Simple Rules

Chapter Fourteen: Simple Rules

When Eel heard there was such a great place, he hurriedly said, "Captain, since there's a place like that, why don't we go now? There's still plenty of time before the tournament." If they didn't go now, he might not get a chance to go later. After all, they had all accepted missions, and failing one would cost them Source Points. By then, they might not take him along.

"True. We don't have anything else to do right now, so we might as well go if we can," Tiger added. He hadn't thought as far ahead as Eel. They had nothing to do at the moment, and if they had time, it would be best to get whatever Source Points they could.

Though he could guess what the two of them were thinking, Lin Maoxian still shook his head. "If it were that easy, you wouldn't be the ones getting the benefit. To be honest, at least one army led by a Centurion is stationed there. With our strength, there's no way we can gain anything there."

Shasha asked, puzzled, "Captain, if that's the case, how are we supposed to get anything out of it later?"

"Once the mission fails, we won't be the only ones who lose. We'll bring more people along. When they're facing a loss of Source Points for failing the mission, plenty of them will be willing to take a chance. As for why we're not going now? Why would I tell anyone about a place where they might get something for nothing? If we succeed at this mission, I won't reveal the place without getting something in return." Lin Maoxian explained it to them, though what he was really thinking was different. If things came to it, he was planning to gather some Adventurers and use them as cannon fodder. He just couldn't say that outright.

Tiger nodded in agreement. "The Captain's right. No one would tell others about a place where they might get something for no reason. It's already generous of him to take us there after the mission fails."

Eel wasn't quite satisfied, but he still nodded along with Tiger.

Seeing that no one was pressing the subject, Lin Maoxian changed the topic. "That's enough about this. Shasha, go to the Centurion and accept the mission now. It's best to get this settled as soon as possible, in case anything unexpected happens later."

Shasha acknowledged him, then left the tent and headed for the Centurion's tent.

Before long, Shasha returned with a smile on her face.

Seeing her expression, Lin Maoxian smiled and asked, "Shasha, you accepted the mission, right? You look so happy."

Shasha cheerfully found a place to sit. "Captain, I did accept the mission, of course. But that's not why I'm happy. The Centurion said they've got almost everyone now and are only short a few people. He told those of us who want to participate to get ready. The tournament might start at any moment."

"Really? That's great news. At least we won't have to sit around here until sunset." Lin Maoxian was glad to hear it. No one liked sitting around for half the day, so an earlier start to the tournament was certainly good news.

After thinking for a moment, Lin Maoxian called toward the tent entrance. "Kid, you can come in now."

Zhang Si, who was nearby and had heard him, immediately ran over. Seeing several others inside the tent, he said timidly, "S-sir, what do you need?"

Looking at the boy, Lin Maoxian couldn't even be bothered to scold him. He simply snapped, "Kid, I've already told them that they'll do their best to look after you on the battlefield. But when we're talking, pretend you don't know certain things. Don't ask questions about everything. Got it?"

"Yes, sir." When Zhang Si heard that the others would look after him on the battlefield, he immediately brightened. He was curious about some of what they'd said, but he understood that there were things he shouldn't know too much about. The more you knew, the sooner you might die.

Seeing that the boy understood, Lin Maoxian said, "Since you get it, sit next to me and rest for a while. We don't know when the fighting will start, and I don't want you getting shot by stray arrows because you're tired."

After speaking to Xiao Zhang, Lin Maoxian turned to Tiger and the others. "Since the tournament is about to start, the Yellow Turban siege can't be far off. You should all get some rest while you can. You won't have such a good chance to rest later."

Lin Maoxian didn't wait for a response. He closed his eyes and began resting.

Seeing him do that, the others followed suit and closed their eyes to rest.

After the man in front of him left, Lin Wu called toward the tent entrance. "Guards!"

A guard entered the tent, bowed, and asked, "Sir, what are your orders?"

"Go around the tents and call everyone to the training ground. Tell them everyone's here and that anyone who wants to compete for Squad Leader should gather there." Lin Wu gave the guard his orders. After the guard left, he put on his armor, picked up his greatsword, and headed to the training ground.

Once he reached the platform that had been set up there, Lin Wu looked at the new recruits below and waited a moment. When almost everyone had arrived, he called out, "I'm Lin Wu, and from now on, I'll be your Centurion. For special reasons, our company hasn't chosen its Squad Leaders yet. So we'll select ten people from among you to serve as temporary Squad Leaders. Though the positions are only temporary, you'll still be able to draw equipment from the army. If you earn enough merit, you can become an official Squad Leader and receive generous rewards."

Lin Wu paused. Seeing everyone below listening attentively, he continued, "This selection was arranged in a hurry, so there won't be many rules. Everyone who wants to participate should come to the center of the training ground. There are no rules against fighting dirty, so injuries and deaths during the tournament won't be pursued. Is that clear?"

"Understood," came a scattered reply from below the platform.

Though he wasn't pleased with the soldiers' response, Lin Wu continued, "Since you understand, I won't say more. All the contestants, gather in the center of the training ground so we can see how many there are. The tournament is simple: find an opponent and fight. The loser leaves, and the winner keeps fighting until only ten people remain." After speaking, Lin Wu found a seat and settled in to watch, hoping to spot a few strong contenders and ease the pressure of the coming battle.

Watching Lin Wu sit down after finishing his speech, Eel turned to a man beside him. "Captain, these rules are way too simple. You just keep fighting. I thought they'd hold matches one at a time and use an elimination format. I didn't expect the rules to be this simple."

Lin Maoxian, standing beside him, shook his head in exasperation. "What, did you think this was some tournament to find a genius or something? They're only picking a few temporary Squad Leaders. Why make it complicated? Besides, no one knows when the war will start, so the simpler the better. Why would they make it as complicated as you're suggesting?"

He turned to Tiger and said, "Tiger, I'm going to fight. Are you going to try for Squad Leader?"

Tiger thought it over, then shook his head. "No, Captain. I'll stick with you. You're so strong that even if I became a Squad Leader, it might not be worth it. I'm better off staying with you."

Though he didn't know whether Tiger had other reasons, Lin Maoxian still smiled and said, "Don't worry. You won't lose out by sticking with me. All right, it's about time. I'll go first." Without waiting for anyone to reply, he headed straight for the center of the training ground.

Watching Lin Maoxian walk toward the center, Shasha asked the two beside her, "Do you think the Captain will become a Squad Leader?"

"Of course he will," Eel answered. "You've seen how strong he is. I don't believe every Adventurer taking part is as strong as he is."

"Eel's right. Just look at Wumu earlier. He lost at least half his health. That was only an ordinary hit. If it had struck a vital spot, Wumu would have died on the spot. In my opinion, the Captain's among the very best in the entire space." Tiger agreed with Eel as he watched the figure ahead.

Shasha sighed. "Yeah, the Captain really is strong. But you know, we've all completed one world mission. Why did the Captain, Celestial, Phantom, and Beast King get so many more Source Points than we did? I barely got any attribute boosts from my last world, apart from that skill."

Eel felt the same way. "Yeah. Apart from that skill, I've got nothing worth mentioning. The Captain can easily kill someone at the Squad Leader level, but if I ran into one, all I could do is run."

Tiger felt a little wistful too, but he still reproached them. "What are you two sighing about? Especially you, Eel. You're too scared to even accept a mission, so what do you have to complain about? The Captain must have completed plenty of missions and paid a heavy price to earn so many Source Points. Instead of sighing here, you should think about how to complete your missions."

After that, Tiger ignored the two of them and watched the fighting ground. He wanted to see how large the gap was between himself and Adventurers at the Captain's level.