Max shook his head. He found it unbelievable that he met a wise archer.
Curious, he asked about how his life was going and it turned out it was more depressing than he thought.
When he was a child, his parents constantly had a fight and eventually they broke up. They refused to take responsibility for raising him, until they sent him to his uncle, who was a molester.
The archer grew up with his uncle while he motivated himself to learn archery to escape from the hellish place. During his coming of age, he left their village and ventured through the marsh and eventually arrived in the Greyfen Village to live a new life.
However, when he finally had a family, his wife cheated on him, and their only daughter died from a disease.
He was currently single, enjoying the breathtaking view from the Watchtower.
He was already at the middle-age but he perceived he was already reaching his limit. However, he expressed his gratitude for Max for motivating him to be consistently accurate in his aim.
Max motivated him more as he finally returned to Archmage Arlen to complete the first stage of the quest.
…
[Congratulations! You have completed the first stage!]
[You've been rewarded with 500 Exp and a Common rank item—Rune Detection Charm.]
[You level up three times.
You're currently Level 4.
You have gained 3 Free Stat Points.]
Max finally has four free stat points at the moment, but he didn't want to spend them
At the moment, he just wore the Rune Detection Charm given by Archmage Arlen.
[Rune Detection Charm (Common): Created by Archmage Arlen himself to help locate the corrupted beings in the surroundings.
Effects: +10% detection accuracy for corruption traces.]
They were currently at the Instruction Hall, where the students were deeply focused on the activity given by Archmage Arlen.
Most of them were players and now, after learning their lessons, they weren't distracted by Max's presence.
On the contrary, they were motivated.
Since Archmage Arlen utilized a rune where the students couldn't hear what he and Max were talking about, they didn't hold back their voice.
"For now, I can't determine the rank of the demons, but it should be an F-Rank Demon, who corrupts other humans. They were much weaker than imp, but compared to a hundred imp…"
Archmage Arlen's face turned grave.
"They are more dangerous."
Max nodded. He thought. There might be more than meets the eye.
As though Archmage Arlen was reading his thoughts, Archmage Arlen said, "Even more so, when they are supervised by a Greater Demon.
I won't be surprised that the Greater Demon is already eyeing this village."
Max's countenance turned solemn. He thought. A Greater Demon level is equivalent to A-Rank.
Furthermore, a Greater Demon usually has a battalion, so obviously, this village is done for.
He asked, "So, if that's the case, why are the Greater Demon resorting to this? They can easily conquer this village, no?"
Archmage Arlen smirked. "They can't."
He glanced at Max with a confident gaze. "That's why they are resorting to underhanded tricks. You must prevent their plans from succeeding."
"Won't it be easier if you make a move?"
"That's what they wanted me to do, Max." Archmage Arlen smiled bitterly and sighed. "The moment I got involved is the moment I'm seeking for my death and this village's complete annihilation.
Don't forget that all the instructors: Branna Holt, me, Sylwen Thorn, and Sister Elira Dawnwell, including the lieutenant, Garrick Vale, assigned for imperial authority in this village kept the village in check against demons.
Once the balance is broken, the demons can easily enter.
That's why, what you think of yourself as small fry still holds significant value."
Max nodded. He thought. I see. So, if it wasn't for me, Archmage Arlen might not be completely aware of the Greater Demon's plot.
While he was lost in thoughts, Archmage Arlen said, "However, we need confirmation. For now, interact with all the citizens and observe any anomalies. If you spot them, only then we'll know what to do next."
Max nodded. Archmage Arlen is really meticulous. Since he hates demons, then he really knows how cunning they are.
[You have triggered the second stage of the Whispers Beneath The Marsh's Quest.
Stage 2: Echoes of Influence.
Descriptions: The unstable mana appears tied to emotional disturbances among the villagers. Archmage Arlen suspected that a demon subtly amplifies the negative emotions of the villagers.
Objectives: Investigate anomalies within the village.
Rewards: 800 EXP.]
Max inwardly rejoiced. For a simple quest as investigating to be rewarded with an 800 EXP thrilled him.
He couldn't hide the grin off his face as he said, "Consider it done, Teacher."
Archmage Arlen beamed a smile.
It felt reassuring to him that a trusted talented mage was willing to fight against demons.
…
It was now the eleventh hour since Max was inside the game. At the moment, he was currently at the last place where he had to investigate.
It was where his previous quest was, helping a pig owner to feed his pigs. Max could still remember his pigs were surprisingly enthusiastic and often fought against each other for food.
Max thought it was really just the nature of pigs, but looking back at it now, it seemed the corrupted mana also reached them.
He left the pig owner's place as he wandered through the street, while recalling all the anomalies he discovered.
A constant argument between husband and wife, confirmed to have been corrupted by the unstable mana.
A guard patrol miscommunication that caused a warrior his job.
A sudden panic among livestock, surprising glutton pigs that appeared to become greedy.
An uneven more unexplained fatigue by the devout believers, especially those sisters, who were supposed to consistently appear to help the villagers.
This is actually getting bad.
Without hesitation, Max returned to Arcane Cottage to report his discovery to Archmage Arlen.
As soon as Max arrived at his residence and reported his discovery, Archmage Arlen frowned.
He said, "Each of them contains fragments of Contract Residue. In other words, there should be an Infernal Pact Anchor somewhere in the village.
If that anchor continues to be fed by the contract residue, it will only be a matter of time before the village is fully corrupted by their demonic mana."