Chapter 76: Mission
'I might be able to do it this time.'
Looking at the triangular-shaped item on his palm, Isaac's pupils changed into a blood red. With these eyes, nothing can be kept secret from him.
[Cover of the Ruined King (C)
—Once activated, it will form a protective shield around the user which absorbs damage from everywhere.
— One of the 5 gears of the Ruined King.
— A key.
Note: Can only be used 1 time per day.]
Isaac smiled seeing the detailed description of the item. However, this smile turned into a disdainful sneer.
"You truly hid well huh?"
Even a powerful man like him can't see through the nature of this triangular item. If it wasn't for his knowledge, he might have been fooled by this item's deceptive description.
"Now, where's the other 4?" Isaac's gaze shot towards the Empire's direction.
........
As Hans gradually approached the forest's exit route, a vast city-like place appeared in his line of sight.
It was a place full of giant buildings which are far from the medieval-style empire he expected.
'So this is the Harisan Empire.'
It was freezing. Screeching winds occasionally rose. Winter smothered the land in its snowflakes. The lashing winds assaulted his face but it quickly vanished leaving a deafening silence.
'It's cold.'
Due to his enhanced stats, the cold shouldn't be able to penetrate even a layer of his skin. This time, not only did it crawl down his skin, but also sent cold shivers down his spine.
The empire had now become a white world full of snow; however, it remained bustling in people despite its unpleasant weather.
Hans could already hear people's chatters as he stepped outside the forest.
At that moment, something unexpected happened
[The Trial Of The Heart commencing…]
"Huh?"
[The trial starts now.]
[Recently, the nearby empires allied to siege the Harisan Empire and obtain its precious minerals and its rich territory…]
"A trial?"
Is it unique to him or do the other two get this as well?
Hans frowned as he continued reading the rest of the message.
[It is your responsibility to resist the siege and defend the Empire. You can recruit allies anytime and anywhere.]
But as he read the next words, Hans' expression crumbled.
[Greed is one of the seven deadly sins.]
[After a successful invasion resistance, punish the other empires. There is no limit on what methods you can use.]
[Kill the enemies, be it royalty, noble, or commoner. Spare no one, be it men and women or even elderly and children.]
[And please remember, you are a trial participant.]
[Time Limit: 1 month]
[If you die or exceed the time limit, the trial will automatically end.]
Hans' gaze lowered to the last sentences.
[The rewards will differ according to the result of the trial.]
[Additional Mission: Find the last living descendant of the Ruined King.]
With that, the trial message contents ended. As he double-checked it, Hans was able to deduce some valuable information.
'This isn't a normal war.'
Firstly, it gave him a reminder, 'You are a trial participant', which meant there should be some lines that shouldn't be crossed.
Of course, he had no idea what it was so he needed to carefully plan his actions.
Furthermore, it also told him to kill all the enemies and don't spare anyone. Looking at this, Hans could vaguely guess what the mission's main purpose is.
'To prepare for something.'
Of course, he had no proof to back up his claim. He didn't even know what they were preparing for.
'Why?'
Why would it require him to kill with no mercy?
For monsters, human lives were not important. Even if it is their own race, the best they could do is avenge them when they die.
It was different for him. Although he's not innocent in scenarios of taking lives, Hans still has his humanity in him. The thought of killing babies and children made him want to puke.
Even then, if he wants to accomplish his goals, he has to do it.
Now, he understood why it is called the trial of the heart.
It is basically measuring his will and resolve.
Hans closed his eyes and heaved a deep sigh. For such a mission, emotions must not hinder him.
[You got this, Hans.]
At Plundy's words, Hans' eyebrows furrowed.
"Why do I feel like you're smiling?"
[Me? Smiling? Tch… am I that heartless? Huhu~ those poor children…]
Hans just shakes his head in helplessness. Well, at least he has emotional support once something goes wrong.
"Tsk, you just want me to kill and plunder skills so you can rank up right?" Hans sneered.
[...]
Although Plundy appears intelligent, he's a terrible liar.
......….
What appeared in his vision was a massive castle wall layered with sharp spikes on its edges. Guards patrolled the area while numerous knights spread from below.
Archers and Mages stood on top of the wall, overlooking the surroundings with their superior eyesight.
Just by their posture and alertness, these soldiers were always ready to strike in case of sneak or frontal attacks. However, the people of the empire seemed unbothered by this.
It's as if they are not afraid of the upcoming war.
Where does their confidence come from?
Perhaps the empire has a trump card that could overturn any unfavorable situation.
'This is difficult.'
Even though the mission asked him to defend the Empire, he still had no idea if the people inside the empire would acknowledge him as their ally.
Hans closed his eyes and spread his perception around the empire. Although there is a risk of someone sensing his probing, as long as he took it back quickly, they would have no chance of tracking him.
With his perception all around the empire, Hans probed the strength of these soldiers.
Based on the unconcealed mana they emit, he could immediately guess their ranks.
'Some are B-class and there's barely any A-classes.'
Are they just normal soldiers perhaps?
If that's the case, the strength of the elite knights should be borderline S-class. As for the commanders, Hans estimated their strength to be between S-class and SS-Class.
Overall, they were a solid army. Hans already assumed there should be SSS-Class hiding in the empire. Although he didn't know how many there are, he's certain there's at least one.
'A month huh?'
To be honest, Hans thinks of the time limit as too short but there's a catch. It would be too short if he did the mission alone.
That's why, amongst the mission contents, it was said, 'You can recruit allies.'
This also means he has to do everything he can to basically communicate with reliable and trustworthy people.
In fact, there's another way to easily find allies but he would rather leave it for the end in case he had no choice.
'As for those other two…'
Aside from Aviante he also had to up his guard for the other one. Since he had no idea what the other holder of the key looked like, it would be much more difficult.
Hans pulled a gray cape from his storage bag and wrapped it around his body.
Crunch—, crunch—
The snow crunched under his foot as he trudged towards the castle's entrance.
'Is the last living descendant of the Ruined King inside the empire?'
Finding someone he had no single clue of their appearance is like finding a needle in a haystack. But since it's included in the mission, it means that he or she is somehow important to this mission.
'Hopefully, I could get out of here alive.'
But of course, above all else, the main priority is his safety.
No, rather, it is to not die.
.......
The enormous castle walls, which were only a few hundred meters away, could finally be seen in clear view.
Hans approached it slowly without hurry to prevent the guards from mistaking him as an enemy. But as the distance between him and the castle narrowed, he could sense multiple eyes crawl on his skin.
The guards finally noticed his presence.
"Stop, right there!"
As the distance between him and the castle became a few meters apart, he felt the mana in the surroundings begin to riot.
It was a sign that if he ever moved inappropriately, spells would rain down upon his body.
Hans stopped in his tracks. The wind lashed around his body. His coat trailed back, exposing the two swords clamped at his left hips.
The knights immediately placed their hands on the hilt of their blades while the archers loaded an arrow to their bows. Lastly, the mages have their staff forward ready to strike as well.
The voice that called him earlier yelled once again.
"Don't move!!!" Seeing Hans complying, the voice continued, "Raise your hand and turn around!"
This time, the voice sounded authoritative.
Hans raised his head and looked at the owner of the voice.
'An S-class.'
No doubt, this man might be an elite knight.
Of course, this is not just a random guess. It was because the man's armor appeared much more elegant and high quality than any other person here. Hans assumed this man ranked higher than any knights here.
Additionally, the insignia printed on his left arm has a yellow star while the others do not have.
"I'm sorry for the sudden arrival but can I stay in the empire for a few day—?"
"No!" The man interrupted; his eyes sharpened, "This place doesn't welcome outsiders anymore."
"Is that so? But I was invited by my friend inside." Hans then added, "He's a noble by the way."
As Hans's words escaped from his mouth, faint mana seemed to accompany these towards every listener's ears.
Everyone's eyes exchanged confused gazes before their expression suddenly turned frown.
One of the mages leaned closer towards the elite knight and whispered.
"Did we just block the friend of a noble?"
"Yeah, I can't sense deceptions in his words. My gut feeling is also telling me this man is not lying."
The mage nodded and asked, "Do we let him in?"
The man closed his eyes and sighed, "Yeah."
Meanwhile, Hans, who eavesdropped on their conversation, smirked. He rested his hand on his hips and waited for the man's decision.
"Very well, you can go inside but we need someone to escort you."
"It's alright, I don't mind."
However, as Hans took the first step, he announced.
"By the way, I saw many assassins lurking around those trees. Can we invite them to come out?"
Hans' words rippled in everyone's ears. The knights' eyes widened.
Due to unknown reasons, they felt like Hans was telling the truth. Thus, without hesitation, everyone became readied themselves.
The elite knight ordered everyone to ready their weapons. However, as soon as the assassins realized that their covers had been busted, one by one, they appeared at everyone's sight with daggers in their hands.
But…
Instead of the empire knights, their eyes were focused on Hans.
Due to this man, their plans were spoiled. Although they had no idea who this man was, they had now recognized him as their enemy.
As a response, Hans glared at the assassins.
'All S-class monsters.'
That's right. These assassins emitted the scent of a monster.
Of course, Hans wasn't even scared of them but instead…
"This is basically giving exp."
As soon as Hans said those words, the assassins dashed sideways, aiming for a pincer attack. Hans cracked his knuckles and unsheathed his swords.
"So it begins…"
Shring—
With Hans' mana, the two swords sharpened.
Swish—
A masked assassin appeared instantly behind his head. It sneered seeing Hans' almost no reaction to his sneak attack.
'Hehe, fool.'
The wind accompanied his dagger as he stabbed it towards Hans' head.
But…
Shu—
Instead of a solid hit and blood splattering on his face, the dagger passed through Hans's head.
'Afterimage!!?'
Realizing his mistake, the assassin quickly retreated.
Swish—
However, before he could even move, his head slid down his neck. His headless body fell lifelessly on the floor.
Thud—
The assassins who watched on the side felt shivers down their spine. Although the temperature is cold, sweat continues to trickle down their skin.
Instinctively, everyone retreated in response. Even the knights of the empires were shocked by what happened.
Gulp—
Everyone swallowed their saliva.
In their perspective, the assassin pounced behind Hans but was quickly beheaded much faster than their eyes could blink.
'W-what happened?'
Silence permeates throughout the surroundings. It was so quiet they could even hear their heartbeat pound through their chest.
The assassins eyed each other and slowly backed away. Their footsteps were light.
But…
Their frightened body refused to move. No, rather, it couldn't move.
'!!!'
At that moment…
"Why do assassins like striking from behind? Do you have fetishes or something?"
Hans' nonchalant voice echoed through their ears.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
IQCA
IQCA Here's the new chapter.
If you see some errors or mistakes please let me know and I'll fix it immediately.
Anyways, thank you for reading and have a great day!
[Fact: The very first Awakened also died the day he awakened his powers.]
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