A week had elapsed since Aaron had undertaken the mission.
Throughout that time, he found himself constantly fending off attacks to protect the woman. The assaults occurred unpredictably, whether in the early morning or broad daylight. Gradually, he grew accustomed to the desolate, vacant room he had been provided, making it his temporary abode.
Although Aaron recognized the significance of the woman he safeguarded, he refrained from delving deeper into her background, focusing solely on completing the mission and returning home. Thus, when he received a message from the association declaring the mission's conclusion due to unforeseen circumstances, a wave of excitement washed over him.
"Hell yeahhhh! Wooooooo!" Aaron exclaimed with jubilation, his voice echoing in the empty room.
"I can finally go back and visit my parents. It's been a while anyway. Oh, and I need to inform them that I've resigned from teaching."
Glancing at the woman's room through the window one last time, Aaron disappeared from the scene. He had been briefed that upon receiving the completion message from the association, he was free to go wherever he pleased.
Though he had almost no time to grind for tokens, Aaron managed to roll twice during the mission to test his luck. Sadly, both items he received turned out to be common.
[Drawing Pen - Imagine the thing you want to draw, and the pen will draw it for you]
[Missing Watch - The needles of the watch will point towards the mission person described to the watch, within a range of 50 kilometer]
Inside one of the grandest chambers within the opulent castle, King Arthur sat attentively as the representative from the Mercenary Association delivered the report. Relief flooded his heart, knowing that his only beloved daughter, Clarissa, had been kept safe from the relentless assaults by the enigmatic perpetrators.
The king couldn't fathom how they had discovered her true identity since they had carefully faked her identity before, considering her request to live as an ordinary university student.
However, the king reached a decision. It was time to summon Clarissa back to the castle, where he believed she would be much safer here. Though initially reluctant, Clarissa eventually acquiesced under the gentle persuasion of the queen.
In the meeting room within the mercenary headquarters, a small group of people gathered to watch a presentation on the report concerning the new 5-star mercenary.
Such reports were necessary due to the high risk associated with these elite operatives. Typically, whenever a 5-star mercenary completed a mission, there were often casualties involved.
However, this time was different. Despite apprehending hundreds of culprits, most of them were merely rendered unconscious, while those with more severe injuries only sustained a few broken bones.
As the chairman of the headquarters perused the report, a realization struck him.Aaron must be a pacifist. In the realm of 5-star mercenaries, where killing enemies during missions was typically met with little to no consequences, Aaron's exceptional restraint stood out.
It was as if he possessed an unwavering commitment to non-lethal methods, even amidst a profession where such actions were easily justified and covered up by the mercenary organization.
"Are they still following me... Why…" Laura anxiously muttered to herself, her heart pounding with unease. For the past week, she had noticed two individuals tailing her every move, seemingly monitoring her 24/7.
When she confided in her father, he dismissed her concerns as mere imagination.
Initially, she brushed it off as mere coincidence, but as the days went by, Laura couldn't ignore the constant surveillance. From the moment she left her house's parking lot to her departure from work, she felt their presence lurking behind her.
Confusion and panic overwhelmed her, as she struggled to comprehend the reason behind their relentless pursuit.
"Hoho, this little girl is almost broken," chuckled the man who had been tailing Laura since the day they first encountered her at school. They harbored doubts about whether she possessed the serum they sought, but had no clue about its whereabouts. In the meantime, they took pleasure in witnessing her suffering, even considering the possibility of selling her if their suspicions proved correct.
Laura had been driving aimlessly for an hour, sensing the stalkers closing in on her day by day, especially today. As their presence loomed closer, her anxiety intensified.
With no safe haven in sight, she found herself compelled to call Aaron, driven by an unexplainable belief that he would come to her aid.
She mustered the courage to make the call, but it ended in disappointment. Undeterred, she refused to give up and resorted to sending Aaron a brief message instead.
With tear-filled eyes, she typed, "I'm unsure if you'll receive this message while I'm still alive. I just hope you can convey to my parents that I love them and apologize for not living up to their expectations as their daughter."
Alongside her heartfelt words, she included her live location, a desperate plea for Aaron to come to her rescue.
Aaron was jolted awake by the vibrations emanating from his main phone. Having just completed a demanding mission, he had hastily booked a hotel room solely for the purpose of getting some much-needed sleep.
In the past week, he had managed to rest for a mere 10 hours, making the comfortable hotel bed and the prospect of a satisfying meal a welcome relief.
However, his serene respite was abruptly shattered as his gaze fell upon his main phone. Instantly, his expression underwent a dramatic shift as he comprehended the gravity of the situation. Laura was unquestionably in danger.
Her last message, imbued with an undeniable sense of urgency, struck him to the core. Despite the two hours delay in reading her words, a flicker of hope ignited within him. The recent cessation of her live location transmission from the message history hinted that she might still be alive.
"Alright, let's head back home," Aaron sighed, a hint of disappointment lacing his words. Clad in his sleek suit and equipped with a black backpack, he vanished from his current location.
It marked the first occasion he had employed the teleportation ring for a distance exceeding 200 kilometers, considering the approximate 100-kilometer span from the capital to Coolay town.
With a firm belief that his teleportation capabilities could stretch up to approximately 500 kilometers, he took the leap, spurred by the urgency of the situation and the fervent hope that Laura remained alive.
Aaron materialized just behind the familiar Geant store, a place he had often visited in the past. It was the closest and safest spot to where Laura's live location had stopped moving.
Determined, he set off in a brisk jog to find her. The approaching dawn painted the surroundings with a sense of calm, as there were fewer people strolling around and a noticeable decrease in the number of vehicles on the road.
As Aaron's gaze scanned the surroundings, a flicker of recognition sparked within him. "Huh, isn't that Laura's car?" he mused aloud. Without hesitation, he rushed towards the vehicle, harboring doubts about finding her there.
His suspicions intensified when he discovered the car keys still in place and stumbled upon Laura's phone tucked beneath one of the passenger seats. A lack of signs indicating a struggle suggested that the perpetrators behind this heinous act were no strangers to the dark world of abductions.
"Why is she being hunted? Ugh, I guess I can use the newly acquired magic item to locate her, but first.. Maybe Luo can help me with this.. Its been awhile anyway since I last visited them," Aaron mumbled to himself.
He made his way to a nearby store, intent on purchasing a watch and a pen to serve as temporary substitutes for the required items. Once he bought them, he teleported directly to his room inside the training facility.
"Huh, it seems like there's no one here," Aaron remarked, a sense of solitude enveloping him. Utilizing the tablet he had obtained, he assumed control over the facility, only to discover the absence of any personnel.
However, just as he began to contemplate the situation, his attention was drawn to the gradual opening of the main facility door, a clear indication that someone was approaching.
Aaron's eyes widened as the door creaked open, and a rush of relief flooded through him upon spotting Luo on the other side.
"Wow, took you forever to come back. You know, you could have at least contacted us once," sneered Luo when he caught sight of Aaron waiting. The tone dripping with sarcasm.
"Sorry about that then. I was occupied with my mission. Anyway, I need your help urgently. I have a strong feeling that this is connected to the orphanage we raided before," Aaron responded, his tone serious.
He then raised his right hand, adorned with the space ring, and retrieved the serum he had obtained.