Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 518: Different Plane Of Calibre

Asher stared at Thalric’s back as the boy simply walked away with steady steps, then met up with an unknown girl who was probably an upperclassman before the two of them walked toward the direction of a Facilitator together. Asher sighed softly and then shook his head, as he had already concluded that he would eventually go on a mission with Thalric to understand the boy very well, because no matter how much he observed from afar, some true understanding only came from shared battles and experiences.

With that thought in mind, Asher turned and walked away as he headed toward the Facilitator he usually met up with, and as he walked, his mind drifted back to the short time he had just spent with Thalric as they walked and talked within this hall, the brief yet meaningful exchange lingering unexpectedly in his thoughts, the next moment he shook his head as he decided to stop focusing on them and instead focus entirely on his current mission, pushing away unnecessary distractions.

Arriving before the Facilitator who seemed to be as calm and indifferent as ever, Asher spoke, "Good morning," he greeted in a level tone.

"Morning, it seems you were having some brotherly talk with your elder brother," the Facilitator stated as he had clearly seen Asher and Thalric walk right past his desk while they were discussing something, his eyes sharp despite his lazy posture.

"Gotta catch up with family, you know how it is," Asher replied calmly, not offering any further explanation.

"I don’t know how it is," the Facilitator replied without a change in expression. Asher stayed silent, wondering what the Facilitator meant by that response, but he didn’t ask as he was simply too lazy to think about it or care in general, deciding that prying into someone else’s personal affairs was more trouble than it was worth.

"I met with the Principal yesterday, she agreed to upgrade my mission clearance level, can you check," Asher spoke as he shifted the topic, going straight to the point without wasting time on idle chatter.

"Yeah, we received the order yesterday barely over two hours after you left here, I have to say, your efficiency is off the charts," the Facilitator stated as he sat upright and prepared to enter his professional mode, his fingers already hovering above the console embedded into the desk.

Asher’s mind went blank, from the Facilitator’s earlier statement, he immediately came to the understanding that Cindralis had been lying, there wasn’t anything complicated to file, and even if there was, it certainly didn’t take as much time as she had made it seem. Asher couldn’t help but click his tongue in quiet frustration, realizing that he should have come here yesterday after his first visit, because he could have accepted a mission without Cindralis even knowing.

After a moment, he sighed and chose to forget about it, at least he was here now, and that was all that mattered, dwelling on the past would accomplish nothing.

"Show me the missions," Asher stated as he wanted to see them immediately, his tone direct and businesslike.

The Facilitator nodded, then began to speak, "But before I begin, I will explain a few things, first, the missions you will be accepting from now on are just like every other mission, nothing special, you will receive the same two teleportation scrolls and all that, but note that they are more dangerous than anything you have previously taken," he paused for a moment as though letting Asher fully understand the risk.

"The Vice Principal didn’t just upgrade you to missions available to the second year, but also the third year, meaning you have access to all missions aside from Instructor-level missions," the Facilitator continued without missing a beat, "also, do remember you can always take your first-year level missions, in case you want to revert back to something simple and mundane," he stated in finality, his tone neutral as though he had delivered this explanation countless times.

Asher nodded his head in understanding, there was nothing to overthink or process, the Facilitator’s words were as straightforward as they seemed, and the meaning behind them was crystal clear.

Seeing Asher nod, the Facilitator immediately tapped his table as usual and instantly a holographic display screen appeared before Asher listing various missions. Asher’s eyes shone faintly as they moved rapidly through every mission, absorbing the information with intense focus.

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[Mission: Investigation and Rescue; Vanishing Villagers]

Objective: Determine the cause of the mass disappearances and rescue any surviving victims.

Details:

Multiple neighboring villages report residents vanishing overnight without signs of battle or bodies recovered. Patrol teams sent to investigate have failed to return. The situation suggests organized abductions or a concealed hostile force operating nearby. Investigate, locate captives, and extract survivors. Request backup if the threat exceeds your team.

Primary Focus: Reconnaissance, stealth, tracking, coordinated combat, survival.

Reward: 30,000 Academy Points + Survivor Bonus

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[Mission: Information Gathering; Eastern Infiltration]

Objective: Collect complete intelligence on hostile forces operating within the region.

Details: The Vandross Empire has deployed soldiers disguised as bandits inside the Zarethorn Empire. Identify their numbers, ranks, camps, movements, and objectives. Avoid detection. Engagement is not recommended.

Primary Focus: Stealth, surveillance, infiltration, information extraction, safe withdrawal.

Reward: 40,000 Academy Points

Precaution: If found out, escape, if able to wipe out everyone, even better.

---

Asher stayed silent as he stared at the missions before him, his breath caught as though he didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly. The sheer difference in scale was insane, and Asher couldn’t help but consider whether these missions were really meant for students at all. His eyes fell on two that caught his attention more than the others, the weight of their descriptions pressing down on his mind.

’An Empire is already invading, yet they are sending students?’ Asher couldn’t help but think about it, the idea itself sounded absurd, the Emperor should be sending knights and powerhouses, seasoned veterans of numerous wars, yet they were enlisting students who still within the Star Academy, and with barely any experience to a match a Knight.

Even the precaution said that if possible they should wipe out the invaders, Asher didn’t know if the Zarethorn Empire was going crazy or if they were playing some grand game of chess with the Vandross Empire, moving pieces that others wouldn’t expect.

But on second thought, Cindralis wouldn’t approve a mission like this if it wasn’t within their capabilities, meaning that the Academy clearly believed the students were strong enough to handle it.

Asher stared at the missing villagers mission, and that mission also seemed to scream death the longer he looked at it, the silence between the lines almost ominous.

Even their rewards were off the charts. The missions for the first years usually paid two thousand points, with better paying ones offering five thousand to seven thousand points. But now, Asher was seeing triple that amount at minimum, numbers that felt more like military contracts than student assignments.

The danger scale, the death scale, and the reward scale, they were all different and intense, elevated to an entirely separate tier that dwarfed everything he had experienced so far.

Just from these missions alone, Asher understood that the upperclassmen existed on a completely different plane of caliber.

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AUTHOR’S NOTE: I ask, ARE YOU READY FOR THIS PEAK?

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