Chapter 28: Joining the Elite Squad

The Moon Palace building. 31st floor, in a private reception room.

Meeting with Mi Chen were Xuan Yue and Mao Yue. If not for the eye patch worn by the former, the two would have looked exactly alike. In terms of temperament, Xuan Yue was more forthright and decisive, while Mao Yue was quieter and more reserved.

"This is the Purple Electric Fang." Mi Chen placed the item on the table.

Mao Yue picked up the material and examined it closely, quickly concluding, "The mana loss is less than five percent. Although the surface is slightly damaged, it is perfectly fine overall."

Xuan Yue nodded and took out the prepared payment. It was a bank card engraved with a moon symbol. "There is 50,000 inside. Please keep it safe. Subsequent payments will be deposited into this card."

Mi Chen accepted the card and asked, "What is the next commission?" Having earned 50,000 from such a simple task, he was eager to take on the next one.

However, Xuan Yue replied, "I will contact you, Mr. Mi Chen, once the next commission is ready. Please wait a few days."

Mi Chen felt a little disappointed. "Fine." Seeing there was nothing left to discuss, he turned and left.

After Mi Chen departed, Mao Yue asked curiously, "What exactly is his background for the Master to have chosen him?"

"I don't know," Xuan Yue replied. "But judging by the seven people the Master has chosen so far, his strength is quite remarkable."

"Remarkable? Isn't he a 1-star hunter? And I checked him on the Hunter's website; it seems he only recently became a hunter."

"Mana does not lie," Xuan Yue said with certainty. "My eyes were bestowed upon me by the Master, allowing me to see things that ordinary people cannot perceive. The mana of that man, Mi Chen, is certainly not what a 1-star hunter should possess."

Mao Yue looked astonished.

Xuan Yue added, "The Master can see the 'future.' Since the Master chose him, we only need to follow orders. Sister, prepare the next commission and send it to him in a few days. Remember to set the difficulty a bit higher."

Mao Yue nodded. "Understood."

***

Leaving the Moon Palace building, and with no paying commissions on hand, Mi Chen decided to focus on upgrading his hunter license. He was still a 1-star hunter. He had completed three commissions in total, counting the one with Tie Tu. However, Yin Shu's commission was through a private channel, and the funds were transferred via a specific bank card, so it was not recorded by the Hunter Administration. Mi Chen needed to complete three more official commissions to be promoted to a 2-star hunter.

"I'll just pick up three random tasks to ensure efficiency," Mi Chen thought, logging onto the hunter website. With his current strength, mere 1-star commissions were effortless.

He quickly found a listing:
[Commission: Submit the Blood Garment of the Wild Boar King. Reward: 50,000]
[Secret Realm: Lich Dungeon]
[Squad: 3/4]

"Lich Dungeon?" Mi Chen recalled that it was there he had awakened his Plunder Mana Eye, and the monster he encountered then was the Wild Boar Murderer. "Interesting. I'll take it."

He immediately applied for the commission. As his credentials were approved by the squad, he was added to a chat group—a feature designed for hunter squads that he had never used before.

"Welcome to the Wild Boar King Extermination Squad. Please read the group announcement carefully before entering the secret realm."

Mi Chen opened the announcement. "To obtain the Blood Garment of the Wild Boar King, you must slay the Wild Boar King, a peak Level 1 monster located on the second floor of the Lich Dungeon..."

It was standard information. Disclosing data about monsters and secret realms was common practice. Compared to difficult enemies, foolish teammates were the greatest threat within a secret realm. Hunter competence varied, and sharing knowledge beforehand reduced communication costs. After all, secret realms were high-stakes environments; no one wanted to gamble with their lives.

Of course, this information was useless to Mi Chen. On one hand, he was well-versed in secret realms and monsters. On the other, his own strength was overwhelming. No matter what tricks a Level 1 monster had, it was still just Level 1. With his current combat power, he could kill it instantly. However, during a squad operation, it was better not to be too conspicuous.

Just as Mi Chen prepared to close the chat, the group became lively. "A newcomer joined!" "Welcome!" "Captain, when are we leaving now that we're full?"

"We'll hold a briefing tomorrow at 9:00 AM. We can depart right after," the captain replied. "Location: Antler Cafe on the second floor of the Shanghui Plaza. Same spot as usual."

"Received." "Received!" "Newcomer, make sure you show up."

Seeing the direct request, Mi Chen felt a bit helpless, but he didn't want to be antisocial. He replied, "1."

***

The next day, Mi Chen arrived at the Antler Cafe at the agreed time. Since the mall had just opened and it was a weekday, it was quiet. He quickly spotted three people dressed as hunters. A man and two women, aged between eighteen and twenty. The man leading them was clearly the captain.

"Hello, you must be Mi Chen," the man said, standing up. He was a large fellow, six-foot-three, with well-developed muscles, wearing a tank top that showed off his chest and biceps.

Mi Chen reached out politely. "Hello."

As they shook hands, the man applied pressure. Mi Chen immediately understood this was a test of strength. He didn't yield, maintaining an indifferent expression while the man's face showed a hint of shock. The man quickly smiled, "Brother Mi Chen, your strength is truly impressive. You're exactly who our squad needs. I'm Lu Yi."

He introduced his team. The woman on the left, drinking black coffee with a cold expression while scrolling through her phone, was Fang Na. The woman on the right, wearing a short skirt and a low-cut top, sipping a Frappuccino with exquisite makeup, was Jing Mei.

"Hello there," Jing Mei waved.

Mi Chen learned that this trio had already completed seven commissions together and were considered an experienced squad. They had a regular fourth member who had been unreachable, which was why they accepted Mi Chen.

Mi Chen didn't want to appear too detached. Even though this was a simple commission, he cooperated actively with Lu Yi's requirements to avoid unnecessary trouble. The instructions were mostly about following orders and not acting recklessly.

During the conversation, Mi Chen gathered their abilities. Like him, Lu Yi was an Enhancement-type hunter, focusing on brute force. Fang Na and Jing Mei were Manipulation-type hunters. Surprisingly, the cold-looking Fang Na was a Healer-type, while the flamboyant Jing Mei was a Crowd Control-type. If they had a Defense-type hunter, their squad would be perfect. Their previous member had been a Witchcraft-based Defense-type hunter. That explained why they had accepted Mi Chen’s application so quickly—he had single-handedly completed the Poison Moon Forest commission and secured the Takuyu Branch from the Moonlight Hunter, so his strength was clearly not to be underestimated.

Mentioning the Poison Moon Forest, Lu Yi asked curiously, "Brother Mi Chen, I heard you completed that commission alone. How did you do it?"

Jing Mei and Fang Na were suddenly interested. Mi Chen knew what they wanted to hear. "Haha, it was nothing, just good luck," he said. "I definitely couldn't have taken down the Moonlight Hunter by myself. But I am fairly confident in my defense, and I managed to grab the Takuyu Branch when the monster wasn't paying attention. It’s a good thing I had an Escape Stone; if I had been a second late, I probably would have been decapitated."

Being able to withstand a peak Level 1 Moonlight Hunter proved his defensive capabilities were indeed terrifying. Satisfied that Mi Chen could fill the team's void, Lu Yi nodded. "Alright, then we'll be counting on you to draw the fire!"

Mi Chen smiled and nodded. *Level 1 monsters,* he thought. *I can kill them in one strike. Instead of drawing fire, it would be much more efficient to just wipe them out.*

But since he had already set the stage, he had to see the act through. The commission wasn't difficult, and he was only doing this to reach 2-star status. It was better to keep a low profile.