Infinite Hunter

Something suddenly gave Cheng Yijiu a headache. His parents told him to go on a blind date. He was already in his twenties and would be thirty in a few years. He didn't even have a girlfriend, let alone a wife. How could this be possible? He looked like he would be in the same state even if he returned from the United States. His parents couldn't help but worry.

What's the point of spending all day swordplaying, surfing the internet, and playing with action figures? His parents aren't worried about him having a meal—he's already pretty good at buying a house and having a stable income and a sizable bank account, but why aren't there any girls pursuing him?

Come to think of it, if you live in a different city, people would look for someone with a stable job like a civil servant. Here, that's not the case. Money is a nice bonus, but local girls don't know that. So what's the point of having a Shanghai hukou? For their son, finding someone from out of town is a relatively low-priority option in the traditional mindsets of the older couple. So, blind dates are still necessary, and friends and relatives are being called in to introduce him to someone.

Many men and women in Shanghai actually met and married through blind dates. By the time they'd reached that stage, the matchmaker would have some familiarity with both families, and in most cases, they were considered a good match. Without a blind date, the relationship would likely develop through classmates or colleagues. When Cheng Yijiu received the call from his mother, he was initially reluctant, but also somewhat expectant. He hadn't considered pursuing Miss Tang, despite her undoubtedly being a beauty.

But Cheng Yijiu had seen Miss Tang get into a Mercedes-Benz before. Whether it was from her family or something else, it proved that Cheng Yijiu was probably not a good match for Miss Tang... So he gave up the idea at the beginning and just watched the show of those guys trying to please Miss Tang.

Chapter 31 Blind Date

"Your last name is Wang, right? Oh, you're a white-collar worker. Yeah, I know, I'll be at ××× at 10 a.m. the day after tomorrow." Cheng Yijiu answered the phone and repeated his mother's words in a tone that tried to be happy, "I will definitely go! I will definitely go! I will definitely not stand anyone up and will definitely behave well! I will definitely not act like a shut-in." Cheng Yijiu was quite helpless, while Miss Tang on the side obviously pricked up her ears to listen.

After Cheng Yijiu hung up, Miss Tang began to mock her boss. "Going on a blind date..." she drawled, imitating Cheng Yijiu's words and repeating them. Cheng Yijiu just smiled awkwardly. Miss Tang was just joking around like that. As for falling in love with the boss and becoming his wife? Cheng Yijiu was certain that she had never thought about it, and she definitely had no interest in him. He was now almost certain that she wasn't actually from the relevant department.

It was just a beautiful misunderstanding. Of course, if this girl really was from a certain department, Cheng Yijiu could only say that the government was really powerful. After teasing Cheng Yijiu, the girl turned her interest to her phone and didn't even bother to act as a matchmaker. This just proved that she was not interested in Cheng Yijiu at all. The two of them had a very pure working and mentoring relationship.

Cheng Yijiu, quite unusually, had changed into youthful clothing—he was nearly thirty, rounding up to thirty. His outfit was a 5.11 suit. From the T-shirt to the jacket, jeans, and low-top hiking shoes, everything was from the brand. He didn't even bring a bag—it would be odd to carry a tactical pack on a blind date. His outfit was quite appropriate, and he looked quite energetic.

Cheng Yijiu had already cleaned himself up, shaved and combed his hair. He definitely couldn't go on a blind date in a minivan, so he called a car and arrived at the location about ten minutes early. He then waited for the matchmaker—he knew them both. One was his mother, and the other was an old colleague of his mother's. He heard that the woman was a relative of the old colleague and was about the same age as him.

Cheng Yijiu is now 1.83 meters tall, which meets the requirements. He is also very strong. Although he is not the kind of person who exercises muscles in the gym, he is still strong and has a strong back and waist, which can be called a clothes rack. However, his appearance is relatively ordinary, which can only be described as "good-looking". The first person he saw was his mother. When his mother saw her son dressed like this, she immediately slapped him, "Oh! If you wear this, people will think you are a migrant worker!"

Cheng Yijiu protested immediately, "That's camouflage, not mine. And isn't this jeans with a T-shirt and jacket a normal outfit for young people? How can I say I'm a migrant worker?" He pointed at the clothes and said they were expensive. A set like this must have cost at least several thousand yuan. It definitely wasn't some cheap stall stuff; he bought them himself in the US. His mother couldn't send him back home to change clothes, no matter how unhappy she was. It had to be this way.

Cheng Yijiu knew the introducer, but it seemed that he was already in the coffee shop with the girl. She called Cheng Yijiu's mother, and then Cheng Yijiu followed his mother into the nearby coffee shop. At first sight, Cheng Yijiu wanted to back out - the girl looked a little fat, which was okay, but standing at a height of 1.5 meters was really not good. The most important thing was that her appearance was too ordinary. Cheng Yijiu thought about the woman he had slept with in the mission before, and immediately felt that it was indeed not possible.

The girl was wearing a long dress and carrying a bag—it looked like a designer brand. She quickly looked Cheng Yijiu up and down. Being very perceptive, Cheng Yijiu immediately noticed the slight change in the atmosphere and guessed she wasn't impressed. Then came the formalities. After the introductions, the elders slipped away, leaving the two of them alone. The atmosphere was a little awkward, but they still had to talk. The girl started by asking about Cheng Yijiu's interests and hobbies.

Cheng Yijiu couldn't just say he loved hunting, so he started with the swordsmith, then the plastic artist, and maybe the fisherman. He earned his living from the shop, and it seemed like he made a few thousand yuan a month. The woman didn't react, nor did she say much. After they each had a cup of coffee, they chatted awkwardly for another ten minutes before leaving in unison. Cheng Yijiu asked for his WeChat ID—to show it to his mother, since he was planning to delete it anyway.

The woman seemed to know this, too. Cheng Yijiu couldn't even look at her Moments—after all, she said she loved traveling... Cheng Yijiu just assumed it was true. "What a waste of a whole morning," Cheng Yijiu muttered. But she was actually quite nice because she didn't ask him for lunch. In that respect, she was actually a decent person.

When Cheng Yijiu returned to the shop, Miss Tang looked up at him. "We don't like each other," she said. Cheng Yijiu nodded. "You have a lot of experience," Miss Tang laughed. After that, they went their separate ways. This girl was quite good at facelifts, so Cheng Yijiu definitely wouldn't dare give her a real facelift. But she was rich, so she was waving a gorgeously decorated facelift in front of Cheng Yijiu.

"Don't sharpen it! I'm not worried about anything else, I'm worried you might accidentally injure yourself," Cheng Yijiu warned. Miss Tang must have taken it to heart. After all, this thing was a real weapon, and sharpening it would make the police sure to catch anyone. Cheng Yijiu hadn't had any requests from the relevant authorities recently, and he was happy to have some free time, so he focused on practicing his weapons, practicing his marksmanship in the garden. He even participated in a weapons competition.

Among the swordsmen, Cheng Yijiu was considered relatively small, considering many were strong men between 1.9 and 2 meters tall, capable of wearing heavy armor. Cheng Yijiu was renowned among the swordsmen for his near-foul-level fighting abilities. His technique was excellent, and he could easily defeat his opponents through exchange. However, many of his moves were dangerous and could easily cause injury—something Cheng Yijiu himself had noticed, leading him to act more as a referee and instructor.

By the time he returned to the cabin, his mother had almost given up on him. She knew the other woman wasn't interested in her son, so she decided to find someone else. Like Cheng Yijiu, his mother didn't think Miss Tang would be interested in Cheng Yijiu... Cheng Yijiu saw a new message appear on the computer. "My friend, you're a top figure now. It's time to give you more responsibilities. Hunters don't just hunt man-eating beasts, they also hunt dangerous animals."

"For example: Recycling missions," the computer displayed. "Certain items are extremely dangerous in the hands of ordinary people, and can cause unimaginable consequences. You will be responsible for recovering/hunting these items. Go for it." Then came the restrictions for the next mission—he couldn't bring modern firearms or electronic equipment in, as electronic equipment couldn't be used there. For firearms, he could use paper ammunition. It was generally recommended to carry cold weapons and wear armor. "Friendly reminder: lion skins are important!"

Volume: Recycling

Chapter 1 Enter

Until now, Cheng Yijiu hadn't figured out what this so-called artificial intelligence on this computer was. It was like a psychopath, different from task to task—sometimes it displayed the mission objective directly, sometimes in advance, and sometimes it was vague. Even its responses to his questions varied. Could this be strong artificial intelligence? Because it even had a very advanced ability to "forget."

Since the computer said so, Cheng Yijiu followed suit. First, he packed his clothes, replacing them with sturdier cotton and linen, and even wool. He also changed his shoes to hand-stitched leather boots, which were more durable. Then, he packed the same leather bag he'd used when he'd gone to the Ice and Fire Continent, stuffing it with spare clothes, weapon maintenance gadgets, and, of course, medicine.

Cheng Yijiu is already quite experienced. In most cases, when the hunter's lodge sends him on a mission, they have strict control over the weapons he carries, but they are not so strict about the medicines or food he carries. Therefore, he can still carry hemostatic and disinfectant ointments and bandages, as well as anti-inflammatory tablets. It may not be a problem to even carry them for decades beyond the current era.

Cheng Yijiu began to choose his weapons. The lion skin was the first choice, followed by the chain mail lining. The armor plates that reinforced the vital parts also needed to be re-attached. The leg and hand armor were also polished and inspected. The sword was still the cold iron sword, a greatsword he was already accustomed to using. The adjusted blade was 1.2 meters long and the hilt was 40 centimeters. Cheng Yijiu had wrapped it with new leather strips and carefully re-polished the blade.

Next was the knife. A Rambo knife was good, and with a leather sheath, it could get him where he wanted to go. Cheng Yijiu didn't plan to bring a short spear because he didn't think it made any sense. He mostly used a sword, not a spear, and this time he was allowed to bring a gun. So, of course, it was a double-barreled shotgun. Cheng Yijiu tried using a primer-loaded paper shell, but it didn't work. However, it worked when it pierced a flintlock rifle. So, Cheng Yijiu finally took the double-barreled shotgun. There was a sharp protrusion and a deflector at the end of the barrel, which could direct the black powder to the nearby gunpowder pool.

After that, all you had to do was pull the trigger, not the hammer. The flint would strike the powder reservoir, which opened with the protective cover, igniting the gunpowder. The bullet casings were soaked in oil, so while they needed cleaning after opening, it was still easier than a muzzleloader. So, Cheng Yijiu packed twenty-four rounds of ammunition and a pistol, so he could do it himself once he got there. After completing all the preparations, Cheng Yijiu saw that the time was almost up and checked the mission on his computer.

As expected, the details popped up. "Collecting Behelet and the Overlord Egg... I have a bad feeling. That's a terrifying world." Cheng Yijiu's cheek twitched slightly. He hadn't expected comics to become a world of quests. So, how did they transform the two-dimensional world into a three-dimensional reality? He was quite curious about that.

Cheng Yijiu was a bit excited. This was a world of the strong, and his abilities would definitely be displayed in this world. After a moment of mental preparation, Cheng Yijiu, now wearing the lion skin, smiled wildly. He pushed open the door in front of him and disappeared into the light.

Cheng Yijiu appeared on a road, flanked by forests, the trees seemingly black, and mountains stretching out in front and behind. The road was overgrown with weeds, and there was no sign of human life, so Cheng Yijiu could only choose one direction and stride forward. It was daytime, and the sun shone down on him. Cheng Yijiu felt better than ever, as if the sun were giving him strength—which was perfectly normal, since this world, too, possessed supernatural powers, and the entire planet possessed a "will."

The hunter, clad in a lion skin, emerged from the mountain road. His first sight was the village ahead. "Stone and thatched houses, and some unremarkable land." He saw crooked, rickety fields, likely due to insufficient plowing power. No vegetation had yet sprouted in the fields, and the villagers, unseen, had likely all gone into hiding. This world was grim and hopeless. Cheng Yijiu, judging by the comics, felt it was fundamentally bad.

The netherworld of this world is evil. No, it's not evil. The vast planetary will doesn't distinguish between good and evil. It's just that in human perception, the actions of the God's Hand are "evil." Cheng Yijiu doesn't care about them. After all, it wasn't the God's Hand that made this world a hell, but the kings and nobles who fought and battled on earth.

The continent is currently at war, the Hundred Years' War. It's supported countless mercenaries, and of course, it's also led to widespread desolation across the continent. As Cheng Yijiu approached the village, he could sense the greedy glances of the villagers hiding in their houses through the cracks. He was walking alone on the road, draped in a gorgeous lion skin, and was undoubtedly a fat sheep. The villagers here were anything but simple; they were all villains and thugs who would never let go of the opportunity to rob passersby.

After watching for a while and confirming that Cheng Yijiu was alone, these people spontaneously took up forks or sickles, and some even took out swords and axes, and surrounded him from all sides. Cheng Yijiu casually put down his briefcase and listened to the language they spoke. "I can understand it - it's almost English." He had actually prepared for these people to speak Japanese, but now it seemed that there was still some sense of decency. This European world also spoke European languages.

These people were just threatening, but Cheng Yijiu didn't bother dealing with them. One look at their faces revealed they were all thugs—distorted faces and ferocious eyes. The only reason they were farmers and not pure bandits was because they were weak. These people were also shriveled, their frail bodies holding weapons. Cheng Yijiu was a head taller than them and much more robust. Seeing these twenty or so people approaching, he laughed and drew his sword.

"It's been a while since I've eaten meat, so I'll kill a few scoundrels to help me relax." These villagers couldn't be innocent, so Cheng Yijiu attacked without hesitation. Did the lion skin work here too? It definitely did, because as Cheng Yijiu moved, he heard the lion's roar. The hunter strode forward and swung his sword, decapitating the bandit facing him with his first strike. The farmer was holding a sickle, the worst weapon among those present, given its shortest blade.

Chapter 2 Contact

The farmer bandit, a head shorter than Cheng Yijiu, had his head chopped off. Cheng Yijiu slid sideways and twisted, dodging behind the headless but still standing corpse. He lowered his body and used his shoulder to push the corpse halfway up. Although lion skin was impervious to swords and guns, as well as water and fire, Cheng Yijiu instinctively didn't want to use it to block the attacks of these rubbish - their weapons were simply too dirty.

All that was needed after that was swift, agile steps and deft reflexes—in this respect, Cheng Yijiu was exceptionally strong. Punishment missions and successful missions had brought him to the pinnacle of humanity, even surpassing it, not to mention the blessing of Apollo. Cheng Yijiu pushed forward and then slid sideways. His greatsword flashed again, slashing from the side at the back of a gangster holding a dung fork's neck, all the way to his chest. The toughness and sharpness of the cold iron sword, combined with his strength, easily severed the cervical vertebrae and multiple rows of ribs, even splitting the shoulder blade and arm bones.

The greatest advantage of a cold iron sword is that it barely picks up fat or blood, and the blade, after being treated, is incredibly hard and won't chip or curl. At least human bones don't have that kind of hardness. After killing the second man, Cheng Yijiu drew his sword, turned around, and stabbed the third farmer, who was holding a scythe, through the neck. He twisted the hilt, causing the blade to rotate ninety degrees, directly transforming the wound into a massive gash.

Three people died in a very short time, and their deaths were horrible. The remaining three bandits began to tremble - some of them held pitchforks, some held flails, and one held a real long sword, but standing in front of Cheng Yijiu, they were now shaking as if they were standing on an iceberg. Cheng Yijiu did not think of forgiving any of them - these people were scum and villains. If it were a traveler without Cheng Yijiu's ability, he would definitely die miserably.

So he quickened his pace and rushed over. The men were all covered in blood - their previous attack had hit the first companion they had killed. They had just drawn their weapons and regained their stance, and before they had taken a few steps, the other two companions were dead. The deaths were so brutal. Although these three men were also fierce, they were timid and were now almost scared. In their eyes, Cheng Yijiu's attack was like a gorgeous and powerful lion charging at them. Under the suppression of his spirit, their hands and feet were weak and they had no will to resist.

They wanted to kneel down and beg for mercy, but it was too late. They wanted to raise their weapons to resist, but their hands were weak, their movements were slow, and even stiff. So Cheng Yijiu swung his sword, and three heads flew off. This time, the robbery ended with all the bandits dead. Cheng Yijiu looked at the dead bodies on the ground and began to collect them. The clothes on these people were also dirty and filthy. As a result, Cheng Yijiu could only use his sword to pick them apart and check. "They are really poor." He muttered. These people basically had no money, and Cheng Yijiu's search was not meticulous.

There were other people in the village, other bandits who weren't much better off, but after seeing what happened to the first group of guys who left, they all hid and didn't dare go out. Cheng Yijiu didn't bother to be polite with them. He searched the village directly - there was no need to search for food for the time being, but it was necessary to look for other things - such as horses and other livestock. What really made Cheng Yijiu angry was that there were no horses, no donkeys, and no cows. There was no decent livestock in this damn place.

Furious, Cheng Yijiu grabbed a torch, lit it with a flint, and then set fire to the house the bandits had escaped from. The hunter in the lion skin thought for a moment before rolling it up and putting it in a large leather bag. He then pulled out a long-tailed light helmet and put it on his head, pushing up the visor. This way, he would be less conspicuous and perhaps avoid getting into so much trouble.

"To collect Behelet, you have to kill the Apostles, and to collect the Overlord Egg, you have to kill the Hand of God. Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, just thinking about it makes me feel difficult." Cheng Yijiu didn't know how difficult the Apostles were. He had read comics and watched anime, but that couldn't compare to real-life combat power, so it was hard to say how strong those monsters were. He did have a rough idea of ​​his own strength. To Cheng Yijiu, those few bandits were just stretching exercises, no need to take them seriously.

Cheng Yijiu continued walking, having walked all day. As night fell, he used his sword to chop fallen trees into firewood in the forest to the side, building a large fire. He spread out a thick canvas and sat on it, wrapped himself in a lion skin, and opened a can of food for dinner. No beasts were blind enough to attack him at night, and Cheng Yijiu himself slept very vigilantly.

A castle and a fairly large city appeared before his eyes. Outside the city were circles of simple houses - that is, slums. Cheng Yijiu also saw the chaotic mercenaries in the large camp outside the city - on the ground where sewage was flowing, there were tents on the high ground, small businessmen and women in special industries coming and going in them, and of course those rough mercenaries.

Cheng Yijiu ignored them for now. He found a decent-looking tavern outside the city and went in to gather information. First, he ordered a beer, the best kind, as Cheng Yijiu was afraid it would give him diarrhea. While he drank slowly at the table, he listened attentively to the news. "This is the Estuary City of the Parisian Alliance, and it is also the fiefdom of the Earl of Estuary. I've never heard of it..." Cheng Yijiu thought.

He then approached the bartender without hesitation. "Hello, I'm looking for a decent mercenary job. What can I recommend?" He pulled out a silver coin and pushed it over—it was a machine-made silver coin, considered quite high-quality. The bartender glanced at him and quickly collected the coin. "Sir, what kind of mercenary group are you looking for? One that pays well? One that just keeps you going and fills your stomach?"

"I want to find a job with a higher income, and I also want to find out some information - do you know the Eagle Group?" Cheng Yijiu asked, "In this case, the Purple Heart Mercenary Group is okay, but their requirements are quite high, you can try them. Eagle Group? Sorry, I haven't heard of it, at least not here." said the bartender.

Cheng Yijiu continued chatting for a while and roughly understood the model of mercenary groups and wandering mercenaries - mercenary groups take on war missions, while wandering mercenaries are free men to put it nicely, but hyenas to put it bluntly. They will take on sporadic mercenary missions and follow a mercenary group during wars, and will also take on any missions that can make money in normal times - most of which are quite "dirty".

Chapter 3 Joining the League

The Purple Heart Mercenary Group's headquarters was at the other end of the city, and Cheng Yijiu had to walk for a long time before he got there. Along the way, he stopped several thieves with his own hands. Although he sympathized with those children, Cheng Yijiu knew very well that in this era, he could not save them.

But some of the kids were already bad bastards and beyond help. After Cheng Yijiu slapped their hands away, they pulled out knives and tried to turn the theft into semi-public robbery. To deal with these people, Cheng Yijiu simply broke their bones - generally speaking, this was almost the same as killing them.

The Purple Heart Mercenary Group's base was much cleaner than the previous one, and the surrounding order was better—at least there was no semi-public looting. Cheng Yijiu lined up with the clerk at the camp gate. These were people who wanted to join the mercenary group to make a living—there were mercenary guilds these days, but they served the mercenary groups. Solo mercenaries didn't have guilds, so naturally, they had no protections.

Lone mercenaries usually form small teams of a few people to protect each other. Of course, there are countless betrayals among them. Only the gradually growing teams will have the possibility of becoming a new mercenary group. At this time, they can become members of the mercenary union after paying membership fees. The so-called union, Cheng Yijiu looks more like a combination of a bank, an insurance company and an intermediary company.

The guys in line all looked pretty capable fighters. In the camp behind, Cheng Yijiu even spotted some "monsters" that clearly surpassed the average person's build. There were a few warriors roughly the same height as O'Neal, while most of the mercenaries were about the same build as Cheng Yijiu, perhaps just a bit shorter.

There were quite a few mercenaries over two meters tall. Cheng Yijiu remembered that there were even people over three meters tall in the comics. The humans in this world were different from the one he lived in - a world with supernatural beings, and how could a normal person wield a dragon-slaying sword weighing tens or hundreds of kilograms - even if he was the protagonist Gazi.

Cheng Yijiu is quite strong now, but he doesn't know if he can wield the huge dragon-slaying sword at will - maybe he can, after all, he once wielded a stone club weighing at least dozens of kilograms to fight a lion in the past, and the sunlight of this world felt very good when it shone on him.

At least now, the cold iron sword in Cheng Yijiu's hand felt very light in his hands. Soon, his turn came. "Name?" the clerk asked. "Cheng." Cheng Yijiu directly gave his last name. The clerk wrote it down and indicated that he could go to the test. As for his personal character? How good could a mercenary be? The Purple Heart Mercenary Group only needed someone who was neither a traitor nor a perverted murderer.

The test primarily focused on strength and combat skills. This phase would eliminate some, and the subsequent general military orders would eliminate many more. Mercenaries were also part of the military, requiring strict military orders. Otherwise, a mob would be nothing more than a bunch of deadbeats on the battlefield. Cheng Yijiu was well aware of this; some mercenary groups in Europe were even better organized than regular armies, displaying meticulous battle formations on the battlefield.

Cheng Yijiu casually demonstrated his fighting skills, and he immediately received double salary - his type of soldier had already been determined by the opponent, that is, the two-handed swordsman who took the lead in attacking and breaking the opponent's spear formation with a two-handed sword. This type of soldier required superb skills, so he received double salary.

In the subsequent military order test, Cheng Yijiu also performed very well. At this time, he also knew the number of the Purple Heart Mercenary Group. It was a medium-sized mercenary group with a total of 300 people. It had a good reputation and rarely robbed the civilians. Cheng Yijiu received his first salary right after joining. This salary was used to purchase the necessary equipment and daily necessities.

"So I need a marching tent, and a lot of daily necessities. Fortunately, the carriage for transportation is provided by the mercenary group... but maybe I also need a docile horse or donkey to travel? Of course, if I do this, I have to pay for horse feed on a daily basis." Cheng Yijiu calculated.

Cheng Yijiu came to the merchants accompanying the army - these merchants would sell supplies and other materials with the mercenary group, purchase spoils and even provide loans. These merchants also had very powerful military forces... Cheng Yijiu wanted to buy a tent. This fat merchant had several different tents here, and he even sold beds.

There really were folding beds, and they were quite ingenious. To Cheng Yijiu, these wooden-framed folding beds looked like camp beds, except they were made of steel pipes. He bought a tent, a bed, and a brand new mattress—he specifically requested, "Don't sell me things that have been used by a dead person!"

After that, he was practically broke. Luckily, the mercenary group provided free food: simple black bread with broth and salad, which was enough to fill you up, and sometimes you could get some butter—which cost extra. Cheng Yijiu got to know a few people in the Purple Heart Mercenary Group—they were all his "superiors," Ham, who commanded the spearmen, Tal, the archers, and Elf, the secretary. Cheng Yijiu's conversation was also well-educated, which helped him get along well with the secretary.

Cheng Yijiu took this opportunity to inquire about the news. "The Eagle Group?" The clerk recalled for a moment, "It really exists, but it's in the Kingdom of Miranda. I heard it's a small mercenary group. You can go to the city and ask the guild for details. The guild sometimes ranks mercenary groups."

This time the Purple Heart Mercenary Group is recruiting people because a big war is about to take place. There is friction between the Yoda Empire and the Alliance, and both sides are interested in having a big...and the Purple Heart Mercenary Group has already accepted the order and will fight as part of the alliance.

The weapons industry in this place is quite developed. Cheng Yijiu found that the armor-wearing rate is quite high - even ordinary gatekeepers have at least a set of half-body armor, and they are not lacking any helmets or armor. As for the mercenaries, it depends on the habits of each person. Most soldiers also wear half-body armor, and some even have a full set of plate armor.

The same was true for warhorses. With the exception of the scouts' horses, all the others had armor. Furthermore, they were all tall and strong, considered excellent warm-blooded horses. In contrast, Cheng Yijiu wore light armor—though many two-handed swordsmen wore only mail or leather armor, as they valued lightness and flexibility.

Knights with heavy armor and greatswords were something regular military knights could afford, but mercenary groups generally didn't use them. Cheng Yijiu thought that if he wore a lion's skin, he might become the most handsome guy in the entire mercenary group...

Chapter 4 Competition

But...isn't this the style of a swordsman like him? You know, a double-salary swordsman like him usually wears a half-length Maximilian half-plate, and then wears a gorgeous cut-out outfit on the outside, arms, and legs. This clothing looks like it's been patchworked together with brightly colored strips of cloth, and the puffy arms and trousers are padded with silk.

Cheng Yijiu's weapon, however, was actually quite different from that of a typical two-handed swordsman. While his sword was nearly as long as a two-handed greatsword, it lacked a small guard or a leather-wrapped blade. It was also wider than a typical two-handed sword. In reality, it could only be described as a hybrid sword, almost a third longer than a typical one-and-a-half sword. A horse-slashing sword would be more appropriate. Cheng Yijiu had considered rebuilding it, remaking it into a one-and-a-half sword with a total length of one meter and two inches and a blade length of ninety centimeters.

If he did that, the sword would be a little light. He didn't have a more suitable material to balance the weight, and making a thick sword didn't seem to be a good idea either. In short, he would still try slowly and eventually find the weapon that suited him best. The Purple Heart Mercenary Group had a mobile blacksmith shop that could forge or repair weapons and armor for the group members. The blacksmith and his apprentice received a salary that was even higher than Cheng Yijiu's.

Cheng Yijiu felt that he should try to find the apostles. At least in the comics, the probability of an apostle appearing was not low. It was more difficult to find the Hand of God, but there was still a chance - he remembered that high tower, where the fifth Hand of God was about to be conceived, and all five Hands of God appeared in that battle.

He looked at his equipment. Okay, the cutout armor was gone, and Maximilien didn't even have half-plate armor, but he did have a lighter, seemingly blessed, chain mail, reinforced with several steel plates. And of course, there was the lion skin. Now, it seemed like wearing a lion skin wasn't too conspicuous in a mercenary group. His previous assumptions had been too self-important. Now, he saw the outfits of the mercenaries, and they were a dazzling display.

It was the first time Cheng Yijiu had seen such fancy armor for actual combat. Almost all the mercenaries wearing full plate armor had unique decorations on their helmets, shoulder guards, waist armor, knee pads, and face armor, many of which were depicted as ferocious animals or ghosts. There were also many protruding spines and horns on the plates. These riveted items were probably mainly decorative, so most of them were hollow, which of course could also serve as a barrier to enemy weapons.

Cheng Yijiu spent his first night here. Even though the mercenary group was relatively orderly at night, the camp still looked messy. The women were in different tents, and even Cheng Yijiu was harassed. Cheng Yijiu refused and followed the example of those who didn't want to do it and hung two crossed arrows outside the tent.

Mercenaries also undergo training. Combat skills training is done on their own, or with paid instruction from three or five people. Formation and tactical training is organized by commanders at all levels of the group—at least once a day, with fines for disobedience. Cheng Yijiu observed the spearmen's training, which consisted of formations and changes in formations, and was completed in an hour. "Is this intensity really acceptable?" he wondered. But then he thought about it: they were all veteran mercenaries, and they had been tested for military discipline during recruitment. Their quality was much stronger than that of the peasant soldiers, so it was normal.

Cheng Yijiu's training, however, involved scattering into formations, crossing the horizontal rows of spearmen on command. The rest of the process was up to the swordsmen themselves. He was also challenged. Two-handed swordsmen were quite independent, requiring a larger area for combat, while their individual swordsmanship limited their combined pay. When Cheng Yijiu joined the group, his salary was above average for a two-handed swordsman.

Therefore, those who were paid less than him were dissatisfied and tried to challenge him—they could win Cheng Yijiu's salary, while Cheng Yijiu would receive his salary. Previously, the mercenary group had a clear distinction between strong and weak swordsmen, and this time, with several new recruits, it was necessary to confirm their respective rankings among the swordsmen. Both sides chose wooden swords, of course, they could also wrap their swords with fur to prevent damage.

The mercenary group's rules were that private fights were permitted, but no casualties were allowed—at least not within the camp. Otherwise, the mercenary group would have disbanded long ago. The competition moved quickly. The swordsman before Cheng Yijiu was taller than he was, about 1.9 meters tall, a bit thin but definitely strong. The wooden sword he wielded was also 1.7 meters long. Cheng Yijiu didn't really know how deep the waters were, so he gave it a try.

Both sides took up their positions, surrounded by two-handed swordsmen and mercenaries of other arms—the crossbowmen were absent, still training. They watched the two-handed swordsmen redraw their rankings and also started gambling. Cheng Yijiu adopted an upper stance, as did his opponent. Everyone was quite cautious. The opponent took the first step and slashed down with his sword. Cheng Yijiu did not use his usual swordsmanship, but instead blocked it very steadily.

The opponent drew his sword and prepared to strike diagonally, but Cheng Yijiu quickly recovered and slashed down with his sword at high speed. The opposing swordsman also blocked it with his sword - well, now Cheng Yijiu had understood his opponent's level. "Let me try." Then came the exchange of blows. Cheng Yijiu struck the opponent's helmet with his sword, but the man didn't have time to hit Cheng Yijiu - he had actively tried to block...

"It's probably because the Sword Master hasn't appeared yet... I haven't thought about that yet..." Cheng Yijiu defeated his opponent with a single blow. After that, no one challenged him—this challenger's salary was lower than his, but higher than the others. Since he'd been defeated, the swordsmen with even lower salaries would have to think twice about challenging him. Next came the duel between two other swordsmen. Cheng Yijiu stood aside and watched, not placing any bets.

After two matches, Cheng Yijiu confirmed one thing: the swordsmen at that time still lacked the improved swordsmanship philosophy and were still stuck in the attack-block-counter cycle. The second thing he confirmed was that Cheng Yijiu's true strength and reaction speed, combined with his swordsmanship, should have made him the strongest here, by a significant margin. After learning all this, Cheng Yijiu went to the other training grounds, took a quick look, and basically confirmed the situation.

"Sure enough, I am very strong." Even after seeing several huge mercenaries waving their heavy weapons and making terrible wind sounds, Cheng Yijiu still thought so.

Chapter 5: March

Among the highly paid two-handed swordsmen were burly men over two meters tall, their longswords also exceeding two meters in length. When they swung them, they unleashed gusts of wind, relying on inertia to create a terrifying storm of blades. Cheng Yijiu also tried to weigh the unsharpened iron swords they used for training, and found that in the sunlight, he could easily lift them with one hand. It didn't feel heavy at all, and it felt almost like lifting a scissor.

In this world, his power was truly immense. After a day of training, Cheng Yijiu returned to his tent. There was a bathhouse in this place—a gift from an empire long ago. The hot smoke from the boiler, heated by wood, flowed through ingenious pipes under the floor, warming the entire bathroom and providing abundant hot water. This public bathhouse had stood for a thousand years and remained in operation until today. The original marble building bore many signs of repair, and the mosaics had long since peeled and were incomplete, replaced by crudely painted erotic paintings.

The users here were mainly mercenaries. The city's poor might just spend a copper coin to buy some hot water for a shower and another for laundry. Only mercenaries would spend a little more to wash themselves, then come in for a bath and a back scrub. Some even came here to look for women or boys. Cheng Yijiu didn't do that kind of thing. He just asked someone to give him a massage - maybe this technique had been passed down locally for hundreds of years.

Cheng Yijiu slept soundly back in his tent. The next day, he had to pack up and prepare to depart. The Purple Heart Mercenary Group would take to the battlefield, participating in the fortress assault and defense battles that had already taken place several times. Over the years, dozens of battles had taken place around the various fortresses in this area. That morning, Cheng Yijiu packed up his tent and wooden bed, along with some of his clothes and briefcases, and placed them on the carriage assigned to him. He also shared the carriage with three other two-handed swordsmen.

They all wore their own armor, their weapons were placed on the carriage, and of course they also sat in the carriage. Cheng Yijiu put on a lion skin, and was greeted by the envious gazes of the three guys - it seemed that the way two-handed swordsmen "fight" was to dress up. The three guys were also wearing very gorgeous cut-out clothes and strange cloaks. These guys also made their Maximilian half-body armor very fancy.

The armor was carved, and the helmets were adorned with various decorations—one resembled a boar's head, another a mastiff-like helmet. A third was more normal, but also had flower-like decorations. However, none of them were as striking as Cheng Yijiu's lion-skin helmet, which was a lion's jaw helmet. In such cases, Cheng Yijiu usually removed the horn-shaped decorations from the light helmet.

The four-wheeled carriage, pulled by two horses, gradually blended into the long convoy. This was a mercenary group after all, and they were slow to move camp. Some people didn't finish packing until noon. By the time the entire mercenary group was on the road, it was almost sunset. As a result, they had to set up a temporary camp less than a kilometer away. This time, no tents were allowed to be opened in the temporary camp. The mercenary group's logistics team set up large tents and lit fires. The mercenaries slept in their clothes, and the group leader, Cheng Yijiu, saw for the first time that he was a tall, middle-aged knight in heavy armor. This man came out to speak and said that military law would be implemented starting tomorrow.

That is to say, you have to get up and go to bed at regular times, adopting the military's schedule.

The next morning, after eating, Cheng Yijiu casually threw a cleaning soft gel into his mouth. This thing can really be brought in, because the main ingredient is gum arabic, so even if it contains fresheners and antiseptic ingredients provided by modern technology, it can pass through the gate. Cheng Yijiu chewed the thing. He noticed that many of the older mercenaries had rotten teeth, which was caused by poor hygiene habits, and of course bad breath.

After that, it was just routine. Cheng Yijiu's hygiene was declining—there was no place to shower. His colleagues relied on expensive perfume, but Cheng Yijiu was fine. The march wasn't tiring because they had carriages, half of which were owned by merchants accompanying the army. Cheng Yijiu finally understood the mercenary group's organizational structure. It turned out that this mercenary group was not owned by Captain Ma Youfu, but was jointly owned by the entire mercenary group's upper echelons, who had "voting rights," and the merchants who paid to support them.

"This is a joint-stock company. Its structure is quite advanced." Cheng Yijiu has no voting rights. Like most mercenaries, he is an employee and receives a salary every week.

After a week's march, the mercenary group arrived at the battlefield. Cheng Yijiu saw the gentle rolling hills before him, and the two castles visible to the naked eye. According to the map, there should be more in the distance, but now it's invisible. "Rivers, plains, hills, and the castle controls the roads. This seems to be a rich grain production area. No wonder the two countries fought for this area for decades."

Apostles might appear here. It's quite possible. Cheng Yijiu recalled the comics—he'd read them a long time ago, so he hadn't seen the latest. He remembered that when the protagonist, Gazi, was still a mercenary, he didn't seem to encounter apostles very often—his first encounter was with Zod, and after that, it seemed he didn't meet the second one until he rescued Griffith and was being pursued. After that, the situation changed. He had the mark that would actively attract those monsters, so the frequency of encounters naturally changed.

"Apostles, how powerful could they be?" Cheng Yijiu was also a little excited. He wasn't particularly interested in joining the war. As a swordsman, he'd already witnessed the medieval battles of Westeros. If there were another Thirty Years' War... he wasn't a pervert who took pleasure in killing. However, serving as a mercenary to search for the Apostles and the Hand of God was the best solution he could think of.

The first thing is to make some money. There is no time limit for this task. After making some money, try to move to Miranda and see the Eagle Group with your own eyes - they are the protagonists. The Eagle Group is still a very small mercenary group now, and it can only be barely found in the union roster. This is thanks to the secretary's good memory. This secretary is also the mercenary group's staff officer. In Cheng Yijiu's opinion, this person is quite capable and can be regarded as the de facto operator of the mercenary group.

The mercenary group's mission is to clear the battlefield and prepare for the arrival of the main force of the alliance. To do this, they have to fight with the mercenary group hired by the opposite side. It is impossible to communicate secretly and it is certainly not possible openly, but they can play with tacit understanding. Even if they play with tacit understanding, at least a few people will die and kill a few people from the opposite side before they can get the job done.

Chapter 6: The Battle Begins

These missions were usually used to fill the battle lines, and the relatively low-paid spearmen wouldn't participate—most of them wielded spears over three meters long, while this mission required skilled wielders of shorter spears, less than two meters long. These missions were usually undertaken by light cavalry, though swordsmen like Cheng Yijiu would occasionally take on them. Cheng Yijiu, however, had no interest in this kind of hunting, and he didn't expect to encounter an apostle during such a minor mission.