Chapter 1517 (1/2)

When Raymund first realized what turning in the Darkstar coin would earn for that foolhardy dog, he first remembered the ominous silhouette of Head Drill Sergeant Ghosthound and he couldn’t prevent himself from shivering. Both the Ghosthound’s impressive visage and the very real difficulty and effects of his newest training formation were fresh in Raymund’s mind; he couldn’t imagine trying to stand against him. Even for only five minutes.

He wondered how long Vizzeret would be able to last. He hoped the result would be embarrassingly short.

Then Raymund's jealousy began to fade and he held quite a bit of genuine anticipation toward Vizzeret’s struggle to survive, even with Overseer help.

But that thought made Raymund pause as the trio began to head to the Southern training grounds. Exactly how powerful is the Head Drill Sergeant that he can overpower a group of any five of his Overseers within five minutes…?

The three of them walked quickly forward, Raymund still wincing internally at the dull ache that ran throughout his body after experiencing the Nether array. With the deeply frowning Charlotte behind him, as she seemed to be reflecting on her own distaste for her Overseer Advisor, the group traveled in silence. It was almost comfortable.

A lot of Raymund’s sense of intimidation had been beaten out of him, by virtue of simply being next to all of the so-called ‘elites’ in the training camp, but there was something about Charlotte’s fierce expression that made him unwilling to offend her. Even now, she left him slightly on edge.

Gradually, they joined a larger group heading South, a series of exhausted and morose figures coming from the bamboo forest or from the individual training chambers. As they passed the central area, someone turned in a Tree Coin and an invigorating wave of energy crashed against Raymund’s body. The group released a collective sigh of relief. With the lingering damage from the Nether still present, Raymund savored the warm sensation of comfort that he felt from that mental energy before it began to gradually fade.

As more people gathered, the bubble of Charlotte’s stormy mood was slowly suppressed by the weight of numbers. The excitement of witnessing their Head Drill Sergeant fight was infectious amongst the recruits, hopping from individual to individual until they were all exhibiting symptoms. They had seen his images, felt the capability of his subordinates, and experienced his brutal training programs. Now it was time to see such a capable individual in action.

And at Vizzeret’s expense, Raymund thought smugly.

The flow of recruits soon arrived at the huge trench dug in the center of the Southern area, which they hadn’t yet had the occasion to use. Wargames would start after the skirmish, but for now, it was just a low, muddy area that they walked around to get to their own training pits. Currently, Assistant Overseers directed them around the edge of the massive ditch, spacing themselves out as they wished to witness the challenge. The three of them quickly walked along the edge until they had about thirty meters of the side to themselves.

As they settled to watch, the action was already beginning below. Overseer Helen stood with her arms crossed as she weighed the massive grey dog in front of her like she was calculating how much edible meat hung off his oversized bones. Her clear voice echoed through the surroundings. “...as I informed you previously, the rules are simple. This is both a training exercise and the chance to earn a personalized lesson from the Ghosthound himself. You will select five Overseers to help you fight the Ghosthound. Should you survive five minutes, you will receive your special lesson.

“But frankly,” Overseer Helen smirked. “At your current power, both in terms of physical Skills and image, you are nothing but dead weight. It will therefore be the thankless task of the Overseers to protect you from the Ghosthound while you struggle to survive. A thankless task. So, have you selected the five Overseers that will assist you?”

While Vizzeret worked his jaw below and considered his choices, Raymund put his hands on his hips up above and spoke quietly. “I wonder how powerful exactly the Ghosthound is.”

“I wonder that as well,” said a new voice. Raymund twisted around and discovered that a rather scrawny reptilian that he didn’t recognize had somehow snuck up on their group. But from the reptilian’s uniform and the subtle touches of image that radiated outward from the man, it was clear that he was an Overseer. Then the reptilian turned and beamed at Charlotte. “Miss Charlotte! Took me a bit to find you! Didn’t I say that I would be waiting on the Western side of the gorge? This is the Eastern side!”

Charlotte bowed mechanically, her furred face inscrutable. “Advisor Salazar, I apologize. It must have slipped my mind. I just wished to watch the challenge with my friends.”

Raymund tried not to look as shocked as he felt.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry, comradery is an important element for everyone,” Advisor Salazar flapped his hand and settled near the other three, clearly joining them for the duration of their stay. “Ahem, but as I was saying, even we wonder how powerful the Ghosthound is these days. Ahem ahem, let me give you just a bit of c-context. There we were, standing on the battlements of the Ghosthound’s thorny castle as the Nether King invaded-”

“Shouldn’t we pay attention to the challenge happening below?” Charlotte interrupted warily.

“O-oh. I s-suppose that’s true.” Advisor Salazar seemed to wilt like a flower, visibly disappointed that he didn’t get to tell his story. Meanwhile, Raymund was somewhat alarmed as he observed his own image in relation to this Overseer. There was something about the lizardman’s aura, especially while he was talking, which put him perfectly in harmony with the surroundings. And weirdly, Raymund felt some of the exhaustion in his physical body beginning to heal while he was standing nearby to the Advisor.

That sort of healing was something Raymund had rarely witnessed in his existence. He spared a single glance for Charlotte. You might complain, but none of these Advisors are weak.

Below, Vizzeret shocked exactly no one when the first Overseer he requested was Overseer Helen. She sighed in defeat but said nothing. After that, he cleared his throat and said Overseer Heiffal. As he did so, there was a rumbling chuckle from behind Raymund. “Heiffal is capable as a leader, but his fighting style is too blunt to be useful in a challenge like this. Especially against the Ghosthound. He is not one you fight directly.”

This voice Raymund recognized, so he was already bowing as he turned around. “Advisor Zauna. Who should I select if I obtain a Darkstar Coin?”