Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 507: Villainous Phrase [Bonus Chapter]

With that, he got to work; he filtered the missions and directly chose the twenty highest-paying assignments. The next moment, the familiar blue hologram materialized before Asher, displaying exactly what he had requested, as the Facilitator completed the task within mere seconds, further proving the efficiency he had spoken about earlier.

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[Mission: Mistwood Recon Sweep]

Objective: Scout and map unusual activity within the Mistwood’s outer region.

Details:

Hunters have reported strange sounds, broken trees, and disappearing traps scattered throughout the outskirts. Your team must patrol the area carefully, document any potential threats, and eliminate any minor hostile creatures encountered along the way. Avoid deep pursuit if higher-ranked entities are discovered, as unnecessary engagement is strongly discouraged.

Primary Focus: Stealth, tracking, information gathering, small-unit tactics.

Reward: 1800 Academy Points

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[Mission: Caravan Defense Rotation]

Objective: Provide rotating guard duty for a merchant caravan crossing the Eastern Trade Road.

Details:

Multiple minor ambush attempts have been reported along this stretch of road. Participants are required to take shifts scouting ahead, guarding the flanks, and repelling threats as they arise. Expect physical fatigue, extended travel hours, and possible nighttime attacks from opportunistic raiders or beasts.

Primary Focus: Endurance, defensive formations, night vigilance, teamwork.

Reward: 3500 Academy Points + personal loot

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[Mission: Frostleaf Herb Retrieval]

Objective: Collect 30 bundles of Frostleaf medicinal herbs from the northern ridge.

Details:

The area is inhabited by territorial low-ranked beasts and treacherous, slippery terrain that makes movement hazardous. Preserve the herbs during harvest and avoid unnecessary combat, as damage to the plants will reduce mission rewards and overall effectiveness.

Primary Focus: Resource gathering, awareness, non-lethal problem solving, mobility.

Reward: 1200 Academy Points + Potion Supply Credit

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[Mission: Ruined Watchtower Clearance]

Objective: Clear out hostile squatters occupying an abandoned border watchtower.

Details:

The tower has gradually become a base for smugglers and rogue fighters who have been harassing travelers and disrupting trade routes. Secure the structure thoroughly and destroy any stored weapons, supplies, and illegal materials discovered within the premises.

Primary Focus: Close-quarters combat, room clearing, formation discipline.

Reward: 5000 Academy Points + Confiscated Equipment Bonus

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[Mission: River Crossing Stabilization]

Objective: Secure and repair a damaged crossing used by nearby settlements.

Details:

Recent flooding destroyed the bridge, isolating several villagers and disrupting the supply chain between communities. Protect the workers while reconstructing a temporary crossing and remain vigilant at all times, as water-dwelling beasts have been sighted nearby and may attack without warning.

Primary Focus: Protection detail, multitasking under pressure, environmental hazards.

Reward: 3800 Academy Points

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[Mission: Night Howl Suppression]

Objective: Track and disperse a pack of aggressive night predators.

Details:

A steadily growing pack has begun hunting livestock and travelers after sunset, growing increasingly bold with each passing night. Identify their den and either drive them deeper into the wilds or eliminate the alpha to destabilize the group’s structure and force dispersal.

Primary Focus: Tracking, night combat, stamina conservation, leadership.

Reward: 2700 Academy Points + Beast Corpse

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Asher stared through all twenty missions, his face expressionless and flat until he reached the last mission on the list. He sighed quietly as he finished reading, the sound faint yet heavy, for he was extremely... disappointed.

He knew this was the best the Star Academy could presently provide him, yet Asher felt they were all far too meager, the rewards minuscule and unimpressive. With his level of strength, efficiency, and resourcefulness, none of these tasks were worth his time or effort. He could already guess that the more ambitious students had claimed the better-paying missions long ago, leaving behind scraps that no longer suited someone of his caliber.

Asher fell into his thoughts as he seemed stuck between two conflicting desires, suspended in quiet contemplation, but his thoughts were interrupted by the Facilitator’s voice.

”Tenth Sun, might I remind you that although the missions do not reward much by the standards you have set, do remember that the clients always seem to give extra points to you after each mission. The last three missions are proof of this,” the Facilitator stated calmly, as he understood what Asher was thinking merely from observing his expression.

Asher stayed silent as he recognized the truth within those words. Baron Rivelle had given him a massive bonus as a reward, the Captain at the frontier had done the same, and the client of the third mission had followed in identical footsteps, each one compensating him far beyond the official payout as though acknowledging something the Academy’s system could not quantify.

But... although he was after points, he also wanted something else. Battle, bloodshed, carnage.

Not that he had suddenly become a maniac who sought and wrought destruction without reason, but Asher understood that battles pushed one to the edge, to the peak, to the summit of their growth and talent. True progress was not forged in comfort or repetition, but in danger, desperation, and the razor-thin boundary between life and death.

He wanted that intensity, that pressure, that suffocating weight that forced evolution, and none of the current missions before him would provide it. So, he wanted the points, yet he also desired the growth that came only from fighting with his life on the line. If he took any of these missions, he would probably need only a single attack to end everything, rendering the entire exercise meaningless.

Although it was easy and simple, he could take the missions, earn points back to back with huge bonuses, then lock himself in the Training Facility Building again, repeating the same sterile cycle of improvement, Asher knew that would be somewhat counterproductive and hollow, growth without resistance feeling artificial and incomplete.

To put it in a villainous phrase, he needed to bathe in blood, or rather to baptize his current progress and self in blood, to temper himself through violence and reality rather than through controlled simulations.

The Facilitator stared at Asher without speaking and simply watched, waiting for what he would decide to do. Asher’s purple eyes slowly turned to the man as he asked, ”Can’t I get a higher mission? I know it’s available.”

The Facilitator stayed silent for a moment before he replied, ”Although there are higher-ranked missions, those are reserved for the upperclassmen, not the first years,” he answered swiftly and truthfully.

Asher paused for a moment as he whispered in a shallow tone, ”I could pay you in points. No one would have to know,” he stated, attempting to bribe his way through with quiet seriousness.

The Facilitator simply shook his head with a faint smile as he spoke, ”Unless you have ten billion points.”

Asher sighed, knowing he could not exactly bribe his way through, but at least he had tried. ”Is there any other way to do this? I mean, get a higher mission?” he asked after a moment of reluctant patience.

The Facilitator remained silent briefly before he spoke again. ”There is,” he answered truthfully.

”How?” Asher asked immediately without missing a beat.

”Only one person can change the clearance level of a mission,” the Facilitator began to explain, his voice lowering slightly with respect, ”and she is the Principal of the Star Academy, the creator and Empress of the Separate Dimension, the Goddess of Space.” His tone subtly changed as he uttered her name with quiet reverence and gravity. ”Cindralis.”

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AUTHOR’S NOTE: I’ve delivered yet again, and I’m always ready and available to deliver more... Also, I need your golden tickets, we are low on the ranking. Thanks for reading, enjoy. Also, Fateful_Pen, thanks for the Magic Castle.