The Last Incubus with The Vice and Valor System

The words of the Mercenary made a lot of sense, and had changed the point of view of the listiners...

No longer were the mercenaries inconvenient outsiders overstaying their welcome. They were the ones standing between the village and certain destruction.

Leon took another sip of his tea, considering the information he had just gathered. The dungeon was more dangerous than he had anticipated, but that only made it more appealing.

The greater the danger, the greater the rewards. And if the dungeon truly held nature-affinity treasures, it was a risk worth taking.

He stood up, leaving a few coins on the table as payment, and nodded to the shopkeeper on his way out.

As he stepped back into the bustling streets, the system's familiar presence stirred within him once more, he doesn't know why but whenever the system's about to speak he would sense it before hand through a strange connection..

.

A prompt appearing in his front, a gruff manly voice resounding in his head as it appeared, [That's definitely a nature affinity dungeon young lad, I can't believe you're this lucky, though there's still the matter of whether the dungeon would drop the spirit Lotus or not, try not to mess things up]

Leon sighed at this point, he was surprised that it was the male part of his system that spoke this time around, he was expecting the female voice but he didn't get what he wanted...

Sighing again, his eyes drifted to the prompt in his view...

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Dungeon of Nature's Grasp

Host, this dungeon has a high probability of containing nature-affinity treasures and beasts. Raid it to obtain the treasure you seek and skills that align with the essence of life and growth.

Warning: The dungeon is dangerous, and its beasts possess unique traits. Proceed with caution.

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Leon smirked, his decision solidified. He would seek out the village head and learn more about this dungeon. The merchants may have their own plans, but he had his own agenda. Whatever treasures lay within that dungeon, he would claim them for himself.

With a determined stride, Leon made his way toward the village head's residence, ready to uncover the secrets of the Dungeon of Nature's Grasp.

With this, he'd finally gotten a lead on how to obtain the treasure that would grant him spirit sense. Yet, the merchants had their eyes firmly set on the dungeon, making it nearly impossible to claim the rare treasure even if it dropped after a kill. Frustration gnawed at him, knowing how elusive his goal was...

Leon stepped out of the tea shop, the crisp morning air filling his lungs as the sun began to rise over Silverveil Village. The soft glow bathed the village in warm light, and for a moment, everything seemed peaceful. But Leon knew better. The rumors he'd heard inside the tea shop had stirred something in him, a mix of curiosity and determination.

The streets were already bustling with activity as merchants set up their stalls, villagers went about their daily routines, and adventurers and mercenaries prepared for the day's tasks. The scent of freshly baked bread and the earthy aroma of brewing tea filled the air, but Leon's mind was elsewhere.

He walked with purpose, his silver hair catching the light as he made his way toward the merchant guild hall. His thoughts raced as he considered the dungeon the villagers had been murmuring about. If the rumors were true, this dungeon could be the opportunity he needed. But it was clear that entering alone wasn't an option.

He needed to join the raid, and that meant dealing with the Deathbringer Mercenary Squad.

As he approached the merchant guild hall, he couldn't help but notice the change in the villagers' demeanor.

Suddenly, someone called out from behind, the voice rough and unpolished. Leon stopped in his tracks and turned around. It was the wiry, bearded man he had noticed whispering with another at the tea shop earlier. His face was weathered, with lines that told stories of hardship and uncertainty.

The man's sharp eyes locked onto Leon with a mix of curiosity and concern as he approached, the sound of his boots scuffing against the dirt road.

"You're headed to the Merchant Guild Hall, right?" the wiry man asked, his voice gruff yet laced with concern. "That place is for registering for the raid. Are you planning to join it, kid?"

Leon, his expression calm but distant, merely nodded. His mind was elsewhere, focused on the task ahead. He wasn't in the mood for idle chatter with a stranger, especially one whose intentions were unclear. He started to turn away, his steps measured and purposeful.

"Do you know the requirements?" the wiry man pressed, stepping closer as if the distance between them made his warning less urgent. His voice had a slight tremor, betraying the fear he harbored for the dangers of the dungeon. He didn't want to see another young soul march into the jaws of death, unaware of the risks that awaited them.

The wiry man's eyes searched Leon's face for any sign of hesitation.

Leon stopped again, raising a brow slightly at the question. "Requirements?"

The wiry man allowed a faint smile to creep onto his lips, though it was more a mask for his inner judgment. 'Naive,' he thought to himself.

'This kid doesn't even know what he's getting into.' His tone became almost condescending as he replied, "The requirement is that you've got to be a cultivator at least in the Qi Refining Realm." He leaned back, expecting to see shock or apprehension on Leon's face. After all, such strength was not something that came easily to most.

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To the wiry man's surprise, Leon merely sighed, a sense of relief washing over his features. "I see. Farewell, then," Leon said, his voice carrying a casual confidence as he resumed his stride without another glance at the man. He had met the requirement without a second thought, and engaging in further conversation felt like a waste of time.

The wiry man stood there, mouth slightly agape, his earlier smugness dissolving into astonishment. Next to him, the thick-bearded man, who had joined the conversation with a nod of approval earlier, now stared in disbelief as they watched Leon walk away with a quiet self-assurance.

"You think he's a cultivator?" the thick-bearded man finally asked, his voice low with newfound respect.

The wiry man nodded slowly, still watching Leon's retreating figure. "He is. Such a young genius… He definitely heard what I said. I guess I was worrying for nothing."

For men like them, mere mortals with no connection to the mysteries of cultivation, encountering someone like Leon was like glimpsing a star from a distant world—brilliant and unreachable. A cultivator was someone they could only admire from afar, a figure who walked paths of power that they could never dream of treading.

Their gazes lingered on Leon for a moment longer before shifting to the merchants in the bustling marketplace around them. The conversation they had overheard at the tea shop replayed in their minds.

This place, the heart of the village was dominated by a large, wooden building with intricately carved pillars and heavy, ornate doors. This was the merchant guild hall the place Leon was headed to was at it's center, at the surrounding of that place traders, adventurers, and mercenaries conducted their deals and sought opportunities.

The building had a well-worn look, but its grandeur showed the importance it held in this small region.

The air was filled with the sound of haggling, the clinking of coins, and the occasional shout of merchants calling out their wares.

Taking all of this in, the two men sighed, Just yesterday, the townsfolk had eyed the merchants with suspicion and caution, mistrust clouding their interactions. After all these merchants were nothing but greedy bastards in their eyes, they won't hesitate to rip the villagers of their hard earned money,

But now, with the threat of disaster looming ever so closely, perspectives had shifted. The merchants had become figures of hope, their wealth and connections seen as potential salvation from the calamity that could strike at any moment. For once actually, they might actually be able to benefit from this mutual connection between the villagers and the merchants.

Meanwhile, Leon, catching a glimpse of their changed expressions, smirked inwardly. "Funny how quickly people change their tune when they realize what's at stake," he mused to himself, his thoughts drifting as he neared the heavy doors of the Merchant Guild Hall.

With a deep breath, he pushed them open, the weight of the wooden doors giving way to the unknown world that awaited him inside.