Chapter 62: Home of Hunters (1/2)

[Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower]

Qianye immediately felt as if a parade of mammoths had just trampled over his heart. He didn’t know what to say. Wasn’t that old man a gun seller? Why had he suddenly come to Home of Hunters?

Qianye decided to leave then and there. As for claiming justice, it was something that never even crossed his mind. The idea of claiming justice from a local boss who opened a weapons store at a place like Darkblood City was as stupid as it gets. Plus, he hadn’t been fooled too badly overall. If that Ambusher was fixed, it would still be worth around fifty gold coins.

However, Qianye had only just turned around when the old man at the counter suddenly lifted his head and stared at him.

Qianye shuddered and immediately became frozen in place. One of his feet stayed suspended in the air and could land on the ground no longer!

Of course, Qianye’s movements weren’t restricted in anyway, but at this moment, forget his weapons, he didn’t dare to move even a toe. The blade-like aura behind him had completely locked him down, and any movement might invite a fatal attack that was akin to a thunderstorm.

If he focused his mind, calmed his breathing, waited for his opponent to act and sought out an opening on his opponent’s aura, then he might just yet have a slight chance of survival. This was the combat instinct he had honed through countless life-and-death battles since he was seven years old.

The deadlock lasted for a few second before the sharp aura suddenly disappeared. It was only then that Qianye put his foot on the ground and slowly turned around.

All three big men within the hall looked towards Qianye with praise in their eyes.

Meanwhile, the old man stood up and said, “Little guy, judging from your expression just now, you must have gone to A1 Firearms before.”

Staring at the old man, Qianye finally noticed some slight differences.

The old man at the gun shop looked like a enigmatic expert, but he had slightly more wrinkles than the old man before him. Moreover, now that he thought back, there were glimpses of cunning flashing though the other old man’s eyes, whereas this old man only had a small scar on his face. Although it was incredibly unremarkable, this little difference was very eye-catching to someone like Qianye, who was trained to recognize people’s faces.

The old man then said, “The boss at A1 Firearms is my twin brother. He’s called A1, and I’m called A2. Everyone here calls me Old 2.”

Qianye thought that his face must look very colorful right now. He wasn’t sure what to say.

“Do you want to become a hunter?” Old 2 asked.

“... Yes.” Qianye answered. He thought that this Old 2 didn’t look like a cheat, but his experience at A1 Firearms kept rewinding itself in his head.

There were no swindlers who looked like a swindler.

Old 2 lowered his head and fiddled inside the counter for a moment. He then took out a hexagonal bronze token and tossed it to him, “You’ve passed the test. You are now a hunter, a one star hunter.”

Qianye subconsciously accepted the bronze token and asked a little blankly, “Test?”

“Yep. I looked at you once just now, didn’t I? That was the test. Your performance was pretty good, so you are now a member of Home of Hunters. Keep that thing well. It is your token and your Hunter’s qualification ID.” Old 2 continued to speak indifferently.

Qianye looked at the bronze token in his hand. The item was polished until it was shining, but it was obvious that it had been around for some time, and even time could not conceal its rough craftsmanship. Forget that the star at the center was of uneven height, even the shape itself was crooked and distorted. It looked like a mold done by a child.

“Alright. As a… one star hunter, what exactly can I do?” Qianye finally accepted reality. If he did not need to submit an entry fee later on, then he would not mind participating in this Home of Hunters.

While he was thinking this, Old 2 said, “Please submit a full season’s fee first. It costs a gold coin every month.”

Old 2 had said it indifferently, but Qianye’s heartbeat suddenly spiked.

“What will be my rights then?”

Old 2 pointed at a worn out book hung on the wall and said, “It’s all written down there.”

Qianye opened the book and saw that there were many rules written inside. The book might be worn out, but the writing was clean and elegant. Every word seemed to emanate an unspeakable energy that shook Qianye’s mind, and he had to channel the origin power in his body before being able to stand firmly again.

The rules were actually pretty simple. The amount of fee a hunter submitted was the main determinant of their star rank, whereas star ranks determined what kind of rights a hunter possessed.

A hunter’s main rights included the right to sell the proof of having killed a dark race warrior in exchange for a bounty. Moreover, they could also buy some special armors and weapons from Home of Hunters as well as some special ingredients. If the items provided by Home of Hunters were not up to satisfaction, the Home of Hunters could represent the hunter and contact certain craftsmen to tailor make them.

The bounty alone was worth the member fee. Of course, this was assuming that the hunter could hunt a sufficient amount of dark race warriors in the first place. Star ranks determined the upper limit of the bounties as well. For example, a one star hunter could acquire a total bounty of 10 gold coins per month, whereas a two star hunter could acquire 20 gold coins. Every increase in star rank would double the upper limit.

However, right now, Qianye’s eyes were filled with the amazing power hidden inside those words!

It took him quite a bit of effort to calm down and ask, “Can I see what kind of weapons and armor can be exchanged?”

“Of course. Little Mi, take him to the one star warehouse to have a look.”