"Sigh, since that's the case, you'd better take care of yourself."
In Qian Fu's eyes, Gu Han had only said that to save face.
Though he felt somewhat regretful, the military had no hard-and-fast rule requiring anyone who reached the Second-tier Martial Apprentice level to serve as a War Soldier.
Most people who qualified to become War Soldiers, however, were unwilling to be Logistics Soldiers, wasting their lives away in obscurity.
Of course, every year, plenty of people without enough mental fortitude returned from the front lines for all sorts of reasons.
Since Gu Han had put it that way, there was no need for him to trouble the inspector and have Gu Han's strength tested again.
Qian Fu had also lost interest in continuing their conversation.
After promising not to withhold Gu Han's reward for coming in first in the Logistics Camp, Qian Fu left.
As the first-place finisher in this year's Logistics Camp, Gu Han had been given a full pound of First-tier Wild Beast meat by the cooks!
As for the Blood Tempering Pills and Second-tier Demonic Beast Meat, the Quartermaster would distribute those later.
Gu Chen and the others, as War Soldiers who had performed exceptionally well, certainly wouldn't be short on Wild Beast meat, either.
The six brothers gathered around a stone pot they'd piled together and dug in. No one dared approach them rashly.
Throughout the meal, Gu Chen kept starting to speak, then stopping himself.
After a long while, he finally couldn't hold it in any longer and asked in confusion,
"Gu Han, why did you turn down Officer Qian's offer?"
Although Qian Fu was in charge of the Logistics Camp, he also had connections in the Warrior Camp.
With Qian Fu's favor, Gu Han might not rise rapidly through the ranks in the future, but at the very least, he would have a good chance of making a name for himself in the Warrior Camp.
For Gu Han, this was an opportunity not to be missed!
But Gu Han only smiled.
"Brother Chen, I understand what you mean, but I have my own reasons."
"When the time is right, I'll apply to join the Warrior Camp."
Gu Chen could only sigh helplessly.
Things weren't as simple as Gu Han thought.
What kind of place was the Warrior Camp?
How could anyone come and go as they pleased?
And even with all their training in how to handle danger, War Soldiers still suffered heavy casualties on the battlefield.
How much worse would it be for Gu Han, who hadn't received any training?
But this was Gu Han's own choice, and Gu Chen could only respect it.
There was nothing Gu Han could do about that.
The system was his greatest secret. He couldn't tell anyone—not even his own parents, let alone Gu Chen!
Only by hunting Wild Beasts and absorbing attributes from their corpses could he increase his strength at such a rapid pace.
As for training in the Warrior Camp, it was entirely optional for him.
A whole day of training might not even be as rewarding as killing one wild rabbit!
After an afternoon of hunting, Gu Han had been starving.
The pound of beast meat disappeared in the blink of an eye. He even wolfed down three bowls of rice before he was barely full.
"I have to say, the food here in the camp is nothing special, but the cook's pretty good."
After eating his fill, Gu Han patted his stomach in satisfaction.
"Gu Han, take these Blood Tempering Pills."
Gu Chen took out the two Blood Tempering Pills he'd prepared earlier and pressed them into Gu Han's hand.
"Whether you want to become a War Soldier or not, getting stronger will at least give you a better chance of protecting yourself."
Gu Han stared at the Blood Tempering Pills in his hand, his eyes touched.
After learning more about them, Gu Han understood just how important Blood Tempering Pills were to Martial Disciples.
Gu Chen was a Fourth-tier Martial Apprentice, and the Warrior Camp's reward system was surely better than the Logistics Camp's.
Even so, he couldn't have received many Blood Tempering Pills.
Gu Chen's willingness to give him even one was enough to show how much he cared for his younger brother.
Gu Han didn't refuse. He solemnly accepted the pills with both hands.
"Thank you, Brother Chen."
He didn't want to turn a single Blood Tempering Pill into a whole song and dance of refusing and insisting.
Since Gu Chen was willing to treat him well, Gu Han would naturally return the favor.
With the Soul-Snatching System, Gu Han was sure to enter a period of rapid growth.
Give him just a few days, and he'd be able to catch up to Gu Chen's strength.
Then he could return the Blood Tempering Pills to Gu Chen. There was no rush.
And then it would be his turn to look after his older brothers.
Just then, the Quartermaster came walking over from a distance.
Several soldiers carrying packages followed behind him, drawing the attention of many Logistics Soldiers.
The teams that had placed near the top rubbed their hands excitedly and crowded forward.
The Quartermaster called out to the crowd watching him eagerly,
"Where's Gu Han?"
"Here! Here!"
Gu Lin immediately stood up and led Gu Han to the Quartermaster, amid the envious looks of the crowd.
Gu Han cupped his fists in salute and said neither humbly nor arrogantly,
"Gu Han greets you, sir."
The Quartermaster looked Gu Han up and down, taking in his tall, straight posture.
No wonder Officer Qian valued Gu Han, he thought.
What a pity that Gu Han had no ambition and was content to remain a mere Logistics Soldier.
Everyone had their own aspirations, and the Quartermaster couldn't be bothered to say more.
"First place in the Logistics Soldier assessment: Gu Han."
"You are hereby awarded two Blood Tempering Pills and ten pounds of Second-tier Demonic Beast Meat. I hope all the Logistics Soldiers will keep up the good work."
The Quartermaster stood before the many Logistics Soldiers and loudly announced the rewards, making hundreds and hundreds of them green with envy.
Two soldiers behind him handed Gu Han a box and a heavy bag.
Gu Han calmly accepted the box and the bag containing ten pounds of Demonic Beast Meat with both hands.
The Quartermaster looked surprised. Gu Han held the box in one hand and the ten pounds of Demonic Beast meat level in the other, without even the slightest tremor!
Anyone could lift ten pounds.
But holding a ten-pound bag out at arm's length would make most people's arms tremble a little.
Gu Han's hand hadn't wavered at all. That wasn't something a First-tier Martial Apprentice could do.
For that very reason, the Quartermaster, like Qian Fu, felt regret for Gu Han.
He shook his head to himself, then continued distributing rewards to the other squads in the top ten.
Because Fang Yan had been disqualified for causing trouble, Ma Tie and the other three had naturally placed third in the Logistics Soldier assessment.
After all, Logistics Soldier squads capable of hunting Wolf Beasts were few and far between.
And when it came to the rabbits they'd hunted, only one squad had managed to catch more than they had.
After collecting their rewards from the Quartermaster, Ma Tie and the others came over to Gu Han.
"Gu Han, we owe this third-place finish to you."
As he spoke, Ma Tie picked up a bag of Demonic Beast meat and handed it to Gu Han.
"We didn't get any Blood Tempering Pills. We only got ten pounds of First-tier Demonic Beast Meat in total. These two pounds are yours."
Without Gu Han, they wouldn't have been able to hunt that Green Wolf, and they would have caught far fewer rabbits, too.
"All right, I'll take my share of the Wild Beast meat."
Gu Han nodded. He wasn't so high-minded that he'd refuse the resources that belonged to him.
"But from now on, you might need to find new teammates."
At that, Ma Tie first froze, then nodded in understanding.
"I understand."
With Gu Han's strength, he could hunt a Wolf Beast all by himself.
Ma Tie knew that if they teamed up with Gu Han, they would only hold him back.
And if they ran into danger, they'd barely be able to protect themselves.
It was better for each side to go its own way. ...
Before you continue