Chapter 482 - 472: Hugh Finch’s New Ability

At that moment, Eri had no idea she had already been labeled as incompetent. Her mind was completely preoccupied with how to get her hands on those two hundred B-grade or higher Red Rock Crystals and the Fire Burning Grass. Otherwise, they would suffer a massive loss this time around.

In fact, Moira Lynch’s previous guess wasn’t wrong. This mission had indeed been consolidated and re-posted by a mission broker.

But her guess wasn’t entirely correct, either. The mission wasn’t posted directly by the broker; it had been accepted and then posted again.

The reason, of course, was that the first people to accept the mission were unable to complete it within the allotted time.

Actually, that’s not entirely accurate. The mission itself wasn’t difficult; more precisely, they had run out of time.

The first ones to accept this mission were none other than Aiden Hayes, Eri, and Kent.

The three of them were adventurers who specialized in taking missions from brokers.

These types of missions usually had a few common traits. Some were extremely dangerous and difficult, which they typically avoided.

Others were tedious and time-consuming, or had extremely tight deadlines.

Before accepting their current mission, they had gone to complete another one first.

Their original plan was to finish that mission and then this one, which should have left them with more than enough time.

However, plans rarely survive contact with reality.

The previous mission unexpectedly took up a huge amount of time, making it impossible for them to finish this one within the deadline.

Left with no other choice, they could only repost the mission with an increased reward, hoping to attract a large number of people to help them complete it.

And in the worst-case scenario, if the mission still couldn’t be completed, they had a way to shift all the blame onto the others, allowing themselves to get away scot-free.

Everyone on this mission, besides the three of them, was a scapegoat they had brought in.

They just hadn’t expected Moira Lynch and Hugh Finch to be so exceptional, completing the most time-consuming part—the gathering—in less than a day.

After all, the three of them had originally allotted a full month for the gathering. Even with more people, they had estimated it would take five or six days.

When Aiden Hayes had tried to get the Red Rock Crystals and Fire Burning Grass earlier, his goal wasn’t to secretly swap them out, but to ditch everyone and turn in the mission by himself.

After all, the mission was complete. They had no intention of sharing the fruits of victory with a bunch of nobodies.

He just hadn’t anticipated that Moira Lynch, who looked young and easy to fool, was actually incredibly vigilant and gave him no opportunity to even touch the Red Rock Crystals.

In the time that followed, Eri didn’t give up. She tried several times to steal the Red Rock Crystals and Fire Burning Grass from Moira Lynch, but she never succeeded.

"AH!"

After Eri let out another strange cry for the umpteenth time, everyone turned to look at her with odd expressions.

Eri’s own expression was bizarre and twisted, as if she were trying to suppress intense pain. The smile on her face was incredibly stiff.

Just then, Kent stepped in to smooth things over. "It’s been so boring on the road. Eri was just trying to liven things up for everyone. Right, Eri?"

Hearing this, Eri forced a stiff smile, looking utterly ridiculous. "Yeah, Kent’s right."

CLAP. CLAP. CLAP.

As soon as she finished speaking, a round of applause suddenly echoed from a corner.

Moira Lynch clapped as she spoke. "What a great performance. It’s just that the routine is a little one-note. Can you switch it up next time?"

Eri’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. Inside, she was grinding her teeth so hard she felt they might shatter. "I can’t," she snarled. "This is the only one I know."

"What a shame," Moira Lynch said, feigning disappointment.

But despite her words, her eyes held not a trace of disappointment, instead fixing Eri with a provocative gaze.

’We’re all B-class adventurers. The others might be afraid of her, but I’m not.’

The moment the two women’s gazes collided, sparks seemed to fly. The others all lowered their heads, wanting no part of it. Even Kent and Aiden Hayes, standing nearby, remained silent.

Years as adventurers, facing countless dangers big and small, had taught them one crucial lesson: stay out of fights between women, or you’re likely to get dragged in yourself.

’Damn vixen! Just wait until I get my hands on you. I’ll peel your skin off and make it into a rug!’

Eri thought viciously to herself.

But despite her inner thoughts, after being thwarted several times, Eri finally gave up trying.

Moira Lynch looked at the mousetraps she had set up around her and sighed in disappointment. ’And here I thought she was persistent. Turns out she gives up this easily.’

Hugh Finch saw her disappointed expression and said with an amused laugh, "Don’t be upset. If all goes well, we should be able to complete the mission tomorrow. Didn’t you say on the ship that you were looking forward to going back?"

Hugh Finch’s reminder finally made Moira Lynch remember.

’That’s right. I have more important things to do back home. The top priority now is to finish this mission quickly.’

By noon the next day, the vehicle carrying Moira Lynch and the others arrived smoothly at the mission location. After handing over the transported goods to the designated person, Moira Lynch walked toward the turn-in point, all under the resentful glares of Aiden Hayes, Kent, and Eri.

During this time, Kent tried to step forward and stop her, but he was blocked by Hugh Finch.

Initially, Kent hadn’t paid any mind to this E-class adventurer. A newbie like that was clearly just here to leech experience.

If he hadn’t been so outstanding during the search for the Red Rock Crystals, Kent wouldn’t have given him a second glance.

Now, however, looking at Hugh Finch’s eyes—which had turned silver, with purple pupils—Kent felt an inexplicable fear creep into his heart.

After taking the Verasi Potion, Hugh Finch hadn’t awakened a new talent like Moira Lynch, but his own innate talent had been made whole and become much stronger, allowing him to awaken two even more formidable abilities.

Curse and Blessing.

As their names imply, it’s easy to guess what these two abilities do.

Curse, as the name suggests, makes a person unlucky. Hugh Finch’s Curse, however, could specify *how* the target would become unlucky, while also stealing a portion of their luck.

Theoretically, the more potent the curse, the more luck it would steal.

Blessing, on the other hand, involved sharing his own luck with a target, making them incredibly fortunate for a short period.

The two abilities complemented each other.

And now, this was the first time Hugh Finch had ever used his Curse ability.