A Last-Minute Decision

Regarding the martial arts tournament, Lin Maoxian asked the group, "I assume you are all planning to participate in the Squad Leader tournament?"

The one called Eel shook his head and said, "Although I don't know the exact attribute bonuses for a Squad Leader, I can tell from the bonuses given to common soldiers that they won't be trivial. However, I have enough self-awareness to know that with my current attributes, there is no way I could place in the top ten." He glanced at Tiger, who was sitting nearby, and added, "Tiger, on the other hand, would have a very high chance of winning if he entered."

Shasha also chimed in, "That's right. Although I would love to get the Squad Leader bonus to make it easier to survive on the battlefield, I also know my limits. My attributes definitely aren't enough to secure a top-ten spot."

"Yeah! My attributes are just too low." "True, I definitely don't stand a chance." "My odds aren't great either..." The others chimed in with similar sentiments.

Tiger, having heard Eel's words, shook his head and said, "I do intend to participate, but I don't know how many powerhouses are out there. I wouldn't dare claim I can win and secure the Squad Leader bonus. However, even if none of us win, we could still join the same Squad Leader's unit so we can look out for each other. What do you all think?" As he spoke, he looked first at Eel.

Eel nodded in agreement. "Tiger is right. Even if none of us become a Squad Leader, we can still join the same one's unit so we can watch each other's backs on the battlefield."

Shasha added, "That works. It's safer to be with people you're familiar with. We can just look out for one another."

"Sounds good." "No problem." "Agreed..." The others echoed.

Seeing that Lin Maoxian hadn't spoken, Tiger asked, "What about you, Adventurer brother?"

Lin Maoxian looked at them. During the time they had been talking, he had already used his Probe skill on each of them and was very familiar with their stats. He shook his head and said, "I will definitely become a Squad Leader, but I won't be taking all of you in."

One of them, Wumu, stood up immediately. "What is that supposed to mean? And how can you be so sure you'll become a Squad Leader? Isn't that a bit arrogant?"

Lin Maoxian waved his left index finger at Wumu. "It means exactly what I said. Can't you understand that? I'll spell it out for you: I think you and the people next to you are too weak. As for whether I can become a Squad Leader, I'm confident in my own abilities. Whether or not I'm bragging is none of your concern."

"You..." "How arrogant!" The other four were clearly incensed by Lin Maoxian's words and immediately stood up beside Wumu.

Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, Tiger shouted, "Everyone, calm down! Calm down!"

Once they had quieted, Tiger turned to Lin Maoxian. "Adventurer brother, can't we all just stay in the same team? You know, it's safer to be with people you know."

Lin Maoxian smiled at Tiger and said in a calm tone, "Is it safer with people you know? The problem is that I don't know them at all, and their attributes really don't meet my standards. I don't want my subordinates to be dead weight. On the battlefield, they wouldn't just fail to help me; they would drag me down."

Seeing the others getting angry again, Tiger quickly interjected, "Adventurer brother, you're joking, right? How do you know their attributes are low? Perhaps they are actually quite high?"

"I know exactly what their attributes are. At most, they have two attributes above 10, and the rest are just average. They don't even have any skills. You call that good?" Lin Maoxian smiled and gave a rough estimate of their stats.

Hearing Lin Maoxian recite stats that were identical to his own, Wumu asked in shock, "How is that possible? How do you know my attributes?"

Lin Maoxian ignored Wumu and turned to Tiger, Eel, and Shasha. "Well? Do the three of you want to join the team I'm forming? My team only recruits the strong. Relatively speaking, it should be much safer on the battlefield."

Seeing them hesitate, he added, "What is there to think about? You aren't that close to them anyway. Joining me would be the right choice to ensure your own safety."

Before Tiger and the others could respond, the ignored Wumu roared, "How dare you ignore me! I want to see just how high your attributes really are." With that, Wumu threw a punch at Lin Maoxian.

Lin Maoxian watched the fist coming toward him and shook his head helplessly. Truly, one who courts death cannot be saved. Without another word, he activated 'Copper Skin' and chose the temporary +3 Strength bonus, meeting Wumu's strike with a punch of his own.

"Thud!" "Thud!"... "Bang!"

First came the sound of their fists landing on each other, followed by the sound of Wumu being sent flying out of the tent and hitting the ground.

Wumu clutched his chest in agony, recalling the notification the Space had just given him in disbelief: "Adventurer failed to penetrate the enemy Adventurer's defense. Target's HP remains unchanged."

"Adventurer suffered crushing damage from an enemy Adventurer. Lost (35-11)*3 + 10% = 79.2 HP. Current remaining HP: 110 - 79.2 = 30.8."

The damage was astronomical. If that punch hadn't hit his chest but instead struck a vital or lethal point, he would be dead already. Cold sweat broke out on Wumu's forehead at the thought.

Everything had happened so fast that no one expected Wumu to attack, let alone see him sent flying with a single blow. Seeing him lying on the ground in agony, it was clear he had lost at least half his health. The others watched the events of the last few seconds in utter disbelief.

Lin Maoxian didn't bother with the man on the ground. Since they were in the army, he didn't know what kind of punishment he might face for killing Wumu, so he decided to spare his life. Deactivating his skill, Lin Maoxian turned to the three stunned individuals. "What do you think? Do you want to join my team? If not, I'll just go find others. I'm sure with my strength, there will be plenty of people willing to join."

Eel was the first to react, stammering, "I... I'll join. I'll join your team."

Tiger and Shasha quickly followed suit. "We'll join too." Just as Lin Maoxian had said, they weren't particularly close to the others, and they naturally wanted to be safer. They had only doubted whether Lin Maoxian's attributes were as high as he claimed, but now they were fully convinced. One look at Wumu's miserable state was enough to tell them exactly how high Lin Maoxian's stats were.

Lin Maoxian was pleased that the three had agreed to join his future team; their attributes were quite decent. Although Eel and Shasha's stats were average, both possessed a practical skill. While Tiger lacked a skill, his attributes were high, with both Strength and Constitution reaching 15—a formidable combination.

Seeing that all three had agreed, Lin Maoxian turned to the others. "I'm taking this tent, so you lot can go find somewhere else. And take that one on the ground with you on your way out." He gestured toward Wumu, who was still groaning in pain.

"Yes... yes, we're leaving." The group rushed to Wumu, hoisted him up, and scrambled away.

Seeing Xiao Zhang approaching due to the commotion, Lin Maoxian said, "Kid, this doesn't concern you. Go wait over there; I'll call you in a bit."

Once Xiao Zhang had left, Lin Maoxian turned to the three. "Since we'll be spending some time together in this mission world, it'll be hard to coordinate if we don't know each other. I already know your attributes, so I'll start by sharing mine."

Lin Maoxian looked at the three attentive listeners and continued, "My Strength, Agility, Constitution, and Intelligence are all above 10. I also have a skill that boosts my Strength, but I won't go into the specifics. You should also share a bit about your own attributes so the others can get a better idea of how we can work together."

"The Captain has such high attributes! No wonder you're so strong!" Eel started with a small compliment before continuing, "My attributes aren't as high as yours, Captain. Only my Agility is above 10. However, I have a skill that grants another Adventurer a buff, increasing their Agility by 3 points for 30 minutes. I've invested most of my Source Points into this skill."

After Eel finished, Shasha said, "My attributes are similar to Eel's, and I also have a skill. My Intelligence is above 10. The skill effect is to immediately restore 30 HP to the target, followed by another 20 HP over the next 5 seconds. It's a skill that can be used during combat."

Upon hearing this, Tiger exclaimed in surprise, "Shasha, that skill is incredible! You know, medicines from the Space Shop that can be used in combat are insanely expensive. With your skill, everyone will be much safer."

Shasha blushed slightly at the praise. "It's nothing, really. I just put most of my Source Points into it. My other attributes are quite average, so I'll be relying on everyone to protect me on the battlefield."