两男一女的双龙挺进

All the mercenaries had one thing in common... they all looked suspicious.

\'They must be here for the same reason,\' Nox thought. Wendy had told him that the Elemental Beast was spotted in a city referred to as the Coastal City.

After thanking the girl, Nox had rushed here in a hurry. Initially, he thought he could simply board a carriage and head to the distant city. However, Wendy had specifically advised him to apply as a mercenary instead.

"Why?" he had asked.

"Because, unlike Frostburg, Coastal City is only second to the Royal Capital in size and wealth. Before letting anyone into their city, the guards usually check for the identification parchment, the one used at the border."

"And I doubt you have one of those?" Wendy narrowed her eyes. Nox\'s silence confirmed her suspicion of him also using the tunnels.

"Then how would I enter the city?"

"There is a way... a foolproof way." Wendy smiled and puffed out her chest.

\'That foolproof way is to become a mercenary,\' Nox thought as he surveyed the bustling city square, teeming with hundreds of people.

According to Wendy, the city guards of both Coastal City and the Royal Capital always checked all travelers before letting them in. However, they never did the same with the mercenaries and coachmen, assuming they were citizens.

The reason for this was because the mercenaries and coachmen were required to register with the city\'s Mercenary Guild, which had a strict vetting process. Once registered, they were issued a special identification parchment that allowed them to move freely in and out of the city. This parchment was recognized by the city guards, who would often wave them through without a second glance.

By becoming a mercenary, he would be able to bypass the city guards\' scrutiny and enter Coastal City undetected. It was a clever plan, and he couldn\'t help but have a good impression of the Vermilion Academy.

Wendy had handed Nox a fake mercenary identification parchment from the black market. Because of the high registration fee, many Awakened opted for this method.

Holding the parchment tightly, he approached a kind-looking coachman and applied to escort the carriage. Because he had only asked for a single silver coin, the coachman happily gave him the job. Besides, the kid was also Level 14; he was sure they wouldn\'t encounter any high-level beasts.

The people Nox was to escort were two men. One was past forty, and the other was a blue-haired youth. The man in his forties looked robust; he was wearing thin clothes—in fact, both men were.

A glance was all Nox needed to know that they were foreigners. He and the robust man stared at each other for a while before he sat close to the coachman, and the carriage started to head out of Frostburg.

----

"Strange kid... but seemed very promising," the robust man commented. "Not many reach Level 14 at such a young age, you know."

The blue-haired man simply nodded and looked out from the window.

As their journey continued, a group of trolls blocked their path. The coachman glanced at Nox, who immediately jumped down, dagger in hand.

He didn\'t activate [Divine Velocity], but easily took down the beasts at the Wildling rank and returned to the coachman\'s side.

"If you can deal with all the monsters at this pace, I swear I\'ll triple your pay!" the coachman shouted in excitement.

Inside the carriage, the blue-haired youth, who had looked unimpressed all this while, suddenly had a strange glint in his eyes after witnessing Nox\'s battle with the beasts.

\'Impressive dagger arts. I wonder if I should recruit him,\' the man pondered, a thoughtful expression on his face.

With the trolls swiftly dispatched, the journey continued without further obstacles.

"Kid, are you by chance a student of any academy?" the coachman asked as the carriage continued. "I have never seen someone as young as you move like that."

"I have a good teacher, you could say," Nox merely waved his hand and didn\'t comment on the matter anymore, hoping the coachman would get the signal and stop asking more questions.

However, the man didn\'t give up.

"A good teacher?" He pondered with a thoughtful expression, then said, "I have an Awakened daughter your age. Is it possible for you to introduce me to this master?"

\'What should I say? I thought this conversation was already over.\' An annoyed expression appeared on Nox\'s face.

\'If I tell him it\'s Master Eve, he\'ll ask more questions, and this whole thing would just get more and more complicated.\'

As he mulled over his response, an idea struck Nox. "Ehm, my master runs the Warrior\'s Pride Dojo. My parents enrolled me at an early age. You should visit there sometime when you return. Master Parker is a great guy."

"Warrior\'s Pride Dojo, huh? I\'ve heard about them before, but I didn\'t think much about it. But now that I\'ve heard your recommendation, I\'ll surely ask about them."

"Yes, do that. Your money won\'t go to waste," Nox hid an evil grin. "In fact, you could tell Master Parker that I recommended you."

\'Hopefully by then, I\'ll be far away from this kingdom,\' Nox thought to himself.

"Thank you, lad. I\'ll do just that." The coachman thanked Nox heartily, causing him to feel a bit uncomfortable.

Nox wasn\'t sure if Master Parker\'s teachings were actually credible.

\'I doubt it... or maybe it\'s the students who aren\'t very talented,\' Nox mused, recalling the time when all the students had failed to replicate the Dragon Claw technique.

"Well, whatever. It\'s none of my concern."

"Huh? Did you say something?" the man asked, confused.

"Nothing," Nox replied, realizing he had spoken his thoughts aloud.

"By the way, I still don\'t know your name."

"It\'s Brutus." Nox smiled.

\'Maybe this is my way of repaying them for destroying their dojo.\'

----

"Students of a dojo and not an actual academy?" Inside the carriage, the man with robust muscles spoke with an incredulous expression.

The blue-haired youth, who had been absentmindedly staring out the window, shook his head, his mind still occupied with Nox\'s display.

"I doubt it. The kid seems suspicious, but who knows, he could be telling the truth... If I had stayed longer in Frostburg, I would\'ve asked about this Master Parker, but unfortunately, that won\'t happen."

"Indeed, the kid looks very suspicious, and he doesn\'t seem like a citizen of Frostburg... could it be..."

Before he could finish, the blue-haired youth interrupted him.

"He\'s also here for the Elemental Beast? I did think about that, but what would someone as young as him do with an elemental crystal? Does he even know about the Elemental Beast? Because not many people do."

The robust man nodded his head in agreement. "True... he might really be a student of that Master Parker." A moment later, a smile appeared on his face as the carriage entered a massive city, several times larger than Frostburg.

"We\'re here... Guild Master."