After submitting the mission, Jonathan and Liens parted ways in the Mission Hall.

As they separated, Liens asked Jonathan, puzzled, "Aren't the Dark Guard dorms all in the same area?"

Jonathan's reply was, "Dorms? I'm not going to sleep, why go back there?"

After speaking, Jonathan even gave Liens a mysterious smile.

Seeing that expression, Liens roughly guessed what Jonathan was planning to do.

Although he had never entered the Red-Light District, he had heard the adults around him talk about it while working, saying it was in the black market.

As for where the black market was? Liens didn't know.

Neither his "past self" nor his current self was interested in such things.

He now preferred to practice sword fighting and kill in dungeons while simultaneously searching for a way to achieve freedom.

Thus, the two, with different interests and destinations, naturally went their separate ways.

...

Upon returning to the dorm, Liens saw Ben sitting in a chair, deep in thought.

The Glenbagen Family arranged five-person dorms for their Dark Guards.

Although the room was still not very large, the living conditions were much better than in the Training Camp.

Inside the room, not only were the beds separate, but there were also individual nightstands for storing personal belongings.

In addition, tables, chairs, tea sets, and appropriate lighting equipment were all provided.

Jonathan had previously mentioned that the current number of Dark Guards in the Glenbagen Family was likely between 200 and 300.

Therefore, the dormitory area, which could accommodate at least 300 people, was quite large.

When assigning dorms, there were no special requirements, as long as they could be filled.

So, Liens, Ben, and Harriman were in the same room, along with two other newcomers.

Liens interrupted Ben's contemplation and asked, "Are you waiting for me?"

"Ah... it's Liens."

"No, I was just thinking about something,"

Hearing the voice, Ben first looked up at Liens in surprise, then shook his head, denying his guess.

"Did you encounter something troublesome again? Didn't you say you had figured it out before?"

Liens frowned slightly.

"It's not that kind of thing... Let's go outside and talk."

Ben continued to shake his head in denial, about to explain to Liens, but then remembered that besides the two of them, there were others sleeping in the dorm, so it wasn't suitable for talking.

Thus, he motioned for Liens to go outside and talk.

Walking out of the dorm, the two came to a quiet corner, and Ben began to explain to Liens, "Didn't I tell you before that my novice mission was to kill a merchant?" Note: Check * for any corrections.

Liens nodded, then asked Ben in return, "Yes, you said so, what's wrong? Is there something different about that merchant, or did you encounter any difficulties with the mission?"

"I didn't encounter any difficulties with the mission; I just snuck into that merchant's house and killed him."

"That merchant didn't even have a weapon, so it wasn't troublesome."

"What truly made me feel strange were the mysterious patterns densely spread throughout that merchant's house."

"It was a pattern like a balance scale."

"That mysterious pattern was everywhere in his house, whether on the walls, in books, or even on scattered papers on the ground."

"However, if it were just that, I wouldn't be troubled."

"After all, cult beliefs aren't rare these days, though not extremely common."

"So at the time, I didn't pay much attention to it."

At this point, Ben paused, a bitter smile appearing on his face, and then continued, "But... I can't forget it."

"I don't know why, but I can't forget that mysterious pattern; it's as if it's branded into my mind, and it's even becoming clearer."

"I can clearly feel that if I wanted to, I could accurately draw that pattern without a single mistake."

Hearing this, Liens's brows furrowed tightly.

Things are troublesome...

Ben's situation must mean he's entangled with something, and it involves cult belief, which is undoubtedly a very troublesome matter.

In the novels of his previous life, ordinary people like Ben who got involved with cults usually ended up miserably.

Even without the experience of reading novels in his previous life, he could roughly understand the trouble level involved with cult belief from Marvin's teachings.

Marvin once said that in this world, only three deities were considered true Gods.

First, Heavenly Light; second, Life; third, Adventurer.

Besides those three, anyone else claiming to be a deity was a cult.

At that time, Marvin also specifically warned them never to get involved with cults, and even more so, never to believe in evil deities, otherwise, even their souls would cease to exist after death.

Leaving aside the question of whether the soul could still exist after death, Marvin emphasized that the Church cracked down very hard on cults.

Anyone involved who was discovered would either be imprisoned and crippled or directly killed, without exception.

Ben also knew about this, so when he spoke to Liens about this matter, the bitterness on his face grew even stronger.

Unlucky, truly too unlucky...

To normally complete a novice mission and then unluckily encounter such a situation.

Honestly, Liens didn't know how to evaluate Ben's luck.

This must be an African Chief.

He had just survived the brutal Training Camp and was entangled by a cult that very night.

Isn't this constantly pushing Ben to his death?

After all, not everyone, just by entering a cult follower's house, can be targeted by an evil deity.

"Have you told anyone else? Or has anyone noticed anything unusual, especially your supervisor?"

Liens pressed Ben.

If Ben's situation was truly detected by his supervisor, then Liens would have to consider how to quickly and cleanly kill someone again.

"No, I only told you, and I only felt my abnormality after returning to the dorm, so he shouldn't have noticed either."

"Unless he also encountered the same situation as me, but even if that's the case, it doesn't matter."

"Given this, he can't expose me, can he?"

Ben replied.

"Good, the worst-case scenario hasn't happened... Now, can you hear any whispers?"

Liens continued to ask Ben.

Ben shook his head.

"I haven't heard any evil deity's call, which means it's not very serious yet, and there's still time to investigate solutions."

"If it really comes down to it, what does it matter if we become cultists?"

"What we're doing now, how is it any better than cultists? Isn't it all just killing?"

"So, don't panic, stay calm, and absolutely do not let others discover your abnormality."

"If someone really discovers it, deal with them promptly. If you can't bring yourself to do it, let me."

Liens instructed Ben.

"I originally just wanted to explain to you; I didn't expect to be comforted by you."

"I'm fine, I know everything you said. When necessary, I won't be soft-hearted."

Ben calmly responded to Liens.

"Alright then, let's sleep. Too much has happened today, everyone is tired, so hurry and sleep."

"There's nothing that can't be solved, and even if it can't be solved, it's still a solution if the problem solves us."

"So, rest is the most important thing."

After Liens finished speaking, he turned and walked towards the dorm.

Everything that needed to be said had been said; they were all old enough, and he believed Ben would prepare himself.

Seeing Liens return to the dorm, Ben said no more and followed him back to rest.