Chapter 48: Best Investment Is In Oneself
"I’ll take it." Soren didn’t hesitate. The potential for high-grade rewards and the chance to test his limits against stronger enemies was exactly what he needed.
"Good. I like the enthusiasm," Zoe noted, pushing herself up from the sofa.
Soren followed suit, standing up with her. "How long do I have to prepare?"
His mind was already running through the logistics of the license upgrade and the upcoming raids. He needed to move fast if he wanted to hit every requirement without burning himself out.
Zoe didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she slowly raised a single finger as they walked together.
Soren’s brow furrowed. "One week?"
"The exam itself starts a week from today," Zoe corrected, her expression turning sharp. "However, you only have five days until the mission application closes. The Bureau needs time to finalize the roster before sending it over to the Academy for vetting."
’...Five days, huh.’
In that window, he had to navigate the Bureau’s bureaucracy for a rank-up test and clear three separate Second Circle gates. It was a schedule that would break most hunters, but Soren only felt a cold, focused adrenaline beginning to stir in his chest.
"Five days," Soren repeated. "Then I should hurry up."
"You should take the test today," Zoe suggested, nodding toward the hall. "It’s still early. If you register now, you can probably get it over with before the day ends."
"I will. And thank you for everything today, Sister Zoe," Soren said, offering a sincere nod.
"Don’t mention it. Just make sure you pass, or I’m doubling your training next time," she said, a small smirk playing on her lips before she turned toward the inner facilities.
Soren watched her go, then headed straight for the registration desk. The paperwork was simple enough, and he managed to lock in a slot for 2:00 PM. With a few hours left to kill, he stuck around the Bureau to review his gear and pick up a few essentials at the internal shop.
He found a quiet spot and pulled out his phone to call Miss Clara.
"Hello, Miss Clara?" Soren said once she picked up. "I’m calling to let you know I won’t be back anytime soon. Could you stay with Ethea for the afternoon too?"
"Oh? Is everything okay, Soren?" Clara asked, her tone shifting with immediate concern.
"Yeah, don’t worry. Just some hunter business I need to handle," he reassured her. "Please let Ethea know I’ll be back later so she doesn’t start worrying either."
Clara agreed, telling him to stay safe.
After hanging up, Soren sat down on a nearby bench and pulled up his account interface. He needed to check his balance and figure out exactly what kind of upgrades he could pull off for the challenges ahead.
’Let’s see...’
’Oh. Not bad.’
His eyes lit up as the screen updated. Between his recent solo runs and the party payouts, his balance had climbed to roughly 80,000 credits. It was a significant sum for a newbie First Circle hunter like himself, but for what he was planning, it would disappear in a heartbeat.
’Hmm...’ He quickly ran the math in his head. ’1200... 1000 for that...’
Gritting his teeth, he decided to set aside enough for a week’s worth of living expenses for himself and Ethea, along with Lady Clara’s payment. The rest? He would spend every single credit on himself.
It was a gamble, but the best investment was always in oneself. If he successfully transitioned to raiding Second Circle gates, he could earn this amount back twice as fast. To stay stagnant was to die slowly in this world.
Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, he stood up and headed toward the Bureau’s Logistics and Equipment Center. It wasn’t a commercial shop per se, but rather a specialized department where hunters could exchange credits for vetted gear, techniques, supplies, and so on.
He headed for the armory section first.
Because the cheap leather armor he usually bought was barely holding together, it would be torn to shreds after a single Second Circle raid. Three raids at most if he was ultra careful.
Besides, the monsters there were at least twice as strong as those in the First Circle, possessing higher mana density and much sharper instincts. And that’s exactly why he needed something reliable and durable that could actually deflect a blow from a Second Circle monster.
He began scanning the racks of the C-rank section, where the high-quality gear was kept. These pieces were often made from the hides of Third Circle monsters and higher, or reinforced with rare alloys. His fingers brushed against a set of Midnight Scale Mail that felt light as silk but as hard as stone.
’Price... 145,000 credits.’
Soren moved his hand away as if the armor had burned him.
’Gulp...’
Even the "budget" options in this tier started at six figures. It was a sobering reminder of the wealth gap between mid-tier hunters and someone like him.
’C-rank is out of the question for now,’ he thought, moving toward the D-rank displays. ’I need the best of the lower tier, something that punches above its weight.’
Soren spent the next half hour digging through the shop’s inventory, tossing aside heavy vests, armored greaves, and composite jackets. The vast majority of the gear was a poor fit for his style; it was either massive, heavy plating meant for slow-moving tanks, or cheap, flimsy material that would shred the second he stepped onto the front lines.
His search stopped when he spotted a dark, matte-grey set resting at the back of the bottom shelf.
The display label called it Obsidian-Threaded Leather Armor.
It was a massive step up from the basic treated hide he currently wore, utilizing a specialized weave infused with mana-conductive minerals. The craftsmanship was impressive, reinforcing his chest and joints without sacrificing the range of motion he relied on during a scramble.
When he looked down at the price, his heart took a quick leap.
’20,000 credits?!’
It was a massive chunk of his funds to drop on a single purchase, but the quality became obvious the second his fingers brushed the surface. The leather possessed a good density, thrumming with a low resonance that guaranteed it could absorb a crushing blow from a Second Circle monster.
’This is it.’
He took the set off the rack, already feeling the weight of the investment.
It was expensive, but at a Second Circle gate, the difference between a 2,000-credit vest and a 20,000-credit one was between a broken rib and a minor bruise.
With his defense sorted, he turned his attention to the real problem: his weapon.
If he was going to clear three gates in five days, he couldn’t just rely on defense. He needed to be able to end fights faster.
He bypassed the common steel section and headed straight for the polearms. His current iron-tipped spear was already showing notches from his sparring sessions with Zoe. If he tried jamming that weapon into the thick hide of a Second Circle beast, the shaft would probably shatter on impact.
He needed something built to withstand the heavy vibrations of his own mana, paired with a point that could pierce multiple targets without losing its edge.
He bypassed the high-end C-rank wall entirely, ignoring the hundred-thousand-credit models with their glowing runes and vibrating blades, and headed straight for the D-rank section.
After a few minutes of filtering through the cheaper inventory, he spotted a weapon resting in the corner of a heavy steel rack.
’There it is...’