Starting With an SSS-Rank Swordsmanship Talent

Alaric’s face fell. The most difficult mission he had ever gotten was only extreme-rated.

He had never once received a hell-rated mission.

Even with the presence of Dad and Zephyr, the difficulty is still set to hell mode?

What troubled him most was the reappearance of the death penalty upon failure. He thought that it wouldn’t appear again, but here it was.

Just what kind of creature is hiding in that monster colony?

Should we abandon the mission?

Sweat trickled down his face as he thought of countless scenarios.

No. They won’t believe me. I have no proof that a powerful creature is living in that place.

Alaric frowned.

I should try to warn them.

Thinking about this, he instructed Zephyr to bring him to the front of the formation where Lucas and the commanders were located.

“Make way!” He shouted to the warriors.

Everyone gave way for them. No one dared to stop them from moving.

“Alaric, what are you doing here?” Lucas frowned when he noticed his son approaching them.

He was strict with military discipline so he was a bit unhappy that Alaric left his assigned position.

Seeing his father’s displeased expression, Alaric saluted and said in a grim tone. “My lord, I think we should send some scouts to properly investigate the monster colony.”

They had already sent teams to scout the periphery of the monster colony, but these teams didn’t venture deeply. The information they had gathered might not be accurate so Alaric was worried.

“We have already sent scouts to the colony to gather information and the intel they sent back is mostly similar. Are you worried that there is something that they have missed?” Lucas might be displeased, but he also trusted his son’s instincts.

Alaric nodded and expressed his thoughts. “My lord, I have a bad feeling about this trip. I think it’s best to send a stronger team to scout the colony.”

Lucas furrowed his eyebrows. He looked at Garandel and Vulcan, but both men didn’t seem to have the intention of intervening.

He let out a deep sigh and made his decision.

“Fine. You can select a maximum of ten warriors to scout the colony. You can take your pick from anyone in the army.”

Hearing this, Alaric was relieved.

As long as he could find proof that a terrible existence was there, they would be more prepared to face the monster colony.

“Thank you, my lord!” He turned around and left to pick ten warriors.

Looking at his son’s figure, Lucas rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“Alaric rarely acts like this and his instincts have never been wrong. We should be more cautious.”

Lucas and Vulcan nodded, their faces grave.

They were aware that some gifted people had the ability to sense danger. They guessed that Alaric probably had this type of innate ability so they didn’t treat his words lightly.

“Being more cautious wouldn’t do any harm. It might slow our march, but it is better to be safe.” Vulcan said.

“That’s true. It is possible that the scouts didn’t discover everything about the colony.” Garandel nodded with a frown.

Information was crucial in war. A small error in information could lead to their downfall.

It didn’t take long for Alaric to pick the most suitable candidates. He had the Appraisal trait so he was able to discover which warriors were perfect to scout the enemy territory.

In just a quarter of an hour, he selected ten individuals from various groups- seven from the barbarian tribes, two from the elven kingdom, and one from his troops.

The warriors he selected were Elite Knights and they all had agility attributes or speed-related traits. With their abilities, as long as they were careful, they would be able to escape any unexpected situation.

“The ten of you will scout the monster colony. Your task is to gather information about the population of the colony. This is vital in the coming battle so the information must be accurate. Also, I want you to check if there is a powerful creature hidden in the colony.” Alaric announced the task of the chosen ten warriors.

Some of them furrowed their eyebrows, confused by his instructions. There were also a few who simply nodded without questioning the mission.

“Do you have any questions?” Alaric scanned them one by one.

Suddenly, one of them raised his hand and asked.

“Your Highness, who will lead this scout team?”

Everyone turned their gazes towards the owner of the voice. It was a barbarian warrior with nearly maxed agility. He also possessed an innate speed-related trait which made him the fastest among the ten.

However, Alaric didn’t hurry to make his decision. This scouting mission was dangerous so he had to choose the best candidate to serve as the leader of the group.

He inspected their attributes and traits one by one.

Suddenly, his gaze stopped on one of them.

It was an elven warrior with green hair and a pair of bluish eyes. He was slim and tall with handsome facial features.

“What’s your name?” Alaric.

“Just call me Varys, Your Highness.” The elven warrior responded with a polite bow.

Alaric nodded. “Varys here will be your team leader so everyone must follow his commands during this reconnaissance mission.”

Everyone narrowed their eyes as they observed Varys from head to foot. They thought Alaric would choose the only human among them, but he chose a scrawny elf instead.

They wondered why he made this decision. What was so special about this Varys guy?

Alaric could see their skepticism, but he didn’t bother to explain. He knew that Varys would show his abilities once the mission began.

“Remember. Don’t engage in battle unless absolutely necessary.” Alaric warned.

“Rest assured, Your Highness. I will make sure that everyone returns unharmed.” Varys promised.

Alaric nodded, looking pleased by his words.

“Alright. I will leave everything in your hands. You may go.”

Varys and the rest of the team saluted him before they went separately from the army.

Looking at their disappearing figures, Alaric mumbled to himself.

“Quick Thinking trait… that’s quite rare…”