Just as they were about to leave, Sally and her group emerged from the forest and into the clearing. Mil subconsciously clenched her weapons harder while Wyne made sure his footing was firm. Neither let down their guard, even after seeing it was Sally.
Sally smiled at both of them. To see that neither let down their guard even though she wa a familiar face meant that they knew how dangerous people's greed could be.
'They really are hunters but that's good. They won't get taken advantage of here.'
"Hey, guys. We saw the whole fight but didn't want to interrupt your hunt. I am actually here to make you an offer," she explained her purpose, not moving closer or making any sudden moves. She knew the rules of interacting with other groups in the forest.
"What's the offer?" Wyne asked
"70,000 points for that magical core. I am raising an Ape-type familiar and that one suits me well. Not only does it have a soul-related ability but it also is nearly a mythic-grade thanks to absorbing so many souls in it. That would work perfectly for my familiar."
Wyne and Mil shared a look with each other before Wyne looked back at them.
"We can reserve it for you if you want but we want to get an idea of the price of this thing first. 70,000 points will be the minimum that we accept," Wyne gave her his terms unflinchingly.
One of Sally's friends was about to speak up for her when she held her hand to stop him.
"That's fine we with. We can even sign a blood contract if you want."
A blood contract was one of the most common uses of curses used by all mages. They would have Black Mages generate these contracts for them so the party that failed to uphold their end would end up getting cursed in some way as punishment.
Wyne nodded and waited for Sally to draw up the contract. She had all of her friends drop some blood on it and sign as well, causing both Wyne and Mil to be confused. After she turned it into a paper plane and threw it at him, he read it over and nodded.
'3 days to make a decision and the minimum price she would pay for it is 70,000 achievement points. If we don't make a deal by then, then neither party accepts any penalty. They are not allowed to harm us, directly or indirectly during this 3-day period. We are not allowed to price gouge and her side will also agree not to reveal what they saw today for a period of 1 year. Failing to uphold their part on either side will result in a curse of blindness, deafness, and madness being bestowed on any party that breaks the contract.'
The deal was almost too good to be true. But Wyne wouldn't deny that there were plenty of benefits from it that he did not want to ignore.
Both he and Mil signed their names and dropped blood on the contract. Once they did, the contract floated into the air before turning into a ball of red light. The light then split into seven marble-sized orbs that shot into the heads of everyone.
"And with this, the contract is complete," Sally clapped her hands. "Do you guys want a ride back? We are teleporting back and that will give you guys time to shower and turn in your mission before class."
Wyne accepted the offer as he had nothing to be afraid of. With the contract signed, the group couldn't harm them without harming themselves. Everyone got into a circle while Sally formed a silver magic circle under them. The circle began to glow to the point that Wyne couldn't see.
The next thing he knew, they were back at the dorms.
"Definitely glad we are taking Space-Time class," Mil said aloud
"Hmm. I know that you have mid-tier talent in blue magic so you have a more intense courseload. But if you have to choose between Alchemy and Space-Time, Space-Time is definitely the best," Sally reassured her of their decision. "And now that I don't have to hunt anymore, I'm about to take a nap before classes start. We get an extra hour after all."
Both groups went up the stairs at the same time and waved goodbye on the 3rd floor. Wyne and Mil went to their rooms and took a quick shower before splitting up outside the dorm. Mil went to grab them both some breakfast while Wyne turned in the proof.
It was the same girl from the morning before who had helped him sign up for missions that was sitting behind the counter. She was also told about how he had completed another one the night before. When he turned in the ears of the apes, the receptionist was surprised again.
'I figured the teachers were insane for putting up this notice. Maybe they already killed the Silver Demonback beforehand,' she thought to herself while taking the mission off Wyne's badge
Wyne was about to leave when he turned around and walked back up to the counter.
"How much does a Silver Demonback's core go for if it has 3 souls in it?"
The receptionist couldn't believe her ears.
'He killed a Silver Demonback with 3 souls?'
"It starts at 250 and the price pretty much doubles for each soul. By the time it reaches 7 souls, it gains about another 20,000 points worth before doubling again," she recovered from her shock and gave her 'receptionist smile' while answering his question. She figured that if he hunted them in the future, it was better to know the full price so he would never get scammed
Wyne stood at the counter while contemplating the price Sally gave him.
'She gave me about 20,000 over the standard price. Even if she included some extra for wanting it for her familiar, it still shouldn't be that much of an increase.'
"What about if a student wants it for their familiar?"
"That would add another 2,000 to the final price on whatever amount of souls it has between 1-3, 4,000 for 4-6, and another 10,000 for 7 or more souls. So one with 3 souls would be worth 4,000," the receptionist knew that he had a core and was offered a price for it so she wanted to make sure that he didn't get scammed.
"Thanks," Wyne gave her a friendly smile and walked out the door while hoping that he ran into Sally that afternoon to get the points. He had no plans of making an ape-type familiar in the future and she had offered a more than fair price for it.