novelraw Chapter 180: Little John and His Death Wish
Chapter 180: Little John and His Death Wish
At three in the morning, all four of them set out again.
About two hours of hard marching brought them to Cabin Station No. 2, but the station stood empty now. Just days ago, Penny and five mercenaries had been patrolling here.
"Today's the ninth day. The coalition with Victor Town has probably already started mustering — but we have time." Fila muttered, and immediately unslung her pack and started building a fire to cook breakfast. George and the two mercenaries sat down, closed their eyes, and rested — rebuilding their Stamina. A habit worth keeping.
After eating and a half-hour rest, the four of them set out once more. But they'd barely reached the King's Highway when they encountered a cavalry patrol.
Another four or five kilometers ahead — they rounded a bend and the view opened onto a wide hillside, where neat rows of temporary tents had already been erected. Around the perimeter sat eight supply wagons, loaded full.
Fifty farmers with simple spears and reaping hooks stood in formation, waiting. Nearby, dozens of craftsmen and apprentices were hard at work. A row of large iron pots simmered with cooking gruel — breakfast, most likely.
What caught the eye most, though, were the four banners planted at the center of the camp.
George didn't recognize them all, but it wasn't hard to guess. The two largest in the center — one for the King, one for the Temple. The second-largest on the left was likely Duke Weir's; the smallest on the right was Sir Tuck's. That one George recognized.
But where was Sir George's banner?
He didn't dwell on it — there was no point. All he needed to do now was participate in taking down a Final Boss, and the Rookie King title was his. If he wanted to aim higher, he could try for a solo kill on the black-robed Witch Mixi. Either way, it was simple enough.As the four of them entered the camp, a series of notifications arrived right on schedule.
【You have completed the mustering task. The army will depart shortly. You have two hours of free time to handle personal matters.】
【You are about to join a military campaign. The army's commander is Sir Ron — a Royal Capital Palace Knight dispatched by the King. He may need you to complete certain tasks during the campaign. You may choose to accept or refuse.】
【Current army composition: one Royal Capital Palace Knight representing the King; five light cavalry representing Duke Weir; Level 2 Priest Joseph and Level 1 Priest Ronald representing the Temple, along with five Temple Guard Cavalry; Sir Tuck and thirty footmen under his command; fifty militia; and ten players, nine mercenaries. (Note: in Final Battle mode, household members and mercenaries cannot be reinforced.)】
【Friendly reminder: if you participate in killing any one Final Boss and your damage output accounts for at least 35% of total damage dealt — or if you participate in killing two Final Bosses and your damage output accounts for at least 20% each time — the condition will be judged as fulfilled. You will receive the Rookie King title and be settled out of the battle once you disengage.】
—
On the surface, it didn't look that hard.
But who could say? George didn't linger in camp. He headed straight for Victor Town — he had 3,000 Temple Reputation to spend at the Temple and time to do it.
On the road, he crossed paths with Ron riding out of Victor Town at the head of a column: Sir Tuck, Level 2 Priest Joseph, five light cavalry, five Temple Guard Cavalry, and a few mounted attendants.
They swept past in a rushing column — tall warhorses, banners catching the air, a genuinely commanding sight.
Ron didn't so much as glance at George as he passed. As if he didn't recognize him at all.
'Look at you,' George thought. 'Now that you're a Royal Palace Knight, too proud to acknowledge a former acquaintance?'
George stepped off the road to let them pass. The column didn't slow — it swept by and was gone.
Perhaps that was simply how it was. At this moment, George was no longer Sir George. He was a common mercenary named Li Wei, operating outside his own mission storyline. He was now a footnote in Hathaway and Ron's story.
Nothing to overthink. He kept walking toward Victor Town. When he finally found the Temple — modest but well-built — he was surprised to discover that Hathaway's Four-Star Hunter, Little John, was waiting outside. He looked to have been there specifically for him.
"Li Wei — I half expected you wouldn't come. To be honest, very few Rookies have the nerve to stay for the Rookie King challenge." Little John smiled as he greeted him.
"Is there something you need?" George glanced at the Temple. Nothing unusual about it.
"No need to worry about a Bad End — once you clear the family mission, the restrictions ease significantly. I'm here to make a trade. I want to buy your Scout Card."
"Wait — but aren't you a Scout?" George blinked. He had genuinely assumed Little John had a Scout Card of his own. His first profession might be Hunter, but his fourth? Absolutely Scout. Everything about the man fit that image — cool, capable, precise.
"Ha — what made you think I'm a Scout? If I were, I would have slipped into Kakh City nights ago. Why would I leave that to you? My first profession is Four-Star Hunter. Second is Three-Star Mountain Tribesman. Third is Three-Star Butcher. Fourth is Two-Star Cook."
As he spoke, a glimmer at his brow confirmed it — four Profession Cards materialized briefly. Straightforward enough.
"But you already have four cards — what use would a Scout Card be to you?"
"Because except for the first profession, all others can be reset at headquarters for a cost. I want a Scout Card; it would be a significant improvement for me."
"Wait — but aren't you a cavalry unit?" George asked.
"Cavalry? You're joking. That's my Two-Star Pet — a hunting mount. If I had the Cavalry profession, I could ride all day without restriction. Like Ron — he can even use his warhorse to haul stone. My mount can only be summoned for a limited window before it has to go back into the Pet Card. The upkeep cost is enormous."
"I see. So why don't you have a Scout Card?" George asked with an expression of genuine innocence. Then he caught himself — he was overplaying it.
The answer was obvious. Little John, in his own Rookie Mission, hadn't placed second — so when he settled, he simply hadn't had the opportunity to receive a Scout Card.
"Li Wei, I'm making this offer in earnest. You have no use for a Scout Card right now. I'll trade you a Four-Star piece of equipment in exchange."
Little John studied the guileless expression George was wearing and took note. This was the number-one Rookie — about to take the Rookie King title. Someone who'd become a Three-Star Lord inside a Rookie Mission was anything but simple.
George slapped his knee in a show of sudden regret and immediately flipped a card out of his pack. "Would a One-Star Cavalry Card work? Back when I settled, I thought cavalry looked the coolest — so I didn't pick the Scout Card. Couldn't use a Scholar Card either — I'm not the sharpest thinker. If you're willing to trade a Four-Star piece of equipment, this Cavalry Card is yours."
"What?"
Little John's expression changed completely. He stared, speechless. He even stepped forward to check it closely. Positive identification — it was absolutely a Cavalry Card.
He stood frozen for a full five or six seconds before closing his eyes and exhaling a long, resigned sigh.
"Good heavens. The wheel of fate turns strangely, Li Wei. What would I do with a Cavalry Card? I want a Scout Card. You — I think you Rookies genuinely don't think things through. Ask yourself honestly — doesn't the Scout profession suit you perfectly?"
"It does, sure — but cavalry is cooler. Horse archer, lance cavalry, Death Strike, Parthian Shot — that's the dream. Brother, do you still want to trade or not?"
Little John's face went dark. He said nothing, turned, and walked away. He had absolutely no desire whatsoever for a Cavalry Card.
These Rookies and their bizarre priorities. He would never understand them.
Watching Little John's retreating figure, George let his smile fade. His brow knitted slightly — not about the trade, but about something else entirely. He had sensed it clearly: a powerful, settled resolve to die radiating from Little John.
Yes. Unmistakable. Little John had clearly made a decision — accepted that he would not survive what was coming, and had made his peace with it.
The feeling was so vivid and intense it transformed the man's entire presence into something almost tragic.
George didn't doubt his own Perception. What he doubted was whether that scheming piece of work Hathaway was planning something without telling anyone.
She had promised everyone: no more tricks. And now she was quietly pulling one behind the scenes?
Breathtaking nerve.
And come to think of it — Hathaway hadn't been visible at the camp earlier. Was she planning to use Little John as bait to assassinate Luna? Or have Little John sacrifice himself as a decoy while the two of them drew the enemy's fire together?
George couldn't follow that line of thought to its end.
But what price had Hathaway offered Little John? That Four-Star Royal Scale Armor? And had Ron agreed to it? Because Ron had seemed off as well back there — like his body was still moving but the soul behind his eyes had been replaced by someone else. Strange in a way George couldn't name.
Had they struck some new arrangement?
These high-level players couldn't be trusted. Not for a second.
George recalled a detail from the mission notification — there were still eleven players total, but the notification had only listed ten. Ron appeared to be excluded. Possibly because he had assumed the role of royal representative?
George couldn't work it out. He pushed the thoughts aside. All he could do was adapt as events unfolded. He wasn't about to give up the Rookie King title now.
One thing was still nagging at him, though — Little John had seemed genuinely desperate for that One-Star Scout Card. Were Scout Cards really so hard to obtain?
Not by other means, surely. There had to be other routes — like accumulating 500 Scout Experience, which should be enough to synthesize one.
Except... nothing was that simple.
George knew better than anyone how he had earned his own Scout Experience. Back when he had charged through the wilderness day after day during his first year — not a point of Scout Experience to show for it. It had only started accumulating after his Hunter Destiny Grid and Lumberjack Destiny Grid had both surpassed 30 points each. And it wasn't until his Hunter Grid reached 47 and his Lumberjack Grid hit 42 that the Scout Experience really started building quickly.
What player could realistically meet those prerequisites? It required the right conditions, the right amount of uninterrupted time. That window only existed during a Rookie mission. Once you returned to headquarters, were there enough One-Star trees to fell in a relaxed and unhurried fashion?
What had taken him a year and a half in the Rookie mission would likely take ten times as long outside it.
If Scout Experience was that hard to grind, then Ron's Cavalry Experience and Hathaway's Scholar Experience were certainly no easier.
George stopped dwelling on it and walked into the Temple without ceremony. No ritual was needed, no mechanism to trigger. The moment he crossed the threshold, a simple, direct exchange interface blazed into view in front of him.
Three exchange categories.
Titles. Equipment. Attributes.
George went straight to Titles. In an instant, the upgrade conditions for each of his three titles became clearly legible.
【Spend 2,000 Temple Reputation to upgrade the Bear Hunter title by one level. When worn: Strength +2; attack damage against large creatures +10%; imposes a degree of intimidation on them.】
【Spend 2,000 Temple Reputation to upgrade the Dog Butcher title by one level. When worn: Agility +2; intimidation against medium and small creatures — especially canine-type — increases by 50%.】
【Spend 3,000 Temple Reputation to upgrade the Tracker title by half a level. When worn: Perception +1; Stamina and Spirit consumption reduced by 50%.】