’I hope they haven’t left yet.’

Julia was looking for Axel and his underlings.

She felt her chest tighten when she saw Bernard’s tired and helpless expressions, so she decided to help him by trying to persuade them to be willing to cooperate with Ren and the others.

’There they are!’

The moment she saw them under a big tree, she approached them immediately.

"Honored guests, please forgive our previous mistake." Even though they were at the same age, Julia still behaved politely. "We’ve never doubted your strength. We just want to keep casualties to a minimum."

"Why didn’t you tell us that you had also sent a quest to them?" Axel asked with an annoyed expression.

"As you know, we live in a rural area without a signal, so it’s hard for us to get information." She was indirectly telling them that they had no idea about the hostility between the two factions.

Axel didn’t say anything anymore and crossed his arms over his chest.

Actually, they had already decided to continue the mission.

It was their first quest, the foundation of their reputation.

Failure was not an option since it would make them lose face in the organization.

Besides, their instructor would be furious if they left because it would look like they had run away from Ren and the others.

However, he would not tell her about it immediately.

The villagers were in desperate need of their help, so he intended to use that to his advantage.

"We will change our minds if you make Axel the leader of the raid." Rian knew exactly what Axel wanted.

"That’s..." Julia was only a member of the Guardian Unit.

She had no authority to decide that.

"Why didn’t you answer immediately? Do you think he is not fit to be a leader?" Vito was displeased with her behavior.

"I’m only a member of the Guardian Unit. I don’t have the authority to decide that," She replied. "How about we meet the village head and discuss it with him?"

Axel and his lackeys exchanged glances with each other.

"Very well. Let’s meet the village head." Axel agreed.

A moment later, they arrived at Bernard’s house.

Bernard was pleasantly surprised when he saw them.

’Had she gone to persuade them to return?’

He was glad he had a capable and understanding person like her.

"Village Chief, they have something to tell you." Julia didn’t go into detail.

It was better for them to say it to him directly.

Bernard shifted his gaze to them and asked with a smile, "If you have something on your mind, feel free to speak."

"We will continue the mission, but Axel must be the leader," Jax went straight to the point.

"This is..." Bernard didn’t know what to do.

The two organizations were at odds.

If he agreed, it would upset Ren and his group, but if he disagreed, Axel and his followers would not help them.

Between them, he could not choose either side since the village needed them both.

’What should I do?’

He forced his mind to find a solution.

Several seconds later, he found a good idea. "How about we split into two groups? One will be under your leadership, and the other under Miss Virelia’s team."

"What do you think, Axel?" Jax asked.

"Fine. We will do that." Axel agreed immediately.

This was better than being in the same group as them. He could also use this to show villagers who was better between them.

"You guys don’t mind it, right?" Bernard asked.

"We are fine with it." Ren and the others replied in unison.

Then, they headed to the village square to organize it.

Only forty people were still able to fight. Half of them joined Axel’s group, while the rest went to Ren’s.

As for the five awakeners, they were currently not in the village, so they were not part of either team.

After that, Axel led his subordinates to the other side of the village square.

"My name is Axel, and I’m a lightning mage." Axel introduced himself. "We will be the group that makes the most contribution, and we will be the ones to take down their leader."

The younger members erupted into cheers while the older ones smiled and nodded in approval.

On the other side, Ren and the others also introduced themselves.

The village folk were startled the moment they learned Virelia was the leader because Ren seemed perfectly suited for the role.

Virelia pouted her lips when she saw their reactions. She knew she was weaker than him, but in terms of leadership, she believed she was not inferior to him.

"Hehe." Ren and the others giggled softly.

"Please forgive us, young leader. We didn’t mean to underestimate you. We were just taken aback." The brown-haired man explained.

"That’s right." A grown man with red hair added. "So, please don’t be angry."

"Hmf!" Virelia crossed her arms over her chest and turned her face away in annoyance.

Ren rose to his feet and walked closer to her. "Don’t look so gloomy. They are just teasing you. Why don’t we practice fighting in formation now?"

Virelia agreed.

"Everyone, stand up. I will teach you how to fight as a group," she had read many books, so she knew many tactics.

She started with a defensive strategy.

She called it the Four-Direction Formation.

In this tactic, four people stood back-to-back, each facing a different direction. They fought as one while protecting each other.

After that, she taught them an offensive strategy.

It was called the Spear-Shield Formation.

Two people stood at the front with shields and spears. Their job was to block incoming attacks while striking back when possible.

Another two took position at the rear, preventing any attacks from behind. The remaining four stayed in the center.

They were the main attackers.

Their task was to take down their enemies as fast and quickly as they could.

Virelia chose to teach only these two first. In her eyes, it was better to master a few than to know many and master none.

"Shield users, pay attention to your surroundings. Don’t get distracted. If even one of you loses focus, everyone’s lives will be in danger," Virelia shouted, "Attackers, go back into the formation if you can’t handle the enemies. Don’t put the defenders at risk like that."

She then continued, "Remember, you must fight as one. You are like the hands, legs, and head of a single body. Move in sync!"

"Understood, young leader!" they replied in unison.

"Do it again!" Virelia said.

At the same time, Axel stared at them and grimaced.

Unlike Virelia, he didn’t teach his underlings how to fight as a group.

He saw himself as a powerful mage, and as a strong awakener, he believed he needed no strategy.

After all, strategy meant nothing before absolute power.

That was why he only told his followers to listen to him without question, because he was sure he could carry them in any fight.

’Pathetic!’

He sneered inwardly.

At 01:00 pm, Virelia told them to rest.

After eating lunch together, they practiced again.

Even though they were not awakeners, their talents were not bad. Within six hours, their progress was already clearly visible.

Of course, Virelia was not satisfied.

She didn’t want a single member of her team to die in the upcoming war, so she made them repeat it until they fully mastered it.

While they were trying their best to master the formations, twenty magical creatures approached the village.