Chapter 11 - The Second Wave Begins

No matter how hard he tried, Lan couldn't hold back the grin that surfaced as he looked at the title, and this only became more difficult when he read the next notification.

[Alert: Killed lvl: 6 Boulder Salamander – Experience gained (Bonus due to level difference)]

[Alert: Level up [1->2]]

Breathlessly, he opened his status and couldn't help but laugh triumphantly at what he saw.

[Name: Unknown

Title(s): [Punching Up] [Class Of Your Own]

Age: 18

Race: Human - G

Class: None

Talent: Weapons are my Weapons - G

Health: 192/192

Mana: 110/110

Level: 2

Strength: 21

Dexterity: 21

Endurance: 20

Vitality: 16

Mind: 19

Intelligence: 11

Luck: 19

Free Points: 10

Skills: None]

Thanks to the +3 bonus from his first title and the +5 bonus from his second, all of his stats had nearly doubled since arriving and he could feel this change far clearer than any numbers could possibly show. His body was practically exploding with strength and he felt like he could crush rocks with his bare hands.

He had already decided that dexterity, strength and endurance would be his key attributes since his talent was all about flexibility, and being able to use any weapon whenever he needed, he felt like improving his physical strength was critical.

Lan had decided he wanted to be extremely lethal, but perhaps not robust. He was forgoing mana entirely and focusing on his physical stats, since strengthening his body was key if he wanted to wield his talent to the best of its potential.

And if he had learned anything from the previous few fights, it was that he needed extremely lethal power that was capable of breaking through anything. The tough skin of the salamanders had proved a more difficult hurdle to overcome than he liked.

In the end, he placed 4 points in dexterity, 3 in strength and 3 in endurance. Once again marvelling at the rush of energy that filled his body.

When he was done, Lan opened his eyes and was shocked to find that the hall was incredibly busy. Hundreds of pathfinders were strolling between the marble pillars and haggling with the people that stood on top of them.

The pillars themselves seemed to have changed a lot since last night. Each of them had been decorated like a stall at a job fair, with a fancy table and a wide variety of merchandise that related to whatever organisation ran that pillar.

Lan watched in awe as an eight feet tall giant bent down from his pillar and handed a pretty girl a colourful knife with the emblem of his faction on its hilt.

Finally, he couldn't help his curiosity and walked over to a stall that tens of people had crowded around.

When he arrived, he looked up and saw a man wearing beautifully ornate armour pointing at a PowerPoint presentation with his sword. "As you can see here, depending on how far along the bridge you manage to go, you will gain an increased yearly stipend of credits and an annual opportunity at our world-famous spring of truth,"

The people in the crowd nodded along and issued gasps of surprise at appropriate moments, like when the man in the suit of armour flourished his sword to make a point.

Shaking his head in disbelief, Lan wandered over to another pillar where a short man with a fiery red beard was explaining the benefits his clan would give to any blacksmiths who joined.

After watching a few other presentations, Lan felt like he had the gist of what was going on. 'So these factions want us to sign contracts with them and work for a certain length of time while on the bridge. In exchange, they offer assistance in the form of resources, guidance and teammates. But how do I know which clan to join?'

In a daze, Lan, who was feeling overwhelmed, walked over to the corner of the hall where a woman was sitting on one of the shortest pillars, she looked incredibly bored and when he walked by, her eyes lit up and she shouted, "Hey, hey kid! anything I can help you with?"

Lan looked over at the woman, she had short blonde hair and green eyes that kept changing what shade of green they were. And after thinking about it for a moment, he shrugged and approached her pillar. The crest on her pillar read, (Cece's goods and services).

"Are you... Cece?" He asked curiously.

"Yep, that's me," the woman patted her chest proudly.

"Right, and what do you do?"

"Eh, you know, goods and services, that sort of thing,"

Lan nodded slowly and went to turn and walk away.

"Hold on, hold on, I know that doesn't sound glamourous but I'm basically a bounty hunter. Now your more interested eh?" She waggled a finger at him enticingly.

Turning back around, Lan nodded again, this time he meant it, "Okay, then I guess my question is, why should I work for you?"

"Huh?" Cece frowned like she had just been stung by a bee, "No, I think the question is, why should I hire you?"

"What are you talking about? I still don't even know what it is you want me to do," Lan felt like this lady might not be all there.

"Oh right, my bad. Basically, I'm someone who gets people things. I run a shop that sells all sorts of weird and wonderful treasures that can only be found on the bridge. And If someone comes into my shop and says 'Hey Cece, I want the tears of a blood Kraken' and I check the shop and we're all out of those, then I will pay you to go get me them,"

"That makes sense, but wouldn't you rather get someone with a talent that helps them find treasure or something like that?" Lan asked pointedly, he doubted he would be much help to her.

"Well... yeah, ideally that is who I would be looking for. But the big clans and sects scoop up all the really good talents like that," she gestured over to the man in the ornate armour who had nearly 30 people around her pillar.

"So you're saying that I'm not good enough to be scooped up?"

Cece grinned and arched an eyebrow, "I know a bumpkin when I see one. You definitely have no idea what's going on here and that usually means your talent wasn't good enough to get you a spot in one of the academies,"

"Pardon?"

"C'mon, don't tell me you didn't sneak in here. There are always a few who don't belong. Whether they got in through bribes or special circumstances," she laughed playfully and Lan's blood ran cold. Was it really so obvious he didn't belong here?

"Do you- do you think I'm in any danger?"

"That depends on whether or not you manage to join an organisation. Take me for example, I'm not gonna accept anyone who hasn't passed the eighth step at least. But if you do manage to join an organisation and they vouch for you, I'm sure the academies will let it slide,"

"The eighth step! Are you crazy?" The man on the pillar next to Cece's shouted.

"Oh shut up, will you? I have my standards!" Cece shouted back.

"Standards are one thing, but reaching the eighth step is something only a few manage, maybe fifty from the ten thousand here. And those that go that far will definitely get snapped up by a bigger sect or clan, not some shop that sells trinkets!" He shouted. "Hey, come over here boy, if you sign this temporary contract, I'll accept you when you pass the fourth step,"

Lan walked over and glanced at the piece of paper the man had just passed him, "I would read that carefully if I were you," Cece warned, glaring at the man.

"Oi, don't interfere with my business and I won't interfere with yours!" The man snapped.

"You just did interfere with my business, you stupid bastard! Now he thinks I'm crazy because of my requirements," Cece shot back.

"You are crazy if you think a single person good enough to get to the eighth step will apply for your shitty store!"

Lan followed Cece's advice and didn't like what he saw. Ignoring the bickering, he read the contract all the way through, even bothering to check the fine print, and then the even finer print, hidden away in the corner.

"Hold on." He said, silencing the two pathfinders, "This is basically slavery. If I sign this I'll have to spend 500 years as a mercenary for your team,"

"Yeah, that's pretty much standard," the man muttered awkwardly.

Lan turned to look at Cece who nodded, "That's why my requirements are so high. Since the contract I can give you is really favourable to you, I only want talented people to apply,"

"Can I see the contract?"

"Sure," Cece clicked her fingers and a scroll appeared in Lan's hands. Before he read the scroll Lan glanced at the man on the pillar, who had just handed him a piece of paper. The man blushed in embarrassment and avoided Lan's gaze.

Opening the scroll, Lan began to read and the more he read, the more he liked what he was reading. "This seems like a pretty good deal," He muttered. 'It says here I have right of refusal. So if I sign this and then change my mind, I can back out at any time... There's practically no reason not to accept this,'

"I know right," Cece smirked patting her chest self-congratulatingly.

When he finished reading, Lan decided to sign the contract. Since even if he reached the eighth step and actually completed its requirements, he still had the right to refuse or select a better offer. He didn't really see any downsides.

Following the instructions on the scroll, he bit his finger and allowed a drop of his blood to fall onto the parchment, watching in a daze as it perfectly soaked into the pristine paper without leaving a blemish.

"I look forward to working with you," Lan smiled at Cece.

"Fat chance of that happening, there's no way you'll reach the eighth-" The other man on the pillar was interrupted by the deep boom of a gong.

[Alert: The second wave has begun]