Chapter 9: Joining the Hunting Team

It had been ages since an ordinary person had risen to prominence in Hunter's Hall. The protagonists of various tales all shared a surname with the Village Chief - Smith.

For common folk, becoming a protagonist was nigh impossible, let alone a competent supporting character. Most perished along the way.

Hunters who survived and thrived were almost exclusively from hunting families.

This was brutally realistic.

Without inherited knowledge and abundant resources, even if one managed to cultivate Energy Techniques, they were little more than cannon fodder.

How could an ordinary person who'd learned swordsmanship for a mere year while simultaneously struggling with Energy Cultivation hope to compete with a hunter's child? One who'd been well-fed since birth, trained in swordsmanship and archery for over five years?

When talents were similar, a five-year head start created an insurmountable gap!

For these reasons, the various hunting teams held little hope for Oliver.

As a commoner, his swordsmanship was surely lacking. He'd need a far higher level of internal energy to compensate.

Relying on crude Energy Cultivation techniques without guidance, how much internal energy could he possibly amass in a year?

Thirty or fifty silk-like strands?

The deeper one's cultivation, the harder it became to leave an impression on the iron tree. Ten silk-like strands might sink two or three inches, but a hundred wouldn't necessarily go any deeper.

Oliver lacked methods to strengthen his body, such as physical forging techniques. He relied almost entirely on internal energy to make his mark.

After brief consideration, he channeled one pale white energy core and fifty silk-like strands, demonstrating that he'd at least reached the second level of Energy Cultivation!

Perhaps not overwhelmingly powerful, but there was potential!

Oliver himself knew best how difficult it was for ordinary people to reach his level. He'd unraveled some of Energy Cultivation's mysteries, reaching mastery level. The Rebirth Codex's 60% boost to cultivation and learning speed had allowed him to rapidly forge three pale white energy cores.

A year was woefully short. Even with excellent nutrition, it was incredibly challenging for ordinary people to cultivate their first pale white core, let alone while simultaneously investing significant effort into the Monster-Slaying Sword Technique.

His level of 150 silk-like strands should be sufficient to change their perceptions.

Enough to show talent and earn a place on a hunting team, but not so extraordinary as to be seen as a threat.

"Hiss!"

His palm pressed against the iron tree, sinking in as if it were tofu.

After just a second, Oliver halted his demonstration and withdrew his hand.

"Hah..." He exhaled, steadying his breath.

All eyes fixed on the handprint he'd left behind.

The impression was square and remarkably stable. It didn't appear he'd exerted his full strength.

This Oliver still had power in reserve. He wasn't afraid of failing the test!

Regardless, what he'd shown was more than adequate!

"One and a quarter inches deep! He's cultivated a solid foundation of internal energy! Excellent talent!"

"With further cultivation, he might break through to the third level and become a core hunter!"

"Indeed, you've passed! Draw lots!"

The assembled hunters declared.

A servant materialized, offering Oliver a bamboo tube and respectfully asking him to draw a lot.

"Draw lots?" Oliver looked puzzled.

"If multiple teams are willing to accept you, we draw lots to avoid hurt feelings. Boy, with your talent, you'll do well in any team. You're quite fortunate," the scarred man chuckled, oblivious to the irony of his words.

Oliver sighed inwardly. He recognized this as a method to safeguard each team's interests.

Drawing lots meant no team would offer special conditions to recruit him, effectively stripping away his right to choose.

Henry, with his father's influence, would likely join a team directly without even taking the strength test.

Oliver drew a stick at random. It read "four."

"Team Four. Luke, seems luck's on your side. You've just filled your gap," the man in tight clothing remarked.

"I fear he'll need some honing before he's truly useful. We can only look to his future potential," the eagle-eyed man – Captain Luke of Team Four – responded.

Luke turned to Oliver, speaking evenly: "Oliver, you've done well this past year. You didn't waste time on frivolities. In Hunter's Hall, strength is the foundation of everything."

"Strength is so vital that even teammates might withhold training secrets, let alone outsiders. If you squander time on such pursuits, well..." He left the implication hanging.

"Come with me. My team has only three members. Including you, we'll be four."

"Don't be surprised. All teams range from four to six people. Otherwise, the benefits would be too thinly spread."

"Oliver, be grateful. It's your good fortune to join my team – I happen to be short-handed!"

Oliver left Hunter's Hall, following his new captain.

After their departure, the room erupted with activity as hunters produced chips and began shouting bets.

Hunters, naturally, couldn't work constantly. When idle, they either trained or gambled.

Those who stayed behind to play cards were individuals whose strength had plateaued, unable to progress further. Their training had reached its limits.

Continued practice yielded such minuscule improvements that it bred hopelessness.

"Captain," Oliver asked as they walked, "to improve one's treatment level, must one hunt monsters personally?"

"No, we hunt as a team. Everyone earns contributions based on the monster's level. Accumulate enough contributions, and you can petition the Village Chief to improve your treatment level," Luke explained lightly.

"For us hunters, contributions are a form of currency. They can be exchanged for monster meat or skills. Be cautious not to deplete them, or your treatment level will be downgraded."

"Who handles these promised rewards? Are they distributed monthly?" Oliver fingered the bronze plate.

"Heh, supplies are uniformly distributed and delivered directly to your home. By the way, as a formal hunter, you can choose a temporary residence. There's a vacant one next to us. You should move in as soon as possible to save time commuting to Hunter's Hall."

Luke halted before a large, well-constructed building – far more refined than Oliver's family's dilapidated home. It was a residence exclusively for hunters, conveniently close to the mess hall and Hunter's Hall.

As he spoke, Luke led Oliver into one of the houses.

The dwelling was relatively new, bearing signs of recent habitation. It had belonged to a member of Luke's team.

This person had fallen in battle not long ago, leaving the house vacant.

"I'll move out as soon as possible," Oliver agreed.

His family's old house was cramped and rundown. Moving out would be a welcome change.

Afterwards, Luke took Oliver to meet the neighbors and gathered the other two team members.

During this time, Oliver learned what benefits a first-level hunter received:

100 copper coins monthly, ten kilograms of ordinary meat, and one or two taels of monster meat.

Copper coins were the village's sole currency.

Oliver's family primarily bartered and rarely dealt with coins, but he knew copper coins held strong purchasing power.

The base value of a copper coin was two kilograms of white rice. A hundred coins monthly meant freedom from food worries.

And meat – even ordinary meat – was a rarity for Oliver.

The village restricted ordinary people to no more than one kilogram of meat per month, priced at about three copper coins per kilogram.

If ordinary meat was regulated, monster meat was even more tightly controlled. Commoners couldn't purchase it at all.

Even formal hunters faced purchase limits. For example, a level one hunter could only buy one kilogram of monster meat monthly.

In this world, one catty equaled ten taels, and every two taels of monster meat was incredibly expensive, costing ten copper coins.

By this calculation, Oliver's monthly income totaled 140 copper coins.

Not bad, but he wondered how much profit could be gained from actually hunting monsters.

"A monster must weigh at least a few dozen catties, right?" Oliver mused.

"Even if we hand over a portion to the village, and split it four ways, it shouldn't be a small amount."

Oliver tried to remain optimistic about his prospects.