Chapter 160: Hero Salary

The next morning, after having breakfast, the four of them went their separate ways.

The streets were eerily empty. If not for the few pedestrians still walking around, the city might have seemed like a ghost town, causing unease among those who remained. The frequent appearances of creatures were undoubtedly the reason behind this desolation.

As Lin Xinyan looked back, she suddenly noticed that Shi Ji wasn’t heading to his assigned area as planned. Instead, he was making his way straight towards the Star Alliance. In the next moment, she realized what was happening.

“He’s really terrified of being broke. Just how much does money tempt him?” Lin Xinyan laughed softly, shaking her head, and then changed direction to follow Shi Ji.

She knew that after what had happened the previous day, Shi Ji had finally decided to become a professional hero. Lin Xinyan felt genuinely happy about it.

It wasn’t long before Shi Ji noticed Lin Xinyan catching up with him. He turned around and waved at her.

Shi Ji felt a deep sense of regret for not understanding Lin Xinyan’s intentions earlier. Every time he saw her now, he felt a pang of guilt, knowing he had repeatedly refused her well-meaning advice due to his naivety.

‘A hero is just a title—making money is the main thing. Yep!’

Lin Xinyan caught up to Shi Ji and teased him with a smile, “This direction leads to the Star Alliance. Shi Ji, did you take a wrong turn?”

She was fully aware of where he was heading, but she couldn’t resist making a joke.

Shi Ji wasn’t clueless. He understood what Lin Xinyan meant. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he scratched the back of his head and said with a sheepish grin, “Sorry, Xinyan. I didn’t get the other meaning behind what you were saying before.”

“No, I thought you knew that professional heroes get allowances and salaries. So, in a way, it’s partly my fault too.”

Lin Xinyan was just that kind-hearted.

“This definitely isn’t your fault. If I had learned more about being a hero beforehand, I wouldn’t have missed out on your good advice.”

Saying this, Shi Ji punched his fist into his palm with determination.

“Alright! I’m registering as a professional hero right away.”

But right after his burst of enthusiasm, Shi Ji realized a serious problem.

“By the way, Xinyan, could you tell me more about the whole hero thing? Like the levels and salaries and stuff.”

“Sure, let’s talk while we walk.”

Shi Ji felt a deep regret for almost missing out on such an important part of life due to his own carelessness. But thankfully, there was still time to make things right. With Lin Xinyan by his side, he decided to ask her directly. After all, going through a hero manual page by page sounded like a real hassle.

“In the hero ranking system, from top to bottom, there are four levels: S, A, B, and C. B and C grades don’t have rankings, while S and A grades do. But since there are quite a few A-level heroes, the ranking doesn’t mean much. There’s a lot of debate over the strength and power of heroes. The most meaningful rankings are in the S-grade because there aren’t many S-level heroes, and their power differences can be more easily identified.”

“I think I heard something about X and O heroes too.”

“Yes, but those levels are out of reach for most people. X stands for ‘unknown’ and is reserved for Star Tier heroes. The O in O-level comes from the word omnipotence, representing unlimited power, and is reserved for the strongest hero who could save all of humanity. Right now, there are fewer than ten X-level heroes, and the O-level position is still vacant. For us, the main levels to focus on are the first four. Of course, it would be amazing if one day we could awaken a Star Soul and ascend to the Star Tier.”

As Lin Xinyan explained, Shi Ji started to think.

Shi Ji now had a better understanding of what it meant to be a hero. Once he officially registered, he would start as a C-level hero. 

According to Lin Xinyan, C-level heroes mostly handle low-level threats, like dealing with human-class monsters. If they encounter anything stronger, they’re advised to retreat. C-level heroes also help out with things like catching criminals for the police and, surprisingly, even helping old ladies cross the street.

Hearing that, Shi Ji couldn’t help but shake his head. 

Helping the right person might earn you hero points. However, if you help someone who’s just trying to scam you, you’d be in deep trouble before you even knew it. That kind of situation was something Shi Ji definitely wanted to avoid.

Then there was the issue of hero salaries. The higher the hero’s rank, the higher the salary. Besides the base salary, heroes could earn bonuses for outstanding performance or achieving certain merits. 

However, C-level heroes, being at the lowest rank, had it the toughest. They didn’t receive a base salary and had to earn their pay by accumulating points each month to qualify for bonuses. To compensate for this, once a C-level hero passed the test to advance to B-level, they’d automatically receive a bonus of fifty thousand yuan.

The Star Alliance set up this system to encourage new heroes to work hard and improve their skills. Many new heroes didn’t last long in the field due to various reasons.

Shi Ji’s main focus during his conversation with Lin Xinyan was on the details about hero salaries. 

Lin Xinyan understood that without the prospect of earning money, Shi Ji would never consider becoming a hero.

“In short, after you register as a hero, work hard to earn points and try to reach the threshold for promotion to B-level as soon as possible. Once you hit B-level, you’ll get a fixed salary every month, so you won’t need to scramble around as much. Of course, if you want to earn even more, you’ll have to keep pushing for A-level, and eventually… S-level,” Lin Xinyan encouraged.

Shi Ji grinned and nodded. 

“A little old S-level? No problem at all. Xinyan, you’ve helped me so much. When I start making money, I’m definitely going to get you a gift.”

He really wanted to give her something right now, but his financial situation just didn’t allow for it. Even giving her a small token seemed too embarrassing given his current state.

“There’s no need for gifts. We’re good friends. Just do your best, that’s all I ask.”

“No way, this is settled. I’m getting you something, no question about it.”

The two of them chatted and laughed as they walked, and before they knew it, they had arrived at the Star Alliance building.

Standing at the entrance, Shi Ji looked up at the massive structure. He couldn’t help but close his eyes and take a deep breath.

“Xinyan.”

“Hmm? What’s up?”

“I think I can smell money.”

“…”

The moment he opened his eyes, Shi Ji couldn’t hold back and burst into loud laughter.

“Haha! The greatest hero, Shi Ji, has arrived! Hahaha!”

With that silly grin on his face, he looked like a complete lunatic.

After that, the two of them headed straight for the hero registration hall. The hallway was unusually quiet today, with hardly anyone around. The few people they did see were all Star Alliance staff members.

When they reached the entrance to the registration hall, Shi Ji noticed a notice posted on the door. His face fell immediately.

“What? No hero registration today, tomorrow, the day after, or even the day after that? Damn it! Useless Star Alliance!”

Apparently, due to the sudden surge in the number of monsters yesterday, the Star Alliance had issued a high-priority directive, which meant that hero registration was temporarily suspended starting today. Registration would remain closed until the current monster crisis was fully resolved.