Independent Regiment!

"Another side quest!"

It didn't seem too difficult. Completing it would mean he only needed to finish one more side quest before he could leave Miyuan City anytime he wanted.

Xiao Ran carefully examined the quest details.

He needed to hunt and collect five Campus Badges. It didn't sound like a lot, but since it was an E-rank quest, it was better to be prepared.

Xiao Ran closed the door and took out the Campus Badges he had obtained earlier.

At that moment, a prompt sounded in his ear again.

[You can use Campus Badges to strengthen your dormitory.]

A virtual table then appeared before his eyes. Xiao Ran examined it carefully.

Strengthen Door/Windows LV1: One Campus Badge.

Strengthened doors and windows will have increased defense.

However, each subsequent reinforcement would double in price.

Strengthen Bed LV1: One Campus Badge.

Upgraded beds can grant immunity to Night Ghost's Soul Calling Skill while sleeping.

The higher the level, the stronger the immunity cap.

Strengthen Dormitory LV1: One Campus Badge.

Each upgrade increases the dormitory space by ten square meters.

There were many similar enhancements, but Xiao Ran's attention was mostly focused on the few enhancement options at the bottom of the table.

[Door Curse] LV1: Requires Special Badge - Despair.

Imbues the room door with a powerful talisman. When Night Ghosts arrive, it will summon Cursed Spirits to attack.

[Curse Couplet] LV1: Requires Special Badge - Pain.

Imbues the house's doors and windows with special cursed couplets. When Night Ghosts attack the door, they will be randomly cursed and take damage.

[Room Pet] LV1: Requires Special Badge - Cruelty.

Summons a Room Pet. Each Room Pet has unique abilities. The higher the level, the more powerful the abilities.

[Treasure Vault] LV1: Requires Special Badge - Hatred + Cruelty + Pain + Despair.

Summons a Treasure Vault once, randomly obtaining three special items from it.

Looking at the list, Xiao Ran pondered. No wonder they could only attend three classes a day. Even with the risk of being turned into materials or badges, those students still rushed into the classrooms.

This wasn't attending class; it was clearly a daily task. If a dormitory had six people, attending the full three classes a day would yield eighteen badges, enough to upgrade many things.

But if even one person missed a class, the entire dormitory might not survive the night.

"This school truly takes survival of the fittest to the extreme."

Xiao Ran curled his lips. He thought about the number of badges he had and glanced at his empty bed, realizing his current situation wasn't optimistic.

"I must upgrade my dormitory as soon as possible."

Even with the Spirit Coffin to change his identity, there was still a risk of being surrounded by other Night Ghosts. The dormitory was the safest place.

With that thought, Xiao Ran didn't linger. He closed the door and walked out.

Just a few steps out of his dormitory, a boy holding a club suddenly jumped out from the bushes.

"Halt!!"

Several people blocked Xiao Ran's path. The young man in the lead sized Xiao Ran up, then walked forward and handed him a flyer from his pocket.

"Classmate, haven't joined a regiment yet, have you?"

"Join a regiment?"

"Yeah, this place is tough to get by. You're at a disadvantage alone. Join us, we have joining benefits."

As the youth spoke, he gestured for Xiao Ran to look towards the third floor of the dormitory building.

Xiao Ran looked up and saw that on the third floor, to the left, several scantily clad girls were waving at him from their doorway. Beside them, a mature woman whose age clearly didn't match that of a student, even unbuttoned her top, giving Xiao Ran a feast for his eyes.

"Join us, and you get a wife upon joining. If you're strong, the leader can even assign you a secretary, giving you ten badges daily. Someone in the dormitory will help you upgrade. If you hunt a Night Ghost, the leader offers extra rewards."

Xiao Ran had initially thought they were here to rob him. The saber under his cloak had already started to charge up. He hadn't expected them to suddenly become so polite, which made him feel a bit awkward.

He picked up the flyer and saw a familiar title written on it: [Independent Regiment]. The slogan made Xiao Ran speechless.

This was clearly an attempt by outsiders to establish their own territory within the campus.

Xiao Ran hesitated for a few seconds, then asked in a low voice, "Big brother, so... do I have to pay?"

The youth was taken aback, then his expression darkened. He said with mock seriousness, "What are you saying? Once you join, we're brothers. Can I ask my brothers for money???"

"We definitely can't take brothers' money, but since we're brothers, spending a little of your brothers' money should be fine, right?"

Xiao Ran mentally rephrased the youth's words. This routine was all too familiar.

"Perfect. You chose the wrong path, walking into hell when heaven was right there. You brought this upon yourselves by trying to recruit me!"

With that thought, Xiao Ran no longer hesitated. Putting on an expression of being inspired by the youth, he said, "Okay, Big Brother, then I want to join the group."

Hearing Xiao Ran wanted to join, the youth grinned, his arm naturally hooking over Xiao Ran's shoulder. "Brother, just now the dorm manager seemed quite friendly with you. Did he recommend a good dorm for you?"

After speaking, fearing Xiao Ran might overthink it, he quickly added, "Don't get any ideas, brother. We all want to help you. If it's a new dorm, you definitely won't have enough Campus Badges to upgrade, and you won't be able to hold out tonight."

Xiao Ran understood immediately. No wonder they were so enthusiastic towards him; it turned out they had their eyes on his dorm.

"Big Brother, you guys are too good to me. I just got assigned a dorm, and there are still five empty beds in it. It's just a bit run-down..."

Upon hearing Xiao Ran still had five empty beds, the eyes of the few men were practically burning.

They exchanged glances, curses brewing in their hearts.

Empty spots in dorms were incredibly scarce, and the few student groups on campus didn't have enough to go around.

They had seen Xiao Ran's seemingly good relationship with the dorm manager and had approached him on a whim, not expecting to catch such a big fish.

A new dorm, such a great contribution, would be enough to promote him from a small team leader to a big team leader in the group.

If this dorm's environment was even better, perhaps...

With that thought, the leading youth's face was practically blooming with a smile. He pulled Xiao Ran's arm. "Let's go, let's go! We'll go take a look. We'll have the brothers help you tidy it up tonight, I guarantee you'll sleep comfortably."

Surrounded by the four men, Xiao Ran entered the dorm again.

By the time they reached the second floor of the dorm, the four men's faces were almost bursting with smiles.

The second floor was a prime location. It was rumored that some legendary experts on campus lived on the second floor. They hadn't expected this kid to be so lucky as to get a spot on the second floor.

"Is this kid related to that old lady? The treatment is so good?"

"It's this one!"

Xiao Ran took out his key, unlocked the door, and pushed it open. The youths quickly stepped into the dorm.

Looking at the simple dorm before them, the four men's faces were instead filled with elation. Only when they looked up did they notice a coffin hanging overhead.

"Huh? Why is there a coffin hanging here?"

"I don't know. It was here when I arrived."

Xiao Ran said nonchalantly, casually closing the door and engaging the bolt. He then looked at the four men. "Big Brother, you just mentioned giving a wife and badges. Where do I collect those?"

The four men were stunned. They exchanged glances and then burst into laughter.

The short youth on the left walked up to Xiao Ran and patted his shoulder. "Brother, what are you thinking? You just joined the group, and you want to enjoy the benefits without any contribution yet?"

"So, you're not planning to give them to me?"

Xiao Ran's eyes gradually narrowed into slits.

"Heh, give us your key, pay the group fee, and join us for Ghost Hunting tonight. If you can survive, then..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Ran's hand suddenly emerged from under his cloak. The next second, a head flew off the youth's neck.

Before the head could hit the ground, Xiao Ran caught it. Looking at the surprised expression on the head, Xiao Ran raised the black saber on his shoulder. "Too slow. I'll just take it myself."

With that, his figure suddenly lunged towards the other three.

"F*ck your grandma, kill him!!"

A string of curses echoed through the second-floor corridor, but the sounds quickly subsided. Before long, only the sound of chopping meat remained...

The editor said I have over 300 followers, which is fine, but the growth is too slow, and I got eliminated from the PK. So, I hope everyone can leave more comments and posts in the comment section, and follow me more. While I don't expect to get on the Sanjiang list, I also don't want to be forced to publish. Please, everyone.