Chapter 48 048: Bounty No1 I

Cole followed the worker to the side of the massive store. He noticed there was booth of sort there, and quite a few of them were occupied. Cole was let into it as the portly worker dumped a catalog on Cole's lap.

"that's our catalog. Everything we have for sale in this store can be found within those pages, however if you would be so kind as to tell me your budget, and exactly what you are looking for in any armor and weapons and I will be happy to give you suggestions based on what you can afford." Cole nodded his head and thought for a few moments before finally speaking.

"My budget is 500 Tigons, and I'd like anything that's fashionable but catered to stealth, as for weapons I would love a rifle, one that I can use to snipe at my targets from afar… a pair of powerful yet swift revolvers, a sword single edge preferably, and two daggers, or a set rather of throwing weapons."

"For 500 Tigons sir we can get you a silver ranked rifle or sword, while the rest would be iron Rank weapons. I'm not so sure however that what is left will get you the clothes you need. At least not a high ranking set sir. Should I send for defensive ranked clothing?" the worker asked, but Cole shook his head still looking through the catalog.

"Add another 200 Tigons to that budget, and make sure the clothes are also silver ranked, or as close to it as you can get. Now you give me a suggestion based on that."

There was no reason to be frugal with money, so far Cole had been successful through the first floor mainly due to the fact that he had good equipment to help him by. And now that he was in a higher floor where the difficulties were higher and the enemies that much stronger, there was no wisdom in splurging.

In the original Titan Rising Online, money was quite important. Unlike most games where the grind for exp and materials were the bread and butter of their core mechanics. In Titan Rising Online there was nothing you couldn't get and no problem you couldn't solve without money.

Even if you wanted to get your equipment custom made from scratch, using some of the rarest materials in the universe, if you had enough cash, you could get it done. But base buildings, vehicle maintenance, and a bunch of other things needed money too, and the more of it you had, the easier you gameplay, and even more so when the currency of the game like be converted to deal life money and used to get things IRL.

"Well sir, since you seem willing to spend a lot of money on outfitted yourself, how about a custom job? Everything you need would be made exactly to your specification with the most top notch of materials and you will even spend less." Cole raised an eyebrow before saying.

"While that sounds extremely enticing, I don't have that much time to spend in town waiting for a custom job my friend. As you can see I don't even have anything on me, and being idle is not exactly my thing as I would like to get a start on some bounties. A custom job with keep me here for days if not weeks, and I have a Target that I have to get to." Cole said as the worker nodded his head.

"on the contrary sir, we have the beast leather, silk, metal, and cloth workers. Not to mention some of the best if not the best enchanters and Mechanics this side of the western frontier, we deliver goods from here to the capital Verdant Viloria and even to the border cities of Evergreen Caman. Regardless of what you choose, you will get your orders primed and ready in at most four hours.

And if waiting four hours is a it of a bother to you, we can provide with basic Weapons and armor, as well as a bounty to go along with it. It's not too hard but it should be able to keep you busy while your orders are being prepared. So sir, what do you say about that?"

It would be a lie to say Cole wasn't interested, it also meant that he could also get a bounty without having to go to the station to get one. But even at that, he had to be sure just what sort of fuck test he was about to get himself into.

"What sort of bounty?" he asked as he placed the Catalog on the table in front of him.

"Oh! This is it right here!" the worker said as a notification screen popped up in his face.

[<Second Floor Bounty Quest (1/10): Bob's General Store, Saloon and Hotel sits on a series of old mine shafts that stretch deep into Dodo mountains in the distance. Somehow a dungeon has formed within it's depths and is now spawning monsters from within. Clear the first floor of it's monstrous denizens to reduce the danger of an outbreak!/ Reward: 100 Tibons Per Monster!]

It didn't seem to be anything too hard, and Cole was even smart enough to read in between the lines of the quest… this was something you could repeat a couple of times, or perhaps there might even be more bounty quests that would take you deeper into the dungeon as the quest had said to clear only the first floor, and not the entire dungeon.

"Is there a reason why you guys haven't just cleared the entire dungeon? If there is danger of an outbreak, isn't just clearing the first floor a little redundant, you would be putting quite a few people in danger with such a stunt." Cole said, letting a little edge into his voice… he was probing.

Cole was the customer, and he had heard his father tell him once that the customer is always right and that your money is your power. You get to be jerk to anybody as long they need your money, Cole was fishing for information…. Perhaps it would be easier to just ask and he might receive and answer, but getting the worker on the back foot would be a lot easier as people under stress tend to have loose lips.

"Hahaha on the contrary sir, we have bounty hunters going deep into the dungeon, they have been doing it for years. However this particular dungeon is so peculiar in that in all the years people have been diving it in the hopes of clearing it, there have never been able to find the dungeon core room, even when the reach the bottom floor, the find nothing.

Then they leave and before they return again the dungeon has made a couple more floors and spawned them with stronger monsters. We're at an impasse with the dungeon, but it is a constant stream of income for the store and for the bounty hunters that come here.

This way we get materials, the bounty hunters get money, and we keep the monster population curtailed and controlled. I hope this suffices an explanation sir." The worker asked as he gave Cole a very honest smile.

Cole nodded to him as he got up and said to the worker. "Well I believe this is where you lead me to the people that would take my custom order, and then point me in the direction of your dungeon."

"Of course sir, please just come this way."

Cole followed behind the worker as they moved past few aisles, before going up a set of stairs they led them up to the second floor. There were even more things on display here and Cole could not help but marvel at what he was seeing.

He took a breath and let it sink in, he was sure he was not the only person to have realized by now that this was not just a game…. This was a whole new world in front of him. Perhaps it was just a shade of a piece of the universe it belongs to, but everything here is real, the lives, relationships the emotions. Sure you will find a couple artificial intelligence and NPCs inserted to make it more game like, but this was a world.

Besides it was only in the first floor that NPCs and AIs we're prevalent. So far he hasn't seen anything or anyone that gave a computer generated vibes. Everyone just felt like…. People.

"If I may sir, I would like to suggest that you get a Shirechester Bolt Action Rifle. It will be customized for you of course, but this particular gun has the highest range in shots, and a not too powerful recoil, however it is all in exchange for power. So if you don't hit precisely, you might not be able to kill your target. And in consideration for your size and since you favor stealth, a lighter yet more precise rifle would serve you better than one that relies on power." Cole nodded his head in agreement, this was a good idea, he raised his head to worker and asked.

"What about for the revolvers?" the smile on the workers face seemed downright sinister for a moment as he said.

"Well I do believe I have just the right pair in mind sir….. how do you feel about demons?"