Chapter 16 (2/2)

The next part of the mission has not been activated.

With the 15 Omni Points, Link’s total Omni Points had gone back to twenty. This gave him much more leeway.

They had reached the deepest part of the cellar. Annie fumbled around the wall behind a huge wine casket. Finally, she opened a very cleverly hidden secret door. Climbing into it, she told Link, “Mr. Link, you’ve done us all a great favor. We’ll take it from here and make sure you reach your destination safely.”

Ardivan piped up, “You saved my life. I will be your strongest shield!”

The other human Assassins nodded in agreement.

From this short journey, they had realized the importance of having a Magician—with magic, they had broken through a siege of Dark Elf Assassins more than ten times their number!

It was nothing short of a miracle. No one would believe it even if they told them.

As long as they had Link, they would be able to achieve so many things that had originally seemed impossible. How could they put such a precious, important member of their team in danger?

Link relaxed a little, knowing that he could rest.

He had been tensed this entire time. Using magic in combat was also especially taxing on the mind. Not a single thing could go wrong. He really was tired.

Luckily, their passage through the tunnel was uneventful. Five minutes later, they walked out of the passage and into a normal-looking house.

A young couple, who were external members of the MI3, greeted them. They didn’t seem surprised to see Annie and her team. Noticing that all of them were hurt, the husband brought out some clean bandages and medicine while his wife cleaned and wrapped the Assassins’ wounds. She seemed quite good at it and had probably received professional training.

It was a pity that they didn’t have any Magic Potions. Otherwise, Link might have been able to replenish his Mana more quickly.

When she opened Ardivan’s bandages, which had been wrapped hastily, the woman cried out, “The wound has healed so quickly!”

At this, Ardivan gave Link a grateful nod.

Annie was surprised. She hadn’t thought that Link’s healing magic would be so effective. She turned to look at him.

Link was slumped against the wall. His eyes were heavy and his arms were crossed before his chest. His wand had been stuck in his belt rather simply. Weariness was etched all over his young face.

Annie knew that spellcasting was a very taxing thing to do. This was why Magicians placed a lot of emphasis on rest—and it was already close to one o’clock in the morning. Within just one night, the young Magician had destroyed the Portal Tower, escaped the Dark Elf Assassins within the Magic Academy, and then had come to their aid, all with little to no rest.

He must be exhausted.

For some reason, Annie’s heart softened at the sight of him like that. She wanted to hug him close and let him rest.

This was a completely foreign sensation to her. Blinking rapidly to bring her back to reality, Annie herself was shocked at the thought. What is wrong with me? Why would I think something like that?

Touching her face discreetly, she could feel the heat on her cheeks.

Ardivan looked at her curiously. “Commander, are you hurt? Why is your face so red?”

“I’m fine.” Annie panicked a little, as if her thoughts had been found out. She pulled a straight face. “We don’t have much time. Rest properly!”

“Yes.” Ardivan didn’t dare to disobey her instructions.

The small team rested for a full ten minutes in the house. Their wounds were taken care of and with enough healing tonics, they were energetic and almost as good as new.

“Commander, should we get going?” Ardivan asked softly. According to their plan, their next destination would be the city guards’ barracks.

Annie looked at Link, hesitating. She wanted to let him rest a little more.

But Link had already opened his eyes. “Let’s go!” he said.

“But you…” Annie said in spite of herself, worry brimming her eyes.

“I’m perfectly fine. My Mana has recovered somewhat since I’ve rested. It’ll be enough to handle some things. We should go!” Link urged.

He only had 15 Mana Points, but he had 20 Omni Points in total. He’d be able to handle anything, even if that Holmes came after him!

As he stood up, a new notification flashed.

Mission triggered: Escort!

Mission Details: Escort the Human Assassin Leader, Annie Abel, to the city guards’ Camp of Gladstone City.

Mission Reward: 30 Omni Points.

30 Omni Points; that was a very high mission reward.

As Link completed these missions, the objective of the game server became clear. It didn’t want Link to just escape from Gladstone City like in the game, it wanted him to stop the massacre and save the city!

Should he accept it? Link hesitated. If he did, he would be putting his life on the line.

His mind flashed back to the images of the young and beautiful magic teacher Vera struggling to live, Ardivan, covered in blood, fighting the Dark Elf Assassins, Mary, heavily wounded and hiding in the alley, first asking whether the news had been sent out…

The Assassins of the MI3 were doing their best to save Gladstone City, not caring for their own safety. Link suddenly felt that fighting for this didn’t seem all that bad.

This time, I’ll give it my all! He told himself softly.

To get stronger, and to save the city, those were his goals.

Straightening up, he clutched the New Moon Wand tightly. The past series of battles had affirmed his conviction.