STAMP!
Melisa stamped the mission card and signed the ID that belonged to each Awakened of the Iron Gate Thornspire. Obviously, Garet had one too.
Now, this mission was his, and no one else could take it or even see it. If he failed or withdrew from the mission, the mission card would be resubmitted, and Garet would not be able to take the same mission again.
If the mission was completed, an Awakened would have to confirm it by placing their seal on top of Melisa's. Dozens of missions went through this process every day in every Thornspire, not just at Iron Gate.
The larger the city, the more work the Awakened and agents like Melisa had.
He had to start somewhere, and Garet came to this point right now.
He left Iron Gate from the south side, opposite the north, where he had previously crossed the ravine with the others.
Ahead of him lay spacious fields with sparse tall ears of grain and a forest in the distance, the beginning of which was marked by a broken statue of some long-forgotten warrior, and even the roots and vines failed to save it from falling.
Garet did not receive a horse or a team, but since it was his first mission, Melisa couldn't let him go empty-handed. He received a bag for his belt with food and a flask of water, as well as a standard black and gray outfit consisting of wide pants, a shirt, and a short coat.
All he had was a black sword hanging from his belt.
"Alright, Stone Groug, I don't know where you are, but I'll find you!" Garet clenched his fist and headed forward.
Running with the joy of his first mission was a mistake, as after only a few minutes, he was out of breath, stopping in the middle of the road.
Several people on horseback rushed past him, kicking up dust. They paid no attention to Garet, moving straight towards the field where the wreckage of the caravan could be seen.
'Wait, this is what the bun seller was talking about,' Garet thought, looking at the overturned carriages and broken crates.
Unfortunately for the merchants, almost nothing was saved. As the bun seller had said, monsters and rogues had taken everything of value quite quickly. The merchants and their guards had tried to save their lives, and they couldn't be blamed for that.
Sure, something was left behind, neither the monsters nor the rogues needed heavy sacks of flour or potatoes, but instead they took things that were much smaller but worth dozens of times more. The Green Flower Bracelet was one such item.
'Hmm... I don't know why Stone Groug took this bracelet, but as far as I understand, it's an artifact, and a Natural One.' Garet thought, deciding to cut across the field straight to the forest. He had nothing to fear. There were guards all around the ruined caravan.
Before going on the mission, Garet had a short briefing with Melisa, where she told him a little about Artifacts, as the Green Flower Bracelet was one of them.
He saw what Artificial Artifacts were capable of during his test. Quite often, the Artificial Artifact was used as a complex tool created for special purposes.
Natural Artifacts were very different. Their effects were virtually unlimited, as there were many situations in which a Natural Artifact could be born. This was both their advantage and flaw.
It was impossible to create a Natural Artifact with the desired properties, they could not be created at all, only found or purchased from those who stumbled upon them. So, for some, finding a Natural Artifact was a feast, and for others, it was an opportunity to get a large sum of money.
Sometimes it all depended on luck, and the artifact could be simply useless for an Awakened.
Also, Melisa told Garet about the rules of hunting.
If he found the Green Flower Bracelet, he would receive a reward for the mission, but no one prevented him from obtaining other things along the way, especially monster parts, to sell them for a good price. Often, this was a bonus for the Awakened, as missions usually involved battles against monsters or even other Awakened.
Not all Awakened were allies, because in the end, they were just people with superpowers. Anyone could be an enemy or a friend, the main thing was to remain cautious.
Step.
Garet stopped in front of a ruined statue — roots passing between two fallen parts formed an arch that over the years became the unofficial entrance to the Bloom Forest.
Even from the entrance, above the dense tree crowns, one could see the pollen flying through the air, which gave this forest its name.
Before taking his next step, Garet opened the bag on his belt and took out the paper card that Melisa had handed him before he left.
It was similar to a mission card, except that the picture showed a forest instead of a monster, as it was a territory card.
In addition to the name and brief description, Garet's gaze fell on the two most important things.
Below the drawing, in the very center, two large lines were drawn in ink - II.
This indicated the Threat Level of the territory, just like with Monster Wave. The Second Threat Level meant that Second Manifest Monsters could be found in the Bloom Forest.
Such news usually frightened young Awakened, but there was nothing to be afraid of. Even if there was only one Second Manifest among hundreds of monsters in a huge territory, the territory would receive the Second Threat Level. Sure, there were reverse situations as well.
The Bloom Forest was one of those places where encountering a Second Manifest Monster was very rare, and if one didn't go deep into it, the chances of that happening were minimal.
Just below the Threat Level were two black crystals.
This was the Difficulty Level. There could be as many of them as there were Orders into which monsters were divided.
The number of crystals, i.e., the Difficulty Level, indicated the level of monsters most commonly encountered in that territory.
This did not mean that Garet would only meet Second Order Monsters such as the Stone Groug, his target, on his way, but they were frequent visitors to these lands.
Perhaps he would be unlucky and in the first few minutes, he would encounter a Fifth Order Monster and have to run for his life, or perhaps only First Order ones that would not pose a threat to him.
"Alright, all that's left is to find the stone giant in the middle of this vast forest. Pffft, no big deal. I'll do it quickly... in a week or two..."
With a slight smile, Garet entered the Bloom Forest.
He really should have thought about how to find one monster among hundreds of others.