With our Hunter Licenses secured, the Guild Master dismissed us, his tight jaw and tense posture betraying his furious planning. He knew he'd been outmaneuvered, but he had to maintain the pretense of control. I didn't care what he planned; I had the key.
My focus immediately shifted from surviving the wilderness to conquering the structure of the Vigan Hunter's Guild. Hunting for artifacts was inefficient. The true power lay in resources, information, and leverage. The guild was a massive, organized system, a perfect machine to exploit.
Juts and I were directed to the registration counter to pick up our official Guild packets. The clerk was a thin, perpetually tired woman named Ate Marilou, who barely glanced up from her ledger.
"New initiates," she mumbled, pushing two generic packets across the counter. "You're at the very bottom. Rank E-0. Congrats, you're officially cannon fodder."
Juts flinched, but I placed my hand on his shoulder, a calculated gesture of familial support. "Ate Marilou," I said, my voice polite but carrying an unusual firmness. "We've just completed a Rare-rank solo mission that cleared the city's monster pestilence. I'd hardly call that 'cannon fodder' status. We need to know the benefits of our new rank. Detail them."
Ate Marilou sighed, annoyed by the formality of such a low-rank asking questions usually reserved for Rank C hunters. She finally looked up, her eyes registering the intense, cold maturity in my gaze. She recognized the obsidian sheen on my gauntlet as an evolved artifact—she just didn't understand how I had gotten it. Her annoyance gave way to reluctant professionalism.
"Fine. Since you're so eager to know what you almost died for, here is what a Rank E Initiate gets in Vigan," she rattled off, tapping a manicured nail on the list.
Benefits of Rank E Hunter
1. Guild Housing Access
"You get a bed," she stated. "The Initiate Barracks. It's shared, cramped, and smells like sweat and stale energy drinks, but it's safe and free. No more sleeping in slums or caves."
My Assessment:Essential Security. This eliminates the most time-consuming need—shelter—freeing up every spare minute for hunting and planning.
2. Basic Resource Allowance (Vigan Guild Scrip)
"You'll be credited with a minimal weekly stipend in Guild Scrip. Enough for cheap food, clean water, and basic maintenance supplies for a Common artifact," she continued. "Don't expect to buy any Rare Cards with it."
My Assessment:Survival Currency. This removes the need to waste time hunting low-level animals for food, a significant boost to efficiency.
3. Equipment Repair and Modification
"Rank E hunters can access the Guild Workshop for minor repairs on Common-rank equipment at a discounted rate. You won't get priority, so you'll be waiting in line behind the high-ranks."
My Assessment:Future Asset. This is critical. While I won't use it now, accessing the workshop means accessing the guild's materials, techniques, and, most importantly, the engineers. I can learn how they repair, what they prioritize, and find opportunities for theft or specialized modifications later.
4. Low-Tier Mission Board Access
"You can only accept Rank E missions. These are usually grunt work: clearing out Vermin Swarms, escorting supply carts, patrolling the inner walls. Low pay, high fatigue, zero prestige."
My Assessment:Information Funnel. These missions are not about the money. They are about establishing a pattern of reliability and gaining geographical familiarity with the city's hidden infrastructure—the places the higher-rank hunters ignore. Every patrol route is a map to a potential smuggling drop point.
5. Hunter Knowledge Base (Limited Access)
"You get access to the basic Guild Library. First aid, common monster weaknesses, and the official Guild Code of Conduct," Ate Marilou concluded with a dry cough. "No restricted data, no high-rank tactics, and certainly no information on Legendary artifacts."
My Assessment:The True Prize. This is the most valuable benefit. The basic knowledge base holds the official lore—the lies and half-truths the guild teaches its members. By comparing this controlled information to my past-life knowledge, I can immediately identify the true secrets they are trying to hide and the vulnerabilities in the city's defenses.
I took the packet, the dull paper license a stark contrast to the dark power of my evolving gauntlet. The Guild Master had attempted to crush me, but he had inadvertently given me every resource I needed for the next phase.
I looked at Juts, who was still clutching his own license, his eyes reflecting a mixture of hope and fear. "Juts," I said, my voice low and firm. "We're Rank E on paper, but we're already stronger than every hunter at Rank C. The system is a ladder, but we're going to use it as a scaffold. We focus on two things: the Guild Workshop and the Mission Board. We are going to become the most visible, most reliable Rank E hunters this city has ever seen."
My plan was simple: Exploit the Low-Rank Grind. I would use the Mission Board to gain a perfect understanding of Vigan's defenses and population movements. I would use the Workshop Access to subtly gather information on high-grade materials and engineering. I would not reveal the Guild Master's smuggling secret until my Rare Gauntlet was upgraded to Epic status, and my leverage was absolute.
My path to absolute power wouldn't be a straight line—it would be a cunning series of calculated steps, starting from the lowest rung of the ladder.