A new unlock mission

Wang Quan teleported to Baili Pangpang's side and casually swept a hand over his back. A silver light flashed, and the wound vanished.

"Ahem, ahem!" He cleared his throat. "Well, uh, we're training here. Watch yourselves next time!"

As he spoke, he glanced at the two of them, who were still holding hands.

"Instructor Wang, it's not like that!" Molly hastily let go of Baili Pangpang's hand, looking flustered. "He was badly injured. I was taking him to the Infirmary."

Baili Pangpang looked miserable. His moment of happiness had ended before it even began.

Wang Quan patted his chest and declared confidently, "With me here, I could save you even if your heart got ripped out!"

"No need for the Infirmary!"

With that, he flashed back onto the Martial Arts Platform. His booming voice rang out, his tone stern. "This is what I wanted to teach you today. Don't be so rigid! The battlefield isn't a training camp. No enemy is going to follow instructions!"

"When I say I'll count to three, that doesn't mean I have to start at 'one'!"

"In training, you get injured. On the battlefield, you'd already be dead!"

The recruits on the track fell silent. Those who had panicked or been swatted away, in particular, sank deep into thought.

"That was just the appetizer. The real physical training starts now!"

"Before that, I want to commend a few people. Step forward when I call your name!"

"Lin Qiye!"

"Here!"

"Shen Qingzhu!"

"Yeah!"

"Baili Tu Ming!"

"Here!"

"Cao Yuan!"

"Here!"

"Molly!"

"Here!"

The five stepped forward and stood in a row, their chests held high.

"When their comrade was in trouble, these five stepped up. I'm very pleased!"

"Everyone, remember this: never abandon your comrades!"

"Do you understand?!" Wang Quan raised his voice.

"Yes!"

"What do you understand?"

"Never abandon our teammates!"

The recruits' thunderous voices echoed across the training grounds. Some felt ashamed, while others reflected on their actions...

"Physical training starts now. You start with ten laps! But every time the Thunder Tiger catches you, you get ten more!"

"Starting now! Get moving!"

The moment Wang Quan finished speaking, the recruits sprinted off with all their might. At the same time, the Thunder Tiger, which had been licking its paw, moved. A girl at the very back of the group was the first to be pinned to the ground.

This time, the Thunder Tiger used just enough force to restrain her without causing any injuries.

"Congratulations! Ten extra laps!"

"Who's next? Watch out, it's already coming after you!"

"Aaah! Fuck!"

"Stay away from me!"

"Brother Tiger, give me a chance!"

With the sound of the Thunder Tiger grinding its teeth right beside their ears, the recruits at the rear howled in terror, cursing their damned legs for not moving fast enough.

Three minutes later, the 239 recruits had spread out along the thousand-meter track. From a distance, they looked like a necklace.

They had split into four groups. Lin Qiye, Cao Yuan, Shen Qingzhu, and the recruits from the Ancient Martial Arts Families, like Molly, were leading the pack.

Those in the middle were trying hard to catch up with the leaders. Baili Pangpang was among them, but he was getting slower and slower.

At the rear was a bunch of unlucky souls on the verge of earning extra laps, with the Thunder Tiger hot on their heels.

Of course, the most pitiful were the fourth group, behind the Thunder Tiger. They had already won themselves extra laps.

On the Martial Arts Platform, Wang Quan lounged in a rocking chair, leisurely sipping red wine from a stemmed glass.

"Chief Instructor Wang, drinking during training is prohibited. Mind your image!" Yuan Gang's voice came through his earpiece.

"Is that actually a rule?"

"Yes!"

"Then ask around. Do I look like someone who follows rules?"

The other end went silent. There was no need to ask around. Yuan Gang knew Wang Quan fairly well. The man did whatever he pleased and could arguably be called the most unusual personality among the Night Watchers.

"Then I'll have to report this to the commander!"

"Holy shit!" Wang Quan abruptly sat up. His surprise had nothing to do with Yuan Gang's threat. The system had just issued another mission.

A system panel appeared before Wang Quan.

[Cursed Spirit Manipulation unlock mission:

Mission one: A genius among geniuses. Earn the recognition of ten geniuses, 0/10.

Mission two: Reach the Boundless realm, 1/1.

Mission three: Kill someone in the Boundless realm, 1/1.

Ability description: Cursed Spirit Manipulation · Modified. Allows you to take subdued Mysteries into your service. Targets two realms below you can be forcibly subdued.]

Wang Quan narrowed his eyes. Cursed Spirit Manipulation was Suguru Geto's ability, but with this system, calling it Mystery Manipulation seemed more fitting.

Become a Pokémon Master?

I could get behind that.

As he pondered, Wang Quan looked toward the distant track. Surely he could scrape together ten geniuses among the recruits.

The sun sank in the west, but dozens of recruits were still running laps. They had been caught so many times that even an entire day wouldn't be enough to finish.

Their only consolation was that the Thunder Tiger had clocked out.

After dismissal, Wang Quan called over the recruits who had been leading the pack. He looked them over one by one and nodded in satisfaction. Over the whole day, these recruits had earned the fewest extra laps. They were also among the handful who could still stand after running for so long.

"Ahem, ahem!" After strategically clearing his throat, Wang Quan suddenly turned his back to them. He clasped his hands behind him, sunlight falling over his body, looking like a reclusive master.

Everyone: "???"

"What did you learn today?"

"We need to adapt to changing situations on the battlefield!"

"Never abandon our teammates!"

"Your training methods are very interesting, Instructor. I really admire your creative approach!"

Everyone immediately turned to look at the speaker.

Interesting?

You think getting chased by a Mystery is interesting? Are you a fucking masochist?

The corners of Wang Quan's mouth lifted slightly. That recruit's praise had advanced his progress by one.

"Good, good!" Wang Quan nodded. "You all did well. Fate brought us together in this training camp."

"Give me one compliment each, and you can go eat!"

The request was blunt. Everyone was bewildered.

After a brief silence, someone spoke first, his admiration heartfelt. "Honestly, I've heard a lot of stories about you. That's exactly why I wanted to join the Night Watchers!"

"Daybreak's name is legendary. You really are incredible!"

And so, with some genuinely idolizing Wang Quan and others yielding to his tyranny, the progress for mission one reached six. Only Lin Qiye and Shen Qingzhu remained. One kept cursing Wang Quan for being a narcissist, while the other stubbornly refused to admit anything.

"You two, hurry up and say something nice!"

"No way!"

"Narcissist!"

A short while later, the two of them, their faces bruised and swollen, each glared at Wang Quan before grudgingly praising him.

"All right, get lost!" Like a scumbag who denied knowing someone the moment his pants came off, Wang Quan waved them away.

Now, Wang Quan was just two people short of his dream of becoming a Pokémon Master.

Just then, Baili Pangpang happened to pass by after finishing dinner. After dismissal, the guy had run faster than he ever had on the track. Wang Quan hadn't even had time to stop him.

"Quan..." Baili Pangpang hastily covered his mouth halfway through, then saluted. "Hello, Chief Instructor!"

"Fatty, give me a compliment!"

"Huh?"

"Oh!"

"Brother Quan, my respect for you is like a mighty river, flowing without end, and like a towering mountain, soaring into the clouds! You're simply..."

"Enough. Go find somewhere else to hang out!" Wang Quan cut Baili Pangpang off. He had nearly forgotten that the guy didn't even have a Forbidden Ruins. Strictly speaking, he was a whale, a cheating bastard, not a genius.

After mulling it over, Wang Quan dialed Wang Mian's number.

"Hello! What is it?"

"Can you tell me I'm fucking awesome?"

There were a few seconds of silence on the other end, followed by a crisp, clearly enunciated reply:

"Fucking idiot!"