Legendary Mercenary

Chapter 4: Silver Five-Star

Zhang Ye held the cat teaser stick, shaking it left and right. Qiqi's eyes followed the movements of the stick, darting left and right, waiting for the right moment to pounce. Her small hands reached out to grab the stick, but each time, Zhang Ye flicked his wrist, and the stick slipped through her fingers.

As a result, the beast-drawn carriage was soon in an uproar. Watching Zhang Ye wave the teaser stick around and seeing Qiqi jump up and down trying to catch it, the other members of the team were quite surprised. They knew that as a member of the catfolk, Qiqi was naturally curious, but they hadn’t expected her to have this particular trait.

Apparently, this otherworldly setting wasn’t familiar with the joys of playing with cats.

Finally, Qiqi managed to catch the teaser stick. By then, her little face was flushed with excitement, and she looked at Zhang Ye with a slight sparkle in her eyes.

"Isn't it fun?" Zhang Ye asked with a smile.

"It is fun, meow!" Qiqi nodded enthusiastically, but then her face fell as she looked at the broken teaser stick in her hands. "I broke it, meow..."

She had gotten too excited earlier, and when she grabbed the teaser stick, she used too much force, snapping the simple contraption made of grass and feathers.

"No worries. If you like it, I can make you a more durable one," Zhang Ye replied nonchalantly.

"Really? You're such a good big guy, meow!" Qiqi exclaimed happily.

Zhang Ye was momentarily taken aback.

Did I just get friend-zoned as a "good guy"?

After this playful encounter, Zhang Ye and Qiqi clearly became much closer. Leaning against the cart, Zhang Ye chewed leisurely on a blade of grass. It was a sweet grass, tasting a bit like mint, with a cool and refreshing flavor that helped to clear the mind, and it was found everywhere.

In the past, Zhang Ye was often dragged by the old man to forge iron late into the night, and chewing on this grass kept him awake, so it became a habit. Most importantly, this plant was also a type of tobacco, and the old man used to make cigarettes from the broad lower leaves of the sweet grass. Zhang Ye had tried it once; it was quite potent, even stronger than the cigarettes back in the Wasteland.

Then the old man had beaten him up, warning him not to touch the stuff until he was of age.

Zhang Ye didn't mind. In his previous life, with its constant life-or-death situations, smoking and drinking were just part of the routine. But since the old man had said so, Zhang Ye decided to wait.

Now that the old man was gone, and there was no one left to stop him, he had already rolled a few cigarettes but hadn't smoked any yet.

For some reason, it felt like a ritual.

That first one, he felt, should be lit amidst the clash of swords and the blaze of battle—now that would have some real flavor.

Perhaps that was the romance of a mercenary.

Qiqi squatted on the cargo box above Zhang Ye's head, chattering away. The little catgirl was quite talkative and seemed unable to sit still, which allowed Zhang Ye to learn a few things through their conversation.

For instance, Qiqi was seventeen years old, which, in the catfolk tribe, meant she was already an adult—not a child, despite her small stature. She made sure Zhang Ye knew not to underestimate her because of her size.

She also told him that their team leader, Geoff, had a cute daughter who was three years old.

And that there was a detestable organization in Seaport City known as the Cerus Merchant Guild, which dealt in the trafficking of beastfolk, though they didn’t trade in humans. When Qiqi first left home to explore the world, she was almost captured by them, which is why she harbored such hatred for the Cerus Guild.

Zhang Ye expressed his agreement.

In his previous life in the Wasteland, there were also plenty of gangs and factions that trafficked people and traded organs. He had taken down every one he encountered.

It wasn’t just because he found such behavior abhorrent—people who did this kind of thing usually lacked any shred of humanity. In the Wasteland, the "Diesel Gang" would rob you, but if you paid up, you were likely to walk away alive. In contrast, the human traffickers would not only rob you but also kill you afterward, harvesting your organs and cybernetic parts to sell. They would even grind up the flesh and bones to make synthetic meat, which they would sell to some unfortunate souls.

This sort of short-sighted, cruel business was taboo, and one of Zhang Ye's comrades had met his end this way. So whenever Zhang Ye came across these kinds of people, he never left any of them alive.

Perhaps, in his blood-soaked career as a mercenary, this was his way of giving something back to society and the world.

"By the way, what's your rank, meow?" Qiqi suddenly asked.

In this world, the system for categorizing power levels was very strict, unlike in the Wasteland, where an individual's strength was measured by their reputation and battle achievements.

The power levels here were straightforward and applied uniformly across all professions, whether you were a mage, a warrior, or something else.

There were ten known levels, with the first five named after metals found in this world. From lowest to highest, they were:

- Bronze

- Silver

- Gold

- Platinum

- Mithril

The next five levels had a more mythical and magical flavor:

- Chant

- Title

- Epic

- Legendary

- Divine

The first five were easy to understand, as they were named after the most famous and widely recognized metals in this world, with the ranking based on the metal's value.

The latter five, however, carried deeper meanings.

On this continent, there were many wandering minstrels, known as bards. The term "Chant" indicated that your power had reached a level where bards would sing your praises far and wide, spreading your story.

"Title" meant you had become significant enough to leave a mark in history, earning a unique title that people would recognize.

【Epic】 is a significant rank, indicating that you possess immense power and influence, enough to leave a lasting and vibrant mark in the annals of history, with your story being passed down for thousands of years.

【Legendary】 is even more prestigious, signifying that you are among the absolute elite, with your every action and decision having an unparalleled impact on both the present and the future.

As for 【Divine】, Zhang Ye didn’t know much about it, as even his mentor didn’t explain it in detail. From Zhang Ye's understanding, it probably means someone who is almost godlike or perhaps even a deity. Who knows?

"I'm at Silver, Silver Five-Star," Zhang Ye replied.

Each rank is divided into ten sub-levels, represented by 【Stars】. The naming convention is said to have originated with mages, as every time they advanced, a new 【Starlight】 would appear to circle around them, which looked very cool.

For warriors, the manifestation of advancement was through the blood and energy patterns.

In this world, mages were considered the most dazzling and vibrant profession, which is why Zhang Ye had always wanted to become a cool mage and had been working hard towards that goal. But the more he trained, the bigger his muscles grew, yet he didn’t manage to gain a single 【Starlight】...

"Silver Five-Star, huh? Then you’re not as strong as me. I'm Silver Six-Star, meow~" Qiqi proudly raised her chin, her furry cat ears twitching slightly, and her tail wagging unconsciously.

Interestingly, Zhang Ye had seen a few catgirls before, but their tails were all thick like noodles. Qiqi was different; her tail was fluffy like a feather duster. He wasn’t sure what breed she was, but he found it much cuter than those with thick, noodle-like tails, as it made her appear even fluffier.

"Then you'll have to protect me," Zhang Ye shamelessly teased.

To his surprise, the little catgirl took him seriously. Blinking her big eyes, she said, "Don’t worry, as your senior, I’ll take good care of you, meow!"

"Qiqi, scouting," the team leader, Geoff, interrupted. He couldn’t listen any longer. If they kept chatting, there would be no time left for the scouting mission.

"Oh! I almost forgot, meow~" Qiqi playfully stuck out her tongue, then leaped nimbly off the carriage. "I’m off to scout now, meow!"

"Go ahead, I’m going to catch some sleep," Zhang Ye waved her off, closing his eyes and soon starting to snore.

Geoff rubbed his forehead in exasperation.

It seemed Zhang Ye really was a rookie. Such a lack of vigilance—even though this mission wasn’t particularly dangerous, falling asleep so soon after leaving the city gates was a bit much.

However, Geoff didn’t bother to wake Zhang Ye. After all, it wasn’t his problem. If Zhang Ye lacked proper caution, he’d eventually pay the price for it. This was a common mistake among rookies, and often the most fatal one.

He could give a reminder, but considering how nonchalant Zhang Ye seemed during the mission, there was no guarantee he would take it seriously. Geoff figured it was better to let the harsh realities of life teach him a lesson.