Chapter 111: Start of the real-combat mission! (2/2)
Before Ayrin could ask too many questions, a sturdy figure rushed wildly their way.
“Teacher Minlur.”
Halting in front of Ayrin and Ciaran, Minlur handed three backpacks to Ciaran. He tapped Ayrin’s shoulder at the same time, saying, “Brave warrior Ayrin, your fighting spirit looks as sharp as ever. That said, we’re merely using this method as a special training, but there’s after all a great possibility you’ll encounter a real battle. In front of genuine enemies, any arcane master will be extremely ominous and utterly vicious, an existence that lives only to send their opponents to the underworld. You have to listen to Ciaran’s orders about each and every move.”
Ayrin nodded fiercely. “I know, teacher Minlur, I’ll definitely follow teacher Ciaran’s commands to the letter.”
“Sniff sniff…” At this moment, Ayrin suddenly couldn’t resist sniffing fiercely.
“What’s the matter?” Minlur felt very baffled.
“Smells really good, it seems like there are many tasty things,” Ayrin said. After a little wait, he finally saw Moss running their way from the canteen’s direction, carrying two big bags of food.
“He can sniff the smell even from so far away, I can’t smell it even from so close. Isn’t this guy’s sense of smell just a little too sharp?” Minlur felt that Ayrin was filled with puzzles from head to toe.
“Brave warrior Moss!” Ayrin shouted at the running Moss. “Did you finally heal your lame foot?”
“Ayrin!” Moss shouted, depressed, “If you say the two words lame foot again, I’m going to throw this food away right now.”
Ayrin was a little curious. “What, you bought all this food for me?”
“Do you think everyone is a Huge Food Monster like you? It’s not an ordinary training session this time. It doesn’t matter if you keep training while hungry during ordinary times, but now we’re going out on a mission. Your stamina will be a bit better if we stuff you full right now. And, you won’t pass out from hunger during the mission just because you skipped several meals,” Moss shouted.
“What, you usually don’t eat to the full?” Ciaran frowned. Was it Carter’s negligence, was there a problem with Ayrin’s living expenses?
“It’s not that. I’m doing it to bring myself to a very hungry state. Then I’ll reward myself with some tasty stuff after accomplishing some training task. This way, my progress will be much faster than usual,” Ayrin explained. “That’s a method teacher Huston taught me, it’s really very effective.”
“Always keeping your body in a state of hunger? That’s the way of ascetic arcane masters, have you been doing that all along?” Ciaran and Minlur couldn’t help but share a look, both very taken aback. “Your capacity for food is especially great, yet you still can increase the speed of your progress by controlling your appetite?”
“Haha, it’s truly hard to endure sometimes, I really want to eat a big tree. Only, when I train and reach my goal, I feel even happier than when I eat a lot. So, that’s how I endure my way through training sometimes.” Ayrin laughed, a little embarrassed. “I can’t persevere for many days either. I can’t help myself from eating a big meal every four or five days maybe.”
Truly the most unpredictable guy, the guy with the highest fighting spirit…
Ciaran couldn’t help but shake her head lightly.
“Moss is right in this case. Remember the first rule of arcane masters on a mission. Before the mission, you have to adjust yourself into your optimal fighting condition. We’re setting off. Ayrin, eat while we travel.”
After saying that, Ciaran tossed the arcane master packs in her hand to Moss and Ayrin, one for each of them.
“Remember our mission this time. Before next sunrise, we have to hurry to Windsough Canyon and prepare an ambush.
“There’s a suspicious arcane master who might pass through there on his way to Gooseberry Townlet in search for a contact. That contact already noticed something abnormal two days ago and ran away. There’s another arcane team chasing after this person, as well as others related to him. Our mission is to lay an ambush, to waylay and capture this suspicious arcane master who doesn’t know yet the changes that occurred in Gooseberry Townlet.”
Utterly happy as he carried the two bags that were as heavy as him, Ayrin leaped nonstop while gorging himself, following behind Ciaran’s figure. He couldn’t repress his curiosity at the same time: “Teacher Ciaran, what’s the history of the contact in Gooseberry Townlet? Is he related to Evil Dragon followers?”
“Why does it seem like this guy became much faster? He seems free and easy carrying so much stuff, while I have a little trouble following him instead.” Moss also went through a special training during this time, but he’d never been together with Ayrin. He perceived Ayrin’s changes all of a sudden.
“You guys have to remember, during a mission, all the members of the same arcane team have to share all the news and discoveries related to the mission. Because, by concealing anything, you could cause your companions to fall in danger from the lack of understanding about the opponent,” Ciaran quickly said in a soft voice.
“The contact in Gooseberry Townlet concealed that arcane master who tried to assassinate Ivan. It’s precisely thanks to his cover and assistance that the mysterious arcane master escaped from the several St. Lauren’s arcane teams chasing him. Right now, the preliminary conclusion is that the arcane master who tried to assassinate Ivan is indeed related to the Evil Dragon followers. He might be the ringleader they sent in this area. That contact was originally the owner of the ‘gome store.’ He was hiding his strength. Before fleeing, he also revealed a strength of four arcane gates.”
“Then what about this suspicious arcane master we’re going to ambush?” Moss couldn’t help but ask.
“It’s a member of an independent battlemaster team. He only has two open gates according to our data. Once a student of Fayth Academy, an ordinary human bloodline, an experience of twenty to twenty-five real battles. The arcane skills he uses relatively often are ‘Flying Fireball,’ ‘Chaotic Butterfly Blades,’ and ‘Flash Step.’”