Chapter 18: This Gift Is Far Too Precious

The four members of the Gale Squad sprinted for their lives.

They had never expected to stumble upon a sleeping Overlord Tiger nestled in the grass at the boundary between Level 1 and Level 2 beasts. It was Four-Eyes’ urgent need to relieve himself that woke the beast—he watered the base of a large tree, and the stream startled the Overlord Tiger out of its slumber.

The Overlord Tiger, a Level 2 beast, stood two meters tall, its explosive muscles rivaling the force of a light tank.

The Gale Squad was composed of four Level 1 warriors, with Hu Sanyi being the most formidable among them. A Level 1 warrior had a blood vitality of 350 and only basic proficiency in martial techniques. Among the mercenaries of Binzhou City, that was merely average.

On their very first encounter, Hu Sanyi failed to dodge in time and was raked by the Overlord Tiger’s claws, suffering a grievous wound.

Never in their wildest dreams had the Gale Squad imagined their luck would be so rotten—to run into a Level 2 beast. Faced with the wrath of the Overlord Tiger, the four could do nothing but flee toward the exit.

Because of the grueling pace, Hu Sanyi’s wound tore open, blood loss weakening him to the verge of collapse.

“Four-Eyes, take them and go—I'll hold it off!”

Hu Sanyi knew escape was impossible for him. Rather than all four perishing here, it was better for him to cover the retreat.

“Captain, if you go, we all go!” Four-Eyes wrapped his arms around Hu Sanyi’s waist, desperately trying to pull him away, but Hu Sanyi stood unmoving as a mountain.

His physique, honed by training in the all-around defensive combat art “Immovable Wisdom King,” made his stance unshakable.

A thunderous roar erupted—the Overlord Tiger sprang from the thicket, its power so immense that the very air rumbled with a dull, oppressive sound.

The four had no time to dodge and seemed destined to be pinned to the ground by the beast. In that critical moment, a shadow leaped down from above.

With a resounding thud, a hooked punch landed, enhanced by the full force of Xuangang martial power.

The massive Overlord Tiger was sent hurtling through the air, crashing heavily into a nearby thicket as the four watched in stunned disbelief.

A snapped tree root pierced straight through the Overlord Tiger’s abdomen.

The beast struggled a few times, then collapsed, lifeless, in a pool of blood.

“It seems mastering the intermediate level was the right call,” Zhang Chu mused, cold sweat beading on his brow. That punch had been his first strike since advancing to a Level 2 warrior.

With a blood vitality of 556 and martial arts proficiency at the intermediate level, he had felled the Overlord Tiger in a single blow. Though it was a sneak attack, it was enough to let Zhang Chu truly feel the terrifying power of a Level 2 warrior.

“Captain Hu, are you all right?” Zhang Chu looked over Hu Sanyi’s injuries and smiled.

“Brother, it’s you?” Hu Sanyi finally recognized Zhang Chu. Four-Eyes and the others were stunned as well. They had not expected their rescuer to be the young man they’d seen just yesterday at Old Li’s shop.

Having failed to acquire the young whale shark core the day before, Hu Sanyi had led the team back into the beast forest, hoping to hunt down a mid-grade Level 1 core for their new employer. Instead, they’d run into the Overlord Tiger and nearly lost their lives.

“Brother, are you a Level 2 warrior?” Hu Sanyi quickly put it together. To kill a Level 2 Overlord Tiger so easily—he must be a Level 2 warrior. So young, and already at such a level—who would believe it?

“Let’s keep it low-profile,” Zhang Chu said awkwardly, rubbing his nose, embarrassed by their awestruck gazes. “We’re supposed to meet at five o’clock sharp—let’s get going. Captain Hu, you need to get treatment for your injuries as soon as possible.”

With that, Zhang Chu turned and started walking away.

“Brother, you killed the Overlord Tiger—it’s yours to take!” Hu Sanyi called out hurriedly.

“Well, I’ll take the core then. As for the rest, if we can’t bring it out, we’ll just bury it,” Zhang Chu replied, without standing on ceremony. Swallowing a Level 2 beast core—just the thought made his heart race.

“Brother, take this as well, as thanks for saving my life,” Hu Sanyi insisted, pressing a ring into Zhang Chu’s hand. “It’s not terribly expensive, but it has a few flat spaces—you can put the Overlord Tiger’s body inside and deal with it within 24 hours, or it’ll spoil. At the exit of the Level 1 beast forest, the administrators won’t check too closely. They’d never imagine you’d have a storage ring.”

A storage ring? Zhang Chu had seen one at the Warriors’ Center. It was a special storage device for warriors, using spiritual energy arrays to create a dimensional space inside the ring. The size depended on the array, and naturally, the cost was high. Even a low-grade Level 1 storage ring was worth half a million.

“This is way too valuable!” Zhang Chu cradled the ring lovingly.

“You saved my life, brother. It’s just a possession—take it as a token of friendship!” Hu Sanyi had been a mercenary for years and met many people. His instincts told him this young man was extraordinary. If he could recruit him into the Gale Squad, they could rise from a Level 1 to a Level 2 mercenary team and gain access to far more resources for hunting beasts.

“Then I won’t stand on ceremony.” Zhang Chu quickly put on the ring. With Hu Sanyi’s guidance, he mastered its use in just a minute. With a wave of his hand, the Overlord Tiger’s corpse vanished into the storage space.

The five of them left together. At the exit, the administrator barely glanced at them. Who would suspect a hunter in the Level 1 beast forest of owning something as precious as a storage ring?

After leaving the beast forest, the Gale Squad set off for the nearest town to treat their wounds. After exchanging contact information with Hu Sanyi, Zhang Chu boarded a direct line to Binzhou City.

His first stop upon arrival was the Warriors’ Center. With a blood vitality of 556, once he certified as a Level 2 warrior, he would be eligible to live in a large villa. But he was a step too late—the center had already closed for the day.

Back home, Zhang Chu ordered takeout—freshly brewed draft beer and spicy crayfish, the kind of meal he could never afford back when he was living in a rented room. Since he couldn’t certify as a Level 2 warrior today, he’d have to wait until tomorrow, after earning some money in the virtual hunting grounds.

While waiting for his food, Zhang Chu remembered the storage ring. He pulled the Overlord Tiger’s core from inside. The core of a Level 2 beast was about the size of a steamed bun. He washed it clean, sat on the sofa, and swallowed it in one gulp.

Then came the tense anticipation. Today’s exploits had been well worth it. Not only had he broken through to Level 2, but he’d also acquired a storage ring and, most importantly, obtained a Level 2 beast core.

Ding-dong!

A few seconds later, a sound rang out. Zhang Chu thought it was the system, but it turned out to be the doorbell.

“One moment!” Judging by the time, his takeout should have arrived. He quickly got up and opened the door.

But the next instant, Zhang Chu stood frozen in surprise.

Huang Lili was standing at the doorway, dressed in a long, floral dress that reached just past her knees.