With godlike talent from the start, how did he become invincible?

Chapter 590 Awarding of Medals

"Put it on."

Lin Tian took the badge. It was quite heavy, at least twice as heavy as a regular identity badge, and its surface had a light blue enchanted glow—this wasn't just a simple badge; it was a miniature defensive item that could trigger a protective effect equivalent to an S-rank shield. He pinned the badge to his chest, and a system notification immediately sounded.

[System notification: You have obtained the "Giant Gorge City Central Army Direct Subordinate Badge".]

[Current Military Rank: Independent Member Directly Under the Central Military Commission]

[Access Unlocked: Free access to all military areas in Great Gorge City, access to Allied Forces routine intelligence briefings, and the ability to request supplies from any friendly outpost in the North.]

[Contribution Points +5000.]

"The organization of the directly subordinate units is different from other garrison units." Qin Zhi leaned back in her chair. "You're not a permanent garrison personnel, and you don't have a fixed defensive area. You go wherever there's a gap, and you fight wherever there's a tough battle. Colin will give you the tasks; I won't interfere with the specific arrangements."

"Understood."

Lin Tian nodded.

Qin Zhi waved her hand, meaning, "That's all, you can go now." No idle talk, no unnecessary pleasantries. This was the style of Juxia City—no pretense on the front lines.

Lin Tian turned and walked out of the council hall. Colin was waiting at the door, carrying a package.

"New equipment, provided by Su Qing from the Quartermaster Department." Colin handed over the package. "Two sets of S-grade combat suits, twenty sets of high-grade recovery potions, and a portable rune toolbox."

Colin's lips twitched slightly, a rare occurrence, as if he were smiling. "Su Qing even specially allocated two extra sets of Shadow Essence and Frost Crystal Cores, saying they were for your two pets."

Lin Tian put the things into his backpack.

As Lin Tian walked out of the city lord's mansion, Fang Ping was leaning against the stone wall across the street, waiting. His left arm was still injured and there was a little blood seeping through the bandage, but he seemed not to notice and grinned when he saw Lin Tian come out.

"I heard you got promoted to a direct supervisor?"

"Um."

Fang Ping patted Lin Tian's shoulder forcefully, then remembered the dried scabs on his hands and quickly pulled them back to wipe them on his pants. "Come on, let's go to Old Zhao's tavern for a drink, it's on me. The patrol team brothers are all waiting."

Old Zhao's tavern is in the western district, not far from the barracks. Calling it a tavern is a bit of a stretch; it's really just a slightly larger stone house with a wooden sign hanging at the entrance bearing the character "Zhao." Old Zhao is a retired soldier whose leg was broken by a stone thrown while defending the city. After retiring, he opened this tavern specifically to serve the garrison troops.

When Lin Tian pushed open the door, there were already seven or eight people sitting inside.

Fang Ping walked ahead, his twin swords still hanging at his waist. As soon as he entered, he shouted, "Our new big boss of the Juxia City Central Army's direct command has arrived!"

A bald veteran in the corner turned around; it was Lao Luo, an archer from the Third Garrison. He looked Lin Tian up and down, then raised his wooden cup and offered a distant toast to Lin Tian.

"Lin Tian, ​​right? I watched the battle at the city gate from the city wall." Old Luo's voice was rough. "Your Star Ray shot pierced four orcs with one shot. I was counting from the crenellations—nine ladders, and you cleared all nine by yourself. I've guarded the city for ten years and I've never seen such efficiency."

Another soldier chimed in: "Was it that time you fought the level 82 flag bearer one-on-one? I heard Fang Ping say he killed the flag bearer in three moves."

"Not three hits," Lao Luo corrected, "it's five. But the fifth hit is the finishing blow; the first four hits have already killed him about 80%."

"What's the difference?" Fang Ping pushed a glass of ale in front of Lin Tian. "They're both instant anyway."

There was a moment of silence in the tavern. Then Lao Luo raised his glass, and the other veterans followed suit. No one shouted slogans, no one exchanged pleasantries; they simply raised their glasses quietly and drank them down in one gulp.

Lin Tian's reputation value jumped in his system panel. The reputation of Juxia City is calculated independently. He had previously reached Revered because of his capture of generals and flags, and now it had increased again.

After finishing his drink, Fang Ping wiped his mouth and suddenly remembered something: "Oh right, when I went to the city lord's mansion to find you just now, I saw that City Lord Qin summoned Colin again. It seems there's some new information about the allied forces."

"What's going on?"

"Who knows?" Fang Ping shrugged. "But based on experience, anything that can get City Lord Qin to personally summon Colin is usually a big deal."

Lin Tian finished the remaining half glass of ale without saying a word.

in the afternoon.

Council Hall of the City Lord's Mansion.

Qin Zhi pushed a crystal slab in front of Colin.

The crystal plate displayed a reconnaissance intelligence report—an unusual energy fluctuation detected by the frontline outpost early this morning, the intensity and frequency of which were inconsistent with the rituals of ordinary orc shamans.

"Outside the Blackrock Horde's main camp, an energy is continuously increasing."

Qin Zhi pointed to the energy curve on the crystal plate, her finger lingering on the steep peak. "It started appearing three days ago, and by this morning its intensity had tripled. The intelligence department's analysis suggests it might be a high-level shaman performing some kind of large-scale ritual—not a regular Bloodrage or Storm Shield, but something much larger."

Colin frowned. The scar on his face distorted slightly when he frowned, making the scar appear even deeper.

"A summoning ritual?"

"Possibly. Last time they used a blood sacrifice to summon half a high-level magical beast, but Lin Tian interrupted them. Judging from the scale of energy this time, they're planning to summon the full version."

"Then it's not just a matter of level 80," Colin said.

Qin Zhi nodded. She paused for two seconds, then made her decision.

"Assign the mission to Lin Tian. Let him scout ahead, and if there's an opportunity, sabotage the ceremony. Bring a patrol team, but make sure he leads it—his direct command authority is sufficient."

As Colin accepted the order and turned to leave, Qin Zhi added a comment from behind.

"Tell him that the Blackrock Tribe has sent more than one shaman this time. Let him handle it himself."

evening.

Lin Tian was checking the equipment status in the barracks' equipment maintenance room.

His backpack was full of potions, and his new equipment was at full durability. Little White perched on his shoulder, the icy blue sheen of its scales standing out starkly in the dimly lit maintenance room.

Celia emerged from the shadows, her eyes sweeping over the map of the area surrounding Great Canyon City hanging on the wall.

Lin Tian's goal is to reach level 80 as soon as possible.

After level 70, the experience points required to level up are astronomical.

Moreover, the monsters in the first-level main city are generally above level 70, level 90 bosses begin to appear, and elite monsters above level 85 are not uncommon.

He turned off the panel and glanced out the window. It was completely dark.

Colin pushed open the door to the maintenance room, holding a crystal plate specifically designed for reconnaissance missions.