Chapter 137 - Empire Hunter; Undercurrents (1)

“Jace and Rosen… Come with me.”

Cole did not suspect anything. Instead, he led the two of them into the base and led the way.

Zhou Jing looked left and right to observe the situation in the base. The most common facility on the road was the training ground. There were hunters guiding groups of young boys in their training, shouting non-stop. These youths were wearing the same simple leather uniform. The youngest was eight or nine years old, and the oldest seemed to be no more than 14 years old.

Cole saw that Zhou Jing had noticed these children and introduced them.

“They are apprentices who have yet to receive the enhancement of the Mutant Blood. When they complete the basic course and their bodies grow to their peak state, they will use the Mutant Blood Potion. Those who survive will become reserve Empire Hunters and complete the first hunt of their lives under the lead of a senior hunter.”

“Where did you find these children? If the enhancement fails and they die, will it be okay for them to die?” Zhou Jing asked.

“Some of them are children sent by Imperial Hunters who are based elsewhere. Some are youths found in the countryside, and there are also young people who took the initiative to apply to become hunters… Among them are also the blood descendants sent by the various tribes,” Cole said casually. “Being a hunter is risky to begin with. A group of people will die every year. It depends on luck.”

As he spoke, he turned to look at Zhou Jing.

“You used to be a freelance hunter. After you officially join the army, you can also participate in the Imperial Hunter classes.”

Zhou Jing nodded. This was mainly why he had come. Joining the Empire Hunters was much more efficient than asking for guidance from others.

The two of them chatted as they walked. Soon, they arrived at the base’s archive room, which also served as the registration for new hunters.

“Do you know how to write? If not, I can help you dictate in the records.” So Cole got someone to take out a blank book and place it on the table.

Zhou Jing took it and took a look. There was a simple form on it. He had to fill in the information, including his background, past hunting records, his expertise in weapons, the number of times he had been enhanced, his focus on enhancement, and so on.

He picked up a pen and filled it in himself. During this time, when he traveled over from White Plains Town, he gained a better understanding of the local customs of the Terra Empire. At this moment, it was easy for him to make it up, and he also filled in the information for Ross.

The hunter’s records naturally did not record his experiences in White Plains Town. When Zhou Jing opened the map in the past two months, he had especially stopped in a few towns and left behind the hunter’s records of a certain “Jace and Rosen” in various hunter’s taverns. He had also participated in a few simple mutant beast expeditions and left behind a trail of records… Even though the other party might not send someone to investigate, it was still a good failsafe.

Cole took the information from the two of them and looked at it carefully. Then, he looked at Zhou Jing in surprise. “You’ve undergone two enhancements?”

“Am I different from the other Second Enhancers?” “That’s not it… Most of the freelance hunters who enlist are those who have only completed their First Enhancement. It’s rare to see a Second Enhancer take the initiative to join. They’re already considered elites among the Empire’s hunters.” Cole started to take Zhou Jing more seriously.

Zhou Jing was curious, “How many people are there in the empire? Who is the strongest?”

Hearing this, Cole had no intention of hiding anything. After all, this was information that many Imperial Hunters knew.

“Currently, the Fifth Enhancement is the highest reached among the Imperial Hunters. There are two of them. One of them is the Chief Hunter conferred by the Empire and the current commander of the Imperial Hunters.

“There are 12 to 13 hunters who have undergone their Fourth Enhancements. A portion of them are in the base, and the rest have been sent out. There are 50 to 60 people who have undergone their Third Enhancements. They are the backbone of the force and usually lead a small team of hunters. Those who have taken their Second Enhancements are the elite of the hunters and also the main force of the expedition against the mutant beasts. As for those in the First Enhancement, we should have more than a thousand people.”

Zhou Jing blinked.

He felt that the scale of the Empire’s hunters… was smaller than he had imagined.

However, when he thought about it carefully, the population of the Mutant World was not that large, to begin with. The active army of the Terra Empire seemed to only have tens of thousands of people. In comparison, the proportion of imperial hunters with extraordinary combat strength could already be considered very high.

Moreover, most of the members of the Imperial Hunters were sent out to maintain the safety of the cities and towns. They suffered high casualties all year round, and there were also additional casualties if their enhancement failed. At the very least, there would be dozens or hundreds of hunters dying every year. It was not easy for them to accumulate to their current scale.

Although their numbers were limited, their combat strength was terrifying.

A single Mutant Blood Warrior could fight against an army of dozens or hundreds of people, just like a super-soldier. As for one or two thousand super soldiers… On the battlefield of cold weapons, they could probably kill anything that stood in their way. Against the Empire’s regular army of tens of thousands of people, the current Hunter Corps could easily crush them.

“With such a huge group of superpowers, if they join forces, won’t it be easy to overthrow the Terra Empire?” Zhou Jing was secretly speechless.

He suddenly realized that although the rule of the Terra Empire seemed stable, it was actually sitting in the crater of a volcanoready to be burned through by the lava spewing out from under its butt.

It was fortunate that the ancient ideological tradition of the tribal era was still in effect. Most hunters had higher moral standards and liked to be swayed by emotions. In their eyes, they only cared about suppressing mutated beasts to protect the people. Otherwise, it would have long become a chaotic world… As expected, Terra was still quite capable in this regard. They did not restrict the group of Hunters and instead allowed them to rely on their own self-awareness.

Zhou Jing did not show it on his face. Instead, he changed the topic and asked,

“By the way, I’ve always heard that the Imperial Hunter’s workshop is the best. I’ve never seen it before.”

Cole nodded and smiled. “That’s right. The Empire Hunters have the largest workshop in the country. The craftsmen inside are all elites, including master-level pharmacists and blacksmiths. They study all kinds of new artisan techniques and new blood potion formulas. The latest results are all given to us first.”

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Zhou Jing smiled, “That’s great. I’ve always wanted to undergo my Third Enhancement, but I’ve never encountered a suitable potion. I hope I can gain something here.”

“… You plan to undergo a Third Enhancement?”

Cole’s eyes lit up as if he had heard that his student would take the Ph.D. exam.

Even among the Empire’s Hunters who received the most generous resources, only a small number of them were willing to risk dying to continue enhancing through the mutant blood.

It was always a gamble of life and death, placing one’s life in the hands of illusory luck. It was fine if it happened once or twice, but one would subconsciously be afraid after winning a few times. Unfortunately, not everyone had such courage.

Those who dared to continue enhancing were either because they had a firm mentality or the persistence to advance bravely…

…Or they were merely gambling addicts.

Cole was a hunter who had undergone two enhancements but did not dare to continue. At this moment, he could not help but feel a little admiration for Zhou Jing. For those who dared to continue on the path of the Mutant Blood, no matter if they succeeded or failed in the end, the hunters would treat them differently.

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The identity registration went smoothly. After filling in the form, he handed it to the others for a simple inspection. Cole then brought Zhou Jing to the training grounds to conduct an actual combat test.

Seeing was believing. This was a necessary part of joining the Empire. The hunter’s profession was not about fancy interviews but live combat.

The two of them stood at a distance away from the training ground.

“You’ve undergone two enhancements, and so have I. Let’s fight and see your standard.”

Cole smiled and pulled out the special long saber on his back. The blade was longer than ordinary ones, about 1.7 meters long. It had an arc and seemed very useful for cutting giant creatures.

It looked like a two-handed weapon, but he raised it steadily.

“Pick a weapon. You like to use blades too, right? Which kind of blade?” Cole pointed at the weapon rack at the side.

Zhou Jing’s eyes lit up when he saw Cole’s familiar grip on the saber.

Yo, taichi warrior!

He had finally met an expert who played with blades. So this was a good time to exchange some pointers.

He walked to the weapon rack and took a look. Then, he took out a long saber of the same style and casually waved it around.

Due to the increase in his saber technique aptitude, his cultivation speed was still at its original efficiency despite the increase in level and mastery needed. However, in the two months he was busy expanding his map range, his [Weapon Mastery – Blade Technique] had successfully reached Level 5, and his proficiency had improved greatly.

Moreover, the increase in Physical Fitness and Resistance also slightly increased the cultivation speed of Hunter’s breathing techniques. After two months, both techniques were only one step away from leveling up.

Seeing Zhou Jing pick up the blade, Cole’s eyes became even more serious.

Although he had received systematic training, he did not underestimate the independent hunters. It was taboo to underestimate the enemy, and the senior hunters rarely made such a mistake.

The shouting on the training ground weakened. The training hunters and apprentices looked curiously at the two people who had begun to confront each other in the corner of the training ground.

“Who is that person? I don’t think I’ve seen him before.”

“He should be a new hunter. I wonder how good he

is.”

Everyone chatted softly.

Cole observed Zhou Jing’s posture, looking for flaws. Seeing that Zhou Jing did not show any signs of attacking, he did not hold back and rushed forward.

Whoosh!

The long blade stabbed out, and the cold light at the blade’s tip gleamed like a flowing light.

Zhou Jing blinked. Instead of retreating, he advanced. He slid forward with one hand holding the hilt and the other holding the back of the blade. He cut out the shape of a crescent moon as he drew the blade.

The blade deflected the long saber that stabbed forward, creating a spark’s trail. Finally, a short and sharp metal scraping sound rang out.

Zhou Jing flicked his wrist and easily diverted Cole’s weapon. His eyes narrowed.

Slow, too slow.

Light. Too light.

Both of them had gone through two enhancements, but Cole’s speed and strength were too weak in his eyes. He felt no pressure at all.

When one’s Physical Fitness reached Second Order, there did not seem to be much difference in attributes. Still, the characteristics brought about by it made their overall physical capabilities completely different. There was a clear gap between him and someone at First Order of Physical Fitness. His agility and dexterity had been greatly enhanced.

Cole’s actions were moving slowly in Zhou Jing’s eyes.

Jason’s attributes were already higher than that of an ordinary Second Enhancement hunter. Coupled with his special trait, he was even more at ease now.

Sensing Cole’s strength, Zhou Jing knew what to do. He did not use his explosive bodily strength to crush him directly. Instead, he controlled his strength and speed to Cole’s level and purely competed against purely using saber techniques.

On the one hand, he wanted to save some face for the other party. On the other hand, he also wanted to fight with an expert in blade techniques for a longer time… It was not easy for him to find someone to fight with him.

Dust flew everywhere on the training ground as the two exchanged blows, their blades flashing rapidly. The two of them dodged the continuous cold light, brushing past their bodies and stabbing empty air instead.

The blade lights were so numerous they seemed to have formed a closed-loop or lights arcing around, and the whistling sound of air being torn apart intertwined with the clear sound of a collision.

Slash, horizontal slash, sudden thrust, parry, and various other saber moves were displayed in their hands. It was dazzling and incomparably precise.

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The exquisite blade techniques of the two of them dazzled the apprentices present. They stopped their training and watched from the side.

The hunters who guided the apprentices did not stop them… They wanted to see it too.

After slashing at each other for a while, Cole keenly sensed that Zhou Jing had restrained his strength, and his expression changed slightly.

As a seasoned hunter, he could sense if his opponent was going easy on him. “This guy is deliberately controlling his strength. He’s only using his blade techniques to spar with me… But his blade techniques are not inferior to mine. He’s ruthless, cunning, skilled, and precise. Without 10 to 20 years of training, he can’t reach this level. It seems that he’s also a Veteran Hunter…”

Cole’s heart flashed, and he became competitive. Then, he suddenly jumped back and left the battlefield.