Rapid Recovery

This...

Bald Head stared wide-eyed at the familiar figure lying beneath the ring, utterly incredulous.

Brother Dai had actually lost?

How was that possible!

"Qin Tian won! Haha, Qin Tian, you won!"

Xiao Yunlong excitedly leaped onto the ring and grabbed Qin Tian by the shoulders, shaking him hard. A flush of excitement spread across his face.

Qin Dadi and Liu Zhaozhao were overjoyed. No one had expected Qin Tian, who had been getting beaten down the whole time, to turn the tables in an instant and knock Bearded Man off the ring.

"Qin Tian's amazing. His swordsmanship's improved a lot since a couple of days ago."

"That's only part of it. The most important thing is that he just used a Psionic Martial Skill."

"Lightning-type swordsmanship—fast and brutal. He'd been holding back his Psionic Energy the whole time, just waiting to catch him off guard at the end."

"..."

Beneath the ring, the crowd buzzed with conversation, lavish in their praise of Qin Tian.

Bearded Man got to his feet. His shirt was ripped open in several places across the chest, and his skin was red and faintly bloodied, but to him, that didn't even count as a minor injury.

What he truly couldn't accept was his defeat.

"Damn it, I underestimated him."

Bearded Man clenched his fists. Seeing Qin Tian fight with only his physical strength, he'd assumed he was an Ability User. He hadn't expected the guy to unleash such astonishing speed at the last moment, catching him completely off guard.

In a real battlefield, he wouldn't have lost yet. He was even certain he could kill Qin Tian.

But they'd been fighting on a ring, where the understood rule was that stepping outside meant defeat. The only alternative was to shamelessly deny that unwritten rule and jump back up to keep fighting.

But then, in less than a day, word of what he'd done would spread throughout the Barracks, and his reputation would be completely ruined.

"Brother Dai, are you okay?"

Bald Head hurried over and asked with concern.

Bearded Man's expression was grim. "I'm fine."

"Then, should we..." Bald Head asked tentatively.

Bearded Man tossed his training sword to the ground and turned to leave.

"Brother Dai, wait for me!"

Bald Head hurried after him.

Watching the two walk away, Xiao Yunlong grinned from atop the ring and shouted:

"Take care now!"

"And don't cause trouble after a few drinks next time. You might get clobbered again!"

"Hahaha!"

Laughter rang out behind them.

Bearded Man stopped in his tracks, fists clenching with a crackle. His chest heaved, and his eyes blazed with fury.

"Brother Dai."

Bald Head watched him cautiously, afraid Dai Jun might lose his temper, turn around, and start a fight with the people behind them.

Never mind the consequences. They were outnumbered more than ten to two. If it came to a fight, they'd get beaten to a pulp.

He was here to back Dai Jun up, not to take a beating.

"Let's go!"

Bearded Man forced the words through his teeth and strode away faster, leaving the 319th Legion's base.

"Get lost!"

Xiao Yunlong gave the two of them the finger, then looked at Qin Tian with a smile in his eyes.

"Qin Tian, I didn't know you had it in you to be so sneaky. You even know how to hit someone from behind."

Qin Dadi and Liu Zhaozhao walked onto the ring together, both smiling.

Yeah, who would have thought that Qin Tian, usually so aloof and quiet, would do something like that?

It was such a surprising contrast—and...

kind of cute, too.

"Qin Tian, thank you."

Liu Zhaozhao looked up at him. Her voice was soft, but full of sincerity.

She knew Qin Tian had done it to avenge her.

What moved her most was that he hadn't said a word about it afterward. If those two hadn't come looking for trouble, she might never have found out what Qin Tian had done.

"It was nothing."

A faint smile touched Qin Tian's lips.

[Rapid Recovery] was a Green Talent, and its effects were extraordinary.

Ordinary scrapes healed on their own in just a few minutes. If the wound was shallow, it could disappear in only a few breaths.

Xiao Yunlong's mouth twitched. Qin Tian ran faster than a Spirit Cat, was stronger than an Orc, and had incredible recovery, too.

And he still said he wasn't a Super Soldier?

Just then, the onlookers gathered around, all speaking at once.

"Qin Tian, that was so cool!"

"Right? That strike was so fast. I didn't even react—I just saw you send him flying."

"That guy was pretty strong, but our Qin Tian was stronger."

Their base had been challenged, and everyone was angry. But with the Purple Thistle Medal and the White Tiger Legion's reputation at stake, they'd had no choice but to swallow their anger.

When they saw Qin Tian defeat Bearded Man and send him slinking away, they couldn't have felt more satisfied.

"Haha, thanks for backing us up, everyone."

Xiao Yunlong cupped his hands and laughed. If there hadn't been so many people around, those two might not have left so easily.

"What are you thanking us for? We're all in the same legion. We can't let outsiders swagger around in our territory."

"Exactly. If they dare come back, be sure to call us."

Everyone chimed in.

White Tiger Legion base

"Dai the Tiger, didn't you go to settle the score?"

A brawny man glanced at Bearded Man's ashen face and raised an eyebrow. "What, did they beat you and send you packing?"

Bearded Man stopped and stared straight at him without saying a word.

"Hey, Brother Dai, don't look at me like that. I was wrong."

The man raised his hands in surrender. Everyone knew Dai the Tiger had a fiery temper. He was the kind of ruthless bastard who could have his guts spilled out, shove them back into his belly, and keep fighting Orcs.

If Dai the Tiger got angry, he'd beat the man to a pulp even if it meant getting confined.

"Get lost."

Bearded Man snapped.

The man hunched his shoulders and immediately walked away.

"Brother Dai, don't be mad. You were just careless. If it had been on a real battlefield, you could've killed their whole squad by yourself," Bald Head reassured him.

"Losing is losing. I can take a loss."

Bearded Man gritted his teeth. He said it, but the anger still wouldn't leave him.

First, someone had hit him from behind. Then, when he went to confront them, they'd beaten him and sent him packing.

He'd never suffered such humiliation since enlisting.

"Brother Dai, if you want, I can get someone to keep an eye on that kid. We can catch him alone and give him a good beating," Bald Head suggested.

Bearded Man glanced at him and snorted.

"I don't do that kind of underhanded crap. If I'm going to fight, I'll do it fair and square."

Bald Head gave an awkward smile.

You're the boss. You call the shots.

Beep, beep, beep—

Just then, Bearded Man's Smart Watch rang a few times.

He opened it, and a cruel grin immediately spread across his face.

"What a great time for a mission!"

"Brother Dai, what mission?" Bald Head came over.

Bearded Man said, "A brother squad went missing without a trace on the way back to Scorching Sun Valley. The Military Department suspects the Snake-men in the south were responsible. They've ordered us to search for clues and take out a couple of Snake-man strongholds."

"Tell the men to get ready to move out. Tonight, I'm having snake soup."

"Yes, sir!"