A place where two friends were doing their job now felt deserted.
Only one person was standing there.
He didn't look around or do anything.
It seemed that he was contemplating something.
Suddenly a bush in front of him rustled.
Soon after a man with a tall frame came out from it.
He eyed the man with surprise and confusion.
"You didn't even flinch when you were killing them...
Not to mention you have no reaction after seeing some dead bodies..."
The man couldn't help but exclaim in shock when he saw the man in front of him showed no emotions.
The man , Bayezid just laughed and shook his head.
"I have told you about this many times, Kama."
Jass after being addressed as 'Kama' raised his eyebrows but soon came to his sense.
On the way to Kingdom of Trimbiole , they had decided to address each other with proxy names and without any titles.
The proxy names was to hide their real names.
As for not using titles , it was a custom among mercenaries.
Mercenaries sometimes called adventurers were someone who hunted monsters , raided dungeons , participated in battles , acted as bodyguards and so on.
They did all kinds of jobs just to get by and were highly respected among the common populace.
Many inspired to be one as if they were to become mercenaries and become famous then they could get all kinds of riches and status.
Coming back to usage of titles , it was frowned upon to use it as being Mercenaries meant beginning from the scratch.
Your status , money and all the worldly things you possessed before entering the mercenary field didn't matter.
Once you entered the mercenary field only your strength mattered and only it would shape your identity going forward.
They were even some powerful mercenaries who took this to a next level by rejecting all the worldly goods that came their way while pursuing their jobs.
Jass looked at Bayezid for some time.
Bayezid had shared about his previous life to him.
The period in which Bayezid lived through wasn't a pleasant period to say the least.
Due to wars back in his world , many people had died and even he had seen many corpses to the point that he had grown numb to seeing them.
He had even seen murders , thievery happening in front of him.
All that in young age.
Even in Golden rock , where murders , thievery and crimes were somewhat common especially among practitioners , Jass highly doubted that most of the common people had even seen one occurring in front of their eyes.
But even then wasn't murdering someone by yourself different from watching a murder?
Jass knew it very well.
As an ex- mercenary himself he had killed a lot.
Monsters and humans alike.
Mostly the humans he killed were bandits who were causing nuisance.
But he had indeed killed mercenaries just like him due to personal vengeance.
He still vividly remembered the first time he had killed a human.
The feeling he got was extremely nauseating.
All of his senses were overwhelmed and he couldn't help but vomit.
His ears constantly ringed and he couldn't see or hear properly.
His mnid went blank and he felt light headed.
But as he killed more , it became somewhat bearable and over time it got to the point it didn't even affect him.
It could be contributed to his mental resilience as a tier two practitioner.
But Bayezid didn't have to go to any of this.
Jass was sure that Bayezid wasn't acting tough or anything.
He genuinely felt no emotions from Bayezid , especially from his eyes.
Was his experiences so horrible that strengthened him to a point that doing a murder didn't affect him?
At first it was Jass's idea that Bayezid kill someone.
For the mission they were going to do , the ability to be able to a kill a human was necessary.
Bayezid couldn't be flinching at the last moment.
The mission they were going to do was an ambitious one... for that he had to be ready.
Jass sighed.
Maybe Bayezid would reflect about the murders once he retired for the night and feel something.
Remorse , guilt or something like that.
But, Jass now knew that Bayezid was more than able to kill a human and that was all there to it.
The two then searched the bodies of the soldiers if they could find anything useful.
After finding some items like a food can , some ropes , weapons and such , they quickly hid the bodies and departed on their horses.
They couldn't burn the bodies as no one could do fire magic that would instantly burn the corpse and leave no trace behind.
Using the gasolines they had would be counter intuitive as it would take quite some time for the body to burn , and the bodies wouldn't even be burned fully and bones would be left.
The fire would draw attention and put trouble on their back.
The bodies as it were in a remote location would only be found after two days or so.
Enough time for the duo to make an escape.
----
*Clip* *Clop*
Bayezid and Jass had been riding their horses for almost two hours once they had entered the borders of Kingdom of Trimbiole, killing two patrolling guards.
They had been riding slowly and cautiously as they were surrounded by hills and forests , there were a high chance that they would be intercepted by bandits or even soldiers.
They were illegally trespassing.
If they were trespassing , then how were they allowed to enter the Kingdom in the first place?
It was because , they had entered Through the State of Man- Kingdom of Trimbiole border.
State of Man was a Sovereign entity governed by a council of Mercenaries.
They didn't have any government form and they could be termed as an anarchist state as one could do whatever they wanted to.
Only when the integrity of the country was harmed would the council of Mercenaries act and eliminate the threat.
It was not a country known for its natural resources, population and so on.
But it was known for its wealth, dungeons and monsters.
The country had a lot of wealth that it earned due to the presence of the many dungeons and monsters in the country and also by sending its mercenaries across golden rock to amass riches.
It was basically a haven for mercenaries and was de facto the place where mercenaries all over golden rock would come to if they were starting out as mercenaries.
If it was such an influential place , then why it was not controlled by the other countries near it which had a proper governing form?
The council of Mercenaries were not pushovers and all of them were tier four practitioners and even their leader said to be close to achieving the fifth tier in the near future.
How could countries offend this strong nation?
Instead the countries near it chose an harmonious approach.
There were many treaties signed by the surrounding countries with State of Man.
This included non aggression treaties , free trade treaty and so on.
The most important of them all was the freedom of movement between each countries it bordered , The kingdom of Trimbiole to the east , the Kingdom of Zeneb and the Republic of sun dragons to the south and to all the small and divided nations up to the north.
While they were allowed free movement between nations , it didn't mean that they would be allowed to enter just like that.
Upon a week of entering , they had to register themselves by the border office.
They could also register by the guards that guarded a nearby town or a city.
It was not true the other way around as people from these nations could enter state of man as they wished and didn't need to register themselves.
Now the duo were traversing through an even denser forest than before.
If before they could see some withered trees , here it was devoid of any.
They took pleasure in seeing the beauty of their surrounding and also vigilantly surveying it for dangers.
Just as they were travelling deeper , the duo stopped.
Both looked at each other and just nodded their heads.
All the high trees around them were great spots for hiding, and it were being used exactly for that.
Jass opened his mouth.
"We come in peace. We intend no harm." He said while putting his hands up , a clear sign of disengagement.
Bayezid followed suit and put his hands up as well.
There was silence for sometime as nothing happened.
It looked like Jass talked to air.
But in the deafening silence , a feminine voice resounded.
"State your identity and why you are here.
Humans should have no business with us. "
The voice was cold and didn't allow for any funny business.
Jass put on an amiable smile and clasped his hands together.
"Oh , We are just mercenaries visiting by from State of Man.
As for our purpose...
It is something we can only discuss with your village chief."
There was no answer from the other side.
From the looks of it , they were probably communicating with their fellow guards across the many trees spread through out the place.
Soon the leaves of a tree moved.
*Swoosh*
Someone jumped from the tree and landed right in front of Bayezid and Jass.
From the looks of it , it was a woman around the age of 25.
She had long white hair that flowed up to her waist that was tied in a band.
Her face was beautiful with delicate features.
Bayezid could confidently say that this woman was the most attractive woman he had met thus far while coming to his world.
The maids in his palace and the woman he had met were average at best or slightly above average.
He had no commentary on the kids that came to this world recently as he wasn't the kind of person to view kids way younger than him sexually.
As for Ellis , she was just cute , slightly above average even in earth, that's all.
This woman though, although not the greatest beauty but still...
But what really set her apart was her ears that looked like a cat's and her fluffy tail that was protruding from her back.
She slowly approached the two man and then crossed her arms.
"I don't know why two men who are probably deep into the second tier have business with our village , but if you both do anything funny , then don't expect it to be civil."
She eyed Bayezid specifically as he was wearing what was supposedly a very expensive armour that constantly emitted energiya.
Although the woman said her statement with confidence , both the man could sense it.
It felt empty with no essence.
"Of course not lady , we are here on amiable terms."
The lady eyed Jass for some time before turning around.
"Follow me then , I would lead you to the village."
Without saying anything else , she started to move with an incredible speed.
"Move fast , the village is not far from here."
The fox woman jumped from trees to trees.
Both the man rode on their horses.
"How is she moving this fast? she is weaker than us right?" Bayezid couldn't help but ask.
"Did you forget that she is a fox kin , a race separate from humans?
she probably has a bloodline that gives her speed boosts.
But in general , fox kin are generally known for their incredible speed."
Bayezid contemplated his words.
He couldn't help but remember a certain piece of information he had read while going through a book explaining the races present in golden rock.
It was said that cat kin and fox kin were the closest when compared to other beastmen tribes.
Cat kin were said to hold great stealth.
When a half breed between cat kin and fox kin was born , it is said that the off spring is a master in assassination with great speed and great stealth.
*Woosh*
The trees rustled fast.
The horses kept pace.
Before long a small riverine came into view.
The men without stopping made the horses jump over the small riverine.
Once made past the riverine , a few distance in , they could see it.
The fox kin village.
Green and green everywhere.
Houses built on the floor and on the trees that seemed to touch the skies themselves.
Wooden bridges connecting houses from houses.
People going to and fro without a care in the world minding their own business.
They seemed happy.
As soon as the men came with the horses, three other men with spears in their hand approached the scene.
They were too fox kin with their iconic tails protruding from the back through their armour.
The woman from above descended and communicated with the men.
Stiff expressions didn't leave their faces , and more the woman talked , more their expressions hardened.
After conveying her message , the woman got ready to depart without saying anything.
Just then bayezid called out her.
"Hey"
The woman eyed Bayezid coldly.
She thought Bayezid was strange.
His aura was something she couldn't comprehend.
Why was he exerting the aura of two persons?
Was she hallucinating?
"Leaving before telling your name?"
"I don't say names to men who wear masks."
With that she just left the spot.
Bayezid just remained calm and didn't take the insult to his heart.
'She will be a good recruit, but she is cold. We have to take it slowly , I guess.'
Soon the three man approached Bayezid and Jass.
After inspecting them closely , one of them showed the two , the way to the village head's house.
Their looks of disdain couldn't be hidden.
In fact it was true for all that passed by them.
After tying the horses in the stable , both of them started to climb the stairs that led higher up.
The village wasn't exactly huge nor was it small either.
It went deep inside the forest and a curved road was in the middle.
On either sides one could see houses upon houses.
All made up of wood and minimally decorated.
But they looked good with the background.
Baayezid looked at the houses in awe.
Just how many wonders did his world have?
After 20 minutes of walking , they had finally reached the place.
The sounds of a waterfall could he heard.
In front of them was a huge waterfall flowing from the top.
The water falling down looked magical.
Due to high water content , the general atmosphere in this place was covered with fog as opposed to the entrance and the middle parts of the village.
The houses here were were few but one house stood in particular.
It stood exactly in the middle , with the waterfall flowing behind it.
Its triangle top was tall and it looked huge.
The man leading in the front talked.
"That should be your location."
He then went near a pole stationed near them.
"Its a zip line, use it."
Without explaining further , the guard tried to leave.
Bayezid and Jass blinked.
Isn't he leaving too soon?
"Hey man." Bayezid asked.
"You are just gonna leave like that?"
"What do you expect me to do?" The man couldn't help but ask.
"..."
"If you excuse me then."
The man soon left.
He seemed to take short cuts zipping from here and there.
His mobility was excellent and he easily traversed using vines and roofs of the houses.
Both Jass and Bayezid eyed each other for some time.
They saw down and came to know they were atleast 100 meters on top.
If they fell , then they would take a massive hit and their bones would shatter.
100 meters was not a joke.
"Um... Your majes... Bjor..." Jass awkwardly laughed.
"Kama...." Bayezid laughed as well.
Their laugh echoed in the silent place.
"Master should lead the way." Bayezid pointed towards the pole.
Jass just sighed.
There was no point in dragging this.
They had to talk as fast as possible to the village head.
They had to move fast.
Jass took his position and tightened his grip against the zip liner.
He again looked down below.
*Gulp*
Maybe , he was wrong.
This matter was something to be discussed thoroughly.
A scream then resounded.
Bayezid leaned in to get a good look.
Jass was gone...um... he couldn't be seen because of the dense fog.
The zip liner seemed to come back magically.
Bayezid calmed his racing hear and held the zip liner.
He then let go.
---
Anastasia couldn't help but gasp heavily.
Just now she had over exerted herself.
Her hands couldn't help but shake.
The sword in her hands also trembled.
"You should take it slowly."
A girl commented from the side.
Although the words were meant to be consoling , instead Anastasia saw it as pity.
How could she not?
She who was excellent in everything back at Earth , be it studies , athletics and many more was now left behind.
It couldn't be said left behind as she still could be considered one of the strongest in the bunch...but...
Some of her classmates who until recently lived unremarkably had risen to new heights as they had been blessed with remarkable talents.
The ones who were competent enough , basically the average ones and slightly above average ones were no longer unremarkable as well.
With their remarkable talents came the gifts of Unique abilities.
Abilities were something akin to skills in this world.
There were many classification in abilities.
Any abilities could be learned by anyone as long as they followed the instructions of learning it and understanding its essence.
But unique abilities were an exception.
There were abilities that could be only inherited by birth.
They were different from the abilities received in bloodline as those abilities were abilities that were learned by the person's ancestor and were encoded in their DNA either by sophisticated techniques or by sheer mutation.
Unique abilities although could be inherited through bloodlines theoretically , there were no recorded such history anywhere in the world even in the continents of Drake and Emilia.
Why was that?
Those with unique abilities were highly coveted.
If they were weak , then they would be easily subjugated and studied upon their mystery reducing the chances of surviving heirs as any heirs born would be kept under scrutiny, often tampering with the genetic code that might entirely destroy the mutation , if any or even taking their lives due to the improper function of their bodies.
If they made some discoveries , they wouldn't release their findings to the public as this could be considered classified information.
If they were strong , then they would be hunted down by everyone and they wouldn't know peace.
But nevertheless if one had unique abilities , they would achieve heights that one couldn't even imagine.
While the students had varying talents as low as Ethereal , there were some with talents that were described by the system as 'Transcending the heavens.'
What did that mean? Were they too talented that the system was having a hard time judging it?
From the fact how everyone was advancing way fast , it really made sense.
They all would be monstrous in the future.
Unique abilities weren't simple and they basically were a package that came with lesser abilities as per say...