Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

Chapter 522: Wayne’s Commission I

CH522 Wayne’s Commission I

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’It’s a good thing Eleanore never claimed to be a member of any particular deity’s clergy and instead let people assume she was simply on a selfless pilgrimage,’ Alex thought grimly.

’We’ll need to be even more careful going forward.’

Wayne, of course, noticed none of Alex’s silent musings. He continued calmly,

”To answer your first question, all berserk humans are at least Silver-ranked upon transformation. It doesn’t matter whether they were originally professionals or commonfolk.”

He paused briefly before continuing,

”And the more they consume things carrying berserk energy, the stronger they become.”

Alex’s expression darkened.

”Wait. Doesn’t that mean they can continue growing just by breathing in mana?” he asked gravely.

”It’s possible,” Wayne nodded. ”But fortunately, ambient mana concentration alone usually isn’t enough to cause rapid growth.”

He added, ”If a berserk stone mine were involved, however, that would be a different matter. Still, their preferred method is feeding—on other beings or on items saturated with berserk energy.

”Unlike us, they don’t need to digest or refine the energy. They simply devour and absorb it directly. Our only saving grace is that they require an enormous amount of energy to trigger a mutative transformation to the next rank.”

”I see...” Alex nodded slowly. ”So if left unchecked, they could grow into a serious threat without anyone noticing. That’s why they must be put down as quickly as possible.”

”Exactly,” Wayne Achard affirmed.

Alex hesitated for a moment before asking, ”Surely someone has attempted to develop a cure for berserk contamination?”

Wayne shrugged helplessly.

”If anyone is working on it, we wouldn’t know about it here in the Wildlands. The last official word we heard from the various deity clergy was that the deities themselves have decreed the time is ’not yet ripe’ for a cure.”

He shook his head faintly.

”’The deities will enlighten us when the time is right,’ they say.”

Alex sneered inwardly.

’More like they have no idea. And when someone finally does figure it out, they’ll conveniently claim the person received divine enlightenment.’

”We can only hope that time comes soon,” Wayne sighed. ”Cases of mutative transformation—among both professionals and commonfolk—have risen sharply in recent times.”

”Thank you for enlightening me, Branch Master,” Alex said with a grateful smile.

”It’s no trouble,” Wayne replied. ”These are things you’ll come to understand naturally as you work as an adventurer.”

”There’s a difference between knowing now and only learning later,” Alex said calmly. ”That delay could very well cost someone their life.”

Wayne smiled, clearly satisfied. At the very least, he hadn’t wasted his breath speaking so candidly to the young man.

He hesitated, a faint frown forming on his face as a thought crossed his mind.

”What is it, Branch Master?” Alex asked, noticing the man’s pause.

If the request wasn’t unreasonable, he didn’t mind hearing it out.

”If I may ask, Young Master Alex,” Wayne said carefully, ”do you intend to stay in Dragonstone, or are you heading to Blood Iron?”

Dragonstone was, in truth, little more than a relay point within the Wildlands—a waystation on the road to the largest settlement in the region: Blood Iron City.

Adventurers of Alex’s calibre rarely settled in Dragonstone without first heading to Blood Iron to test their luck. More often than not, it was those who failed to make a name for themselves—or who could no longer endure life in Blood Iron—who eventually returned to settle in Dragonstone Oasis.

So while Wayne asked the question, he already had a strong idea of the answer.

”We’ll be heading to Blood Iron,” Alex replied without hesitation. ”This journey is, in essence, a pilgrimage for my party and me—to experience the world as it is. That experience wouldn’t be complete if we settled in one place and didn’t travel. Blood Iron included, of course.”

Wayne’s eyes brightened slightly.

”In that case, Young Master Alex,” he said, lowering his voice a touch, ”I was hoping to request the assistance of you and your party with an important matter—one that lies along your route to Blood Iron.”

Alex nodded, encouraging him to continue.

There was no harm in listening, after all.

Whether he would accept was an entirely different matter.

”As you know, the beast tide yesterday displaced a large number of beasts from their natural habitats or zones,” Wayne said. ”While they will eventually return, in the meantime they pose a serious danger to travellers along the trade route between Dragonstone and Blood Iron.”

”Do you intend to commission my party to deal with the monsters and beasts along the route to Blood Iron?” Alex asked, quickly grasping the intent behind the request.

”Yes, exactly.” Wayne nodded. ”I’ve already sent a hawk messenger to the Adventurer Association branch in Blood Iron. As long as you deliver the ears of your kills to the association there, you’ll be rewarded accordingly.”

Alex frowned slightly.

’This sounds like a standard clearance mission,’ he thought. ’It may require going a bit out of the way, but it doesn’t seem like something that would warrant the branch master personally pressing the matter.’

”Is there something else, Branch Master?” Alex asked, fixing Wayne with a steady gaze.

Wayne smiled wryly, seeing the young man saw through his hesitation.

”There have been unconfirmed reports of wild berserk humans gathering together just northeast of the trade route leading to Blood Iron,” Wayne said.

He continued, ”Wild berserk humans are those who undergo berserk transformation away from settlements, meaning they aren’t put down in time. Their strength is unpredictable, so many adventurers avoid the risk of tracking and hunting them. Even higher-ranking adventurers often refuse such work— the pay simply isn’t worth the danger or the effort.”

’I see...’ Alex thought. ’You’re turning to me because you believe I don’t need the money. And since I’m on a training pilgrimage, you expect I’ll agree, because it offers a chance to test my party’s strength.’

His eyes narrowed slightly.

’Or perhaps you simply think I’m a foolish young noble, drunk on chivalry and a misplaced sense of justice.’

”Don’t worry, I’m not asking this of you for free.” Wayne stood up and moved to a shelf behind his desk, taking down a large, rolled parchment.

He returned to the sitting area and unfurled it across the table between the sofas where he and Alex sat.

”This is a complete, up-to-date map of the entire Hollowcrest Wildlands, as currently understood by the Adventurer Association,” Wayne explained. ”An updated copy is sent to every branch yearly. This one is only two months old, so you won’t find a more accurate map of the Wildlands for at least another six months. Even when the next revision is distributed in ten months’ time, this map will still remain highly useful.”

Alex stared at the parchment in genuine shock.

Unlike his previous life where maps were ubiquitous, especially on the Internet and via map apps, whether it be here in Verdantis or in Pangea, maps were worth more than their weight in gold.

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