wonder if you can make friends after all of this…" She hung her head.

"I've decided to help you. I didn't like it when you went out of control, but I did want to search for the one responsible for your parents. Was killing Dregorn satisfied your vengeance? He was innocent, right?"

"He knew about it. That must mean he was in the same group that killed my mother. He has no excuse!" She glared at me. Her guilt was washed away by the rage from deep within her. That was stupid of me. If she was going to stop by mere words, she wouldn't have offered her soul to the reaper comet like this.

"I see." I sighed. "Well, he did know, and we got three names from him."

"Thank you for your understanding. Once we kill these three, you will have your body back." Eli went back and stared at Dregorn's head. We were the complete opposite. I had healthy parents. I left them first due to my sick body. I didn't know how it would feel if my parents were killed before my eyes. Death, after all, was better than living in sickness.

"Let me hug you for a bit, Eli." I walked up to her and hugged her. Our faces and bodies were the same, so it looked like two twins hugging each other. Our bond grew deeper with each nightmare. As I hugged her, I could tell that she was suffering here too. There was no one who loved her. She was scorned by everyone. The one who loved her was murdered.

"Our time is up. By the way, you have a level-up notification. It appeared after I killed Dregorn and Samuel. Goodbye." She smiled. "You did something unnecessary. No matter what, I won't stop."

Blessing of the Killing Star has risen to level 7.

Choose your upgrade:

- Necromancy level 2

- Vampire dominance

- Improved speed level 2

"I understand. At least, I wanted to help you."

The dream ended. An unfamiliar ceiling was above me. The inn here was subpar compared to the ones in Althemer, and it was expensive to boot. I later figured out that most of the expenses came from food. The food prices here were about quadruple those in Shadowstep and double those in Althemer's capital.

"Thank you. Are you checking out?"

"Yes. I have an escort commission to Sami from the mercenary guild."

"I see. We will miss you. Please stay here during your return trip to Althemer, okay?" the innkeeper smiled sweetly. I nodded and left the inn. When I arrived at the guild, Hellhound was at the door, tapping his feet. Was I late?

"Was I late?"

"Just a few minutes. By dawn, I mean before the sun rises. You're a newbie; show some consideration. We don't know our client's temper." He preached. I tilted my head as he lectured about punctuality. In this world, where clocks are a luxury, dawn means when the sun rises. Is this like that Japanese custom where you are required to arrive 15 minutes early?

"Okay." I nodded.

"Here is Hell Biter, Hell Archer, and Hell Knight. Guys, this is our temporary member, Eli. She is a dark battle mage."

"Greetings. I am Eli. I use daggers."

"I am Hell Biter. I use swords."

"I am Hell Archer." He wasn't an elf; he looked more like a fantasy ranger. I bet he used daggers, too.

"Hell Knight. I am the tank of this team."

"Greetings." I bowed. I almost curtsied out of habit but refrained, which elicited some chuckles from the group.

"Are you a noble? Hellhound, did you manage to snare some innocent mage girl from a rich family? I didn't think you had it in you! Hahaha."

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

"I didn't! It was during the entrance test. She beat me!"

"Hey, stop slacking off! I know she's cute and all, but if you slack off on the recruiting criteria, she'll die!"

"I didn't slack off! I didn't know she was powerful, okay? She could even dodge my skill!" Everyone went silent when his skill was mentioned.

"Well, we're late. Let's go to the gate. The caravans we're escorting are parked there." Hellhound went on leading the way. The gazes from his teammates say it all. They didn't believe I was able to dodge his skill.

The five horse riders then trotted to the gate. After reaching the gate, Hellhound dismounted and greeted the caravan owner. There were about five carts in the caravan we were to protect. The plump man and his wife welcomed Hellhound with a smile, but he frowned when he saw me.

"Hm? Since when did you start recruiting girls? Is she a freeloader? The fee to Sami is two gold, miss," the caravan leader named Fran said arrogantly. I frowned at the price. Two gold was ridiculous. That was like asking for a knight's monthly salary for a mere ride to another city. Even plane tickets to other countries were cheaper than that.

"No, I am part of the caravan escort ." I looked at Hellhound and tried to gesture to him that I was uncomfortable with this client's attitude.

"Yes, she's right. She's a proficient battle mage. With her around, we can rest easy against monsters that can use magic."

"Oo, a mage, huh? Did you hire her from the Gulag? How did you get past the mage bureau? I want a mage for myself, too." The merchant sized me up. His smile wasn't lecherous, but he seemed to measure how much I was worth in feystones. That doesn't make it less creepy, though.

"Gulag?" I recoiled at the ill-sounding name. There was no Russia or Soviet Union here, so the name must be a coincidence.

"No, she's a foreigner. She's not a national mage. I caught her when she was registering in the mercenary guild."

"Don't hire her. You'll get blacklisted, you know." The merchant frowned.

"Mercs were already blacklisted from the Gulag a few years ago. Besides, even when we weren't blacklisted, we always got the worst of the mages. The Gulag can go to hell for all I care," Hellhound shrugged. "What, are you going to cancel the escort quest?"

"No. I am just warning you. But when people talk to me, don't mention she is a mage, and don't make her use magic."

"Of course. I don't want precious mage to be stolen by crooks like central nobles."

"What is Gulag?"

"The Gulag is a national company filled with mages. Before Claire's act of mages' freedom, every mage had to register themselves with the Gulag, and they would be the ones to assign work to you."

"I see. Do they enslave the mages there?" I frowned. The books I read back in Althemer Royal Academy started to make sense. So, this is how slavery was going.

"Hmm… not really. The Gulag was made to ensure that commoners and mages were equal. Some level 3 and below are paid similar to usual laborers, while those above level 6 are paid similar to nobles."

"I see." Well, the Gulag doesn't sound too bad if I hear it from him. But that's not my problem. I have money; the Gulag has no business with me.

"Let's go."

"Hey girl, rather than becoming a merc, you should try the Gulag. It's fairer that way. I will ensure you have a patron." The merchant scoffed but returned to the front carriage. We encircled his caravan as guards should. Hellhound took the front, Hell Biter and I covered the flanks, while Hell Archer and Hell Knight guarded the rear.

"No thanks," I muttered softly so he couldn't hear. I am level 8. Besides, if I were level 3 and below, I might have a more complicated life than that random mage who was fired yesterday. I was born as a poor count's daughter. Alicia was also a poor commoner before she discovered her talent. She wouldn't be able to escape debt and poverty if she was treated with The Gulag.

I looked to my right. The dirt road was narrow, and we traveled more slowly than when I was in Althemer. Despite using horses, our travel speed was only slightly faster than walking, maybe just a light jog. I suddenly felt uneasy; this caravan had an arrogant merchant, an inefficient road and travel plan, and only one guard per carriage. It was practically inviting trouble.

When I saw movement in the bushes in the distance, I immediately extended a tentacle that held a dagger towards it, stabbing the bushes. A person suddenly jumped from it with a surprised squeal.

"Hey! What are you doing?" I looked at him. He looked like a bandit. "Are you a bigot mage?"

"Bandit?" Hellhound muttered as he trotted in our direction. I nodded, but he didn't seem to believe me since the bandit was unarmed.

"Um, we are sorry. We are currently guarding the caravan. If you have no business with our clients, I hope you keep your distance." Hellhound replied cordially. I tilted my head at the nagging bandit and why he was unarmed. Then I figured out he was merely a vanguard. The bandits hadn't completely encircled us yet; that's why he was here to buy time. Unlike caravan escorts, bandits were usually poor and could only afford a single low-quality weapon. That's why they needed to encircle the caravan to prevent our escape.

"Hellhound, we might get surrounded soon."

Hellhound, who had been trying to calm the enraged bandit, suddenly sprang up, realizing he had been trapped. "Caravan! Speed your horses! Escort! Charge! Damn it, I forgot! I thought he was merely a mage hater."

But it was futile. As we dashed forward, The road ahead was blocked by some wire mesh. The carriage wasn't meant to travel in a forest, so we couldn't take a detour. We were stuck.

"Surrender your goods and we might spare you. Oh, and leave the mage girl here," the bandit leader said. A total of twenty bandits rushed towards us. The scout from earlier smiled smugly as their plan succeeded.

"Guard the carriage. I will engage them!" Hellhound shouted. He jumped and stepped on his horse, then disappeared. It was the same skill he used on me during the test. He reappeared next to the bandit leader and decapitated him.

"Apprehend the merchant! Make him stop!" one of the bandits ordered.

As the bandits surrounded us, I matched their number with my tentacles. With a throwing knife in each one, the tentacles shot to their necks and slit them, ending their lives. Three more bandits fell to Hellhound while I was killing the ones surrounding me. I observed him; he couldn't use his skill consecutively and needed about five seconds before he could activate his teleporting ability again. That skill was ridiculous. Anyone without a danger sense skill would be ambushed easily. I wondered how far he could teleport.

"What the… hey, you said she was a battle mage!" Hell Archer exclaimed.

"Oh, she is capable of combat, alright." Hellhound cleaned his sword with a cloth.

"Damn. Thank god you're on our side, miss. Leave some for us next time. I feel bad for taking the commission without even doing anything." Hell Biter said as he sheathed his sword.

I didn't leave blood on my knives either. I used water magic to clean them. The members were shouting again, asking whether I was a dual elemental mage. I am a triple elemental mage, but controlling other elements was so hard. Even though I was supposed to have level 4 water magic, I could barely hold the waterball to produce water constantly.

Secondary magic was so hard.