Although the populace didn't know how Fluxers works, the method to become one was an open secret. However even if they knew, they couldn't reproduce it. One literally needed to be born with a silver spoon to have a chance to become a Fluxer.
When the principal presented the new Fluxers in the graduation ceremony, Tang Ling could tell, eyes closed, that their parents' net worth reaches the fifty thousand range. These rich kids smelled special, to say the least.
For the very, very rich, they would eat and drink something related to Flux. Either it is the meat of ferocious beasts or treasured herbs which their parents spent hundreds or thousands of credits to buy one. As long as their child exhibit even the slightest of talent, they would spend lots of money to nourish their child in preparation for drinking the Fusion Reagent!
250 000 to 300 000 Credits for a try!
With enough material resources, one could try indefinitely. Well, even the mayor didn't have money to try it more than a few times.
Tang Ling didn't blame them, what's the use of money if they can't spend it? To give the result of their hard work to strangers? It's the epitome of stupid! He, himself, used the thousand credits to improve the condition of his family and close ones; not for the old stranger next door.
The theory behind it is that when eating flux creatures and plants, your body becomes accustomed to Flux energy. It will become easier for you to absorb the flux out of the regeant and form a Broken Vessel.
What is a Broken Vessel?
It is the container of Flux. However, like its name suggests, it's broken and Flux continuously dissipates every second. It's like putting water on a cracked jar.
The later stage wasn't disclosed to the public and was strictly moderated by high-ranking officials. However, no matter how iron-fist the government is to protect the information, the fact that it was inevitable that some pieces of information leaked.
It is also revealed in an obscure forum that the next stage of the Broken Vessel is to slowly restore it; so to reduce the leaking until it can only be used up when a Fluxer makes a move.
Tang Ling believed that when hunters performed a great performance, they could become fluxers. In fact, he suspected that the black-feathered guy was almost approaching Fluxer level. If not already.
In silence, Tang Ling entered the open gate and took out his pass for the guard to see.
As stated above, although the authority made all sorts of actions to restrict the informations, if you were willing, you could learn bits of information there and there. Especially in a city like Bao Feng City where intranet monitoring is non-existent.
'I should go prepare.' Tang Ling thought. The underground is different from the wild. The constraint was more severe, with limited vision and space.
To this effect, he needed something to deal with that two plus, the tools to extract the resources he sees. However, these things ain't cheap. A simple lamp or something is cheap and the battery works for ten hours but it only provides the basic lighting tool.
There's also a space constraint that he couldn't do much about it but it should be okay since most spaces could be fought with the majority of weapons. What's important however was, with vision, the tools. In the underground, although the occasional loot from beasts is good, it isn't the prime source of income.
Tang Ling looked at his phone and clicked at the doc.u.ment that the man gave.
[Guide for Newbie Hunters (Dread Wasteland Edition)
Hello! It's me, Jarvin! No matter if you're a newbie hunter who just started or a veteran hunter coming to these lands, you all have to buy this guide (smirk face)!
Anyway, as you may know, the Dread Wasteland is different from most hunting grounds in the continent. Here, the wild is sparse and you will be hard-pressed to even find a rabbit here. Although specialized beasts may thrive here, it's a lot better to just go to another area. However, if you're remotely interested in hunting in this area, you'll already know that the real thing is underground.
Here's a rough overview of the underground network :
A-01: Excellent
A-02: Barren
A-03: Bad
Bao Feng 01: Medium
Bao Feng 02: Medium
Bao Feng 03: Good
Thousand Bones Entrance: DANGEROUS! (not shown in the map)
Glix 02: Good
Glix 03: Excellent
Glix 04: Medium
B-01: Bad
B-02: Bad
B- 03: Barren
Swamp of Oide: Acidic Swamp, Excellent plant, and medium ore deposit. Do not enter!
...
Greysteel Minecity: Abundant (lots of untapped potential !) but is being excavated by officials.
Ect.
There's also some forbidden places listed above and you should never, ever set foot here. Some are state secrets and others have particular characteristics that can kill even the most experienced hunter.
At the counter, you can try buying a Night Vision Potion (3 hours) for 100 credits or patrol (pay: 15~75 credits included). There are also some old pickaxes to borrow or buy however, you can always try your luck in the 'garbage' deposit next door, there may have some valuable second, third-hand items.
Common beasts you may encounter are :
One Star Grey Rat: Even a child can kill it but is dangerous in a group of 10 or more (usually 15)
Two Stars Underground Bat: Easy kills, can suck blood and cause disease (get an antidote !) but the rewards are paltry compared to the efforts.
Three Stars Cave Wolf: Agile, fast, hunts in packs of around three. A little stronger than the common wolf on the surface.
Four Stars Tymu: Bipedal sloth-, bear-like beasts. A single slap can crush bones.
Five Stars Cave Bear: Stronger than bears, the apex predator of this region. Common weapons are trifling matter before them.
Seven Stars Underground Rat: Weaker than Grey Rats but are always in a group. If you see one, run! Ask assistance from the Hunter's Association. Do not even try to fight alone, they're at least in the thousands !]
There was a lot of information to digest so Tang Ling took a break and knew that tomorrow, he should take a look at the Hunter's Association.
For now, he should get the so-called 'feeling' and try out the advice in the forum.