Noel started packing his luggage for the upcoming expedition. This was the first time he participated in one, but with all the scary stories he heard from the squad, he knew that the expedition would surely cause a lot of deaths.
On the one hand, he was trying to find a way to preserve everyone's lives. He was a simple man in this regard. He was a member of the Demon Relief Squad's Zero Squad, so of course, he wanted his team to survive, since they had bonded pretty well.
On the other hand, he couldn't even guarantee his own life, so how could he even help them?
After some thought, Noel decided to leave the city by using the cover of darkness. He knew that he shouldn't rely on Dimitri, but Dimitri was a former captain, so he should have some experiences or stories about an expedition like this.
"Young Master." Dimitri politely bowed to him, greeting him. He thought the young master wanted to let him know about his target since he had lost his bet. But he was wrong.
Noel looked at him with a serious expression. "Dimitri. I want to ask you a question… I'm planning to go on an expedition to explore a mysterious facility. Do you have any experience there?"
"Huh? An expedition to explore a mysterious facility? Do you mean the unknown facility outside the border?" Dimitri looked shocked, as if he couldn't believe what he'd just heard.
Noel confirmed it with a nod, making Dimitri look worried.
Dimitri gritted his teeth. "Is there a way for you to back out, Young Master?"
"I don't think so. That's why I want to guarantee my own life first with all kinds of information before trying to help others…"
Dimitri fell silent, falling into deep thought. It seemed he had gone on multiple expeditions in the past. So, he was considering which one he should tell Noel.
"To be honest, the mysterious facility has a lot of possibilities. It can be a safe haven where there is not a single demon hiding inside. Or it can be a demon den… and a very strong one on top of that."
"I have gone on three expeditions like this in the past. One of them was quite safe, but the other two were horrible. Back then, I was in charge of assassinating any demons that were going to ambush the exploration team."
"But in the end, the demons managed to outnumber and overwhelm us. In the second expedition, I got the worst result. Half of my team died, and a third was forced to retire."
"That bad?" Noel frowned.
"Yeah." Dimitri nodded. "I think I should tell you about the worst that might come so that you can prepare for the worst and be thankful if it's not the case. The second expedition is to explore a certain facility…"
"I'm not sure what it's called, but the people considered it as a living complex. It's a huge building with a lot of rooms that can be filled with at least a hundred families inside."
"We had to face a huge amount of demons coming from small holes. We didn't know how many, but it felt like a never ending demon swarm."
"There were at least a hundred Peak Level Demons inside and more than five Superior Demons."
"What? A hundred Peak Level Demons and five Superior Demons? How could there be so many demons inside? Even so, how could they even stay in the same area together? Aren't demons supposed to have their own territory?" Noel couldn't help but interject, because he couldn't believe what he had just heard.
"That was what I thought, but the reality was different. That building was near a volcano. It seemed that the previous civilization managed to extract the heat from the volcano and the system still worked even after a long time."
"In the end, the system allowed the demons to have a good environment to increase their strength. I'm afraid that the Five Superior Demons didn't come there. Instead, the Five Superior Demons grew from there. That was why it was the worst. We could only flee before mobilizing a lot of people to subjugate that facility."
"The people have been trying to extract the energy from the volcano, but none of them have succeeded yet."
Noel looked down while frowning. "I'm afraid that I have to experience a similar expedition… After all, the area is near a volcano… Well, I can't say it's near, but it's not far either."
"…" Dimitri's face became pale. "Is there really no other way for you to back down from this expedition, Young Master?"
Noel couldn't answer it. He truly wanted to leave, but he still had to ask one more question. "And what did you gain from this place?"
Dimitri frowned, thinking Noel wanted to see the opportunity hidden in that danger. If he thought it wasn't worth it, he would probably back off. He thought for a moment and said, "For me personally, I got a lot of recommendations and points. There are some weird items from that mysterious facility, so they could be pawned as well since not all of them were brought back by the army."
"All Demon Crystals were given to those who participated as well. And I found a weird thing inside it that gave me the inspiration for two techniques that I'm still using even now. If you paid a closer look and tried to find a new perspective, it could certainly give you inspiration."
"Though, you had to consider your Spirit and element as well. I heard a few of them felt the environment was perfect for training their body. Though, I don't know much more than that since I was too occupied with my squad."
Noel looked down for a while. On the one hand, the reward seemed to be worth it. On the other hand, the risk was far too great, especially since he had some suspicion about the Plant Lord and Fire Lord.
So, he wondered if he should take on the mission or not.
