My analysis led to an immediate decision: the Mission Board Grind must come first.
While the Guild Workshop held valuable secrets, it was primarily an information gathering point. The Mission Board, however, provided tangible resources and, more crucially, reputation. I needed to transform my rank from cannon fodder to indispensable asset in the Guild Master's eyes. A single heroic feat could be dismissed as a fluke; consistent, efficient success was undeniable.
My ultimate goal in this phase was to acquire a Storage Artifact, specifically a Storage Ring. My Summoner's Bell and the other high-value artifacts I had claimed were too dangerous to carry openly and too valuable to risk leaving in the communal barracks. I needed a secret vault that traveled with me.
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I ignored all advice about pacing myself. While other Rank E initiates spent a day on a single Vermin Swarm clear, I aimed for five. I systematically scoured the mission board, selecting only the missions located in the deepest, dirtiest, and most dangerous parts of the city—the ignored sectors that produced higher volumes of Guild Scrip.
My method was pure efficiency, blending my past life's combat knowledge with my current meager resources.
The Strategy: Maximum Efficiency, Minimum Visibility
Exploiting the Low-Rank Artifacts: I continued to use the "useless" Common Cards from the Rock Rabbits and Giant Spiders I collected during the missions. Instead of using them for combat, I used them for utility and containment.
Giant Spider Card: I used the weak webs not to slow monsters, but to quickly seal off sewer grates and escape tunnels, preventing the targets from fleeing and forcing a localized, contained kill.
Rock Rabbit Card: The temporary Stone Skin was used not as armor, but as a momentary shield to deflect acid or sharp projectiles, preserving my tattered clothing and saving me from needing expensive Guild-provided first aid.
Juts, the Invisible Hand: I kept Juts busy running surveillance. His Common Gauntlet was still weak, but he was agile. I had him wait near the mission exit points, acting as a courier. He would retrieve the monster carcasses (needed for the Guild's material processing) and any low-value Common Essences, ensuring I wasted no time on retrieval. This established his reputation as a "diligent, if less powerful, support hunter" while keeping him occupied and out of sight during my more brutal kills.
The Hidden Power: My Rare Gauntlet, pulsating with the combined dark energy of the Gorgon and the Miasma Shroud, was my engine. I would use a single, decisive attack fueled by the Rare Essence to dispatch targets quickly. The kills were so fast and clean that the Guild only recorded the result, not the method. I was becoming an anomaly: a low-rank hunter completing high-efficiency missions with unprecedented speed.
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Within two weeks, the results were staggering. My logbook was overflowing. I had completed the equivalent of two months' work for a typical Rank E hunter.
Financial Accumulation: My Guild Scrip soared. I deliberately over-delivered on kills, forcing Ate Marilou to grudgingly process bonus payments. I bypassed the corrupt middle-management by presenting irrefutable evidence of the cleared zones.
Reputation: The patrol guards began calling me "The Fixer" or "The Clean-Up Crew." The other Rank E hunters, exhausted and bitter, watched with envy and suspicion. I was rising too fast, but doing it entirely within the rules—the hardest kind of competitor to challenge.
Information Harvest: The missions provided a meticulous mapping of Vigan's lower sectors. I discovered three unregistered sewer outlets, two unpatrolled wall sections, and four dead drops used by black-market traders—potential staging points for the Guild Master's smuggling ring.
By the end of the second week, my accumulated Guild Scrip was astronomical for a Rank E. It was enough to acquire a mid-tier Storage Artifact on the open market.
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I didn't use the Guild's official channels. I waited until midnight, navigating the dark alleys of the Mercado district where high-risk black-market dealings occurred. I found a dealer—a nervous, scarred man named Kardo—who specialized in unmarked artifacts.
I didn't haggle. I presented the full, gleaming pile of Guild Scrip, demanding only one thing: a Storage Ring of the highest quality he possessed, discreetly and without a paper trail.
Kardo's eyes widened at the sight of the legitimate Guild currency. He produced a small, silver ring, simple in design but humming faintly with spatial energy.
Shadow Locket Ring (Rare-rank Storage Artifact)
Capacity: High (sufficient for several large items and dozens of small artifacts).
Security: Single-user bio-lock; extremely difficult to breach without the wearer's life energy.
Acquisition Cost: All accumulated Guild Scrip.
I exchanged the Scrip for the ring, placed it on my right pinky finger, and immediately willed the Summoner's Bell into the void. The Heirloom vanished, the immediate sense of relief almost palpable. The weight of my secret was now contained in a single, unnoticeable silver band.
The first major goal was complete. My power was now secure, hidden from the Guild Master and every jealous hunter.
Now, with my resources locked down, it was time to pivot to the next phase: Information Warfare within the Guild Workshop.