CHAPTER 219: FORMING A TEAM

As Nash was teaching Camilla about the soul and void manual, a knock came from outside.

"They’ve come again," Camilla muttered with a smile.

"Come again? What do you mean?"

"Oh, it’s the seeded talents who still don’t have a team. Didn’t you tell them you’re forming one?"

"I see. It seems they’ve finally decided." Nash caught on quickly.

"Do you really want to form a team?"

"Why not? Wouldn’t it be a waste of my abilities if I didn’t?"

"There’s that too..." Camilla nodded in understanding.

"Let’s go see what our future teammates are like." Nash smiled.

---

Outside his residence, Nash was greeted by dozens of individuals from the seeded talents program.

"Sir Noir! You’re finally out!"

"Are you still accepting people for your squad?"

"Are there any requirements to join?"

"What positions are available if we join?"

"Are there any benefits to joining your squad?"

"Do you have any backers, Sir Noir?"

Swarming him with questions, Nash raised his hand to silence them.

"First, the Dark Shadow Squad is open to everyone."

"Second, there are no requirements. As long as you follow my orders, you can join."

"As for benefits or backers? There are none. Well, for now."

Hearing this, the crowd fell silent, digesting his words.

In short, Nash was saying there were no requirements to the squad, and anyone could join.

The downside? He couldn’t offer them immediate benefits or have any backing.

"How about it? For the next three months, you can follow me. You’re also free to leave at any time."

"But once you leave, you can’t rejoin," Nash added.

In these three months, he planned to record their runic programs and create a universal module system useful in the dark plane.

If anyone left, they’d lose their chance to be part of his team.

After all, without data on their runic programs, he wasn’t sure if the module system he would create would be compatible with them.

Hearing this, most of the individuals began to leave, having watched enough of the spectacle.

Many didn’t actually want to join but were curious about what he could offer.

Unfortunately, hearing he had no backer to support them, most couldn’t be bothered to stay.

As for his ability? Sure, he had shown impressive achievements in the dark beast tower and the adaptability training, but that was it.

Wouldn’t it be better to join Skylar’s team? Not only would they follow a guaranteed talent, but the remuneration and backing were solid.

Seeing most of the seeded talents leave, Nash scanned the remaining individuals.

"Hmm? There’s still sixteen? Not bad." Nash counted, intrigued.

"Boss, what do we do now?" William shouted with familiarity.

"Didn’t your family ask you to form your own team?" Nash asked in puzzlement.

He thought William was just passing by to ask something, not actually joining.

"Oh, they’re here too. Since we’re all together, it doesn’t matter if we join a team or not." William grinned widely.

"Hello, boss! Please take care of us," Tori, Kairo, and Laura, William’s three teammates, greeted.

"Alright, since you’re here, you’re welcome." Nash nodded and didn’t bother further.

With sixteen individuals waiting for his next order, Nash pondered what to do.

"First off, do you have any information about the Domain-Level Competition?"

Despite searching the nova library for details on the cosmic competition, he didn’t find anything useful.

Thinking these seeded talents who have some background might know something, Nash thought of asking.

"We do know something..." Van Gage, the talent who’d asked about Nash’s squad before, answered.

"Oh, then please compile it for me."

At his order, the sixteen began discussing among themselves, pooling what they knew about the cosmic competition.

Taking his time, Nash turned to look for Nysr.

"Where’s that little bird?" Nash asked Camilla.

"It’s probably in the Blood Beast Garden," Camilla guessed.

"I see. That little bird sure knows how to have fun."

The Blood Beast Garden was where most seeded talents’ pets were gathered.

It not only had the perfect environment for void beasts but was also filled with natural food.

Confirming Nysr was safe, Nash began to tidy up, waiting for the group to compile their information.

---

A quarter of an hour later.

"Here’s all the information we have," Van Gage said, handing Nash a list of rules from the previous cosmic competition.

Though none of them had experienced the Domain-Level Cosmic Competition, with their connection to the seniors of the seeded talent program, they still knew some details.

"Excellent..."

Scanning the list of rules from the prior cosmic competition, Nash couldn’t help but nod.

The theme of the Domain-Level Cosmic Competition was indeed survival as he knew it.

Sent to the unregulated zone of the dark plane, they would need to survive for three years.

But if that were all, there would be no need to make a fuss about the competition.

Even those unlucky enough to land in a dark beast nest could likely survive.

As long as they ran fast and hid well, countless talents could easily pass the Domain-Level Cosmic Competition.

Fortunately or unfortunately, it wasn’t just about some mindless hiding or running.

Their main task was to survive while protecting a shelter for three years and earn the recognition of the Void Administrator.

In short, survival depended not on themselves but on the shelter they defended!

"This’ll be more interesting..." Nash smiled.

If it were only fighting or escaping dark beasts, it would be too dull.

But shelter building? That sparked his interest.

Among the rules, a team could have up to 100 members.

Otherwise, they’d be randomly matched with other teams to reach the full number needed to defend a shelter.

Thus, as much as possible, the Nova Sector encouraged forming teams.

While not foolproof, coming from the same place and training together for years, they already have a basic trust that would make cooperating and defending the shelter easier.

Reading further, he also saw various regulations on shelter contributions, dark beast kills, and materials found.

These would all count toward their rank in the competition.

Though everyone who survived could advance to the next stage, the rankings were still needed to determine the rewards and resources for the capable.