Su Han felt the cold weight of Captain Zhao’s gaze and felt a bit embarrassed. He knew he had to spend a lot of time with the Iron-Fist Mercenaries on this mission.

  ?His cultivation was at the 6th-level of Body Refining, but he only needed 200 more experience points to break through. He would soon become a 7th-level warrior.

  ?"My cultivation is at the 7th-level of Body Refining," Su Han said, hesitating for a second.

  ?Captain Zhao’s eyebrows shot up. Shock flashed in her eyes, but she quickly masked it by wrinkling her nose and turning away without a word.

  ?Chen Qian, sitting right there, looked like his eyes might pop out. He stared at Su Han, his voice rising in disbelief.

  ?"Hey! If you were that strong, why the hell did you hide it earlier?"

  ?Su Han didn't know how to explain that his power had literally hit the sky during the last fight. He just gave a small, awkward smile.

  ?When he looked at Captain Zhao again, her face was a mask of ice. Chen Qian noticed and leaned in, whispering right into Su Han's ear.

  ?"Don't sweat it. The Captain has always been a cold one. She’ll cool down after a while."

  ?Chen Qian didn't even have the guts to say it out loud. Su Han just nodded and went back to his meat.

  ?A few minutes later, the six mercenaries and the two clients finished their food and took their medicine. They had rested, but their bellies weren't even full yet when Zhao stood up.

  ?"Rest time is over," she barked. "Move out. We're heading to the north side of the Black Wolf Mountain Range."

  ?She looked up at the sky. It was early morning when they left the market, but after the wolf tide and the rest, evening was already crawling in.

  ?"There's a safe spot on the north side. we’ll make camp there for the night," Zhao said, her eyes scanning the horizon.

  ?"At sunrise, we hunt the Four-Colored Snake. It’s a long trek, and we might not even reach it by tomorrow. Move fast before another threat finds us."

  ?She looked at her team. Despite the pills, they were still battered.

  ?"If we run into trouble in this state, it’s going to be a nightmare."

  ?The mercenaries were quick. They packed their gear in minutes. The two clients weren't as hurt since the Iron-Fist group had kept them in a protective circle.

  ?Su Han felt much better too. The Middle-grade pills from the System Store were doing their job well.

  ?Captain Zhao signaled, and the group vanished into the thick shadows of the northern range.

  ?As they neared the inner regions, the air felt heavier. The danger was thick enough to taste. Zhao stopped and looked at everyone with deadly seriousness.

  ?"No one makes a sound," she hissed. "We move with absolute caution. The inner area starts here, and the beasts ahead are monsters."

  ?She tightened her grip on her sword.

  ?"If another wolf pack finds us, they will be much stronger than the last ones. Everyone follows my lead—no exceptions."

  ?She glared at the team, then at the clients, and finally, she fixed a freezing, piercing stare on Su Han.

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  ?"This is bad," Su Han thought. "When did I even piss her off?"

  ?He just shrugged it off with a smile as the team began to creep forward, step by careful step.

  ?The path was a gauntlet. They ran into several problems—beasts with the power of 6th, 7th, and even 8th-level Body Refining.

  ?Some they dodged, and some they had to kill quickly and quietly. Finally, they reached the designated safe zone.

  ?Everyone let out a ragged breath of relief. It was a close call.

  ?In this area, they could easily stumble upon 9th-level beasts or even half-step Qi Refining monsters.

  ?After checking the perimeter, Captain Zhao signaled the camp.

  ?"We stay here for the night. Stay alert," she ordered. "We’ll rotate the guard shifts. Half sleep, half watch. Then we switch."

  ?She looked at the dark treeline one last time.

  ?"We move out for our target before the sun even peaks. Get some rest."

  Su Han quickly found a comfortable spot near a shady tree and sat down. His heart was heavy with calculation. He only needed 200 more experience points to break through to the next level of his cultivation.

  ?"I missed out on so much XP because those Iron-Fist guys killed everything on the way," he muttered, grinding his teeth.

  ?He shot a sharp, frustrated look toward the mercenaries but quickly looked away. He couldn't afford to show his anger out loud.

  ?Su Han let out a long sigh as he thought about his gear. His old armor was gone—shattered in the last fight. He had a great weapon now, the Yellow-grade High-grade Wolf Tooth Dagger, but he felt naked without protection.

  ?"Stingy system," he cursed in his mind. "Does it hurt to give a few more rewards? Everything in the store is a total rip-off."

  ?He looked at the high prices for armor in the System Store. It felt like a black market deal. He was trapped between needing safety and having zero points.

  ?"Brother Han!"

  ?Chen Qian walked over, breaking Su Han's thoughts.

  ?"We’re splitting into two teams for the night. One watches while the other sleeps. Do you want to take the first shift or the second?"

  ?Su Han gave a small smile. "Whatever you think is best, Brother Qian."

  ?"Then you sleep first. I'll wake you up when it's your turn," Chen Qian said, patting his shoulder before walking away.

  ?Su Han didn't argue. He closed his eyes and drifted into a deep sleep.

  ?A few hours later, a hand shook his shoulder. Su Han groaned, a curse almost slipping from his lips. He was in a daze, his mind screaming for more sleep.

  ?"Time to get up, Han," Chen Qian whispered.

  ?Su Han blinked, looking at the alert mercenaries already in position. He forced a smile, rubbed his face, and stood up.

  ?He moved away from the group, pulled a bottle of water from his system space, and splashed his face. The cold water woke him up instantly.

  ?He saw Captain Zhao and two others standing guard. The silence of the forest was deafening.

  ?"I can't just stand here and stare at the trees," Su Han thought. "I'm losing my mind with this boredom."

  ?Suddenly, a light bulb went off in his head. He had just received the 'Shadow Steps' movement technique. His mastery was at zero.

  ?"Why not kill two birds with one stone?" he whispered, a smirk touching his lips.

  ?He began to move, pretending to scout the perimeter. He stayed light on his feet, triggering the Shadow Steps technique.

  ?[SHADOW STEPS MASTERY: 1%]

  [SHADOW STEPS MASTERY: 2%]

  [SHADOW STEPS MASTERY: 4%]

  ?The notifications flickered in his mind as he sped up.

  ?Captain Zhao watched him from a distance, her brow furrowed in confusion.

  ?"What is this brat doing? Instead of guarding, he’s running around like a headless chicken in the middle of the night," she muttered.

  ?She walked toward him, her footsteps silent.

  ?"What are you doing?" she asked, her voice cold.

  ?Su Han nearly jumped. Seeing her standing there—cold but undeniably beautiful—made him flush.

  ?"Oh, uh... I'm just checking every corner. I don't want any beast sneaking up on us," he lied, giving a nervous smile.

  ?He couldn't exactly tell her he was grinding for skill points.

  ?"You can see just fine from one spot," she said, her eyes narrowing.

  ?"Moving around makes me a harder target," Su Han countered quickly. "And it scares off predators if they see constant movement."

  ?Zhao just stared at him, stunned by his logic. Before she could say another word, Su Han blurred away, continuing his practice.

  ?She let out a small "Hmph!" and ignored him for the rest of the night.

  ?When morning finally broke, the group gathered to eat. The mercenaries pulled out dried meat and rations.

  ?Su Han hit his forehead with his palm. "I forgot to pack food... I need to remember this next time."

  ?Luckily, Chen Qian noticed and handed him some food. Their bond was growing stronger with every mile they traveled.

  ?After a quick meal, the mission continued. Two days of trekking through the dangerous terrain brought them to a jagged mountain.

  ?They stopped in front of a small, dark hole that looked like a cave entrance.

  ?Captain Zhao raised her hand, signaling for absolute silence.

  ?Hiss... Hiss...

  ?The sound of the Four-Colored Snake's breathing echoed from the darkness.

  ?Everyone’s heart skipped a beat. Fists tightened. Eyes turned lethal.

  ?The target was right there. The next bloodbath was about to begin.