"The instance rewards have been distributed."
Upon returning to the real world, Shen Hao immediately heard the game system's notification and began checking his character panel.
Level: 8 Experience: 400/2000 Base attributes: Constitution 26, Spirit 26 Special abilities: Throwing Axe Mastery, Undying 1, Possession.
He had now gained a new ability, Possession, as a reward for this instance.
He immediately chose to examine it.
"Possession: When someone becomes afraid of you and screams, you can possess them. Once possessed, the target will be fully under your control and gain half of your Mental Attribute. You will lose half of your Mental Attribute until the possession ends."
This skill was much like the ability in the instance.
But because he was human and couldn't abandon his own body, his Mental Attribute would be split in two during possession, with half in his own body and the other half in the person he possessed.
It was a good ability and would be very useful in future instances.
He checked his inventory again.
There were two new things in his inventory. One was the Demon Blade, which he had picked up in the instance and wasn't a reward for this mission.
[Demon Blade] Quality: Grade C Trait: A Demon's exclusive blade, incomparably sharp. Wounds inflicted by it can never heal. But its uses extend far beyond killing people. It can also slay and devour spirits, growing stronger by devouring them."
A Demon's exclusive blade. His class was Demon, so didn't that make this his exclusive weapon?
He tried holding it and found it fit his hand perfectly. It was much easier to use than an axe.
It certainly lived up to its status as an exclusive weapon.
He put the Demon Blade back in his inventory and looked at the other new item.
It was a doll.
"Avenger's Doll: Originally an ordinary doll, it was brought to life by the avenger's resentment and transformed into a killing weapon. This doll combines the traits of all the dolls and is even more formidable. She was born for revenge and will eliminate all enemies for her master."
It sounded interesting, so Shen Hao took the doll out.
The doll was the little girl he had met in the instance. She was very cute and was looking at him with a smile.
He had witnessed the dolls' strength in the instance, but the doll he had obtained now should be even stronger than those in the instance.
After all, this doll combined the traits of all the dolls.
Looking at the doll's white dress, Shen Hao said,
"I'm your master from now on. I'll give you a name. Hmm, you'll be called Xiaobai."
After naming her, Shen Hao felt that the name sounded a bit like a dog's, but a delighted smile appeared on the doll's face. It didn't seem to dislike the name.
"All right, since you don't object, you'll be called Xiaobai from now on."
The doll was still smiling, her smile sweet.
He put the doll back in his inventory. This was the real world, after all, and a doll that could move and smile was simply too unusual. It was more suitable for her to stay in the inventory.
Shen Hao was very satisfied with his gains from this instance. Perhaps he could reach level 10 in the next one.
After level 10, ordinary players all had a chance to awaken as Ability Users. Although he was different from ordinary players, he should gain something too.
Shen Hao immediately began matching for a new instance. He had already decided to become a grinding fiend.
Early the next morning, Shen Hao received a call from Xia Bing.
"You've come out of the instance, right? You can come to the Alliance Guild today to report in and submit your application to join."
"Okay," Shen Hao agreed immediately.
He had agreed to join the Alliance Guild before entering the instance. Now that he had completed it, he really should go report in.
Joining the Alliance had many benefits for him too, and its rules were fairly relaxed. As long as he didn't break the law, there would basically be no trouble.
He wasn't opposed to joining the Alliance Guild.
Shen Hao didn't go to school. Instead, he headed straight to the address Xia Bing had sent him: the Zhongzhou City branch of the Thriller Paradise Player Alliance.
It was on the outskirts of the city and wasn't as lavish as Shen Hao had imagined. It was just an ordinary four-story building with a fairly large courtyard, where quite a few cars were parked.
He had always thought the Player Alliance Guild had official backing and plenty of money, and that its offices would be somewhere impressive. He couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.
When he reached the building entrance, the guard had him register briefly before letting him in.
Apparently, security here wasn't very strict either, which did match his expectations.
After going up to the second floor, Shen Hao called Xia Bing. She came out of an office on that floor and beckoned to him.
"Come in." Xia Bing went into the office, and he followed her inside.
Xia Bing then took out a form for him to fill in. It asked for basic information.
Things like his name, ID number, home address and family members, as well as his game level.
As Shen Hao was filling out the form, Xia Bing asked, "The instance wasn't difficult this time, was it?"
"No, I cleared it easily."
"Mm, Haunted Town really is a very easy instance."
Xia Bing added, "Once you become a guild member, you'll have certain obligations to fulfill. Are you planning to join the Internal Affairs Department or the Field Operations Department?"
"What's the difference between them?"
"A big difference," Xia Bing said. "The Internal Affairs Department generally handles clerical work. You have to clock in every day, and it's very dull. The pay isn't high either."
"What about the Field Operations Department?"
"You don't have to come here to work every day in Field Operations. You just have to stay in the city. There's almost nothing to do most of the time, unless an emergency comes up that requires the department to handle it."
Shen Hao understood. The Internal Affairs Department handled internal matters, mainly work within the organization, and it was all rather tedious and boring.
The Field Operations Department, on the other hand, involved fighting and killing outside. Most of the time, it was very relaxed and offered a lot of freedom.
Xia Bing added, "You're a student and still have classes, so I suggest you join the Field Operations Department.
I'm the leader of Field Operations Team Three, and I happen to be short-handed. You can join my team.
You're level 8 now. I won't assign you any missions before you become an Ability User, so for the time being, you basically won't have to do anything."
"How much is the salary?" Shen Hao asked.
"If you join my team, you'll receive 15,000 yuan a month before becoming an Ability User. Your salary will double afterward.
There's a bonus for every mission, starting at 10,000.
Of course, besides the salary, you'll also receive plenty of benefits. For example, you'll be given a car and a house."
Xia Bing didn't mention that if he died in the line of duty or in an instance, the guild would give his family a generous compensation payment, because he knew Shen Hao had no family.
"What about the salary in Internal Affairs?"
"Five to ten thousand, with no bonuses or other benefits. It's much the same as an ordinary office job."
Shen Hao could tell that Xia Bing really wanted him to join the Field Operations Department. She had even offered him the privilege of not having to go on missions before becoming an Ability User.
But Shen Hao didn't want to choose the Field Operations Department.
Although the pay was better and the hours were more flexible, he would essentially be nothing more than the guild's muscle.
If he took the guild's money, he would naturally have to work for it. Even if he was given a very dangerous mission, he wouldn't be able to refuse.
So while the Field Operations Department seemed free, it actually came with more restrictions.
By comparison, the Internal Affairs Department was better. Although he would have to keep regular hours, his duties would be clearly defined and consist of simple work. He would only need to do his own job.
"I'm sorry, um... I'd like to choose the Internal Affairs Department. Is that okay?" Shen Hao asked.
Xia Bing was somewhat surprised. "Why choose Internal Affairs? I thought you would choose Field Operations."
In fact, most players wouldn't choose the Internal Affairs Department. It was just ordinary work that anyone could do, and the main thing was that the compensation was mediocre.
Players with extraordinary powers all considered themselves different from others, and they were more willing to choose the Field Operations Department.
"I'm mild-mannered and don't like violence. I hate fighting and killing, so the Internal Affairs Department suits me better."
Xia Bing gave him a strange look. When they had first met, this very person had just chopped off a head with an axe, and he'd been perfectly calm about it.
For someone like that to say he was mild-mannered and didn't like violence, she didn't believe a word of it.
"You're still a student. If you join Internal Affairs, you won't be able to go to school once you're assigned a position."
"I can apply for a leave of absence." Shen Hao felt that going to school no longer mattered.
Most people didn't go to school to acquire knowledge or seek the truth, but to have a way to make a living later.
Now that he had a job like this, there wasn't much point in going to school.
Seeing how determined Shen Hao was, Xia Bing stopped trying to persuade him, though she still thought it was a pity.
She thought Shen Hao had great potential and that it would be a waste for him to join Internal Affairs. Besides, her team was short-handed. If not for that, she wouldn't have been in such a hurry to recruit him.
"All right, since you've made up your mind, I respect your choice. But if you ever want to join Field Operations, you can still come to me."
Xia Bing took him to the person in charge of the Internal Affairs Department, who arranged a position for him as an archives administrator.
It was a very simple position that required no special skills. He only needed to be literate and know how to use a computer.
Shen Hao was quite happy, because the position suited him well.
The archives contained many things. Guides to game instances, for example, also counted as records and were under his management.
After completing the paperwork, Shen Hao said to Xia Bing, "Sorry I didn't choose Field Operations. I just don't like violence, so..."
"It's all right," Xia Bing said, shaking her head. "Although you didn't join my team, you joined the guild at least, so I still recruited a talented person for the guild."
"There's something I want to ask you. Who exactly was the person I killed on the bus that day?
I'm a guild member now. You can tell me, right?"