"A mission..." Azrael frowned when he heard Mira's words.
He opened the file she had given him and began to read through it. There were only a few pages, so in less than two minutes, he finished all of them.
"Flato Solar System..." He muttered in a low voice as he put the file down.
The file contained information about recent events in the Flato Solar System, a system of five planets located in the remote region of the Star Dust Galaxy.
According to the report, on Planet Fras—one of the five planets of the Flato Solar System, an alarming number of people had been going missing.
In just one month, the number of disappearances had exceeded 30,000.
The planet's security forces investigated and discovered that the kidnappings were the work of an underground force abducting people for unknown reasons.
Although the security forces managed to capture a few members of the underground organization, people continued to vanish every day, proving that the force still had a significant presence on the planet.
Because the Flato Solar System was situated in the remote region of the Star Dust Galaxy, the general level of strength among the people living there was not very high.
The highest-ranking officer in the Solar System was a Legend-rank warrior, and he only intervened in extremely serious cases. There were a few Epic-level warriors as well, but the majority of the population consisted in this Solar System was of Class-rank warriors or below.
As had been mentioned before, the Star Dust Galaxy was not rich in resources. Even Planet Arkanis, where the Slayers Academy was located had once been a dead planet.
It was only after the entrance to the Eonrift was discovered there that the Federation decided to develop it. (Chapter—59)
With the establishment of the Slayers Academy in the Star Dust Galaxy, the area here had begun developing steadily, shedding its reputation as a barren galaxy and moving toward economic growth.
However, the remote regions of the galaxy, such as the Flato Solar System remained outside of this wave of development. It would take hundreds, if not thousands of years before such isolated regions experienced similar growth.
In places , even if someone managed to reach higher levels such as Legend or even Planetary rank, they would almost always leave in search of a more prosperous location for future advancement.
In fact, in recent years, several individuals had reached Legend or even Planetary rank in these remote sectors, but most of them chose to join the army of the Star Dust Galaxy.
For those seeking advancement, the army of the star dust galaxy offered the best opportunities. Being stationed near the border, the army was always in dire need of high-level warriors and thus provided considerable growth opportunities.
As a result, these remote regions were left with weaker individuals, and the security forces on Planet Fras could not solve the problem of the underground force even after a month.
With no other option, they requested assistance from the higher authorities, and the mission was subsequently posted on the academy's mission site.
'An underground force, huh...' Azrael mused inwardly.
He had heard of such groups before. To put it simply, they were much like terrorist organizations or gangs formed by lawless individuals. There were countless such organizations, and some of the stronger ones even had members at the Planetary or even Star level.
'Why is she showing me this file...?' Azrael wondered as his eyes shifted toward Mira, who was still reviewing some papers.
"You want me to go over there and help them?" He finally asked.
Mira didn't answer immediately. She first finished with the papers, set them aside, and then looked at him.
"You don't want to go?" She asked calmly.
Azrael frowned slightly at her words. It wasn't that he didn't want to go—it was simply too sudden.
He had already planned on taking missions to earn academic credits, but he intended to do so later, after raising his level a bit more.
After a moment of thought, he asked, "What is the reason you're asking me to take on this mission? If I'm not mistaken, missions of this level should only be accepted by second-year or higher students—those who are close to Epic level or have already reached it, right?"
Mira nodded in agreement. "Yes. In fact, the people who posted this mission specifically stated that it would be ideal if an Epic-rank warrior went there."
"Then?" Azrael raised an eyebrow.
"The underground force responsible for the kidnappings is called Transcendent. Although its name may sound imposing, it is merely a third-rate organization. Their leader is just a level 36 Epic-rank warrior. The real problem the security forces are facing on Planet Fras is that they haven't been able to locate the Transcendent organization's hideout. While not many, there are still a few Epic-rank warriors in the security forces over there who are stronger than their leader," Mira paused briefly before continuing. "As long as you find the location of their base on Planet Fras, the security forces can handle the rest."
Azrael thought about her words before speaking. "So what you're saying is that I don't need to fight and destroy this Transcendent organization myself. I just need to uncover the location of their hideout on Planet Fras, and the mission will be considered complete?"
"Correct," Mira confirmed with a nod. "I've been observing your time at the academy, and it's clear that you don't have much left to gain here. You've already mastered most of what can be learned at your current level. What you need now is to raise your level as quickly as possible. And you know the best way to do that, don't you?"
Azrael considered for a moment before answering. "Enter Eonrift."
"Exactly," Mira said with another nod. "This mission won't be easy, but before Ashara left, she told me that your greatest strength isn't just your combat power, but your understanding and analytical abilities." Mira's gaze fixed on Azrael as she spoke in serious voice.
"So, do you believe you can find their hideout and complete this mission? The reward for this mission is a staggering 200 credits. If you succeed, you will be able to enter Eonrift much sooner than expected."