18 Chapter 18 Hax Battalion

Hax exited the workshop and the Man Hunter lifted their hats to greet him. "Sir!"

"I take it that you have succeeded?"

"Yes, sir. We have saved the Black Wolves. And we also bring Nesterin, the leader to you." Balmar made way for the man behind him.

The man has a thick mustache and defined muscle hiding behind his body-fitted clothes. He looked at Hax in the eye with curiosity and wonder.

"Do you like what you see?" Hax asked.

Nesterin kneeled on one knee, his right fist on the floor. "I meant no disrespect, sir."

"I'm not soft enough to be offended by getting stared at. How are you feeling?"

"Never been better." He smiled.

Hax crossed his arms. "How're your men?"

"They are fine, sir."

"Good. Now tell me what happens at the Boiling Volcano?"

Nesterin did not dare to stand since Hax hadn't told him yet. So he told the story while kneeling. He told Hax how he and his men climbed the volcano, what he faced there, the challenges, and what he should have done in that situation. Throughout the story, Hax just kept a stone face. He didn't seem to be interested or bored.

He had a hard time guessing what Hax was thinking about. Even so, he still continued his story. "And then we ran to the forest."

Nesterin told him about how the Nefarious Swords used rocks, teeth, and even twigs as weapons. They could throw small objects, but the damage was still significant. Some of his men died from a stick.

He waited for two seconds to see Hax's reaction. When he saw nothing, he continued the story. Now he told Hax about the stage-2 cultivators that could single-handedly block a dozen bullets flying towards him at the same time.

"We were lucky to find out that the bullets can explode," Nesterin said. "When the ammunition exploded in the face of the stage-2 cultivators, he was blinded and distracted. This was why we survived the attack. And when the cultivators ambushed us in the river, we used the same tactics which dealt great damage towards our enemy."

"And that was when the Man Hunter comes to rescue you?" Hax asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Okay. You can leave now."

"Wait, sir. I would like to make a request."

Hax stayed silent.

Nesterin cleared his throat. "The Black Wolves would like to join the Hax Battalion, sir."

Balmar started sweating.

"Hax Battalion?" Hax asked. "I don't remember we have that."

Balmar kneeled. "Forgive me, sir. It's me the one who made it up. I thought we can use your name to scare the cultivators."

Nesterin was shocked. So Hax Battalion was not real?

Hax eyed both of them. Having an army didn't sound bad. His empire would make an army in the future anyway, so it was better to start now. And this army would personally answer to him. He could integrate the guards that volunteered to protect him into this army.

And with that, he would have a strong army of his own. He could take land and resources of others if he had an army!

"My name is not enough to scare anyone. Our weapon and capabilities will. From today I declared that Hax Battalion is official. But unlike a normal battalion that consists of a thousand men, I planned to add a thousand corps in this organization."

A thousand corps! Each corps consisted of around fifty thousand men. That meant Hax wanted to add fifty million men into this organization alone. Everyone who heard his statement was shocked. Fifty million soldiers! Did he want to conquer the world?

"Balmar. Nesterin," Hax said.

"Yes, sir." Both of them replied.

"I will give you the strongest weapon the world has ever seen. In return, I want you to show the enemy what we are capable of."

"Yes, sir! We will not shame the Hax Battalion."

"Good. My first order is for the both of you to recruit more men. Train them for battle. Let them know that our enemy is sharpening their blade while they sleep. I don't want the cowards and the incompetent. I want the best, and if they don't have what it takes then kick them out of the Hax Battalion. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir!"

Everyone in that room understood what this imply. Hax wanted to make an elite army that personally answered to him. If Hax dared to think about making such an army, that meant he was confident that he could win the war against the cultivators!

He already thought about preparing his army after the war!

His vision was too far ahead when it seemed like the situation against the Nefarious Sword was still uncertain. If the sect master came knocking at their door, now. No one could tell if they can stop him.

"Do any of you have any questions?" Hax asked.

One man raised his hand. "Sir, can we win against the Nefarious Sword?"

"Yes. Any other question?"

They looked at each other. Hax answered the question so fast that they barely could process his short, simple answer.

That made Nesterin tremble in excitement. He really liked what he saw. The confidence that Hax showed was enough to get his loyalty. Even if the man asked him to die right here and there, he would do it without the slightest doubt.

"I'm only the leader of the pack in name, now," Nesterin whispered. "He is the true leader. And he will protect our family."

That was what Nesterin thought, but he wanted to confirm it. "Sir, can you tell me what the soldiers in the Hax Battalion will receive? I'm sure if you want to draw great talents, we have to give them something extra."

Hax looked at him. Truly, he couldn't fool these people with persona alone. What Nesterin said was true. Without proper incentives, elite soldiers who were willing to risk their lives won't be motivated to join his private army if the benefit to other organizations was the same. These elite men could still reach their ambition if they just decided to protect him as guards. They won't be following his orders if he told them to attack a kingdom unless the circumstances forced them to.

"As a soldier of the Hax Battalion. Every personnel would receive the first priority of receiving the best weapon I can get. Second, the families of the Hax Battalion's personnel will be taken care of should the said soldier die or retire. Third, the soldiers of the Hax Battalion will receive the best infrastructure, facility, and service. This meant that the best cook, masseuse, and supply unit we have would be serving you."

Every man and woman in the room trembled. Each and every benefit that Hax spoke about were so valuable. If they could enter the Hax Battalion, they wouldn't even care if they died. The families they left behind would be taken care of.

"Sir, how long will our family be taken care of?"

"Your family will be taken care of as much as one generation. This meant that we will give your kids the best education and other resources to achieve their dream. But for now, I don't have any education institution, so you guys have to wait for that."

Everyone was satisfied with the offer. If their child turned successful, then Hax wouldn't need to give them anything anymore. Just the chance of education was large enough. Studying to become a doctor, for example, was expensive and hard.

The expense of hiring a senior doctor to teach their child was significant. And their child might not be a doctor at all if they proved to be incompetent.

"Is there any question?" Hax asked.

They looked at each other in silence for a few seconds. Seeing that no one asked any questions, Nesterin replied: "We are satisfied with the benefit you've given us, sir."

"Then the rest of you are dismissed. The both of you will follow me."

The rest of them scattered as Balmar and Nesterin followed Hax into the workshop.

After Hax sat on his chair, the both of them still stood. Hax was after all their superior now. They didn't have the same status. The hierarchy was clear.

"What do you need us for, sir."

"I want to know how both of you plan to increase our numbers."

Balmar stepped forward. "I will be recruiting more hunters to increase our ranks, sir. We have a lot of experience in fighting in the jungle, so you can deploy us to these places."

Hax turned his eyes towards Nesterin.

Nesterin gulped. "I will recruit more Black Wolves in Ashbourne and any other cities, sir. With our reputation, I believe we can gather a lot of capable men. I will train them like how I train my pack. They will be loyal, coordinated, courageous, and capable."

"You failed in your attack," Hax commented.

Nesterin trembled. Hax commented on something that had never been done before. Nobody was brave enough to attack a sect in their home ground. Not even other sects dared to do that. The operation that Nesterin had done was just to stall for time. He did not intend to win at all. By his tone, Nesterin guessed that Hax could have done much better if he lead the attack.

I could not tell him my incompetence, Nesterin thought. All he had to do now was to embrace his mistake and change for the better. Balmar had told him that Hax did not like incompetent people. Hax making an elite army under his name was proof of this.

"I will not fail the second time, sir. I have learned from my experience."

Hax nodded. "I want the both of you to set up some auxiliary branch for your army. This branch will not focus on fighting but on servicing your men. They will bring supplies for you, treat your wounds, scout for information, map the landscape, or help you to communicate with me or other groups."

"I will ask Balmar for help, sir."

"I will let you ask for help only this once. As a leader of an elite army, you must stand on your own feet. Do not rely on others too much."

"Yes, sir!"

"The both of you are dismissed. You can go to Bodin if you didn't know where else to find the auxiliary troops. Return to me when you are finished."

"Yes, sir!"

The both of them leave with a straight back and determined steps. They didn't want to send the wrong message to Hax by slouching their shoulders.

Hax watched them close the door as the mission panel popped out.

[Congratulations. You have completed your 'Help a Friend in Need']

[You have been rewarded with 2000 Access Points']

"I've been wondering why you didn't show up."