Chapter 25 Three Months

The late-night snack was lively, lasting until nearly dawn before everyone dispersed to go home.

Although Zhou Jing wanted to inquire about insider information within the Esper circle from Li Xiaoyin, she was still a newbie herself, and so "unrestrained." What she knew might not even surpass his own knowledge. Thus, Zhou Jing temporarily suppressed this thought.

Back in his rented room, Zhou Jing rested for a while to sober up before starting his training plan.

After working on it on and off until afternoon, the cooldown on the traversal finally ended.

"Now it's time to see the results of proper idle placement…"

Zhou Jing rubbed his slightly sore eyes and shut down the computer he had been using to research information.

He lay back on his bed and closed his eyes.

"Enter!"

…

Buzz—

His consciousness returned to the pre-traversal space, still filled with starlight.

Zhou Jing looked at the enormous glowing panel. The results of this placement were already displayed:

[“Jason Wood” Placement Complete]

[Viewing This Placement's Earnings Report… Auto-Expanding]

[Placement Duration: 18 Days (Star Realm Time)]

[This Earning: Star Realm Points +210]

[Accumulated Earnings: Star Realm Points 210/2000]

[Skill Growth: 【Hunter Breathing Forging】lv1lv2, 【Weapon Mastery-Hunting Knife】lv1lv2, 【Weapon Mastery-Greatsword】lv0lv1]

[Achievement Triggered: None]

[This Placement Rating: Normal]

[View Placement Experience Log?]

"Yes, he's still alive!"

Zhou Jing's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, relaxed.

Not only alive, but his skills had also leveled up… It seemed the plan was feasible. Developing in Frostwood Village was indeed stable.

The earnings from idle placement were indeed not bad. As long as he laid a good foundation during his personal descents and had a stable environment, then placement could exert a huge effect.

Opening the log, all of "Jason Wood's" experiences during placement were completely recorded in the form of first-person footage.

Furthermore, there were extra sticky note prompts at nodes where events occurred, skills improved, or he interacted with people.

The experiences during placement could be viewed slowly, or they could be directly absorbed as memories, the latter being more efficient.

Zhou Jing took a look. Nothing special happened during "Jason Wood's" placement. According to the set "concentrate on training" placement plan, he spent most of his time buried in practice.

He occasionally interacted with Barron, Griff, and others, always appearing taciturn, rarely initiating conversation, and behaving quite low-key, focused solely on training… It was also possible that "Jason Wood's" resolute and martial nature was taking effect.

"Hmm, looks pretty normal. The placement performance isn't strange either, just much more silent than when I personally control him… Seems like the synchronization rate is higher, and the Star Realm Apostle can make more complex responses. It's good for now, as long as he doesn't pull any stunts."

Zhou Jing mused to himself.

If the Star Realm Apostle had a good personality, placement would be more stable.

Overall, this time, the effect of the placement mode was confirmed and had met his expectations.

"Next is to maintain the status quo and allow this Star Realm Apostle to develop."

Zhou Jing's mind was made up.

…

…

The passage of time does not shift according to one’s will.

Sunrise and sunset, seasons changed.

In the blink of an eye, three months had passed in the Alternate Beast World.

At the training grounds in Frostwood Village, a robust figure wielded a dark greatsword, practicing basic swordsmanship moves with fluid ease.

Sweeping, chopping, thrusting, smashing, lifting… Each move was full of power, stirring up a deep, whistling wind.

Whoosh!

The figure finally chopped down with his blade, the edge abruptly stopping in mid-air, a few centimeters above the ground. The force dispersed the dust, the control of power was quite skillful and precise.

"Hoo…"

Zhou Jing sheathed his blade and stood upright, exhaling a breath of stale air. The clearly defined muscles all over his body trembled at a high frequency.

"The Breathing Art has finally leveled up again."

He opened the panel and glanced. 【Hunter Breathing Forging】 had finally reached lv4.

This was his fourth descent into "Jason Wood," and the combined time of traversal and placement meant he had already survived for more than three months in the Alternate Beast World.

Most of the time was spent developing in Frostwood Village, occasionally following the hunter team into the forest to hunt some ordinary prey to provide meat for the village. Because they didn't venture too deep into the forest, they didn't encounter any Earth Bone Men.

Frostwood Village was remote, and the days of focused training were uneventful. Living in the village, where everyone knew everyone, he became familiar with most of the villagers over these three months.

The main achievement was the Hunter Breathing Art. As the skill level increased, even with the accelerated training function, the time it took to reach the next level of mastery also increased.

In the first month, 【Hunter Breathing Forging】 leveled up twice to lv2, while the next two months or so barely raised it to lv4. It was taking longer and longer.

Zhou Jing also understood why the accelerated training fee was just a baseline. The actual amount of Star Realm Points that could be invested to further accelerate the learning speed was unlimited—if it reached a very high level, even if the baseline accelerated training was activated, it might still take several years for the skill to level up.

Like anyone else, the more proficient one became in a skill, the harder it was to make further progress.

In addition to the improvement in the Hunter Breathing Art, he also mastered the techniques of bladed weapons like hunting knives, greatswords, and warblades. After learning three types of similar weapons, these skills merged into one, becoming 【Weapon Mastery-Blades】.

"These two abilities, with three months of training, are already comparable to ten years of someone else's efforts, right…"

Zhou Jing muttered to himself, glancing at the current effects of the two skills.

[【Hunter Breathing Forging】]

[Current Level: lv4-(Proficient)]

[Effect: Stamina +3, Resistance +2]

——

[【Weapon Mastery-Blades】]

[Current Level: lv4-(Proficient)]

[Effect: Possesses excellent bladed weapon skills, Stamina +1]

——

Most of his training time was spent on these two skills, and the rewards were quite good.

Zhou Jing opened "Jason Wood's" ability file, and the Star Realm Apostle's attributes had become:

[Attributes: Stamina 14, Resistance 11, Perception 5, Spirit 6, Energy 0]

Compared to three months ago, his physical fitness had significantly increased. He hadn't even undergone Hetero-Blood Enhancement yet, and he was already showing signs of transcendence, which was somewhat beyond Zhou Jing's expectations.

"It's mainly thanks to the Hunter Breathing Art…"

Zhou Jing figured that the effect of this skill on him might be a bit of a coincidence.

【Hunter Breathing Forging】 had a training threshold. Even knowing that this skill was somewhat extraordinary, ordinary people couldn't practice it. But to reach the training threshold, normal exercise was extremely difficult, creating a deadlock.

Only the apostle he created, with an initial physical strength beyond that of ordinary people, directly reached the training threshold, solving this problem. It was difficult for others to replicate.

Over the past three months, most of the Star Realm Points he had accumulated were thrown into these two skills. Among them, 【Hunter Breathing Forging】 was the most expensive, costing 700 points to level up to its current lv4.

If the single return and placement were considered one traversal cycle, then the current daily earnings from "Jason Wood" were about 300 Star Realm Points. Aside from the simple achievements triggered during the first traversal, no more were triggered in later descents.

After deducting the expenses for accelerated training during these days, he currently had a surplus of 460 points on hand.

"Having trained to this extent, I should be able to take the Hetero-Blood Potion soon. Continuing to develop normally like this won't be as worthwhile…"

Just as Zhou Jing was calculating silently, Barron, who had been supervising from the side, walked over.

"You've improved again," Barron said calmly as he approached Zhou Jing.

"Yeah, it seems so. I feel like my strength has increased again."

Zhou Jing nodded, casually twirling the blade. The heavy greatsword felt as light as a wooden stick in his hand.

Barron watched this scene calmly, expressionless.

Over the past three months, he had continuously witnessed Zhou Jing's incredible growth rate, slowly going from shock to indifference.

He was numb.

He couldn't understand what was going on with this "Jason Wood" at all.

Without even undergoing Hetero-Blood Enhancement, his physical strength was already about to catch up with his own!

This was actually an Alternate Beast wearing human skin!

His worldview had been shattered time and time again. Barron had given up on using his limited brain cells to think about such baffling problems, attributing everything to "Jason Wood's" extraordinary talent.

He grasped the core conflict, believing in one principle—as long as this "Jason Wood" became an Alternate Beast Hunter, the better he was, the better. He wouldn't think about the rest if he couldn't understand it.

Seeing that Barron didn't answer, Zhou Jing raised an eyebrow and asked, "Do you think I can use the Hetero-Blood Potion now?"

Sure, of course, you can. Forget using the Hetero-Blood Potion, you can just go fight Hetero-Blood Warriors directly…

Barron resisted the urge to roll his eyes and said directly:

"Pack your things. Tomorrow at dawn, we'll set off for White Plains City. I'll take you to get the Hetero-Blood Potion!"

"Alright."

Zhou Jing's eyes lit up.

After three months of training, he had finally met Barron's requirements. He could finally come into contact with true extraordinary power!

…

The next morning, Zhou Jing, along with Ross, met Barron at the village entrance, each bringing their luggage and equipment.

Barron was still in his hunting attire. Because his battleaxe had been lost in the forest, probably picked up by an Earth Bone Man, he had a new axe made by the village blacksmith. The craftsmanship was much rougher and simpler than the original weapon.

Zhou Jing was wearing a set of hunter's clothing, a dagger in his waist, and a dark greatsword on his back.

This greatsword was made from the stubborn iron used to make farm tools, forged by the blacksmith in the east of the village. It had no other characteristics except that it was relatively heavy. It was usually used for training, but of course, it could also be used to chop people… or rather, swing at people.

Ross was carrying pots and pans on his back, looking like a cook… He had actually learned to cook by following Zhou Jing's example over the past few months!

Although he was currently only able to cook food until it was cooked through, it was already a quantum leap in progress!

Zhou Jing was especially gratified by this—he finally didn't have to be a nanny anymore and could finally enjoy the service of a follower!

There was some distance from Frostwood Village to White Plains City. Besides oxcarts, there were no means of transportation in the village. People usually walked into the city on foot.

However, even walking on foot, with the stamina of the two of them, running all the way would be faster.

Even with Ross in tow, it wouldn't take many days.

However, besides the three of them, there was also an uninvited guest at the village entrance at this time.

"Uncle Jason, Uncle Barron, can you take me to the city with you?"

Leiner hugged Zhou Jing's leg, looking up with big, blinking eyes, acting cute, with a look of flattery and entreaty.

"I'm going to take care of important matters. I don't have time to take you."

Zhou Jing shook his leg helplessly, wanting to shake Leiner off.

He was still Griff's son, and he hadn't gone mad and beaten up a kid, leading to this kid becoming increasingly attached to him.

"Don't! I'm very well-behaved. I'll listen to you the whole way. If you want me to eat, I'll eat. If you want me to sleep, I'll sleep!"

Leiner said hurriedly.

"Well-behaved?" Barron snorted, "Did your father agree to let you go out?"

"He… he agreed!" Leiner replied, sticking his neck out.

Zhou Jing suddenly looked up behind Leiner, "Oh, Griff, you're up early too. Are you here to catch your son?"

"Oh no, Dad!"

Leiner was startled and quickly let go, turning to look behind him.

Whoosh… a gust of cold wind blew past. There was no sign of Griff, not even a hair.

"You're lying to me!"

Leiner turned back angrily, only to see that Zhou Jing and the others had already run off.

…

The road from Frostwood Village to White Plains City was a stretch of unprocessed natural scenery. The terrain was mostly plains and hills, occasionally dotted with small patches of forest.

The dirt road was intermittent, sometimes there were signposts only after a long distance. If one wasn't familiar with the direction, it was easy to go astray. Barron was an experienced driver, so the possibility of getting lost didn't exist.

Without any delay along the way, Zhou Jing and Barron exerted their stamina to run all the way, occasionally carrying Ross on their shoulders. The three of them soon arrived at their destination.

Walking out of a small forest, the view in the distance suddenly opened up, revealing a town sitting on a small hill.

Gray walls surrounded it, the stone bricks clearly stacked. Some houses inside the city were higher than the city walls, the roofs peeking out from behind the walls in a staggered manner.

"This is White Plains City…" Zhou Jing gazed.

Having seen the architecture of the interstellar era, this town was of course not magnificent at all. In his opinion, it was just a small town at the village level, with simple ancient city wall defenses, at most four or five meters high.

But for the residents of the Alternate Beast World in this era, it was already considered a medium-sized city of considerable scale.

"Let's go, let's enter the city."

Barron patted Zhou Jing's shoulder.

The three came to the city gate, where many people were lined up to enter the city, including farmers, merchants, and Alternate Beast Hunters carrying weapons.

Carts filled to the brim were overcrowded, and merchants were chatting in a Northern dialect, making a noisy scene.

There were four guards in front of the city gate, wearing studded leather armor, wearing simple round helmets askew on their heads, and using the short spears in their hands to knock on the goods on the carts, checking people entering the city.

There were four fortress cities in the Northern Lands of the Terra Empire, and dozens of towns like White Plains City. White Plains City was one of the more remote ones, but it was still a town, and it was much more lively than the remote Frostwood Village. Farmers, passing merchants, travelers, mercenaries, and Alternate Beast Hunters from the surrounding villages would all transit here.

Soon, it was the Zhou Jing's group turn.

The guards saw that Barron was dressed as an Alternate Beast Hunter, came up to question him, and were quite respectful.

After Barron said that he was the garrisoned hunter of Frostwood Village, the guards immediately let them pass, and the three entered the town together.

As Barron said, the Alternate Beast Hunter was a glorious profession, fighting with Alternate Beasts all year round and solving the threat to human survival. They indeed had great prestige among the people, and almost no town would refuse Alternate Beast Hunters to enter.

Walking on the noisy and lively streets, Barron told Zhou Jing about the city's situation.

"Including me, there are about thirty Alternate Beast Hunters who are active around White Plains City for a long time. Most of the Alternate Beast threats nearby are solved by us. Most of the time, we are scattered in different areas, some are garrisoned hunters, and some are freelance hunters. Usually, only in White Plains City is it easy to meet others. This time, I brought you here for Hetero-Blood Enhancement, and also to introduce you to others, so that you know what to do after becoming an Alternate Beast Hunter."

Zhou Jing nodded, observing the medieval-style buildings on the street, and casually asked: "Not counting the hunters, how many troops does White Plains City have?"

"There should be three or four hundred regular soldiers, all people of the lord, Luther Crow… Hmph, there should be several Hetero-Blood Warriors among them."

Speaking of the last sentence, Barron couldn't help but show a contemptuous expression.

Zhou Jing looked at him curiously: "You seem to dislike this lord very much?"

"That's not true, Lord Luther is actually alright. He is a tribal blood relative and has been protecting White Plains City all these years. The town is not only a settlement, but also responsible for eliminating the surrounding Alternate Beast threats. He never skimps on reward money to summon hunters, and has sent his troops to help with hunting many times… Although it is the lord's duty, at least he is considered competent."

After a slight explanation, Barron paused and snorted coldly: "What I hate are the Hetero-Blood Warriors who are recruited by the lord and act as his guards."

"How so? Do they have conflicts with you?" Zhou Jing became interested.

"It's not that they have conflicts with me." Barron said dissatisfied: "These people survived Hetero-Blood Enhancement, but don't use this power to fight Alternate Beasts. Instead, they gather around the lord for power or wealth. We hunt Alternate Beasts, but they hide behind us. What is that? We hunters have always looked down on such cowards!"

Zhou Jing immediately understood.

——Everyone has undergone Hetero-Blood Enhancement. The Alternate Beast Hunters go to fight Alternate Beasts, but these people who have mastered the same power hide behind and act as guards for the lord, not going to the battlefield.

Under the tradition of a glorious profession, Alternate Beast Hunters definitely look down on this group of Hetero-Blood Warriors who don't dare to be hunters. This should be a long-standing chain of contempt.

In the tribal era, the pressure of survival was enormous, and the heroes who successfully underwent Hetero-Blood Enhancement were basically all for becoming Alternate Beast Hunters, to protect the tribe.

But in the current imperial era, people with extraordinary power had different thoughts… Compared to the Alternate Beast Hunters who walked the line between life and death, it seemed safer and more comfortable to use this power to gain wealth and power.

Anyway, there were others who were Alternate Beast Hunters, so why should they take risks. They had finally obtained power, so of course they should think about their own interests… That was probably the idea.

‘This should be the division between Espers in this world… After people gain extraordinary power, their thoughts are not as simple as before.’

Zhou Jing shook his head, and couldn't help but recall Barron occasionally lamenting that the current hunters were no longer pure.

He didn't think there was anything wrong with it. It was human nature. As external pressure eased, people's hearts would also become more complex.

It was just that as this concept slowly spread throughout society, the number of orthodox Alternate Beast Hunters who could adhere to the glorious tradition of Alternate Beast Hunters and shoulder the responsibility of resisting Alternate Beasts might become fewer and fewer…

‘So these three months, Barron often had the glory of Alternate Beast Hunters on his lips, instilling it in me… he's just worried that I won't become an Alternate Beast Hunter.’ Zhou Jing thought to himself.

He understood Barron's worries, but this Star Realm Apostle's 【Life Goals】 were basically all related to Alternate Beast Hunters.

In order to collect the amount of informational state particles needed to clear the level as soon as possible, he not only had to be a hunter, but also had to achieve some success in this industry.