Evolution Online: My 10,000× Reward System Multiplies Everything

The long queue that had formed in the market square was already getting noisy after Kaelen hadn’t returned in a long while. They were starting to lose hope that he could catch any game, or worse, that something bad might’ve happened to him.

"He’s back!" Someone suddenly screamed from the line, and everyone looked behind to see a figure in the distance pulling a rope tied to several beasts behind him. They burst out in cheers as some of them immediately broke out of the line to help him pull the beasts in, hoping it would get them a discount.

Kaelen didn’t mind and wasn’t worried they’d try to play any tricks with his hunt. Not after they saw what happened to the last people.

He was hoping he could bring back one of the wolves’ carcasses after both parties retreated, but when he looked behind him... there were none.

Kaelen had lost tens of shadow summons to the wolves, but the pack hadn’t even dropped a single body, which Kaelen found strange.

Even if the shadow army couldn’t cut down any, SKD had assured him he’d slain some wolves, but there was simply no body to show for it, neither did Kaelen see any of the wolves carrying their dead along as they retreated.

It was like they disappeared after death, like his shadow summons...

Or players?

There was only one way to find out.

As soon as Kaelen arrived at his unofficial stall, the men who had helped him were still standing around, waiting for their rewards.

Kaelen pointed to the father of the little girl who’d gifted him a flower and was in the line again, probably planning to stockpile meat with every penny he could afford.

Kaelen beckoned for him to step forward.

The man looked surprised but did so anyway.

Then he turned to the rest of the men who helped him pull the meat inside.

"You know the sizes I sell and their prices. I’m tasking three of you now to take over from here and meet the customers’ demands. He’ll be your supervisor in my absence," Kaelen said as he pointed to the man he’d called up. "Don’t cause any trouble or try to play any tricks, and I’ll reward y’all when I’m back."

"Yes, sir."

The men didn’t argue and immediately went to work diligently.

Kaelen shifted his gaze towards the mercenary group that was watching silently but didn’t make any more moves on him. But when Kaelen began approaching them, looks of surprise flashed across their faces.

"You said you needed a guide to take you all the way to the Grand Canyon, right?"

The commander was silent for a moment, possibly surprised or suspicious. "That’s right."

"And you asked what I want in return for taking you there?"

"That’s also right."

"Lucky for you, I changed my mind."

The mercenaries exchanged glances amongst themselves, but before they could ask, Kaelen explained.

"Y’know, I’ve spent most of my entire life in the slums and always wondered what it was like inside the stronghold. How much better life would be, and how safe it would be to finally sleep without an eye open for danger..." Kaelen said and paused.

"I’ve changed my mind and decided to guide you there. But for what I want in return, I don’t think any of you can make it happen. So I’d like to speak with the person you’ll be transporting first. Only then can we have a deal," Kaelen said plainly.

The commander was silent for a moment as he deliberated Kaelen’s offer before he signalled to one of his men. The man went to the truck and tapped on the window before relaying the commander’s information and Kaelen’s offer.

The man returned a moment later and whispered something into the commander’s ear.

"Very well. Follow me," he said to Kaelen, and they walked towards the parked truck and stopped before the backseat window, tinted pitch black.

As they arrived, it slowly wound down to reveal not the singer Kaelen was expecting to see, but a blonde woman whose hands were resting on a sheathed dagger strapped to her thigh.

The blonde woman was looking straight at Kaelen like she was trying to peer into his soul.

"What do you want?"

It wasn’t the blonde woman who asked, but another woman sitting on the other end of the car.

Kaelen leaned closer to the window, and his hand suddenly shot inside before anyone could react. He simply pushed the blonde woman’s head aside to see the main client.

Everyone was momentarily stunned but relaxed slightly and took their hands off their weapons when they saw Kaelen didn’t have an ulterior motive.

But Kaelen didn’t remove his hand from the blonde woman’s forehead, in case she decided to block his view again with her head.

While the blonde woman’s hand had already shot up to grab his wrist when Kaelen made his move, it froze on the spot. For some reason, she didn’t bother slapping his hand away, and this reaction made the mercenaries’ eyes behind Kaelen widen in surprise and disbelief.

"You’re the famous singer Lindsey they were talking about, right? For some reason, I’ve never heard about you before, but as you may know, I’m the best man to guide your crew all the way to the Grand Canyon. For me to do that, here’s my offer:

"I won’t be stopping at the Grand Canyon to return to this slum. I’ll be coming with you to whatever Stronghold you’re going to, and I want you to get me a resident visa in that Stronghold. That’s all I ask, and in return, I’ll not just guide you and your crew to the Grand Canyon, but my wilderness survival skills will come in handy on the journey."

"What?" Lindsey blurted at Kaelen’s request. "That’s too much to ask."

"Too much? Are you saying your fame can’t get me a resident visa into your Stronghold?"

"I-I mean, why do you want to follow me there?"

"I’m not. You see, I realized I awakened my abilities after my Stronghold was destroyed and came here as a refugee, but I worked so hard towards awakening, and it’s kinda unfair that I don’t get to live a better life after achieving my dreams. I only need you to get me a resident visa, and I’ll never contact you again and figure my life out in the Stronghold. That’s all I ask. Easy, right?"

Kaelen sneered inside, seeing the troubled expression on Lindsey’s face.

Of course, she couldn’t get him a resident visa because they weren’t travelling to any Stronghold.

This was a negotiation between two people who were bluffing. The one who wins is the one who has the greater advantage.

Lindsey was still racking her brain when the commander spoke from behind Kaelen.

"Of course, she could get you the resident visa. She’s the famous Lindsey, after all. That shouldn’t be a problem for you, right?" The commander asked as he stared intently at the woman.

"Y-Yes. Even if I can’t, my father should be able to do so easily," Lindsey replied immediately.

"That’s the spirit. But before we close the deal, I’d like to ask you a question first." The Commander shifted his gaze to Kaelen.

"Sure."

"I’d like to know your name... and your ability."

Of course, he needed to know that. He had to gauge the man’s strength and know how to dispose of him the moment they got close to their destination.

Kaelen stared at the commander for a long moment. "Name’s Kael. And as for my ability, if I’m being honest... I don’t really know."

The Commander frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

"If you were paying attention earlier, you should know that when I mentioned I awakened my ability on the run from Stronghold 9, I never got the opportunity to appraise it and therefore don’t know the limits of what I can do."

"I guess we’ll all find out... one way or another."

The Commander stared at Kaelen for a long moment.

"Very well, then. We set off at the first crack of dawn."

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