( Leo and Ben's POV )
The looks that Leo and Ben got when they actually returned to the human camp were borderline reverent.
As the squirming Eren wriggled over Leo's shoulders, the human soldiers watched him suffer in silence, until a unanimous wave of celebrations suddenly erupted from the human crowd.
*CHEERS*
Deafening waves of cheers and claps accompanied Ben and Leo as they made their way through the human camp, with Lieutenant Marcus personally coming to greet them.
"What happened? How did it go? Is that the demon whisperer?" Marcus asked, his throat seeming parched as he gulped a mouthful of saliva.
"Yes…. The mission was a resounding success! We went in, killed the enemy demon general and several dozen or his underlings, kidnapped the Demon Whisperer from his tent and made it back out alive.....
Unscratched—" Ben said, with a proud smile on his face, as the cheers from the crowd went wild at that moment.
The human soldiers could not believe their eyes on what they were witnessing, as some pulled their hair while others bumped their chests in joy.
Against the same demons that most human soldiers couldn't even fight on equal footing, Ben Faulkner and his disciple achieved a resounding victory.
But not only that, they also killed the enemy general, kidnapped the main enemy of humanity and achieved all that without a scratch on their bodies.
'Is this the true strength of Ben Faulkner the legendary assassin?' Marcus wondered as his gaze alternated between Ben and Leo.
While the main attention was on Ben Faulkner, Marcus silently acknowledged Leo's contribution to this mission as well.
Just like his master, he was unscratched from this endeavor and had most likely killed several demons of his own.
As the winner of the 'Grand Tournament' and the sole disciple of Ben Faulkner, it was clear that the boy had high future potential.
If he continued assisting his master just like this on important missions, then probably in a few years the Empire could witness the rise of a new legendary assassin, one that even surpassed the fame of his master Ben Faulkner.
"Please, stay back and enjoy a few celebratory drinks with us soldiers. After All you have performed a great service for the Empire–" Marcus said, however, Ben immediately declined the offer.
"We need to first hand this guy over to the authorities. Our mission only ends when he's behind bars.
Please excuse us, for we really need to get moving–" Ben said, as unlike the cold behavior that Marcus showed him when they first met. His behavior now saw a complete 180 shift.
While he was hesitant to even shake hands with Ben before, just a few hours later he wished to treat him as a returning hero and was willing to drink with him too.
"Of course, I understand, handing over the Demon Whisperer does take priority…." Marcus said, as he signaled to his men to quickly get the carriage and horses of Ben and Leo ready.
"Is there anything more that we can do for you? Do you need me to send men to accompany you?" Marcus asked, however Leo simply chuckled at his suggestion.
"Do you really think my master needs any additional protection?" Leo asked, as Marcus immediately felt flushed.
In his willingness to help Ben and Leo, he had made a stupid suggestion.
If the duo did not need any help to infiltrate a demon camp, just who could harm them within the Empire?
"Haha…. My bad" Marcus apologized, as by then Leo and Ben's carriage was prepared by the soldiers.
"Do one thing for us…. Using communication magic, inform the Emperor that we have captured the Demon Whisperer and are returning to Crest-Hill Barony with him.
We will await further instructions from him regarding the same there" Leo instructed, as before leaving the border camp as Marcus immediately nodded in understanding.
"Rest assured, I'll get on it immediately–" Marcus said, as with that Leo and Ben took their leave, boarding their carriage alongside their prisoner Eren, as they returned to Crest-Hill Barony.
**********
( Meanwhile on the global forums )
"He is back at it! The third evaluation….. 'TheBoss' is already building his legacy"
"Bloody hell, killing a demon general! Most of us haven't even seen one–"
"Has 'TheBoss' entered demon territory? How did he even do it? When I tried to cross into the demon territory, the NPC at the border blocked me"
"How many global announcements has the Boss had up till now? 3? 4? That guy is ridiculous!"
"Is The Boss really still a solo player? Almost every veteran player I know has now banded into a guild as solo missions are getting harder and harder.
There are no wild monsters freely available that are above level 250 and the ones that are available are inside 5 men dungeons or 10 men dungeons, but I have never heard a report of 'TheBoss' entering into a dungeon with any party.
He has now gone up to level 300, and as per my knowledge, he is still going at it alone"
"I wonder what sort of rewards 'TheBoss' gets for these global announcements. He should be filthy rich by now, shouldn't he?"
"Wasn't there a post on the global forums about 'TheBoss' being a Baron now? How is he killing enemy demons if he has a territory to run?"
The forums went absolutely wild with speculation on how 'TheBoss' did what he did, however, nobody had any answers.
Like always, Leo had widened the gap at the top with his displayed level now being at 300, making him the first player to reach the level 300 threshold, while the common player still struggled to cross the level 150 mark.
As time passed, the gap between the top and bottom widened significantly, however, unlike on Earth, the common players had no-one but themselves to blame for this inequality.
As unlike Earth, where everyone had a different starting point in life based on the family they were born in.
Everyone had the same starting point in Terra Nova, and the same chance at success.
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/// A/N - Chapter 400! Let's go!!!! ///