The Smiling Death

Chapter 512: Choosing Mission

The hall wasn’t particularly crowded.

Several large mission boards were mounted along the stone walls, each covered with neatly pinned requests.

The spacious hall reminded Amon of an Adventurers Guild from the fantasy novels he had once read.

Students walked from one board to another, carefully reading the available requests while discussing them with their teammates.

Every now and then, someone would remove a mission from the board before heading toward the registration counter.

The atmosphere was lively but orderly.

"So," Marcus asked as he folded his arms, "which mission should we take?"

Aisha glanced over the board before replying,

"We should choose a difficult one."

Everyone looked at her.

"That way, we won’t have to complete two separate missions."

Marcus nodded in agreement.

"That’s true.The harder the mission, the more Points we might get...wait is there Points for completing missions?"

Amon rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Well who cares. We just have to complete the mission since it’s mandatory. "

He paused before adding,

"But let’s avoid any mysterious investigation-type missions."

The moment he said that, everyone immediately understood what he meant.

Their thoughts drifted back to the previous year. Where Amon had went on a mission with Senior Selena.

The investigation mission involving the mysterious disappearance of orphan children.

What had initially seemed like a simple investigation had turned into a massacre of whole town.

Amon and Selena had barely survived that day.

Seraphina gave a small nod.

"I agree."

Her calm golden eyes shifted toward another section of the board.

"A monster subjugation mission would be much better."

Amon immediately sighed in relief.

"Now that’s something I can get behind."

His gaze suddenly shifted toward Aisha.

A mischievous grin slowly spread across his face.

"So..."

He leaned slightly toward her.

"What do you think, Wolfy? What kind of mission do you want?"

Aisha instantly shot him an irritated glare.

"Tch. Don’t call me Wolfy."

She folded her arms beneath her chest.

"And I’m fine with anything as long as it involves killing monsters."

Eliana tilted her head curiously.

"What about a bandit extermination mission?"

Aisha immediately shook her head.

"No."

"Why?" Eliana asked.

"What if there’s a high-ranking individual hiding among them?"

"We’d be putting ourselves in unnecessary danger."

Eliana simply shrugged.

"But last time we defeated two Fourth-Rank demons."

She looked toward Seraphina before shifting her gaze to Amon.

"With Seraphina, you, and Amon in the group, I think we can handle one or two powerful opponents."

A confident smile appeared on her face.

"Besides... I’ll definitely break through to the Master Rank before we leave for the mission."

Aisha nodded as well.

"Same. I’m close to breaking through too."

Marcus crossed his arms.

"Enough talking. Let’s first see what missions are actually available."

Everyone nodded.

The five of them stepped closer to one of the mission boards and carefully began reading the requests pinned to it.

---

Mission: Subjugation of the Crimson Fang Pack

Location: Bloodfang Forest, Eastern Valmoria

Difficulty: Hard

Details: A pack of mutated Crimson Wolves has begun attacking nearby villages. The pack leader is estimated to be at the Fourth Rank.

---

Mission: Eliminate the Stonehide Ogre

Location: Ironrock Valley

Difficulty: Hard

Details: A giant Stonehide Ogre has occupied an important trade route, preventing merchants from traveling safely.

---

Mission: Rescue Missing Adventurers

Location: Mistwood Forest

Difficulty: Hard

Details: Three rookie adventurers disappeared while investigating unusual monster activity. Rescue them if possible and determine the cause behind their disappearance.

---

Mission: Bandit Stronghold Extermination

Location: Black Raven Hills

Difficulty: Hard

Details: A newly formed bandit group consisting of eight to ten armed members has established a fortified hideout. Their leader is believed to possess Master Rank strength.

---

Mission: Suppress the Ash Drake

Location: Ashen Mountain Range

Difficulty: Hard

Details: A young Ash Drake has been repeatedly attacking nearby mining settlements. Eliminate or drive it away before more casualties occur.

---

Amon slowly read each mission from top to bottom.

"Hmm..."

He tapped the board thoughtfully.

"I like the Subjugation of the Crimson Fang Pack."

He smiled.

"It looks like the easiest mission among these. We’ll also get to spend some time in a village. It’ll feel like a small holiday trip."

Eliana couldn’t help giggling.

"I expected nothing less from you, Amon. You always think about relaxing first."

Amon shamelessly nodded.

"Life is short. We should enjoy it whenever we can."

Seraphina quietly examined another request before speaking.

"I think the Bandit Stronghold Extermination mission is the better choice."

Everyone turned toward her.

She calmly explained,

"We’ll be fighting intelligent opponents. Whether they’re humans or members of another race, battles against intelligent enemies provide far more practical experience than simply hunting monsters. They think, adapt, and cooperate."

She continued, "If we want to become stronger, those kinds of battles are much more valuable."

The group silently considered her words.

After a moment, everyone slowly nodded.

She wasn’t wrong.

Marcus agreed immediately.

"I think you are right. Real combat experience is worth much more than fighting beasts."

Aisha nodded.

"I agree.I’d rather fight enemies that can actually challenge me."

Amon let out a small sigh.

"It’s definitely more dangerous..."

He looked at the mission again.

"It could easily become life-threatening."

Marcus looked at him.

"That’s true. But once we accept a mission, the responsibility is ours. The academy isn’t responsible if something happens to us. We’re the ones choosing it. So whatever happens... is entirely our own decision."

Amon remained silent for a few seconds.

Then a grin slowly appeared on his face.

"...Alright."

He cracked his knuckles.

"Let’s go kill some bandits."

A dangerous smile spread across his lips.

"I’m going to crush their skulls with my hatchet."

Marcus simply shook his head.

"There he goes again."

Eliana giggled.

"Then it’s decided."

Seraphina stepped forward and carefully removed the mission request from the board.

The group then walked toward the registration counter.

The academy staff member accepted the mission sheet before asking each of them to present their student identification cards.

One by one, they handed over their IDs.

The staff member also verified their ranks.

After confirming that every member of the group met the mission’s minimum requirements, the request was officially assigned to them.

The registration process didn’t take long.

Once everything was completed, Seraphina returned with the mission documents in her hands.

"It’s done."

She looked at everyone before continuing,

"We’ll leave next week."

Everyone nodded.

Seraphina lowered her eyes to the mission file once more.

"The bandit stronghold is located near Malana Village."

"We’ll head there first before beginning the operation."

"Got it," Amon replied with a nod.

The rest of the group agreed as well.

With their first mandatory mission of the semester officially accepted, the five of them left the mission hall and began preparing for the journey that awaited them the following week.

---

Beep! Beep!

A soft beeping sound echoed from Amon’s pager.

He had just left the mission hall and was walking back toward the dormitory when he took the device out of his pocket.

"The call?"

He pressed the button to answer it.

"Hello?"

A cheerful, familiar voice immediately came from the other side.

"Hello, young man! Remember me?"

A smile appeared on Amon’s face.

"Of course, Daren."

"So... does this mean my artifact is finally ready?"

"Hahaha!" the dwarf laughed heartily.

"That’s right! It’s finally finished. You can come and collect it this Sunday."

Amon felt relieved.

"That’s great. I’ll be there."

"Good. I’ll be waiting."

After exchanging a few more words, the call ended.

Amon put the pager back into his pocket before changing direction.

Instead of returning to his dormitory, he headed toward the academy infirmary.

---

The infirmary was peaceful as usual.

The faint scent of medicinal herbs lingered in the air while several students received treatment for minor injuries.

Behind one of the desks sat Professor Adelia.

Her long, wavy emerald-green hair flowed gracefully over her shoulders.

She wore a neat blue blouse and matching skirt beneath a pristine white lab coat, giving her the elegant appearance of a professional healer.

At the moment, she was examining an injured student’s arm.

Amon waited patiently until she finished.

Once she noticed him standing nearby, a gentle smile appeared on her face.

"What happened, Amon?" she asked warmly.

Amon smiled back.

"Professor, I just received a call from Daren. My artifact has finally been repaired. I’ll need to go to the capital city this Sunday to collect it."

He scratched the back of his head.

"You once told me you’d accompany me..."

Adelia chuckled softly. "Yes, I remember."

She nodded reassuringly. "I’ll come with you, so don’t worry."

A relieved smile spread across Amon’s face. "Thank you, Professor."

He bowed his head slightly.

"Sorry for disturbing you while you’re working."

Adelia glanced toward the patients waiting nearby before smiling apologetically.

"Yes. I’m a little busy right now. So, I’ll see you later."

"Alright."

Amon waved goodbye before leaving the infirmary.

Once outside, he took out his pager again.

There was still one more person he needed to inform.

He contacted Senior Selena and told her that Daren had called and that the repaired artifact would be ready for collection this Sunday.

After finishing the call, Amon put the pager back into his pocket.

Now everything had been arranged.

All that remained was to wait for Sunday to arrive.

He would be going on date– no he would be going to spend some nice time with Senior Selena and Professors Adelia.