The Shelter Game: Me, Starting with a Tenfold Drop Rate

After the meeting of the Night Blades elders concluded, Howard and Kent quickly departed.

Both men were eager to dedicate all their time to targeting Irving. They understood clearly that their next actions needed to succeed if they were to gain the leader of the Night Blades' forgiveness.

The two elders made their way directly to the misty space owned by Elder Howard.

In the misty space, they finally had the opportunity to discuss a specific course of action.

Elder Kent spoke directly.

"We must learn from the lessons of our previous mission. When facing Irving, we cannot act impulsively. We must wait for a lethal opportunity."

Elder Howard agreed with Kent's statement.

However, he believed that a truly lethal opportunity might not present itself.

If they continued to wait without encountering such an opportunity, would they not be allowing Irving's plans to succeed?

"What you say makes sense, but we can't just sit here and wait. If Irving's plan is successful, we will lose all credibility to continue serving as elders of the Night Blades," Howard replied, his words hinting at the gravity of their situation.

Both elders understood that if this mission failed again, they could very well be eliminated.

"Of course, we absolutely cannot just wait. While we are waiting, we must also gather intelligence on Irving," Kent said confidently.

"I've already sent my subordinates to track Irving. They will soon bring back detailed information about him."

Howard felt a bit helpless regarding Kent's confidence.

He, too, had sent subordinates to track Irving, but those subordinates had not returned with significant intelligence.

Howard believed that in order to stop Irving's plans, they needed to personally track him down.

"Our subordinates are too weak. Relying on them to gather sufficient intelligence is a bit unrealistic. I think we should take action ourselves."

After a moment of silence, Howard expressed his thoughts.

Kent looked at Howard.

"While it's true that acting ourselves would be more effective, aren't you worried about alarming the snake? Irving will certainly be able to sense our presence."

Kent's concern was indeed valid.

After contemplating seriously for a while, Elder Howard finally devised a solution that would satisfy both of their needs.

"We can split up our efforts. One of us can stay in the background to direct our subordinates in disrupting Irving's plans, while the other can go into the real world to track him down. This way, we won't easily alert Irving to our presence, and we'll also be able to gather sufficient intelligence."

Elder Kent didn't immediately express his agreement or disagreement with Howard's plan. Instead, he asked, "How do you think we should divide our roles?"

"I think you should remain in the rear, as you're not particularly skilled at concealing your presence. I'll take on the task of tracking Irving. My skills allow me to hide my existence quite effectively."

Howard's reasoning was solid and well thought out, taking both of their specific situations into account.

Kent looked at Howard with an appreciative gaze. "I think your plan is excellent. Let's proceed according to your strategy! I will stay here to command the regular members of the Night Blades. I'll continuously send them to disrupt Irving. While he's busy dealing with our members, you can gather the intelligence you need.

And if Irving lets his guard down too much, you might even be able to directly thwart his plans."

Howard didn't share Kent's belief that the operation would go so smoothly. However, Kent's points were valid. If Irving made significant mistakes in his responses, Howard could indeed disrupt his plans on his own.

"Alright then, I'll head into the real world quickly. You can handle everything here!"

After saying this, Howard transformed into a swirl of black smoke and quickly dissipated.

Kent, his expression serious, took a moment to think before contacting his subordinates within the misty space.

"There's a very important mission you need to undertake! If you succeed, I will offer you substantial rewards."

Kent didn't reveal the specifics of the task immediately; instead, he first mentioned the rewards he could provide.

"You'll learn powerful spells, receive a specially selected powerful weapon, and your status within the Night Blades will also see a corresponding increase."

The rewards Kent outlined were indeed generous. Every member of the Night Blades aspired to obtain such rewards, but they also understood that a task worthy of such rewards would likely be extremely challenging.

A member of the Night Blades asked Elder Kent, "Elder, what exactly is the task you want us to carry out? Is it something very difficult?"

"It is not a particularly difficult task! What I'm asking you to do is quite simple; you just need to be diligent and careful," Kent replied.

His words excited the members of the Night Blades, as this was the first time they were assigned a task that offered substantial rewards without being overly challenging.

"Your mission is very straightforward: you must continuously cause trouble for the Ocean Group and the Green Ivy Company. Throughout this process, you must not reveal your true identities."

When Kent revealed the specifics of the task, all the Night Blades members were taken aback. They had to admit that the task Kent had given them was indeed quite simple.

"Don't worry! We will complete this mission to the best of our abilities!"

With that, Kent's subordinates quickly set off to execute the task he had assigned.

Kent was aware that the task he had given, along with the rewards he promised, were mismatched; his rewards were exceedingly generous.

However, Kent had his own considerations. He believed that only by offering high rewards could he motivate his subordinates to work diligently for him.

Moreover, the task he had just assigned was only the simplest of the tasks. Kent planned to give increasingly difficult assignments in the future.

While Kent was assigning tasks, Elder Howard arrived in the City of Warding.

He did not approach Irving's home right away because he felt that such an action would be too risky. Even if Irving wasn't home, it was likely that he had set up some defensive measures around his house.

Elder Howard found himself in the city center of the City of Warding, not far from the newly rebuilt headquarters of the Angel Guild.

Looking at the headquarters of the Angel Guild, Howard couldn't help but exclaim, "I really didn't expect the Angel Guild to move so quickly. They managed to rebuild their headquarters in such a short time."

After this reflection, Howard began to carefully observe the pedestrians around him.

Eventually, he identified one passerby as a spy for the Angel Guild. Without hesitation, Elder Howard transformed into a swirl of black smoke and floated close to the Angel Guild's informant.

Although the informant had sensed that something was off, Elder Howard successfully used his dark magic to turn the individual into a puppet before they could react. He manipulated the puppet and walked toward the headquarters of the Angel Guild.

The defenses at the Angel Guild headquarters were much more relaxed than before. As a result, Howard was not detected by any of the Angel Guild members and made his way directly to the meeting room.

Inside the meeting room, voices were raised in heated argument. The two people arguing were Aron and Anna.

After the Angel Guild parted ways with Irving, they faced a series of troubles. Anna had previously suggested to Aron that to resolve the issues the Angel Guild was encountering, they needed to seek Irving's assistance. However, Aron had immediately rejected Anna's proposal without hesitation.

In Aron's view, the Angel Guild should not rely on anyone else. They needed to develop the capability to face crises on their own. Initially, Anna had been convinced by Aron. But as a series of unfortunate events unfolded, leading to even greater losses for the Angel Guild, Anna could no longer endure the situation.

She felt that Aron's approach was not beneficial for the Angel Guild.

"Why can't you understand what I'm saying? Do you really think the Angel Guild is in a good state right now? We must seek Irving's help if we want the Angel Guild to grow stronger!" Anna shouted angrily at Aron.

Aron's expression remained unchanged as he coldly replied, "I've told you many times. We should not seek anyone's help. We must rely on our own strength to solve the problems we face. Are you suggesting that we allow the Angel Guild to become a vassal of Irving? Do you want us to end up like the Ocean Group?"

"Just because Benjamin is willing to follow Irving doesn't mean I will! I'm not someone like Benjamin who has no self-respect!"

Aron's words finally made Anna realize why he had consistently refused to seek help from Irving.

"Are you putting the members of the Angel Guild in great danger just for your own pride? Don't you think that's a bit selfish?" Anna asked him, her tone filled with disappointment.

Aron shook his head. "I am currently the highest-ranking member of the Angel Guild. My dignity represents the dignity of the Guild. Protecting my pride is equivalent to protecting the pride of the Angel Guild."

Aron did not see any issue with his stance. Anna was so disillusioned that she decided not to say anything more.

"If that's truly how you feel, then I have nothing else to say to you!" After coldly delivering that statement, Anna pushed open the door and left the meeting room.