The First Legendary Beast Master novel Chapter 111

Chapter 111 Go Around

The group headed out toward the next likely spot that Hawk had discovered, which turned out to be on the far side of a swampy riverbed. The river itself was shallow and slow moving, but the marsh didn't look like a pleasant place to cross, and it would be the home to at least a few monsters.

[Hawk, how far is it to go around to a better spot to cross.] Karl asked as Hawk detailed the route.

[Far, but there is another good thing over there. It is further, but you can get it then come to this one.] Hawk suggested.

[Alright, lead the way.]

"Good and bad news, everyone. That marsh doesn't look fun to cross, but Hawk found another spot. It will be a fairly long detour, and then we will come back for what he found here. Were there any other resources on your list that you absolutely need? We can make them a priority." Karl announced to the group.

The warriors shook their head. "The moss was the essential one for us."

Dana smiled and touched the Holy Stone that she had tucked in an amulet on a chain around her neck.

"The mages found something much better than they came here for. The Holy Stone can replace the original resources."

"Excellent. I noticed that this next stop is near the train tracks, so we can pick it and then return to the Academy. There's no need to go overboard when we can just apply to go out again. If the results are good, they should approve our second trip to the same area, and this is remote enough that not many will travel through here before we can get approval." Karl suggested.

"But next time, we bring large sacks for all the extra loot. I'm already considering using my coat or the rain cover for my backpack to get more storage." One of the warriors agreed.

The mages were a bit more reserved. They didn't have supernatural strength. Even if they wanted to carry more, their packs were heavy.

The prospect of applying for another trip as soon as they returned, as a group which included proper leaders, was appealing, though. With Karl and Dana on the list, they might get approved to head out in the next few weeks for a second mission to get what they couldn't this trip, and that would give them an enormous advantage over students who were still waiting to find a chance to head out on a field excursion.

That was the hardest part of arranging a mission as a Common Rank Elite. You needed an escort, and the escorts all had better things to do. Most of the Awakened Rank students would be looking for Ascended Rank students to lead them on more dangerous missions, while the Ascended Rank students would be petitioning to go out with teachers on their own training exercises.

Even if that failed, entire missions of Awakened Rank and higher students were an option, so the chances for the Common Rank students to get a leader were far lower than the number of students looking to go on an excursion.

The most common reason one would agree was because they wanted something in the area, and didn't want the competition of a stronger group. Not out of altruism or a fondness for the new students.

It left all the junior students scrambling to find a senior in a good mood, or who needed something near the things that they needed. Sometimes there was an overlap, as some resources would be useful to nearly anyone, but that was fairly uncommon when viewed across the entire population of the Academy.

Karl followed an animal trail toward the next location, where Hawk was flying overhead, scanning for threats.

[I see some small creatures, but not mice. Nothing big and nothing powerful so far.] He informed Karl.