MY HIDDEN TALENT IS FORBIDDEN BY THE HEAVENS-Chapter 110: BRONZE SQUAD

Chapter 110 — BRONZE SQUAD

The mess hall was loud in the way only places full of working fighters could be.

Metal trays clinked against wooden tables. Laughter burst from one corner, followed by someone loudly arguing about who missed a finishing strike. The smell of roasted meat, thick stew, and baked bread filled the air.

Long Hao sat at the long table with Colby, Marek, Darius, and Zehell.

He kept his posture relaxed.

Observed.

Listened.

Colby tore a chunk of bread and dipped it into his stew. "Eat properly," he muttered to Long Hao. "You look like you haven’t eaten in three days."

Long Hao picked up the spoon. The stew was thick, rich, full of spices unfamiliar to him. He took a bite.

Warm.

Heavy.

Real.

He hadn’t realized how hungry he was until now.

Marek leaned back in his chair, balancing it dangerously on two legs. "So," he said casually, "memory boy. You really don’t remember anything?"

Long Hao swallowed before answering.

"Not clearly."

Darius wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Name, age?"

"Long Hao. Nineteen."

Zehell glanced up briefly.

Nineteen.

She didn’t comment.

Colby snorted. "Nineteen and hunting solo in outer dunes. Bold."

"Stupid," Marek corrected.

"Boldly stupid," Colby amended.

Zehell took a slow sip of water before speaking. "We patrol Sector Three. That’s not beginner territory."

Long Hao tilted his head slightly. "Sector Three?"

Colby waved his spoon vaguely. "Outer ring of Ruinsand’s defense zones. Divided into five sectors. One is closest to the wall. Five is deep red zone."

Marek grinned. "You were somewhere between three and four when we found you."

Long Hao nodded slowly.

He stored that information carefully.

Zehell leaned forward slightly, resting her forearms on the table.

"You’re lucky it was us."

"Why?" Long Hao asked calmly.

Darius answered instead. "Some squads don’t stop."

Colby shrugged. "Resources are thin. Priorities are strict."

Marek added, "And if you’re unconscious in the dunes, most assume you’re already dead."

Zehell’s gaze remained steady on Long Hao.

"But we stopped."

It wasn’t boastful.

Just factual.

Long Hao gave a small nod. "Thank you."

Colby waved dismissively. "Don’t thank us yet. You’re still stuck with us."

Marek laughed.

Zehell set her cup down.

"You’re at the Frontline Hunters Guild headquarters," she said plainly. "This is the primary defensive guild of the Ruinsand Kingdom."

Long Hao kept his tone neutral. "Biggest guild?"

"Strongest," Darius corrected.

Colby smirked. "And busiest."

Marek tilted his head toward Zehell. "And led by Bronze Squad."

Zehell gave him a flat look.

Marek grinned wider.

Long Hao glanced between them.

"Bronze Squad?"

Colby leaned back in his chair.

"Guild structure’s tiered. Iron squads at the bottom. Bronze. Silver. Gold. Then command units."

Marek raised his hand dramatically. "We are Bronze."

Darius nodded once.

"Zehell is our captain."

Long Hao looked at her again.

She didn’t react to the introduction.

Colby pointed at himself. "Vice captain."

Marek thumped his chest lightly. "Recon and ranged."

Darius tapped the spear beside him. "Mid-range control."

Colby rolled his shoulders. "Close combat and route leadership."

Long Hao absorbed the structure quickly.

"And you?" Colby asked him.

Long Hao paused just long enough to seem thoughtful.

"I... don’t remember my classification."

Marek snorted. "Convenient."

Zehell spoke calmly. "We have two more members."

Colby nodded. "Ryn and Toma."

"Ryn’s logistics and trap specialist," Marek explained. "Toma’s heavy support. Big guy. You’ll know him when you see him."

Darius added, "They’re on separate assignment today."

Zehell’s voice remained steady. "Bronze squads are expected to handle mid-tier threats independently."

Colby grinned. "We handle more than mid-tier."

Zehell didn’t deny it.

Long Hao studied her more carefully now.

She didn’t dominate the conversation.

She didn’t speak loudly.

But when she did speak, the others stopped talking.

Captain.

Not by volume.

By presence.

Marek leaned toward Long Hao conspiratorially. "She’s stronger than she looks."

Zehell shot him a glance.

"I look weak?"

"No," Marek said quickly. "You look... normal."

Colby coughed to hide a laugh.

Darius didn’t bother hiding his.

Long Hao spoke quietly. "She doesn’t look normal."

They all paused.

Zehell’s eyebrow lifted slightly.

Long Hao continued, "Her stance hasn’t shifted once since she sat down."

Colby blinked.

Marek looked down.

Darius glanced at Zehell’s feet.

She was perfectly balanced even while seated.

Zehell’s lips curved faintly.

"You observe a lot for someone with no memory."

Long Hao held her gaze calmly.

"I don’t need memory to see what’s in front of me."

Colby leaned back again.

"Huh."

Marek muttered, "He’s not wrong."

Zehell didn’t respond.

But she didn’t look displeased either.

The meal stretched.

An hour passed without anyone rushing.

They talked about patrol routes.

About a sand wyrm that nearly breached Sector Two last week.

About a caravan that tried to cross into red zone territory without escort.

Long Hao listened more than he spoke.

He learned:

The Ruinsand Kingdom relied heavily on the Frontline Hunters Guild for external defense.

The massive wall wasn’t decorative—it was survival.

The interior city sectors were layered—market, residential, guild, command.

Bronze squads were not low-level.

They were frontline operators.

Colby wiped his hands and leaned forward.

"So what’s your plan?"

Long Hao tilted his head slightly.

"For what?"

"For existing."

Marek snorted.

Colby clarified, "You can’t just wander. Guild doesn’t like unknown variables."

Zehell spoke before Long Hao could answer.

"He stays with us for now."

Colby looked at her.

"Officially?" 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"Unofficially," she replied.

Darius nodded once. "Better than loose."

Marek shrugged. "If he causes trouble, we toss him."

Colby grinned. "Fair."

Long Hao nodded slowly. "I won’t cause trouble."

Zehell’s gaze sharpened slightly.

"That’s not the same as saying you won’t be trouble."

Long Hao almost smiled.

"Fair."

Colby clapped his hands once.

"Good. That’s settled."

They stood.

Trays were cleared.

As they left the mess hall, Long Hao’s vision flickered again.

75%.

The system loading indicator was still unstable.

He ignored it.

For now.

Zehell led them through a side corridor.

Instead of heading back toward the waiting area, she turned toward an interior training section.

"Where are we going?" Marek asked.

"Range," she replied.

Colby groaned. "Already?"

"You were late," she reminded him lightly.

Marek winced. "She’s serious."

They entered a wide indoor training chamber.

The ceiling was high, reinforced with shock-absorbing plates. Targets lined one end. Sand pits and obstacle formations occupied the center.

Zehell walked to the middle without ceremony.

She planted her spear vertically beside her.

"Observe," she said.

Not to the squad.

To Long Hao.

Colby crossed his arms.

Marek grinned.

Darius stepped aside.

Zehell’s grip shifted.

The faint silver lines along her spear began to glow slightly brighter.

Not flashy.

Not explosive.

Controlled.

She stepped forward once.

The spear moved.

Not fast at first.

Just clean.

The first thrust cut through the air with almost no sound.

The second followed with a pivot so precise that even Colby’s posture adjusted subconsciously.

Zehell accelerated.

Her movements were efficient. Every strike flowed into the next without wasted energy.

She wasn’t showing off.

She was demonstrating structure.

Control.

Discipline layered over instinct.

She shifted her weight, and for a split second, the silver lines along the spear flared brighter.

The air in front of her distorted.

A faint arc of compressed force rippled outward and struck a reinforced target dummy across the chamber.

The dummy split cleanly down the middle.

Silence followed.

Marek let out a low whistle.

Colby nodded once.

Darius folded his arms.

Long Hao didn’t speak.

He watched carefully.

The way her feet aligned before each thrust.

The way her breathing synchronized with the spear’s glow.

The way she never overcommitted.

It wasn’t flashy power.

It was refined.

Efficient.

Deadly.

Zehell lowered the spear slowly.

The glow faded.

She turned toward Long Hao.

"You’re quiet."

Long Hao met her gaze.

"You’re strong."

Marek grinned triumphantly. "See?"

Zehell didn’t react to the praise.

"Strength isn’t the point," she said calmly.

"It’s control."

Long Hao nodded.

"I noticed."

Colby chuckled. "You’re not intimidated?"

Long Hao considered that.

"No."

Zehell tilted her head slightly.

"Why?"

"Because intimidation requires unpredictability," he said quietly. "You’re precise."

Marek blinked.

Colby muttered, "He talks weird."

Darius nodded faintly.

Zehell studied him again.

Longer this time.

Then she said simply, "Good."

She lifted the spear once more and pointed it toward the center of the chamber.

"If you’re staying with Bronze Squad," she said, "you’ll train."

Colby groaned.

Marek clapped excitedly.

Darius stepped back.

Long Hao walked forward without hesitation.

The system flickered again.

82%.

He ignored it.

He picked up a practice spear from the rack.

Balanced it once in his hand.

Zehell’s eyes sharpened slightly.

The chamber lights hummed faintly.

Outside the tower, the desert wind continued to blow against the massive wall.

Inside—

Bronze Squad had gained a new variable.

And Long Hao stood facing Zehell in the center of the training chamber.

Calm.

Observing.

Impressed.

[Chapter ENDS]