The Rail took no more than 6 hours to bring plex and I back to the Capital. That meant it could cover a day’s worth of travel in an hour.
The job had taken just about a week, given all the battles. And the only reason it didn’t take longer was because of my input.
Considering that this world was using magic instead of technology, I wasn’t sure if I should be impressed by the speed of the Rail or if that much should be expected.
Either way, when we pulled into the Capital’s junction, I sent out a message to someone who would surely be expecting it.
And by the time I had walked out onto the city streets, Rayla had already arrived. She found me with a bright smile.
“John!”
“Hi Rayla.”
I chuckled as she ran over, feeling a bit buttery inside.
She almost jumped toward me, wrapping me up in a tight hug. Unfortunately it hurt though, causing me to grunt as she aggravated some wounds.
“Oh! I’m sorry! Are you hurt?”
“No, it's fine. I just need a bit more time to recover.”
“We should get you to the hospital.”
“It’s fine-”
“No, you still need to get back to the Magisterium. You can’t have any lingering wounds when you go on your next trip, so let’s go.”
Not giving any room for refusal, Rayla linked with my arm and pulled me along to the Founder’s Market. I just acquiesced, partly because she was right and partly because I needed to see the Patriarch anyway.
Soon enough, we arrived at the hospital we always went to while doing jobs. Since my face and name were rather famous here, I was quickly given service.
One of the healers sent Mana throughout my body, fixing any internal wounds while pushing my natural recovery into overdrive. I felt my body turn hot, as if I was working out.
That process lasted for several minutes before my pain faded away and the healer finished. Then, I sat up, feeling hungry and thirsty but relieved.
After paying, we headed out and grabbed some food. Rayla knew what healing could do to the body, so she had already picked out a fast food place.
It was there though that she suddenly asked a question after not speaking for a while.
“Have you ever thought of using some Crowns?”
“What are those?”
I asked back at the mention of an unfamiliar term, prompting her to explain.
“Crowns are enhancements for the body. Because Warlocks and Summoners can’t strengthen their bodies like Knights can, there was one major advancement made many years ago by a Warlock Alchemist from the Church who went insane. She called them Crowns, and these Crowns could utilize the power of the Scourge and White Crystals to strengthen the human body in special ways similar to Knights.”
“That sounds dangerous.”
I nodded while thinking of the implications of such a technology. A woman had to experiment using materials from Scourge beasts and infusing them into her body while trying to squeeze out enhancements. Crystals from the Scourge were poisonous normally, so I didn’t even want to know what putting those materials inside your body would do.
And Rayla nodded in confirmation.
“It is dangerous, or was. In short, that Warlock named Madam Tracie ended up deliberately killing herself after going insane and gave her body for her research. The Church utilized her sacrifice and ended up perfecting the technology to some extent. It's been many years since then, and while getting your hands on a Crown is still expensive, it's not nearly to the degree of decades ago. For higher level Warlocks and Summoners, these Crowns are extremely valuable enhancements to their strength that can eliminate some weaknesses.”
“Mm.”
I hummed while munching down on some food.
These Crowns really did seem valuable, but I didn’t know enough about them to make a decision right now.
I responded while finishing my meal.
“I’ll have to ask Maxwell about them, then.”
“You should. I’ve known many Warlocks in the Military who have used them without side effects, and there are many that go beyond simply making your muscles stronger. I’ve heard of one that can enhance your vision several times over, something you might like.”
“That does sound interesting.”
I smiled while imagining what it would be like to have such powerful eyes. I wouldn’t even need scopes for my rifles.
Taking note of all this information, Rayla and I made our way over to the Tavera territories, arriving before their headquarters.
I was welcomed in, and Rayla followed me to the office of the Patriarch.
“Ah, John! Very good to see you in good health. Congratulations on the successful trip, and thank you for your good work. I’ve received a report from Ignov.”
The Patriarch stood, the two of us shaking hands before taking a seat.
I smiled, glad he was aware of everything.
“Yes, Patriarch. Although we lost some men and cargo, I would say it went rather well.”
“Indeed. I’m aware that your contributions were a major factor in our success. I don’t have all the details since Ignov is still busy over there, but his praises spoke enough. I believe you have a letter for me?”
“Mm.”
I took out the wax sealed letter and handed it to the Patriarch, who broke it open and read through the single page within.
He took a minute, nodding a few times, before setting it down with a thoughtful smile.
“I see. Well, I suppose that’s the only number I need. Tell me John, what was your kill count on this trip? Even a rough estimation is fine.”
“I believe the count was around 35.”
“So if all the enemies you killed had an average strength around Tier 3 or 4, then you would be receiving about 175 Gold Bullion for your kills. Along with the initial 85 and not even factoring in certain higher value kills, that makes at least 260 Gold Bullion for the job. With other factors, it’s actually more like 280 to 300. However, Ignov mentioned nothing about kill counts. Instead, he told me what to pay you directly.”
I was silent as the Patriarch made some rough calculations. And when he finished, he suddenly reached into a drawer, pulling out a wooden box.
He slid it toward me before sitting back and waving.
“Your payment for the job, John Cooper.”
“...”
I was curious as I slowly reached over and popped the latch of the box. Even Rayla couldn’t help but lean forward.
And opening the box, I saw 6 columns of glistening gold coin. With my quick mind enhanced by Psyka, I counted 100 coins in each column.
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That made 600 Gold Bullion, or 600 thousand coin. All for one week of work.
But I didn’t immediately take it. While the sight made me salivate, I was wondering why I was being paid double of what I deserved based on my kill counts.
The Patriarch explained as if reading my mind.
“In the report and letter, I was told that you did a fantastic job in killing enemy Warlocks, of which constituted most of your kills. However, establishing that kind of superiority did more than just kill others. You also saved my men. I had been expecting to lose at least half of that convoy since we’ve been stretched thin lately. But you, John, managed to cut those potential losses in half. This payment is for the lives you saved alongside the enemies you killed, and believe me, I value keeping Tavera lives more than delivering death to our enemies. So go ahead and dump that coin into your Card. You aren’t allowed to leave until you do.”
He spoke with a smile, making me scratch my head in embarrassment. It felt weird being praised like this, even if I also enjoyed it.
So while trying to look as humble as one could doing such a thing, I grabbed the rows of coin and tossed them into my Bank Card.
Just like that, my savings had doubled to reach over 1 million coin, or 1000 Gold Bullion.
Even then, it was still hard to believe that my services were worth so much. Though, that feeling conflicted with the undying pride I had in my guns. For now at least, I remained humble. Later I would have the time to sing my own praises about how totally awesome American violence was.
“Oh, some extra cigars for you as well. Don’t worry, the ones that normal humans can use are rather cheap, so just think of it as an extra bonus.”
The Patriarch also handed me a small box of cigars, ones identical to those I had received from Captain Ignov.
There were 30 inside the box, which I stashed into my Spatial Bracelet.
With that, my business concluded with the Patriarch. Just in case though, I notified him that I would soon be gone for a month on a hunting trip with the Magisterium. After all, I wouldn’t be able to take jobs for that duration. He assured me that was okay and gave his apologies for taking me away from school in the first place.
After that, Rayla and I left. It was currently evening, so Rayla would have to go to work soon. But until then, we decided to spend some time together at her place, her wanting me to recount my time on that trip.
So I did so until she left, after which I headed back to my dorm at the magic college.
……
…
“Where the hell have you been?”
“I seem to recall telling you that I would be gone for a bit.”
I responded while flinching away from the harsh voice of the Puppet Master.
I knew why he was unhappy. I missed over a week of training, and in only 6 more days, I would be heading out to finally fight the Scourge alongside the military.
Not that I hadn’t gotten any training in either. I would argue that fighting humans was much more difficult than fighting mindless beasts in every way. If I could preserve my life against an organized assault spanning several days, then I could survive against some monsters.
Mr. Puppet scoffed at my answer though.
“You told me you would be gone, but not for a week. You barely have any experience fighting my puppets, and you want to march onto a battlefield and fight Scourge Beasts? Do you not value your life?!”
“Hey, I at least wasn’t idle. Combat experience is combat experience, regardless of the enemy.”
“...Just how many people did you kill on this trip of yours?”
“A few dozen.”
“Hmph. Even with the threat of extinction, humanity can’t seem to put aside its own petty desires and squabbles. What a waste of lives.”
Mr. Puppet let out a deep sigh laced with a hint of contempt. He wasn’t disagreeing with what I did specifically, but the entire situation as a whole.
And I could understand. You’d think with the vast enemy that was the Scourge at their doorstep that humanity would come together under the threat of mutual extinction and devote everything they had to stopping it. But instead, there was infighting that resulted in the loss of countless lives. People that could put their efforts toward killing another beast were being wasted.
But the Kingdom of Dragon Tongue had been around for a long time, and that existential threat was no longer so bad. They had defended for so long and were numbed to the constant shadow of their enemies until they were able to ignore it. Only if they were on their last legs would they finally wake back up enough to feel themselves being drowned and overwhelmed.
Then again, that naivety could only be afforded by the sacrifice of those who stood at the forefront.
After feeling a bit somber myself, Mr. Puppet snapped me out of it.
“Whatever. This week you’re going to be doing nothing but training. I’ll set up scenarios every day for you and your teams. I suggest you learn everything you can and get used to these types of battles, because you’ll be facing it for real soon enough. Anyway, go ahead and get out there now. Regular hunting today, but I’ll modify things specially for you. Survive for the next two hours and I’ll consider today a good day.”
“Hmm.”
I hummed and walked out, entering the portal after throwing on the protective band.
Then, I was dropped into a mountainous region. There were hills, sheer cliffs, ravines, and mountains all around me.
And not long after appearing, I heard a somewhat distant roar.
It seemed I would be the prey instead today. So with a sigh, I picked my weapon, equipped my air mask, and started running.
……
“Hah… Hah…”
With labored breaths, I made it to the top of a small mountain. Then, I suddenly turned around, the barrel of my shotgun humming a tune as it followed.
A beast screamed from behind.
*SCREE!*
*BOOM*
The empowered slug took off its head, the body falling down the steep trail and crashing into several other corpses.
After that, I posted up behind a large boulder, taking out my rifle and getting ready.
A few hundred meters away, I could see around a dozen puppets running their way toward me.
For the entire time in this barren mountain range, I had been constantly hunted down by small groups of beasts that the Puppet Master no doubt controlled to attack me.
I used the land to my advantage since I couldn’t hide, constantly battling and running. There was no chance to sit still, because relaxing meant that I wasn’t killing an enemy that was coming toward me.
*BANG*
The scoped rifle in my hands accurately felled a monster below. At the same time, I saw a lance of magic appear beside another beast.
I didn’t so much as flinch when the lance flew and hit the boulder I was on top of. These beasts needed to be much more accurate if they wanted to hit me behind such advantageous cover.
*BANG*
I took out the monster that failed to distract me, moving on to the others and letting off more rounds.
By the time they were about to reach me, there were only three left. So I put away the rifle and took out a revolver in my right hand and a sawed-off shotgun in my left.
I fired the revolver, letting off all 6 rounds in the cylinder. With those rounds, only one monster died, the bullets not packing a heavy punch and not carrying much of my Psyka.
Now there was two left, and when the first one dove at me, I fired the shotgun.
*BOOM*
It blew its head off, but there was still another. I barely aimed again before firing.
*BOOM*
Another shell, but this time, I only took off an arm.
The monster still lunged toward me. It was big and shaped like an alligator with large claws and a huge mouth. Its tail thrashed violently while it screamed in pain, all the while it was still trying to kill me.
Just about every puppet I had killed wouldn’t stop trying to kill me unless I put it down. No injury would stop it, not even a blown off limb. That had caught me by surprise twice, and those two incidents were valuable experiences that taught me the difference between humans and these beasts.
So as I saw the claw of this beastly alligator coming at me, I thought of a few ways to combat it. Two of my guns were empty, and communing with another gun didn’t happen instantly. My next move wouldn’t consist of a weapon.
But I was a quick thinker, even before Psyka enhanced my mental faculties so much.
And using that quick brain of mine, I suddenly swung my shotgun.
*Smack!*
The alligator’s body was bashed to the side, the claw missing my body. Then, I kept swinging the heavy shotgun, beating its head into a pulp.
“Fuck. Off. You. Damn. Lizard!”
*SCREE*
It let out another loud sound before recovering and trying to attack again.
But right as it did, in my hand appeared a lever action rifle, which I placed against the alligator's head.
*BANG*
Its body collapsed as a new hole was created next to its eye socket. With that, I sighed and took a seat on the nearby boulder, finally being able to feel the cool breeze across my sweaty face.
I looked around into the distance. Because I was close to the top of a mountain, I could see the wider world. But that wider world was cut off by some kind of invisible wall, no doubt the bounds of this constructed place. I really wondered what kind of power allowed someone to just create miniature worlds like this one on a whim. Even the puppets were impressive because they seemed just like regular beasts.
It could obviously only be done by magic, but to think that any level of magic could allow someone to do this was absurd.
How were you supposed to kill someone like that? Was it possible, even with my guns, to ever pose a threat to that kind of existence?
It seemed impossible, even more so to think I could ever reach that height myself.
During my time in this world, I had never truly entertained the idea of reaching the highest pinnacle of power. It simply seemed too far away. For someone like me who came from another magicless world, I didn’t believe myself to be a part of that same system, so I didn’t even think it would be possible.
I would continue to build my power so long as I could. How far that would lead, I didn’t know. I’m sure I could do great things even if I only reached Authority 8 like Rayla.
But for now, the notion of reaching something like Authority 12 was completely beyond me. It didn’t even seem like a cool thought. It was just overwhelming, like thinking of every problem I would ever have to face throughout this life and packaging it all into a single box. In fact, I’m sure it entailed nothing less.
Ambition was good, but only up to a certain point. I could feel that as I thought about these things.
And soon enough, my time on this hunting ground was finished.
I was teleported out, appearing alongside several others who had also been hunting like me.