Early in the morning, as the sun just peeked over the horizon, the air was filled with the freshness after the rain.

Liens got out of bed, picked up his long sword, found a spot, and began his morning exercise.

After his "Black Market Trip" in the Instance last night, he took advantage of the middle of the night to explore the Glenbagen Family's stronghold.

Diligence paid off; with his superb "conversational skills," he finally obtained a rough layout of the entire Glenbagen Family stronghold from one of the Glenbagen Family's maids.

According to the Miss maid, this place could roughly be divided into four areas: the Dark Guard and Servant Quarters, the Main Quarters, and the Special Area.

The first two are self-explanatory, and they basically share public facilities like dining halls and bathhouses.

As for the Main Quarters, it is where the noble lords, young masters, and young misses of the Glenbagen Family reside.

In other words, it is the living area for the family's management.

Liens found Adonis and Heidi in that area.

However, they always liked to stick together, which prevented him from finding an opportunity to act.

He even tried to sneak into their room to ambush them while they were sleeping, but Adonis's keen hearing detected him.

After all, he wasn't a professional thief; his technique was still somewhat unrefined, and he could only take advantage of Marvin's old age and poor hearing before.

As for the Special Area, the Miss maid wasn't very clear about it, as she didn't work there.

She only heard that it was an area specially designated for the family's Mages, and it was very mysterious.

Not many people knew what the Mages there did every day.

Both the Main Quarters and the Special Area were guarded by specialized guards.

Unless permitted, or if they were servants specifically serving those two areas, no one else was allowed to enter or exit there.

However, for Liens, this was no big deal; he could just kill the guards.

Furthermore, it started raining heavily in the latter half of the night, which made it even easier for him to dispose of the bodies.

That night, in the Instance .

The pouring rain reduced the number of pedestrians, the rainwater would wash away the fresh blood and the pungent smell of blood, and the sound of heavy rain hitting the ground would cover up the screams.

Liens moved as if entering an uninhabited land, and his acts of killing during his exploration were never discovered.

He walked through one area after another, exploring one building after another.

It wasn't until he reached that Special Area that he encountered an obstacle because he couldn't get in.

Most of the houses there had magic barriers similar to the Training Camp's gate, which he couldn't break through. Without a "key," he naturally couldn't enter.

Liens realized that the Special Area was truly special and important to the Glenbagen Family.

It was very likely that the Elemental Baptism Potion he needed was in one of the houses there, along with the "contract" he signed at the Slave Exchange…

What a pity…

With some regret, Liens left the Instance .

He didn't leave voluntarily; he was forced to leave the Instance because he was discovered attacking the magic barrier.

…

"Liens, what are you doing?"

Seeing Liens slowly practicing sword movements in the dormitory, Harriman looked at Ben with some confusion, hoping to get an explanation from him.

"Hmm? He's probably practicing his sword, right?"

Ben replied uncertainly.

He also didn't know the reason why Liens was doing this, but he knew that Liens must have a deeper meaning in doing so.

"Yesterday afternoon, when the two of us came back, we saw him doing this alone."

"By the time we left, he was still doing it… But at that time, sweat was already beading on his forehead. I don't know why such slow movements would make him tired?"

One of the other two roommates answered Harriman's question.

It was no wonder he had such doubts, because if Liens was really that weak, he should have collapsed in the Training Camp long ago.

It would have been impossible for him to persevere until successful graduation and become a member of the Dark Guard with them.

"I'm just stretching my body. We haven't trained since we left the Training Camp."

"And I prefer to sleep, so to prevent my body from getting rusty, I just move around a bit."

Hearing others discussing his affairs, and feeling that his body had been sufficiently stretched, Liens stopped his movements, turned around, and explained with a smile to everyone.

However, he did not directly answer that roommate's question.

"Only you have this leisure. Ben and I are tired enough just hunting magical beasts outside the city."

"How about, Liens, you come with us outside the city today?"

"The contribution points obtainable from missions outside the city are much higher than those inside."

"If we work hard, maybe next year we'll be able to exchange for the Elemental Baptism Potion."

Harriman invited Liens.

"Instead of thinking about how to exchange for the Elemental Baptism Potion, it's better to think about how to survive the 'Conscription'."

Before Liens could reply, the unnamed passerby roommate beside him responded to Harriman unhappily.

"Conscription?"

"What is that? That guide named Jonathan didn't seem to mention it."

Hearing this, Harriman looked at the other person with a puzzled expression.

Liens and Ben also turned to look at that roommate, wondering what this so-called "Conscription" was.

"That was because we two were lucky yesterday. We heard it from two senior Dark Guards when we went to the Mission Hall to take on a mission."

"Simply explained, 'Conscription' is pretty much a mandatory mission, except it doesn't select Dark Guards who failed missions."

"Instead, it's a mission where a random portion, or even all, of the Dark Guards go to complete it together."

"And a mission that requires the family to dispatch so many Dark Guards certainly isn't a simple one."

"Therefore, every time there's a 'Conscription,' a group of people will die."

"The most crucial point is that 'Conscription' is random. No one knows when it will come? Or if they will be chosen?"

"So, you can only be prepared at all times… I suggest you don't think about the Elemental Baptism Potion for now."

"If you have enough contribution points, it's better to exchange for a better weapon first."

"At the same time, prepare more potions and alchemical tools that can enhance your strength or save your life."

"When you are truly chosen, these things will be life-saving treasures."

The passerby roommate patiently explained to Liens and them, and then advised them at the end.

After hearing the explanation, Liens also understood why Jonathan had always emphasized that the missions were very dangerous, but he didn't feel much danger when he actually dealt with them.

The main reason was that the Glenbagen Family was too lenient with them, allowing them to choose missions freely; as long as they could complete them, there wasn't much of a problem.

Moreover, there were rewards, including food and lodging, and a "store" was specially arranged for them to "spend."

The family even set up something for them that could open an upward channel.

Everything seemed too good; not only was Harriman immersed in it, but even Liens himself had relaxed his guard a bit.

He overlooked that their purpose of existence was not to complete the missions in the Mission Hall, but to solve the Glenbagen Family's troubles through force.

They were not Adventurers, but the family's private army.

When the family needed them, it would be their time to dedicate themselves.

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