[You have killed a Level 30 Ordinary Monster, Blue Goblin King. +1500 EXP gained.]
[Common Drop Delivered!]
[Drop: Stone and Bone Armor.]
[Drop Description: An armor made from the sacred combination of Stone and Bone. Has the ability to protect the user from any attack of an F ranker or an Ordinary Monster.]
[Talent Skill Triggered!]
[Do you wish to collect the Soul of the Blue Goblin King?]
Roman saw that he had only one available spot in the Soul Slot, but he still wanted to take the Goblin King's soul, so he just decided to do it.
"Yes."
The Goblin King's soul was added to the Soul Bank, and the very next moment, the system notified Roman.
[Soul Slot full. You can no longer add any more souls to the Soul Bank.]
Roman nodded. At least he knew he had achieved something by having two Boss souls. He might not have fully processed what good they would do for him when he started to use them, but he knew he wasn't going to be disappointed.
...
Rena was standing there in shock, as if Roman had suddenly become a ghost to her. For quite a while, she struggled to move her lips, much less talk.
And when she finally did, it was the kind of statement Roman had long been expecting.
"You aren't just a Mage?"
"How did you suddenly disappear and appear here? It's not even [Phantom Shift], because that is the only skill that is related to that kind of move."
Rena didn't want to even imagine that he was an Assassin, because she had been watching him the whole time using Mage skills.
There was no freaking way he was of another Profession! That was totally impossible!
No matter how she tried to process the whole thing, it still ended up breaking her mind.
A Mage can't disappear like that... There was never a skill recorded with that kind of effect, and thus, having another Profession that can do that would mean that he has a dual profession.
That was impossible, and it hadn't been recorded before.
But then, it reached a point when her mind suddenly drifted somewhere...
"If he's a Mage, and he could pull that off..."
Rena's mind had been flooded by several thoughts, but only one happened to stand out.
"Then that could mean it's his Talent."
All these were imagined inwardly, and she immediately believed what she had processed.
"It's definitely his Talent."
"But if his Talent is Invisibility... he is no weakling. He shouldn't be someone to mock and mess with."
Rena's mind continued to clash.
"No wonder he had refused to die..."
"He's special."
******
It was already getting bright, as dawn was coming.
Norman approached the Head's home with calm, steady footsteps. As usual, he was going to deliver reports of everything that had happened in the outpost the previous day.
This had been his job as the assistant for years, and at this point, almost all the duties of the Head had been bestowed on him, as the Head was edging close to retirement.
The Head, Sylvester, was right in the room when he got there, and all he was expecting today was a report mostly concerning the rookies that had just arrived.
Norman didn't mind taking a seat as he greeted Sylvester with a bow.
"Morning, Norman. Figured you had a lot of work to do last night. I hope everything went well?" Sylvester asked.
"Yes, sir. Everything went well," Norman responded politely.
"What about the advisory? Did they obey?"
Norman bit his lips, as if the Head had just brought up what he actually came to speak about.
"Actually, a majority of them did. But there were two different cases we had from the rookies."
"What cases?" Sylvester asked, now very curious.
"One is... a guy named Arnold took his friends outside the walls to start a campfire. He got into a fight with one of them and used hot wood to burn the other guy's face. The injured is currently in the healer's quarters, while Arnold's punishment is yet to be decided, as you would be the one to," Norman spoke.
Sylvester's face surprisingly didn't change, and instead...
He asked for the next case.
"And the second is... two of the rookies went hunting last night, and they haven't returned. I'm afraid something might have gone wrong."
Sylvester's face darkened the moment he heard that.
"What are their names?"
"Roman Rings and Rena Ironcrown," Norman responded.
"Rena Ironcrown? The girl you said offered herself to join the outpost after turning down Strength City?"
"Yes, sir. She is First Class, as a matter of fact, and is very likely to be from the Ironcrown royal family we know," Norman said.
"You mean the family of Jonah Ironcrown, the Emperor of the Golden Steel Empire?"
Norman nodded.
"Come on, Norman," Sylvester laughed. "We both know that's not possible. If she really is from such a powerful family, she wouldn't even be here. Her family would have come for her the moment she entered the Badlands."
Norman thought about it and shrugged. After all, that shouldn't be among their worries at this point, because if it turns out that something bad had happened to her in the valley, it'd be a huge loss for them.
Getting a First Class in a low-tier outpost like theirs was a really huge gain, and they were to cherish it in every way possible.
"So, I came to demand your approval for a search team to go after them, sir," Norman said.
"I approve, and it should be done quickly. They should look for the lady and worry more about her. She would be a vital resource to this community," Sylvester said in sincere concern.
"Noted, sir. I have prepared two different teams to go in search of each of them. They would follow the paths they each took, as revealed by the gatekeepers," Norman explained.
"No..."
Somehow, the Head objected.
"Both teams should be more focused on finding Rena Ironcrown. The Fourth Class guy is on his own. He's weak, yet he chose to get himself into danger. I don't care what happens to him. Finding Rena is our priority."
Norman flinched, confused, as he hadn't expected such a statement from the generous leader before.
"Sir... but..."
"You heard me loud and clear, Norman. Do as I say!" Sylvester ordered, his voice very bold and serious.
It had been quite a while since he spoke in that tone, and Norman just couldn't speak any longer.
He only bowed and headed out.
Roman was to be overlooked.
Rena was the golden figure.
This had always been the way of the Citadel, and Norman understood that the Blood Trial Outpost followed the rules of the Citadel, and Sylvester Trench himself was a veteran agent of the Citadel.
However, it wasn't like Norman was okay with what he had said. His reaction had said it all—he wouldn't want anyone to be treated unfairly.
He walked straight to the gate, where the groups he had arranged were waiting for his order, and when he showed up, the order he gave made everyone amazed.
"You all should go that way and find the girl," he pointed towards where the gatekeepers said Rena had gone.
And then he turned to the direction where the young, unfortunate guy had gone.
"I'll go look for the boy."
Without questioning, the group did as they were asked, and Norman also went his way.
******
Meanwhile, back in the valley, Roman was leaving Stone and Bone Castle, and Rena was following at a distance behind.
She was still overwhelmed by what had happened in the throne room and had changed her perspective of him.
Now, she was already seeing him as an entirely different person.
"He doesn't back down. He always comes back after every trial. He didn't let the fact that he has a low academic standard weigh his motives down."
"He wore the crown of who he really is and proved that he could do anything..."
Rena sighed, her face filled with utter admiration.
"This is the kind of person I want to be with."