Chapter 57: Setting Things Right!

Chapter 57: Setting Things Right! Usually, when Ken did something, it was to hit multiple birds with one stone. And when he wrote the detailed explanation about the devil, it was first to make things clear in his own brain, to create a structure between his knowledge and the mission’s plans, and to strike fear in his teammates; this way they were more likely to listen well when he gave instructions. Once that was done successfully, it was time to set the next 30% of his plan: to build harmony. They had to get to know each other slowly and thoroughly throughout these four days, enough to not get into each other’s way as well as to make use of each other’s strengths and cover their weaknesses. But Ken also had other plans. He wanted to get Alex and Marwa closer than necessary these days, as backup. So he separated the group. When they got there, they would take things slowly, or so he told them. They’d each gather information throughout the day, and then at dawn the next day, they’d meet up, as by then, the devil would return to wherever she came from. He and Darek would form the real team, the one that would deal with the mission, and the others will form the false team, the one that doesn’t know it is false. They’ll think they have more time than the duration Ken planned to take care of the devil within, and they’ll take things slow, and by the time they even start thinking of dumb decisions or try to be heroic enough to do them, Ken will be done. This was one of the ways he tried to reduce casualties. So of course, only the part of the plan that had much of the information hidden was revealed on the table, and then, once the group separated, Ken dragged Darek to his room to give him the real plan. Ken would catch the contractor the first day; he’d get closer to him the next day. Ken would distract the devil, giving enough time to kill the contractor. This was the plan, and they were going with it. By giving such a big mission to Darek, Ken was also testing him for future plans. If he turned out as useful or more than he seemed, Ken would happily recruit him as a helping hand. All in all, though it seemed like the other two barely had any use, at this time of the year, Ken knew he couldn’t really rely on people, and had he been able to take on the mission alone, he would. It just didn’t work this way the first year. He was simply improving too fast compared to others. --------- Not much had to be said the next day. The group spent half their time gathered together, trying to brainstorm plans and set countermeasures that Ken had already thought of, and also revealed their information. Alex, as he stated, was evading trouble, so Ken needed him to do just that. And Marwa was slightly more useful than him, able to handle basic combat. This was what they continued saying, which meant that they didn’t really know what they were special at—something far beyond what the eye meets. Something like high comprehension and good analysis of your surroundings. But from the conversations going around, Ken deduced that the two didn’t know. And when he slowly turned the conversation to know how they got their ranking, it turned out one fled the second the door opened and was lucky enough to go through the center after the test run. The other, Marwa, beat up the female version of Michael, a bully and not a soap hero, and then headed straight for the exit. And it seems that if one went before or way after Titan, they wouldn’t meet up with the warden. So, in all universes, the duo were currently useless, and they’d have a high chance of dying if they took this mission. It was expected. Only a minority of the recruited disciples had any skills to speak of or were trained in their childhood. Due to the sole requirement to join the sect, all kinds of people came from different places to join, from farmers to nobles, and thus, you could very well have people who had nothing to speak of, and they’d remain like so for years. It was thus good to note that not all missions were like this one; in fact, only a few subjugation missions existed around this period, and only two, which Ken had chosen, had to do with demons. The others mostly dealt with mortals, spiritual beasts, or bandits. Though there could be danger in the normal world, meeting beasts in certain locations could also prove fatal, similar to what happened to Max and his group. But most missions only required you to hand over a message or some resources to elders or sect personnel in different cities and places; others needed you to stand guard in a city for a duration where you enjoyed all the luxuries or look for certain ingredients for alchemists and formation masters, things like this. Missions like the ones Ken chose were very rare. And by the time all the disciples are useful enough to take them on, years pass. If you’re not an elite, you could become a senior before you take on your first demon. But from time to time daring disciples or ones who had skills to show for went for such missions; they allowed you to go all out and had very good rewards. Ken, however, had plans in motion, and he wasn’t in need of any other mission. His hints had carefully picked up the right ones for him, and he then went to choose one based on his needs. The secret realm was up in a month or so, and he needed to thoroughly prepare. The level of danger it posed was phenomenal, something he knew better than most, especially with what he was planning on doing. But the opportunity to get a mission done sooner through the year, and one that he could get done with in a short duration while also going all out, also counted as reasons for his choice. He made sure that when he took a decision, he hit multiple birds with one stone. -----End----- Seriously struggled with his chap. You tell me how you found it. I didn’t get into the details of each day to get to the mission faster, but I’m starting to think I’d rather slow down to shape the story correctly.