In the back of a comfortable military-grade jeep, Nikolai sat with another three members while Ryan was in the front with the driver, a bald male with brown eyes.

‘It seems the driver is a member of the Seong family and works with Ryan often.’

Nikolai thought to himself while looking at the strange blade given to him by Ryan before they started this mission to hunt some wild wraiths.

‘Elizabeth, can you show tell me about wraiths please? Ideally, their weakness, strengths and skills.’

Nikolai held the digital pad given to him by the SSS. It was the size of a regular reading pad you might buy to enjoy ebooks or web novels in private. The screen was detailed, and several apps related to monster hunting were installed.

[Monster Bestiary] – A simple app that contained information about the monsters captured and killed by the SSS.

‘However, it lacks accuracy and many lies were told considering the vampire and werewolf clans. It listed the wrong powers for the Fenrir and Tepes clans, while lesser-known clans seemed accurate from the information given by Eliza.’

This strange fact made Nikolai doubt whether the SSS had more than just a basic no-interference deal with the royalty of several monster clans and races.

‘Though, interestingly, certain races are not even permitted the no-interference or ceasefire pacts. Like the wraiths being hunted tonight, any monsters that needed human sacrifice to live were treated like monsters.’

Nikolai rubbed his eyes before massaging his temples, shaking his head slightly. ‘What bullshit? They pretend to be neutral but pass judgment as they see fit, huh?’ He tried to clear his thoughts before opening the Wraith’s detailed information on the pad.

He began to flick through the information on wraiths, but it only mentioned their deadly spikes that were inside their palms—the actual blade seemed to be more of a sharp straw. Similar to that of a proboscis that could extend up to 20cm from the palm like a small black sword.

“Hmm… it’s material is close to iron in durability, interesting.” Nikolai’s voice was a little loud, causing the other three to look at him with sharp gazes. After his transformation, he stopped whispering or avoiding contact with others and regained his confidence.

“Who is this rookie who doesn’t even know the prey?” A large male with dark skin and eyes, his hair was shaved, making him look quite fierce, along with the various claw-shaped scars on his cheek and neck.

Nikolai didn’t even flinch or register the man’s low voice. Instead, he flipped to the next page and listened to the conversation but took no personal offence. Ryan already told him about the three taking part today.

‘This guy is Brian, the vice-captain, and someone who helps Ryan often. He’s a bit rough, but once you get his trust, he is a solid comrade. His power is quite high for a human, and he uses a mace.’

“Haha, Brian, ignore the kid. He’s some pathetic bitch that leader insisted on bringing.” A blonde female sharpening two daggers laughed, sneering at Nikolai before blowing a kiss to the large male with an overly friendly smile.

‘Ryan said to beware of this arrogant woman. Though her speed was higher than expected, her strength was moderate at best. She had the nickname black widow because of her lovers always dying during missions.’

“Hmmm, Lisa, there’s no need to be so harsh. Let’s just do what we always do.” A more modest male with black hair and grey eyes sat at the far right of the jeep. However, a member of the mercenaries being allowed to join with his weak body was quite surprising for Nikolai.

‘Though this guy is called Bruce, and Ryan trusts him the most. Well, someone who can use the arts of the fairy clan to heal and cast basic spells… No wonder someone with 20 Physical force was allowed—his Mental power is close to 120.’

[I have almost completed a simplified tactical document for the Wraiths. Considering your current strength. They will most likely be quite easy to hunt. Unless an Elder or Elite Wraith should appear.]

[As the Elite Wraiths have a Physical force of 200-300 and a Mental power of 100-150 at most.]

‘I see.’

“Don’t tell me what to do, Bruce, you little pussy.” Lisa’s tone to those she deemed weaker was quite harsh. Though Bruce just gave her the middle finger and went back to reading his tattered book, a slight blue glow from his aura flowing around his eyes when reading.

“Lisa, are your daggers and crossbow ready for the mission?” Brian asked with a sharp voice; he seemed quite professional while he looked at Nikolai, who appeared to be reading up with a serious gaze, which made Brian nod, his lips curling into a smile.

“O-Of course Vice-Capitain…” Lisa seemed weak to Brian as she always lost to him in practice; at least, that’s what Ryan told Nikolai before he jumped inside.

“Also, don’t disrespect the kid—at least he’s studying now. The leader said he only just joined the faction if he doesn’t know how—the fact he’s learning should be enough, no?”

Brian was a true warrior and had fought all his life with the Seong family mercenary group. Thus, he knew Ryan wouldn’t bring a useless friend for the fun of it.

“…Y-Your right, sorry. I was being a bitch–“

“No worries, newbie, don’t take it personally. This woman gets nervous before missions and needs someone to take it out on. Usually, it’s Bruce, hahaha!” Brian really was someone that Nikolai appreciated.

‘Since you went so far, I won’t hold it against her—if I was a normal human, wouldn’t I be nervous right now?’

Nikolai looked at Lisa, who seemed a bit embarrassed. Her red lipstick was a little strong, yet she wasn’t ugly, and her blonde hair felt more artificial compared to Selene’s. “Well, how could I blame a beautiful woman? If you are nervous, just say what you like. I don’t mind since I’m the newest and youngest member. I’ll take it like hazing at college.”

[My son is so kind and sincere to these filthy humans… Mother almost spent her life cutting them into ribbons~ Tehe!]

‘Easy now, Mother, you know that’s just how rough these kinds of people are. They fight monsters in life-or-death situations almost daily. I need to earn their trust first.’

[Fufu~ most supernaturals would have sliced their filthy throats because of those words, though.]

“…”

“Oh?”

“Mm.”

Although they only reacted slightly. The nod and smile from Brain, along with the curious grin on Lisa’s face, added to Bruce’s gaze flickering towards Nikolai.

It felt that his answer wasn’t incorrect.

“Hey~ you’re quite polite as well as a good-looking little boy—what’s your name? Big sister likes handsome men.” Despite Nikolai knowing for sure that Lisa knew his name. He didn’t take it seriously or find any issues. Instead, her tone changed from the nasty, mocking one to a slightly more polite one.

“Ah, I’m Nikolai, a pleasure to meet you. I just so happen to like beautiful sisters, too. Haha.”

“Oh my, what naughty little brother we have. Make sure you are ready, okay? The enemy today likes to use sneak attacks and aim for your neck and spots that are deadly. If you need help, Brian is probably the best when dealing with Wraiths. Okay?”

“Mm, thank you. Also, I look forward to working with you, Vice-Captain Brian.” The jeep’s aura transformed over a few moments. Ryan looked in the rear mirror and couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief.

‘Ryan seems to be relieved, good. Let’s do my best and earn some strength and money.’

“It’s my pleasure, rookie. If you survive this mission, I’ll start calling you by your name. Okay?” The large male’s dark eyes were filled with only seriousness—there was no sense of malice or emotion.

Nikolai could tell that he might have experienced many tragedies and unlucky rookies. All because his aura fluctuated between prepared and anxious each time he gazed towards Nikolai.

*

*

*

The jeep’s speed gradually slowed when coming close to a slightly deserted area in the north. This place was an area currently being developed by the Scarlet Group and another large company to the south—this meant there were lots of empty sites and buildings half built which lacked full-time guards because of the quiet area.

“Okay, everyone, please wear your face masks and connect to the group communication device!”

A stern voice came from the speakers of the jeep, it seemed the old man with no hair was the person who guided and controlled the operation while the other five would be the actual operatives.

‘I believe his name was Alex, who specialises in mental tasks but cannot use any arts.’

Nikolai cracked his neck before wearing the mask that covered his lower mouth and ears. There was a small black ball that slipped into the ear before it expanded to suit the person’s canal, preventing it from slipping out during combat.

“Panther-1, Roger!” Ryan’s voice sounded deeper on the intercom, yet the audio’s quality was like the singers at the top of the charts. What made Nikolai amazed was it seemed to be tuned to people with enhanced senses, so it didn’t blow his eardrums, and the sound passed through it, stopping them from feeling disorientated?

‘Okay, let’s prepare myself, it’s go time.’

“Panther-2, Roger!”

“Panther-3…”

“….”

“White Wolf, Roger.”

‘I wonder why Ryan registered my name as White Wolf instead of copying their team call out…’

“Whew, it seems that our handsome silver-haired boy is actually a wolf~ fufu.” Panther 3 was Lisa, and she made a joke, likely to ease Nikolai’s nerves as they all prepared to leave the jeep.

“Radio Silence, the targets are five wraiths. Panther 2, take White Wolf to Point A and the rest to Point B! The previous report seems to be wrong, or rather, this must be a [Nest]. If you encounter the enemy, make sure to call out and don’t engage unless unavoidable! Panther-1 Out.”

“””Roger!””” (Panther Unit)

Rapidly, everyone jumped from the jeep, with Brian landing with a thump, Lisa’s light taps barely sounding as she almost skated across the ground towards point B with Ryan and Bruce.

“White Wolf, come with me—we need to hurry.” Brian’s huge mace expanded to almost two metres in size, with the head larger than Nikolai’s body. ‘It must weigh more than 30kg!’ He thought while grasping the weapon given to him, a rather simple weapon.

‘A modernised bastard sword?’

The sword featured a 32-inch blade and an 8-inch handle. It had a straight, double-edged blade and a cross guard. The hilt was wrapped in dark material, likely monster leather, providing a firm grip. The pommel was simple, circular, and metallic but with a sharp tip for bashing.

“Understood, let’s go.”

Suddenly, while holding the long blade, he felt a sense of wonder; though he wouldn’t use his powers as much as possible, the sword felt quite comfortable. Because of that comfort, his instinct and desire for battle began to spike.

Nikolai felt a powerful bloodlust, different from his blood frenzy—he merely wanted to slaughter something and devour its blood.

‘Ah~ my heart is already racing, I want to fucking massacre something.’

[Be careful—those feelings are your own but don’t get swallowed by them, Nikolai!]

Under the cover of darkness, the Panther unit led their attack, unknowingly running into an exciting battle.

[He really reminds me of you before we became lovers, Ivan.]

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep