Pretending to be a genius starts with the civilization advancement assessment.

Chapter 183 Lower-Level Folk Martial Artists

"Don't worry, boss. We've been to this place seven or eight times already. We could find our way out with our eyes closed."

The one who spoke was Monkey, the scout in the group, in his early twenties, lean and agile like a real mountain monkey.

He was carefully strapping an alloy dagger to his calf and then checking the magazine of the pistol at his waist.

"Keep blowing! Who almost fell into the mud last time?"

The bear, who was wiping a thick, two-handed sword, mumbled a sarcastic remark.

He is a burly man and the team's main attacker.

That heavy sword had no fancy special effects; it was simply heavy and hard. With his 200 points of source energy and brute force, it was quite effective against low-level abyss beasts with thick hides.

"I didn't mean to! Besides, it was Nightingale who pulled me up!" the monkey retorted, sticking out his neck.

The woman known as Nightingale remained silent, quietly organizing the various gadgets in the leather pouch at her waist: highly resilient alloy wire, a trigger-activated miniature alarm, and first-aid bandages.
She was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with delicate features but wary eyes. She was the team's trap expert and deputy reconnaissance officer.

She gently clipped a small energy sensor to her collar; it was the best early warning device their team could afford.

The last one to get off the bus was Zhugan.

As his name suggests, he is tall and thin. He is the team's long-range support and "technical officer," carrying a modified sniper crossbow. The arrowheads gleam with a faint energy glow, which slightly enhances their penetrating power.

The five quickly assembled. Their equipment wasn't top-notch, but they checked it meticulously. They understood each other with just a glance—a tacit understanding honed through countless brushes with death.

They were unable to join the disciplined and well-equipped Yuanwu Army.

Perhaps it's because of a lack of talent, perhaps because of age, or perhaps simply because they are not suited to that system.

But they chose another path, relying on the official merit system to take on the "dirty and tiring jobs" that the Yuanwu Army looked down on but that someone had to do.

For example, clearing the area around small nests can slow down their expansion.

"Boss, I've calculated it. If this mission goes smoothly, after we return and hand in the collected crystals and cleanup quotas, the merit points should be just enough to exchange for that 'Source Condensation Forging Method'." Bamboo Pole's tone was filled with barely suppressed excitement.

Upon hearing this, the deep wrinkles on the old cat's face smoothed out somewhat.

He looked at Nightingale, who hadn't said much in the group, and said, "Well, Nightingale, I'll get you the manual later. With that manual, practice hard and try to sense your bottleneck as soon as possible to break through to the Stardust level."

A glint of light flashed in Nightingale's eyes, and she nodded vigorously: "I will, boss."

"Stardust level, huh?" Big Bear shouldered his heavy sword, his honest face full of longing.

The monkey sidled up, grinning, and said, "Once Nightingale becomes a Stardust-level expert, can we test the waters on the outskirts of a medium-sized nest? I heard the merit points there are several times higher than in this little shack starting with 'B'!"

Bamboo Pole picked up the conversation and analyzed, "Theoretically, that's how it is. The task of limiting the expansion of medium-sized nests is mainly the responsibility of the Yuanwu Army, but they will occasionally issue some commissions for perimeter clearing or specific resource collection. They are difficult, but the merits are indeed generous."

"Moreover, I have studied the battle reports. The Yuanwu Army regularly organizes forces to enter medium-sized nests to carry out clean-up operations and limit their expansion, so the outer areas are relatively less dangerous."

“More than medium-sized!” The monkey perked up again, lowering his voice and saying mysteriously, “I heard some rumors at the ‘Veteran’s Tavern’ in Settlement Seven last time. They said that the monsters from the Training Corps are really something else. They regularly enter large lairs, not just on the outskirts, but by going straight in to hunt down Stardust-level behemoths.”

Big Bear gasped, "A large nest? My goodness, how powerful must the Stardust-level Abyss Beasts inside be?"

"That's nothing," the monkey's voice lowered, filled with utter awe. "I've heard that... sometimes that one personally takes action. He goes straight into the main lair and slays a Star Core-level Beast King! A Star Core-level being... with an energy level exceeding a million, just thinking about it is terrifying."

When "that one" was mentioned, the team members fell silent for a moment, their eyes filled with awe, as if they were talking about a deity in the clouds.

That was the towering pillar that supported the entire Origin Martial Era of the Xia Kingdom, a height that ordinary Origin Martial practitioners struggling in the mud could not even imagine.

"Alright, stop daydreaming."

Old Cat interrupted everyone's reverie, clapping his hands. "Star Core-level beings are too far away; let's focus on the present. Move out! Maintain the alert formation. Monkey, advance fifty meters to scout; Nightingale, flank the area and set up early warning systems; Big Bear, stay with me in the center; Bamboo Pole, bring up the rear, thirty meters apart." "Understood!"

The five-person team, like shadows blending into the forest, silently stealthily made their way towards the territory of the Abyss Beasts.

Their movements weren't particularly graceful or elegant, but they were certainly practical.

The monkeys nimbly move around using the terrain, stopping from time to time to listen with their ears close to the ground or climb to the treetops to observe.

Nightingales cleverly laid almost invisible alloy wires and miniature alarms at the forks in the road and high points along the route the group took.

Old Cat and Big Bear stood on either side, their sharp eyes scanning the area ahead, while Bamboo Pole held a sniper crossbow, vigilant for any potential threats from the rear and flanks.

Soon, they encountered the first wave of abyssal beasts.

Three elites.

This is a beast that resembles an enlarged version of a hyena, covered in a dark red keratinous layer, and is called the "Bone-Eating Dog".

With their keen sense of smell, they spotted the group and lunged forward with a low growl.

"Two heads straight ahead, one head around to the left. Big Bear, block from the right front; Monkey, harass from the left flank; Nightingale, contain; Bamboo Pole, find an opportunity to snipe the eyes." Old Cat quickly gave the orders.

The bear roared, channeling its energy into its legs, and stomped forward. Its heavy greatsword swept across with a fierce wind, forcing back the two bone-eating hounds that were charging at it head-on.

The monkey then appeared from the left like a ghost, its poisoned dagger precisely slashing at the joint of the third Bone-Eating Dog. Although it failed to cause serious injury, it successfully attracted the dog's attention.

Nightingale promptly threw out a smoke bomb with a pungent odor to distract the Bonehound's sense of smell.

Just as a bone-eating dog was momentarily stunned by the smoke, its movements faltered.

"call out!"

A crossbow bolt pierced the air and accurately struck its left eye. The energy attached to the arrowhead exploded, directly shattering its brain.

Once one is dealt with, the pressure is greatly reduced.

The bear roared and withstood the attack from the other bear, the heavy sword slamming into its head with a dull cracking sound.

The old cat, working with the monkey, cleanly and efficiently took care of the last one.

The battle was brief and intense, not particularly flashy, but highly efficient, with no one injured.

They skillfully collected the crystals and packed them into specially made bags.

"What bad luck, they're all source energy crystals." The monkey scoffed.

"Many a little makes a mickle." Old Cat succinctly put it.

This is their daily life.

They teeter on the edge of danger and reward, battling these ferocious monsters for dozens or hundreds of merit points.

Every mission felt like dancing on a knife's edge.

They continued deeper, clearing out the remaining abyssal beasts and collecting crystals.

The atmosphere wasn't relaxed, but the team members occasionally whispered among themselves, filled with anticipation for the future. Nightingale's gaze grew increasingly resolute as she watched the numbers slowly ticking on the merit recorder.

However, just as they advanced to within three kilometers of the pulsating vortex at the heart of the lair and were preparing to turn to another area, a sudden change occurred.

(End of this chapter)