44: Chapter 44 Unspoken Rules

"Chef, three more servings of Iron-Armored Bull steak and two bowls of stew."

Qin Ce got up and walked to the service window, adding to his order in a calm tone. The chef in charge looked at him in surprise but still quickly began to prepare it.

When he returned to his seat, Wei Ming was looking at him with a complex expression.

"Teacher," Qin Ce sat back down and spoke while waiting for his meal, "First question: how does the Elite Class define 'kill-stealing'? Is it allowed? What counts as stealing?"

Wei Ming was silent for a moment.

"There are no written regulations," he said slowly. "But there is a default 'First-Hand Principle'—whoever attacks the beast first has priority hunting rights. Other teams usually take the initiative to avoid them and seek another target."

"Default?" Qin Ce raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, default, not protected by academy rules," Wei Ming nodded. "This is just a tacit understanding everyone reached to avoid wasting time and energy on internal strife and affecting overall mission efficiency. After all, if you had to fight a battle to decide ownership every time you encountered a beast, no one would finish their missions."

He paused and added, "However, this understanding usually only lasts until two months before the graduation season. During the final sprint, for the sake of points and rankings... any principle can be broken."

Qin Ce understood.

The so-called "First-Hand Principle" was merely a temporary compromise when conflicts of interest weren't large enough. When only the last piece of cake remained, no one would care who moved first.

"Second question," he continued, "how does the Team Badge System determine the credit for killing a beast? Is it the last hit or damage percentage?"

This time, Wei Ming answered very bluntly: "The last hit."

He looked at Qin Ce, his tone becoming serious: "The Team Badge System only records the moment the beast dies and which team member delivered the last hit. As for how much damage anyone did before or how long they controlled it, the system doesn't recognize that."

Qin Ce nodded and said no more.

A "ding" came from the kitchen window, and three freshly made steaks and two bowls of steaming stew were served.

Qin Ce picked up his chopsticks and began to eat. His eating manner wasn't crude, but his speed was extremely fast, every bite as if replenishing urgently needed energy.

Wei Ming watched him and finally couldn't help but speak: "Qin Ce, I know what you want to do. You want to use the 'last hit' rule to steal their kills, right?"

Qin Ce did not deny it.

"But have you thought about it," Wei Ming leaned forward and lowered his voice, "you're only one person. Each of their teams has seven or eight people, or even over a dozen. Can you out-steal their well-coordinated concentrated fire? Can you precisely land the last hit in a chaotic battle? Even if you can steal one or two, your mission progress will be severely slowed down—you're using your already scarce time to gamble on an uncertain outcome."

He paused, his tone softening: "Listen to me, still consider my previous suggestion. Those six former Thunder Team members, although they stood on the wrong side before, have been in the Elite Class for three years after all. They are familiar with the rules, have experience, and possess a certain level of combat power. You should approach them now, offer terms, and win them over—"

"Teacher," Qin Ce suddenly interrupted him.

He put down his chopsticks and looked up, his eyes as calm as a deep pool.

"Would you unite a certain type of person?" Qin Ce asked. "When the captain takes advantage and acts immorally, they follow silently; after the captain fails, they immediately turn around and sell out the captain, even trading the entire team's intelligence as a bargaining chip."

Wei Ming was stunned.

"In my hometown," Qin Ce continued, his tone without much fluctuation, "such people are called dishonorable, unrighteous, disloyal, and unfilial."

"Uniting people with different interests and thoughts is indeed a capability." He paused. "But, those on different paths cannot work together."

Wei Ming opened his mouth to say something, but it eventually turned into a sigh.

He knew Qin Ce was right. The behavior of those six team members had already crossed the line—it wasn't a matter of stance, but of character. People like that could sell out Wu Zhou today and sell out Qin Ce tomorrow.

Qin Ce said no more and lowered his head to finish the remaining food.

Three steaks, two bowls of soup, and the remaining side bread—after eating everything, he picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth and stood up.

"Teacher," he walked to the canteen entrance and suddenly looked back, "since the core design of this system is competition, and they have also chosen to use competition to target me—"

He paused, the corners of his mouth curling into a faint but sharp arc:

"Then let's compete."

"To struggle with heaven is infinite joy; to struggle with man is infinite joy."

"It remains to be seen who will emerge victorious. I really want to see what expressions they will have when they think they have victory in hand, only to find that the prey has instead become the hunter."

Wei Ming was stunned. He looked at the boy before him with burning eyes and no fear, as if seeing a long-lost sharpness and wildness. That was not recklessness, but an absolute confidence based on his own strength and a surging battle intent when facing challenges.

After Qin Ce finished speaking, he beckoned with his right hand, and the Qingluan tattoo on his chest lit up.

A clear and resonant cry pierced the sky.

A large bird with an entirely cyan-green body and shimmering tail feathers spread its wings and landed on the open ground outside the canteen.

Qin Ce flipped himself onto it. The Qingluan flapped its wings, the airflow swirling up fallen leaves and dust from the ground.

"Let's go."

With a soft shout, the Qingluan soared into the sky, turning into a streak of cyan light as it sped toward the jungle area to the southeast.

The wind whistled in his ears, making Qin Ce's clothes flutter loudly.

He glanced down at the team badge on his wrist.

[One-Star Mission: Expel Golden Claw Shadow Monkeys] (Progress 0/50)

Remaining slots: 4 (Two teams have already completed it)

[One-Star Mission: Clear Sand Land Poison Scorpions] (Progress 0/30)

Remaining slots: 6

[Two-Star Mission: Track Cavern Rock Lizards] (Progress 37%)

Remaining slots: 3

Mission progress was lagging.

But there was no impatience in Qin Ce's eyes, only a nearly cold focus.

...

In the canteen, Wei Ming sat alone by the window, watching the receding cyan light, not moving for a long time.

The tableware on the table hadn't been cleared yet, still retaining the warmth of the food.

He slowly picked up the juice that had already turned cold and took a sip.

"To struggle with heaven is infinite joy?... Heh, interesting." He whispered the phrase and suddenly laughed.

As he laughed, the smile gradually faded.

"Kid, don't mess this up."

...