Raymond said with a chuckle, recounting some of his experiences in this world over the years. He seemed quite popular in this place, as various patrons in the tavern greeted him when they saw him.
From the conversations of some of the drinkers, it was clear that Raymond was a regular here and also a locally famous Hunter-Demon with considerable strength. It was said that the church had tried to recruit him several times, but each time Raymond declined, citing his desire for freedom as the reason.
"Sigh—if you have nowhere to go, you can come with me. I’ve been here for many years and have saved up," Raymond said with a smile, giving Zheng Yichen an address.
"I still want to try to find anomalies."
"That’s fine too. I was full of hope when I started out. Good luck with that," Raymond finished, not bringing up the topic again and continuing to drink on his own. Zheng Yichen had money in his pocket—well, money that Katrina had brought out.
After the girl had run away, she wasn’t foolish enough to leave without bringing anything, and she even had quite a bit of money on her.
Although Raymond’s recounted experiences were somewhat discouraging, they also revealed quite a bit of information, namely that the possibility of anomalies appearing in this world wasn’t so low; Raymond knew of ten that had occurred in just a few years.
If he made an effort, it wasn’t impossible to find one; so Zheng Yichen returned to the inn.
"Any discoveries?" Katrina immediately asked Zheng Yichen upon his return.
"I met a fellow kind," Zheng Yichen did not hide Raymond’s matter.
"Another anomaly seeker?" The Forest Witch, now donned in new attire, joined the conversation.
"Yes, let’s stay here for the next while. I’ll get in touch with him more," said Zheng Yichen. Having found a lead, naturally, he planned to cooperate more with the other party. Zheng Yichen didn’t intend to join Raymond’s group, but he was prepared to work together for some time.
The next day, Zheng Yichen found Raymond and got straight to the point: "I want to do some demon hunting-related work to earn money."
"I see, searching for anomalies indeed requires funds," Raymond nodded, not surprised: "However, I need to see what your strength is like."
"That’s fine."
Raymond took Zheng Yichen to a base where there were other physically strong individuals. Looking at these people, Raymond said to Zheng Yichen, "This is my team. The evil creatures of this world can be quite troublesome, and going it alone won’t give you an advantage. On the contrary, team fighting is more efficient and safer."
"John! Come and spar with our new warrior."
A well-built man with brown hair walked over, eyeing Zheng Yichen seriously with a stern expression. Although Zheng Yichen wasn’t as tall as him, his build indicated that he was not someone to be underestimated.
"My name’s Chang Qing."
"Hmm... A foreigner, huh? What weapon do you need?" John nodded, heading over to the weapon rack which had wooden weapons on it. Even though these were made of wood, the material was very sturdy and heavy, suitable for training.
"A long spear," Zheng Yichen scanned the weapons; he definitely wouldn’t choose a knife, and although he could use a sword, its technique was mainly thrusting. In that case, a long spear was more appropriate, as it shared the same primary thrusting attack mode but offered a greater distance advantage.
John nodded and tossed a wooden long spear to Zheng Yichen, holding a similar weapon himself. Seeing this, Raymond explained with a smile, "Don’t mind it; John is a master of weapons here and is skilled with many types."
"Let’s begin," John said seriously, staring at Zheng Yichen.
"Alright."
A brief moment passed, and Zheng Yichen thrust out with the spear in one hand. John, watching the incoming attack, was surprised; he had thought Zheng Yichen would start with some other kind of move, but Zheng Yichen’s attack was a straightforward thrust.
And a very fast one at that. However, as an experienced warrior, John deflected the direct thrust with his own spear and quickly retreated half a step.
He noted the marks left on the wooden spear; the young man with black hair had tremendous strength!
John didn’t have exquisite spear techniques like those out of a martial arts novel, but he had a good grasp of using the spear, employing the basics very well. After exchanging a few blows, John discerned some issues with Zheng Yichen; his attacks were very strong when thrusting.
But he was much weaker in other aspects of using the long spear, learning from John in the midst of the fight.
However, attempting to apply what he learned in the moment seemed clumsy to an expert like John. But Zheng Yichen had his advantages too: great strength, quick reflexes, and dangerous thrusts that were a precision John couldn’t match.
A moment’s inattention could result in John being unable to handle even a single thrust from Zheng Yichen. John trusted his judgment; even though they were using wooden spears, the force of impact suggested that Zheng Yichen could kill someone with a spearhead just as well without one.
This made John slightly regret choosing the same weapon. Had he picked a sword and withstood Zheng Yichen’s first attack to get close, Zheng Yichen’s thrusting would hardly be effective. Not to mention other aspects of combat skills.
Zheng Yichen performed poorly.
Crack—
John’s wooden spear broke on impact, and Raymond stepped out, "Alright, that’s enough for the sparring session."
"You have a very strong body," John said, looking at his broken spear. The two spears were of similar strength, and his broke first because Zheng Yichen’s thrusts had caused significant damage to his weapon, which was why he had deemed Zheng Yichen’s thrusts precise.
"But your foundation is too weak."
John nodded, noting that Zheng Yichen was aware of his own limitations. He turned to Raymond, "I welcome his addition to the group."
Zheng Yichen’s foundation might be weak, but his physique was more than sufficient and the power of his thrusting was enough. In a direct fight, you don’t need too many fancy tricks—if you can overpower the enemy with strength and speed and achieve a one-hit kill, that’s all that’s necessary, and Zheng Yichen’s focus on thrusting met this criterion.
But the downside was also clear: when you can overpower an enemy, even instinctive punching can be lethal; however, when faced with a peer, Zheng Yichen’s weaknesses would immediately become evident.
"Hahaha, if John says so, then no one else has objections, right?" Raymond laughed heartily. "Since you lack the basics, train with everyone for the time being, get familiarized. In a few days, we have a big contract to undertake."
"..." How convenient, Zheng Yichen thought, looking at the others who had no objections. He pondered that this big contract must be rather difficult to resolve; after all, adding one more person would mean dividing the reward even further.