Reign of the Hunters Chapter 259.2

“Only the talented among the Doluo tribe are able to learn the ways of the Shaman. They are usually the children of nobles. I’ve never heard of someone poor like me having the ability to become a Shaman.” Alaunar waved his hands.

“What does talent have to do with a person’s standing in society?” Ye Ci was not aware of the customs in such an isolated tribe, and could only gauge the situation with her own logical thinking.

Alaunar was not a very good speaker. “Of course! Those nobles are more talented than the poor.” was his only response to Ye Ci.

This prompted a laugh from Ye Ci. It was apparent that Alaunar was ignorant of the difference between privilege and talent. Most of the Shamans in the Duluo tribe were from influential family, which formed the boy’s opinion that only the rich and powerful have what it takes to be a Shaman. Ye Ci did not attempt to dissuade Alaunar, for he was entitled to have his own opinion. She however, fully intend to talk Alaunar into following her into the Pitch Black Cave. Of course, this required him to utilize his ability as a Shaman.

“Do you want to explore the Pitch Black Cave with me?” Ye Ci changed the topic and was able to shift Alaunar’s attention.

Alaunar stared at the two Magma Golems that were fast asleep, and then at Ye Ci. It was apparent that something was going on in his mind.

“They say that the Magma Golem will drop a lot of loot upon their death. I’m not part of the Doluo tribe, which means that I own every single one of those drops. If you come along, you’ll have your share as well. I’m sure your family is in dire need of such loot.” Ye Ci had never fancied herself as a kind-hearted soul, but even she could feel the guilt of tricking such a naive NPC into working for her for free.

The mention of his family incited a response from Alaunar. The body of the boy trembled ever so slightly as he lifted his head up to stare at Ye Ci. One can tell from his eyes that he was in a big dilemma.

It was obvious that the promise of loot and rewards were an offer that Alaunar found hard to resist.

“But I’m part of the Doluo tribe. I have to turn in part of the spoils I get from the Pitch Black cave.”

“Ah, you seem to have been mistaken. Allow me to remind you that I’m not of your tribe, which means that I’m not bound by your rules. This means that all the loot that dropped as a result of my battle here belongs to me. You’re a mercenery that I’ve hired. If I’m satisfied with your services, I have the choice of rewarding you with part of my loot as compensation. From where I came from, we call this a tip.”

“Huh?” the naive Alaunar was not familiar with the concept of tipping. He was quite young, and was living in a very isolated village. He was not used to the cunning and trickery of someone from the outside world. To him, what Ye Ci said made absolute sense. “Alright then. I’ll explore this cave with you.” he answered after a long moment of thought.

“It’s decided then. My chances of victory has drastically increased with one more person on board.” Ye Ci smiled like the sly fox she was, “Then again, do you wish to fight as a Warrior or a Shaman?”

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“As a Warrior of course.” Alaunar was a straightforward person. He was not able to grasp the meaning behind Ye Ci’s words.

It was not the answer that Ye Ci was looking for. The boy and his frail body was weaker than even Ol’ Three.

“No, Alaunar. A Warrior is not what I need. You know that these Magma Golems are fatal to a warrior. I don’t have the money to buy potions for you. So if you want to explore the Pitch Black Cave with me, you must do it as a Shaman.”

“No! I’m a Warrior! I’m not a noble Shaman!” Alaunar rejected Ye Ci’s proposal. There were times when people were unreasonably stubborn.

Ye Ci rolled her eyes at Alaunar. This boy is not pragmatic at all.

“Alright then, you’re a Warrior. But can this Warrior help erect some totems during my fight against the monsters?” Ye Ci sighed.

“About that…”

“I’ll keep it a secret.”

“Alright then. It won’t be a problem.” Alaunar was happy that his totems had earned the recognition of Ye Ci, and he immediately ceased his refusal of using his Shaman skills.

Ye Ci rolled her eyes at Alaunar. He agreed with just a twist of words. “You don’t have to engage the Magma Golems at melee range. Just fight them at a range like me.” said Ye Ci as she made her way to the fallen Magma Golem.

“Okay.” with his belief accepted by the Elf, Alaunar no longer concern himself with the minor details. He was a mercenary, and the only thing a mercenary had to do was to obey the orders from his employer.

The Magma Golem yielded a way higher reward than mining would ever be. Ye Ci was able to obtain Ancient Golden Ore and even skill books by slaying Magma Golems. The first skill book she obtained from the dungeon was a mid-tier Shaman skill, Chain Lightning, which was a very common skill among the player population. This meant that Ye Ci would not be able to turn a profit by selling the skill book. “Here, I want you to have this.” she handed the book to Alaunar.

“What is this?” Alaunar could not understand the Common Tongue. He was even holding the book upside down as he flipped through the pages. Fortunately for the boy, the activation of a skill book was not dependent on the ability of the user to understand its content. As long as the condition was fulfilled, a user would be able to learn a skill just by flipping the pages of a skill book. Ye Ci herself was unsure if an NPC would be able to benefit from a skill book, and her gesture of handing Chain Lightning to Alaunar was her way of finding out.

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Ye Ci reoriented the book in Alaunar’s hand and urged him to flip through the pages again. The boy showed no hesitation in following her instructions, and the book disappeared into a bright flash of light as he flipped through its pages.

Alaunar was dumbfounded, and it took quite a moment for him to recover from his shock, “By the Gods! It’s Chain Lightning!”

Ye Ci nodded at the boy. It seems that NPCs are able to learn skills through the use of skill books as well. I can get some skill books for my NPCs when the Servant System is activated in the future. They’ll be of great use to me!

“Let’s go.” instead of continuing the conversation, Ye Ci charged straight at the next target.

Even when Alaunar was able to use the skills that he had learned from his observation of Dalufar, the strength of his abilities were limited by the system. The strength of his spells was weak, but his accuracy and the timing of his spells were way better than the average Shaman.

If I can get him some good equipment and somehow raise his level, he will be able to outperform a lot of Shaman’s out there. It’s a shame that I can’t bring him away from here, or I can slowly cultivate him into a game-breaking existence. Thought Ye Ci to herself as she observed Alaunar during the fight.

Alaunar was able to synergize with Ye Ci during battle. He knew not of the plots running through Ye Ci’s mind, but he was happy to be able to use the skills of a Shaman in battle.

Ye Ci cast Detection on Alaunar when a system notification indicated that her intimacy with Alaunar was at Intimate. The status of Alaunar immediately appeared before her. He’s younger than I am, but our levels are the same! No wonder he can deal a lot of damage to the Magma Golem! Mused Ye Ci to herself as she continued sifting through the status of Alaunar. A glance at his class showed Ye Ci that the boy was indeed a Shaman. Even when Alaunar himself insisted that he was a Warrior, the system had recognised him as a Shaman. Well, it’ll take some time to get that kid to admit that he’s a Shaman.

Perhaps due to the difference in equipment, Alaunar stats was not at all high, but his growth was higher than a normal player. Two words were written beside his “role”: Mercenary, Servant.

Ye Ci’s heart leapt.

He’s a mercenary and servant!

Both the Mercenary and Servant systems were still not made available to the players of Fate in the current stage of the game.

The two systems had their own distinct differences. A Mercenary was hired to aid players in combat with a fee that would be paid to the Mercenary’s Guild. Any Mercenary that was killed in action could be revived through the Mercenary’s Guild. There was, however, no loyalty between a Mercenary and his or her employer. The Mercenary would only carry out orders that were given by the Employer.

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A Mercenary was only useful in combat and nothing else.

A Servant, however, was an entirely different entity.

Servants were more versatile than Mercenaries. There were two ways in obtaining a Servant. The most common way for a player to obtain a servant was through the purchase of NPCs in the Slave Market. The other, less frequently used method was to form a contract with NPCs willing to become a servant.

These NPCs possess their own unique stats that would only be made visible to player after a certain Intimacy level was met. A lucky player would be able to obtain Servants with high Intelligence and growth. These Servants could be used to learn Life Skills that were useful to the players. Some of the players with extreme luck might even come across combat type NPCs. Such servants were very rare. They possess high levels of intelligence, and can take part in combat alongside the player while learning useful Life Skills. Their services can be compensated with a relatively cheap salary that would maintain their loyalty, which was unlike the expensive price that had to be paid for a Mercenary.

Despite such an overwhelming advantage, many of the players in Fate preferred Mercenaries over Servants. This was due to high prices of slaves and the uncertainty that arose as their stats were not visible to players. The risk of cultivating an NPC that turned out to be useless was just too high for the players. Of course, NPCs that willingly entered into a contract with players would have their stats revealed, but these NPCs were very rare.

Alaunar is a Mercenary as well as a Servant. I guess it depends on how players interact with him. Thought Ye Ci to herself. She was drooling internally. If I can form a good relationship with Alaunar before leaving this place, I might be able to bring him with me!

A combat type Shaman Servant with a high growth rate! The mere thought was enough to fill Ye Ci’s heart with glee. Of course, she must be careful to hide her intentions from Alaunar, or her plight to make Alaunar her servant would be very difficult.

With her mind made, Ye Ci would of course treat Alaunar generously. She would hand any and every Shaman skill books and equipment to the boy. Even when he was only able to equip the gears in the cave, Alaunar was happy.

Alaunar’s ability in combat improved with each equipment he received from Ye Ci, and the duo was able to sweep away any opposition with east. After slaying yet another pair of Magma Golem, Ye Ci spotted a bright crystal at a corner of the cave.

“What is that?” asked Ye Ci as she pointed at the crystal. “It’s a magical crystal. It can be used to provide energy to a defensive turret or fortification, increasing its attack and defence. We can even mount them on totems as well. In fact, the totems in our village is enchanted with magical crystals. ”

“You’re quite knowledgeable about this.” Alaunar’s extended knowledge about the magical crystal came as a shock to Ye Ci. The magical crystal is hidden in the depths of the Pitch Black Cave, which was barely visited by even members of the Doluo Tribe, but Alaunar is familiar with such an item even when it is his first trip into the cave. How does a person at the bottom of the Doluo society know about something like this?

“It’s a strengthening material used on buildings,” said Alaunar, “My mother is a Builder. Although my tribe does not believe that a woman can be a good builder, I’ve always believed that my mother is the best Builder alive. These magical crystals are things that she would often use.” Ye Ci drooled internally when she heard Alaunar’s word. My God! Looks like I’m in luck! She tried her best to suppress her glee, and forced herself to remain calm, “Your mother must be a very outstanding woman.”

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“Of course!” Alaunar was still a child. He would of course be happy when his mother was praised.

Magical crystals…. Ye Ci stared at the crystals on the ground, Where have I heard about it before?

I seem to have heard about them somewhere, but I just can’t remember…

Chapter end