Chapter 94
The Mission
Ellie’s magic power flowed through and connected to the power-measuring device. It soon became clear that her power level was indeed at level 3, as expected. This meant she met the basic requirements for registering as a hunter.
"Level 3 power, you pass," the registration clerk said indifferently. He took Ellie’s ID card and placed it on some magical device, imprinting the emblem of the Adventurers’ Association in the corner of the card. This certified that "Luke" had officially become a member of the association.
"Now you are a 1-star hunter. Your benefits will increase as you rise to higher ranks. Although the association does not limit how many statuses one can create, you will need to work harder to receive better benefits."
"As for the privileges of a 1-star hunter, you can use the Hunter’s Association routes to any area where the association has a presence to reach the 1st floor. However, you will need to pay a toll of 1 silver coin each time. So, think carefully about whether the toll is worth it for you."
"Additionally, you will have the privilege to enter adventurer cities on various floors. A 1-star hunter does not receive any discounts on purchases and will have 30% of the normal sale price deducted when selling items. Therefore, if you want to make a profit, it’s better to sell elsewhere. However, if you sell to the association, you will receive points in exchange. These points will help you advance to higher levels as an adventurer, giving you greater access to information and goods, as well as higher toll discounts."
"Remember, the toll mentioned is only for access to the 1st floor. For the 2nd floor or higher, the toll will be significantly more. Please keep this in mind."
"As for the association’s rules, there are only a few. As long as you do not get caught committing a crime in the Tower of Eternity, you will not be penalized. However, if you are caught and there is a warrant out for your arrest, “Luke” will become a fugitive that the association must immediately hand over," the clerk explained smoothly, as if he didn’t think much of the criminal status within the association.
Well...for him, sometimes criminals were more trustworthy than some of those with good records. At least you knew what criminals had done wrong and their basic nature. But how could one be sure that those with good records hadn’t committed a crime, or actually committed serious crimes but simply been too skillful to get caught?
Not to mention that, in this kingdom, competition was fierce. Some nobles who reported hunters were often much worse, but the laws favored them, allowing them to exploit others. As a result, many of the association’s good members had fallen victim.
Therefore, the clerk’s words carried some advice and subtle hints. However, Ellie didn’t plan to create many fake identities. She wanted to just keep managing "Ellie" and "Luke" as seamless and trouble-free as possible.
"As for the other minor rules, you’ll have to understand them on your own. Documents are available throughout the association. You can take the time to read them if you wish, but it’s not essential."
"One thing to be cautious of is that while your rank can go up, it can also go down. Starting as a 1-star hunter, if you complete more missions, you’ll become a 2-star hunter. This status will last for about 1 year or less. Every day, points will be deducted regularly. If your points drop back to 0, your rank will revert to 1-star immediately, making you climb the ranks all over again."
"This system prevents people from taking it easy and rising to high levels over 30 years, while others work hard without much progress. The association thrives on missions and shares. If everyone slacks off, the association can’t sustain itself. This rule reflects the association’s intent."
The association clerk reminded once more, observing the young man in front of him. With his long experience in this role, he sensed that the other party was a novice rather than someone experienced trying to create a new identity. The first clue was the recent advancement to level 3. If he were experienced, he would likely be at a higher level.
Above all, the attentive way he listened to the explanations was a giveaway. Experienced individuals would be bored with his speech and indifferent. Some would take their card and leave immediately, knowing his speech was always the same.
Seeing that "Luke" was a novice who had no knowledge about being a hunter, the clerk explained everything in detail, and Ellie was very satisfied with the service.
"Over there is the mission board. You can take on missions, but you should understand all the conditions first. Some missions can be undertaken by multiple people, so there are no penalties. However, some missions have limited slots. If you fail to complete them, there might be numerous penalties waiting for you. The time frame for completing missions is also crucial. If you miss the deadline, all your efforts could be in vain."
"I understand. Thank you very much," Ellie, under the guise of Luke, replied. The receptionist waved her away after finishing the explanation.
"You can go now. Next person, please." Once dismissed, Ellie headed to the mission board, which was essential for her this time. Ellie wanted real combat experience fighting alone. She needed time to train and understand various things without relying on the Setter family’s protection. Therefore, she had to use the 5 days she had to the fullest.
No, actually! If she subtracted the travel time, she only had about 3 days left. 1 night and half a day was spent traveling here. Today, she spent half a day registering. By the time she entered the tower, a lot of time would have already passed. Ellie also had to account for 1 day to travel back, or she wouldn’t make it back for the first day of class after the long break. This meant she had to carefully allocate her remaining time.
The young woman in a cloak walked over to the mission board and looked at the various tasks posted around. There were numerous missions available for 1-star hunters on board. A number of people were coming and going, accepting missions, usually taking on many at once to make the most of their journey.
She noticed that travel expenses were quite high for ordinary people. 1-star hunters were typically those who were just starting out. Some might have been hunting for a long time, but their abilities limited them to lower-level missions. Eventually, the requirements to become a 2-star hunter became too much for them. Those around 50-60 years old, still at 1-star, often completed missions in groups, taking on more than 10 missions at a time to maximize their shared earnings.
Ellie calmly observed others selecting missions. Once she understood their process, she began choosing her own missions...
The 1-star mission board was divided into 2 sections. The first section had limited-number of missions. Once a mission was accepted, it had to be pulled off board and given to the staff. In this section, the rewards were clearly stated, and there were definitive time frames for completing the missions. The 2nd section did not require pulling the mission from the board; simply informing the staff of the mission number was sufficient. The reward for these missions depended on the hunter’s ability to gather materials.
Most missions involved collecting materials, such as gathering a certain number of herbs or parts from specific beasts.
If Ellie wanted to work just for money, she could take herb-gathering missions without even entering the Tower of Eternity. Simply selling the collected herbs would suffice. However, that was not her goal at all.
"Mission: Collect Boar Meat, Level 0
Mission Area: Green Forest, 1st floor, Green and Yellow Zones
Requirement Level: 1-star Hunter
Reward: 2 copper coins per 1 kilogram of meat"
Ellie was interested in the missions without a limited number because these missions didn’t require much responsibility. She felt that she was still a novice, and starting off with negative points due to an unsuccessful mission wouldn’t look good. Besides, in this first time, Ellie intended to use this opportunity to practice using the 2 types of weapons she brought, along with her spore power that could decompose things. If her initial attack succeeded, it would significantly increase her chances of defeating the beasts.
However, as Ellie was reading this mission, a large man appeared behind her. He was also fully cloaked like her, with his face hidden except for his eyes peeking through a mask. However, his eyes were unmistakably those of a child, and his voice was youthful when he said to Ellie.
"Don’t be fooled by that mission. I took it last time, thinking it was the easiest. Plus, bringing back 500 kilograms of meat seemed worth the journey. But the first thing you need to consider is...whether you can carry that much weight the whole way. If you take this mission, you’ll have to carry the boar meat all the way, and it will definitely attract trouble."
"The beasts on the 1st floor are ravenous for meat. You might not know this yet since you’re a beginner like me. But I just wanted to warn you."
"All the unlimited missions are just scams. The points are minimal, and the earnings aren’t as much as you think. Plus, there are many conditions. If you really want to take on a mission, I suggest you go for a limited-number one."
The man, who had suddenly appeared, shared his bad experiences, and his eyes shone with sincerity, as if his words were completely truthful.
However, Ellie didn’t respond to him. She wasn’t sure why he came to talk to her. He also stated that she was a novice and wanted to approach her. His actions made her suspect he might be a con artist. After all, such people existed—those who liked to deceive inexperienced newbies for their own gain...
"You might be wondering how I know you’re a novice, right? The truth is, I know because you’re the only one taking on this mission. Normally, if you weren’t a novice, accepting this mission will require gathering many people to help with the workload. Some even hire people without any special powers for a small fee to carry goods for them. These groups often undertake long journeys, spending over 2 months in the tower to make the travel expenses worthwhile."
"The fact that you don’t know this shows that you’re a novice, just like I was when I made this mistake before. Seeing you is like seeing someone sharing my fate. Haha."
The large man spoke happily, acting as if he could see right through Ellie. She, however, remained indifferent and didn’t respond.
In truth, his comments about the mission were accurate. But Ellie was confident she could handle it herself. With her dimensional ring, which could store a large amount of items, she wouldn’t face the same issues he mentioned.
However, the existence of the dimensional ring posed a bit of a concern. The dimensional ring was extremely rare and revealing that she possessed one might attract attention from many hunters. Therefore, Ellie didn’t plan to use the dimensional ring for this first mission, nor did she intend to hunt beasts for profit.
Even if it ends up being a loss, it’s just 1 silver coin, right? She considered it money well spent for training, so she didn’t see any issue with it.
However, the man trying to persuade Ellie didn’t know her thoughts. So, he continued to explain the reason, hoping to divert her interest from the complicated mission.
"Now that I’ve explained it, you should understand how complicated it can be, right? But don’t think it’s too difficult for a hunter. There are other missions suitable for people like us."
His eyes sparkled slightly as he spoke to this point, which Ellie noticed clearly. She was puzzled about when she and the man had become "us"...
"I’ve already picked it out. There is a limited-number mission that can be done by 2 or 3 people. It’s a mission to eliminate the Four-horned Sheep Beasts, which often disturb the fields of a group of villagers who rent land from the association for growing crops. When they are disturbed, their crops get severely damaged. So, they requested the association to send someone to help."
"For this mission, all we need to do is deal with the Four-horned Sheep Beasts, and we’ll be rewarded with 4 silver coins. If we take on this mission together, we can split the reward, getting 2 silver coins each."
"What do you think? Are you interested in this mission?"
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