Chapter 36: This Is the Normal Task Difficulty

"Hmm, there are still a few young ones flying around up there."

With his Low Light Vision, Raine could clearly see several small Vampire Bats flitting about anxiously at the top of the cave.

"Raine, leave these to me!"

"Otherwise, it’ll be like I did nothing at all on this mission."

Fabian, as he spoke, pulled out the Hand Crossbow from his waist and began to aim at the Giant Vampire Bat fledglings floundering in mid-air.

"Save two for me, I’m joining in." Chris said, pulling out his Hand Crossbow as well.

"Alright!" Raine nodded slightly.

Recently, he’d been busy following Master Humbert to learn hammer and Shield techniques, and hadn’t had time to practice with a bow or Crossbow.

However, watching Fabian and Chris expertly take down almost every one with a single shot, Raine thought to himself that he might consider practicing with the Hand Crossbow in some time.

After all, his Magic currently consumed too much of his Spiritual Power, limiting the number of times he could cast during a single battle.

Having the Hand Crossbow would be an excellent supplement for long-range attacks.

A few minutes later.

As the remaining bat fledglings were cleared out, the entire cave returned to a state of peace, though the smell of blood would linger for a while.

"This mission was really easy." Chris smiled as he put away his Hand Crossbow.

"We have Raine to thank for that, otherwise just locating the Giant Vampire Bat’s lair would have been troublesome," Fabian said as he sheathed his dagger.

"Yes, Raine single-handedly took out more than half of the Giant Vampire Bats, making it easier for us," Grande agreed, nodding.

Indeed, this mission had gone so smoothly thanks to Raine’s Passive Talent of ’Sensitive Smell’ from the Wild Boar People, which quickly pinpointed the bat lair.

Without it, just the exploration and verification would have taken a lot of time.

And if they’d encountered other Demons in other fissures, it would have been a whole different level of trouble.

Besides, Grande was right.

If Raine hadn’t used the narrow passage to repeatedly perform Shield Bash and take out more than half of the Giant Vampire Bats, the group might have found it hard to avoid bites or scratches in the cave.

Against the venomous fangs and claws of the Giant Vampire Bats, injuries might not be serious, but without a Priest or professional medic, it’s not a trivial matter.

They would need Antidote.

"I was just doing what I was supposed to do, it was mainly due to everyone’s teamwork."

"It’s a pity we didn’t encounter any mutated Giant Vampire Bats this time; otherwise, the mission rewards could have been higher," Chris said with slight regret.

"What are you thinking? There’s no way you encounter special individuals every time; this is the normal mission difficulty," Fabian replied indifferently.

"Yes!" Raine also laughed and nodded in agreement.

While he naturally wanted to encounter special or mutated individuals in a controlled-risk environment, it’s unrealistic to expect it every time.

Nonetheless, today’s gains were already very satisfying to him.

Raine glanced at his pack, spotting the symbols of the nine Giant Vampire Bats, feeling rather pleased.

Even though there were no mutated individuals, he could still fuse them, which could be just as good as a mutation.

"Raine, leave the task of collecting mission proof to me." Chris started collecting the fangs and wing meat of the Giant Vampire Bats as proof of mission completion, stepping ahead of Raine.

Meanwhile.

Reya, waiting at the cave entrance, grew a little anxious.

As she kept her bow and arrow ready, strengthening the nets at the fissure, she noticed no movement at all, no Giant Vampire Bats flying out to hit the nets.

This was totally against their earlier predictions.

"Strange, could it be that it’s not a Giant Vampire Bat’s nest inside? Did Raine make a mistake?" Reya wondered to herself.

After a while, her face showed more worry.

"No, if it’s not a nest, they should have been out already."

"Could something have happened to them?"

Reya’s heart skipped a beat.

Suddenly, at that moment, she faintly heard some noise coming from inside the cave.

"Finally, they’re coming."

She immediately readied her bow to aim.

"Huh, wait!"

She then realized what she was hearing were actually the laughter of Chris and Fabian coming from the cave entrance.

Soon, the group of four emerged through the nets they’d set at the fissure, under Reya’s surprised gaze.

Actually, without Reya even asking, the bundles of bat wing meat in Fabian and Chris’s hands spoke volumes.

"How did you... manage to wipe them out? Not a single one escaped!" Reya blinked her sparkling eyes and asked.

"Haha, Captain, this time was much easier than last time for us...." Chris eagerly began recounting the battle.

Chris’s storytelling skills were just as good as any Minstrel.

Even Raine, the main character of the story, felt a bit embarrassed listening on the sidelines.

Reya’s bright brown eyes sized up Raine as if she were seeing him for the first time.

"Raine, I didn’t expect you to be this strong."

"In that case, we can choose slightly more challenging missions next time."

"This..." Raine intended to refuse but on second thought, realized it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Higher-difficulty missions meant stronger monsters.

....

Since the mission was successfully completed, the group returned to Mill Town by cart before nightfall.

They traveled back and forth within a day, spending more than half of it on the road, and the actual mission took less than an hour.

When Raine and his team returned to the Adventurer Association Branch, the female receptionist was rather surprised, giving Reya several looks.

That was so quick!

"A total of nineteen Giant Vampire Bats, the reward is 76 Silver Coins in total, Captain Reya, please accept."

"Thank you."

Soon, Reya was back on the cart, smiling with a bag full of coins.

"A total of 76 Silver Coins; we spent 2 for reinforced nets and two barrels of fire oil, and 1 for the cart rental, leaving us with 73 Silver Coins."

"But, I suggest we give Raine an extra reward!"

"Captain, isn’t this..."

"No, the rules can’t be broken," Reya waved her hand before Raine could finish.

"Indeed, Raine, if it weren’t for you, this wouldn’t have been so easy," Chris patted Raine on the shoulder, smiling.

"Raine, I think you should listen to the Captain." Fabian teased.

"Raine will take 8 extra Silver Coins, and the rest will be split equally, 13 Silver Coins each," Reya concluded decisively.

"Agreed!"

"Agreed."

"Alright then...," Raine felt somewhat helpless.

For the second time, due to his excellent performance, he received the largest share in the team, making him a bit embarrassed.

"By the way, Raine, when do you have time for us to exchange combat techniques?" Chris walked up, gesturing with his Shield.