It was Saturday morning and I was raring to go. I quickly sent a message to snake Wrangler asking him a few more questions.
[Goblin Stomper: have you cleared out the Large bat nest recently?
Snake Wrangler: Naw, I usually clear it out every other Saturday, I did it last week and have to many responsibilities outside of hunting, sucks none of this stuff can be used without mana. Like, I'd kill for a way to turn those energy crystals into electricity. Even if it's a small amount. You can get so many so fast. Becoming a power baron and selling my energy dirt cheap because I have a more set up kinda build with towers and such. I'd make enough money to abandon it all and live with my family forever on an island.
Goblin Stomper: bit of an info dump, but yeah I can see your reasoning. The thought is tempting, and who knows maybe we won't have to figure out how these crystals work. Maybe one day a boss monster will come out of nowhere and while we all fight it for the XP and gold as well as item drops, the subsequent reporters swarming us could make it public knowledge that many of us can be contracted to do the dangerous work no one else wants to or can do.
Snake Wrangler: Yeah your right, but for now, the best we can hope for is goblin meat being at all decent.]
Meanwhile I was already in the air after a cast of preparation, with enough food and water to last me the trip as well as some money I was off. After 9 minutes I was getting low on Mana so I decided to land near convenience store. Inside I saw a few things that peaked my interest, including vials of red and blue liquid reserved for Monster hunters.
Checking them each one was 50 bucks but these potions were barely better than the ones I had. I hardly had the money for them so I left them alone for the poor sucker who doesn't exactly know how the system shop works. But who knows maybe 200 gold May equate to around 50 bucks but of corse as an infinitely farmable currency with no upper limit, someone that has a great way of making gold can completely through off the market. The value in such items is completely unstable and selling them is just not sustainable.
While I was deciding which slushy flavors to mix together in my cup while I wait for my mana, a woman who was probably in her mid 40's came in. She had the classic haircut and sunglasses and spotted the health and mana potions. When she was told she can't buy them without proof of being a hunter, she flipped
Firstly she started screaming about disrespecting a sovereign citizen, a blatant lie, that hasn't been a thing for a good while now.
Next she was complaining about discrimination because she was a woman of christ and the people who work here are all servants of satan. She doesn't really sound like a woman of christ.
Lastly she asked for the manager. When told he was out right now and was in another country for his anniversary, she flipped.
That's when the Cashier chimed in with an idea. "Show me your monster hunter weapon, or a monster drop. Maybe use a skill. That is all the proof you need." They sounded tired even though they were pretty awake when greeting the lady.
"Well, I left it at home, who lugs around a weapon of all things around all the time? Just sell me the potions and we will be even"
That is when I chimed in "Lady you clearly don't know what you are going on about. A real monster hunter always has their main weapon on them." She then started stomping towards me ready to yell my face off. "HOW DARE YOU, what do know about them? You? You r just some kid. You are probably purposefully antagonizing me because you are also a satanist that works with the people of this st-"
I then cut her off, I can feel the life draining out of my every cell with every word she speaks
"Ma'am, I don't know if you know what you think you know, but I am a monster, those potions are of low grade, and you never know when you'll stumble upon a monster nest as a monster hunter. Those potions? They are 200 gold in the item shop, I live next to a monster nest that gives me 300 gold per full clear and I do thar in about 10 seconds. Next our items are always kept in our very convenient magical storage or "inventory". You can bring your weapon anywhere without it affecting you at all." I then pulled out my staff and started to float. "Listen before you start spewing more BS, why don't you meat a few hunters from all four classes and question them about what they do with their stuff. Also I have no idea what effect those potions may have on you. The mana one may do nothing since you have 0 mana capacity since you aren't a hunter, the health potion? Who knows not buying it for you though. But if by some miracle you do awaken, spec into de-buffs, I feel like I am a few months older from you simply talking to me."
The Lady speechless stormed off talking about loosing a customer,
'Great now I have to recharge my mana a little bit, but it was so worth it to see that look on her face.' I thought to myself.
"Hey bro thanks, y'know you were right, she can age you with her mere words, here have a mana potion, on the house my boss is chill and would do the same. In fact it's in the training video." The cashier then through a mana potion my way which of course I caught.
The cashier then tried to make some small talk. "Are these things really 200 gold?" "Yeah and these are the worst kind to, having so many I wonder what and where the guy who got all of these has and uses, I doubt it's anything good, but he must know a good grinding spot to have so many potions in about a month. But selling to only hunters is a bad business deal, especially with these. Anyone can just get 200 gold. I mean, 50 bucks? I'm just waiting around for my own mana to recharge personally I am currently at around 150 out 310 my flight skill is one hell of a mana guzzler. Anyway one small slushy please." "You got it boss, also I'll make sure to tell my boss about what you said about the potions, no one is going to buy them plus as you said they may not have to much effect on non awakened people." "Well, we can try the health potion if you are willing to get lightning bolted, don't worry according to basic analysis you are listed as "Human cashier" with an Hp of 40/40 you'll survive." "Sure why not? Go for it, I'm due for a break soon anyway, lets go out back for this."
After a minute we were out back one low grade healing potion, one civilian, and me with my staff ready.
*ZIP*
[you have hit human cashier
Hp: 25/40 remaining]
"Kay, get to chugging." After I said that the cashier started drinking, and just like that his health went up by 15 completely recovering any damage he took.
"Not bad, could use a flavor and kept in the fridge, but it isn't gross, also I feel better already. This stuff is amazing, maybe we could sell it to regular people as some fast acting pain relief, any side effects?"
After checking the system and looking into everything about potions I could find I found a few things "lets see it doesn't say anything about side effects, but it also doesn't say anything about there not being side effects. With your average person this should pretty much restore all of your HP, but it doesn't remove status conditions. So if you're poisoned or sick, it'll just make you feel better, but won't fix the problem and you will just feel horrible later. Also no telling what adverse reactions it may have after words."
"Ah, makes sense. But as long as someone doesn't have chronic pain that this can actually relieve, everyone will only take one a day at most unless they are incredibly stupid, I bet you could make a fortune selling to hospitals which if they are at all kind and you sell directly to the hospital shouldn't cost much more than what you sell to them for." "I'll think about it."
After a bit of time, my Mana was back to full I then flew the rest of the way there, and landed right next to the nest. I drank two mana potions and cast double cast 10 times for a total 1,024, extra casting orbs. I readied my staff, and started tapping the cave wall. After a few taps I got a notification
[Large bat nest has been disturbed, the Large bats will be emerging shortly in a blind rage.]
Just then I read lots of squeaking and at least 50 bats came out of the cave all at nearly the same time, their levels ranging from 2-10 which was no problem. I could still instantly kill all of them. After I cast lightning bolt, all pf the bats bellow level 7 were killed, I made sure to only hit each bat the bare minimum amount of times to kill it, and to evenly divide the rest of the lightning bolts amongst those that I didn't have enough lightning bolts for.
In total I killed 30 bats. With each bat giving me around 120 gold with an extra 47 per level. And 20 XP with an extra 10 XP per level on average. With 10 level 2 bats, 5 level 3 and 4 bats, 3 level 5 and 6 bats, and 4 level 7 bats got 1,160 XP and 6,232 gold.
[You have leveled up, you have 5 stat points to distribute]
"Put all five into mana."
There were now 20 bats left each at varying strengths, there are 10 level 8s and five level 9 and 10 bats. Which would mean a total of 1,750 XP and 8,765 gold once defeated. But in the time it took me to start the process of double cast that bats already started charging at me, in which I had to dodge all 20 of them, I only need a few seconds but in half the time I need they all would reach me.
After all that I was hit four times bringing my HP down to 65, I could afford to get hit like that again, but I didn't plan on it. By the time the bats were ready to attack again, I sent out another wave of lightning bolts and this time they were all defeated.
[you have cleared Large bat nest. You have been awarded one medium sized energy crystal and two bat wings.]
I quickly sold the wings for another 100 gold
[you have leveled up. You have 5 stat points to distribute.]
"Put all five stat points into MP. And show me my status"
[Name: GoblinStomper
Lvl:6
Xp:960/2,200
Gold:19,802
HP-8, MP-41, DEF-2, STR-3, DEX-4, AGI-4 STA-3
Avg:9.2/10 - F
Equipment:starter staff (-10% mana cost)
Skills: lightning bolt, triple cast, preparation, flight]
After a quick overview of my stats I looked at the crystal I got. Usually, the crystals are around as big as my pinky. But this crystal was nearly four times as big, I could definitely hold more than one in my palm, but according to the system, this one alone was worth 1,000 gold. But I wasn't going to sell it, I had more than enough gold now. So I sent Snake Wrangler a message
[Goblin Stomper: Yo, I got what I need and hey you were low balling yourself, here take an extra 200 G on top of the other extra 100 I already owe ya from you telling the truth.]
[Transferring 300 G to Snake Wrangler]
[Goblin Stomper: I also probably won't be needing to come back here for awhile, so the nest is all yours.]
I the. Made preparations to fly back home, after chugging my last four mana potions and waiting for ten minutes, I had enough mana to fly back home without stopping. On the way there I went through the accessory part of the item shop and found a ring for 2,000 G that increased my Mana regeneration rate, and I put it in my cart.
After I landed I bought all 12KG worth of equipment. And immediately my starter staff started coming apart the wood that made up its frame un-wound itself and the crystal ball at the end opened up like a flower, and the whole thing started glowing, eventually it became light particles that entered my chest, once I checked my new stuff, I found that my new ring of all things got buffed, in which it had a new effect. While I was wearing it. I could lessen the amount of mana I use when I cast spells like flight or repeatedly casting double cast in by counteracting it with a doubled regeneration rate on top of the boost it already gives return my MP regeneration is halved until I make make up the extra MP I got from this active effect.