Chapter 11: Scheming

[Fate has been stolen. 5 Points have been gained.]

His actions with Conan and Valkyrie made him rub a few fate points on them, probably taking away Conan’s badge. Despite appearing as not, Conan was someone important.

He left after Conan gave him the badge, not willing to interact further with any of them. He also got his trainee adventurer’s license, allowing him to hunt in the wilderness only.

By the time it was late afternoon, Nikolai has just finished buying the materials he needed for tomorrow’s hunt. All he had to do now was to take his supply of ammunition.

He left the herbal market and headed toward the Gunmen League, where he would take his ammunition from. The reason he wanted the badge was to take what he needs from ammunition. Every month, gunmen can grab ammunition from the league according to their contribution.

Despite being a cripple, Conan was still a gunman. That’s why his badge was worth betting his life for. Ammunition was expensive with the lack of mines.

Well, there wasn’t a lack of them, they were simply in the wilderness or possession of the dwarves. That’s why ammunition was expensive.

As he found himself at the doors of the Gunmen League, the sunset was beginning to take cover behind the horizon. It left a trail of orange that blanketed over the city of Rohan.

As he entered the League, the acidic smell of cigarettes drifted to his nose. He didn’t know if it was a current trend, but every gunman inside strapped his guns to his body with a cigar in his mouth.

‘I guess this trend dies in five years,’ Nikolai chuckled inwardly as he headed straight to the storage facility. The ammunition was distributed through this facility, which was always crowded.

As he made an entrance, he was bound to grab attention. A weak-looking teenager like him was rather unfit to be a gunman, as the admission exam was rather difficult.

It also didn’t discriminate, making the League include crooks and thugs. These people would stop nothing to make a profit. That’s why as soon as Nikolai entered, he became a target.

“Do you need any help, kiddo?” A giant man with a scar on his face walked over, bottle in hand. “If you’re a rookie, I can give you a tour.”

“No, I’m not a gunman.” Nikolai shook his head. “I’m just here to receive ammunition.” His words made the man frown.

“Are you a gunman’s disciple?” He asked warily. After all, stealing from another gunman was taboo, even for these crooks.

“I wish, a homeless man gave this to me in return for food. He said he found it in the trash, lucky for me!” Nikolai said with a bright smile.

“Oh, hahaha! Lucky for you indeed!” Scar crook had a thick smile. “Let me help you then, come here.”

“Thank you, sir!” Nikolai smiled and bowed. “I plan on hunting in the Alm Forest tomorrow, so I’ll be needing those bullets.”

“I see, Alm Forest.” The man nodded with delight, which he masked with a worried face. “I fear for you, little brother. How about I help you hunt?”

“No need! This is the road of a true man!” Nikolai ponded his chest.

“Alright, I admire you, little brother! Let me help you get your ammunition!”

With that, the two walked toward the storage room as the rest shook their heads in disapproval. However, Nikolai acted obliviously. The moment that this man approached him, he started scheming a plan.

“What can I do for you?” The old man, who was also smoking, leaned on the counter in the storage hall. He glanced at the man next to Nikolai in suspicion.

“Hello, I want to receive some ammunition.” Nikolai produced the badge Conan gave him. The man glanced at it and turned to the man beside him.

“Is this your badge?”

“No, I’m simply helping him.” The man grinned. As he did, he scratched his forearm which had a crow tattoo on it. The old man shook his head and turned back to Nikolai.

“What kind of ammunition do you need?”

“Uh, I don’t know. I want to hunt goblins using this gun. Can you choose the ammunition for me?” Nikolai took out his gun and showed it to the man.

The old man sighed and went to the back. He grabbed a case of bullets and gave it to Nikolai. The case had enough bullets for almost twenty magazines, which was more than enough for Nikolai.

“I’ll need to scan your badge.” The old man took the badge and scanned it. He then frowned as he looked at the screen. Without saying anything, he gave it back to Nikolai.

Even though this system seemed flawed, it worked well. In case of a stolen badge, a simple call to the League would deactivate the badge and arrest whoever tries to use it.

The man must have seen who the badge belonged to, making him confused. Even though Conan was a cripple, he was also someone who was respected in the League.

He was the gunman that helped the current king stop the beastmen invasion seven years ago, making his name renowned throughout Rohan city.

Yet, the man didn’t say anything and handed Nikolai the case of bullets. He even offered to clean Nikolai’s gun, but he refused.

“With this many bullets, someone would think you’re hunting every monster in the Alm Forest!” The scarred man laughed.

“Haha, I would never. I’m not even an F-rank yet, I’m just desperate for money. Well, I have a hunt in the early morning tomorrow, thank you for the help!”

With those words, Nikolai left. He could feel the man’s gaze on his back as he walked through the streets of Rohan. He was sure that tomorrow morning, a few men will be following him into the forest.

Inside Rohan city, that thug wouldn’t attack him. In the wilderness, however, there was no true law.

Nikolai knew he was no match for these men, they could eat him alive. However, there were other things he couldn’t handle. That’s why he needed these men for his plan.

When he reached the academy, it was as peaceful as he has left it. During the two days weekend that they had, most students would either return home, train, hang out with friends, or simply hunt monsters in dungeons.

Sadly, you can’t hunt in dungeons unless you were an F-rank, even for gunmen. The usage of guns in the wilderness gave even those with minimum stats an advantage.

Nikolai found no one in his room, luckily. He took out a giant bag he had prepared and prepared his weapons, ammo, food, and all the necessities for tomorrow’s hunt. After that, he stashed the bag beneath the guard’s cabinet, right beside the gate.

He had only a few hours before midnight, barely enough time for him to prepare the potions. He had gone to the herbal market for this exact reason.

‘I’m broke now.’ Nikolai sighed as he looked at the materials in front of him.

Silent Roots, properties include absorbing sound. Moon Dew Water, amplifies the natural properties of plants. There were a lot of herbs that he had bought, but he would need to brew them into potions to use them.

It was time to head toward the lab.