A Perfect Finish

[Slain: 1 Warrior Level Evil Spirit Corpse General. Gained 242 Life Points (Demon Beast)]

The words that appeared before Zhou Sining made his heart leap with delight again.

Warrior Level creatures really were something. One alone yielded over a hundred Life Points—the equivalent of a dozen or two Servant Level creatures!

"You really are gifted, kid!" Su Zhe laughed heartily and slapped Zhou Sining on the back.

"Cough, cough!"

Zhou Sining coughed hard twice and quietly moved away from Su Zhe.

Soldiers really did hit hard. That slap had probably left a mark on his back.

Jiang Bowen soon returned to the wall, handed command back to Su Zhe, and gave Zhou Sining a thumbs-up.

"That student of yours is incredible! I apologize for what I said earlier."

"It's fine." Zhou Sining smiled, unconcerned.

Jiang Bowen's sarcastic remark had never been a big deal. Besides, the Military Mage knew when he was wrong and had apologized, so Zhou Sining saw no reason to dwell on a word or two.

Icy rain still pelted their faces. Su Zhe refocused. "All right, save the praise for later. The night's still long. Back to your posts."

"By the way, sir, I'm an Intermediate Mage now. Should I go help at the West City Wall?"

Su Zhe waved a hand. "Don't worry about it. You've only just reached Intermediate Level and can't cast its Magic yet. The West City Wall wouldn't be safe for you."

"You reached Intermediate Level during this assignment, so the muster doesn't apply to you. Even if they issue another order, you can ignore it. It's not a compulsory order of the highest level. Besides, you've got me and Su Zhe backing you up," Jiang Bowen added.

"Got it. Thank you both," Zhou Sining said.

Though no rule said so outright, muster orders in the Ancient Capital generally carried some force. A Mage reported for failing to respond could face punishment.

The severity depended on the order's level.

The "Intermediate Mage Muster Order" issued by the West City Wall fell in the middle. Its penalty would sting for at least a couple of days.

But with the backing of Su Zhe and Jiang Bowen, the two commanders, Zhou Sining had no fear of anyone reporting him.

The commanders have my back. Take it up with them.

With nothing left to worry about, Zhou Sining returned to his original Fire Mage squad and continued killing Undead. He hadn't forgotten he still had a mission to finish.

Two more Warrior Level Bone Undead appeared over the following hours. Fortunately, they were clumsy, and Su Zhe and Jiang Bowen killed them together. It was a close call, but nothing more.

They fought through the night. Only when the horizon paled with the first light of dawn did everyone finally let out the breath they had been holding.

Zhou Sining came down from the Outer City Wall and followed the other Military Mages to a food cart, where he picked up the same free breakfast they were having.

"Is that enough? There's more if you want it. It's all free—eat as much as you like." Su Zhe appeared at his side. "I'm telling you, us Military Mages get state subsidies. Plenty of benefits, great pay. You wouldn't be shortchanged."

"It's enough, thank you, sir." Zhou Sining swallowed a mouthful of soy milk. "And no thanks, I'm not enlisting."

Su Zhe's eyes widened. "I haven't even said anything yet!"

"Oh. Go ahead, then." Zhou Sining shrugged.

"..."

Su Zhe refused to give up. "Don't be so quick to decide. With your talent, the military would make you a priority. You'd go to a military academy, too, not spend every day out in the wind, sun, and rain like us."

"Military academy is tough, sure, but the benefits are good. Tuition and fees are covered, you get paid, and you're guaranteed a posting. You're already an Intermediate Mage. At this rate, you might reach Advanced Level by the time you finish graduate school. Then you'd go straight in as a Military Commander—outrank me, even. And that's before all the other benefits."

"Well? I'll write you a recommendation letter."

"I'm not interested in risking my neck. I just want to stay alive," Zhou Sining said with a smile.

Su Zhe was exasperated. "You students have no sense of duty!"

"Maybe we don't." Unable to bear any more persuasion, Zhou Sining tossed out the reply and stood to leave.

"Don't rule it out yet. You've still got six months until the college entrance exam, right? Think it over. If you change your mind, tell me. I really can write that letter."

Su Zhe hurried to get in a few more words, but Zhou Sining only waved without turning around.

"That student... sigh." Su Zhe shook his head helplessly. "Recruiting's getting harder and harder!"

Already far away, Zhou Sining couldn't see Su Zhe's frustration. Even if he had, he would only have laughed it off.

He had come to the Ancient Capital to kill Demon Beasts and earn Life Points to keep himself alive. What would he do at a military academy?

It wasn't that he thought academy life was too hard. His circumstances simply wouldn't allow it.

He had only three and a half years to live. Even after fighting all night, he had earned just under two thousand Life Points.

Military academies were known for their strict rules, leaving students far less freedom. Most focused on training officers and wouldn't regularly send students out to kill Demon Beasts.

If he couldn't hunt Demon Beasts often and do it safely, where would he get the Life Points he needed?

One wrong move, and he'd be dead before finishing his four-year degree.

Zhou Sining soon put the matter out of his mind and headed to the barracks in the Second War Zone to find his quarters.

A six-person room, separate showers, six in the evening to six in the morning, room and board included, two hundred a day.

Anyone who knew the details would call it a Hunter Mage assignment. Otherwise, he might have thought he was back at the electronics factory he'd entered at eighteen in his previous life.

Still, there was no point complaining. He had taken the assignment, so he had to do the work.

For the next two weeks, Zhou Sining diligently carried out his duties.

After reaching Intermediate Level, his Magic Energy had grown considerably. What he once burned through in a single night could now last two days if he used it sparingly.

When it ran out, he fell back to the support unit to lend a hand and meditated during breaks to restore it.

Once he had recovered enough Magic Energy, he returned to the front line to help kill Demon Beasts.

Over those two weeks, the powerful talent Gangsha had given him helped Zhou Sining grow increasingly comfortable at Intermediate Level.

Unfortunately, he had little spare time to draw a Star Map, so he still hadn't mastered that legendary miniature domain.

There was no hurry, though. He would have plenty of time to train now that the assignment was over.

"Your three thousand in pay has been settled. Since you performed so well, I gave you quite a few extra Hunter Points—about enough to take you straight to Intermediate Hunter. Remember to check."

"All right. Thank you, Commander Su," Zhou Sining said.

Su Zhe waved a hand. "No need to thank me. Just come back for duty whenever you're free."

After a moment's thought, he added, "If you change your mind, contact me anytime. I may only be a lowly commander, but I can take you to meet the commander-in-chief of our Second Defense Line. His recommendation could get you into the Central Military Academy, one of the six major military academies. It's every bit as good as the Imperial Capital Academy." Even as they parted, Su Zhe made one last attempt to recruit Zhou Sining.

Zhou Sining shrugged. "You've said that thirty-eight times already. Even if you're not tired of saying it, I'm tired of hearing it."

"What are you calling me old for, you brat? I'm only thirty!"

"Then why do you use anti-wrinkle products?" Jiang Bowen cut in mercilessly.

"..."

"I'll be going, then. Goodbye, both of you." Zhou Sining waved and turned away.

Zhou Sining was in excellent spirits as he left the Outer City Wall and returned to his house in the suburbs.

He had earned plenty of Life Points over the past two weeks—more than eight thousand.

That was no small sum. He needed to think carefully about how to spend it.