Chapter 109: The Mercenary Guild

Chapter 109: The Mercenary Guild

The Magical Beast Forest. The largest and most mysterious forest on the Kasla Continent.

Located in the southern part of the continent, the Magical Beast Forest's true size has never been known to the people of Kasla. They only know it is vast beyond measure. Its mystery stems from the fact that it is inhabited entirely by magical beasts, ranging from low-tier or even ordinary animals at the outskirts, to mid-tier beasts, high-tier beasts, Sacred Beasts, Divine Beasts, and even the legendary Super Divine Beasts.

However, regarding Divine Beasts and Super Divine Beasts, the people of the continent have only heard rumors. Legends speak of their past appearances within the forest, but whether these legends hold any truth remains to be seen.

After all, humans find it difficult enough to deal with Sacred Beasts. Divine Beasts are a cut above human Sword Gods, making it easy to imagine what kind of strength a Super Divine Beast might possess.

If even one were to emerge, it could likely sweep across the entire continent. Even if the whole continent united, they might not be able to defeat it. Such beings could only be matched by gods themselves.

Beast City is the largest town near the Magical Beast Forest and also a border town of the Tike Empire on the edge of the forest.

Even though this was merely a small town, its Mercenary Guild was on the same scale as those in major cities.

It is always bustling, as tasks are constantly posted here, both for individuals and teams.

Moreover, many people come here to find companions to enter the Magical Beast Forest together, though the most common activity is turning in completed tasks. It is also a chaotic and noisy place.

"Looking for teammates to enter the Magical Beast Forest! We currently need someone with around Sword Master-level strength to join our team. Brother, you look like you have Sword Master strength, right? How about teaming up with us to go inside? Don't worry, our team already has two noble Archmages, one of them being me. What do you say? Join us?"

As soon as Lin Xing stepped through the doors of the Mercenary Guild, he was grabbed by a mage who launched into a pitch, his goal being to recruit Lin Xing to join their team for the journey into the forest.

Lin Xing was currently displaying strength at the peak of the Sword Master level.

Lin Xing frowned slightly. Although teaming up could be advantageous for traveling within the Magical Beast Forest, he didn't need it.

"Sorry, I'm not interested," Lin Xing declined immediately.

The young Archmage, seeing Lin Xing's refusal, was undeterred and continued, "Don't worry, if you come with us, we'll absolutely guarantee your safety. Plus, any beast cores we obtain will be split equally. How about it? Think about it?"

"Sorry, I'm not interested," Lin Xing remained indifferent. "I have other matters to attend to. You should look for someone else." With that, Lin Xing shook off the mage's hand and walked inside.

"Hmph!" Someone nearby snorted. "Recruiting a kid like that? Even if he has Sword Master strength, he has no experience. Going in would just be suicide! But I'm different. I have early-stage Sword Master strength! And I have plenty of experience!" Lin Xing glanced over; it was a bald man.

"You? Parker! Everyone knows you're a spineless coward," someone nearby sneered, drawing a burst of laughter from the surrounding crowd.

"Who would dare team up with you now? A cowardly, money-grubbing fellow!" The person continued, ignoring the fire in Parker's eyes, causing another round of laughter.

"Scar, you bastard!" Seeing his self-promotion interrupted, Parker glared angrily at Scar, wishing he could go up and cut him down with his sword. But Parker didn't dare.

Parker was a coward through and through. If Scar's strength were lower than his and Scar didn't have any companions around, Parker might have gone up and killed him. But now, Scar had several companions with him. Parker wouldn't dare lift a finger.

"What? Want to kill me? Come on up, you idiot," Scar continued to mock Parker, though Parker could only seethe in silence, not daring to speak up.

Lin Xing gave them a cold glance. Having seen this kind of thing often, he wasn't surprised and continued walking inside toward the task counter.

"Looking to accept a task, sir?" a staff member behind the counter asked politely.

"No, miss. I need some information," Lin Xing said.

"Then, what kind of information do you need right now?" the clerk asked with a smile.

"I need some basic information about the inside of the Magical Beast Forest," Lin Xing said flatly.

"That will be ten gold coins, sir," the clerk said, taking out a thin booklet and handing it over.

Just a few pages of paper for ten gold coins—the Mercenary Guild really knew how to make money. Nevertheless, Lin Xing handed over the coins, took the book, and casually tossed it into his spatial ring.

"Sir, we also have more detailed information for sale here. I wonder if you might be interested? Of course, the price is much higher," the clerk said to Lin Xing with a professional smile.

Lin Xing paused briefly, then shook his head, deciding against it. He only needed a rough idea of the terrain. Moreover, even if more detailed intelligence were available, it might not be accurate and could potentially mislead him.

As he walked back out into the main hall, Parker was still being mocked by the crowd. Lin Xing paid no attention and was about to leave.

"Sir, won't you reconsider teaming up with us?" a voice pestered Lin Xing again.

Lin Xing looked over and frowned. It was the same mage from before. "I already said I'm not interested in teaming up with you," Lin Xing said unhappily.

"What a pity," the mage sighed upon seeing Lin Xing's displeased expression. "Our team is really strong..."

Lin Xing was growing impatient. He glared at the mage and then slipped out of the guild.

Upon meeting Lin Xing's gaze, the mage's heart couldn't help but tremble. His hand, which had been gripping Lin Xing's arm, loosened involuntarily. He didn't even notice when Lin Xing left.

Returning to his lodgings, Lin Xing flipped through the book bought from the Mercenary Guild. With just a few thin pages, there really wasn't much to say. It basically introduced the general layout of the Magical Beast Forest.

The Magical Beast Forest was roughly divided into three parts. The first part was the distribution area for low-tier magical beasts. Mid-tier beasts were in the second region. Further in was the distribution area for high-tier beasts. The book didn't mention anything further inside, only warning not to casually enter the territory of high-tier beasts, as it was dangerous!

Why the Magical Beast Forest was divided into three or more regions, and why high-tier beasts didn't come to the low-tier beast territories, were questions Lin Xing found very interesting.

Within the Magical Beast Forest, the deeper one went, the more powerful the magical beasts became.