The legendary warrior

"Oh? With that mysterious look, you are making me curious. Tell me the details of the mission," Ricky asked, his eyes lighting up.

"There is an area called the Black Marsh. A gang named the Rats has recently appeared and is growing rapidly. It's likely, warriors who go to the Black Marsh for toughening and improvement would be their targets. Going by their aggressive activities, they would fancy taking over the area, and they would kill with abandon anyone who ventures into their territory. Besides, the mob also preys upon organizations and ransack their treasures, resources - whatever they have," Kristen started to elaborate the mission.

"A few groups of warriors have combined force and gone to the Sky Manor, requesting for the destruction of this mob and hoping the Sky Manor would help. Our Chief was glad to accept their request. Now the second phase of the plan has been assigned to Tyson and me. The purpose of the mission is to exterminate the Rats within half a month.

Now that you are a member of this team, the task ahead lies on our shoulders. Of course, this is a rewarding mission. The bonus is one-tenth of the treasures of the mob, and each of us will receive two thousand gold coins from the Chief!" Her excitement was palpable as she spoke of the reward part.

"You said that this gang killed lots of warriors and robbed quite a few many organizations of their resources. Oh, there must be tons of treasures in their hands. One-tenth of the treasures, and two thousand gold coins… Hmmm, that's quite a generous offer! I'm in, guys!" Ricky replied, doing a quick math of the benefits in his head.

If the Rats was some kind of righteous faction, probably Ricky would think twice about the offer. But after hearing what they had done, he inferred that it was a wicked gang of robbers. In that case, he would show no mercy. Besides, the task was a great deal. He could not only improve his skills by fighting against them, but also harvest a great deal of wealth.

"You are right, buddy! They have amassed quite a fortune! You know what? Even if the Chief would only give us one-tenth of those treasures without the gold coins, I'd still gladly join this mission!"

Tyson was itching to have a go.

"That's cool! So do you have any idea about the gang's strength? Like how many people they have?" asked Ricky with a serious look.

"Sure. Our men have already dug out some crucial information about the group. The leader is a guy at the sixth grade of Bone Reinforcement, and has two assistants to deputize him. One is at the fifth grade of Bone Reinforcement, while the other is at the fourth grade. We take down the three guys, we take down the Rats. We have three, and they have three; perfect matches! What's your thought?" Kristen explained in details.

"So I'm going to deal with the one at the fourth grade of Bone Reinforcement, right?" Ricky inquired, delighted at the prospect. "Hope he is strong enough and won't disappoint me!"

"I'm glad to hear such confident words, Russell! I know you must be eager for a fighting chance against a strong, established warrior to reinforce your skill! I can assure you that this particular deputy at the fourth grade would not disappoint you. As far as I know, he is stronger than Rupert, the man you defeated in the Water Fire City," said Tyson, beaming a delighted smile.

"If you are disappointed at him and feel that he's not enough of a challenge to improve your skills, then my opponent, the deputy leader at the fifth grade, is yours!" he promised.

"You can also choose to fight against the ultimate opponent, the leader at the sixth grade!" Kristen chimed in with laughter.

feel disappointed whether he is strong or not. Both of you are so kind to me!" Ricky replied, feeling touched by their generous offers. He understood how precious the chance was for a warrior to fight against someone at the equivalent level, yet they still made such a selfless offer. Their gesture of kindness

only condition is that you come closer to us, and stop working in isolation. We

the shoulder. Then

of three then set off for the Black Marsh, chatting and laughing

at the inferior stage of Bone Reinforcement to improve their abilities. Organizations of warriors

impunity, killing and maiming at will, while on their never-ending looting spree. Gradually, all the organizations had weakened, losing

died in the process. Because the leader of

area had turned to the Sky Manor, hoping that the Royal Sky

...

over half an hour's distance, and soon enough, they were in the gang's territory.

they stepped into the area, Ricky felt a dark and moist atmosphere, a typical characteristic of a

spiritual energy in this area was relatively thicker than it was in

was a suitable place for Treasures from Heaven and Earth to

area used to be a hive of activities

was a far cry from the former glory. Far worse than Ricky had expected. If anyone ventured here, the gang would have no scruples about killing. And the few who survived would lose all their treasures. Gradually, warriors stopped exploring this region, leaving it desolate.

the marsh. Until they entered the forest, Ricky and his team did

the very first thing coming to welcome them

and there littered the landscape. Some of the trees were so massive

air. To keep safe, you have to stay at least a hundred meters away from them. Even a warrior at the advanced stage of Bone Reinforcement can hardly last

I got it. Didn't know some trees can be so highly

of this place, stealthily lurking in the shadows. You lose concentration or wander off only once and the next thing you know, you'll be anxious, face to face with the grim reaper,"

not easily noticeable in the marsh. These are known to suck people in. Once engulfed, you may end up

Rats, our target. We are kind of at a

is by no means an easy job! We are going to have a serious fight to claim the bonus," Ricky warned, his face turning more somber now.

crushing defeats, one after another. Otherwise,