Chapter 150: Advancement Missions
Cain glanced at the three Blood Crystals remaining beside Nathan before nodding with satisfaction.
Ron, Elara, and Nathan had all reached the Perfected Stage.
There was no longer any reason for them to delay their Advancement Missions.
"Accept them."
Ron had clearly been waiting for those words.
He immediately focused on the Advancement option he had ignored since reaching Level 50.
A System panel appeared before him.
His grin faded for a moment as he read through the contents.
Then he suddenly laughed.
Cain looked toward him.
"What is it?"
Ron turned the panel toward the others.
[2nd Echelon Advancement Mission]
[Kill a 2nd Echelon being without another individual directly interfering with the target.]
[Mission Progress: 0/1]
Ron’s helpless grin returned.
"So this time the System actually wants me to kill one."
Cain chuckled.
"Look at it positively. The System shouldn’t give you an Advancement Mission that’s impossible for you to complete. Which means that your ability just increased so much that it went from being asked to run to kill."
Ron looked toward him and raised an eyebrow.
"Why do I feel like it was an insult instead of a reassurance?"
Cain merely shrugged in response.
Ron ignored Cain’s mockery and said softly. "Well... Now that I think about it, I actually feel like I could kill a 2nd Echelon."
He continued as he tightened the grip on his spear.
"Besides, I’ve wanted to see how I’d do against a 2nd Echelon on my own anyway."
"You’ll probably find out soon."
That only made Ron look more eager.
Elara accepted her Advancement Mission next.
Nathan followed shortly afterward.
Two System panels appeared before them with the same requirement.
[2nd Echelon Advancement Mission]
[Cooperate with another Level 50 1st Echelon Awakener to kill a 2nd Echelon being.]
[Both participants must directly contribute to the target’s defeat.]
[Mission Progress: 0/1]
Elara read through the mission before turning toward Nathan.
Nathan had received the same requirement.
"So we just need to cooperate with another Level 50 1st Echelon," Elara said.
"Looks like it."
Cain was satisfied with the result.
Compared to his own Advancement Mission, which required him to destroy the World Gate Core responsible for the invasion, theirs were considerably more reasonable.
Ron needed to defeat a 2nd Echelon opponent without anyone interfering.
Elara and Nathan only needed another Level 50 1st Echelon Awakener to participate in their kill.
Cain was already thinking about finding two suitable enemies at the next outpost when Elara suddenly looked toward him.
"Wait."
Cain raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
Elara glanced at her mission again.
"It doesn’t say Nathan and I have to work together."
Nathan looked at the wording more carefully.
Elara continued.
"It only says another Level 50 1st Echelon Awakener has to help."
Her eyes returned to Cain.
For a second, he did not understand why she was looking at him.
Then his eyes lit up.
"Oh."
Ron immediately noticed his expression.
"What?"
Cain ignored him as he thought to himself.
He was still Level 50 and fit the criteria.
The System did not care that his stats were absurdly high for his Echelon or that he could already kill 2nd Echelon beings without much difficulty.
According to the mission requirement, Cain qualified perfectly.
Elara smiled faintly when she saw that he understood.
"We’re already trying to move as quickly as possible. You can help us one at a time instead of Nathan and me wasting time fighting the same enemy together."
Cain’s smile widened.
"That’s actually a much better idea."
Ron stared between them.
"So you’re going to beat the shit out of a 2nd Echelon and let her finish it?"
"Why not?"
"That sounds like cheating."
Cain looked at him and shrugged as he continued, "It’s not like this is our first time doing it anyway."
Ron opened his mouth.
Cain continued before he could speak.
"I’m Level 50 and still 1st Echelon. The mission says she needs to cooperate with another Level 50 1st Echelon Awakener."
He spread one hand.
"And I qualify for that."
Ron stared at him for a few seconds.
"You sound way too happy about finding a loophole."
"It’s not a loophole if the system allows it."
Elara nodded in agreement.
"We’re short on time anyway."
Nathan did not mind either.
"If it works, I’m fine with going after the next one."
Cain nodded.
"Elara first, then you."
That settled the matter.
Instead of forcing Elara and Nathan into a prolonged battle against one 2nd Echelon enemy, Cain could help them complete their missions separately.
Considering the communication device they had discovered, Cain preferred the faster option.
They had no idea when the Zombie Race would realize that this outpost had stopped responding.
Cain shifted his attention toward Alex.
30 purified Blood Crystals remained from the original stockpile.
He picked one up and tossed it over.
"Catch."
Alex caught the crystal and looked toward the pile beside Cain.
"Those are mine?"
Cain nodded.
Alex did not ask twice as he immediately sat down and pulled the Blood Crystals closer.
Nathan suddenly looked toward the three remaining beside him.
"Wait."
He picked them up and tossed them toward Alex.
"Take these too."
Alex caught them with his free hand.
"Thanks."
Nathan nodded before standing.
Alex closed his eyes and began absorbing the resources.
Cain remained nearby while the purified blood essence entered Alex’s body and was gradually refined by his Mana Core.
Thirty-three Blood Crystals were not enough to push him all the way to Perfected, but they were still a considerable amount of concentrated energy.
By the time the final crystal lost its light, the Mana surrounding Alex changed.
[Mana Core Stage: Flawless]
Alex opened his eyes.
He remained seated briefly, feeling the difference within his body.
"Flawless Stage."
"One stage left," Cain smiled in satisfaction.
"Not bad." Alex smiled as he stood and picked up his greatsword.
Cain nodded, since there was no reason to be disappointed.
They had only entered the Invasion Corridor recently, yet Alex had already brought his Mana Core much closer to Perfected.
If the next few Zombie Race positions contained even a fraction of the resources they had found here, finishing his Core would not be difficult.
Around them, the others had nearly finished sorting through the rewards.
Occasional flashes of light still appeared inside the command building as the last Orbs were opened.
Anything useful was immediately claimed by whoever could make the best use of it, while the equipment nobody needed was returned to Cain.
He stored the leftovers without examining everything personally.
They could sort through the details later.
Right now, staying here any longer served no purpose.
Cain looked toward the entrance.
"Let’s go."
The group immediately gathered what remained and left the command building.
They crossed the outpost at a run.
Outside the walls, dozens of Zombie Race corpses remained where they had fallen. Black blood had already begun drying across the dark ground, but Cain barely glanced at them.
Once the group settled into a steady pace, Cain moved closer to Sonya.
"From now on, you’re getting priority on the 1st Echelon kills."
Sonya looked sideways at him.
"Why me?"
"You’re still below Level 50, and your talent has the highest potential among everyone who hasn’t reached the limit."