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nOnly two weeks passed by the time Layn and his small group arrived in the city before the warcamp started filling with people once again.

nFrom the early birds hoping to find some other like-minded mercenaries to form parties and go explore the desert once the barrier would switch open, through merchants sensing the gold in servicing all those adventurers, all the way to people like Layn, who saw this place as nothing but an opportunity.

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"Guys, I know I was vague with the objective of your mission, but now it's up to you,

" Layn said, standing in front of a group of roughly twenty people. Irea stood right behind him, to propagate the image of the two of them being different from everyone else in the now greater group.

nAmongst the recruits, early birds got the worm. Even though he was just lucky to be selected, Pavrien took command of one-half of the mercenaries, while hand-picked Antion commanded the rest of them.

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"Once we enter the desert, there will be no going back. Or rather, if any of you will go back, I won't detach anyone to help you make your way back to the safety of the camp,

" Layn announced, before looking at his people with scrutiny.

n'Well, that was only to be expected,' Layn thought depressingly, despite putting up a cheerful front. Out of exactly twenty-three members that his new group consisted of, only three or four had some talent that Layn could feel.

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"At least no one backed off yet,' Layn encouraged himself before his lips started to move once again.

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"I can't give you the estimated time that this mission will take. But there are a few rules that I believe I should mention before we set off.

" Layn said before taking a glance at the situation behind.

nThe massive barrier that separated this anomaly-type desert from the warcamp was fluctuating. While it still has yet to go down, one only needed to look at how the entire entryway was filled to the brim with people to understand that it would be down any moment now.

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"First off, whatever you find, whatever you obtain, and whatever you win over the course of this mission, is yours to take,

" Layn announced the most important incentive for the trip.

nAccording to Irea, a seasoned adventurer of this place, the spoils would be usually pitched into a single pile, turned into money, and only then would the members of the party take their share each.

nOn the other hand, for people hiring escorts for their desert explorations, just the payment alone had to suffice, as the hiring party was entitled to all the spoils they would obtain during the trip. In essence, this simple agreement was the only reason why people continued to invest in various parties, hoping that the returns of the trip would be greater than its costs.

nYet, Layn turned those traditions all on their head, instantly giving away his rights to the spoils.

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"Secondly, I want to repeat again. If someone decides to drop out, they not only won't receive any payment, they also won't receive any help in going back.

" Layn added, looking for the hints of displeasure on the faces of his hired mercs.

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"What if someone will get injured to the point of being unable to continue?

" A voice from the crowd sounded. Even though Layn had over twenty people to watch out for, he still managed to notice who had the civil courage to ask this question.

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"You don't need to worry about it, there won't be any injuries during this trip for as long as you travel with me,

" Layn answered, shrugging his arms impatiently.

nAs important as this question was, for the archmage, asking it was no different than stalling for time.

nAnd there were many possible reasons why one of the mercenaries would want to do so.

nThe desert was the same for everyone who wished to explore it. As vast as it might be, there was always a huge risk that once the barrier would shift, monsters far stronger than average would appear early on.

nThat's why, as many benefits as there were for entering the desert early on, a lot of adventurers and mercenaries preferred to give way to the locally strongest parties, as they were the only ones capable of dealing with such threats.

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"So you are going to kill everyone injured?!

" Another voice said before the gesticulation allowed Layn to spot who was speaking. With his arms wildly moving around, the man shook his head before turning around.

"It's pointless. I'm leaving, and I would advise everyone to do the same, ha!

"

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"Hey!

" Pavrien who was unlucky enough to be in charge of the group with that man in it attempted to stop him from leaving.

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"Cut it out, let him go. We have no need for cowards.

" Layn said without a care, even though one of the few talented people just decided to leave.

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"Cowards? Did you just call me a coward?!

" The man instantly lashed back when he heard Layn's rebuttal.

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"How else would you call someone who didn't even have the guts to ask what I meant by no injuries?

" Layn asked with a smile on his face before waving his hand at the man.

"Pavrien, Antion, could you get rid of him for me?

"

nNow that the man took his stance, Layn wasn't going to bother with him any longer. Given the endgame of creating a group of powerhouses that he had in mind, allowing anyone who dared to challenge his authority was a strict no-no.

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"You… Oh, ** you!

" The man insulted Layn, before turning around once again and leaving the place altogether.

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"Good, now that there are no more disturbances,

" Layn started, only to make a short pause as he turned his head back towards the barrier. The fluctuation was getting stronger with each passing second. It was only a matter of time before the barrier would fall.

nA very short time at that.

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"Guys, any questions? We are running out of time.

" Layn asked before nodding his head towards the barrier.

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"Good,

" He added after a moment, seeing how no one was stepping up to ask or stepping back to leave.

nTingle.

nIt was as if a herd of fairies, each no bigger than a grain of dust, suddenly washed over Layn's soul. A shiver traveled down his spine.

n'It started,' Layn thought, quickly turning himself around.

nThe barrier was no more.

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"Okay, then. Let's not waste this opportunity!

" Layn shouted as he turned his head back to his mercenaries.

"Let's get past the initial monsters so that we can reach the middle of the desert as soon as possible!

"

nRather than pushing his people forward and waiting for them to cut him a path, Layn nodded at Irea before rushing forward on his own. Rather than following after his people, he preferred to be followed.

nBut as rushed as he was, Layn's group still ended up stuck at the gates.

nA day before the barrier was scheduled to open, a huge plaza before said gate would be emptied out, with the sole purpose of housing all those awaiting the opening of the desert. It was on that plaza where Layn had his little rallying speech. And as close as he was to the gates in the first place, some of the adventurers still managed to beat him to the line.

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"Dang!

" Layn exclaimed roughly an hour later when his group finally made its way to the no-man's-land on the other side of the warcamp's walls.

"It took a while,

" he said, looking around the place.

nThe signs of fighting were all over the place. Just fifty meters to the side, a group was dismembering a large carcass of a monster. A bit further to the other side, another group was standing over the corpse of their former companion, unable to digest what just happened.

nAnd amidst all this chaos, Layn stood.

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"We are going to push forward. Everyone, we run!

" Layn ordered, not even bothering to look at the people he was ordering around. Rather than wasting his time on the recruits, half of which were doomed to fail his test, it was better to just lead them with actions instead.

nSoon, Layn managed to get outside of the cramped areas, on the path that no other group seemed to take so far. Irea followed right behind him, ready to intervene if anything were to happen…

nThat is, ready to help if Layn would somehow find himself overwhelmed. And an opportunity for such thing appeared relatively soon before even a single hour could pass since their entry to the desert.

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"MONSTER!

" Antion shouted, stretching his arm in the direction of a threat.

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"Great!

" Layn said while rejoicing. He then rushed forward, pushing his cultivation-improved body to its limits.

nAnd from how he managed to cross a relatively long distance in just a moment, it seemed that reaching the third stage of mind cultivation before entering the desert was going to pay off!

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"I'm sorry,

" Layn mumbled under his breath, dodging the slash of the monster's claws. Even though this magical being towered over him with its enormous mass and height, Layn wasn't scared at all. Rather than that, if someone were to look in his eyes, he could see an excitement mixed with guilt in them.

nExcitement, because monsters were nothing but a source of free magic power for the archmage. And guilt, because he knew how the world was bound to curb the entire population of those monsters as soon as the method of farming them would be publicized.

nBut that didn't mean he was going to give up on this opportunity he waited so long to get.

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"Die,

" Layn whispered, appearing below the monster and pushing his fist directly into its flesh.

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