CHAPTER 94: 5 STAR DANGER ZONE

Stepping into the circle, William waited for his turn.

"Next!" Lawrence shouted impatiently.

"I’m next. What do I do? Just fight you?" William stepped forward, seeing no one else move.

"Yes. As long as you manage to hit me, you pass."

Going into this backward shelter, there are only one or two with decent ability.

If he didn’t lower his standards, he might not even recruit a single one.

"That’s easy~"

Licking his lips, William rushed in as he brandished his fist.

"Too simple." Seeing such a direct attack, Lawrence shook his head, already planning a counter.

But just as he moved to dodge, William’s fist curved mid-air like it had a tracker, landing squarely in his stomach.

Thud~

Feeling like he punched a solid steel, William couldn’t help but frown as he held back the pain.

Remembering his boss’s words and training, he didn’t drop his guard and immediately followed up with a sweep.

Before Lawrence could recover, William’s foot came swinging at his leg.

"Not bad." Easily dodging the second strike, Lawrence backed away, stopping William.

"You’ve already passed. No need to continue."

"That’s it?" William sighed, slightly disappointed.

Even though he hadn’t even left a scratch on Lawrence, he didn’t want it to end like that.

"You’re just tasked with helping the Verdant Group find a herb. As long as you can defend yourself, that’s enough," Lawrence explained.

Though surprised that William managed to land a hit on him, he chalked it up to carelessness.

After all, a 5-star warrior coming to this backwater shelter was a bit overkill.

Satisfied with William’s strength and reflexes, Lawrence didn’t dwell on it and moved on to the next candidate.

Walking back to Nash, William looked downcast.

"I let you down, Boss."

"No need to worry. Passing the trial is enough," Nash replied calmly.

He knew it would be impossible for William to defeat Lawrence.

Even he himself wasn’t confident against Lawrence, how could he expect his student to do it?

"It’s just... unsatisfying," William muttered.

He knew he couldn’t win, but he at least hoped for a good fight.

"You already did great. Since you passed, what are you moping for?" Leslie rolled her eyes.

"I’m talking to my boss. Don’t interrupt," William replied coldly, glancing at this nosy woman.

"I’m just saying," Leslie pouted.

"Alright, don’t start fighting," Nash cut in.

"By the way, Boss, do you want to borrow a weapon?" Ignoring Leslie, William continued talking to Nash.

"No need. This is enough," Nash said with a smile, showing him the new and improved bladed spear.

Having money, Nash didn’t buy a new weapon but instead reinforced his makeshift weapon.

[Makeshift Spear Blade (Tier 1 – Mid Grade)

A reliable makeshift spear that won’t break after a few swings.

Materialization Cost: 14,300 Merits]

From low-grade to mid-grade, it was not only tougher but also sharper thanks to a newly forged blade.

"I see," William nodded. However, in his storage bracelet, several perfect Tier 1 weapons were already prepared.

From swords, spears, shields, to armor, his storage had a complete set. After passing the Stanley Family’s initiation, getting a few perfect-grade weapons to play with was nothing.

Of course, William didn’t forget food. In fact, his bracelet was almost full of it, ranging from high-tier meat to a wide variety of seasonings.

Thinking about asking Nash to cook for him, William couldn’t help but drool.

---

Soon, after an hour of testing and evaluation, Lawrence had picked out 23 qualified 3-star Void Warriors, 6 4-star Void Warriors, and 4 pathfinders, including Nash.

"Let’s go. Our first destination is the Willow Jungle," Lawrence announced, leading the group.

Hearing his call, Nash and William, who were resting nearby, stood up and followed.

"Huh? You’re joining too?" William asked, surprised to see Leslie tagging along.

Looking at her badge, she was just a 3-star Void Warrior. With such a petite body, even a Dark Beast could swallow her whole.

"Why not? I’m a representative of the Verdant Group. It’s expected that I come along," Leslie replied through gritted teeth.

"Tsk, whatever~" William clicked his tongue.

Teasing this little woman seemed to help with his boredom.

---

Soon, after a while, they arrived at a 5-star danger zone near the Black Willow Shelter.

[Arrived at Willow Jungle: Danger Level – 5 Stars]

Unlike the scattered trees of the Willow Forest, the Willow Jungle was choked with dense trees, thick shrubs, wild weeds, and clinging vines.

There wasn’t even room to walk that they had to cut their way through. Finding a herb here was harder than finding a needle in a haystack.

The danger wasn’t small either. Just as they entered, a dark beast swooped in from the ground, trees, and even the sky.

"This place isn’t easy..." Nash muttered, slicing through a snake lunging at him.

[Mud Snake killed: +1 Merit]

A 5-star danger zone was far more treacherous than a 4-star one.

Compared to this place, the Willow Forest was like a forest park.

As they moved forward, Dark Beasts attacked them from every direction.

Fortunately, the group wasn’t weak. As long as they weren’t swarmed, even 4-star beasts could be taken down with ease.

"Spread out! Protect the pathfinders. It’s time to start the search," Lawrence ordered.

"We’re only at the perimeter. Are we really starting here?" one of the pathfinders asked.

Since it’s a precious herb, it should be found at the center of the danger zone.

Otherwise, it would have long been found by another group.

"Just do as I said. We don’t even know what herb we’re looking for. It might be the inconspicuous grass you’re about to step on," Lawrence said.

Without seeing a herb’s saturation rate in real-time, they could only rely on experience and instinct.

Luckily, these pathfinders were different.

Two of them could sense the intensity of void saturation like bloodhounds. Another was like a walking encyclopedia, able to spot subtle signs of rare herbs.

As for Nash, since he was specially recruited, Lawrence hadn’t had time to ask about his specialty yet.