A week later.

“So, is there any problem with us taking this mission?” Adraste stood in front of Mordred, conversing with the Mission Hall staff.

The staff put on a difficult face, as the rule stated that they could not. Yet, she knew who Adraste really was. “I’ll… need some time to file a report. First-year students do not have the clearance to take on a Difficulty 7 Mission unless a special permit is given by the Royal Academy.”

“Should I just report this to Galatreon High Command?” Adraste’s eyes glint in dangerous light. She is seriously threatening a Mission Hall staff as if it was nothing special.

Everyone must behave themselves in front of the academy’s staff as they are an extension of the Hunter Academy, and therefore, an extension of the Hunter Association themselves. No matter who they are, everyone must give face to and respect the Association since it is deeply rooted in the heart of almost every kingdom. If you were to offend this semi-global organization, then life would become extremely hard.

However, Adraste has no qualms about stepping so low since she is a Space Marine adept, a future member of the Schutzstaffel. She answers directly to the owner of the Hunter Association, Der Führer. Even the High Command cannot give orders to a Schutzstaffel, so this move was a literal equivalent of ‘My daddy will know about this!’.

Unfortunately for the Mission Hall staff, her ‘daddy’ will do something about this on the off chance that he gets a whiff of this affair. It’s not an empty threat.

“Please wait one moment!” The mission hall staff bowed ninety degrees before running somewhere, rushing the procedure.

“Stop flexing,” Mordred commented.

“Heheh.” Adraste snickered. 

Seeing the exchange, Nagata could only shake his head. “Can we take on a Difficulty 7 mission though? I was hoping for a Difficulty 5 or 6…”

“A mission’s difficulty rating is highly related to the area.” Kaishin elaborated. “The mission that we’re about to take is located in Ancient Forest Katachian, a Difficulty 10 Secret Plane. This means there will be rank 1 beasts inside, but due to the designs of the Secret Plane, as long as we don’t wander into the core area, we should be able to survive most encounters.”

While Nagata is being educated by Kaishin, the staff returns while sweating profusely. “I have received a special permit from the Royal Academy.”

Adraste skimmed the content of the permit before giving a stamp to the designated location. The document is both a permit and a disclaimer that the Royal Academy won’t be responsible should anything happen to them in the Secret Plane since they are not allowed in the first place.

“With this, there shouldn’t be any more problems, right?” Adraste inquired.

“Yes!” The Mission Hall staff became very effective in the subsequent procedure. In no time, Adraste was given the papers and permit to enter the Ancient Forest Katachian.

“Let’s go.” Led by Mordred, the group left the Mission Hall, heading towards the Gate Hall. 

“Captain, your Wyvern is stronger than I’d expected…” Adraste commented as they reached the beast shelter inside the Gate Hall. Most teams have beast slaves, so the Gate Hall accommodates them in their designated beast shelter. 

Mordred’s Brute Wyvern slave, Desir, has grown larger compared to the first time it was subjugated. Not only was the beast given high-quality food, but the Spectral Soul ‘piloting’ the wyvern has also been adjusting to the body. If he were released in a den of Brute Wyverns, he would be able to slaughter his peers. 

From the perspective of Adraste, however, Desir is a beast whose strength is far superior to Satoru. The situation could be likened to a child having the ability to mobilize a dragon. Nevertheless, humans are a race of ingenuity. If Satoru couldn’t subjugate the wyvern alone, he could always ask someone to do it for him, so the brute wyvern ‘Desir’ being controlled by Mordred’s Spectral Soul slave never crossed her mind.

“He has undergone a wisdom-path life-alteration surgery. His spirituality has been enlightened, so he can understand human speech.” Mordred casually mentioned as he rubbed Desir’s head. “Moreover, my benefactor has given him some kind of bloodline stimulant, allowing him to mature much faster than usual… in exchange for a reduced lifespan.”

Adraste squinted her eyes, “No wonder I smell a scent of time-path methods being used.”

“Desir might have a shortened lifespan, but there’s a chance that his intelligence will be inherited by his descendants. As long as I can provide some mates for him, I won’t suffer too much from his death.” Mordred proclaimed, setting up a cover for more Spectral Souls-possessed wyvern slaves.

In any case, he brought Desir around as they wanted to bring Desir to their destination. 

…

Ancient Forest Katachian is a difficulty 10 Secret Plane. While most gathering missions in this location wouldn’t reach difficulty 10, due to the danger present, it is still high enough to deter most first years. 

Unlike the Volcanic Zone which is a Secret Plane attuned heavily to fire-path dimensional laws and thus only consists of a single fire-path Resource Point, Ancient Forest Katachian is several times larger, with a time rate of 211% faster compared to the main world. It is no longer considered as a small plane, but a medium plane instead, housing multiple Resource Points in close proximity with one another.

However, Mordred and the rest of his teammates didn’t come here to kill themselves. The benefits outweigh the risks, and unlike the volcanic zone which has rail networks connecting major locations, Ancient Forest Katachian’s geography limits the presence of those railways. 

When they passed through the dimensional gate, the sound of belching could be heard as Kaishin and Nagata ejected the content of their stomach, a symptom of intense Dimensional Shock. Swiping her hand, Adraste took out some potions and presented them to alleviate their suffering. “We’re here. Captain, do you need some potion?”

Mordred shook his head but patted his stomach. “We’ll rest up for five minutes before we continue.”

Everyone nodded as Dimensional Shock isn’t something that could be taken lightly. Only Adraste who possessed the physique of a Space Marine can shrug off such effects with little to no consequences.

Fortunately for them, wood-path radiation doesn’t have a temperature-altering effect like fire-path or water-path, nor the destructive nature of lightning-path. In fact, the high concentration of wood elemental particles present in this Secret Plane’s atmosphere promotes growth and fertility, so those who cultivate non-wood-path can stroll without suffering from environmental backlash. 

“Ancient Forest Katachian houses fourteen Resource Points, each is subdivided into multiple difficulty areas with most of them being wood-path Resource Points. Our mission is to gather a hundred stalks of Elementary Bloodvines, but our main goal is to hunt the Kobolds and other lesser dragon races located in the same area. To get there, we’ll ride the small train that travels on the edge of each Resource Point and switch to walking.” Mordred briefed the mission one last time. “We’ll reach the ministation around… sundown Katachian-time. Any questions?”

His teammate’s silence was the answer and so, the team went to take a train towards their destination. During the voyage, the scenery isn’t too much of a difference, it is filled with green leaves and tall browns of various trees. Unlike the Volcanic Zone which is a single fire-path Resource Point, the Resource Points within this Secret Plane are enveloped by large-scale formation, creating a type of highly specialized environment.

The first Resource Point they encountered was a swampy wetland. It is still considered a wood-path Resource Point, but the high concentration of water elemental particles provided high moisture, allowing aquatic flora and fauna to thrive. The trees are thicker than usual, with networks of thick, long, and branching roots decorating the muddy waters.

The large-scale formation protecting this resource point is mostly opaque with a hint of green-blue hue. If seen from an angle, the color will be more intense, but this ‘barrier’ does not block physical matter. Anything from inside or outside the designated area can enter or exit as they wish, but whatever is inside has no need to go outside. It’s like a fish does not need to explore a sandy beach because the creatures inside can only thrive within. 

The second Resource Point is a mountain range. The green mountains are chock-full of trees, and the mountain’s peaks are constantly shrouded with dark clouds. The Resource Point has a high ambient moisture level, but the constant thunderstorms atop the mountain’s peaks meant there’s a high concentration of lightning elemental particles as well.  

Eventually, they reached the third Resource Point, which was their destination. From the outside, the large-scale formation has a slight green-reddish hue as they confine wood elemental particles that have been mixed with bloodline energy. The gigantic trees present inside are over 80 meters tall, and they cast a large shadow onto the surrounding area. 

Although this Secret Plane has no actual ‘sun’, sundown means the pseudo-sky has turned dim. In addition to the shadow of the gigantic trees, it causes an illusion as if it is already in the dead of night.

When the team dropped off in the ministation, some students were doing their business in this area, while the guards were fighting against goblins but overall, this ministation was safe from harm.

“It’s getting dark.” Kaishin committed as they walked towards the ministation’s exit. “Should we stay here, or camp outside?”

“Camp outside. We’ll have to get used to a Hunter’s lifestyle as soon as possible.” Nagata uttered the words that were on Mordred’s mind.