Chapter 98: Intermediate Mission

The people around shook their heads and whispered among themselves.

“That junior is really unlucky, running into those three.”

“Ge Zhen and his buddies are like glue whenever they see a pretty girl—just won’t let go, thick-skinned as ever.”

“What can you do? Who dares lay a finger on them? Those three are part of the Thunder God Society. With that kind of backing, who would risk provoking them?”

Resigned, the onlookers shook their heads. It seemed this cute junior would hardly escape the clutches of Ge Zhen and his gang.

Qin Xuanyi’s expression was cold as she said, “No need. I’m not used to teaming up with others.”

With that, she turned to browse through the other beginner missions.

Ge Zhen, the swordsman, didn’t seem the least bit annoyed at being refused. He walked over to her side, grinning, and said, “Come on, little sister, don’t be so quick to refuse.”

“I promise, teaming up with us will be a great experience—you’ll be happy with it.”

As he spoke, he reached out, trying to place his hand on her shoulder.

Qin Xuanyi’s face darkened, and she prepared to fend him off.

But before she could move, a large hand shot out and grabbed Ge Zhen’s wrist first.

Startled, Ge Zhen turned his head.

He saw a young man standing beside him, his face icy cold.

It was Xu Han.

“Are you alright?” Xu Han turned to glance at Qin Xuanyi, speaking calmly.

A surge of relief filled her, and she quickly shook her head.

Ge Zhen’s face twisted, and his arm tensed as he tried to wrench it free from Xu Han’s grasp.

But Xu Han’s hand closed around his wrist like an iron vice, clamping down so hard that no matter how Ge Zhen struggled, he couldn’t budge it an inch.

In fact, the grip only grew tighter, until it felt as if his bones might snap.

Grinding his teeth, Ge Zhen refused to cry out, clinging to his pride as he glared daggers at Xu Han.

“Let go of me, kid!”

Xu Han remained unmoved.

Ge Zhen’s face flushed with anger. He roared, “I said let go!”

With that, he drew the longsword strapped to his back and swung it viciously at Xu Han’s arm.

A gasp of shock rippled through the crowd.

“No way! Ge Zhen actually dares to attack? Isn’t he afraid of the school’s Disciplinary Squad?”

“What’s stopping them? Even the higher-ups in the squad are part of the Thunder God Society.”

“You’re right. Still, that guy has guts, playing the hero. He’s bound to lose an arm over this.”

Qin Xuanyi went pale with fright and shouted, “Xu Han, be careful!”

Ge Zhen’s grin grew twisted. “Too late!”

In a flash, the longsword was swinging toward Xu Han.

Just as it was about to strike Xu Han’s arm, a layer of fine black scales suddenly covered his entire limb.

The scales gleamed coldly, as hard as steel.

Clang!

The sword struck the scales with a clear, metallic ring.

In the next instant, the blade was sent flying, clattering to the ground, while the black scales remained unscathed—still as bright and unblemished as ever.

The onlookers’ eyes widened in shock as they stared at Xu Han.

“What kind of skill is that? His defense is insane!”

“Ge Zhen’s a second-tier swordsman, and he couldn’t even scratch him.”

“That guy is so handsome! I wonder if he has a girlfriend?”

“I bet Ge Zhen wasn’t going all out—if he did, that guy would be finished for sure.”

The crowd buzzed with speculation.

Qin Xuanyi, too, stared at Xu Han with wide, astonished eyes.

She hadn’t expected Xu Han to block Ge Zhen’s strike so effortlessly.

Was his strength truly that formidable?

Before Ge Zhen could recover from his shock, a crisp crack sounded.

Then, a wave of piercing pain shot through his arm.

He looked down in horror.

His arm was bent outward at a right angle—Xu Han had snapped it with brute force.

“Aaagh!” Ge Zhen howled in agony, collapsing to his knees, his eyes blazing with fury.

Glaring at Xu Han, he ground out through clenched teeth, “You bastard, you dare lay a hand on me?!”

Xu Han released his grip without care. “If you want to settle this, I’ll be waiting.”

Ge Zhen nodded furiously. “Fine! I won’t forget this!”

“Next time, I’ll break every bone in your body, make you suffer as I have!”

Xu Han merely smiled. “Come back when you have the skills for it.”

Ge Zhen’s two companions hurriedly dragged him away in search of a doctor.

The crowd quickly dispersed as well.

Qin Xuanyi, still a little worried, said, “Thank you for helping me…”

“But those three belong to the Thunder God Society—they might come after you.”

Xu Han waved it off with a nonchalant gesture. “Don’t worry. It won’t make any difference, even if they come looking for revenge.”

Hearing him say this, Qin Xuanyi nodded and said no more.

“By the way, why are you taking on missions here?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be in class?”

Qin Xuanyi gave a helpless sigh. “Our teacher just gave us a brief introduction to the school.”

“Then told us to go level up on our own.”

“Is Dragon Nation University really like this?”

“If the teachers don’t give classes, what’s the difference between Dragon Nation University and any other school?”

Xu Han replied, “Actually, we didn’t come here for the classes—we came for the resources and opportunities.”

“At Dragon Nation University, there are plenty of skill books and high-level equipment.”

“There are even competitions.”

“Winning competitions can get you better gear, which is much easier than grinding monsters for drops.”

“Besides, there are so many teachers here—if you ever have a question, you can just ask them.”

“And you can level up freely most of the time. In my view, that’s what a university should really be like.”

Qin Xuanyi nodded slightly. That explanation, at least, sounded reasonable.

She glanced at the stack of beginner missions and sighed quietly.

“Looks like I’ll just have to keep doing missions.”

“But it’s true, trading credits for equipment is much cheaper.”

“A piece of gold gear sells for millions outside, but here at school, it’s usually just a hundred or two hundred credits.”

“In cash, that’s only a million or so—a lot more affordable.”

“I hope I can collect a full set of gold equipment before I graduate.”

As they chatted, Xu Han suddenly heard a commotion up ahead.

Had something happened over there?

He headed directly toward the noise.

A crowd had gathered around the mission board.

A new task had just appeared:

[Intermediate Mission: Hunt the Blizzard Giant Bear]
[Mission Description: Head to the northern snowfields outside the capital and hunt down the bronze-ranked boss, the Blizzard Giant Bear. Bring back its head.]
[Reward: 300 credits]
[Requirement: Students of rank B or higher]

Xu Han was stunned.

Three hundred credits?

That was a huge reward.

Most intermediate missions only offered one to two hundred credits.

The difference was remarkable.