Chapter 75: Stories

Chapter 75: Stories

Jeez, Yeo flicked the blood from his kusarigama onto the grass at his feet. How many of you are they going to send?

As many as it takes, the wounded Shikari across from him growled, leaning heavily on his broadsword. Dozens of weeping, crisscrossing wounds covered the mans body. His chest rose and fell with heavy breaths as he struggled to gain the energy to attack again.N0v3lRealm was the platform where this chapter was initially revealed on N0v3l.B1n.

Maybe theyre just using me to dispose of the trash, Yeo offered, spinning his kusarigama at his side. Did you piss someone off recently?

You bastard! the man let out a bellowing roar and charged Yeo. A black line carved through the air. Blood splattered across Yeo as the man fell apart, carved into half a dozen neat pieces.

Seriously? Yeo cursed, wiping his face off. What are you doing? Do you have any idea how long it takes to make my hair look right in the morning?

A thin man stepped out from thin air, a slender black blade held loosely in his left hand. Long hair hung over his shoulder in a ponytail. A deep, ragged scar ran along one side of his temple to the other, right across his closed eyes.

You were playing with your food.

I was training, Yeo snapped.

Training against a weak opponent is not training. You must seek challenges.

Bah. Hes only weak if I use your stupid sword, Yeo said, pulling the black hilt out and staring at it in disgust. Boring not to mention completely useless in the long run. Im trying to train my Essence here, not just win.

The thin man didnt respond. He set off down the cobbled road and Yeo fell in behind him.

That marks the fifth Shikari that has come after you, but he too was a third rank. Even with your refusal to use the tools at your disposal, you are still performing admirably. If you would just toss aside these foolish plans, you might actually improve at a respectable rate.

Nope. That wasnt the deal, Yeo said with a cheerful grin. Im not looking for a shortcut. I want to be a real cultivator, not a beggar licking the scraps of someone elses path. Unlike you.

The mans scarred brow creased in anger. Watch your words, impudent child. I am your teacher, not your friend.

And Im also the only person you talk to. Yeo rolled his eyes. Its not like youve got much choice, big man. Im fulfilling my part of the deal. No part of it included sucking up to you. Besides, you cant possibly want me to just walk around praising you. That would get boring so quickly.

I couldnt imagine, the scarred man said dryly. Do you even remember my name?

Uh lets move on. Names are such a trivial thing, you know? There has to be something more important coming up soon. Dont we have something to kill?

Reas. Is that so difficult to remember? My name is Reas.

Sure, sure. Yeo waved a hand dismissively. Look, can we get to the fun part? You promised me that there was a really good way to train somewhere over here, but Im not seeing it.

Thats because we havent even gotten to the forest yet, Reas said. Its two more days of travel. We could have just gone directly there if you hadnt insisted on going the scenic route. I do believe I warned you this would happen.

Bah. Going directly there is stupid. Yeo crossed his arms. A real story would have a long, arduous journey leading up to things.

Reas raised an eyebrow.

Okay, I didnt think it would be quite this boring, Yeo admitted, his shoulders slumping. I was hoping there would be more. Bandits, or something. You know? Not just a bunch of Shikari.

They bid him farewell and set back off along the path. Just like the merchant had said, after only a minute or two of walking, they reached an intersection between two major roads. It wasnt anywhere near as busy as Gleams streets, and Chance was able to easily make out a long stone board at the edge of the street.

It was covered with papers that had been slotted into it, and half a dozen people stood along the board, studying the offerings on it. Chance and Bella joined their ranks.

The merchant had been right there were certainly a lot of offers. The jobs on the papers ranged from tasks as simple as helping to clear debris from fights around the city to more traditional jobs like hunting monsters on the world below to collect specific parts. The pay on them ranged fairly widely, but the majority of the jobs paid between one and five contribution points.

Thats a pretty decent conversion rate, Bella said, rubbing her chin. But I do think this would technically be faster than trying to earn the supplies in Gl a scholar city, assuming you progressed at a normal pace without winning any tournaments or the like.

So Chance waggled a hand back and forth and made a face. Bella nodded.

Yeah. It might not be a bad idea at all. Its better than wandering around on the ground aimlessly, but I get the feeling that housing is going to cost contribution points as well.

It does, a man beside them said. Five a week.

So basically one slightly more difficult job, Chance said. Thats not too bad. If we did eleven jobs a week, we could probably afford some fairly useful gear.

The cultivator chuckled. I remember thinking the same thing. Dont get me wrong, the Dancing Cloud sect have some great offers, but its not so easy to go around hunting monsters all day. Youll be lucky to do one or two quests before having to pay for healing and losing most of your money. You two new cultivators?

Newish, Chance said.

A few months is pretty new, after all.

Id suggest sticking to some easier ones, then. Less risk, and itll give you some time to get to rank two. You dont want to get into debt from getting injured too quickly, the cultivator advised. He pulled a paper from the board and rolled it up, stuffing it into a pocket. Once you decide on something, just find one of the guardhouses and show it to them so they can put it in your name.

Thanks for the advice, Bella said. Do you know if the quests on the other boards are the same as the ones on this one?

Just about.

Good to know. Oh, do you happen to know how much it costs for a teleportation to a specific location?

Around one hundred contribution points, if I recall correctly, the cultivator replied. I havent had much reason to use it since its much safer to just hang around here. Good luck, though.

He headed off, merging with the thin crowd. Chance and Bella returned their gazes to the board.

What do you think? Bella asked.

Cant hurt to stick around for a bit, Chance said. He pulled one of the papers from the board. What about doing this? It pays five contribution points and just involves killing something called Windchuckers. Have you heard of those?

Ive never fought any, but I think Ive heard some Shikari mention them before, Bella replied. I dont recall them saying they were very strong.

We could ask the guards before we accept the job.

As good as an idea as any, Bella said with a nod.

Chance rolled the paper up and stuffed it into a pocket. They left the board, crossing the street and heading in search of a guard post.