Chapter 52: First Mission!

Chapter 52: First Mission! Today was the day Ken was ready to take on his first mission. Since the tower ascension, another month has passed, for a grand total of 2 months since his transmigration, and unlike what one would expect from his stats alone, he had made amazing progress. [<----------Status---------->] <Name: Ken Nem> <Gender/Age/Lifespan: Male/20 Years Old/140 Years.> <Race: Human> <Element: Death{10th Grade}.> <Stars: Starless> <Spirit Path: 1st Qi Refining Realm/7th grade root.> <Physical Path: Apprentice.> <Skills: [Faceless].> <Techniques: [Useful Records (Idle Training-Evolving) {Mastery: Major Accomplishment}], [Perception Mastery (Idle Training) {Mastery: Major Accomplishment}].> <Arts: [Art of Spirit Cultivation], [Art of Efficiency], [Art of Spirit Forging], [Xian Liansuo Arts], [Restraining Order Art].> <Traits: [Infinite Providence], [Death Holder].> [<---------------------------->] [<----------Idle-Training---------->] [Useful Records - Mastery: Major Accomplishment —Time to Perfect Rank: 20+ Days.] [Perception Mastery - Mastery: Major Accomplishment —Time to Perfect Rank: 20+ Days.] [<---------------------------------->] There was no surface improvement, or major, so to say. But Ken had focused on both spirit forging and cultivation recently, after he had finished understanding the two skills with the elder. And cultivation... was also based on knowledge. Give a foundation establishment a chance to start from zero once again, and he would blaze through the ranks. Though each cultivator has their own unique path to ascend, thus, one couldn’t really just point towards the end. However, elders were still able to point disciples forward, making them progress far faster than normal. And Ken was already halfway through reaching the 2nd qi refining realm, and it wouldn’t get slower from there. Alas, not everybody was as lucky nor destined for greatness. Take, for example, Adam, a relatively talented individual amongst his batch, as unlike others, he was still persistently following the path of cultivation and hadn’t gone down to enjoy the rest of his life in the mortal world. But he had been here for more than 24 years and was still in the qi refining realm, and an outer disciple at that. It wasn’t particularly bad. Becoming an inner disciple had little to do with the actual realm, and his achievements and strength amongst his peers were in the top 1000, so to say. But he couldn’t even be compared to the elite, not to mention Ken. If other cultivators took dozens upon dozens of years to reach foundation establishment, he... might just destroy that record. But it wasn’t about realm... it never was. Even if Ken didn’t care about realms, at some point he might just defeat the foundation establishment realm in all fields as if it was just another day, and breaking through ranks would be the same as cutting through a paper wall. In short, one should not be short-sighted; playing the long game always gives one immeasurably more benefits. -------- The mission The pagoda, one of the busy places of the sect, had all the batches scrambling around to get their missions. As Ken entered it to see the space that was very similar to the Ascension Tower in terms of the receptionists’ counters, his eyes landed on the mission table. There were many, around 4 or 5, one for each batch, and the one for his had a familiar figure close to it. Ken smiled and approached. Darek, who was looking at the missions with a thoughtful expression, felt someone gazing at him and turned to see Ken approaching. ’This guy again? What is he coming at me?’ Darek’s thoughts immediately fired. He could easily guess that Ken was coming to mess with him, and it might just grow into something bigger. Then, he looked at the mission board, and then at Ken, and then again and again, and by the time Ken reached him, he thought. ’Well, might not be bad to team up for the first mission.’ Darek thought to himself. Better to have a strong ally than a useless one, but... ’This guy? An ally? That might become far too dangerous.’ He thought back to their interaction. "Don’t look at me that way; I’m not that dangerous." As if Ken could hear his thoughts, he spoke with a clear smile as if trying to not chuckle. ’Seriously? Now you read my thoughts?’ Darek almost got out of the mission pagoda for once. Too dangerous. "You’re here for your mission too? Good timing. I wouldn’t have bothered to look for teammates; having someone from the top 10 will save me much trouble." Ken suddenly spoke seriously. Darek then nodded to himself. He was thinking the same. This wasn’t a joke; they would be taking on their first mission as cultivators, the one that had the highest mortality rate. And not to mention, they would, for the first time ever, discover a world they never knew as mortals. The world of demons and mysticism. Every breath, every tool, and every step should be calculated. A single weakness... might get them killed. Ken wasn’t safe, and Darek sure as hell couldn’t promise his own safety. The second they approached their location, they were in danger, and they weren’t safe until they were in this very place again. Darek looked at Ken, and Ken stood silent, giving him enough time and space to think. During that time, he turned to look for a suitable mission. One with good rewards and a clear description. He needed to know the details more than anything. [Don’t think too much; let me help.] But Ken forgot that he had a trustworthy helping hand... maybe. The hint then went on to pick and choose a few missions that aligned with his plans and then separated them by risk/reward from 0 to a 100. [This one... 44? Maybe 45? Not worth it, I say look for 60 and above.] 60 and above. It either meant that the danger was low and the reward high, or both were high. Ken couldn’t know for a fact which was which, so he did the next best thing. And chose 3 missions above 85 but below 90, as that was the best he could find. All of the missions were subjugation related, ones that would help him fulfill a few tasks of his and help him get ready for the secret realm, all while taking a short amount of time. This happened just in time for Darek to make his choice. ------End------