novelraw Chapter 192: Dumbstruck
Chapter 192: Dumbstruck
"So, Hathaway — did you participate in a Pioneering Mission ten years ago?" Li Wei asked. If she had, that would be an enormous advantage.
"You think too highly of me. Ten years ago I'd just earned second place on the Rookie List. How could I possibly have qualified to become a Seed Player like you? I joined a Pioneering Mission later, as a mid-mission replacement, and was eliminated within the first month. I was nothing but small fry back then."
"After that I never had another chance to participate in a Pioneering Mission — this will be only my second time. Since we're technically on the same side, I'll tell you one more thing: the logic and rules of a Pioneering Mission are similar to the Rookie Mission, but the difficulty and the curveballs it throws at you will give you nightmares."
"You'll experience that for yourselves."
"Oh, and one more thing — once you're inside the mission world, never say the words 'Magic Zombie.' Always use 'mutated creature' or 'Ability User' instead. Don't forget that."
"Alright, I'll leave you to it."
With that, Hathaway stood and left.
Little John followed shortly after, departing in silence.
Only Li Wei and Clyde remained. Clyde grinned. "Li Wei, want to spar at the training ground?"
"I'd definitely lose to you," Li Wei said offhandedly. His mind was still turning over everything Hathaway had just said."Don't be modest. I heard you held your own against the black-robed witch Mixi for a full ten seconds. I have no idea when you became such a swordsman, so we absolutely have to test that — just a friendly exchange, nothing serious. What do you say?" Clyde extended the invitation warmly.
"Well — alright." Li Wei glanced at Clyde and followed him outside to the training ground. There, to his mild surprise, Hathaway hadn't left at all. She and Little John were each holding a wooden sword, sparring with each other — diligently, by the look of it.
Li Wei watched for a moment, thoughtful, then said, "So personal combat strength is going to matter a great deal in this Pioneering Mission?"
Clyde blinked, then laughed. "Brother, you've hit the nail on the head. During the Rookie Mission, things were still relatively peaceful. You know that guy Cheng Mo from the Logistics Department?"
"You mean Joffrey?"
"That's the one. Ever since he came back, the Logistics Department put together a comprehensive combat improvement plan for him. The kid's solid in every other respect — his combat ability is just the weak link."
"You know, a lot of people have been quietly comparing you and Cheng Mo."
"Why? Are we long-lost twins?"
"Ha! You're hilarious, man. In my view, how could he possibly compare to you? You became a Seed Player without even having a codename yet — that alone speaks volumes. And that's stirred up no small amount of debate in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, even spawning rumors that you're Night Owl's illegitimate son. As for Cheng Mo — what is he, really? The Logistics Department has its own deep bench of talent and fierce internal competition. Honestly, I doubt he even makes the starting lineup."
"Ten years ago, Hathaway finished second on the Rookie List and still could only join as a mid-mission replacement. You really think Cheng Mo can outperform Hathaway? I'd sooner believe you're Night Owl's illegitimate son."
Illegitimate son, my foot!
Li Wei found the whole thing absurd — but at the same time, he immediately grasped just how fierce the competition for Pioneering Card slots must be.
Though Hathaway might just be talking out of turn, as usual.
Then again, maybe not. She'd joined as a replacement and been eliminated in under a month. What would she know?
While they talked, Li Wei and Clyde had made their way to an open section of the training ground, right next to where Hathaway and Little John were sparring. In the short time since, Little John had already lost twice — but the man had a will of iron. Defeat didn't discourage him in the slightest. A true warrior through and through.
Clyde grabbed a wooden sword and a wooden shield from the nearby weapon rack, bounced lightly on his feet a couple of times, and squared up with high spirits and sharp focus — a faint echo of Teddy's style.
Li Wei, by contrast, looked utterly blank. The word "dumbstruck" might have been coined for this exact moment.
He reached out and picked a two-handed wooden sword from the rack. Not the most comfortable fit, but it would do.
"Any rules?" Li Wei asked.
Clyde had already moved to the far end of the training ground. He laughed. "No rules. 'Stop before it hurts' is the only rule. That's what training is for — finding your weaknesses, building on your strengths. Know yourself and your enemy, and you'll never lose a fight!"
"Alright!"
Li Wei nodded, gripped the sword with both hands, and charged straight at Clyde thirty meters away.
In the first second, Clyde's gaze was still appraising. He'd reviewed the internal footage of Li Wei's fight against the black-robed witch Mixi from an observer's perspective. He'd admit the man's archery was practically supernatural — but fighting Mixi with a heavy wooden sword had been riddled with openings. In Clyde's estimation, he himself could have held on for at least fifteen seconds...
He meant well. He wanted Li Wei to sharpen his swordsmanship, and maybe earn himself a little prestige in the process. The quiet satisfaction of that — most people wouldn't understand.
In the second second, his expression grew serious. Because Li Wei had no technique whatsoever. Just one thing: constant acceleration. The training area was only thirty meters long, and in that brief span Li Wei had already closed twenty of them. 'This isn't right,' Clyde thought. 'I have a dozen ways to counter this, block it, shield-bash it — you're wide open everywhere. How do I even begin to explain this to you?'
In the third second, Clyde surged forward with full confidence — shield in his left hand, sword in his right, footwork steady yet agile, rhythm shifting within a structured pattern. 'Left shield to parry, right sword to thrust, body technique — what the—!'
What just happened?
Time seemed to freeze at that third second. Clyde was still locked in his attack stance, but Li Wei's wooden sword had already slipped silently through his guard and come to rest — without a sound — against his throat.
Clyde was completely baffled. What?
He had 22 Agility and 28 Strength — same as anyone at his level. And on top of that, he was wearing leather armor, while Li Wei was in nothing but an ordinary autumn outfit.
You cheated, didn't you?
You have some kind of cheat code?
A moment later, Li Wei stepped back, and the frozen tableau dissolved.
Clyde finally snapped out of it. "No — what just happened?"
"He's not your match, fool. Did you really think someone who forced the black-robed witch Mixi back five steps was nothing special? His Rookie King title may have had some luck and padding in certain areas, but in combat — he earned every bit of it."
Hathaway had appeared from nowhere, leaning lazily against the divider between the two training areas, wooden sword tucked under her arm.
"What? Forced her back five steps? I thought he held on for ten seconds?"
Clyde was stunned. The internal report he'd seen clearly hadn't told the whole story.
"Fool."
Hathaway didn't bother explaining further. The footage of her and Li Wei's final battle had only been seen by Night Owl, and once the outcome was confirmed, it had been destroyed — maximum secrecy. Otherwise, having a rival department dissect their own Seed Player's combat footage frame by frame would make the Ministry of Internal Affairs look like complete idiots.
That said, Little John and Clyde were both trustworthy enough.
"Li Wei, fight me."
"I'd lose."
Li Wei dropped the wooden sword, gave Clyde a nod, and turned to walk back toward the old gatekeeper — he still had supplies to purchase.
"Come on, just try — I'll go easy on you!" Hathaway called after him, undeterred. She rather liked the idea of watching Li Wei kneel in defeat.
But Li Wei paid her no mind and walked away quickly.
No point in wishful thinking. He wasn't nearly as foolish as Clyde, and had no intention of being stomped in front of an audience.
Clyde was actually quite sharp — his only flaw was that one moment of wishful thinking.
Back inside the gatehouse, the old man was still there, still smiling warmly — but the look he gave Li Wei now carried a certain weight.
As the third-ranking official in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he had no shortage of things to deal with every day. Especially since the duties that normally fell to the Chief Internal Affairs Officer had been handled by him for the past several months.
And that Chief Internal Affairs Officer? She'd spent every day obsessing over a single Rookie Mission, which had ultimately spawned rumors that she had an illegitimate child.
He'd almost believed it himself.
But now, he thought the rumor was nonsense. That girl Night Owl had a devious mind — while the Logistics Department was loudly and publicly grooming Cheng Mo, she'd been keeping things as quiet and low-key as possible on her end.
Holding on for ten seconds versus forcing someone back five steps — were those even remotely the same thing?
Playing word games, indeed.
"Li Wei, have you decided what you'd like to purchase?"
"Yes, sir."
Li Wei replied politely, then swept his hand across the supply catalog in a rapid series of taps. In no time at all, he had spent every last Gold Coin he had.
The old man watched with an amused expression.
"Li Wei, are you certain you want this much one-star lumber? I know you're skilled with a bow — why not purchase some arrowheads and fletching as well?"
"Thank you for your concern, sir. I still have some in stock."
Li Wei smiled slightly. This time, in addition to another Resource Card, a one-star shovel, a one-star axe, and a one-star hoe, he had spent every remaining Gold Coin on one-star lumber — the kind that could be carved into arrow shafts, wooden spears, or wooden swords. As for arrowheads, fish glue, and fletching, he had existing stock, and the quality was no different from what the Ministry of Internal Affairs sold, so there was no need to buy more.
"Very well, as you wish. These supplies will be delivered to your home before this evening."
"Thank you, sir!"
Leaving the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Li Wei walked home — he didn't have enough left to pay for a ride.
Which also meant he had virtually no way to purchase any additional equipment.
But Li Wei was completely at ease with that. Whatever rules the mission four months from now decided to throw at him, he'd deal with them. There was only one thing he needed to strengthen: his Destiny Grid.
Hunter Destiny Grid at 47, Woodcutter Destiny Grid at 42 — could he push both to 50 in four months and unlock the Perception attribute?
That mattered. A great deal.
The days that followed fell back into a familiar, unhurried rhythm.
Every morning, Li Wei would drag his maid Xiao Ning through rehabilitation exercises with him. Every afternoon, he'd set out from Wind Residence and run a full circuit around Weir City, taking note of the buildings and layout along the way.
In the evenings, once Xiao Ning returned home from work, he would climb up to the attic, sit beneath a sky full of stars — or watch falling leaves, or drifting snow — and let his mind go quiet. Then, three-star dagger in hand, he would carve.
Just one piece of lumber per session.
Size and shape didn't matter. Small things like daggers, arrow shafts, and hardwood arrows; larger things like wooden spears, wooden staves, one-handed swords, two-handed swords.
But every single carving was done with full effort and complete focus.
Every piece he carved came out at minimum one-star quality. Most were two-star. On a few rare occasions, he even produced three-star semi-finished goods.
None of that concerned him, though — it was all just a means of raising his Woodcutter Destiny Grid.
Time passed. Winter drew to a close, and of the four months, only three days remained.
The one-star lumber he'd bought with so many Gold Coins had been completely carved through.
In total, he had produced: five one-star wooden daggers, three one-star one-handed wooden swords, three one-star two-handed wooden swords — all limited to one-star quality since they were only for daily training.
The wooden spears and staves, which could be further processed later and had a higher ceiling, came out mostly at two-star quality — ten pieces in all.
Arrow shafts, being semi-finished goods with an even higher ceiling, yielded three three-star shafts, which Li Wei then crafted into three Three-Star Sniper Armor-Piercing Arrows.
The remaining eighteen two-star shafts became Two-Star Sniper Armor-Piercing Arrows.
The leftover scraps were all carved into hardwood arrows — the simple kind that needed only fletching glued on, no arrowhead required, relying entirely on the wood's own hardness and the bow's draw weight for penetrating power. As long as they hit a weak point like an eye, their effectiveness was anything but lacking.
These hardwood arrows were all one-star — limited by the material — and numbered eighty in total. They could be brought into the mission world and carried back out again.
But none of that was his greatest gain. His Woodcutter Destiny Grid had successfully climbed from 42 to 50 — that was the real prize. Now he only needed to push his Hunter Destiny Grid to 50 as well, and the Perception attribute would unlock permanently.
And it was on that very day that Li Wei received a message: he was to report to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to sign a contract and prepare to enter the mission world.