The crisp chirping of birds echoed in the forest, and morning dew dripped onto Xing Luo's cheek.
Perhaps because he had too much fat, the drop of dew lingered on his chubby face.
Just then, an unknown bird landed on Xing Luo and pecked at the drop of dew with its sharp beak.
Xing Luo scratched his face with his hand, turned over, and with a loud “bang!”, startled a flock of birds not far away in the woods.
The little bird, the culprit, also chirped, seemingly mocking the little fatty.
Xing Luo rubbed his sore bottom, opened his eyes, and the sadness in them seemed to have completely dissipated after a night.
However, Xing Luo's experience last night had torn a gash in his heart, and even if it healed, it would leave an indelible ugly scar.
The blood feud was not forgotten; it was merely hidden deep within his heart, as disguise had become ingrained in him over the years.
At this moment, heavy footsteps sounded from a distance, seemingly not deliberately concealing their whereabouts.
The little fatty turned to look towards the source of the sound, and walking towards him was a warrior holding a shield and wearing heavy armor.
Beside him was a man with a massive hammer on his shoulder, his body covered in muscles.
In the center of the group, protected as if by stars surrounding the moon, was a Magician wearing a pointed hat.
Perhaps because the hat was too large and obscured much of her eyes, her slender, delicate hands constantly reached up to adjust the hat that almost covered her, making her look quite comical.
Further back was a Priest dressed in clerical robes, holding a thick book in her right hand.
Constantly moving on the flank of the group was an archer, sharp glances occasionally flashing in her eyes.
Powerful muscle lines were outlined on her wheat-colored skin, and her right hand was always half-drawn on her bow, ensuring that she could send out a sharp arrow at the first possible moment.
Xing Luo immediately put on a harmless smile, his signature move; only a ghost would know what he was truly thinking.
It wasn't that Xing Luo didn't want to hide, but the other party had already discovered him, and he considered his skills only good enough to barely catch a fish, so he didn't reach for the dagger at his waist.
Upon discovering that the other party was just a child, the Mercenary Group seemed somewhat surprised.
This Monster Forest could be said to be quite dangerous; even ordinary magical beasts would be enough to take this child's life.
At this moment, the comical little Magician seemed to have finally finished her battle with the hat, judging by the smile on her small face.
It could be inferred that she was very satisfied with her victory; her age didn't seem to be much older than Xing Luo.
She had a pair of beautiful large eyes, full of curiosity for new things, and held a peach wood staff in her right hand that was considerably taller than herself, embedded with a fiery red gem.
She opened her delicate pink mouth, and a voice even more melodious than the bird's chirping just now floated out.
“Who are you?!” Xing Luo seemed to be staring blankly, and the same words sounded again, only with a hint of anger in the tone.
Xing Luo then hurriedly replied, “I am Xing Luo, from a remote little village.”
The young little Magician then said with satisfaction, “We are the Iron Blood Mercenary Group, and these six are my companions.”
Xing Luo was momentarily stunned when he heard this, as there were clearly only five people in front of him, so why did she say six?
As if she had anticipated the little fatty's reaction, the little beauty extended her cute finger and poked the air.
A cold wind blew past Xing Luo's ear; whether he was scared or simply too fat, his turning motion was somewhat stiff and slow.
What met his eyes was a man in black clothes with only his eyes visible.
For a moment, it was as if he had returned to yesterday, and the uncontrollable hatred in his heart overwhelmed his fear.
He was about to make a move, but in an instant, he forced himself to calm down.
Although this man in black was dressed similarly to the people from yesterday, he clearly lacked the condensed killing intent of those from yesterday, and his eyes were not as cold, though they couldn't be called warm either.
The clear female voice, like a nightingale, sounded again, “Little Hei, don't scare him.”
So Xing Luo witnessed an astonishing scene: the man in black gradually faded, then slowly disappeared, reappearing back in the Mercenary Group.
He couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his forehead.
Through his previous performance, the little beauty found nothing extraordinary about this fatty.
“Perhaps this little fatty just stumbled into the Monster Forest,” the little beauty murmured to herself, then casually said to the little fatty, “Do you want to come with us? The Monster Forest is too dangerous for you.”
The little beauty's name was Pandora, and her personality was like Pandora's Box itself: quirky, with a hint of tsundere.
Spoiled since childhood, coupled with her extraordinary talent and being a natural beauty, her neck length was just right, adding a touch of elegance to her 14-year-old self.
The uncle holding the giant shield hesitated slightly upon hearing this, looking as if he wanted to speak but refrained, finally shaking his head and remaining silent.
After all, the other party was just a child and showed no energy fluctuations, and the rest of the Mercenary Group were confident in their own strength, so they didn't say much.
Xing Luo nodded repeatedly, but the excessive flesh made his chubby face jiggle, an action that amused the little beauty, who then waved the Mercenary Group away amidst laughter.
Poor Xing Luo hurriedly went to find the black horse, preparing to follow Pandora as she left.
A strong smell of blood permeated from where the horse was tethered; it seemed that after Li Da Shu, the black horse had also left him.
There was no time for further thought, because he had more important things to do—to survive and then become stronger.
Without thinking, he immediately caught up with the Mercenary Group that was about to disappear into the distance.
“The Mercenary Guild is a neutral organization that spans the entire continent; almost every kingdom has their strongholds, and Loshen Country is no exception.
Every adventurer can form a Mercenary Group with like-minded individuals, and the conditions for applying for a Mercenary Group are very simple.
First, submit the Mercenary Group's name and emblem to the Guild; as long as the name is not duplicated, you can apply.
Gather at least five members and pay ten gold coins.
One gold coin equals ten silver coins, which equals one hundred copper coins; a farmer's annual income is roughly ten gold coins.
Mercenary Groups are divided into eight ranks, from SSS-rank down to F-rank.
Among them, SSS-rank is a Legendary Mercenary Group, SS-rank and S-rank are Super Mercenary Groups, A-rank and B-rank are High-level Mercenary Groups, C-rank and D-rank are Intermediate Mercenary Groups, and below that are Elementary Mage.
Mercenaries are also divided from SSS-rank down to F-rank.
A High-level Magician may not necessarily defeat an Intermediate Magician, because a Mercenary's promotion is related to the difficulty and success rate of completed tasks.
Of course, it still has some reference value for individual strength.” These were all things Li Da Shu usually told him.
Having caught up with the Mercenary Group, Xing Luo felt a little more at ease.
Yesterday, when he first arrived in this Monster Forest, nothing terrible happened, so he overlooked the dangers here due to extreme fatigue.
However, the disappearance of the black horse and the strong smell of blood had still stimulated Xing Luo, making this life-loving fellow stay glued to the Iron Blood Mercenary Group, which gave him a sense of security.
The Mercenary Group seemed to move through the Monster Forest with great ease, conversing softly among themselves.
The fatty, listening with ears perked, learned that the person who had suddenly appeared beside him was named Hei, a killer and a rogue.
The hot-bodied archer with wheat-colored skin was Candice; the middle-aged uncle in armor holding a shield, with a sunny face, was William; the one carrying the giant hammer was Wayne, a young man in his twenties with a charming smile always on his face.
Finally, the silent and solemn Priest, constantly praying, was Tiffany, also a rare beauty, though her expression was somewhat overly serious.
During his “eavesdropping,” Xing Luo learned that the Iron Blood Mercenary Group was a six-person Mercenary Group, but because a Great Mage companion had permanently left this world during a mission a while ago, this young little Magician had the opportunity to join.
There were two reasons why everyone listened to this little Magician's commands: one was that she was too young and everyone indulged her, and the other was because of her astonishing number of magic scrolls and magic items.
Just these pieces of equipment alone could annihilate a High-level Magician.
However, it's estimated that if something truly jeopardized the survival of the Mercenary Group, the little Magician's orders would probably lose their binding force.
“Known Magician ranks range from Level 1 to Level 21.
Among them, Levels 1-3 are Apprentice Magician, Levels 4-6 are Elementary Mage, Levels 7-9 are Intermediate Magician, Levels 10-12 are High-level Magician, Levels 13-15 are Great Mage, Levels 16-18 are Magister, and Levels 19-21 are Grand Magister.
As for Level 22, it only exists in the legendary ancient mythological era.
I heard that back then, human Magicians could even slay gods...” the middle-aged Uncle William said, seemingly casually.