Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 519: Survivor Bonus

Asher remained in silence as he truly did not know what to say. Although he had expected something that would challenge him, something demanding enough to test both his ability and resolve, he still had not expected anything this... big. Yes, he had anticipated something different, something more difficult than the usual tasks, but certainly not this overwhelming, not something that felt as though it carried a hidden weight far heavier than it initially appeared.

’If these are students’ missions, then how are Instructor missions?’ Asher thought to himself, wondering what kind of operations they carried out behind the scenes. Assassinating the Emperor or Empress of other Empires? Toppling ruling governments? Erasing entire threats before they even surfaced? He mused quietly in thought, letting his imagination wander for a moment before he sighed and decided to stop overthinking the situation.

He had demanded better missions, more dangerous ones that could sharpen him and push him past his limits, and he had gotten exactly what he asked for; there was no need to hesitate or second-guess himself now, not when this was precisely the path he had chosen.

His eyes fell on the disappearing villagers mission, and Asher could not help but wonder who was sponsoring this particular request. Wasn’t it supposed to be a simple village? How could they possibly afford thirty thousand points? The number alone felt excessive for something that, on the surface, sounded like nothing more than a routine investigation.

Asher could perfectly remember seeing a mission posted by another village to drive out a few monsters and beasts for just one thousand five hundred points. Compared to this, it was laughable. Asher had not accepted that mission simply because the village had been too poor, the reward too small to justify the time and effort, and now the stark contrast made this one feel even more suspicious.

’Maybe different village heads gathered together and pooled their resources for this mission,’ Asher thought to himself, as that seemed like the only plausible explanation. A single settlement could never gather such an amount, but several desperate ones working together might manage it, especially if their survival depended on it.

His eyes shifted to the second mission that had caught his attention earlier, the subtle invasion of another Empire. Asher thought about it for a moment, carefully weighing which mission to accept between the two. After a brief period of consideration, he simply decided to take the disappearing villagers mission.

Although the reward for the invasion mission offered better pay, Asher had already decided to move slow and steady. This was his first solo mission, his first time acting entirely on his own without the safety net of teammates and there was no need to dive headfirst into what was essentially a chess match between the Zarethorn Empire and the Vandross Empire.

That kind of mission reeked of political traps, hidden enemies, and consequences far beyond simple combat. This unknown Empire seemed too dangerous and unpredictable, and it was better to leave it for now. Maybe when he came back from the disappearing villagers mission, and he did not have a better task to embark on, he might consider taking it.

With that, Asher made his choice.

’But in a sense, isn’t the Star Academy, or maybe the entirety of the Separate Dimension, kind of like an Adventurer Guild or some sort?’ Asher mused to himself thoughtfully, the comparison forming naturally in his mind as he considered how missions were assigned and rewards distributed.

’Maybe the Adventurer Guild had taken the disappearing villagers mission, but found nothing and lost people instead, so they stopped accepting it altogether, causing the village heads to send the mission to the Star Academy instead,’ Asher thought as he studied the mission details more closely. He could clearly see that people who had been sent on this mission before had disappeared and never returned.

Most likely dead. That alone was enough to make students avoid the mission entirely. After all, adventurers and mercenaries lived and breathed in daily battles and death; they were accustomed to bloodshed and risk.

Talk less of them, who were still students and were only just beginning to step into the world. Many of them were still bidding for survival, still learning the basics, still far too inexperienced to gamble their lives on something so uncertain.

The Facilitator simply stayed silent as he watched Asher’s face cycle through various expressions, from shock to contemplation, then finally acceptance. He had already expected this scenario. After all, everyone always had this exact same reaction the first time they saw the ridiculous difference in mission scale. It was practically a rite of passage at this point.

Asher took a slow breath before speaking. ”I will take the vanishing villagers mission,” he stated calmly, his purple eyes shifting toward the Facilitator, who had remained silent the entire time.

The Facilitator did not argue. He did not warn Asher or advise him to take another mission simply because those who had gone on this particular task had gone missing before it eventually fell onto the Star Academy’s lap. It simply was not his place. His work was to allocate missions and distribute rewards upon completion, nothing more and nothing less. Personal opinions or interference were unnecessary.

He had seen many students die through the years, and certainly Asher was not special just because he was a Wargrave; there had been other Wargraves before him, and there would be others after. So, to him, Asher was simply another student. If he came back, fine. If he did not... well, that had nothing to do with him.

With that, he nodded his head and immediately got to work. The mission swiftly vanished from the holographic display screen the moment Asher accepted it, the text dissolving into particles of light as though it had never existed.

”I have a question,” Asher spoke again, his eyes still on the Facilitator.

The man lifted his gaze from his work as he spoke, his black eyes meeting Asher’s purple ones. ”Shoot.”

”At the reward, it says survivor bonus. What exactly does that mean?” Asher asked without hesitation. Although he already had a general guess as to what it implied, since the name itself was obvious enough, he still decided to ask for clarification.

”The more villagers you save, the more bonus points you receive. This bonus isn’t given by the client but by the Principal herself,” the Facilitator answered immediately, without missing a beat.

”What’s the point rate per head?” Asher asked at once, as this was the real detail he wanted to know. Of course, with or without the points, he still planned on saving the missing villagers if he found them... and of course, that was only if saving them did not put him in unnecessary danger. After all, he was not a saint, and neither could Star Academy points buy him another life.

But if he could save them with only a few injuries, he would try. After all, he could heal himself whenever he wanted without any real issues.

”A thousand points per head,” the Facilitator stated immediately, his tone unchanged. Bonus points were extremely rare, but students hardly pursued them since nobody would willingly risk their lives for mere points alone.

Asher nodded his head and said nothing else. He simply allowed the Facilitator to do his job, then fell silent, quietly watching the man work.