The Black Dragon had been active around Riverside for nearly a century, engaging in several skirmishes with Riverside.
Initially, Riverside held the upper hand, but over time, the situation became more complex as the Black Dragon amassed a horde of monsters from the Mist Forest.
Inherently cunning, the Black Dragon quickly realized that Riverside had little means to deal with its aerial attacks.
As a result, it began to raid nearby Riverside farms and merchant caravans, causing considerable losses.
Over the years, Riverside launched several counter-attacks, only to have them amount to little.
The Black Dragon was as slippery as an eel, retreating when losing and retaliating fiercely when striking back.
The stalemate between the two only intensified with the recent emergence of numerous Dark Lords.
If these Dark Lords grow in power and the Black Dragon seizes the opportunity to attack, Riverside’s military forces won’t stand a chance against the impending threat.
Therefore, the Lord of Riverside, against public opinion, decided to invest heavily in eliminating the major nuisance that is the Black Dragon.
Once it’s eradicated, Riverside can then divert its forces to deal with the sudden proliferation of Dark Lords.
For this campaign, Riverside went all out, even purchasing five Dragon Crossbows from the Dwarf Kingdom at great expense.
The city also rallied all NPCs and Heroes of B-rank and above to march against the Mist Forest.
During their first encounter, the Black Dragon was caught off guard and gravely wounded by the Dragon Crossbows.
Now, victorious, Riverside’s allied forces have penetrated the Black Dragon’s lair and are preparing for a final assault.
But the Black Dragon has cultivated a substantial monster army in the Mist Forest over the years.
Thus, the city’s Lord has issued a call-to-arms and hunt orders to all Heroes within Riverside.
This is the main reason for Richard Clark’s visit.
“To put it in terms of our world, this Black Dragon is the primary boss of this stage. You can consider this hunting mission as one of the main quests for us Heroes. The Wings of Freedom guild showed their strength by instantly taking down the Orc Dark Lord,” he said, grinning.
“I’m genuinely sorry for my previous offense, but hey, no harm, no foul, right? This time, I’m here on behalf of our guild leader with a peace offering… Our Bounty Guild hopes to form an alliance with you. Together, we can form a coalition to take down the Black Dragon in the Mist Forest.”
“The Lord of Riverside is really putting a lot into this. Each D-rank monster kill can be exchanged for a reward of 10 gold coins, C-rank for 100 gold… And if anyone takes down the Black Dragon, aside from the empire’s bounty of 500,000 gold coins, the Lord himself will personally offer an additional reward of 200,000 gold coins.”
“Strength lies in numbers. Your guild, Wings of Freedom, and specifically you, Guild Leader Ethan, your power has been recognized by us after taking down the Orc Dark Lord. As one of the three major Hero guilds in Riverside, joining forces with us, the Bounty Guild, would make this mission a breeze and a financial windfall, don’t you think?”
“And with your power, Guild Leader Ethan, our guild leader has assured that the Bounty Guild will offer you our full support to help you claim the Black Dragon’s head. If you successfully take it down, we only ask for thirty percent of the bounty as compensation. What do you think, Guild Leader Ethan?”
After Richard Clark finished speaking, his gaze was expectantly locked on Ethan, eagerly waiting for his response.
Ethan didn’t rush to reply but started mulling things over.
As the saying goes, “Beware of those who are overly attentive, for they are either deceitful or dishonest.”
He didn’t believe in freebies dropping from the sky, but even if this was a trap, it seemed like accepting Richard Clark’s proposal wouldn’t exactly harm him.
The worst-case scenario would just be losing all of the Wings of Freedom’s Heroes, but honestly, their survival or demise didn’t really matter much to him…
With his current strength, Ethan was extremely confident in his ability to escape unscathed.𝒪𝐯𝔩xt.𝚌𝑶𝓂
He figured he might as well see what the Bounty Guild was really up to.
And he was genuinely curious about the Black Dragon – it was, after all, the first of his kind he’d encountered since he arrived in this world.
“Sure, I think it’s a good idea,” Ethan agreed with Richard Clark’s proposal, a smile spreading across his face.
Richard Clark was overjoyed and quickly responded, “Great! Let’s make it official then. We’re meeting at the city gate at eight o’clock tomorrow morning. Please don’t be late.”
“I look forward to seeing you, guild leader Ethan, in all your glory!”
After a bit more flattery, Richard Clark excused himself and left.
Ethan gathered the Heroes of Wings of Freedom and briefed them on the joint operation with the Bounty Guild scheduled for the next day.
“Let’s take down that Black Dragon!”
“Ha! I leveled up once during the Orc Dark Lord battle, and after we take down this Black Dragon, our power is going to skyrocket.”
“With the big boss here, we just need to cheer him on.”
“Why do we even need to ally with the Bounty Guild’s bunch of weaklings? Why not just claim all the glory for ourselves?”
The treant Heroes started boasting, their confidence boosted from the previous victory over the Orc Dark Lord.
In their words, they had never fought a more enriching battle before.
Someone else took care of the front lines, and all they needed to do was deal damage from behind.
“Enough chatter, follow the guild leader’s orders.”
“Guys, get a good night’s sleep tonight, don’t drink too much, stay alert. We’re meeting at eight o’clock sharp tomorrow, don’t be late.”
“We’re up against a Black Dragon, one blast of dragon flame, and we could be burnt to a crisp. If you bring this attitude to the battlefield and die, don’t blame me for not picking up your bodies,” Zachary Barnes gave the Heroes a cold shower by laying down the hard truth.
The group had mixed reactions, but nobody dared to openly challenge Zachary Barnes’ words.
Zachary Barnes had a couple of strong drinks and then retired to a room in a nearby inn for the night.
Not long after he settled down, Lilith and Alicia quietly knocked on his door.
“Ethan, it’s a long night and tomorrow’s battle will be tough. Allow us to take good care of you,” Lilith suggested, slowly taking off her clothes.
By the time she reached Ethan, she was completely naked.
Alicia, on the other hand, slipped under Ethan’s blanket and took him into her mouth.
“Hmm…ah…”
The sound of Alicia’s moans filled the room, and Ethan laughed, pulling Lilith into his arms to enjoy the attention of both women.
“Ethan, I…I want it too,” Lilith murmured, her eyes hazy with desire as she snuggled up against Ethan.
Ethan’s hand slid between Lilith’s legs, touching her soft, smooth skin, then pressed onto her petals.
Lilith shivered as if she had been electrified.
“Umm…Ethan…” Lilith took the initiative, kissing Ethan, their tongues entwining passionately.
Ethan immediately felt an indescribable pleasure coursing through his body.
He lifted Lilith, his hands wandering over her ample chest, capturing one of her peaks in his mouth.
Their bodies intertwined, breaths mingling.
Alicia suddenly found that the object in her mouth was growing larger, almost choking her.
“Ethan, I can’t take it anymore…” Alicia said, her face flushed with desire.
When a beauty took the initiative, there was no way Ethan would reject her.
He slowly flipped Alicia over, spread her legs, and plunged in.
He simultaneously wrapped his arm around Lilith’s waist and bent down to capture her cherry lips in a kiss.
“Mmm…” Lilith moaned softly, and soon started to match Ethan’s rhythm.
Before long, the room was filled with sounds that quickened the pulse.
The next morning, Ethan woke up refreshed.
The room was a mess after their passionate night.
Lilith and Alicia were entwined like octopuses, sprawled on the bed.
Their ‘battle’ with Ethan was ten times more exhausting than taking down that orc.
Looking at the two exhausted women, Ethan couldn’t help but smile.
He stroked their heads and said, “The mission in the Misty Forest today might be dangerous, and I may not be able to ensure your safety if you accompany me.”
“After we depart, you two should return to the village ahead of me.”
“Mhm, understood,” the two women agreed, nodding obediently.
Ethan got dressed and headed out to the city outskirts to gather his forces.
As eight o’clock drew near, almost all of the treant Heroes from the Wings of Freedom had arrived.
Regardless of what they thought, at least no one dared to defy Ethan’s orders now.
Soon, Richard Clark arrived with a small team in shiny equipment, accompanied by several horse-drawn carts.
Upon seeing Ethan, Richard Clark greeted him enthusiastically.
Then he pulled the burlap covers off the carts behind him, gesturing at the large boxes on top, “These are a small gift from our guild leader to Wings of Freedom.”
“A rising guild like yours needs a uniform, don’t you think?”