My Magic Has No Upper Limit

The squad pressed on, and at the far end of the cave, they finally made a discovery.

On a rug stitched together from beast hides lay several pieces of relatively new human equipment.

This included a Chest Armor torn nearly in half, a steel Longsword snapped in two, and some Armor fragments.

They were spattered with bloodstains. It wasn’t hard to imagine what the equipment’s owner had been through.

"I recognize this sword. It’s Rod’s..."

Gray crouched and picked up the hilt, his voice uncharacteristically somber.

Everyone fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts.

This was the life of an Adventurer.

You could earn handsome rewards from mission after mission, but you could also perish without a trace at any moment.

’To be killed by a swarm of goblins... Their final moments couldn’t have been pleasant.’

"All right... let’s keep looking. See if there are any other belongings," Marcus said.

The group began to rummage through the lair.

Gray found the Copper Adventurer’s Badges of three members of the Rod Squad.

Zelir found a pocket watch in a corner.

He opened it to find a portrait of a man and a woman inside. After checking with Gray, he confirmed the man was a Ranger from the Rod Squad.

Other than that, there were just a few miscellaneous trinkets.

They found no bones, which had likely been devoured by the goblins long ago.

These were all of the Rod Squad’s worldly possessions. After packing everything up, the party made their way out of the cave.

The sun hung low in the west, already sinking behind the mountains. In a few more hours, it would be completely dark. The group set off on their journey home.

The forest was quiet, the silence broken only by the occasional cry of a bird.

"So..." Zelir suddenly said, "have you guys ever thought about your futures?"

Valles shook his head in silence.

"My future... I guess when I get too old for adventuring, I’ll find a quiet little town and retire," Marcus said.

It was a simple, humble wish.

"Assassins don’t dwell on things like that," Hill said with a smile. "Think too much, and your hands will shake when it’s time to kill."

"I’m with Marcus. I’ll go back to my hometown and live out the rest of my days in peace," Gak said, cracking a grin.

"You guys sure have a lot of energy, planning to work until you’re old."

Gray put on a flippant air. "As soon as I’ve made enough money, I’m calling it quits. Then I’ll take Marian and travel the world."

"Are you serious? You really like that barmaid?" Valles frowned.

"Of course. Heaven and earth can bear witness to my sincere heart," Gray said with a grin.

Hill tossed a small stone up and down as she walked, then suddenly stopped in her tracks.

"Movement," Hill said, her eyes fixed on the path ahead.

The others immediately fell silent, looking around warily.

"A Demon?" Marcus instinctively unslung his Shield.

"No... it’s people. Six of them," Hill said.

...

"Damn it!"

Drake kicked a tree trunk, sending a shower of leaves fluttering down.

His face was a mask of irritation. "Where the hell is the place marked on the map! Did you even find it?"

"This is the place, Captain."

A short, scrawny man immediately sidled up to Drake, his face plastered with a sycophantic smile.

His name was Richie, the squad’s Assassin, and his main job was to lead the way.

"Captain, I swear, this is absolutely the right place!"

"Then where’s the Tree Spirit?" Drake glared.

After Marcus Squad had taken the goblin subjugation quest in the Mist Cave, Drake had been forced to settle for second best: a quest to kill a Tree Spirit.

The pay was low, but it was better than nothing.

But his squad had been wandering around Gray Wood Forest all afternoon without seeing so much as a trace of the Tree Spirit.

The more they wandered, the more Drake’s resentment festered.

’His luck had been absolutely rotten lately!’

’A quest with a massive reward finally came up, only to be snatched away by someone else—and assigned personally by Hogan, no less!’

’What was so wrong with his squad?’

’Some crappy Ranger Mage... Pah! I could cut him down in one blow!’

"Maybe the Tree Spirit wandered off... You know how it is, Captain. These Demons love to roam all over the place."

Richie trailed off and suddenly fell silent. He tilted his head to listen, a look of pleasant surprise appearing on his face.

"Wait... Captain! There’s movement up ahead!"

"Oh? Is it the Tree Spirit?" Drake immediately perked up.

"Not sure... but we’ll know if we go take a look!"

The six-man squad entered combat formation and began to advance steadily.

They pushed through a thicket and into a clearing. When the members of Drake Squad got a clear look at the source of the movement, however, they couldn’t help but freeze.

"Well... if it isn’t you lot."

Drake recovered, a cold sneer forming on his lips.

"Isn’t this the elite squad that snatched our quest back at the Association?"

Marcus hadn’t expected to run into Drake and his men, either. The situation had suddenly become thorny.

He had no desire to waste time here, so he spoke up. "I’m not in the mood to talk to you right now. Excuse us."

With that, he prepared to lead his squad members around them.

"Hold it!"

Drake took a long step to the side, blocking Marcus Squad’s path.

His eyes, like those of a jackal, swept over them, filled with scrutiny.

Their weary expressions, the blood on their Armor and clothes, the bulging backpacks.

’Yes, there’s no doubt about it...’

’They’ve already completed the commission to wipe out the Goblin Community in the Mist Cave!’

"Looks like you had quite a haul."

Something else crept into Drake’s expression. "How much are you making this time? Fifty Gold Coins? Sixty?"

At the mention of such a huge reward, the breathing of Drake’s teammates behind him clearly quickened.

’That much money!’

’The bounty for the Tree Spirit quest Drake had accepted was just over ten gold coins in total, meaning they’d each only get two or three.’

"It’s none of your business. Step aside!" Marcus growled.

"Ha! Did you think this was the Adventurer’s Association? Think that old bastard Hogan is here to back you up?"

Drake didn’t bother to hide it anymore, his expression growing more brazen. "Your luck has run out..."

Gak stepped forward to stand beside Marcus, his posture menacing. "Didn’t you hear our captain? Step aside!"

The Middle Level Swordsman behind Drake also stepped forward, retorting without any sign of weakness.

"This is no place for you to talk, you half-blood mongrel!"

"What do you want?" Marcus’s voice turned utterly cold.

"What do I want?"

Drake drew the Wide-Blade Saber from his back and slung it over his shoulder. "If you hadn’t stolen my quest, would I have had to waste this entire afternoon running around for nothing?"

"Could you please stop saying things that make you sound like an idiot?"

Gray retorted mockingly, "The quest was assigned by Chairman Hogan. If you’ve got a problem, go take it up with him. Besides, we’re all Adventurers. Who here hasn’t come up empty on a quest before?"