Bab 12: Chapter 12: Hunting Missions
Eric took out the temporary certificate he had just received. The woman glanced at it, took it from him, and entered his information into the computer in front of her.
"All set, Mr. Eric." she said with a clear, melodious voice. "Your identity has been activated. You can now use the self-service machines over there to choose your missions." She handed the certificate back to him.
Eric nodded, feeling that now his identity was activated, he wouldn't need to do so again once he received his official badge.
He turned to look and, sure enough, on one side of the hall, he saw several small rooms. Through the glass windows, he could see self-service machines lined up, much like ATMs.
The glass of these rooms was specially treated: when unoccupied, it was transparent, but once someone entered, it turned opaque, ensuring the privacy of those accepting missions.
Eric entered one of the rooms, and the machine's screen displayed: "Please insert your badge (or certificate)."
He took out his certificate and saw a slot on the machine that fit perfectly. He inserted it.
In the next moment, the screen changed.
"Welcome, Low-level Magic User Eric. Please choose your mission!"
Eric observed the variety of missions displayed on the screen—ranging from hunting and treasure hunting to various private commissions. The list was vast and intricate.
This was Eric's first time seeing such a wide range of tasks. He browsed through it with growing interest. He even discovered some recruitment advertisements.
"The Magic Guild is recruiting two Physical-Cultivation Practitioners for security roles. Requirements: Minimum Intermediate-level Physical-Cultivation Practitioner. For details, please contact..."
Eric thought to himself that Orlando's job must be somewhat related to this kind of work.
Flipping through further, he found that the majority of tasks were hunting missions.
The targets for these hunts were simple to understand.
"Hunt 3 level-1 Raccoons, Reward: 2,000 dollars."
"Hunt 1 level-3 Falcon, Reward: 9,000 dollars."
"Hunt 1 level-2 Frenzied Wild Boar, Reward: 8,000 dollars."
Most of these were official missions from the Magic Guild, intended to train Low-level Magic Users.
The creatures to be hunted were called Exotic Beasts.
"I remember studying this in middle school." Eric muttered to himself. "After the arrival of the extraordinary era, most animals on Earth mutated. They became bigger, stronger, and more intelligent. They were named Exotic Beasts..."
Apart from the Exotic Beasts, there were even more terrifying creatures on this planet—Warcraft Monsters!
Although Eric had never personally seen a Warcraft Monster, he had learned quite a bit about them from textbooks over the years.
"As for Warcraft Monsters, no one really knows where they come from." Eric murmured to himself. "They've built their own kingdoms and have been at war with humanity for as long as anyone can remember. Some scientists speculate that Warcraft Monsters may originate from spatial rifts in other realms or from another planet in outer space... But none of this concerns me." Eric shook his head.
Right now, he was still just an obscure nobody.
Looking at the mission list in front of him, Eric noticed that there were no missions involving Warcraft Monsters. After all, he was still just a Low-level Magic User.
Hunting Warcraft Monsters was the job of Advanced-level extraordinary beings.
"Well, I'll take a few hunting missions then." Eric thought, deciding to focus on earning money, which made the hunting missions the perfect choice.
His finger swiped across the screen, and he was slightly surprised to find, "Turns out I can take up to three missions at once."
In the end, he selected three of the most common Exotic Beasts as his hunting targets. He confirmed the selections and then removed the certificate from the machine.
Two hours later, Eric stepped off the subway, his hands behind his back as he leisurely walked down the street under the setting sun, heading home.
A contented expression lingered on his face. Not only had he officially become a Low-level Magic User, but he had also just collected his monthly allowance—15,000 dollars.
"By normal standards, I'd say I'm middle class now..." Eric smiled faintly, but his guard remained up.
Just a little while ago, he had been a nobody, ridiculed and dismissed by everyone.
Although his extraordinary luck with ten times critical hits had turned his life around, Eric knew better than to get complacent.
"Better pay the rent, damn it. Or next time, I'll double it!" At that moment, Eric heard a curse from nearby.
Turning toward the source of the voice, he saw Buck standing in front of a house, his arms crossed and an indifferent expression on his face.
Behind him stood a bodyguard-like figure, wearing sunglasses.
Across from Buck was a woman in her thirties, with a young girl tugging anxiously at her sleeve. The girl's eyes were wide with fear.
"I'm sorry, but we really don't have the money right now. Could you please give us a few more days?" The woman pleaded, her voice soft and humble.
Buck sneered, "Sure, but every day you delay, I'll charge 10% interest."
At the mention of that, the woman's face went pale. Ten percent per day was unbearable, but she had no other choice. If she didn't comply, she and her daughter would be thrown out to fend for themselves.
In the end, the woman had no choice but to grit her teeth and agree.
Seeing her nod, Buck gave a cold smile and leaned in closer, "A week at most. If you don't pay me back, principal and interest, within a week..."
Suddenly, a man dressed in black behind Buck pulled out a knife, the blade catching the light and reflecting in the woman and her daughter's faces, making the woman turn as white as a ghost.
"Hey, Buck, how much rent do they owe? Let me pay it for them." a voice interrupted.
Eric walked up with a half-smile, his tone laced with mockery as he addressed Buck.
Buck had the same routine with nearly every tenant who rented from him. At first, the rent would be low, attracting many poor people.
Then, once they signed a contract with hidden unfair clauses, Buck would slowly raise the rent. When they couldn't pay, he would start charging ridiculous amounts of interest.
Through these hidden traps and with the use of forceful intimidation, ordinary people would often fall into his web without realizing it.
Once they fell into his trap, they were essentially at Buck's mercy, just like this mother and daughter.
Not long ago, Eric had been just as helpless. He felt a pang of sympathy, but more than that, he hated Buck's methods.
Buck slowly turned his head, "Eric?"
He froze for a moment, then narrowed his eyes. "What's this? You want to help them pay off their debt?"
Seeing Eric step in, Buck's expression soured, his eyes narrowing like a cobra's, fixated on Eric.
Eric took out a card, his face expressionless, and asked the mother and daughter, "How much do you owe?"
The woman seemed nervous, glancing at Buck's face and hesitating to speak.
Eric understood her hesitation. What she was really worried about was that Buck's true intent was to trap her, to make the debt compound with interest, forcing her to never escape it.
Buck didn't want the woman to pay off her debt early. He didn't want anyone interfering with his carefully set trap.
But finally, Buck sneered again. At least in this neighborhood, he had to maintain the appearance of being fair and reasonable. "Really? You're going to help a neighbor pay off their debt?"
"If you want to do that, of course, it's fine." Buck said, his smile sharp and cold as ice. "This tenant owes me two thousand dollars in rent."
Eric immediately transferred the money, using the highly developed online payment system of the 23rd century, which allowed instant transfers between bank accounts.
Buck saw the payment come through. His expression flickered between anger and calculation, but in the end, he didn't say anything. He simply looked at Eric with a chilling, expressionless face.
"Eric, you still owe me eight thousand." he said, his voice flat.
"I know, but you said that could be paid in a week." Eric replied, his tone even.
Buck curled his lips in a slight, almost imperceptible smile, said nothing further, and got into a black car with his companion, driving off.
In front of him, only the mother and daughter remained, still a little dazed. The woman looked at Eric with gratitude shining in her eyes, tears welling up. "Thank you, sir. You're such a kind person. What's your name?"
The girl also looked up at him, her big, clear eyes locked onto his face.
"My name is Eric." Eric gently patted the girl's head, then turned and walked back to his own home.
He entered, closed the door behind him, and leaned against it for a moment.
"A week from now, I'll pay Buck the eight thousand. It looks like he's agreed, but the way he looked at me at the end... it was downright creepy." Eric muttered to himself.
"But as for that eight thousand, I'm not actually going to pay him..." Eric shook his head, pushing the thought aside. Tomorrow, he would focus on completing his hunting tasks.
And as for the rest of the day, it certainly wouldn't be wasted. He still had training to do!
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone