Chapter 136: Growth and Idiosyncrasies

　　Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

　　Fang Ping and the others managed to find Zhou Shiping in no time.

　　Perhaps more accurately, Zhou Shiping came out of his own volition.

　　When Zhou Shiping saw them, disheveled and haggard, he shook his head. “There are 10 people here, three are wielding alloy weaponry, Fang Ping’s Vitality is comparable to Shi Feng’s, and yet all of you suffered injuries. Your performance is mediocre.

　　“Shi Feng’s not that strong. Under normal circumstances, Fang Ping, plus either Zhao Xuemei or Tang Songting, would be enough to defeat him.”

　　“Instructor, he was Peak Rank-1 on paper, if I recall correctly!” Fang Ping said with gritted teeth.

　　“Inconsistencies are normal. Some martial artists might achieve breakthrough after their information is uploaded to the system. No one can predict the odds of this happening.

　　“You can refer to the info provided, but don’t revere it like the gospel.

　　“You can deduce that something’s not right from the mission reward of 15 credits, actually. You aren’t idiots. Can’t you infer something as simple as that?”

　　Zhou Shiping critiqued them one by one. “Zhao Xuemei made a colossal blunder this time. You lost your weapon during the mission, and it ended up in the opponent’s hands! This is a mistake that might have cost you your life!

　　“If you can’t hold on to your weapon, might as well not use one. You may have been safer without one.

　　“Tang Songting too. You’re unaware of the intricacies of battle. You let your guard down when Shi Feng feinted, and that was why your left arm got hurt.

　　“Fang Ping, you… you’re way too wary of injury!

　　“You retreated as soon as Shi Feng attacked you, even though he couldn’t have done much to you if you held your ground.

　　“If you had countered him, the others wouldn’t have to get hurt.

　　“Zhao Qing, you have done well, but you aren’t flexible enough. You went against Shi Feng when it was clear that he was desperate to break free.

　　“If he didn’t try to pursue someone stronger than you, you would’ve died!

　　“The rest of you had weaker performances. Of course, the fact that you all didn’t run away or create trouble for Fang Ping and the others is commendable…”

　　He continued, “Fang Ping will take 25% of the spoils this time. Tang Songting and Zhao Qing get 20% each, Zhao Xuemei 15%, and the remaining 20% be shared among the rest.”

　　Zhao Xuemei contributed a lot to the battle, but her share was reduced due to her nearly fatal blunder.

　　Fang Ping was not too concerned about the share of profits. There was a more pressing question on his mind. “Instructor, I felt a Vitality outburst when Shi Feng tried to leave. Was that you?”

　　“Precisely.”

　　“Isn’t that against the rules? Our mission is our own business, I understand. Even if you can’t help, you shouldn’t make it more difficult for us!

　　“Also, the mission told us that Shi Feng was Peak Rank-1 when he was obviously an experienced Rank-2 martial artist!

　　“The army gave us fake information…”

　　Zhou Shiping smiled insincerely. “What are you going to do about it, then?”

　　“Double our reward. After the school doubled the 15 credits given to us by the army, it would be 30 credits.

　　“You should give us 60 credits.”

　　“You sure have an imagination. 60 credits… Even the reward for killing a Rank-3 martial artist would be less than that…”

　　“Instructor, a martial arts institution should do everything by the book. You’re our instructor, and a Rank-6 powerhouse at that. We wouldn’t dare to try anything against you.

　　“But you broke the rules this time and almost had us killed! Is MCMAU just some lawless institution now?”

　　Zhou Shiping laughed despite himself. After a while, he nodded. “Fine. 60 credits it is. This is the only time I’ll allow it.

　　“Fang Ping, I still have to remind you to not overthink during battle. If you’re too afraid of getting hurt, you might find yourself dead even sooner.”

　　“Noted.”

　　Fang Ping did not disagree. He had indeed been indecisive on whether to fight or flee from the beginning.

　　He had made a decision, but then it was overruled by his fear of the Rank-2 martial artist’s relentless assault.

　　He had not been that indecisive when he fought the woman in front of his school.

　　His only thought was to bash her to death.

　　He hesitated this time, though.

　　It was because his opponent was a Rank-2 martial artist. On top of that, Fang Ping knew that he could have run if he was no match. When such a thought crept into his mind, he became less willing to risk his life.

　　“I’m still terrified of this at heart…”

　　Fang Ping said this in his mind. He had begun to harbor this fear when he witnessed the deaths of two students.

　　Even martial arts students could die.

　　Was he a coward?

　　Maybe.

　　Fear of death was understandable, but it was impractical during battle.

　　“I have to fix my mentality…”

　　Fang Ping exhaled, and spoke no more.

　　He had received 25% of the reward, which was 15 credits. That, plus the less-than-1-credit he earned last time, amounted to a haul of about 16 credits in two days.

　　There was also the coming distribution.

　　He was awarded a Rank-1 Bone-honing Pill and a normal Vitality Pill.

　　These, added on to the compensation the school gave them before departure and the Vitality Pills he exchanged last month, meant that he had a total of 31 normal Vitality Pills, one Rank-1 Bone-honing Pill, one Rank-1 Vitality Pill, a bottle of Healing Water, and a Rank-2 Vitality Pill.

　　He had 31 credits from his one-month stint as the class monitor and the reward received upon joining the class. Combined with his mission rewards of 16 credits, he now had 47 credits.

　　He had up to 6 million in cash, 5 million of which was from his victories in the underground arena.

　　His credits had not boosted his Wealth yet because he had not officially received them, though his Wealth had increased to 11 million due to the pills he obtained previously and now.

　　…

　　A person’s mentality could be conditioned. The past two missions had made Fang Ping more silent as he became accustomed to bloodshed.

　　Tang Songting was no longer as arrogant after sustaining the injury during the mission. The team did not accept any more missions for two days, choosing to return to school for recuperation.

　　As they rested, the other four teams continued with their missions.

　　On the 5th, news traveled back to school.

　　Something had happened to Zhao Lei’s team!

　　They had accepted a mission concerning the apprehension of Rank-2 criminals right off the bat.

　　Zhao Lei and his team had prepared for a few days before engaging their quarry, but they had no experience fighting against a Rank-2 martial artist.

　　During the mission, the team committed a mistake which led to one casualty and three injuries.

　　Death had finally revealed itself!

　　Fang Ping had expected something like this to happen. Although the instructors were present, they would not offer assistance unless the team was close to annihilation.

　　The instructor chaperoning Zhao Lei’s team was Luo Yichuan, a famed Peak Rank-6 powerhouse!

　　If a powerhouse like him had intervened, the students would not likely be killed even if they were against a Rank-5 or 6 opponent.

　　Someone died, nevertheless.

　　…

　　In the training room.

　　Fang Ping’s team was not the only one who had gotten wind of the news. Chen Yunxi’s team had returned as well.

　　The two teams stared at each other in the room. The atmosphere became strangely silent.

　　After a long time, someone abruptly said, “The instructors won’t help us! Unless every one of us died!

　　“This time, Lu Kunqiang was killed. Next time, it might be us!

　　“We’re not twice-honed martial artists. We would’ve died for nothing!”

　　“Everyone, be careful, and don’t do anything as stupid as having sympathy for someone else! If we don’t kill, we’ll be the ones who end up dead!”

　　“Skill. Skill is the most important thing right now! Zhao Lei’s the leader, but he wasn’t the one who died!”

　　“Fang Ping, I heard that you guys fought against a Rank-2 martial artist too. It’s sheer luck that no one from your team died. I think the school can’t wait for a few of us to be snuffed out!”

　　“Why do they have to be so cruel? We’re only freshmen…”

　　“What does that matter? Didn’t you hear the dean? They wouldn’t bat an eye if a freshman died, because they haven’t invested many resources into nurturing them…”

　　“They’re evil!”

　　“Guys, quit complaining. We should’ve known that this was gonna happen when we signed the agreement before. Instructor Tang also told us before that the reward given to us was in exchange for our lives…”

　　The discussion intensified. The timid Chen Yunxi bit her lip hard as she kept silent.

　　Someone suggested in a low voice, “The school didn’t say that the missions were mandatory. What if… what if we just rested for a few more days?”

　　The people on Fang Ping’s team turned their gaze toward him.

　　They were scheduled to leave for another mission the next day, according to their initial plan.

　　Fang Ping took a huge breath before saying earnestly, “The missions aren’t too difficult at this stage, and the school’s generous in rewarding us. If we don’t work hard now, we won’t get the same opportunity in the future.

　　“If we slack off now, how can we defend ourselves in the Catacombs?

　　“I was afraid of death too. I didn’t want to go on missions either. But now…

　　“We have to!

　　“The missions aren’t too hard now. We’ll take some Peak Rank-1 missions first, and wait till more of our bones are honed and we’re equipped with alloy weapons before accepting Rank-2 missions.

　　“This is the only time we can earn more credits in preparation for the future!

　　“The school has made it clear that only the strong will survive, while the weak will be eliminated.

　　“We’re the most talented in MCMAU. No one wants to be left behind. One step back and you’ll be struggling to catch up for eternity.

　　“Anyone wants to quit?”

　　The room was silent. Then, Tang Songting exhaled loudly. “We’ve already made it to MCMAU, so why talk about quitting?”

　　Fang Ping’s opinion of him improved somewhat. The guy was arrogant, but he was not a bad sort.

　　He had not hesitated in the slightest when Fang Ping had asked him for his alloy saber. At least they trusted each other to that degree.

　　Fang Ping nodded at the thought. He reminded the others, “Prepare for tomorrow. Change your weapons, buy pills, get whatever you need.

　　“We’ll carry on starting tomorrow!

　　“Also, how are your wounds?”

　　“Minor problem.” Zhao Xuemei replied.

　　“Same with me. It’s no big deal.”

　　“I… I’ll need a few more days to recover…” A bone in Zhao Qing’s hand had been shattered. It would take a longer time to heal.

　　“It’s nothing. Everyone can recover while carrying out missions. Rank-1 martial artists aren’t that hard to defeat.”

　　“Thank you…”

　　Zhao Qing did not want to quit. If he sat out the missions, he would not earn any credits.

　　…

　　Fang Ping led the departure on the 6th.

　　It was not as flashy as the previous one. No one drove their cars; they had decided to rent two seven-seater vans from the school.

　　Fang Ping had received his 16 credits during his time in school.

　　He spent 40 credits on a saber that weighed 4kg. A saber could be more lethal than a pair of boots – that was what he had learned from his previous mistakes.

　　…

　　On the outskirts of Magic City, in an abandoned warehouse in Changfan Town.

　　Fang Ping cleaved the duandao in his opponent’s hands in half and kicked his chest. The sound of bones shattering rang in his ears.

　　“Break his limbs and take him away!”

　　Tang Songting stepped forward, broke their target’s bones promptly, and lifted him up. It was then that he asked, “Everyone’s improved. Have you considered accepting a Rank-2 mission?”

　　“Not yet.”

　　Fang Ping spoke as they walked. “It’s only the 10th. I have an idea. You and Zhao Xuemei lead one team, and I’ll lead another. The two teams will carry out Rank-1 missions at the same time.

　　“We’ll meet up on the 20th and do a Rank-2 one. How’s that sound to you?

　　“We don’t earn much when the 10 of us work together, anyway.”

　　Tang Songting furrowed his brow. “There’s only 1 instructor…”

　　“Do you still think that he’ll save us? So what if he isn’t present?”

　　Fang Ping took a dig at Zhou Shiping. He had shown his face now and then previously, but recently he had vanished completely.

　　“Fine then!”

　　Tang Songting nodded, gritting his teeth. “I’ll have honed 45 bones on the 20th. I’m improving fast lately.”

　　“Me too.”

　　Zhao Xuemei replied. She looked at Fang Ping and said, “You could’ve gone against a Peak Rank-1 martial artist alone.”

　　Fang Ping waved a hand dismissively. “We can’t get a hold of our targets immediately after we accept a mission. We’ll have to find information and make other arrangements. It’ll be too slow with only one person.”

　　This was quite accurate. Zhao Xuemei had nothing to say to that.

　　They split ways promptly. Zhao Xuemei and Tang Songting led four, while Fang Ping took three with him.

　　Fang Ping did not know which team Zhou Shiping would be tailing. If Rank-6 instructors like him wanted to hide themselves, people like Fang Ping had no way of finding him.

　　Fang Ping did not care about how Zhou Shiping would handle the reward distribution.

　　After Fang Ping’s team completed their first mission, he confirmed that Zhou Shiping was not with them. An unfamiliar Rank-5 instructor was assigned by the school to distribute the reward.

　　…

　　On the 15th, Fang Ping’s team had completed two missions.

　　It had been ten days since they left the school.

　　Fang Ping had 40 bones honed at the start of the month. Now the number was increasing by one every two days.

　　On the 15th, 47 of his bones were honed.

　　Wealth: 8800000

　　Vitality: 297cal (297cal)

　　Mentality: 259Hz (259Hz)

　　Bones honed: 47 bones (90%), 1 bone (58%), 158 bones (30%)

　　Fang Ping’s Vitality would increase by 1cal with every bone he honed, which was a little slower than before.

　　Even so, he would be able to increase his Vitality to 300cal when he had 50 bones honed.

　　He would probably have a Vitality of 320cal when he reached Peak Rank-1.

　　Most Rank-2 martial artists would have a Vitality of 280 to 300cal when they achieved breakthrough. Fang Ping’s Vitality was already higher than most.

　　A high Vitality meant better explosive power and resistance.

　　In a small inn, Fang Ping was checking out his stats. After some consideration, he gritted his teeth and said, “I have to hone 50 bones first! No one would notice if I improved a bit too quickly at this moment!”

　　Zhou Shiping was not present, and the other instructor was elusive. Fang Ping decided to hone his bones with the aid of the system.

　　He would use more of his Wealth this way, but the investment would be returned with an increase in skill.

　　He required a total honing of 152% to achieve 50 honed bones. 152% meant 1.52 million Wealth points.

　　Fang Ping had made up his mind. Without hesitation, he internally voiced his intent to speed up his progress.

　　Soon, Fang Ping felt his Vitality surge against his bones.

　　The system used Vitality to hone his bones, but it only strengthened the bones and not the skin.

　　Fang Ping now discovered that there were limitations.

　　When a martial artist honed his bones the usual way, the Vitality would strengthen the vessels and skin the same time his bones were reinforced.

　　If the Vitality only strengthened his bones, it meant that he could no longer abuse the system when his body had reached its limit.

　　“I knew it wouldn’t be that simple!’

　　Fang Ping was not surprised by the revelation. He waited for half an hour, watching as his Wealth slowly dwindled.

　　When the tingling feeling in his bones dissipated, he looked at his stats again.

　　Wealth: 7280000

　　Vitality: 297cal (299cal)

　　Mentality: 257Hz (259Hz)

　　Bones honed: 50 bones (90%), 156 bones (30%)

　　Fang Ping stretched his legs. The bones in his left leg crackled.

　　“50 bones. I only have 12 left to Peak Rank-1. Now I’m considered to be an upper-stage Rank-1.”

　　“I should be able to reach Peak Rank-1 by the middle of next month!”

　　Fang Ping’s eyes lit up. He was a little faster than Wang Jinyang. Old Wang had only reached Peak Rank-1 at the end of the first semester; he was still Peak Rank-1 when he had come to challenge the martial artists in Magic City.

　　“His Vitality is definitely lower than mine, and he had reached Peak Rank-1 later than me. His Mentality is definitely weaker when compared to mine too…”

　　“That means…I can still catch up to him!”

　　Fang Ping took a moment to calculate his losses. He was quite gutted when he saw his Wealth had plummeted to 7 million from the initial 10 million.

　　His Wealth was diminishing fast!

　　He had not returned to school, and thus had not received the credits he had earned from completing missions. He could only glean some profit from the martial artists he had felled during missions.

　　Those people, Fang Ping discovered, were mostly destitute.

　　If they had pills with them, they consumed them quickly. They rarely possessed anything of value.

　　“After one or two more missions, we’ll reunite with Zhao Xuemei and the others and start doing Rank-2 missions. Rank-2 martial artists are always richer than those on Rank-1.

　　“I’m much stronger than before. I shouldn’t find going against Rank-2 martial artists that difficult.”

　　Nearly no Rank-2 casual martial artists were twice-honed. Fang Ping, a thrice-honed martial artist, might have a Vitality higher than theirs. A battle between them could easily go either way…