As Abel followed the guard to another section of the garrison, he looked around and surprisingly found some teams training at this late hour. This place didn't run like the usual army bases he had in his memory and seemed to follow a different routine.
He didn't ask the guard escorting him but attributed this difference to the weird world and its strange customs. If the Earth and humanity had a power-leveling system of some sort then he was certain things would also diverge from the current "norm" he knew.
It wasn't long before they came up to one of the buildings at the side. It seemed to be some preparatory building as it had a canteen, some dorm rooms and a small training field. His assumptions were proven correct by the guards following words.
"This is our mobilization quarters. All squads or teams stay here 48 hours before heading out on their assigned tasks." The guard led him into the building and walked up to an office before knocking on the door.
*knock* *knock*
"The door's open Kel" The captain was apparently expecting someone so he was slightly surprised upon seeing the guard and a strange young man walk in.
"Captain Carson, this is the traveler the Commander mentioned, his name is Red Sky."
The captain was around the same height as Abel, standing at approximately 178 cm. He mostly had a head of black hair with some greying hairs in between. His physique could only be described to be as thick as a bear as though he was a hefty meat shield all on his own. He had lightly tanned skin showing he was a man that didn't stay in-doors much and the scar running down his face increased the ferocity of his overall look which was already quite frightening.
The guard excused himself while the captain stayed silent and closely examined Abel. He didn't try to hide his inspection and openly eyed him from top to bottom. Abel wasn't sure if NPC's had something similar to an inspect skill that could tell a person's strength but that seemed to be the case judging from his earlier conversation with the commander. Additionally, the captain didn't look very pleased which further caused him to feel anxious.
"What a bunch of Umber Wolf shit! The commander wants me to take YOU with us? Boy, give me a good reason why I should agree."
Abel let out a sigh on the inside. It was just as he had feared, he would have to gain the approval of the captain for the quest to update. If he failed to gain the captain's recognition then he would most likely fail this quest. He honestly didn't care much about the quest rewards, although it would be great to leech some experience under the protection of the NPC army, he could always gain EXP by hunting monsters in the dungeon behind the Elephants mountain.
The only reason he didn't dare dismiss this quest was because of the person that issued it to him in the first place. If he failed this quest and it somehow affected his relationship with old man Rye then he would probably end up crying a river in regret. He was anxious but not too worried, the quest difficulty was merely D+ so this part shouldn't be insurmountable. His thoughts spun quickly as he contemplated on a good response to the captain, he needed to mention his skills without coming off as a braggart.
"Captain, I might be low in level but I'm quite strong. I've already fought a Crabominable Titanclaw on my own and came out on top. It was a very tough battle but I still came out alive in the end."
"You expect me to believe that? Kid, if you're going to lie then at least make it believable!" The captain seemed incensed at Abel's blatant lie while the latter regretted selling off the monster loot so quickly. He quickly thought of a way to prove his earlier statement as he pulled out the crab meat from his spatial bag.
"Although I've already sold off the other monster parts, I kept its meat intending to make it into a meal with the men on the expedition. Besides, you can check what I'm saying with the Golden Tides Trading, that's where I sold my loot yesterday."
Although the system labeled the edible meat of the Crabominable Titanclaw and Crabby scuttler both as "Crab Meat", he knew there were differences between them and he was betting a high-level NPC would be able to tell. Just like how the NPC's from Universal Bazaar could tell the difference between the Rat Meat from a normal Stone-toothed rat and a Rat King, the captain should be capable of doing the same. When he saw the captain studying the Crab Meat, he doubled down and said,
"I wouldn't lie about such a thing otherwise I wouldn't have been recommended for this opportunity in the first place. I can also repair weapons and cook so long as I have access to a flame, you wont regret letting me join you."
"You make a fair point kid. Though most of my men are on the precipice of reaching the first tier. You are truly too weak… Hmmm… The commander said you'll only be providing support from the rear, tell me honestly; how good are you with a bow?" The captain seemed to be swayed but it looked like he didn't want to agree straight away. Abel knew he already have half a foot in the door so he replied honestly, wary of pissing off this bear-like man.
"So long as I'm protected then I won't miss a shot. I learned archery from instructor Stormheart in the training citadel, if I'm not certain I can strike my intended target then I would never let the arrow loose and possibly injure a comrade."
"You learned from old Stormheart?" The captain lifted his thick brows in surprise, it seemed the commander hadn't mentioned this. Captain Carson then carried on, "You should have said so from the beginning! Old Stormheart showed me the ropes when I was first starting out. Even if it was just for my old mentor then I would let you join us."
*Ding*
Quest Updated: Monster Extermination I complete
+500 EXP
Monster Extermination II
You have gained the approval of Captain Carson. Exterminate the kobolds alongside the army, do your best and don't die!
Difficulty level: C
Quest Requirements: Recognition from Commander Dusk, Recognition from Captain Carson.
Quest Reward: EXP, reputation, coins
Abel was quite relieved to see the quest update, he also noticed the quest difficulty had increased by a level to C grade. Before he could thank the old captain, he heard the door behind him open and in walked a man that looked to be around 20 years old. He had jet black hair and actually resembled the captain to a large degree, as though he was a younger version of the man before him.
"Kel, this young man will be accompanying us on our expedition." The captain spoke out to his younger clone before he turned to Abel and said "You can call me Captain Carson, go with Kel and meet the men, we'll be heading out in an hour."
"But fathe-"
"What did you call me boy?!" The captain interrupted him in anger, but Abel heard enough to connect the dots. This young man seemed to be the captain's son but it made sense, the young man was basically a younger copy of the older captain.
"Captain! Didn't you mention you would never accept an unknown rookie?" The young man replied but his words only underlined the quest update requirement he just read.
"This is an exception; Red Sky is recommended by my old mentor so just introduce him to the men. We'll depart in an hour's time so make sure you assign a horse to the lad." The old captain softened his tone as he replied and he even explained the gist of his reasoning, mentioning the link with old Stormheart.
'It seems like I lucked out big time when I learned from old Stormheart, he's quite famous. Old man Rye knew him, the commander knew him and now even this captain knows him. I wonder what his background is, perhaps I should pay him a visit next time I'm in Velskryn…'
Abel didn't think "little loudmouth" was so well known! What he wasn't aware of was, most instructors in the training citadels around the world were usually retired soldiers on the verge of entering tier 3 which meant they were around level 100. For whatever reason, they failed to advance and remained stagnant at the peak of tier 2 until old age caught up with them. Having lived such a long life, the instructors were bound to know a lot of people in their area.
"Yes sir! The preparations are all complete and the men are ready to set off on schedule. Follow me Red Sky." After reporting to and saluting his father, he motioned for Abel to follow along.
"So, you're a traveler huh?" After stepping out of the office, the young man initiated a conversation and asked in interest.
"Uh, yes I am. Have you never met a traveler before?"
"No. We've been confined to this army base for the past 2 years undergoing training. If we pass this mission then we can call ourselves soldier of Veridia. If we fail then we've wasted 2 years of our lives and can only go join a mercenary team or become adventurers. We've heard of your kind coming to our world but none of us have ever met one before."
"It's my honor. We aren't all the same though, just like humans and other beings of this world, there are the good ones and the bad ones amongst us." Abel didn't really know what to say so he just spoke his mind.
"Oh… and which one are you Red Sky?"
"Well, I'm not a saint by any means but I'm definitely better than most. At least I'd like to think I am but you can be the judge of that."
"Hmm… that I will."
"I presume your name is Kel?" Abel ventured a guess as they headed out of the building.
"Mm, Kellark Carson but everyone calls me Kel."
"You mentioned that you'll be considered real soldiers of Veridia if you pass this mission. Do you mind my asking, what do you mean by that? Aren't you already soldiers?" Abel asked as he was curious about the ranks in the army.
"We aren't considered soldiers yet, we are only reservists. All soldiers must be tier 1 and this is our test. If we can advance then we can officially join the ranks of the kingdom's army. If we fail to advance then we can try again but most just choose to give up and start another career elsewhere."
"If all the soldiers are tier 1 professionals at least, then I'm guessing a captain would be tier 2? What about the commander?" Abel inquired further.
He had never read up about the army ranks in old man Rye's study but perhaps he had simply not come across that specific journal yet. After all, he had only read around 30% of all the books in the old study before he had to leave Velskryn.
"Reaching the peak of tier 1 qualifies you to become a sergeant. Tier 2 qualifies you to become a lieutenant while a vice-captain has to be at the peak of tier 2. A captain has to be at tier 3 while at the peak of tier 3 you can apply to become a vice-commander but fathe- the captain doesn't want to constrain himself to a desk, he still yearns for combat so he remained in his current position. At tier 4 you can advance to commander while a general is usually tier 5, though there have been cases where peak tier 4 professionals took up the position of general in the past. If you were to become a Legend then you could become the Field Marshal of the kingdom's army, the old Marshal retired a while back but he is still honorably guarding our kingdom."
At the end, Kel's voice was laced with so much pride and faith in the kingdom's guardian that it was nearly palpable. It was obvious this young man was quite patriotic but that much was obvious considering his father was a captain in the army. It was also surprising that captain Carson was at the peak of tier 3 which meant he was close to level 150 while the commander was even stronger.
'I know old man Rye was the marshal and I'm on friendly favorability with the old man too hahaha.'
Abel obviously wouldn't voice out his current thoughts but he still thanked the young man for explaining the current framework of the army. He kept following him as they discussed other matters until they eventually reached the dormitory section of the building with a dozen men resting in the yard. It was time to meet his temporary teammates for the foreseeable future!