"Alright, since we've all introduced ourselves and everyone's here, let's get Yuchi registered for the team," Lin Cheng said, clapping his hands to draw everyone's attention.

"Yeah, we'll take a mission after Yuchi joins us!" Ke Feng added with a smile.

They approached the reception desk where a staff member greeted them with a professional smile.

"How may I assist you today?"

"Our team has a new member. Could you help with the registration?" Lin Cheng asked politely.

"Certainly. Please wait a moment." She turned to search through some documents.

Soon, she handed over an A4 sheet. "Please have the new member fill this out."

Lin Cheng passed the form to Nian Yuchi. "Go ahead, Yuchi."

The paper bore bold characters: *Team Registration Form*. Fields included name, gender, age, abilities, and team affiliation. Nian Yuchi quickly filled in her details and returned it.

After a brief glance, the staff member retrieved a golden badge from the counter. "Place one drop of blood on it. Once done, you’ll officially be part of the team."

"Thank you," Nian Yuchi murmured shyly, following the instructions.

"All set!" The staff member beamed.

"Mm."

"Now that’s done, let’s grab a mission. I’m itching to go!" Ke Feng grinned, cracking his knuckles.

"Right. We’re taking afternoon missions now, so time’s tight. We’ll need to move fast," Lin Cheng agreed with a nod.

They’d always taken morning missions before—finishing by afternoon. But with Nian Xifeng and Nian Yuchi joining, they’d shifted schedules. Now they had to accept missions, travel to the site, complete them, and return for submission—all within a compressed timeframe. Every minute counted.

"Let’s go!"

At the mission board, Lin Cheng selected a Yellow-rank task. As the staff processed it, he turned to Nian Yuchi. "Yuchi, what’s your ability? We should know each other’s strengths for backup."

"Yeah! We still don’t know yours!" Qianqian chimed in, curious. Abilities were personal secrets, but trust was essential in a team. Fighting blind could get you killed.

"I... I’m a healer. I can help if you’re hurt," Nian Yuchi replied softly, still uneasy around them.

"Relax, Yuchi. They won’t bite," Han Yuying soothed, taking her hand and patting it gently.

"Mm... okay." Nian Yuchi nodded awkwardly.

Han Yuying already knew her ability, but the others stared in disbelief—as if spotting a priceless treasure.

"W-What’s wrong?" Nian Yuchi shrank behind Nian Xifeng, peeking out with wide, fearful eyes.

"N-Nothing! Just... your ability’s really special! Ahaha!" Lin Cheng forced a laugh to ease the tension.

"Y-Yeah! Healing’s incredibly rare," Ke Feng echoed.

"Your Yellow-rank mission is confirmed," the staff member announced, cutting through the awkwardness.

"Ah! Thanks!" Lin Cheng snapped back to attention, looking flustered.

"Mission’s accepted. Let’s move. Time’s short," Nian Xifeng interjected, halting their stunned silence.

"R-Right! Xifeng’s correct. We should head out now—failure isn’t an option," Lin Cheng rallied as team leader.

They left the Adventurers Guild, reaching the forest’s edge in about an hour. Their target: a Burrow Rat—a Monster Beast that tunneled rapidly underground with razor-sharp claws. Though swift, it had low stamina, making it an easy kill... if lured out.

The clearing was pockmarked with holes. Burrow Rats never emerged unless tempted; their labyrinthine dens were impenetrable.

"This one’s cunning. We’ll bait it with roasted meat, then strike fast. If it escapes underground, we’re done for," Lin Cheng whispered from the bushes, pointing at the disturbed earth.

"Your call," Ke Feng shrugged, trusting his lead.

"Fall back to that flat stone area. Its tunneling weakens on solid rock—we’ll have more time to finish it." Lin Cheng retreated slowly, the team following.

He skinned a rabbit hunted en route, built a fire on the stone slab, and roasted it. The scent drifted toward the burrows on the wind.

After ten tense minutes, a small, whiskered head cautiously emerged. It squeaked anxiously, then surrendered to hunger, darting toward the fire on stubby, powerful legs. In a blink, it reached the stone—just as it reached for the meat, Lin Cheng roared:

"NOW!"

Qianqian didn’t hesitate. Weapon drawn, she activated *Piercing Thrust* and slammed into the beast, launching it skyward.

As it arced down, Lin Cheng sprinted beneath it. *Slash!* His blade carved a deep gash across its flank. Blood sprayed. The rat shrieked—a raw, echoing sound.

No pause. *Cleave!* A second strike opened another wound. Another shriek tore through the air.

*Stupid. Shouldn’t have craved roasted meat...* The rat’s regret came too late.

Lin Cheng’s abilities exhausted, the rat hit the ground—only for Ke Feng’s *Frostbind* to freeze its legs solid. Before it could struggle free, Han Yuying’s *Heavy Strike* crushed its skull.

Two shrieks. No escape.

Lin Cheng lifted the corpse, grinning. "Mission complete. Let’s head back."

Nian Xifeng and Nian Yuchi hadn’t lifted a finger. The five veterans had handled it effortlessly.

"Mm."

They returned to the Adventurers Guild as dusk fell. After verification, the staff recorded their success and handed Lin Cheng the reward. Distribution was the team’s affair.

Lin Cheng split the coins evenly. No one was excluded—even those who hadn’t fought. This was their code.

"That’s it for today. Same time tomorrow!" Lin Cheng declared, wrapping up the day.