"B-Brother, are you serious?" Vardin couldn't believe his ears, glancing at Diana to see that she also had the same expression on her face. They stared at each other, watching Krune's hands hang over their shoulders.
Krune laughed in response as he said, "Of course. Someone's potential cannot be judged by their race. Among the humans and the many demon beasts, there are both the strong and the weak."
Diana smiled wryly as she said in response, "There isn't any race that likes us Silver Winged Mouses. I'm afraid we'll just drag you down."
"Wasn't it the two of you that invited me? We share the same destination, so we might as well head there as a team." Krune shrugged his shoulders. "Besides, it's my choice to join you as a team. I don't care about the opinions of some idiots I've never seen before. Come, let's register ourselves at the guild now."
"Thank you, brother." Vardin smiled after hearing that, showing a grateful expression. This was the first time he and Diana weren't discriminated against because of their race. They followed Krune into the Mercenary Guild and headed straight to the counter.
"Hello, we would like to form a team."
The attendant knew about Krune after his shocking performance in the mercenary tests, so he didn't say anything against him. Though, at the very moment he noticed the couple standing behind Krune, the attendant spoke without caring if his words would hurt them.
"Forming a team with Silver Winged Mouses will endanger your life. They are unreliable in battles. You may be strong, but you're only in the First Stage of the God Foundation Realm. Team missions are usually more dangerous than individual missions. You would be putting your life at risk leaving your backs to them."
'Again with that crap. This is starting to piss me off.' Krune spoke without mincing his words, "Just as I said before, even if I die, I wouldn't mind. I decide how to lead my life."
"Fine, don't say I didn't warn you." The attendant snorted in response. He wasn't patient enough to care about the lives of the mercenaries. If they survived, they earned the rewards of the missions. If they died, then it was their fault.
Mercenaries joined and died too often for him to care about. He was already being polite with his warning. He had already done his job. Beyond that was the fate the mercenaries wished to plunge into.
"State your names."
"Krune."
"Vardin."
"Diana."
"Your three have formed an F Rank Mercenary Team. Do you have a team name? Who among you shall be the team leader?" The attendant looked at Krune, deciding beforehand that he was going to be its leader.
Krune had defeated an opponent in the God Core Realm with a single hit, ignoring an entire realm between them. He was definitely a genius in terms of fighting. On top of that, his cultivation was only at First Stage God Foundation Realm when he achieved that feat.
On the other hand, even though the Silver Winged Mouses were in the Seventh and Eighth Stage of the God Foundation Realm, they were weaker than an average cultivator in their respective stages. So, it was given that the strongest among them, Krune, would be the leader.
Krune was annoyed by the attendant's behavior. But when he saw the couple back away from the task, he sighed and chose to become the leader. "I'll be its leader. As for the name…"
Krune gave it some real thought this time. Unlike the incident with Little Cally, he wanted to give the name of his team some serious thought. He wanted to move and fight as a team for the time being.
Fighting as a team and fighting alone were different things. He wished to explore both forms and temper himself. That way, his cultivation wouldn't stagnate. Teaming up with someone who shared the same destination was difficult in the vast God Realm, and it was through a stroke of luck that the couple found him.
To appreciate the effort, he wished to give the team name some serious consideration.
"You can change it later if you want. Most teams change their team names once they move up to E Rank." The attendant yawned as he uttered, feeling bored. He just wished someone else would give him work so that he could push them aside while using that as an excuse. Unfortunately for him, luck wasn't on his side.
Krune's eyes lit up soon after, having thought up of a really good name. "We'll call ourselves the Winged Wisps."
His naming sense had long surpassed the God Realm.
"Alright, Winged Wasps it is." A cough from the back caused him to mishear it as the attendant noted it wrong, seeping his Godly Energy into a Nine Stars God Foundation Equipment that was shaped like an ink pad. The ink on it swished as it converged into a sphere, elongating into a rectangular slab to which three tokens were attached.
"It's Winged Wisps, not Winged Wasps." Krune retorted in a hurry, lamenting as he saw the tokens form.
"Pfft, Winged Wasps. I like that name. More like winged…gasps." It was unknown who was the first one that laughed, but the guild soon resounded with raucous laughter.
"Sorry…" Diana muttered under her breath, ashamed of herself.
Vardin was about to apologize to Krune when he saw the latter seem unconcerned about the mockery.
Seeing their expressions, Krune offered them advice, "It doesn't matter. My plan stays the same. What about the two of you?"
"Yes, we have to go to the Four Sectors' Border Region no matter what," Diana resolutely said, gripping her hand into a fist.
"Then, it's decided," Krune grabbed hold of the three tokens before saying, "Winged Wisps or Winged Wasps, it doesn't matter."
"Each token is for a member. Your name and the team you belong to are displayed on it and registered in our database." The attendant then pointed at the mission board. "You can choose the Mercenary Missions from them. But remember that even if you pick a mission, if the client refuses to accept your service, the guild will ask you to pick another one."
Krune and the couple arrived before the mission board, looking through the missions listed on it.
-Search for the missing prince
-Act as an escort for the xxx Sect Elder
-Search for the clues of the Predominated Fruit
The first mission had caught his eye. Krune noticed that the destination of the mission was the Four Sectors' Border Region. But upon seeing the mission was listed as a D Rank Mission, he gave up on it.
It wasn't that he wasn't willing to pick up the mission. Instead, his Mercenary Rank prevented him from doing so. Even if he picked it up, the client wouldn't accept him. Instead of that, it was better to find something within his range. Escort missions for caravans were those he preferred.
They were fairly targeted by the bandits in the Four Sectors' Border Region. Guarding it gave him a lot of opportunities to hone his skills and temper himself in battle. He wasn't the type to seek battle, but if the battle was brought to his doorsteps, then he didn't have any intention of avoiding it.
-Guard the Pitlook Merchant Caravan until Hworn City. Reward: 1000 Rank One God Stones per F Rank Mercenary.
"This is perfect for us." Krune picked up the F Rank mission poster and looked at the couple, seeing them nod to show their approval. He then presented it to the attendant who worked with it, contacted the buyer, and gave them the go-ahead. "The client accepts your Mercenary Team of three. You can meet him in the nearby inn. His name is Trivar."
Krune smiled after hearing that.
"Thank you."
He felt that he was quite lucky. Despite it being his first mission or the first mission of his team, the client had accepted it so quickly. The reward wasn't much, but he wasn't in it for the rewards anyway. He had the highest rewarding sub-profession to help him in that regard.
Without further ado, their team of three, the Winged Wasps, headed to the inn. They soon met up with Trivar, the head of Pitlook Merchant Caravan.
"I'm Trivar," The demon beast in human form introduced himself. He was a middle-aged man slightly gaining in on his years. His wrinkled face smiled as he looked at Krune, saying, "I heard of your shocking battle from a friend of mine, so I accepted your Mercenary Team immediately."
"It's my pleasure." Krune smiled, getting a good feeling of the other party based on his courtesy. Well, it wasn't as if he needed to be concerned about the client too much. But working with someone amicable still felt good. At least, he didn't have to worry about guarding a caravan of thugs.
"The caravan will set off in two days. So, it would be for the best if you arrive then. We'll provide you with food and a place to stay during the journey. You'll only have to make a move when the caravan is attacked. There would be three other teams like yours. And once you have completed the mission successfully, you can claim the mission rewards from the Hworn City's Mercenary Guild."
"That's fine by me." Krune nodded in response before asking with curiosity, "How long will the journey take?"
"Sir, have you been through the Four Sectors' Border Region before?" Trivar asked in surprise. Those who headed towards the Four Sectors' Border Region without knowing much about it were usually people desperate for God Stones. For a moment, he was afraid if he had chosen the wrong team in his hurry.
Well, it wasn't as if his worries were without cause. Merchant caravans transported a lot of goods with high value, usually items of deficit in the destination city. So, they held a lot of commercial value, which was why bandits usually raided them.
There had been desperados who even risked losing their Mercenary Token just to steal the transported wares.
"This would be my first," Krune replied frankly. Vardin and Diana, too, echoed his response.
'The remaining two in his team don't look that strong. And despite the power he had shown, he's still a One Stage God Foundation Realm cultivator. He cannot sustain himself in a drawn-out battle. The other teams are many times stronger than them, and I have worked with them a couple of times. However, Krune is part of the Spirit Awakener's Guild, so there shouldn't be any problems with that.'
After coming to a logical conclusion, Trivar flashed a businessman's smile as he began explaining the inner workings of the Four Sectors' Border Region.
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