Commission

"Mr. Harley, are you sure he can handle it?" The middle-aged man frowned, casting a slightly distrustful gaze towards Sean.

Sean felt somewhat helpless about this. The "Malice" job penalty, which originally had minimal impact in the game, only affecting equipment repairs and expenses like potion purchases, had taken on a completely different meaning in the real world of the Miracle Continent. While he wasn't treated as a pariah, there were many instances where people avoided him, a situation that only slightly improved after he rescued Ceciliah.

Now, after a month of completing numerous commission tasks, Sean had managed to raise his reputation in Surylan to friendly.

The attitude of this middle-aged man made it clear that he was not from Surylan. Otherwise, he wouldn't be so hostile towards Sean. Having grown accustomed to the cold and distrustful nature of this world, Sean didn't feel particularly irritated. However, he had already made up his mind that if this matter truly required his involvement, he would demand a hefty fee. His gaze shifted from the middle-aged man to Harley.

"This is indeed a task only he can handle." Harley understood Sean's thoughts when he saw his gaze. They had already interacted multiple times, so he wore a wry smile on his face. "This is Mr. Durun, strictly speaking, he is the employer for this task."

"He's too young." Durun maintained his attitude of distrust, his aristocratic arrogance evident.

"He is indeed young, but he is the only one in the entire Surylan region who can help us." Harley furrowed his brows for the first time, visibly annoyed by Durun's attitude. "Mr. Durun, please don't forget the purpose of our journey."

Durun glanced at Sean once again but remained silent, deferring the negotiation to Harley.

Seeing Harley's gaze shift towards him, Sean suddenly smiled. However, his smile sent a shiver down Harley's spine. "I'm the only one who can help in the entire Surylan region... You're referring to the Starfall Forest, right?"

"You want to raise the price?" Durun immediately caught on.

Sean glanced at Durun, then turned his attention back to Harley. "Let's talk about the details of the commission."

"We need to pass through the Starfall Forest." After a brief exchange of glances between Harley and Durun, Durun finally spoke up. "I heard that you came out from there..."

"Crossing through?" Sean paused. "Are you heading to the Minod region?"

"Not the Minod region, but the Kingdom of Potoroya."

Upon hearing Durun's words, Sean furrowed his brows. "That's going to be a bit difficult."

The Starfall Forest, located in the Kingdom of Seryan, is said to be a forest of immense magical power formed by falling stars during the end of the Dusk Age. The trees in this forest grow exceptionally tall, obscuring the entire sky and creating a night sky filled with star-like lights, regardless of the time of day.

In theory, such a sight should have made it a famous tourist destination. However, the reality is quite the opposite. The forest is filled with chaotic and violent magic, and all the beasts living there have been corrupted, becoming terrifying creatures. Additionally, due to prolonged wars between the Kingdoms of Seryan and Potoroya over claiming the forest as their territory, the soldiers who died there became undead creatures affected by the magic. Consequently, the forest's danger has become well-known.

If one were to cross from the Surylan region of the Kingdom of Seryan to the northeast, they would reach the Minod region. However, if they were to cross to the southeast, they would be heading towards the Kingdom of Potoroya.

For Sean, who knows all the secrets of the Starfall Forest, the difficulty level is not very high if they choose the former route. After all, the highest level monsters there are only around level forty. Even if Harley's escort team doesn't accompany them, Sean and Ceciliah should be able to safely escort the person to their destination. However, if they were to head to the Kingdom of Potoroya, the journey would be much more challenging. Not only would they encounter monsters above level fifty, but they would also have to clear a "dungeon" halfway through to reach the Kingdom of Potoroya. This is the reason for Sean's furrowed brows.

"Difficult, you say?" Durun's eyes showed surprise for the first time.

In fact, before coming here based on Harley's advice, Durun had asked others, but no mercenary group dared to take on this commission. Whether it was the Hewill Territory or the Saeanchi Territory, all the mercenary groups rejected the commission as soon as they heard about crossing the Starfall Forest. The renowned mercenary groups didn't even consider such a commission.

So, when Durun heard Sean say "difficult" instead of "impossible," he was genuinely surprised.

"Are you sure you can handle this commission?" he asked.

"Just now, what did you say your name was?" Sean ignored Durun's question and instead asked, "Please say it again."

"You!" A hint of anger appeared on Durun's face, but he quickly suppressed it, although his expression turned slightly cold. "Listen carefully, I am Durun de Rois!"

Unknown to anyone, as Durun said his full name, a faint golden light flashed in Sean's eyes.

Name: Durun de Rois

Race: Human

Identity: Viscount of the Kingdom of Potoroya

Age: 37

Combat Class: Knight (Tier 3)

Personal Attributes - Strength: 26 (28); Endurance: 40 (41); Agility: 20 (24); Wisdom: 31 (33); Willpower: 35 (36)

As Sean looked at Durun, a floating panel appeared beside him, displaying all his attribute information. This was another ability Sean gained after arriving in this world.

[True Eye (Bloodline Talent): No history hidden within time can escape your gaze.]

Sean was still somewhat unclear about the explanation of this ability because the bloodline data on his personal panel always showed a question mark, indicating that he hadn't activated his bloodline. However, despite not activating his bloodline, he had activated a bloodline talent ability, which puzzled Sean. Nevertheless, as a player, Sean's curiosity drove him to explore the situation.

After a long period of experimentation, Sean finally discovered that as long as someone spoke their true name to him, he could view their status. The more intimate their relationship or the more knowledge he had about them, the more information he could access.

Ceciliah had never revealed her surname to Sean, which was why there was less information displayed for her compared to Durun.

However, upon examining Durun's data, Sean noticed something else. The middle-aged man before him had very slim chances of breaking through to Tier 4.

This was the stark difference between the real world and the game world.

No one could stay at the peak forever.

In the game, although NPCs would die as time passed, their personal attributes would never decline. However, it was completely different in the Miracle Continent. Through nearly a year of observation, Sean had determined that the people in this world gradually increased their wisdom attribute with age, but conversely, their strength, endurance, and agility attributes would decline. Willpower generally remained unchanged, except for those with weak or timid personalities, which could lead to a decrease in willpower. On the other hand, individuals like nobles who were accustomed to intrigue and scheming would actually enhance their willpower as they grew older.

Durun, being 37 years old, is in his prime, especially considering his noble background. His attributes have been greatly enhanced. In Sean's knowledge, the maximum growth for a normal Knight's attributes is 22, 30, 20, 24, 24, but Durun clearly surpasses this range, and even his current attributes are nearing their growth limit.

However, considering that Durun is an NPC, there are some differences compared to players, so this kind of cheating behavior can be understood.

However, the world they are currently in is not a game but a real world. In this world, Tier 3 classes are just the starting point for formal occupations, and many people have achieved such accomplishments by the age of 20 or even earlier. From Sean's perspective after a year of experience, if Durun cannot reach Tier 4 before the age of 40, even if he is lucky enough to advance to Tier 4 later, he will not be able to train his attributes to the level of their growth limits.

"How many people are going to the Kingdom of Potoroya?" Sean now has a general understanding of his employer's strength, and the next topic to discuss is the formal mission. However, there is one thing Sean is uncertain about.

"Including you, there will be twelve people," Harley replied. "Don't worry, they are all elite, and I guarantee that they will follow your arrangements and commands."

"They are all guards from your caravan, right?" Sean suddenly felt the difficulties ahead after seeing Harley nod.

Harley's guards were recruited as Tier 3-class Guardians, a class that specialized in defensive skills and had predictable offensive capabilities.

"Mr. Harley, are you also going with us?" Sean asked. After receiving a positive reply, he continued, "To cross the Starfall Forest and reach the Kingdom of Potoroya, it's best not to exceed ten people in the team. But I must bring Cecilia with me, so you can only bring six people... However, I must give you a suggestion. This journey is very dangerous, and we may face a large number of undead creatures. It would be best to have a priest accompany us, and if possible, two skilled archers. I don't expect bullseyes, but at least they should be able to hit targets within fifty meters."

"You have quite a few requirements," Durun sneered.

"When you are ready to depart, we can discuss the issue of compensation," Sean smiled gracefully, making a gesture of seeing off a guest. His movements were so standard and his etiquette so elegant, as if he were a disciple from an ancient prestigious family. This caused Durun's aristocratic arrogance to momentarily recede.