The Glorious Evolution

Arthur was left stunned... Even he felt dread creeping up on his heart at the thought of clearing such a horrific den.

”It’s borderline an Obsidian Den, which means it requires at least a party of five Junior Daywalkers to clear it efficiently,” Levi replied. ”But it is still graded as a Burrow since the Queen ant doesn’t leave the Shadow dimension. It lays eggs in the Shadow dimension, and once they hatch, they enter the nest and go collect natural sources with solar energy.”

”In other words, if you challenge this Burrow, you will be forced to deal with a never-ending stream of tier 1 ants while being incapable of getting rid of the true Burrow’s owner,” Jojo added solemnly.

”I have heard this mission has been shown on the board for over five years now,” Rayan shook his head. ”More than a hundred Rookie/Junior Daywalkers have given it a go, but failed to clear even 30% of the nest.”

”Damn, shouldn’t the government upgrade it then and allow Pathfinders to deal with it?” Arthur wondered.

”It is still technically a Burrow, and since the nest is too far from our region to trouble our borders, the government left the mission as it is.” Rayan whistled as he gazed at the clearance reward, ”Though, they made sure to put an appropriate reward in case it was cleared by Rookie/Junior Daywalkers from the center.”

”The reward sure is juicy, but I ain’t no way we are picking this one.” Arthur waved his hand dismissively. ”You guys pick the other one, and we will wait until something new pops up. We still have three weeks af...”

”Oi, oi, aren’t you guys supposed to be the best freshmen in the center? I believe this mission should be a walk in the park for the Larson Brothers.”

Levi and his friends all had their lips twitch the moment they heard Demetris’ smug voice from behind them. His voice was loud enough that it attracted the attention of many nearby Daywalkers.

When they turned around, they noticed that he was walking with Keira and Selene—mostly, his chosen party members for this mission.

”Demetris, I am genuinely starting to worry about your health...” Levi sighed. ”How can you get thrashed twice and still dare to antagonize me for a third time? Are you a masochist? Brain-dead? What? What can I do to keep you away from me? Do I really need to kill you or what?”

Demetris’s heart skipped a beat at Levi’s serene, exhausted voice, like he genuinely was considering erasing him to avoid getting bothered again.

But he steeled his heart and continued, knowing that Levi could never kill him without getting himself in deep shit.

On the other hand, if he egged the Larson Brothers to accept the mission, there was a small chance they might never return.

”Bothering you? I am just stating facts. You have already defeated multiple Junior Daywalkers and have a queue of stronger ones awaiting you,” Demetris spoke casually. ”If these Daywalkers don’t scare you, how come a Twilight Burrow can? So what if it hasn’t been cleared for five years? I genuinely do believe that your party can pull it off.”

”Don’t you guys think the same?” Demetris spoke to the gathering of Daywalkers around them.

Before Levi and his friends could speak, the Daywalkers voiced their support for Demetris’ declaration.

”He is right, it will be a great disservice to the region and the Training Center if our best freshmen don’t consider clearing Nyxformis Burrow as their first mission.”

”Don’t you have three months of preparation? By the time you give it a go, your strength will rival that of Pathfinders.”

”Do it! Get rid of this embarrassment for all of us!”

”Do it!”...”Do it!”...”Do it!”...

The Daywalkers started chanting for Levi’s party to accept the mission—not out of spite or jealousy, but they genuinely thought they could clear it in three months.

Unbeknownst to them... Neither Levi nor Arthur had had three months or the option to add three more members.

Just as Melissa was about to confess the truth to save the Larson Brothers, Nurah’s voice resounded from amidst the chants.

”Sounds like fun, mind if I join your party?”

Hearing this, Levi’s brow twitched.

”Nurah, what are you talking about?” Melissa frowned. ”You know they can’t.”

”Why?” Nurah tilted her head in confusion while facing Levi. ”Are you, maybe, scared?”

”Is it shameful if I were?” Levi smiled peacefully. ”We only have three weeks to clear a Burrow. It’s a bit too much for our first Burrow to be that one.”

”Three weeks? Did he mistake months for weeks?”

The Daywalkers glanced at each other in confusion, believing that Levi might have made a mistake with the date. The sweet Melissa didn’t hesitate to update them on Instructor Seraphis’ quest and why it was foolish for them to accept the mission at the moment.

When everyone found out the context, surprisingly, they weren’t too startled. Once Instructor Seraphis’ name was mentioned, nothing would surprise them.

Still, it made them understand that Melissa was right; it was too suicidal for them to attempt clearing Nyxformis Burrow in less than three weeks.

The moment Levi picked up on the shift, his entire demeanor switched to a cold one.

”What? You think we can’t do it? Now, you are really pushing my buttons.” He scoffed. ”I bet any one of you that we will clear it, just the three of us, in less than two weeks. Go on, name your prices, my wallet is deep thanks to Demetris’ generosity in the assembly.”

”...”

”...”

”...”

Neither Levi’s friends nor the other Daywalkers had a clue how to react. They were left staring at him speechlessly, failing to understand how one could have such a sudden mood swing.

Uncaring about his humiliating remark, Demetris felt a sudden danger creeping up from his bank account.

His instincts proved correct as Levi swiftly turned to him and taunted calmly, ”So? What price will you set for the others? I don’t think you will be cowardly enough to put such a challenge on our shoulders without backing it up.”

”I...I...” Demetris stuttered, his heart beating rapidly while his mind was working overtime to process this development.

He came here to put Levi on the spot, and he didn’t expect to turn the tables on him like this.

’Shit, I am still paying up my debt from the assembly to my brother; I barely have a couple of hundred in my account.’

Demetris knew that rejecting Levi’s proposal was no option with this many eyes planted on him. If he were to accept it and bet only a couple of hundred, they would laugh at his broke ass.

Fortunately, or unfortunately? Levi had a solution already prepared.

”Looks like you are struggling a bit.” Levi smiled. ”How about you bet your reward from the accepted Twilight Burrow? I believe it’s one thousand coins.”

’How merciless...’ Nurah giggled in amusement at Demetris’ pale face.

She realized that Levi wasn’t scared of taking up the challenge. He just wanted to act as such to suck up as much money as possible from anyone daring to doubt their skills... Starting with the python’s head, Demetris.

”I love the confidence, but there’s no way the three of you will clear Nyxformis Burrow.”

Suddenly, a tall man with a face that looked like it had forgotten how to smile walked inside the circle. He had dark hair that hung loose over his forehead, brushing just above his sharp, steel-like eyes. He was wearing a third-year trainee emblem, establishing his seniority in this gathering.

”It’s Abel... I thought he was still in closed doors, preparing for the Officers’ Exam.”

The Daywalkers murmured amongst each other after spotting Abel. They knew that he wasn’t the fastest or the strongest, but he was relentless.

Every drill, every test, every simulation he took, he treated them like they meant everything, because to him, they did.

His goal was to become an Officer, and he wanted it so bad that he didn’t hesitate to remain behind after failing the Officers’ exam three times in a row.

Though his dream was to be an Officer, he had taken part in the expedition to conquer Nyxformis Burrow.

”As one of the many defeated Daywalkers under Nyxformis’s army, I can tell you right here, you have the least clue of what you are getting yourselves into,” Abel uttered solemnly. ”I advise you to back down, but if you are adamant about proving yourselves, I don’t mind taking your money.”

Arthur and the others turned to Levi, seemingly wondering what his next move would be.

Was he going to commit or back down? Arthur knew that his brother never allowed his pride to cloud his judgment. So if he was down, it only meant that he was confident in conquering the nest with just the three of them.

”All I have to say to that, is...” Levi smiled. ”How much?”