LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 24 - Registration
Chapter 24: Registration
After passing through the black wooden door, the space inside was a stark contrast to the shabby exterior. The area inside was at least a thousand square meters, with a several-hundred-square-meter open tavern directly opposite the entrance. To the left of the wooden door was a reception hall, and to the right was a pair of ten-meter-high doors, only one of which was open. Through the door, Li Chang’an seemed to see an even more expansive space.
Duan Ben patted Li Chang’an on the shoulder and laughed, “How do you like our hunter’s tavern?” Li Chang’an looked at the drunkards sprawled on the benches across the tavern and fell silent. Duan Ben coughed awkwardly and said, “It’s not like this every day, with people drinking until dawn.” Seeing that the two were somewhat disillusioned with the Hunter Guild, Duan Ben quickly changed the subject.
“By the way, I’ll take you to register as a hunter trainee,” he said, pulling Li Chang’an towards the reception hall. Li Chang’an asked, “Hunter trainee?” Duan Ben explained, “Becoming a hunter isn’t something that happens overnight. You need to start as a hunter trainee, practicing skills and familiarizing yourself with various ecological knowledge. Then, after passing the graduation exam, you become a probationary hunter. After completing a bronze 1-star hunting mission, you can become a full-fledged hunter.”
Li Chang’an’s eyes showed a glimmer of understanding. No wonder his father said becoming a hunter wasn’t easy; there were so many steps involved. “What does that bronze 1-star hunting mission mean?” Taking advantage of the time they had, Duan Ben patiently explained, “Bronze represents the hunter’s rank, and 1-star represents the difficulty of the mission. Bronze 1-9 stars correspond to levels 1-9 beastmasters, silver stars correspond to elite hunters above king-level beastmasters, and above that are gold-star master hunters.”
Got it! Li Chang’an temporarily understood the hierarchy of hunters. Before Li Chang’an officially registered, Duan Ben kindly reminded him, “The work of a hunter isn’t as easy as you might think. Do you know why the benefits of hunters far exceed those of the Beastmaster Association?” Li Chang’an shook his head, not knowing.
“Let me put it this way. If registering as a full-fledged beastmaster in the Beastmaster Association requires defeating a transcendent 1-star beast, then hunters face not one, not a few, but a whole group! Every hunter must have the strength to defeat a group of magical beasts of the same level.”
Hearing this, Li Chang’an’s eyes lit up, and he eagerly asked, “So, the tasks of the Hunter Guild are mostly about hunting groups of magical beasts?” “Huh?” Duan Ben was a bit confused by Li Chang’an’s reaction. Normally, wouldn’t someone feel uneasy or fearful upon learning they had to face an entire group of magical beasts? Why did this kid look excited, as if he wanted to roll up his sleeves and get to work?
“Not all tasks involve eliminating a group of magical beasts; there are also missions to hunt lord magical beasts. Since you’re a student of Red Rock High School, you should know the difference between lord magical beasts and ordinary ones.” Li Chang’an nodded. The difference between lord magical beasts and ordinary ones was like the difference between a shadow tiger and a ground-tooth rat. The former required a hunting team composed of experienced beastmasters to take down, while the latter could be handled by a novice beastmaster just starting out.
Duan Ben added, “Let me give you a heads-up. For a bronze hunter to advance to 7 stars or above, they must have multiple records of hunting lord magical beasts.” Duan Ben chuckled and patted Li Chang’an on the back, “Good luck, rookie!”
While Li Chang’an was chatting, the receptionist at the front desk had already entered his basic information. The blue-haired receptionist asked in a very formal manner, “What is your beastmaster level?” Li Chang’an truthfully replied, “Level 1.” “Initial beast space size?” “Do you need this information?” The receptionist explained to avoid misunderstanding, “Every hunter needs to provide this information, but it only needs to be recorded once. The Hunter Guild is different from the Beastmaster Association; the requirements are stricter, like the difference between a full-time employee and a contract worker. Similarly, the benefits for hunters are also better.”
Hearing this, Li Chang’an understood—it was the difference between being inside and outside the system. “500 cubic meters.” The receptionist’s fingers trembled slightly as she typed, and Duan Ben, who had just returned with a drink, almost spat out his drink. Xiao Bai inside Wen Miaohua snorted, “Too small! This kid underreported his beast space! With his curse power density, can 500 cubic meters even hold it?”
The receptionist took out a cylindrical detection device and said, “It’s routine. Please cooperate by channeling your curse power into this device.” Li Chang’an was curious. He hadn’t seen this kind of device at the research institute. Was it some kind of black tech from the Hunter Guild? “What is this?” Before the receptionist could answer, Duan Ben said, “It’s a device to measure the size of your beast space. It determines the size based on the output of curse power over a period of time. It’s like a lung capacity test during a physical exam. This device has several color zones: white for less than 100 cubic meters, blue for less than 200, green for less than 300, purple for less than 400, orange for less than 500, and gold for 500 or more.”
With that explanation, Li Chang’an understood. He took the test port of the device, and a large amount of curse power surged from his hand. The colors on the cylindrical detector changed rapidly. White… blue… green flashed by. The purple zone slowed down slightly but was still easily surpassed. Finally, the orange light gradually deepened, and under the astonished gazes of the receptionist and Duan Ben, a faint golden light appeared. Li Chang’an quickly put down the test port, pretending to be out of breath.
Duan Ben smacked his lips. Well, it really was 500 cubic meters! Old Duan had seen something today. The receptionist’s formulaic face showed a hint of emotion. “Alright, your beast space has been tested. Please summon your initial beast. Also, every time you contract a new beast, you need to update your information at the guild. Otherwise, the hunting ground detection device might not let you in.”
Li Chang’an summoned Mao Mao, letting it release a faint draconic aura. Duan Ben was already numb. What kind of setup was this? An initial beast that was a draconic species! Xiao Bai in Wen Miaohua’s beast space snorted, “Putting on airs! Only these ignorant humans would believe this monster is a draconic species.” Wen Miaohua mentally reminded, “Xiao Bai.” Xiao Bai responded unhappily, “Alright, I got it. I won’t say anymore.” Wen Miaohua: “And don’t tell anyone else.” Xiao Bai: “Fine.”
“Alright, your registration is complete. Here is your trainee card, please keep it safe. You can access the training grounds through the door at the back. There’s a school near the training grounds; classes start at 9 AM and end at 12 PM. The rest of the time is free.” After the receptionist finished listing the things to note, Duan Ben took Li Chang’an to the training grounds to familiarize himself with the environment.
Passing through the massive wooden door, they entered a bustling street market. The stone-paved road was lined with shops bustling with people, the most distinctive being the steaming forges. Duan Ben proudly introduced to Li Chang’an, “This is Hunter’s Path, a place created using spatial expansion technology. You can apply to forge talismans here or buy rare resources from the outside. By the way, the quality of resources here is a notch above what the Beastmaster Association offers.”
Hearing this, Li Chang’an wasn’t surprised. Hunters were elite units, facing either groups or elite magical beasts, so the resources they encountered were naturally of high quality. Plus, from the hints in Duan Ben’s words, it wasn’t hard to see that hunters were more like lone wolves. Compared to the hunting teams of the Beastmaster Association, hunters had more personal wealth and were more casual about disposing of unneeded resources. This led to Hunter’s Path having better and rarer items, with all sorts of strange things available.
After passing through Hunter’s Path, they arrived at a vast square. The edges of the square were lined with weapon racks holding unsharpened iron weapons. “This is the training ground. That large flat building is the school where trainees attend classes.” Then Duan Ben excitedly rubbed his hands and said to Li Chang’an, “Let’s see which weapon suits you best.”
Duan Ben’s voice wasn’t loud, but the hunters around were no ordinary folk. They focused their attention on Li Chang’an. Watching a rookie choose a weapon was always entertaining! Li Chang’an felt a slight unease. Surely nothing would go wrong, right?