"Alright, Grayson, you passed the test. Welcome to the Emperor Garden Security Team," the middle-aged man quickly announced the results of the competition.
Grayson relaxed slightly, exchanged a few polite words with the others, and then went to change into a new set of clothes.
The middle-aged man called over the tester, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "Old Three, how is it? Is the injury serious?"
Old Three, Max, shook his head with a bitter smile. "It's nothing. That kid went easy on me, but it's clear his martial arts are a bit off. He couldn't hold back completely. He'll probably need to rest for half a month."
The middle-aged man nodded. He could tell too. Grayson's martial arts seemed to belong to a purely killing style, and such techniques, before reaching a congenital level, lack proper control over force. This was evident when Grayson didn't manage to fully restrain his strength at the end.
After a while, all the applicants had finished their tests, and the middle-aged man gathered the five who had passed. "First of all, congratulations to all of you for passing the test and joining Emperor Garden."
"Your duties will be to provide security from 9 PM to 5 AM, an 8-hour shift."
"Since you'll be patrolling nonstop during the night, the workload will be heavy, so we can only provide you with portable food. A self-service meal will be available only between 9:00 to 9:20 PM and after 5 AM."
"Regarding salary, I'm sure you've heard that it's 7,000 yuan a month, with a full attendance bonus of 500 yuan, along with the five insurances and one fund. Additionally, any special performances will be rewarded with bonuses."
The welfare package of Imperial Garden was really good, and Grayson was quite satisfied with it.
After receiving three sets of security uniforms for work, Grayson took a taxi back to his place.
Once home, Grayson called his college roommate, Zhang .
"Nice work, Grayson. I knew you'd make it. How about we go out tonight and celebrate?"
"Where are we going?"
"Waterfront Family, they have freshly caught fish. What do you think?"
"Alright."
It had been a long time since Grayson went to Waterfront Family. It wasn't a well-known place for anything in particular, and it wasn't a famous winery. It was simply a small restaurant built on a large lake, but don't let its small size fool you. The freshly killed fish dishes were incredibly fresh and delicious. It was considered one of the best spots in Still City.
After hanging up the phone, Grayson logged back into World of Mountains and Mouths for a few more tests.
Through yesterday's and today's trials, he finally figured something out: this "Monster Master" system would bind the character from the first monster-catching account. Although he didn't understand the exact principle, he realized that only the bound character could catch monsters. Using any other character didn't work at all.
"Damn it, I should have used my big hunter. Now I'm stuck with this level 1 broken holy knight. This is ruining me!" Grayson muttered in frustration. He had to use the holy knight to catch two little wolves for fusion. However, unexpectedly, when he tried the fusion for the second time, something surprising happened.
"Fusion successful, mutation chance triggered, obtained mutated wolf cub."
Grayson raised an eyebrow and quickly opened the attribute panel in his mind.
Monster Name: Mutated Wolf Cub (Original Name)
Quality: One Star
Level: 0
Stamina: 15
Strength: 10
Speed: 10
Intelligence: 3
Talent: Tracking (LV1)
Skill: None
Potential: 1.6
This attribute was really good, especially the strength, stamina, and speed, which had all exceeded 10. Keep in mind that this was only a level 0 wolf cub.
And it was worth noting that the mutated wolf cub's attributes were indeed astonishing. Grayson, a university graduate, only had an intelligence attribute of 5, which was probably the limit for an ordinary person. But this wolf cub had an intelligence of 3, which was comparable to a 12- or 13-year-old child.
Thinking this, Grayson summoned the mutated wolf cub.
Sure enough, the little wolf cub, only about 10 centimeters long, appeared next to him. It didn't howl like it had before the fusion, but instead sat on the ground, staring up at Grayson with big, eager eyes.
"Little one, from now on, your name is Wolf Treasure. Got it?" As soon as he spoke, the system's prompt appeared in his mind.
"Monster renamed successfully, Mutated Wolf Cub has been renamed to Wolf Treasure. Name cannot be changed again."
Grayson quickly opened the attribute panel again, and sure enough, the name changed to "Wolf Treasure," with the original name no longer visible.
"Ow, ow…" The little wolf let out a few low cries, happily rubbing against Grayson's pant leg, then ran around the room, excited.
Suddenly, the wolf cub stopped, sniffed the air with its little nose, and then started barking at Grayson.
For some reason, Grayson immediately understood the wolf cub's meaning, as if by telepathy. It seemed that someone had visited his house during the day.
He knew the landlady wouldn't just come in for no reason, but who could have snuck into his place during the day?
What was even more puzzling was that nothing in his apartment had changed, and nothing was missing.
"Ow, ow…" Wolf Treasure continued to bark while biting Grayson's pant leg.
"Do you want me to follow you?" Grayson asked. Suddenly, he remembered that while checking the wolf cub's attributes earlier, the talent section had said "Tracking (LV1)." Could it be that the little guy, with its level 1 tracking talent, could track down this mysterious person?
Whatever the case, it was a method. Even if it failed, it would just be a walk outside.
Looking at the time, there were still three hours until the gathering, which was plenty of time.
After receiving confirmation, Wolf Treasure released Grayson's pant leg and immediately ran toward the door.
Wolf Treasure's speed was impressive. It ran, stopped, and zigzagged, leading Grayson to the front of a bar.
"Red Powder Dance?" Grayson looked at the bar, then thoughtfully walked inside, with Wolf Treasure curling up in his arms as they entered the bar.
"A beer, please." Grayson sat in an inconspicuous corner, dismissing the waiter, and began to observe the other patrons.
"Ow…" Wolf Treasure let out a soft growl, barely audible to anyone but Grayson. He could also tell that Wolf Treasure was growling in a specific direction.
Following its gaze, Grayson suddenly froze.
In another corner, there was a thug with yellow hair, smoking a cigarette and sizing up the patrons in the bar.
That wasn't the surprising part. What really shocked Grayson was that directly above the thug's head, a pair of blood-red characters appeared, and as Grayson looked at the thug, an attribute panel appeared in his mind.
Small Thug: Ding Lang
Level: 3
Stamina: 6
Strength: 7
Speed: 6
Intelligence: 3
Grayson remained seated at the bar, his focus fixed on Ding Lang, the yellow-haired thug with the blood-red characters floating above his head. The system panel displaying Ding Lang's attributes left him bewildered. Why was he suddenly able to see such information?
"Could this be connected to the wolf cub?" Grayson muttered under his breath, stroking Wolf Treasure's soft fur. It had been strange enough when the wolf cub's talents and abilities were revealed, but now it seemed like this newfound power extended beyond just the cub.
Ding Lang's movements interrupted his thoughts. The thug stubbed out his cigarette, muttered something to a companion, and got up to leave.
Grayson rose cautiously, following at a distance. Outside the bar, Ding Lang took a few sharp turns before disappearing into a dimly lit alley. Wolf Treasure growled softly, nudging Grayson's arm, indicating he should keep going.
As Grayson entered the alley, he quickly noticed that Ding Lang had seemingly taken out a blade planning to confront him.
Grayson stepped closer, his hand instinctively brushing against his waist where he usually carried a knife of his own. Before he could act, Ding Lang spun around.
"Following me, huh?" Ding Lang sneered, his fingers twitching toward the knife. "You've got guts, I'll give you that. Who are you?
Grayson held his ground, his voice calm. "You really don't seem to recognize someone whose apartment you broke into? Tell me what you were doing breaking into my apartment?"
Ding Lang barked a laugh. "You really think I'd tell you anything? Do I look like some information broker?"
Grayson's patience wore thin. Channeling his inner energy, he stepped forward with a burst of speed, closing the gap between them in a heartbeat. He struck Ding Lang's wrist, disarming him before the thug could even react.
"Try again," Grayson said, his tone icy. "Tell me what you were doing at my apartment."
Ding Lang's eyes widened in fear as he clutched his aching wrist. "I—I don't know much! I swear! I was just hired to keep an eye on you!"
"By who?" Grayson demanded.
"East Brother!" Ding Lang blurted. "He said if I saw anything unusual—like you getting too close to the pendant—I should report it."
"Pendant? What Pendant?" Suddenly something clicked in his brain and he seemed to recall that he had received a pendant from his girlfriend.
Grayson's chest tightened. So East Brother was watching his every move. The pendant must hold more significance than he'd initially thought.
"Where is East Brother now?" Grayson pressed, his grip on Ding Lang's collar tightening.
"I don't know!" Ding Lang whimpered. "He never tells us his exact location. He's too careful for that!"
Realizing he wouldn't get more useful information, Grayson let Ding Lang go. "Leave. And don't let me catch you tailing me again."