"To become a Junior Patrol Officer, one must explore a two-star secret realm, thoroughly investigate its most distinctive features, and bring back various samples, including the most powerful native beasts."
Kent was contemplating the conditions required to become a Patrol Officer.
"By analogy, to become a First-Star Patrol Officer, one must investigate a three-star secret realm. To become a Second-Star Patrol Officer, one must investigate a four-star secret realm. A Third-Star Patrol Officer must explore a five-star secret realm. A Fourth-Star Patrol Officer requires exploration of a six-star secret realm. Finally, a Fifth-Star Patrol Officer must explore a seven-star secret realm."
"And to become a Patrol Leader, one must explore an eight-star secret realm, where near-divine or even divine beasts exist."
After the Earth Star anomaly, the number of alternate spaces connected to Earth Star was immense. For example, the Fire and Dark spaces were both six-star realms. As such, General Zhao had dared to enter the Fire space alone and fought against one of its most powerful creatures, the Fire Dragon.
The Xiaopan Mountain Secret Realm, a four-star realm, could elevate someone to a Second-Star Patrol Officer after thorough exploration.
As for the Bull Horn Mountain Secret Realm, it was only a two-star realm, but it became the private property of Li Wanfeng.
Kent realized that to become a Junior Patrol Officer, he had to explore a two-star secret realm, and these realms were already mostly discovered and mapped out. There were very few untouched two-star realms left within a thousand miles of Earthstar City.
There were some particularly dangerous alternate spaces, like the Xiaopan Mountain Secret Realm, which lacked oxygen and had toxic air that could corrode internal organs. These realms were deemed unsuitable for human exploration, and thus had never been fully explored.
Kent wasn't sure which two-star realms were still unexplored, so he searched online. On an official alternate space website, he found a list of discovered and mapped realms. There were thousands of them, with about 400 two-star realms, and most had already been explored.
Out of the 400 two-star realms, 90% had been thoroughly investigated. Any accessible ones were either already occupied or included in plans for future conquests.
However, 43 realms had not been fully explored, and these were considered particularly hazardous, such as the "Stinky Water Realm" near the Yellow River Nine Confluence or the "Poisonous Mist Realm" in the Bohai Bay.
Kent was at a loss for how to approach these dangerous realms. For example, the "Stinky Water Realm" contained a vast lake with stagnant, foul-smelling water and a decaying atmosphere. Some samples were taken back for research, but there was no useful outcome.
The "Poisonous Mist Realm" was another problematic realm, where poisonous mists filled the air, causing anyone inside to faint within an hour, and the more severe cases could die from the toxins.
"To become a Junior Patrol Officer, there's another option: you can team up with others to explore a three-star realm. If the exploration requirements are met, everyone in the team will become Junior Patrol Officers, but the team size is limited to five people."
Since two-star realms were limited in number and many students graduated from the Patrol Academy every year, this method was created to solve the supply-demand issue.
Initially, Kent didn't consider this option at all.
"If Bajie had a shared vision ability, that would be perfect. I could explore any dangerous secret realm by myself." Bajie, now able to transform into a shadow, could explore safely.
After hesitating for a while, Kent decided to take a risk and explore a three-star realm alone. His strength had significantly improved compared to the Wind and Cloud Tournament three months ago, and he felt confident that even the top-ranked player, Golden Sky, wouldn't be able to defeat him.
Thus, he was sure he could handle the journey alone.
Teaming up with others was not an option for him; he felt that too many people would only complicate things. With others' weaker abilities, they would only drag him down and influence his judgment.
"Alright, I'll go ahead and explore a three-star realm," Kent resolved, then began looking for a suitable target among the unexplored three-star realms.
After an hour, he finally found a promising option.
"Five hundred miles northwest of Earthstar City, there is a three-star secret realm, the Mo Ling Realm."
The Mo Ling Secret Realm was known for its complicated terrain and the presence of numerous dangerous creatures, such as venomous snakes and insects. Mercenaries typically avoided entering this realm.
"Zhao Mengxi, I'm going out for some training for a while. You need to take good care of yourself."
Ten days later, Kent had finished his preparations and was saying goodbye to Zhao Mengxi.
He sold ten bottles of Earth Milk, as well as some Fire Dragon Flower and Fire Dragon Grass, and 500 pounds of divine-strength Snow Bull meat. He made over ten million credit points, enough to buy a proper house in Earthstar City.
Of course, Kent wasn't going to buy a house. Instead, he used the money to buy a larger spatial pouch, sent some living expenses to Zhou Yun, and purchased a lot of supplies.
"Mm, you must be careful and not take unnecessary risks," Zhao Mengxi said, though she was clearly worried. She understood that the path Kent had chosen was the right one, and it was important for his future.
"I understand, and I'll definitely return safely," Kent said seriously. "Also, Mengxi, there's something I need to tell you."
"What is it?"
Kent hesitated for a moment. This was a perfect opportunity, and he had to seize it. If he missed it, it would be hard to deal with later.
"Mengxi, do you remember Senior Sister Fan Qingmei?"
"Yes, I know. I met her once at the Wind and Cloud Tournament," Zhao Mengxi said, suddenly feeling a bit uneasy. She gave Kent a puzzled look.
"I... Mengxi, I like you, but I also like her," Kent said, feeling a huge weight lift off his shoulders. He had found the courage to say what he needed to.
"I, Kent, am sincere towards both of you. If possible, would you and she consider being my girlfriends?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Zhao Mengxi's face changed. She looked devastated, tears welling up in her eyes, but she said nothing.
Kent felt a sharp pain in his heart. He tightly embraced her, ignoring her struggles, and kissed her deeply.
After the kiss, Kent said, "I don't have the courage to let you go, but I have the courage to win you both over. I believe in myself, Mengxi, I love you."
Without another word, he turned and walked away, not daring to look back.