Joining the Squad

"Wan Dong, what do you think?" Sett brought Luo Feng over to Wan Dong.

"Ah, what can I say? A bet's a bet. If only I'd known, I wouldn't have shown off like that." Wan Dong sighed.

"Send me your bank account numbers. I'll transfer the money to you later." After noting down their account numbers, Wan Dong continued, "Thunder Dojo offered me just twenty million in start-up funds to recruit me early, and now it's all gone in the blink of an eye."

Just then, a burly man walked over to them.

"Wan Dong, you know now that there's always someone better, don't you? You've got good talent, but you're not among the very best. Think of this as a reminder. I'll give you another twenty million in start-up funds out of my own pocket. Keep working hard."

The burly man's voice rumbled like thunder, resonating through his entire chest.

"Thank you, Director! I'll work hard!" Wan Dong said, thanking him profusely.

The burly man waved a hand and continued, "My name is Wang Heng. I'm the director of the Thunder Dojo's main branch."

Luo Feng and Sett were both slightly taken aback by Wang Heng's words. A director held a very high position—on par with a War God-level powerhouse. In Jiangnan Base City, Wang Heng could be said to wield absolute power.

"Sett, Luo Feng, I came here hoping you'd join the Thunder Dojo. Don't rush to turn me down.

"I looked into your backgrounds. You both come from ordinary families, yet you've reached this level at eighteen. That's quite remarkable. I admire you both and believe you have a bright future. If you're willing to join the Thunder Dojo, I can pay the breach-of-contract fees you owe the Extreme Martial Arts Hall. On top of that, I can arrange special training contracts for you at the Thunder Dojo's Global Headquarters.

"Only about a dozen people receive special training contracts each year, and every one of them is an exceptional talent. What do you say? Will you consider it?"

Wang Heng had naturally come to invite Sett and Luo Feng to join the Thunder Dojo. He could see that they were both exceptionally talented, rare geniuses. If he could recruit two such talents for the dojo at once, it would be a great contribution.

"If you're willing to join the Thunder Dojo, I can get you special training contracts. That means you'll be able to go to the Thunder Dojo's Global Headquarters. There's a good chance you'll even receive personal guidance from Thor," Wang Heng continued.

"Thanks, but I've already joined the Extreme Martial Arts Hall, and I have no intention of switching. Sorry," Sett said after a moment's thought. His standards were high. The Earth was like a shallow pond, and it made little difference where he went. Switching back and forth would only be a hassle.

"Sorry, I haven't considered switching either," Luo Feng said with a slight bow.

Wang Heng's eyes widened when he heard them. "Won't you give it some more thought?"

"No need, but thank you," they replied. Then they found Yang Wu and went to wash up in the rest area.

They'd spent the whole night fighting monsters, and they stank. After changing into clean clothes, they boarded the train home with the other Quasi-Martial Artists who'd taken the assessment.

"Mom, I'm fine. A monster just bit me. It doesn't even hurt now."

As soon as Sett got home, Jin Wenying grabbed him. When she saw the sizable wound on his back, her eyes reddened, and she kept asking what had happened.

"You're hurt this badly and still say you're fine? Would you say it was nothing even if a monster ate you?" Jin Wenying said, gripping Sett in alarm as she examined the wound on his back.

"Come on, let's get you to the hospital." Jin Wenying took Sett by the hand and led him out.

After fighting monsters, Sett had felt a little bloodthirsty. But as soon as he got home, the warmth of family calmed him down.

He went with Jin Wenying to the hospital to get his wound treated, then returned home.

That evening, Jin Wenying prepared a whole table of dishes for Sett. The family was delighted. From then on, Sett was officially a Martial Artist.

"Come on, let's have a drink." Xiahai was happy too and couldn't resist pouring himself a little liquor.

The next day, Sett had planned to sleep in and unwind. But Jiang Nian dragged him out of bed early that morning.

Then Jiang Nian found Luo Feng and took the two of them to the Extreme Dojo in the middle of the residential compound.

In a quiet conference room sat a powerful-looking man with a full beard. He sat upright, as steady as a pine.

The door opened, and Jiang Nian and Sett walked in.

"Come, come. Let me introduce you. This is Chen Fan, an Intermediate War General." Jiang Nian pointed to the bearded man drinking tea and introduced him to Sett and Luo Feng.

"These are Luo Feng and Sett, the two I told you about," Jiang Nian said, introducing them to the bearded man.

"Come, have a seat." After the three of them sat down, Jiang Nian continued, "You're real Martial Artists now, so naturally, we need to assign you to a Martial Artist team. As the director instructed, you'll be placed with a War General-level team. That way, you'll get more experience outside the Base City, and you'll have some protection as well.

"Our Extreme Martial Arts Hall has found you a team: the Hunting Gun Squad."

"The Hunting Gun Squad?" Luo Feng asked, puzzled.

The bearded man opposite them took a sip of tea and said, "I founded the Hunting Gun Squad. We've been together for three years.

"In that time, we've killed dozens of War General-level monsters, including several Advanced General Level monsters. We have a great deal of experience fighting monsters.

"I heard that you two performed very well in the Martial Artist Combat Assessment, and you're only eighteen, so you have plenty of room to grow. That's why I've decided to invite you to join my Hunting Gun Squad."

When Martial Artists left Base City to hunt monsters in the Wilderness Zone, they usually formed squads. An experienced squad could be a tremendous help to new Martial Artists.

Of course, many squads were also eager to recruit talented Martial Artists like Sett and Luo Feng.

After all, a Martial Artist squad's roster didn't stay the same forever. Some Martial Artists grew old or decided they'd earned enough money and retired to enjoy life. Others were injured or killed fighting monsters, so a squad's membership was always changing.

"I'd like to join the Hunting Gun Squad," Luo Feng said after a moment's thought.

"I'm in too," Sett added.

The three of them shook hands, then returned to their seats.

"Good. We're all on the same team now, but I want to make one thing clear. Our Hunting Gun Squad will give you both opportunities to gain experience and get used to life in the Wilderness Zone, fighting monsters.

"You'll need to work hard and improve your abilities. You can't always expect your teammates to help you. If you can't adapt, then I'm afraid you'll have to leave."

"We understand, Brother Chen," Luo Feng said with a smile and a nod.

After all, Martial Artist squads fought monsters on the edge of life and death. Having a burden on the team could have a serious impact on everyone.

"Good. I'm glad you understand. Our squad just returned from the Wilderness Zone, so we won't head out again for another couple of weeks. Work on improving your abilities in the meantime. I'll also send you some information about what to watch out for in the Wilderness Zone."

"All right, Brother Chen." After exchanging contact details, the three of them left the Extreme Dojo.

Sett wandered around for a while, but he was too awake to go back to sleep, so he opened Extreme Home.

On Extreme Home, you could study manuals and buy weapons, medicines, and all sorts of other things. Purchases arrived within twenty-four hours. You could also pay for one-on-one lessons with War General- or War God-level Martial Artists. It was incredibly convenient. In addition, as your contribution points increased, you could get discounts on purchases.

Sett browsed for a while, then decided to study a manual that would improve his Force Application Technique. He found one called Heavenly God Fist.

Heavenly God Fist, category: Fist Technique. Rating: SS. Price: 10 billion Huaxia Currency (full price). Half price with three-star contribution points.

The fist technique had five levels. The first level cost 100 million Huaxia Currency.

The second level cost 500 million Huaxia Currency.

The third level cost 1.5 billion Huaxia Currency.

The fourth level cost 3 billion Huaxia Currency.

The fifth level cost 7.9 billion Huaxia Currency.

"Damn, that's expensive. Good thing I have a hundred million to spend on manuals, equipment, and the like." Sett immediately bought the first level of Heavenly God Fist.

First-time purchases were exempt from the contribution-point requirement, so he could buy it at half price.

After buying the manual, Sett searched for a long time but couldn't find any knuckle guards. With no other choice, he contacted an Extreme Home administrator and submitted a request to have a custom pair made.

Then he spent twenty million on a set of A6-grade knuckle guards.

He also bought a full set of D5-grade combat gear for twenty million. It could withstand attacks from Intermediate Beast Generals. Since he'd joined a squad that fought Beast Generals, he naturally needed decent combat gear.

Finally, he bought a Communication Watch, a backpack, and the other equipment he'd need in the Wilderness Zone. When he was done, Sett saw that he still had a little money left. He didn't bother worrying about it; he'd bought nearly everything he needed for the Wilderness Zone.

Editorial contract mailed. Investments welcome.