Warlord – Chapter 43
“Idiot! You destroyed my plan! These guys have extraordinary sense of smell. I can pretend and get confined by them the second time as they will drain my blood." The alcoholic changed his clothes.
He opened up his coat and took out parts of a firearm. He took them one by one and then skillfully assembled. Soon, a modified rifle appeared.
Zero couldn't identify the rifle assembled by the alcoholic. It was similar to some rifles from his memory but the barrel of the rifle was much longer and thicker in comparison. Moreover there were beautiful patterns engraved on the bullets meant for the rifle. Zero thought that these patterns weren't for good looks but for the enhancement of the strength of each bullet.
Old alcoholic was proud as he saw Zero's eyes sweep over the rifle and bullets: "She is my princess that has accompanied me all my life. I, Ben Douglas, have personally designed and produced this rifle. I call her Colt. Your M500 is a rarity but there is only one of Colt in the world."
There was a thoughtful expression on Zero's face as he listened to Ben. Zero knew that hand made firearm was totally different from the ones manufactured in the factories. Hand-made ones were like extension of the producer's own hand. The producer had to put a lot of efforts to get such an awe-inspiring product. It wouldn't be an exaggeration if it would be said that the rifle had its own soul.
It was clear to Zero why he couldn't identify the rifle. The self produced firearm seemed to be simple but the conditions to produce such a thing were quite harsh. It wasn't just about finding suitable materials and equipment to manufacture the rifle but the person had to know the principles of firearm production and parts processing.
“Are you also employed by the Remit? Are you here for intelligence gathering task?” Zero asked in a respectful tone. Ben was worthy of his respect as he had created an exclusive rifle for himself.
Ben laughed as he looked at Zero: “Are you joking? Do you think that I will take the boring task? Are they going to pay 10,000 for wiping out the rock spiders?"
Zero nodded in confirmation. Indeed, as Ben said, the final part of the task was to wipe out the rock spiders from the university. The reward would be 8,000 dollars after the eradication of all rock spiders. Zero didn't consider this as it was something that was impossible to achieve on his own.
“Kid, you haven't studied economics, did you?” Ben shook his head: “Do you know what does cost-effective means? The task given by the has very low rewards in terms of the costs. Think about it. You will get 10000$ if you kill all those monsters, but I can earn far more than that by just taking few parts of the monsters."
Zero's eyes lit up.
"Every creatures, from a small insect to a large bear, even the mobs on the wilderness have their value. " Ben stared at Zero: "The question is; do you know where that value lies? For example, the rock spiders have sacs in their heads. They produce silk and neurotoxin at the same time. The silk itself is not worth a penny but the extracted neurotoxin could be used for making lethal weapons. In the black market the sac itself could be sold for 50$."
Zero's heart jumped up because of the revelation.
In the last two days he had hunted about 10 rock spiders. If a sac was worth 50$ then he had let go 500$!
“The rock spiders usually live side to side with another monster called lurker. They are rock spider's cousins in a sense but two or three times larger than rock spider. The organs of the lurker aren't worth money too but their shells are similar to an optical armor. Each shell could be sold for 1000$” Ben exposed a proud smile: “Think about it. Killing a dozen lurkers is easier than sweeping the whole university. But the return is almost the same. Being a monster hunter isn't just about knowing weaknesses and habits of the monsters but their values too!"
Zero decided to change his plan after hearing all of this. He never was aware that some of the organs of the monsters could have such values. The money that he could earn far exceeded the reward from the task!
“Now, boy! What do you say? Are you going to join me for a hunt?” Ben laughed.
Zero asked: “Why should I?”
It was true that in this kind of business nobody was willing to cooperate with others. Alone you could always earn more than two people together.
“I'm getting old. Although I have the experience but I'm not as fit as before. The area of the university is too big and there are more monsters.” Ben looked at the revolvers on Zero's waist : “The most important part is that you know how to use those guys! M500 isn't about the strength of the user. The person who is used for a M500 usually would be a good hunter. It's not just about being calm with self-control but having the courage to dive into the monster's nest! IT seems that you have everything that a hunter needs to have."
Zero pondered about the things Ben had said and reached out his hand.
Ben laughed: “Welcome mate! You wil find that being a hunter is much more fun than being a mercenary!"