Kael walked quietly at Aiden’s side, one hand resting near the hilt of his sword beneath the cloak. His sharp eyes calmly observed the surroundings without drawing attention to himself.

Compared to Dragmar, Kael felt almost invisible.

The closer they got to the hall, the louder the noise became.

Arguments.

Laughter.

Boasting.

The Commission Hall was one of the busiest places in the city.

Sect disciples came here for experience and rewards.

Clan members came for reputation.

Mercenaries came for money.

And solo practitioners came because they had nowhere else to rely on.

Unlike sects, the Commission Hall didn’t care about background as long as the mission got completed.

Aiden stepped through the entrance calmly.

The inside was massive.

Long wooden tables filled most of the lower floor while large request boards covered the walls. Workers moved back and forth carrying stacks of documents while armored practitioners crowded around the higher-paying missions.

The smell of alcohol, sweat, leather, and metal mixed together heavily in the air.

At the center of the hall, several groups argued loudly over mission rewards.

"We killed the beast, not you bastards!"

"You only distracted it!"

"Distracted my ass! My brother lost an arm!"

A chair nearly flew before a nearby staff member shouted,

"Fight outside if you want to kill each other!"

The noise resumed immediately afterward like nothing happened.

The moment Dragmar fully entered the hall, however...

The noise weakened again.

Heads turned one after another.

Even the arguing mercenaries paused briefly.

A few sect disciples nearby narrowed their eyes carefully while observing Dragmar’s armor.

One whispered quietly,

"That pressure... he’s at least peak body tempering."

The other disciple nodded slowly.

"And probably stronger than most people."

In this region, peak body tempering practitioners were already considered major figures.

Aiden ignored the attention and walked toward the mission board casually.

Kael followed.

Dragmar followed too.

The floor groaned faintly beneath him.

One older mercenary scratched his beard while staring at Dragmar.

"...Kid," he muttered toward Aiden, "if your friend joins a mission, he better not expect equal pay."

Aiden raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

The mercenary pointed at Dragmar.

"Because that monster counts as an entire squad by himself."

A few nearby people laughed loudly at that.

Even Kael’s expression twitched slightly.

Dragmar looked down at himself.

"...Is that considered praise?"

Aiden smirked faintly.

"Yes."

"I understand."

The giant undead sounded oddly pleased afterward.

Aiden finally stopped in front of the main request board and scanned the missions calmly.

Most were ordinary.

Escort caravans.

Hunting beasts.

Clearing bandits.

Protecting villages.

But then his eyes stopped on one particular request.

A large red-marked commission paper.

[Urgent Request]

[Investigation and extermination of unknown corpse-like monsters near Black Grave Forest.]

[Reward: 50 gold coins]

Aiden stared at it silently for two seconds.

Then slowly smiled.

"...Well," he murmured softly, "that’s awkward."

Aiden’s eyes moved away from the undead investigation request and continued scanning the board calmly.

There were quite a few decent missions.

Escort requests paid around one hundred to two hundred gold coins depending on distance.

Beast hunts paid even more if rare materials were involved.

Some protection missions for smaller clans reached three hundred gold coins.

Not bad.

For ordinary practitioners, those rewards were already worth risking their lives over.

Aiden crossed his arms slightly while reading through them.

"Money really does move everything," he muttered.

Kael stood quietly beside him.

"Humans are predictable in that regard."

Aiden gave a faint snort.

"That includes me."

His eyes continued moving across the board until they suddenly stopped.

One mission paper stood out immediately.

Not because it was flashy.

Because it looked old.

The edges were worn and slightly curled compared to the newer requests surrounding it. Several layers of dust clung faintly to the corners, proving it had been hanging there for a long time.

Yet nobody had taken it down.

That alone already said enough.

Aiden reached up and pulled the paper loose slightly to read it properly.

[High Priority Extermination Mission]

[Target: Fang Bandit Group]

[Reward: 1000 Gold Coins]

Even Aiden’s eyebrows lifted slightly.

"One thousand?"

That was a massive amount.

Nearby practitioners also glanced over after hearing him say it aloud.

One man immediately shook his head.

"Don’t even think about it."

Aiden glanced sideways at him.

The speaker was a scarred mercenary sitting nearby with a missing ear and a tired face.

The man took a drink before continuing.

"That mission’s been there for almost five months."

Aiden looked back at the request.

Interesting.

If the reward was that high and still unfinished, then the problem clearly wasn’t lack of interest.

It was difficulty.

He lowered his eyes toward the description.

[The Black Fang Bandit Group has repeatedly attacked caravans, villages, and smaller forces operating near the southern mountain roads.]

[Leader: Gorn]

[Strength Estimate: Peak Body Tempering.]

[Confirmed Subordinates: Two Body Tempering Stage practitioners.]

[Estimated Bandit Numbers: 200+ armed members.]

[Mission Requirement: Eliminate leadership and dismantle the organization.]

Aiden read the paper silently.

Then slowly smiled.

"...Now this," he murmured, "looks profitable."

The scarred mercenary immediately barked out a laugh.

"Profitable? Kid, people die trying that mission."

Another nearby practitioner joined in.

"Three mercenary groups already failed."

"One got wiped out completely."

A younger man nearby crossed his arms.

"They say Gorn can split iron armor apart with his axe."

Someone else added,

"And those two under him aren’t weak either. One uses dual blades, the other’s an archer."

Aiden listened quietly while rereading the request.

Peak body tempering leader.

Two body tempering subordinates.

Two hundred armed men.

Honestly... not that impressive anymore.

Not after what he had seen recently.

Kael stepped slightly closer and glanced at the request.

"The mission remained incomplete because ordinary groups cannot handle it," he said calmly.

"Mm."

Aiden agreed lightly.

Most mercenary teams in this city probably didn’t even have one body tempering practitioner, much less several.

Against a fully organized bandit force led by strong practitioners, casualties would be brutal.

Dragmar suddenly spoke behind them.

"I can crush two hundred humans."

The surrounding people immediately turned toward him again.

The giant undead sounded completely serious.

A nearby mercenary coughed awkwardly.

"...Well, at least he’s confident."

Aiden rubbed his forehead lightly.

"Try not to say things like that in public."

"My apologies."

Kael looked toward Aiden calmly.

"Are we taking the mission?"

Aiden’s gaze returned toward the paper.

One thousand gold coins.

Aiden’s faint smile slowly deepened.

"Yeah," he said quietly.

"We’re taking it."

The scarred mercenary stared at him for a second before laughing again.

"Goodluck to you three..."

-----

The trip toward the bandit territory took nearly half a day.

The further south they traveled, the rougher the roads became. The clean stone paths near the city slowly turned into dirt trails surrounded by dense forest and steep hills.

Fewer travelers appeared the deeper they went.

Even the atmosphere changed.

Aiden walked at the front while Kael and Dragmar followed behind him. The giant undead had hidden his massive shield beneath thick cloth to avoid drawing attention, but honestly, it barely helped.

Dragmar still looked like a walking siege weapon.

At some point, they passed an abandoned cart near the roadside.

Broken wheels, dried blood, and no bodies.

Kael crouched briefly beside it, touching the ground lightly before standing again.

"Three days old," he said calmly.

"Bandits?" Aiden asked.

Kael nodded.

"The attack was clean, and fast."

They continued forward for another hour before finally reaching the mountain region mentioned in the mission.

Jagged cliffs surrounded the area while thick trees covered most of the lower slopes. The only visible path upward was narrow and winding, perfect for ambushes.

Aiden stopped near the edge of a rocky ledge overlooking the valley below.

Then his eyes narrowed slightly.

"There."

Below them, hidden between the cliffs and forest, was a large encampment.

Wooden watchtowers stood near the outer perimeter while crude barricades surrounded most of the base. Smoke rose from campfires scattered around the area, and armed men walked back and forth carrying weapons openly.

The place looked less like a bandit camp and more like a small fortress.

At least two hundred men.

Maybe more.

Aiden calmly observed the movement below.

"They’re more organized than I expected."

Kael stood beside him silently, sharp eyes scanning the camp.

"The leader knows warfare."

Aiden nodded slightly.

The placement of the watchtowers alone already proved that.

Then Kael slowly rested his hand against the hilt of his sword.

"My lord."

Aiden glanced at him.

"Let us fight these humans."

Behind them, Dragmar stepped forward heavily.

"Allow us," the giant undead said calmly. "You do not need to summon the undeads."

His pale-blue eye glowed faintly beneath the cracked helmet.

"Me and Kael are enough."

Aiden stared at the camp below for a few moments.

Then he smiled faintly.

"Confident, aren’t you?"

Kael answered calmly.

"We will not disappoint you."

Aiden looked down at the camp below one last time.

Fires burned between the wooden structures while armed bandits moved around carelessly, laughing, drinking, and sharpening weapons. A few guards stood watch near the towers, but their posture was loose.

Confident.

They believed nobody in this region would dare attack them directly.

Aiden slowly crossed his arms.

Then he looked toward Kael and Dragmar.

"Alright," he said calmly. "Show me what you can do."

Kael lowered his head slightly.

"As you command, my lord."

Beside him, Dragmar gripped the handle of his massive mace.

The metal groaned faintly under the pressure of his grip.

Then both undead moved.

Kael disappeared first.

Not literally, but his movement was so fast and smooth that even Aiden almost lost track of him for a moment. The swordsman descended the rocky slope silently, cloak fluttering behind him like a shadow slipping through darkness.

Dragmar was the opposite.