My monster cards can evolve infinitely.

Chapter 88 Demon Tide (3/6)

The morning sunlight streamed through the windows of the "Traveler's Rest" tavern, casting dappled shadows on the wooden floor.

As Xiuqi walked down the stairs, he felt as if the whole world had changed.

It wasn't a visual change, but rather a change in the depth and breadth of perception—the flow of arcane energy in the air was clearly visible, like an invisible network woven from colorful threads.

The conversations from the distant street corner, the clanging of the blacksmith's hammer, and even the panting of horses a few streets away all entered my ears clearly, yet they did not cause any disturbance; instead, they were automatically categorized and processed by my brain.

The 9-point intelligence score not only improves thinking speed, but also leads to a deeper understanding of the essence of the world.

"Good morning, Mr. Xiuqi!" Mrs. Adeline was wiping wine glasses behind the counter when she looked up and saw Xiuqi. A warm smile spread across her face. "I haven't seen you come downstairs for the past two days. Have you been researching some new spell?"

"I guess so." Xiuqi sat down at the bar. "Breakfast, please."

"Almost done! Smoked meat and fried eggs with white bread, plus a cup of hot milk?" Mrs. Adeline expertly recited the combination that Xiuqi usually ordered.

"Okay, thank you."

Xiuqi chose a seat by the window. From this angle, he could see the pedestrians coming and going on the street, and also hear the conversations of other customers in the tavern.

Three adventurers sat at the next table, looking like they had just finished a mission, covered in dust, with tired but excited expressions on their faces.

"Have you heard? Something's happened again in the Gray Forest!" a scarred warrior said in a low voice.

"What kind of monster is it this time?" asked his companion, a tall, thin archer.

"These aren't ordinary monsters," a third person interjected. She was a female wanderer wearing leather armor. "I saw the latest intelligence at the guild yesterday—signs of demonic creatures have been discovered deep within the Gray Forest, and their numbers are increasing."

Xiu Qi paused slightly in his movements.

Demonic creature?

He remembered being taught in the "Introduction to Otherworldly Creatures" course at the academy that demons originated from lower planes and didn't usually appear naturally on the material plane. Unless...

"The Demon Tide." The scarred warrior uttered two words, his voice filled with obvious fear. "My grandfather participated in the Demon Tide fifty years ago. He said that the entire Gray Forest turned into hell, with demons surging out from the depths of the forest like a tide."

"This time the scale shouldn't be that big, right?" the archer asked, somewhat uncertainly.

"Who knows?" The female wanderer took a sip of ale. "The association has already issued a call to arms to organize a large-scale extermination team to clear out the forest. The pay is high, but the risks are great too."

"We can take on the outer perimeter missions," the scarred warrior analyzed. "According to intelligence, the creatures currently appearing on the outskirts of the forest are mostly low-level demons like lesser demons and cowardly demons, with a challenge level below 1. Clearing out these weaklings is both rewarding and relatively safe."

"What about the mission deep into the forest?" the archer asked.

"That's for the truly strong," the female wanderer shook her head. "It's said that demons of challenge level 3 or higher have appeared deep in the forest, and there might even be high-level demons. If you don't reach a high-level profession, going on that kind of mission is just suicide."

Xiu Qi listened silently, quickly analyzing the situation in his mind.

Demonic tides, demonic creatures, large-scale extermination missions...

This sounds dangerous, but it also presents an opportunity.

Demonic creatures are generally stronger than regular monsters of the same level, but correspondingly, they may be of higher quality when crafted into cards. Hunting some low-level demons can not only earn you quest rewards but also enrich your card collection.

More importantly, he had originally planned to venture deep into the Grey Forest to hunt monsters, and now with the guild's organized hunting party, he was actually safer—at least in the outer areas, there would be a large number of adventurers fighting alongside him.

"Your breakfast." Mrs. Adeline placed the tray on the table.

"Thank you." Xiuqi began to eat, while continuing to listen to the conversation around him.

From the adventurers' conversation, he pieced together more complete information: signs of the demonic tide began to appear about three days ago, initially just a few low-level demons wandering the edge of the forest. But yesterday afternoon, a veteran adventure team was attacked deep in the forest by more than ten lesser demons and two Quass demons. Although they eventually escaped, two of them were seriously injured.

The Summertown Adventurers' Guild held an emergency meeting overnight and decided to issue a large-scale adventure quest of kingdom level, recruiting more than 500 adventurers to participate in the cleanup.

The mission is divided into two parts: perimeter clearing and in-depth clearing.

The outer perimeter missions mainly target low-level demons on the edge of the forest. Rewards are settled daily, and there are additional bounties for killing demons.

The deep-sea mission involves forming a team to venture into the depths of the forest, find the source of the demonic tide, and eliminate mid- to high-level demons. The rewards are extremely high, but the risks are equally enormous.

Xiuqi quickly finished his breakfast, then dipped the last piece of white bread in the egg mixture and put it in his mouth.

He had already made up his mind.

When Xiuqi stepped out of "Traveler's Rest," the morning sun had already bathed the streets of Summer Town.

Unlike usual, the streets were unusually lively today.

Adventurers carrying weapons poured into the town center from all directions, their voices, the clash of weapons, and the clatter of horses' hooves creating a cacophony.

Xiuqi quickened his pace and headed towards the Adventurers' Guild.

He could hear the clamor of voices from a street away from the association.

Turning the corner, the scene before him made him raise an eyebrow slightly—the small square in front of the Adventurers' Guild was already packed with people, with at least two or three hundred adventurers gathered there.

More people were arriving from all directions, their boisterous laughter, the clanging of weapons and armor, and the neighing of horses creating a lively yet tense atmosphere.

A temporary wooden platform was erected in front of the association's gate, where a middle-aged man wearing a silver half-body armor and a dark blue cloak was speaking.

His voice was loud and clear, amplified through a simple amplification spell, and carried throughout the entire square:

...This is no ordinary monster uprising! The Grey Forest is being corrupted by the power of the lower planes! If we don't stop it, the demonic tide will spread like a plague, eventually engulfing the entire border!

A commotion arose from the crowd.

Xiuqi's gaze swept across the crowd, and he quickly spotted a familiar figure.

Addo's enormous body was conspicuous even in the crowded throng.

The ogre was dressed in full regalia today, his robes and chainmail gleaming coldly in the morning light. His mace was slung across his shoulder, and his oak shield was strapped to his back. Link was standing on tiptoe, peering in, his face a mixture of excitement and nervousness.

"Mr. Xiuqi! Over here!" Link waved vigorously when he saw Xiuqi.

Xiuqi walked through the crowd. The adventurers around him, especially when they saw Ado, automatically made way for him—the power of the ogre was on full display in this situation.

"Mr. Xiuqi, have you heard? A demonic tide!" Link exclaimed eagerly, his eyes sparkling. "The Association has issued a large-scale extermination mission, and the rewards are said to be very high!"

"I heard some news at the tavern." Xiuqi nodded, looking at the platform. "What's the situation now?"

Link quickly explained, "The man on the stage is the Association's operations commander, Captain Raymond. He's giving a pre-battle pep talk, and the mission details will be officially released soon. I heard that over four hundred adventurers have already signed up, and it might reach five hundred today."

Xiuqi looked up at the platform.

Captain Raymond was about forty years old, with a resolute face and a scar below his left eye. He stood ramrod straight and spoke with forceful gestures, clearly an experienced commander.

"...The mission is divided into two parts!" Captain Raymond raised his voice, "Outer perimeter clearing and in-depth clearing!"

The square fell silent, and everyone pricked up their ears.

"The perimeter clearing missions mainly operate within a twenty-mile radius of the edge of the Grey Forest. The targets are low-level demons, primarily lesser demons and cowardly demons, with a challenge level typically below 1."

The mission is conducted in squads of at least three people. The basic daily reward is 5 silver coins, with an additional 2 to 5 silver coins as a bounty for each low-level demon killed!

A murmur arose from the crowd. The basic daily reward of 5 silver coins was top-tier for adventurer quests, and with the kill bounty, the income was quite considerable.

"Deep-penetration mission!" Captain Raymond's voice became more serious. "We need to go deep into the Grey Forest. The target is mid- to high-ranking demons, possibly including Quassa, Babu, or even higher-ranking demonic creatures."

Challenge levels start at level 2 and have no upper limit! Missions are also conducted in teams, but the team's average class level must be at least 2.

Level 1, and must have a spellcaster. Daily base salary is 10 silver coins, with kill rewards calculated based on demon level, with no upper limit!

"Hiss—" A gasp of astonishment came from the crowd.

A base salary of 10 silver coins? That's an incredibly high reward, but the risks are equally terrifying.

The average job level is 2, which means that even the weakest member of the team must be a level 2 professional, and the team leader must be at least level 3 or even level 5.

There are no more than ten teams like this in the entire Summertown.

"Registration begins now!" Captain Raymond waved his hand, and several long tables were immediately set up at the association's entrance. Staff began registering participants. "Those interested in peripheral missions, come to the left; those interested in deeper missions, come to the right! A reminder to everyone: know your limits! This is not the time to show off!"

The crowd began to surge, and the adventurers split into groups according to their strength and courage.

Link looked at Xiuqi, his eyes asking, "Mr. Xiuqi, which one should we pick up?"

Xiuqi did not answer immediately.

He quickly weighed the pros and cons.

In-depth missions offer high rewards but also carry enormous risks.

With their squad's strength, after being armed and enhanced, Ado's direct combat power is no less than that of a level 3 warrior; Princess Pu's strength has greatly increased after being promoted to two stars, and she also has the Mirror Avatar talent: Link's archery skills and crowd control ability have been proven in yesterday's battle.

He himself has the [Shuqi's Basic Deflection Field] and swordsmanship combined with the two-star rare card [Bird Poet].

The team's overall combat strength is no weaker than a team where all members are at level 2 in their profession.

But Xiuqi was also very clear-headed.

First of all, demonic creatures are not ordinary monsters.

They typically possess spell-like abilities, damage resistance, and even certain special talents. A level 2 challenge demon may actually pose a greater threat than a level 3 ordinary monster.

More importantly, venturing deep into the forest meant being far from the main force, and if danger arose, reinforcements would be difficult to arrive in time. Although he had two teleportation scrolls to save his life, they could only be used in the most critical moments.

In comparison, while peripheral missions offer lower rewards, they are much safer. Large numbers of adventurers cooperate and support each other. Furthermore, the abundance of low-level demons makes them ideal for hunting and crafting cards.

"Outer perimeter mission," Xiu Qi decided.

Link visibly breathed a sigh of relief—although he craved adventure, he wasn't so blind as to think he could handle a mid-level demon.

"Let's go register."

The three walked toward the registration desk on the left. There were already twenty or thirty people in the line, but as Ado's huge body approached, the people in front of him automatically made way.

The registrar was a young woman wearing glasses. She visibly tensed up when she saw Ado, but quickly regained her professionalism: "Squad name?"

"It's not decided yet," Xiuqi said.

"Then register using the team leader's name. Team leader's name, occupation, and rank?"

"Shuki Light, mage apprentice, no class level."

The registrar looked up at him and made a mark after "Apprentice Monk".

"Team members?"

"Link, Hunter, no class rank." Link stepped forward.

The registrar quickly made a note, then looked at Ado: "This is..."

'

"Ado, ogre warrior, challenge level 2," Hugh answered for it.

A murmur rippled through the crowd. Ogres as contract partners were already rare, but registering them as official team members was unheard of.

The registrar hesitated for a moment, then looked at a middle-aged man with a full beard standing nearby. The man walked over, sized Ado up and down, then looked at Xiuqi: "Can it obey commands?"

"I will obey completely," Xiuqi said firmly.

The person in charge stared into Xiuqi's eyes for a few seconds before finally nodding: "You can register it. But let me make it clear beforehand: if it goes out of control and injures someone during the mission, your team will be fully responsible."

"clear."

The registrar then continued, "The team consists of three people, and you are on a perimeter clearing mission. Here are your mission credentials." She handed over three iron badges, engraved with a crossed sword and shield design and the number "33".

"Hang it in a prominent place for easy identification and statistics. The mission starts tomorrow. Meet at the square at 6:00 AM for area allocation and supplies. Any questions?"

"No." Xiuqi took the badges and gave them to Link and Ado.

The ogre awkwardly pinned the badge to the shoulder of his cloak of chainmail, the iron badge making a crisp clinking sound against the steel ring.

"By the way," the registrar added, "According to intelligence, although low-level demons are not very strong, they have some special abilities that we need to be careful of."

Lesser demons have fire resistance, so regular arrows are ineffective; it's best to use enchanted or silver weapons.

The Fearful Demon releases an aura of terror, easily overwhelming weak-willed adventurers with panic. The Guild has prepared potions to counteract this, which will be distributed at tomorrow's assembly.

"Thanks for reminding me."

After registering, the three left the crowd.

Link stroked the badge in his hand, his face beaming with excitement: "Expedition Squad 33... Mr. Xiuqi, should we come up with a proper team name?"

Xiuqi thought for a moment: "It's not too late to decide on a team name after this mission is over."

"Alright," Link nodded, "So what do we do now? Prepare for tomorrow's mission?"

"You and Ado go back and check your equipment, replenish your arrows and medicine. I'll go buy some items we might need," Xiuqi said. "Meet at the association tomorrow morning."

"good!"

After the three of them had finished discussing their next steps, Xiu Qi suddenly sensed an unusual aura.

It was a cold, deathly magical fluctuation, completely out of place with the active arcane energy around it.

Xiu Qi stopped and looked in the direction of the fluctuations.

At the other end of the street, a figure dressed in a dark black hooded robe was slowly walking towards them.

The black-robed mage.