The Xuanhuang Mercenary Group

Compared to registering a company, forming a mercenary group was much simpler, with far fewer complicated procedures.

It only took about a day for Kent and Zhu Yeyan to get everything done.

"Mr. Kent, are you sure you want to name your mercenary group 'Xuanhuang'?" the staff at the Mercenary Hall's registration office confirmed once again.

Last time, Kent had registered as a one-star mercenary at this very location. Now, he was back again, though this time, the process required more paperwork, including identity verification and registration funds.

Mercenary groups were divided into levels. A newly formed mercenary group started as a Level 1 Mercenary Group, capable of recruiting up to thirty official mercenaries.

A Level 2 Mercenary Group could have up to one hundred official members.

A Level 3 Mercenary Group could have up to two hundred official members.

A Level 4 Mercenary Group could have up to five hundred official members.

A Level 5 Mercenary Group could have up to one thousand official members.

Besides official mercenaries, groups could also recruit auxiliary and reserve members. Auxiliary members were typically solo mercenaries who registered under the group's name and could be called upon for missions when needed.

Reserve members, on the other hand, were promising candidates recruited into the mercenary group, awaiting maturity or an increase in strength. They received salaries and training resources but couldn't accept missions under the group's name until officially promoted.

As for how a mercenary group could grow in scale and rank up, the process was straightforward, similar to individual mercenary promotions.

A Level 1 mercenary had to complete three Level 1 missions to earn the qualification to accept a Level 2 mission. If successful, they would be promoted to Level 2; otherwise, they remained at Level 1.

For mercenary groups, ranking up worked in a similar fashion. A Level 1 Mercenary Group could only take Level 1 missions. Completing one hundred of these missions granted them three chances to accept Level 2 missions. Successfully completing any two of those would promote them to a Level 2 Mercenary Group.

The same promotion process applied for higher levels.

Once a group reached Level 5, it was already at the pinnacle of the mercenary hierarchy. However, there was one more elite rank above it: the Sacred Mercenary Group. Though the number of official members remained at one thousand, the title conferred additional prestige and privileges, such as participation in setting mercenary regulations and hosting major mercenary events.

Kent wasn't thinking that far ahead. His immediate goal was to elevate the Xuanhuang Mercenary Group to Level 3 within the year.

Reaching Level 3 granted special privileges, including the right to claim and occupy dimensional rifts. If a group had the strength to take possession of such a space, the earthstar Human Administration recognized and supported such actions.

After all, as the saying goes: "With great rewards, there will always be those willing to take the risk." Mercenaries chose a life on the edge of swords and daggers for the high stakes and lucrative returns. Otherwise, who would risk their lives for nothing?

"Yes, it's Xuanhuang Mercenary Group." Kent nodded firmly.

The name "Xuanhuang" carried deep meaning—it symbolized the heavens and the earth, representing his ambition to go beyond a single city, realm, or plane. His goal was to conquer the vast multiverse and reach the peak.

After registration, Kent paid a fee of one hundred thousand credits. Just like how marriage certificates required a fee, forming a mercenary group naturally came with a cost.

Fortunately, anyone capable of forming a mercenary group had some level of wealth and ability. A hundred thousand credits was just a symbolic amount.

"The registration is complete. Since Mr. Kent is a One-Star Inspector, the review process will take approximately two days. After that, we will notify you and provide your certificates, official seals, and register a sub-site for the Xuanhuang Mercenary Group on the earthstar Mercenary Network."

"All recruited mercenaries must have their identity information uploaded and updated on the sub-site in a timely manner. The better your credit rating, the higher your priority for our services."

Kent nodded in acknowledgment.

The review process for both his company and mercenary group should go smoothly. His paperwork was complete, he was a One-Star Inspector, he had abundant funds, and he was well-known. With Zhu Yeyan representing Qian Zhenqian, the reviewing officials would have no reason to make things difficult for him.

With no worries on that front, Kent immediately set out to recruit mercenaries. He had money, strength, and fame—once he made a call for recruitment, while he might not get thousands of responses, hundreds were guaranteed.

However, Kent had his own recruitment criteria. At this early stage, he could only take in a limited number of people, so he prioritized those who were reliable and skilled.

His four sworn brothers—Long Buyu, A'Long, Green Hair, and Rat—were already included. They had sworn allegiance to him. Even if their strength still needed improvement, their loyalty was unquestionable, making them trustworthy core members.

Long Buyu had handled the Red Fire mineral vein auction quite well last time, further earning Kent's trust. Without hesitation, Kent added the four to the list. Including himself as the leader, that left twenty-five remaining slots for official members.

As for Zhao Mengxi, she was in a company management role, assisting with logistical affairs, but she wasn't a formal member of the mercenary group.

Official members were those assigned to missions—a specialized action team. The other staff were mainly responsible for support functions.

"Oh, right. Last time, I left in a hurry and forgot to help Long Buyu deal with that beast."

During the Red Fire mineral vein auction, Long Buyu had been hunted by a mutated blue serpent, a high-grade Heaven-Tier beast. Its rank made it an ideal contract beast for Long Buyu, but it was difficult to tame due to its level.

Kent had intended to help using his system to force a contract but had completely forgotten about it in the whirlwind of transactions. With billions of credits flooding in, he had gotten somewhat carried away. Long Buyu had probably been waiting all this time.

Without a Heaven-Tier beast, Long Buyu's strength had dropped significantly, only marginally better than A'Long and the others.

"As my strength continues to grow, these four are falling behind. It's time to give them a boost."

These four had always been at his beck and call, handling tasks diligently, yet he had not given them much beyond financial support.

With his impending graduation and the mercenary group and company nearing completion, Kent decided it was time to elevate his sworn brothers to the next level.