After returning to the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association, Ed continued his research into the barren mountain that Findley had mentioned, where the Underground Undead Cavern was said to exist. He mainly looked into whether any bounty missions had been posted near the area.

After some investigation, Ed indeed found something of interest.

Someone had posted a bounty mission at the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association, claiming that villagers near the barren mountain had been disappearing frequently. At first, people assumed that these missing individuals had been attacked by wild beasts or had encountered some other unfortunate accident.

However, in such cases, there should at least be some remains—if the beasts ate them, there would still be remnants of the body. Even Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association's Hunters, who took on the task to investigate the village near the barren mountain, found nothing.

This issue was left unresolved.

Upon seeing this, Ed furrowed his brow. Just as he was about to think this over carefully and consider investigating the surrounding area of the barren mountain, Melissa knocked on his door.

Ed opened the door and saw Melissa's beautiful face filled with anticipation.

Before Melissa could say anything, Ed directly asked, "Is Finniel's mission something you must take on?"

Melissa was momentarily stunned, then nodded vigorously and answered, "There are some things I have to check out. Ed, it's fine if you don't go; nothing should happen this time."

"Miss Finniel has gathered many Hunters and the Morton Family's guards to explore the Underground Undead Cavern. It shouldn't be dangerous."

Ed sighed. Things might not be as simple as Melissa thought.

After all, Melissa had helped him a lot, and since he needed to contact Evan Morton through Finniel to resolve the Moonlit Frost Poisonous Mist issue, he couldn't just ignore it.

He decided to accept Finniel Morton's mission to explore the Underground Undead Cavern, but before that, Ed made a request. If they encountered any dangerously abnormal situations, everyone must follow his orders and stay away from the danger.

Upon hearing Ed's response, Melissa was overjoyed and nodded enthusiastically.

Ed then asked Melissa to pass on the news that he had agreed to take on the mission to Finniel, while he returned to his room to prepare for Moonlight Meditation Technique training.

In the Lord's Mansion, Finniel was handling some matters and was not in her room.

Eng approached Finniel and quietly informed her that Ed had agreed to take on the mission.

Upon hearing that Ed had chosen to accept the task, Finniel couldn't help but swing her fist in excitement, nearly jumping up in joy!

Leon noticed Finniel's excitement and a shadow of gloom crossed his face.

Once Eng had left, Leon quietly followed him, blocking his path and asking, "Eng, Miss Finniel seemed very happy just now. Was it because of Ed?"

Eng had initially not wanted to answer, but seeing Leon standing firmly in his way, he knew the young master of the Torilard Family wouldn't let him go easily today.

Eng nodded and slowly replied, "Mr. Ed agreed to join the mission to explore the Underground Undead Cavern. Miss Finniel is happy because she now feels there is additional security."

That was all he could say. Ed wasn't enough yet to make Eng and Leon's relationship with the Torilard Family become strained.

Upon hearing Eng's words, Leon smiled in an unusually gentle manner and responded, "Yes, that's truly a good thing. I'm happy for Miss Finniel too."

Once Eng left, Leon's face darkened, and he clenched his fists tightly.

Finniel was his!

If he couldn't gain the support of the Morton Family through Finniel, then the next heir of the Torilard Family would never be him!

...

The next morning, early in the day, a large group of Hunters, equipped with various warhorses and weapons, gathered at the entrance of the Lord's Mansion in Dorey City.

Everyone wore expressions of excitement because the reward offered by the Morton Family for this mission was very generous.

With the four Gold-level Hunter guards from the Morton Family present, there was little risk of danger. Their task was simply to clear away small troubles and pave the way for the Morton Family members.

Ed stood among the crowd, quietly observing the other Hunters around him.

Jade from the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association didn't participate in this mission. Toronto, being only a low-tier Black Iron Hunter, was considered too weak to take part.

Although Ford was a mid-tier Black Iron Hunter, Ed hadn't invited him either, as he had some concerns about the mission.

It was only Melissa who had been invited. With just her, Ed would have less pressure if any danger arose.

Neither Toronto nor Ford had any objections. They trusted Ed's orders without any doubt and didn't feel they missed out on a considerable reward.

As time passed, the once lively group of Hunters fell silent. Everyone turned their attention to the gates of the Lord's Mansion.

Finniel Morton, flanked by the four Gold-level Hunter guards, was slowly walking out from within the Lord's Mansion.

Leon was following closely behind Finniel, scanning the crowd with his eyes, as if looking for someone.

When he spotted Ed, he quickly walked over, grinning widely, and said, "Isn't this the great hero Ed who saved Dorey City? A powerhouse with low-tier Gold Hunter strength! With you here, this mission will definitely go smoothly without any surprises!"

Ed furrowed his brows. The reason he had low-tier Gold Hunter strength that night was because of the Lucky Dice.

Now, almost three days had passed, and the Lucky Dice's points still hadn't fully charged.

Ed knew that Leon was flattering him to set him up. If he couldn't demonstrate the low-tier Gold Hunter strength, Leon would certainly seize the opportunity to make a move.

The other Hunters around them looked at Ed with hopeful and excited expressions, as if they truly believed Ed possessed low-tier Gold Hunter strength and could easily complete the mission.

Ed immediately spoke, "I only have low-tier Gold Hunter strength because of a special item. Leon, you come from the Torilard Family in Holy City, so this mission is definitely your time to show your strength."

Leon's face froze for a moment. He had originally planned to focus everyone's attention on Ed, provoking him to fight low-level monsters and depleting his strength.

Then, at a crucial moment later on, Leon would make a dramatic entrance and perform magnificently in front of Finniel.

He didn't expect Ed to respond this way, and now he wasn't sure what to do.

After a brief pause, Leon smiled and said, "Well, naturally. Ed, with your current strength, you should be around mid-tier Silver Hunter, right?"

Ed nodded, confirming that this was indeed the case.

Leon's smile grew even wider. He raised his voice slightly and said, "Ah, it's fine. Mid-tier Silver is still pretty good. Just stick close to me later. I'll make sure to protect you."

The implication was clear: Leon looked down on Ed's strength, thinking Ed wouldn't be of much use. He would only be fit to stay behind him, hiding.

As for this exploration mission, aside from the four Gold-level Hunter guards from the Morton Family, the rest would depend on his performance. After all, his strength was Silver-level high-tier, and he had a spiritual treasure from the Torilard Family.

That spiritual treasure would deal massive damage to undead creatures. A little show of strength would surely make Finniel change her opinion of him.

Leon smugly watched Ed, waiting for him to retaliate.

However, to his surprise, instead of reacting to Leon's hidden disdain and mockery, Ed's eyes lit up. A genuinely happy smile appeared on his face as he sincerely nodded and replied to Leon, "As expected of someone from a prestigious family in Holy City. My condition hasn't been great these past few days, so I'll leave this exploration mission to you. Thank you, truly, thank you."

What Ed said was completely from his heart. He had already thought that there might be unforeseen dangers in this mission.

The best approach was to conserve his strength as much as possible in the early stages.

If it weren't for Leon's comments, Ed would still have been worrying about how to conserve his strength as much as he could.

Although he knew that Leon was belittling him while inflating his own importance, Ed didn't mind at all. In fact, he was genuinely pleased.

However, to the other Hunters, it was clear that Ed was afraid of Leon's strength and status!

Many of the Hunters began shifting their focus from Ed to Leon.

Obviously, to these people, while Ed, the hero who saved Dorey City, deserved their respect, he didn't compare to Leon from the Torilard Family in Holy City.

Before long, a large number of Hunters had gathered around Leon, showering him with compliments.

Many of them said, "As expected of the genius Hunter from Holy City! Lord Leon, you've had powerful strength at such a young age. You'll surely become a legendary figure among Hunters in the future!"

"Yes, yes, we'll follow your lead later. We're sure there won't be any mistakes!"

Some Hunters, eager to flatter Leon, even made pointed remarks, such as:

"If only Lord Leon had been there that night, the crisis in Dorey City would have been resolved much quicker!"

"No, actually, there wouldn't have been any crisis in Dorey City at all if Leon had been there!"

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