Chapter 59: No.59: First Encounter With Mutants / OP Bruce
It was an Extraction type Quest, to be specific, but was classified as a Gathering due to the nature of it.
The reason for it viewed an Extraction Type, being that the location of the Quest was in a relatively dangerous area.
It was dangerous, not because a particular terrifyingly powerful creature resided in it, but rather, due to the unique nature of the Quest in particular, as well as the location.
It was deemed dangerous by
Deep within the Whispering Caves, the sound of metal striking hard repeatedly against some sort of Ore travelled sharply throughout the enclosed cave.
The sound bouncing off the Cave surfaces as it echoed deeper into the depths beneath, as though unbothered by the creatures that dwelled within.
Diligently mining the Crimson tinted Ores that gleamed slightly in the dark encompasses of the Cave, a Suited young man with a flashlit touch attached to the helmet he wore continued digging against the regions around the ore to better extract it from the base.
Making sure to apply the right amount of power behind each strike as to not damage the glowing Crystal again, as he found them surprisingly fragile to him, the young man eventually dug it up safely.
Placing the huge Blood-Ore next to the pile of other ones he’d extracted already, some of which had shattered under the impact of his strike when he accidentally ended up hitting them whilst trying to harvest it, causing them to shatter under his absurd strength, Bruce sighed gently as he briefly stared at the pile.
"That should be more than enough already."
Muttering to himself, he nodded in satisfaction upon being able to mine about three tonnes of Blood-Ore, as opposed to the one tonne, required to complete the Quest.
The flashy sword still rested in the hilt strapped to his waist, while the broad shield also hung on his back despite not using either at the moment.
Though odd, as he could’ve easily chosen to store them in his Spatial Bracelet rather than having to carry them as he worked, Bruce decided against it for multiple reasons.
The most, being that he received a significant Stat boost simply by equipping it. Or in this case, being in contact with them.
This was one of the main reasons why Bruce was able to tolerate the idea of having to spend such absurd amount of money on mere equipment that he didn’t even know how to properly handle in the first place.
Each item offered a certain boost to a particular Stat, provided they were still in contact with the wielder, despite still being merely Tier-1 items.
According to his recollection, items were divided into multiple Tiers, based on their functionality and importance, ranging from; Tier-0 to Tier-7.
The former, being mundane items that couldn’t offer anything extraordinary, whatsoever to the wielder. Whereas the latter, were capable of empowering individual and displaying feats even far beyond ones imagination.
Naturally, this increased the cost of such rare and desirable items. Causing them to cost Billions, with some even costing Trillions of Kepto, just to attain them.
As such, even a mere Tier-1, that only offered significant boost to one particular Star, often ranged from hundreds of thousands, to even millions.
Though neither his Suit, nor his Spatial Bracelet offered any Stat increase despite being in a higher Rank than his other flashy equipment, they still classified as such due to the unique features they displayed.
Walking towards the pile of Blood-Ores near him, he gently placed his hand atop the pile. Causing his Bracelet to glow a soft teal hue as space seemed to warp and distort around the pile before... Vanishing.
This resulted in his OmniBand briefly lighting up, informing him that he’d used up another slot in his Spatial Bracelet.
Unsheathing his sword, he swiftly brandished the blade against the Mutants, cutting their heads in a single slash.
The action, a bit stiff and lacklustrous, was vividly making his inexperience with the weapon apparent at a glance.
However, it didn’t matter.
What he lacked in skill with the blade, could be covered by his overwhelming Stats, which made him able to easily claim the Mutants lives without stress.
A notification appeared immediately after, on killing them, informing him of the rewards he achieved at the kill.
Rather than being part of the system itself, it seemed like the System was simply informing him of what he achieved from the kill, rather than the one involved in rewarding him.
Afterall, it had clearly stated before that it only awarded based on his Ability to spoil Beauty that had been bonded to him.
Briefly glancing at his OmniBand, Bruce calmly stared at the Quest feature, that displayed.
{Ongoing Quest Status}
{Completed:..}
{Yes} {No}
Deciding not to click the ’Yes’ icon yet, Bruce swiped against the screen.
The screen, now displaying a miniaturized version of the Suit, showed it tinted fully in green while displaying it’s functionality and time
{Hunter Suit (Tier-2)}
{Current State - Fully Operational}
{Oxygen Supply Limit Duration- 12hr (X2)}
{Time Left before depletion}
{13hrs: 52mins: 33secs}
{13hrs: 52mins: 32secs}
{13hrs: 52mins: 31secs}
.....
Having spent about three hours to get to the Whispering Caves, it took about two hours exploring the depth of the Cave before finally finding the Blood-Ore. Then he spent roughly another five to six hours mining the Ores before finally completing the Quest. Leaving him with a little over 13-hours before he ran out of Oxygen completely.
Sighing slightly at the sight, Bruce shifted his gaze to the dozen or so corpses that now littered the ground surrounding him.
The bodies, resembling a grotesque mix of a mole and a huge dog, as two pairs of dark slits where it’s eyes should be laid permanently sealed on its head, while a long pink, repugnantly squishy snout pressed limp against the ground.
Their size, about a metre and the half tall, still appeared big even as it laid dead on the ground. It’s six limbs, equipped with razor sharp claws, layed mildly stiffened with rigor Mortis.
Each level upgrade provides a +2 increase to all base Stats.
But in most case, a lvl 1 Hunter often had the Base Stats ranging from 5-7.
Meaning, a lvl 2, 3, 4, e.t.c, had a base Stats of around 9-11, 13-15, 17-19, and so on.
This applied to most Awakened/ Hunters, except an extremely rare few whom received more due to certain... Anomalies. Enabling them to process Stats far higher than their level suggests.
One of which now included Bruce, whom possessed the Strength of a lvl 17, the Agility and Charisma of a lvl 9, the Endurance of a lvl 7, and the Stamina of a lvl 6.
All these, coupled with the Stat increase he received from the equipment he wore, which provided boost to certain stats, as well as the ability to enhance his Stats to even greater heights by harnessing Mana, all these made him a force to be reckoned with.
"You guys are the one Trapped here with me!" {Ending}
This occurred for every Awakened Hunter, except exceptional individuals whom receive more due to certain anomalies.
***Note- Registration to become a Hunter was technically free. But one had to pay a lot for even a rudimentary Hunter Suit which was essential to survive outside the City, much less the other equipments required for survival outside. With all these, Summer couldn’t afford to risk becoming a Hunter as, though the pay was good, it required time before one was eligible to take on higher Ranked Quests which was where the real money was. Other than a mere Novice or Junior Hunter whom only collected a decent pay till they completed enough Quests required for them to Rank up.
Not to mention, the amount they earned had to be divided amongst their party members, so it wasn’t worth the risk and she didn’t have the privilege of time on her side.***
Wasn’t sure exactly how it worked, but with his knowledge of these kinds of things, he had an inkling of how it functioned essentially. As in- The equipments affect/effect over ones stats.€
Note- Gym instructor set her price to an absurd amount, as she didn’t want to teach anyone. But, even when one is able to meet the payment, she still rejects them if they don’t meet her standards or she simply doesn’t like them.
Hence, her ratings were extremely low, but her qualifications far surpassed most of the other gym instructors around.
But on seeing how she looked, as well as the qualifications she possessed, Bruce made up his mind on having her as his instructor.
Current Rebate Coins - 567.75 » 267.75 »
New RC- {417.75 » 816.75}
*Current Kepto Balance - 8,597,582KPT 8,590,328 KPT » 55,897,582KPT. + 9600» 55,906,942KPT {current amount}
People could also use money to buy equipment that adds stat once equipped. However, such equipments costed a fortune, so most weren’t able to afford it.
Note- Upon registering as a Hunter, Bruce was given the basic gear for Radiation protection, which included; a suit, gloves, facemask, etc.