The monsters were ranked between Lowest and Low rank. There were also other older monsters that reached even mid, and you could tell by how much darker the skin was and how they started to move less like zombies and more like some creatures.
Normally, the Demon Research Facilities would get rid of them directly. But after finding out about the mana-gathering properties of the demonic beings, they decided to just bring them into an enclosed area like this one, wait for a few years until they reached mid-rank or even high-rank, then eliminate them all together to get the high-quality crystals. It was an ingenious but extremely nasty plan.
A plan so nasty that only I can profit from it right now.
Not waiting any further for the crystals to mature, Darius went down and started massacring with the plasma knife he received as a gift from the bartender.
-GRAAAGH!-
-GROAR!-
After seeing him, the monsters started swarming him together, numbering in the hundreds. However, because the rank was very low, they still had a long way till they got to completely control their bodies, being either very slow, very clumsy, or having wide moves that were easy to predict. They moved literally like zombies, and to Darius, the zombie-type monsters were the weakest of them all, since it was just too easy to kill with a plasma knife that could cut even through their fortified skins.
When they don’t think, humans are the easiest prey of them all.
A wide smile was visible on his face while he massacred the monsters on his own. He dashed and slashed around with two knives, one the plasma knife and the other his own personal knife, making mounts of corpses pile at his feet and having the other monsters step over their own to reach him. When even some Mid-ranked appeared and rushed faster, Darius would even use his gun at this point, cracking their hardened skin and then piercing it with the knife the moment they approached too close.
"Haah, haah, haah… Was that… it?"
After about 2 hours of constant massacre, Darius finally killed all of them, now only needing to collect the crystals that were built in their cores. For living beings, that is the brain.
-POW! POW! POW!-
Head after head, he bashed with the hard handle of the gun to crack it faster, while for the monsters that were mid-rank, he had to first slice them with his knife, like cutting bones in a butchery.
This is just nasty…
Even he was sick of this after he was completely covered in brain-matter and dark blood. It took him about 2 hours to collect everything, completely filling his backpack. When he finally finished, he grabbed a bottle of water and cleaned off the brain matter from his armor. He tried to get rid of the hardened blood as well, but at this point, it was simply impossible to deal with it as it was.
Now to make a badge…
To hunt monsters and be able to sell the materials, one needed a personal badge. If you were part of one of the guilds, then the guild would get one for you. But if you were unaffiliated, then the only option was to get a mercenary badge that was about 500 rozoni.
Of course, he could use the blackmarket as well, but since it's a form of illegal selling, the amount of money he could get would be nothing compared to the orthodox norms.
And so he decided to make a badge, since it was a better investment.
.
A while back, he rented for very cheap a room in the suburbs right near the border, going in to change from his bloody armor and into more casual clothes, not forgetting his mask. Afterwards, he rushed towards a bigger building that many used as a tavern called the Social Assistance Agency (SAA for short). In better terms, it was what any other game would call the Adventurers’ Guild, where other people would post their requests and have others resolve their problems in exchange for a sum of money. However, in this agency, the three main forces were also able to take on requests and make some bonus money in their free time. It was also where anyone could become part of one of the 3 guilds, and on rare occasions, there were lunatics who would decide to form small groups or even go solo as merchants, hunting either bandits, monsters that got too close to the city, or taking on bodyguard missions. Although that was normal for Spirit Wielders and mages, humans were advised to know their places.
The hardest requests are those from the DRF, as they are in constant need of materials and are requesting anyone to gather materials from inside the danger zone. Even though the price's also quite high, not many wanted to sacrifice their lives for the ridiculously rare or difficult-to-get materials they demanded.
Darius entered the building and saw more stands where soldiers waited in a queue. Further to the right, there stood a young man at his stand, over which a blue board was plastered, written on it in white: [Mercenary Department].
There were the [Blue Spark Department], the [Dark Fortress Department], the [DRF Department], the [Army Department], the [Social Department], and finally the [Mercenary Department].
In the first three, there were posted requests from the three great forces from the border, normally small requests that could be fulfilled by normal soldiers or requests that, although difficult, weren’t urgent or simply not considered important.
The fourth, the [Army Department], was where announcements from the army addressed to the masses from near the borders, for their own protection. There were normally no missions given out by them, as they would resolve them on their own, but they still gave out information and/or warnings for public consent posted as news on a board.
The [Social Department] normally showed requests from normal people for anyone who was interested. Normally, the requests were mostly basic things like, "I want to sell X", "I lost my dog", "I need help with repairing..." and so on. Although there were some cases when neighboring villages would post alarming and desperate requests like, "Village invaded by demonic beasts at the coordinates... Request support", or "corrupt soldier kidnaped sister. I request help", or "Child lost in the Danger Zone, please help find it".
And finally, the [Mercenary Department] was mostly used to register people who wanted to accept requests and register as mercenaries.
Most of the time, people would join one of the three main powers if they wished to help fight against the monsters or wished for some quick money, so nobody really visited that department since no one found it that efficient to start from scratch when you could get special equipment and training from one of the three powers… except for one individual.
.
.
Alright. With this, I should be fine selling all the crystals in the bag.
He thought while looking at his own backpack filled with crystals.
After he finished making his badge, he continued on to another stall right beside the one he went to for his badge. There, a young man was playing around on his phone. After he saw someone approaching, he placed the phone down and greeted them in a mechanical tone.
"Hello, how may I help-…?"
"I’m here to sell my materials."
Maybe because he was accustomed to seeing people dressed in full body armor, armed to the teeth, and even covered in blood, Darius’ appearance in a hoodie with simple military pants and boots seemed rather refreshing, maybe except for that black mask and sharp gaze barely covered by the shriveled long dark hair. He didn't look as dangerous as many others he has seen, but something about his gaze made the young man feel some type of pressure he had never experienced before.
"Y-yes! What type of materials?"
"Crystals."
"Alright. The amount and rank, please."
Darius nodded and took out from his backpack a whole bag filled with crystals, slamming it on the counter and saying calmly,
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
"256 Crystals. 81 are low-ranked, 32 are mid-rank, and the rest are the lowest. You can count them yourself. Take your time; I’m in no rush, but remember, I want my money in cash."
""…………..""
Let alone the poor guy behind the counter; even other soldiers or members of the 3 great guilds stared baffled at Darius, wondering just where he got all those crystals from.
All the attention made Darius frown. He never understood why the counter for material gathering was so open so everyone else could see the products. But at this point, Darius couldn’t really complain over this, simply waiting for the reward.
"S-sir! J-just how did you-"
"Hey."
Darius’ grave voice resounded, and the young man jolted in surprise. Looking up, he froze after making eye contact with his mean and cold gaze.
"Since when did it matter how I got my hands on the materials? Are you going to buy them from me or not? I’m not obliged to tell you anything."
"R-right! Forgive me for this. It is indeed a mistake to ask more questions than needed, sir. I will start counting in a moment. Meanwhile, please feel free to take a seat until we’ll calculate the monetary reward."
The one behind the counter showed Darius more seats near the wall, and he did just that, walking towards the rows of seats and sitting down while waiting for his reward, checking on his phone just to do something.
""…………..""
Soldiers, guild members, and even mages stared intently at Darius, as if trying to learn more things about him just by gazing at him.
And here is the first wave of questions…
Just as he thought that, a group of members from the Blue Spark approached him and, with amiable smiles, tried to start a conversation.
"Yo! Can we sit here?"
"As you wish."
Darius answered back indifferently while scrolling through his phone, but the guy who also seemed to be the leader of the group took it for a yes and sat down right beside Darius.
"Great! Thanks. We just finished our mission and are waiting for our reward as well. We had to go all the way to the edge of the city! Did you know that there are golems disguised as damaged buildings there? It’s crazy!"
"Ok."
""…..""
Darius’ short answers and indifferent air left the group a bit baffled, unsure how to approach him.
But after a bit, another member of the group sighed tired and simply interfered.
"Alright. Sorry dude, but we’re really curious how you were able to get your hands on so many crystals. Did monsters wage war somewhere near you and leave behind all those crystals? Just what happened?"
"Sorry, buddy, but that’s a secret. Unlike you guys, I’m an unaffiliated mercenary."
""What?!""
Everyone stared baffled at Darius and then another one shouted furiously at him, taking his gun and pointing to his head.
"So you’re just another bandit! You bastard, how dare you show your face here so brazenly?!"
It wasn’t strange for the group to accuse Darius of being a bandit.
There were many instances of groups of bandits who, after defending their base from monsters outside the safe area, were able to gather crystals in large quantities but weren’t sure how to sell them or exchange them for useful materials. Thanks to that, some bandits would disguise themselves as simple mercenaries and gather all those crystals to sell them together.
Of course, some were found out after doing so, and this caused the bandits to take other measures like selling through the black market. But this strategy greatly lowered the mercenaries’ image since they were, at times, even put in the same group as the bandits.
"Is it true, sir? Are you part of a bandit group?"
"Sigh~…."
Even the receptionist was baffled and stopped counting the crystals.
Sighing annoyed, Darius massaged his forehead and tried to come up with something.
I can’t believe I’m actually taken for a bandit, right after I decided not to join them. How stupid.
Darius then took out a badge from his backpack and showed it to the group and the receptionist, their faces palling for a moment.
"As you can see, I’m affiliated with the Elite Main Army. Or rather, I was. I left the elite squads of the Royal Guards. But nevertheless, it remains that not long ago I was part of the elites of the Human Coalition. So if I put my mind to it, I could easily hunt down hundreds of lowest and low-ranked monsters, together with even a few mid-ranked monsters. "Is everything clear now?"
The leader of the group took a step back, and after thinking for a while, he nodded while saying it in a solemn tone.
"We understand. I apologize for the grave mistake we committed. Jo, lower your weapon now. It’s improper."
"…."
The man named Jo who was still holding his gun at Darius’ head, continued to stare into his eyes, and for some reason, the more he looked, the more danger he felt, making him react impulsively.
"A-and just how can we be so sure? First of all, he could have easily gotten that from the black market, maybe… O-or maybe he joined a bandit group right after since he said he just left the elite-!"
"Are you done?"
"W-what?"
Darius was already irritated and impatient at this point. He got up slowly and stretched his hands, then took a step towards the guy, the muse of the gun now pressing on his chest.
"I’m asking you if you’re done. Because if you continue to step over me like this, then you better expect to have this gun shoved down your damn throat. Better put this toy down, or I’ll show you what the elites are made of."
"S-sir! Please forgive my subordinate; I will be sure to punish him accordingly afterwards. Jo! Put the God-damn gun down already!"
"Can’t do captain! This man is dangerous! I request to open fire!"
"What the fuck are you saying now, Jo?! Put it down!"
Sweat was covering Jo’s face while his arms were shaking. It was a weird phenomenon; Jo was literally frozen stiff by fear only by locking eye contact with Darius. He felt the same way as when they were ambushed by a Field-Boss-ranked monster and most of them died while trying to escape. It was carnage and a trauma that Jo will never forget. Now, for some reason, this man was giving him the same sense of danger, just like that catastrophe of a monster.
N-no… He’s even more dangerous! Just who—no, what is he?!
Is it because of my former experience as a corrupt being? It seems my aura’s especially strong against humans.
Darius was amused by this discovery while Jo’s breath was rushed and his eyes turned mad. He didn’t really wish to start anything, but at this point, Darius understood that if he took no action, then he risked his life.
Oh, maybe I won't need to move after all.
-TACK!-
"Gah!"
However, before Jo could do anything else, a muffed sound resounded, and his head shook, losing consciousness and falling right after.
"J-Jo?! Huh?"
The leader quickly grabbed his falling comrade when from thin air, a person appeared while his eyes shone in a blue light.
"A mage…?"
A young mage, around Darius’ age, with the ability of invisibility appeared behind Jo, him obviously being the one who knocked Jo unconscious.
"You. I suppose you’re the leader and direct superior of this guy, yes?"
"Y-yes sir."
The leader of the group saluted together with the others, showing great respect to the mage that just appeared. But the mage was not pleased; a deep frown was visible on his face.
"Since you’re the superior, then you better take responsibility for your men’s insubordination. A life could’ve been lost right now, and all you did was stand by the side. Just how are you controlling your men as a leader?!"
"I-I have no excuses, sir. We will return to the training camps and reflect on our actions for the next 2 weeks."
"… That’s appropriate. Very well, you may leave."
"Thank you, sir."
The mage nodded at the group, who also bowed their heads and retreated. After getting rid of them, the mage turned to Darius, who was now sitting comfortably on his seat, making the mage feel a bit disrespected since a normal soldier was sitting down in front of him.
"And you. May I know your name?"
"Daniel."
"Affiliation… You said you’re part of the Elite Squads of the Main Army?"
"Was. Now I’m a mercenary, so that means I have no obligation to answer any further, Mr. Mage. Telling you my name was just a formality."
The man’s eyebrows furrowed for a moment, but he understood that Darius was right. Since he wasn’t part of the main force, he had no reason to show any type of respect to his rank.
"You are perfectly right. But I must say that you are indeed suspicious. That’s not a small amount of crystals you received there. So I’m interested to know if you could maybe inform us of just how you got your hands on so many crystals."
"As I said before, that’s a secret, sir. No sane hunter would share his hunting spot with others. If I did that, I would win nothing, while you lot would get everything. If you can’t understand my standing, then we have nothing more to discuss, sir."
The man was momentarily stunned. He didn’t expect Darius to not be intimidated, even by that very based and justified question. Rather, he expected him to answer instantly so he could clear his name. But in place, he calmly gave back a valid argument in a polite tone, which placed the mage in a difficult position. He could easily push it further and corner Darius some more, but that would be just power-exploitation and harassment of the weak, staining his own name and the DRF guild he was part of.
"That’s indeed true as well... Alright, I won’t pry into this any further, but I need you to understand that you became a suspicious person, yes? We from SAA might have to keep an eye on you from now on."
"Keep an eye? For how long? And how will you compensate me for the inconvenience? You’re aware that you started suspecting me for absolutely no reason and with no proof, right? The discussion we are holding right now is also something I could ask for compensation since I’m literally being accused of crimes I’ve never committed, such as having my social status damaged even more than before. And suspect me of what? Being a bandit? Really? You guys actually just want to steal my crystals, am I right? Then you better find a better excuse, because I’m giving you none for free."
"W-wait a second. I think there has been a misunderstanding."
The mage was overwhelmed by Darius’ aggressive arguments but calm demeanor. He was completely right in his words about being wronged, and at this point, there were no more justifications for continuing this, only if he wished to make it worse.
Darius, on the other hand, was already sick of this conversation. He’s in a lot of need for cash right now, so the last thing he needs is to be under surveillance.
"Let us discuss this inside, shall we?"
"I have no reason to discuss this anywhere or to even continue this nonsense in the first place. Did you finish, sir?"
Darius shut down the mage, and after glancing at the receptionist and seeing him just staring like an idiot at them, he snapped and asked him while glaring at him like his next prey.
The young man jolted and immediately lowered his head, resuming his work.
"I-In a moment, sir!"
"Please hurry. Although I do have all the time, that would be the case if I were left alone and not pushed around like right now. As for you, sir Mage, is there anything else you need?"
"I…."
The mage wasn’t sure what to say anymore. Darius’ pressure bore no resemblance to what he was familiar with, so he felt like just bending and falling back. If he continued this subject, it would just seem like he had something against Darius.
"No… I apologize for the inconvenience."
"Apology accepted, but only this one time. If it happens again, I will expect compensation."
"… I will share your message with my colleagues."
"Please do."
He then sat back down, and the man nodded his head once again, only to disappear the next second.
After 5 more minutes, his materials have been processed, and the money has been presented in cash.
"F-for a lowest-rank crystal, the price is 500 rozoni; for a low-rank, it is 1.500 rozoni; and for a mid-rank, it is 2.500 rozoni, sir. Now the total would be-"
"That’s the pricing for damaged crystals. But I’m sure that not all of them were damaged, were they? Bastard, are you trying to rob me?"
"W-what?"
A lowest crystal, even if damaged or whole, would still be about 500 rozoni. But low-ranked and above, it really depended on whether the crystals were damaged or not. A whole crystal of a low-tier could reach 3k, while a mid-ranked crystal could reach even 5k. Although Darius knew that his own crystals weren’t really worth the whole price since the quality was indeed lower than a perfectly intact crystal, some of them surely weren’t worth just 1.5k or 2.5k.
"Fuck, I’m done with this bastard."
"W- sir! Please wait a moment-"
"My patience runs thin. Bring me someone who’s actually knowledgeable about crystals. Or I’ll be sure to write to the SAA a great complaint on your name, mister... Stuart."
"!!!"
Darius read the man’s name tag on his shirt and threatened, with the intention of robbing the SAA for as much as possible. The young man’s face paled, and he quickly got up and bowed his head in apology.
"S-sir! Please wait just a moment! I will bring someone who will be able to help you in a moment."
"Be quick."
At this point, Darius was already barring his teeth at the poor receptionist, the veins on his neck being as obvious as possible. Of course, this was just a show he put on, his true objective being only the money. He knew exactly with whom he could play it tough and with whom he had to still show respect, like with the mage from just now. Although he was in the right, if forced too much, the mage would’ve been able to retaliate for showing unnecessary aggression.