Chapter 197: A Rare Tranquility


    Upon seeing Gamory''s message, Han Ming felt a stir in his heart.


    It seemed that the so-called Hungry Wolf Mercenary Group had really taken action against Quik this time.


    Han Ming spent ten gold coins to purchase information about the Hungry Wolf Mercenary Group from the Mercenary Guild''s intelligence office.


    It was a mercenary group of moderate size, at most a small to medium-sized one. The group had no more than two hundred members and had been established for only about three years. The group''s rank was B.


    However, specific details about the members of the Hungry Wolf Mercenary Group, such as their strength levels and who the captain was, were classified information. They were not disclosed or sold.


    Seeing this, Han Ming had an ominous premonition.


    A mercenary group of two hundred people, reaching B rank in three years. Han Ming could infer that the overall strength of the group was not very strong, and it was very likely that there were no real experts within the group.


    Mercenary tasks from D to C level were not too difficult. Even if some tasks were not easy, they usually only required some time to complete.


    As long as there were enough people, it was not difficult to reach B rank after some time. After all, to reach B rank, one did not need to complete any B-level tasks; completing ten C-level tasks was sufficient.


    This was precisely what worried Han Ming.


    Han Ming was very clear about Quik''s strength.


    Although on the day of the battle with Quik, Han Ming relied purely on brute force and hardly used any combat skills, the fact that he could confront Han Ming, a man of sheer strength, meant that Quik had considerable abilities.


    At worst, even if Quik was surrounded, with his strength, it would be difficult for anyone to stop him from escaping. Han Ming himself wondered if he could stop Quik, who was determined to escape, without using magic.


    In trouble...


    These two words were worth pondering.


    It seemed that the situation was more complicated than Han Ming had imagined.


    "If I''m not mistaken, there must be someone backing the Hungry Wolf Mercenary Group," Han Ming thought.


    Gamory''s message contained very little information and did not specify what had happened to Quik or where it had occurred.


    This left Han Ming at a loss as to where to start looking.


    After two days of restlessness at the Mercenary Guild, Shasor and Sangque also returned, having successfully completed their tasks. After all, one was a fourth-level segment one War Soul, and the other was a third-level segment one Magician. Such strength levels were considered top-notch not only in various academies but also across the entire Northern Alliance continent.


    Moreover, they both received Gamory''s message.


    "Han Ming, do you know what happened?" Sangque asked.


    Han Ming shook his head and said, "We don''t need to worry too much. If it were something that even Gamory himself couldn''t resolve, he would definitely send us a message for help. Since he didn''t, it means... the situation is probably still under his control."


    Shasor nodded and added, "It''s also possible that he didn''t even have the chance to send a message. Heh, but of course, that''s very unlikely. Gamory''s abilities are unfathomable. To be honest, if I were to fight him, I wouldn''t have any confidence in winning. Despite being of a higher rank than him."


    "Let''s wait and see," Sangque consoled.


    Two days later, just as Han Ming and the others were almost completely out of patience, Gamory and Quik returned.


    As soon as Quik entered, Han Ming and the others noticed that his head and body were wrapped in numerous bandages.


    Gamory, however, was unscathed.


    "What exactly happened?" Han Ming asked Quik to sit down first, inquiring about the situation while checking his injuries.


    After unwrapping the bandages from Quik''s body, Han Ming frowned.


    "How is it?" Shasor asked.


    Han Ming shook his head and then nodded, saying, "The injuries are not minor, but they''re not severe either. Just some superficial wounds. It looks dramatic, but there''s not much real danger. I said it, this kid, if he hadn''t suffered any serious injuries, he wouldn''t have wrapped himself up like this so easily."


    Quik cursed and said, "Those bastards ambushed me. Do you know? Those bastards must have noticed my task preferences, knowing that I like to take on fighting tasks. So they actually posted a task to attract me. And by the time I got there, I had already walked right into their lair. Damn it, seven War Freaks ganged up on me, three of them at the third-level segment five, and four at the third-level segment four. Adding up all the others, there were more than two hundred of them. I really got screwed this time."


    "I knew you''d get into trouble, kid. If you didn''t go for those fighting tasks, how could they so easily take advantage of you?" Han Ming sighed.


    "We can''t let this slide! Let''s go, where are they? We''ll tear them apart!" Shasor was furious.


    "There''s no need for that," Quik shook his head and said, "Gamory happened to pass by the location of my task on his mission and saved me on his way back."


    "Then..." Han Ming paused and asked, "How did Gamory leave us a message?"


    There were some details that Han Ming couldn''t figure out. If Gamory had passed by and rescued Quik, then why would he have left a message at the Mercenary Guild for them?


    Quik gave a silly laugh and said, "Gamory saved me first, then came back to leave a message. Then he went to find them again. Sigh... I''m really ashamed, getting beaten up by those bastards like this. But when Gamory went, he took them all on alone and forced the entire mercenary group to disband."


    "Good!! That''s what they deserve! Otherwise, I really couldn''t swallow this!" Shasor nodded in approval at Gamory.


    Gamory remained silent.


    "What about your task?" Han Ming asked.


    Quik shrugged, "Completed."


    "Hmm, that''s good. As long as everyone is okay and the task is completed successfully. You guys rest up, I''ll go ahead and apply to upgrade the Demon Hunt Mercenary Group to B rank," Han Ming said.


    Han Ming went to the Mercenary Guild hall, completed some procedures, and successfully upgraded the Demon Hunt Mercenary Group to B rank. He also successfully replaced the mercenary group''s emblem.


    However, Han Ming did not notice that in the crowded Mercenary Guild hall, there were several pairs of hidden eyes staring at him intently.


    "Is this the person?" a voice asked in a low tone.


    "That''s right, it''s them. In less than half a month, they''ve gone from a D-rank mercenary group to a B-rank one," another voice replied.


    "Heh, interesting."


    The Demon Hunt Mercenary Group''s rapid rise in rank was hard to ignore and was bound to attract the attention of some interested parties.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    In the dining hall, Han Ming and his group were sitting down to eat.


    The most talked-about news in the hall today was naturally the rumor of the Hungry Wolf Mercenary Group''s disbandment.


    "I heard the Hungry Wolf Mercenary Group has disbanded."


    "Isn''t that right? It''s said that a single person took down the entire group."


    "No way! Don''t talk nonsense. How could one person take down an entire group?"


    "Really, I''m not lying. That''s what the rumor says."


    "Rumors are just rumors; don''t believe them."


    Han Ming quietly picked up his food and said in a low voice, "This matter is probably not so easy to resolve. I suspect there''s a force supporting the Hungry Wolf Mercenary Group from behind. Seven War Freaks couldn''t have raised their group''s rank to B in just three years."


    Han Ming shared his views with the other four.


    "What''s meant to happen will happen. Weren''t we prepared for this?" Shasor smiled.


    "Han Ming, how should we distribute the next tasks? We need to take on B-rank tasks to gain experience," Quik said, his mouth full of grease, not caring about potential troubles. As long as there was a fight, that''s all he cared about. Whoever caused trouble, he would deal with them, as his group was not to be underestimated.


    Han Ming thought for a moment and said, "We''ll still each take two tasks."


    Quik asked in confusion, "What? Two B-rank tasks each? Won''t that be too difficult? And it will waste a lot of time. After all, B-rank tasks are not simple. Some even require taking the core of a magical beast."


    Han Ming smiled and said, "You''re just impatient. Can''t you let me finish? I said each person takes two tasks, but I didn''t say we have to act alone."


    Shasor and the others nodded slightly after a moment of thought, understanding Han Ming''s intention.


    But Quik still didn''t get it: "Then... what do you mean? Just say it clearly."


    "You!" Han Ming shook his head helplessly and said, "We each take two tasks, but this time we won''t act alone. We''ll split into two groups. I''ve thought about it; you, Sangque, and Gamory will form one group to handle six tasks, and Shasor and I will form another group to handle four tasks. This way, we can greatly reduce the difficulty of individual task execution and also prevent malicious individuals from causing trouble."


    "I can handle it alone," Gamory said quietly.


    "Ah, then we''ll be divided into three groups," Quik said.


    Han Ming shook his head and said, "Gamory, I trust your strength. But I''m the captain, and everything follows my lead. I don''t know what will happen in the future, nor can I predict it. But I hope you understand my intentions. The period of separate task execution will pass soon, and in the future, we may gather to take on a large-scale A-rank task. My distribution is to allow everyone to get used to each other and cultivate some team combat synergy."


    Hearing Han Ming''s words, Gamory had no choice but to nod in agreement.


    "Alright, are you all full? Let''s go!" Han Ming patted his clothes and stood up.


    "Han Boss, aren''t you being too hasty? At least let the brothers rest for a day," Quik said with a mournful face.


    Since the establishment of the Demon Hunt Mercenary Group, they had been rushing to take and complete tasks without a break. The group rarely had time to gather, and when they did, they would separate again in less than half a day, with no time to catch their breath.


    "Alright then. I was indeed too impatient. Heh," Han Ming smiled.


    In the evening, there was a knock on Han Ming''s door.


    Han Ming wasn''t asleep; he was sitting on his bed practicing magic.


    Opening the door, he was surprised to see Sangque standing outside.


    "Come in," Han Ming said, inviting Sangque in.


    "Your place is well-decorated, simple and unpretentious," Sangque remarked as he walked around Han Ming''s room and came to the window.


    With the Demon Hunt Mercenary Group''s rank upgraded to B, their living quarters in the Mercenary Guild had also been upgraded significantly.


    Pushing open the window, one could see a layer of dark clouds. The moonlight shone on the clouds, creating a serene and profound beauty.


    "Such a view is rare," Han Ming said with a smile as he came to stand beside Sangque.


    If it were Quik who pushed open the window, Han Ming would have playfully hit him on the head and closed the window. But Sangque was different; as a fire mage, he could effectively keep the damp air out.


    "Yes, it''s rare," Sangque said softly.


    Han Ming smiled, knowing that Sangque must have something to say, so he didn''t rush or ask.


    Glancing at Sangque sideways, Han Ming chuckled lightly.


    "What''s wrong?" Sangque asked, puzzled.


    Han Ming sighed deeply and said, "In the past, we were irreconcilable enemies, or rather, I considered you an enemy, and perhaps in your eyes, I didn''t even exist. If it were two years ago, I never would have imagined that one day I could stand by your side looking at the night view."


    Hearing this, Sangque couldn''t help but laugh out loud and said, "Yes, time flies. Two years is not long, yet it''s enough to change so much. In these two years, you and I have gone from enemies to teammates, Mont has fallen, Queen Vivian has died, and the Three-Nation Alliance has been formed. In two years, you''ve gone from an insignificant first-level segment one magician to a second-level segment six peak great magician and successfully defeated me in the Three-Nation League. And I, I played the role of the antagonist in many stories."


    Han Ming smiled and asked, "What about Yellow Hawk and Battle Tiger?"


    Battle Tiger had been almost killed by Han Ming''s command over the Destroying Butterfly, and Yellow Hawk had been humiliated by Han Ming in front of over two hundred thousand spectators, even kneeling down to him. Now, regardless of their past grudges, they were just outsiders in a foreign land, and the past hatred seemed so trivial and ridiculous now.


    Sangque nodded, "They''re doing well. You did a great job. Those two kids used to be arrogant and disrespectful, but now they''ve become much more restrained. Yellow Hawk was disciplined by you, taught by your words, and finally experienced the crisis of his country''s fall. He''s matured a lot now and is busy managing his family''s business, working hard to establish himself in the Rhine Empire."


    "That''s good," Han Ming smiled.


    "What about your second brother?" Sangque asked.


    Han Ming stretched and said, "He''s doing great too. His strength has improved rapidly. He''s currently dealing with his own issues. Some problems that seem headache-inducing and unsolvable to me are simple to him. I believe it won''t be long before our Demon Hunt Mercenary Group gains another member."