Witch, I'm really not the Deep Sea Ancient God!

Smack! Smack! Smack!

The Grey Mouse suddenly clapped his hands:

"Good! As a Hunter, one should dare to undertake tasks that challenge and exceed one's own limits.

Timid acquiescence will only lead to being engulfed by the great waves!"

All eyes involuntarily fell on the two bounty papers before Chen Qi.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

This kid, not only is he taking on missions, but he's accepted the two with the highest danger coefficients!

A newcomer actually dared to take on the tasks of the Black Glove and the Black Hunter, simply too audacious.

The Black Hunter is currently shrouded in mystery, having just recently defeated the Black Pig Shark, and with his strength, killing this newcomer before him would be a piece of cake.

Although the Black Glove is a masochist, his masochistic tendencies are only towards those stronger than him. As the executor of Black Glove's dirty deeds, he could make Chen Qi die like an insect on the side of the street.

The Grey Mouse propped his leg on the round table, his gaze scorching:

"Newcomer! Although you've done well, the missions from our Hunter Association are not like outside commissions. If you fail to complete a mission, you must accept the corresponding punishment.

If you fail, for these two tasks, you will have to pay a compensation of one hundred thousand Shell Coins each."

This was the first time since the onset of the Crack Tide that a newcomer had dared to accept his mission.

Remember, even the well-equipped Levin had waited a full five days before daring to accept the mission he posted.

Chen Qi noticed that the Grey Mouse, with support, was looking at him with a heated gaze, as if he were a long-coveted lover in a dream.

"I know."

Chen Qi glanced over the two papers.

To kill the Shadow of the criminal Black Glove, even if there were no commission from the Hunter Association, he would actively seek out this mission.

However, his current strength was not enough to face the Black Glove alone. But, if the intelligence was correct and the target was located within the territory of the Blood Blade Pirate Group, the difficulty of the mission would decrease significantly.

As for the mission concerning the Black Hunter, it was a great test... of his acting skills.

The Boxer, unable to help himself, spoke up:

"Do you really understand? Things are not as simple as you think. Our Hunter Association values freedom, which means that the moment you accepted that mission, you could already be in their sights...

I advise you to give up this decision, to not let yourself suffer for nothing, to not let the hard-earned money..."

...the Boxer advised, seeing the newcomer as utterly reckless in his eyes.

This person is quite nice... Chen Qi hadn't paid much attention to this Transcendent before, he thought for a moment and said:

"Thank you, I'll be careful."

"Anyone else?"

The Grey Mouse looked around expectantly.

The newcomer has accepted? Should these veterans show some indication?

This guy isn't just using the Hunter Association's mission failure rules to extort money... The Boxer complained to himself before raising his right hand.

Following Chen Qi's lead, a total of ten people accepted the mission. Should they fail, it would cost the Hunter Association a total of one million in compensation.

After everyone finished discussing, the Grey Mouse handed a more detailed mission brief, crumpled into a note, to Chen Qi:

Read new chapters at empire

"Newcomer, here is the detailed information about these two missions, keep it to yourself, okay?

As a newcomer, you just need to complete half the mission to pass the evaluation, like finding the general direction of the Black Hunter or injuring a Shadow of the Black Glove... Well, in summary, you don't need to complete the entire mission, rest assured, even if you fail, I will not ask for compensation."

The Grey Mouse leaned forward slowly, his tone serious:

"But remember, we in the Hunter Association are just a bunch of people who care about money, with no kinship, no brotherhood, and no love.

If you ever find yourself in dire straits, we won't even help collect your body. We're just a place for posting commissions and completing them."

A place for posting commissions... Chen Qi was momentarily struck by this thought.

Shifting the responsibility of the outcome onto the commissioner and the one accepting the commission was one of the fundamental reasons for the Hunter Association's continued existence.

The Hunter Association is not an 'organization' per se, but more akin to a temporarily established discussion group.

In the company, if a mission fails, there will be cruel punishment, but there will also be support and protection.

In the Hunter Association, however, all consequences must be borne by oneself.

This also meant that once targeted by the Black Glove, Chen Qi could only rely on himself.

The glint of determination in Grey Mouse's eyes flickered; he didn't want the newcomer to harbor too many emotions and expectations towards the Hunter Association.

"I know, that's exactly why I came to this place..." Chen Qi gave a slight smile, accepted the two mission papers, pushed open the door, and left.

...

...

Black Mine City, the brewery, afternoon.

Chen Qi changed into a common set of Hunter's clothes and looked towards the brewery's gate.

In the Witch Sea, alcohol was an incredibly developed industry, and the Blood Blade Pirate Group owned many breweries.

Among them, the Flower Wine popular across the Witch Sea was a product of the Blood Blade Pirate Group.

At the moment, in front of the brewery's gate, there were at least thirty armed guards.

Chen Qi sat outside the brewery on a chair, holding a photograph, contemplating his next plan.

According to the information provided by the Hunter Association, the Black Glove had dispatched five subordinates who had successfully infiltrated the brewery's interior.

Generally speaking, the simplest method would be to wait nearby the brewery and then look for a way to assassinate them.

This method is too slow...

Chen Qi pulled out the 'Blade' Fenrir had given him.

A token of the Blood Blade Pirate Group, this token alone was enough to command the people of the Blood Blade Pirate Group.

Directly using this token to command the 'Blood Blade Pirate Group'—would that be a better choice?

If that's the case...

Chen Qi fell into thought.

By doing so, it was somewhat likely that his identity and his connection with the Black Hunters would be exposed.

But there were no better options, just try to bluff it through... Chen Qi changed into another set of Hunter's clothes, covered his face, and walked towards the brewery's gate.

The moment he approached the brewery, the muzzles of three firearms were pointed at him.

"Hey! Dammit! Kid! Who allowed you to dress like that and approach this place?"

"Do you even know whose turf this is!"

The guard captain at the door cursed fiercely and fired a shot into the sky.

"I am Levin! I'm here to..."

Chen Qi flipped his hand and pulled out a bright red dagger from underneath his clothes.

"Levin! Blood Blade... executive..."

The guard muttered, immediately had someone back off, and bowed in salute.

The chief officers of the Blood Blade Pirate Group were all Third Rank experts! Not someone their rank-and-file guardsearning a few tens of thousands of Shell Coins a month could afford to provoke!

"Is this dagger really this effective?"

Chen Qi struggled to control his expression.

He seemed to understand why this prop was one of the must-have items for the Blood Blade Pirate Group.

Levin? I wonder under which esteemed officer of our Blood Blade Pirate Group you serve, Little Red Riding Hood, Fenrir, or perhaps the old general... the guard captain squeezed out a smile:

"Sir, what brings you to our humble brewery? Are you here for a bottle of fresh Flower Wine?"

Chen Qi thought for a moment and replied with a smile:

"I'm here on a mission."