In the Star Realm, forming teams is the mainstream way to adventure.
The Recruitment Center is where teams recruit members. It is run by the Mutant Guild of the ADC and maintains a neutral political stance, not favoring any country.
The largest recruitment center is on Earth, in a virtual cyberspace.
Most Hunting Teams and Star Realm exploration groups post their notices at the Recruitment Center.
Mutants can also register and edit their own information, much like a public resume, open for everyone to see, hoping to get noticed by large companies and groups that might dig out their potential and sign a contract for further development.
However, this task is mostly completed on Earth.
Olympia lacks the convenience and efficiency of the internet, but it has hundreds of recruitment centers, typically used by teams to fill positions temporarily. Besides recruitment centers, hotels, inns, and bars frequented by mutants sometimes also serve as recruitment spots.
Then, there are some illegal, shady, or underground missions where teams, unwilling to leave traces online, also recruit in Olympia.
Ji Xinghuo belongs to the more troublesome category of mutants.
He cannot sign a formal contract, so those teams formed by companies and large groups that are officially registered are all out of reach for him.
This recruitment center is akin to a tavern.
Ji Xinghuo walked into the hall, swept his gaze around, and saw dozens of neatly arranged tables, half of which were already filled with people. Mutants were gathered around the tables, some drinking, some eating, talking while dining in a rather lively atmosphere.
On the walls around the hall, there were whiteboards with text written in marker pens, big and small, but all in a certain format.
"Urgently looking for an Iron Guard, advanced level or higher, temporary mission, loot principle plus 100,000 extras, if interested please consult at table 20."
"Looking for a Marksman, for long-term collaboration, must be at least intermediate level, table 17."
"Long-term recruitment for a Plant Witch, intermediate level, table 8."
"Need one Super Flying Step, terms negotiable, details enquire with our lobby manager."
"Recruiting a White Knight..."
The text on the whiteboards was long or short, but all clearly listed key information such as professional templates, rank, whether it’s a temporary task or long-term cooperation, salary, and contact details.
Ji Xinghuo sat down at an empty table.
He ordered a specialty meal from Olympia City and slowly perused the content of the whiteboards while also listening to the conversations of other people in the hall.
The recruitment information was quite similar.
After viewing a portion, Ji Xinghuo found that the most in-demand were of two types of jobs.
One was those with healing abilities like White Knights, Plant Witches, and Black-clothed Bishops. The other type was marksmen, with Rangers and Hunters being common, and Mechanics using steam rifles also possessing strong long-distance fighting capabilities.
These two types of mutants were scarce but indispensable in a team.
Ji Xinghuo felt a bit helpless inside, nearly every whiteboard called for at least an intermediate level, which was the lowest rank required.
And he was only at the primary level.
Although he believed his abilities were on par with intermediate-level mutants, even having killed a Super Mutant, that was unknown to others, nor could he mention it.
At that moment, the waiter brought up his meal.
Ji Xinghuo ate his meal while continuing to check out the recruitment information on the walls.
Apart from the teams posting their recruitments, some mutants had posted their professions, abilities, and combat records, waiting for teams to approach them.
These mutants were either very powerful, at least of advanced level, or in scarce, highly sought-after professions.
By the time Ji Xinghuo finished his meal, he had looked through all the recruitment boards.
Yet, he didn’t meet the criteria for any.
"It seems I’ll have to nominate myself." Ji Xinghuo wasn’t surprised by this; after all, the abilities of primary-level mutants were still somewhat lacking.
He stood up and walked to a table nearby, where four people were seated, three men and one woman.
During his meal, Ji Xinghuo had noticed them. Their recruitment information was on the wall; they needed a marksman, requiring at least an intermediate level.
As Ji Xinghuo approached, he sensed it right away: a man who was clearly the team leader stood up.
he was very burly, carrying a heavy two-handed war blade, but wearing not armor, but a not-so-strong fiber combat suit. His face bore a smile, but his eyes were sharp, as if they could pierce into the heart, exerting an inexplicable pressure.
Ji Xinghuo had noticed before coming over that this man was a high-level Black-clothed Bishop.
A Black-clothed Bishop not only has the ability to heal wounds but also possesses strong personal strength comparable to a Giant General, extremely high overall combat capability.
"Hello," the man asked with a smile, "Are you here to apply?"
The three other mutants at the table turned to look at him.
"Yes," Ji Xinghuo nodded, introducing himself, "I’m a Ranger, and I should meet your recruitment requirements."
The Black-clothed Bishop sized him up and frowned slightly, "What is your rank?"
"Primary level," Ji Xinghuo answered honestly, quickly adding, "My abilities are absolutely no less than any intermediate-level Ranger, you can test..."
He hadn’t finished speaking when the Black-clothed Bishop interrupted him.
"Young man, our team only requires intermediate-level marksmen or higher, that’s the basic requirement," the Black-clothed Bishop said indifferently, showing no interest in hearing more from Ji Xinghuo: "We also don’t want beginners, sorry." After that, he sat back down and turned away.
His three teammates also shook their heads, unwilling to talk further.
"Sorry for disturbing you."
Ji Xinghuo could only turn and leave. As he walked away, a scornful laugh came from behind him.
He acted as if he hadn’t heard it.
Next, Ji Xinghuo approached several other teams that needed a marksman, but without exception, they immediately refused upon hearing he was a primary-level mutant.
Even though Ji Xinghuo repeatedly emphasized that his abilities far surpassed those of ordinary primary-level mutants, no team was willing to give him a chance.
Instead, he was mocked several times.
Ji Xinghuo was well aware of where the problem lay.
Aside from his low rank, his equipment was too new, without any marks of battle, and one could tell at a glance that he was a novice.
A rookie, and merely a Primary Level Mutant.
Joining a team would not only hold them back but could also cost him his life, implicating the entire team.
Ji Xinghuo left that recruitment center and headed for another.
He spent an entire Star Night, changing five recruitment centers and several inns and bars, but was repeatedly rejected, and no team was willing to accept him.
However, Ji Xinghuo did not get discouraged.
Ji Xinghuo headed out as soon as it was light and, from day until Star Night, over thirty hours, he visited more than a dozen recruitment centers, still with no result.
He had advertised himself everywhere over these two days, and many who saw him took it as a joke, spreading it around the nearby blocks.
Sometimes, he was rejected even before he could open his mouth.
As Ji Xinghuo left a recruitment center, he glanced at his mechanical watch, only two hours left until Star Night would pass, and it would be dark.
He could have eaten at the recruitment center, but the mocking glances of others really turned his stomach.
He walked into a nearby restaurant, sat down, looked at the starlight outside the window, and couldn’t help but sigh.
"Do I have to become a lone Mutant?"
His mind became active.
Actually, although lone Mutants were relatively rare, they were not very uncommon.
Mutants who dared to venture alone, adventuring and hunting in the Star Realm, were all exceptional among Mutants, far stronger than their peers of the same rank.
The stronger the Mutant, the more they liked to act alone.
But in the early stages, when their strength was still very weak, it was best for Mutants to act in teams. Even those strong Mutants had joined teams when they first entered the Star Realm. Those who ventured alone from the beginning, the vast majority died.
Ji Xinghuo had a lot of confidence in himself.
As long as he was cautious, didn’t stray too far from human-developed areas, or enter high-risk areas, it should be fine.
But there are always uncertainties.
He had watched many videos on Earth and learned a lot of knowledge.
Outdoor survival skills, Star Realm geography, camp selection, identification of flora and fauna, hunting skills and details, Alien Race customs, Alien Species gathering, etc., and he also mastered three Star Realm languages. He had done all the studying and learning that needed to be done.
But that was just theory.
When put into practice, there would inevitably arise various accidents and unknown situations.
If there were an experienced senior to guide him, and teammates to assist, not only would he improve faster, but it would also be safer.
Ji Xinghuo did not want to die young.
"Now I have two choices."
As he ate, he thought, "Tomorrow, continue looking for a team, but I’ll need to switch to another district in the city. If after ten days, there’s still no team that wants me, then I won’t go out anymore; I’ll stay in Olympia to cultivate and advance to Intermediate Mutant."
"Or, spend money to hire a team to hunt in relatively safe areas around Olympia, accumulate enough experience, and then act alone."
"I’ll make a decision after ten days..."
Just then, Ji Xinghuo suddenly became aware of something and turned his head towards the door.
A figure entered from the restaurant’s entrance, and from the graceful and agile figure, it was apparent that it was a woman.
She was a little over 1.7 meters tall, wearing common female combat attire, a baggy shirt covering a tight-fitting shirt underneath, hiding her curves, and pants under a tailcoat cut short at the front and long at the back, and she wore a pair of combat boots, which did not obscure her slender legs.
She had a cloth hat on her head with a thin layer of gauze draped down around the edges, blocking the left, right, and back, with only an opening at the front.
But Ji Xinghuo couldn’t see her full face.
Because her face was covered with a layer of blue scarf, concealing most of her face and tightly covering her neck, only revealing a pair of eyes.
This kind of attire was not uncommon in Olympia, as many people did not want others to see their faces, especially female Mutants, as it could reduce a lot of trouble.
However, Ji Xinghuo was simply struck by looking into those eyes for just a moment.
The eyes are the windows to the soul.
The eyes are also the seat of a person’s facial soul, capable of conveying complex emotions far beyond what visuals can, sometimes more eloquent than the mouth.
Ji Xinghuo also noticed a blooming peach blossom on her forehead.
Five pink petals surrounded a cyan stamen, vivid and lifelike, adding a touch of charm to those beautiful eyes.
"This must be a manifestation of some Ability."
Ji Xinghuo guessed internally, thinking, "She must be very beautiful. Of course, she might not look good, just as ordinary people look better with a mask, the ’partial information effect’ made me imagine."
He immediately withdrew his gaze after looking.
First, because it was impolite.
Second, electromagnetic induction detected that this woman was very powerful, definitely a Super Mutant.
And much stronger than all the Super Mutants he had encountered these past few days, way more powerful.
This was someone he couldn’t afford to provoke.
Ji Xinghuo was just about to continue eating when he suddenly realized that she seemed to be heading towards him.
He couldn’t help but stop his chopsticks and watched as she walked to his table and sat down opposite him; her voice, muffled by the scarf, came softly, "Mr. Ji, are you looking for a team?"