The Blue Cyclone Horses practically soared through the forest. They were incredibly agile creatures, could withstand a tall load, and were exceptionally light on their feet. It was clear at a glance why the military would want such mounts. Although they still couldn't be used in battle, just for making it from point A to point B, they were invaluable.

Unfortunately, Sylas hadn't been able to find any Combat Mounts on the list. Either they were locked away to only be seen by Colonels or Generals, or they were far rarer than he understood now.

Soon, Sylas gave a signal for them to slow down. Up ahead was a village, but it still wasn't the Hobgoblin village. Sylas felt like they needed a trial to work out the kinks in their teamwork. Everyone put their mounts away in the pouches that Sylas had bought for them. They were expensive, more than a thousand F Coins each, but Sylas had already planned ahead for this expense.

It would be worth it in the end.

After everyone was prepared and in top condition, they attacked. The target was Gnoll Village 087, and they were quite a bit sharper than the last gnolls that Sylas had battled, though far less lucky. They didn't have a Den and Class Stele like Gnoll Village 019 had. It took the group just a bit over an hour to wipe them out and claim the City Stele.

Sylas stored it away along with everything else, leaving his team shocked. They had never seen a storage device with so much space. In fact, they had never seen a storage device that could store a City Stele at all. Wouldn't this make things far more convenient?

"We will divide the spoils later," Sylas began before he started commenting on their teamwork. All things considered, it was fine enough for the task he wanted of them, but they just weren't… elite enough. That was the main problem.

For example, the archers, Mini and Tekk, were hesitant to fire when the target was too close to an ally because their archery skill wasn't high enough. Often, they were sidelined while the tanks were engaged ahead. Sylas, by comparison, was easily able to provide support even in close quarters because his telekinesis was always exceptionally accurate.

Such things were hard to fix in a short time because it wasn't a mental error, it was a physical limit, and maybe even a talent limit. There wasn't much Sylas could do about this, and he also wasn't sure how much he wanted to invest in this team. This military position was just a stepping stone for him. So, he focused on fixing what he could, and when he was satisfied, they set off again.

They hit two more semi-easy villages and quickly their wealth was growing a great deal.

…

'Three City Steles, this is good. This already leaves Cassarae with enough to reach the Town level.' Established City Steles could swallow other City Steles for benefits. With these City Steles, Cassarae wouldn't have to spend the 100,000 Coins she needed to finish her building upgrades. Instead, she could exchange the broken City Steles for them instead.

Normally, most wouldn't be willing to do this. But in a situation like this one, speed was more important than maximizing benefits.

'The time is about right now…'

Sylas allowed his team to rest. They had just been through three battles, and though most of the time between was spent on idle travel thanks to their new mounts, that could hardly be counted as rest. He, himself, was beginning to feel some hints of fatigue, so he could imagine how they felt. They settled down, ate, and replenished their Aether.

The group set off once again afterward, but this time they all knew what their true target was.

**

Licirius had been waiting for hours, choosing patience over acting rashly. But that patience went out the window when he saw the first village conquering pillar from a distance. At first, it felt like a coincidence, but then two more came just hours apart.

Could it really be Sylas? Did he pick a mission as a decoy, never having the intention to complete it?

Thinking to this point, Licirius' expression became ugly, but that was only for a moment before it was replaced by a sneer. In fact, he almost laughed. Sylas was digging his own grave. Accepting missions without completing them was definitely a military crime as well.

In fact, if they did some finagling, the fact that Sylas was using the list of missions to line his own pockets could certainly be attacked as well.

Maybe Sylas had just given them an even better avenue of attack here.

After wasting an entire day here, Licirius returned.

**

Sylas held up a hand and everyone slowed. They were still three kilometers from their target, but this sort of caution was more than warranted for this particular village.

"You all remain here for a moment. I will return in a bit."

Sylas shot forward without waiting for their responses. He covered the remaining distance in not even five minutes.

By now, the sun had gone down and he was far harder to spot, but a target as intelligent as the Hobgoblins would certainly have night vision capabilities, so he continued to be cautious.

He scouted out the city from a distance.

This time, this village wasn't surrounded by forest. Instead, they were almost half a dock. They had a few small ships that faced the flowing river and they used the water as a natural barrier and defense.

'No, there's more… it looks like they have a few creatures under their control as well. If someone tried to use their Aether to cross over, they'll end up in a battle that'll surely alert everyone…'

The rest of the village was surrounded by a solid wall built not from logs but stone.

After feeling he had a strong enough understanding, Sylas rushed forward… Right toward the main gate.