Fame point analysis was a fancy way of discussing FP usage with our mentor. The only way it’d involve his cooperation was if we wanted to use any of our points for increasing our stats, AKA training. When he lined us up, I already had an idea what the others would use them on. I, on the other hand, could do a while without pocket money, so I was looking to use my points on training.
But first, our sensei wanted us to be fully informed about our options, so we could make a wise and informed decision. He began with a lecture about the importance of balance, the equilibrium that one must maintain between their strengths and weaknesses. He spoke about the need to build on our individual strengths while also not neglecting the areas we were lacking in.
“A warrior who can strike like a tiger but has the endurance of a mouse, will fall at the first sign of prolonged battle,” he said, explaining further with more metaphors. Honestly, the conversation was a bit more poetic than I was used to from him, but I kept my attention locked in, until I sensed Ash fidgeting beside me. I turned my eyes to her and asked softly, “What’s wrong?”
The look on her face said pain before she admitted in a whisper, “I’m hungry.”
I smiled. “Try not focusing on your loud gurgling stomach. It’ll help pass the time.”
“Reina said she was going to make breakfast, and I believed her.”
I chuckled. ‘First mistake was assuming she meant for the entire house.”
She turned her head to me and begged, “Got another Snickers bar on you?”
“I’m not the candyman, Ash!” I jested. “You just happened to catch me at a good time.”
“But I’m starving!” she said, her voice above a whisper. Immediately, Master Hayashi turned to her and called her out.
“You, up front,” he ordered, Ash straightening up. “Now.”
“Hai!” Ash ran to him, Hayashi immediately turning her body to face us with his hands on her shoulders.
“This is a perfect example of discipline training. Take Ashley here. A young female who is obsessed with food. It will become her downfall, but she can be saved with much guidance and steady diligence,” Master Hayashi continued, looking at each one of us. “A lack of control over one’s needs and urges is akin to a gaping hole in one’s armor. She may be the swiftest runner or the strongest fighter, but when her hunger strikes, she falters.”
Ashley stood there mortified as Master Hayashi went on with his lesson, using her as a living example of vulnerability and a life lesson we all needed to think about. “In moments of trials, your enemy will exploit your weaknesses.”
There was a seismic growl of Ash’s stomach in response to his words. I winced – it sounded like she hadn’t eaten in days, not just since this morning. But Ash only bowed her head and said, “Hai, sensei.”
“So Ashley, tell me, who are you? The very spawn of gluttony, or a sharp minded, invested hunter of the Corp?”
“I am a hunter, sir!” she said immediately, straightening her pose and posture.
“And what do you stand for?”
“My oath, sir!”
“More specifically….”
“The people!” Ash continued to shout confidently. “I am ready to lay down my life for the betterment of society! Screw those blood-thirsty savage shadow-walkers!”
He tapped her shoulder. “Good. I want you to remember that before you blow your hard earned Fame Points on sugary sweets and fattening snacks. Now, get back in line.”
“Hai!” Ash dashed back to me, blushing with embarrassment and determination. She took her place in line, standing herself tall and rigid, keeping her eyes on our mentor as he continued with his lecture. Ash’s face shone with an intense resolve, while mine was getting red from trying not to laugh.
“You might have read an explanation before, but allow me to give you a thorough breakdown. I’m a firm believer of remembering matters that are spoken aloud opposed to being read internally. That way, it becomes part of the subconscious mind. Let’s go over your system’s stats sheet from the very top. Career level—this is simply the year of hunting you’re in. Year one to three. Four if you’re lucky. It goes without saying that a meta-human’s abilities peak between the ages of 18-21. There are exceptions, such as my case, but when dealing with the norm, don’t expect a career beyond the 3rd year. On the left of your stats, beyond your name, gender, and age, is your current rank. Career level ranks between rank one bronze, to rank five diamond. For each rank, you must have an accumulative FP requirement. Right now, none of you have a rank. That’s because you aren’t official hunters yet. When you become listed, you will start off as bronze. Once you accumulate 7,000 Fame Points, Silver. Gold requires an accumulation of 14,000 Fame Points. And so on and so forth. It also goes without saying that the higher your rank, the more the Corp expects of you. Your contract payouts also increase, but your hunter game profits will remain the same. If you don’t have any questions, I will move on to the next section, Fame.”
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“I have a question,” Gun said, raising his hand.
“Shoot.”
“Exactly how much do our contract profits increase in relation to our rank?”
“You’ll see for yourself when you get that far,” he said flatly. “Right now, you shouldn’t be concerned about payouts prior to your evaluation. Now, for Fame. This yields a percentage according to your general popularity. Unfortunately, in this career, the media is your best friend. The more those pretty little faces are out there, the more you are recognized, and the more good deeds you perform, the higher this percentage gets. It is important to the Corp that this number rises. For me, not so much. The number is great for gaining sponsors, fans who are willing to pay out to support you and your efforts. They contribute in many ways, but we will get to that later. Infamy works the opposite way. The Corp frowns on this number increasing. This means that you are not likable. Strangely enough, there are a few twisted minds out there that enjoy seeing this number rise, and you can become popular for being a heinous brat. However, if it gets to 80%, the Corp is well within their power to revoke your hunter rights.”
“Like Ramus,” I added.
“Or that cowboy guy with the pork belly slogan,” Ash beamed.
Hayashi deadpanned us, drawing his eyes away restlessly. “Right….”
“They went MIA so suddenly. The corporation didn’t even mention them leaving. Soon after, people stopped talking about them. We always had a hunch why, but now we know for sure,” Felix added.
“If you value your time here, you will be on your best behavior. Simple enough? Good. Next, HG-HP. These are Hunter Game health points. Your HG-Vitality feeds your health points. The higher your health points, the longer you can survive in a round of the games before you have to respawn. As you know, the arena is set up to be non-lethal, for good reason, where the system is geared to reward longevity. You’ll rely on these points and your respawn tokens to rank as high as possible in the tournament. Stamina is self-explanatory, and so are your skills, mentor, FP, and FP accumulation. The last item I want to talk about on the left is your respawn tokens. And the only reason I’m bringing this up again is because of how important it is in the games. An important factor to mention is that sponsors give these tokens out. This is the only avenue you have in place to receive all specialty items for the games. While respawn tokens aren’t necessary to win a round of the tournament, it does help. It is also important to note that they are not cheap for the social class most of your fans are in, so if a sponsor gives you one, just know that sponsor is investing in your future. It also means to remember to use those tokens sparingly.”
“How much are they a pop?” Gun asked.
“Usually around $1,000.”
Shit?! Seriously?
“Before the games begin, your respawn tokens are group-tallied to a maximum of five per team. Every time a player uses a token, that number drops, and it isn’t replenished. Whatever you don’t use will be available for the next match, and potentially, the next series. You are not able to trade or buy tokens for yourself. The benefit of these tokens is to implement immediate entry back into the games. Otherwise, there is a 25 second wait time for a team on standby mode. That counter may not seem long, but I’m sure some of you if not all are familiar with the broadcasted games, and 25 seconds could be a big deciding factor of earning potential. Questions?”
“Just one,” Felix said. “Do hunters have any way of communicating with sponsors?”
“They do, and those contacts are heavily monitored. As you’d imagine, cheating is very likely, and has happened in the past, where hunters pay sponsors to collect respawn tokens and items. In addition to contactless interactions, meeting sponsors in person is also carefully monitored. Private sessions of any kind are not allowed.”
That goes without saying….
“On your right, you have your attributes: Endurance, Strength, Agility, and Dexterity. These four attributes weigh heavily on not only your performance in the games, but in your contracts as well. Which brings me to my last point, feeding your attributes. If you want to make it far as a hunter, you will build these stats. With Fame Points, you can do just that. Invest a number of these points and you will qualify for a lesson with me. Successful completion of the training will equate to an increase in that stat.”
“What about items?” Gun asked.
Hayashi raised an eyebrow at Gun. “What about them?”
“You haven’t gone over them yet!” he insisted as he smiled.
“They are objects or features gifted by your sponsors that give you an edge,” he said pretty unenthusiastically too, if I might add. It seemed that Gun might have jumped the gun with that question, Hayashi probably not done emphasizing the importance of building our stats. “Like I said, sponsors help hunters in a variety of ways. To get these items, you must perform tasks pertaining to your everyday lifestyle. Of course completing these mini assignments are for you to decide. It is not a requirement. But if you want to keep your fan base, you’d have to complete at least a few of them. Keep your fans happy, and they will continue to reward you with these worthwhile items. They also contribute to the Hunter Games. Each sponsor has a donation bank that pays out in the event that you hit 1st or 2nd place in any bracket in the tournament. Once that bank depletes, they are allowed to immediately replenish it. The corporation gets a percentage of those donations, but not your prize money for winning the tournament.”
“Really? How much is that exactly?” Reina asked.
“30%”
“That’s a decent amount!” she protested.
“Deal with it. That number hadn’t changed for years. You’re lucky it’s not half at this point. The rest of your stats are nothing special. And now that I’ve done a complete overview, you are now ready to make informed decisions about how you’d like to spend your FP. So, how many of you would like to train with me?”