A couple of days had passed since the incident with the three thieves.
On this day, the leader of the Idealists and One gathered in front of the officer.
Over the past couple of weeks, One had become the official leader of the Numbers. Shang followed his orders due to the payment, and Two seemed to be more on the passive side as a person.
Today, the three highest-ranking people in the outpost were talking about something the Scumbags had found recently.
"It hadn't been there a week ago, which means that it's new," the leader of the Idealists said. He was a tall man with no hair. On his back, he carried a long spear, and he was clothed in expensive but practical armor.
"It is to be expected that new tunnels will be established as time progresses," the officer said neutrally. "I already expected that we would get one."
One of the Scumbags had found a 500-meter-wide lake that was exuding a lot of Ice Mana. The water in the lake was far below the freezing point, but it hadn't turned to ice yet.
This showed the signs of a tunnel to the gigantic underground lake where the Ice Wyvern lived.
"But it's good that we got one," the officer said with a smirk. "The tunnel acts as a direct relay for the Ice Wyvern's Ice Mana. It will continue to fill the surroundings with Ice Mana, driving out more and more beasts from the Volcano Wyrm Zone. The faster this place gets filled with Ice Mana, the easier our job will be."
"However, it's also a risk," the officer said with a frown. "Every tunnel represents one True Path Stage beast. They don't normally care about existences at the General Stage, and even most of the Commander Stage existences will be ignored by them."
"But if it gets agitated by something, it could prove devastating," the officer said as he scratched his chin. "A bomb filled with Fire Mana could awaken and provoke the True Path Stage beast, which will then destroy every living thing for a couple of kilometers around."
"Our outpost isn't inside that territory, but several of our soldiers are. On top of that, we can't be sure that the beast won't continue its rampage in search of the cause of its disturbance. It definitely won't go to the north since it hates Fire Mana, which means it will travel in our direction."
"That's why I called the two of you," the officer said as he looked at One and the leader of the Idealists. "Protecting the ice lake is now just below protecting the outpost on the list of priorities. We have to put a force there that can kill a Mid General Stage beast."
"However, we also have to keep a force stationed here that can kill a Mid General Stage beast."
"So, I need the two of you to figure things out. I need two groups that can kill a Mid General Stage beast, and I want one of them permanently stationed near the ice lake."
"No problem, sir!" the leader of the Idealists shouted with a respectful salute.
One only scratched the side of his head.
"This is troublesome," he commented.
"I don't care," the officer said. "Deal with it."
"Sure, sure," One said.
The officer nodded and left the two alone to plan.
"So, how do you want to do this?" One asked the leader of the Idealists.
"You three have shown that you can deal with Mid General Stage beasts without any issues," the leader said without looking at One. When the officer had been present, the leader had been respectful, but as soon as he left, he acted like One was beneath his notice.
"You get two of my guys to help you build a team, but I need the strongest of your group for my team," the leader explained. "You and Two have shown that you have the offensive capabilities of injuring and killing a Mid General Stage beast. As long as two of my soldiers keep it occupied, you should be able to kill it."
"However, as far as it pains me to say it, my team doesn't have someone with such offensive power, which means that we need one of you, and since the responsibility hangs on the shoulders of only one person, we require the strongest, Zero," the leader said in a tone that didn't allow any refusal.
The leader couldn't see One's expression at the moment.
For a couple of seconds, One only remained silent.
"Fine," One said with a sigh. "I can't really argue with your assertion."
The leader nodded. "Send Zero to me in five minutes. I will give him four of my guys and send them to the ice lake. That should cover everything."
"Sure," One said with a dismissive wave. "Then, we're done here."
After that, the two split up without saying another word. They obviously didn't like being in each other's company.
One explained the situation to Shang.
"Honestly, I feel scammed," One said. "Here, I'm paying you a ton of money, and now, I don't get to order you around."
"That's not my problem. Our agreement stands," Shang answered with a neutral voice.
"Yes, yes, it does," One said helplessly.
After that, One summoned a big sack of gold and offered it to Shang. "This is for the next month. The payment isn't due yet, but I probably don't get to pay on time, which is why you get it early."
Shang put the gold into his own world but acted like he was putting it inside his Space Ring.
Obviously, the Space Ring on Shang's finger was only for show.
"I'll try to get some kind of rotation going," One said. "Maybe, if we find a sufficiently powerful Mid General Stage beast, I can somehow convince that idiot to let you return early."
"But for now, his reasoning is solid, and arguing against it will only damage my image in the officer's eyes."
Shang only nodded without answering.
One came closer to Shang and put his hand on Shang's shoulder.
"Something's fishy about this," One whispered as he acted like he was simply walking past Shang. "An ambush might come your way. Don't die."
Shang acted like he didn't hear One and walked towards the leader of the Idealists.
There were already four others near the leader, and they looked at Shang with frowns.
Two of them used spears, while another two used one-handed swords. However, all four of them used shields.
Shields were very common amongst warriors that worked in the military. After all, shields were a great tool for dealing with other warriors.
Sadly, when fighting beasts, shields weren't nearly as useful due to the difference in physical strength.
Yet, even though the shields weren't as useful, they could stop at least one attack from a beast, which could give Shang the opportunity to end the fight.
Of course, Shang noticed the truth behind all of this.
The leader of the Idealists gave Shang his most useless soldiers, soldiers only useful for distracting a beast.
The leader of the Idealists threw a short glance at Shang.
"You will follow his orders," he said, pointing at one of the soldiers using a one-handed sword.
Shang glanced at the person, and the person looked back.
"Fine."
The leader nodded. "Move out!" he ordered.
"Yes, sir!" the four soldiers said.
Shang didn't say anything.
The squad leader threw an admonishing glance at Shang, but he didn't say anything.
And then, the squad of five people moved towards the east.
