Mangzi's Happiness

"The sky is almost dark, and there isn't a single reliable person?" Behind the recruitment booth, a tall, thin middle-aged man sighed.

"Powerful Fire Mages, even if they don't join the strong teams, would rather form their own. Who wants to take orders from others?"

Beside the tall, thin man, a man in a blue tracksuit said.

"How about we recruit mages of other elements?"

"What are you dreaming about? Only Fire and Lightning Elements can output damage in Beginner Elemental Magic. Without a Fire Mage, even if we trap a Demon, we can't kill it!"

"I was just saying, why are you so aggressive?"

"Enough!" The burly man sitting in the middle stopped his teammates' argument, his face a little tired. "I think we should give up the captain position."

"Captain, how can we do that!"

"Yeah, have you forgotten how badly that bastard Ma Zhuang screwed us over?"

The sky was getting dark outside, and the group was starving. The captain gave a wry smile. "Let's call it a day. We'll come back tomorrow... Are you?"

Xu Fang stood in front of the recruitment booth and flicked his fingers, a flame dancing at his fingertips.

"You're recruiting Fire Mages, right?"

As night fell, people's nightlife was just beginning.

At a food stall.

"This drink is to welcome brother Zhang San to our Flying Tiger Squad!"

"Cheers!"

Several glasses clinked together, fine beer foam splashing into the air, the scent of malt filling the atmosphere.

"So, your previous Fire Mage broke through to Level 3 Beginner Magic and jumped to another team?" Xu Fang asked.

"That's right! Exactly!" Fangfang, the Wind Element cutie of the team, said indignantly. "They think they can come and go as they please. Do they think the Flying Tiger Squad is a public restroom?"

"Fangfang!"

Captain Zhu Wang glared at her and explained to Xu Fang, "Brother Zhang San, Fangfang didn't mean anything by it. Ma Zhuang's situation... is a bit special."

When signing the contract, Xu Fang had signed a temporary contract and was a free agent, able to leave anytime. Zhu Wang was afraid Xu Fang would misunderstand Fangfang as implying something about him.

Judging by his resume, although this brother Zhang San had taken on few missions, his combat record was truly impressive, with a 100% completion rate. He was a formidable individual capable of soloing Servant level monsters!

"Ma Zhuang signed a long-term contract with us. When he first joined, he was a rookie fresh out of magic school. We pooled our resources to cultivate him to his current level. But as soon as the Fire Flame Squad extended an olive branch, Ma Zhuang..."

Xu Fang asked, "I remember there's a rule in the Hunter's Alliance that Hunter Mages cannot arbitrarily change teams during their contract period."

"That's just a rule on the surface."

Zhu Wang said with a bitter smile, "After we rejected his request to leave, Ma Zhuang repeatedly slacked off, putting our squad in a lot of danger. Coupled with the Fire Flame Squad's considerable reputation in Yangcheng, we had no choice but to agree to let him leave."

"Because we 'voluntarily' proposed it, we even had to pay him a compensation fee!" Liu Xiao, the Water Element Mage, spat. "Damn it, the more I think about it, the more annoyed I get! Wang Peng, show brother Zhang San your wound!"

Earth Element Mage Wang Peng didn't speak. He silently pulled open his clothes, revealing a hideous wound underneath.

"This wound was left by a Cave Lizard. At the time, Qianqian's Ice Vine had already restrained it. Ma Zhuang could have killed it with a Fire Blast: Bone Scorch. But he insisted on using Fire Blast: Burn!"

Liu Xiao gulped down a glass of wine and, fueled by the alcohol, vented all the pent-up dissatisfaction in his heart:

"The Ice Vine melted, and the Cave Lizard didn't die. Instead, it was injured and went berserk. If I hadn't used Water Guard in time, Wang Peng would have died there!"

There was nowhere to complain about this kind of thing, and even if there were, it would be useless.

They would just say they were too close to the Demon, got nervous, and couldn't connect to the star track. What could you do?

Ruining his reputation? He already found his next job, so why would he care about that?

The atmosphere became somewhat somber.

Xu Fang smiled and raised his wine glass proactively. "Don't worry, I'm not like that ungrateful wretch. I can guarantee you that during my time in Yangcheng, I will cooperate with the squad to the best of my ability to complete missions."

Zhu Wang quickly raised his wine glass. "In that case, thank you, brother Zhang San!"

The next day.

"Brother Zhang San, once we're outside the Safety Zone, we'll be in demon territory." Zhu Wang handed a large bag to Xu Fang. "It contains wilderness survival gear and some compressed rations. Everything's prepared for you."

"Thanks."

This was the benefit of joining a team; you didn't need to think, just output damage.

Could it be that Mo Fan was spoiled by Ling Ling into becoming a berserk cannon platform for this reason?

"Our mission objective today is the hard shell shed by the Cave Lizard." Zhu Wang said. "This is a commission from the Magic Association. They want to use this material to craft Armored Magic Tools."

Liu Xiao chuckled. "They buy raw materials from us at a low price, and then make tens of times the profit by crafting Magic Tools. What a business."

Fangfang snorted. "Bricks are also cheap, but that doesn't mean houses are cheap!"

"Shut up," Qianqian said coldly.

"Wuuu~ Qianqian, you're being mean to me. You don't love me anymore!" Fangfang hugged her arm, her round face squashed flat.

Xu Fang gasped, Holy crap, is this something I can watch without paying?

Soon, the team arrived at the edge of the Safety Zone, where Military Mages were on routine patrol. Seeing them, even the most boisterous Liu Xiao and Fangfang quieted down.

"Zhu Wang, you haven't been here in a while." The leading Military Mage was familiar with Zhu Wang and glanced at Xu Fang. "Is this a new recruit you've brought on?"

"Yes, his name is Zhang San."

"Let me see your Hunter Mage permit."

Zhu Wang frowned, confused. "Old Xu, you..."

"Don't look at me, I'm not singling you out. It's the same for all teams." Old Xu finished checking the permit and casually added, "You've been in the city these past few days, so you don't know, but yesterday, a train car derailed and was smashed to pieces."

"That serious?"

"You bet. And I also heard that the derailment was caused by Intermediate Mages fighting in the carriage..."

Xu Fang listened from the side the entire time.

Old Xu wasn't high-ranking and didn't know many details, but by piecing things together, he could still get some key information:

For example, in the Intermediate battle, the winner was Judge Liu Guifang, and Tu Chao was blown into mincemeat by a Wind Disk.

Another example, Yangcheng, which didn't even have a train station, actually had a helicopter land yesterday, flying north under the cover of night.

"Public service meals are the best!"

Xu Fang was incredibly envious.

He still had to reapply for his permits in Yangcheng, earn a living, and find a chance to catch the next transport. Meanwhile, they just took off in a helicopter.

In fact, if he had been willing to wait there yesterday, Liu Guifang would have definitely taken him back to Gudu.

But upon arrival, he might not have been greeted with flowers and applause; more likely, he would have faced questioning.

—What's with your power?

—How did you kill an Intermediate Mage?

Not everyone was as understanding as dear Teacher Tang Yue; most people just wanted to clear themselves.

"I guess the Bell Tower Judgment Society already knows about my existence by now."

"I need to think of an excuse to get past this whole thing..."