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Chapter 311 - 308 · "What a Coincidence

Chapter 311: Chapter 308 · "What a Coincidence

"Come, this is your Soul Hunter Medal, and this is the Detection Stone provided for you. As an S-rank Soul Hunter, your Detection Stone is equipped with three charges. If you detect any suspicious individuals, use this stone to check them. Be frugal with it, and if you need more later on, you’ll have to go to the exchange at the back,"

The middle-aged man named Xie Li handed a deep blue medal and a red stone to Su Ming’an while briefing him about the situation in Pulaya.

Pulaya is divided into four districts from the east, west, south, and north, with the Northern District belonging to the Royal City, Southern District to the Soul Hunter Headquarters, and the Eastern and Western Districts being more chaotic and dangerous, with a considerable number of deaths occurring each night.

Su Ming’an examined the red "Detection Stone," whose effects appeared similar to that of the Yate Stone. It seemed that these Resource Stones for detecting the Soul Clan were considered hard currency here.

According to Xie Li, due to the blessings of the deities, there was no shortage of Soul Hunters in Pulaya. Before the registration surge of new Soul Hunters, there were a total of one hundred twenty-three local frontline Soul Hunters, including one SS-rank Hunter, three S-rank Hunters, and nine A-rank Hunters.

The only SS-rank Hunter lived in the Royal City, tasked with protecting the Princess, and among the few S-rank Hunters, one of them was Su Ming’an himself.

In other words...

The recently joined Su Ming’an was indeed one of the strongest Soul Hunters Pulaya could mobilize thus far.

...No wonder Xie Li was so excited earlier.

"Soul Hunters are originally few in number because people without adequate strength simply cannot confront the Soul Clan head-on. But recently, there has been a sudden influx of people wanting to register as Soul Hunters..." Xie Li, puzzled, continued, "I remember, just the day before yesterday... suddenly, over a thousand people flocked to the Soul Hunter registration point, saying they wanted to become Soul Hunters..."

Listening, Su Ming’an knew that the players had arrived.

Because the day before yesterday was precisely the first day of instance activation.

"Then what?" he asked.

"The Soul Hunter Department is a very serious organization. It’s not a play-play activity where just anyone can join," Xie Li said. "So, apart from a small portion of truly capable registrants who were assigned to squads, the vast majority were turned away or assigned to logistics."

He chuckled as he said that:

"Some young people were not convinced, accusing us of distrust— but on what grounds should we entrust this sacred duty, the safety of our people, to a bunch of unknowns?"

"What happened afterward?"

"Afterward..." Xie Li looked up as if gazing at the sky: "These self-opinionated individuals, who refused to follow orders, acted alone at night.

"So on the next day," Xie Li lowered his head, "we went to recover their bodies."

Su Ming’an laughed.

He had seen players complain in the channel chat yesterday about the Underworld segment at night being harsh.

It seemed there had indeed been a significant reduction in numbers during these past few days.

"What’s the current squad composition of the Soul Hunters?" Su Ming’an asked.

"After taking on a group of capable Soul Hunters, we now have a total of four hundred twenty Soul Hunters," Xie Li responded.

Su Ming’an frowned slightly.

Less than expected.

This was a ten-thousand-player instance; logically, players should be swarming to the Soul Hunter Faction. Leaving aside the unfortunate players from the Yate Vessel and subtracting the two-thirds who didn’t qualify and those who died, the number of Soul Hunters should at the very least be around two to three thousand.

"By the way, that’s the number of official Soul Hunters fighting on the frontline," Xie Li added. "Frontline Soul Hunters and second-line Soul Hunters receive different treatment. Frontline Hunters are responsible for direct combat and special missions, while second-line Hunters handle night patrols and logistics."

"And the number of second-line Soul Hunters?"

"One thousand six hundred people."

Su Ming’an nodded.

This was a reasonable number.

"After all, the expansion of people was so sudden, we dared not use everyone who applied, only those who passed the strict identity checks and whose strength qualified were considered suitable to join the Soul Hunt," Xie Li said, "Pulaya’s alleyways are numerous, and it becomes chaotic at night, with most of the battles fought in the alleys, so more people would actually be inconvenient. Therefore, our Soul Hunt teams are optimized into ten-person squads, totaling forty teams, with five teams in the Northern District, five in the Southern District, and fifteen in both the East and West, each team led by a B-grade or higher Soul Hunter..." As Xie Li spoke, he suddenly stopped in his tracks, "Look, we’re here."

Su Ming’an eyed the building before him.

It was one of the rare tall structures in the island city of Pulaya, unlike the row of bungalows he had seen, it stood four stories high. Its style was also closer to modern, with its smooth porcelain stone floor, pristine white walls, and the steady light emitted from the strip lights above.

Waiting inside was a Soul Hunter squad, two men and a woman, one of the young men sprawled languidly on the sofa inside, eating fruit served by a maid beside him, his behavior exceptionally leisurely and at ease.

Certainly, Hunters held no lowly status.

The area of Pulaya was not small, the local population plus outsiders exceeded three hundred thousand, yet the Soul Hunters who were truly responsible for front-line combat numbered only around four hundred, nearly one in a thousand ratio, elevating their status above some minor nobles.

And according to rough estimates, the population of the Soul Clan in Pulaya exceeded five hundred.

This meant that even if the Soul Hunters mobilized in full force, people would still die every day. The scarcity of Soul Hunters was the biggest factor in the Soul Clan’s unchecked boldness.

Su Ming’an hadn’t yet entered the building when he heard the conversation of two male Soul Hunters.

He deliberately paused in his steps, and Xie Li, seeing this, also halted.

"...Why haven’t we been assigned tasks yet, it’s already the third day the instance has been activated."

"Who knows, I saw that Ah San and his group have already taken on several tasks. The manager even told us to wait."

"Probably because we only signed up today, there aren’t enough people to make up a team, so we have to wait for a few more members."

"Tch, teams should prioritize quality over quantity, why bother with so many dead weights? Haven’t you seen what they say in the channel chat? It’s hellishly dangerous at night, more people just get in the way..."

Listening to the conversation inside, Xie Li asked him in a low voice, "What’s wrong, my lord?"

In the face of an S-grade Soul Hunter like Su Ming’an, Xie Li’s demeanor was near abject.

The Soul Hunters were Pulaya’s lifeline. And the characteristic of Pulaya’s Soul Hunters was that their general strength was not strong, lacking in top combat power. An S-grade Soul Hunter represented the maximum force currently at their disposal, and if they offended him and he left, they would be the ones to suffer.

"Who’s inside?" Su Ming’an asked.

"Alna, Changtian, Luo Er. One B-grade Hunter and two C-grade Soul Hunters," Xie Li said softly, "They are three new Soul Hunters who signed up today. As our teams are already at full strength, we asked them to wait for the arrival of new Soul Hunters to form the fifteenth Soul Hunter squad."

"There’s a B-grade Soul Hunter inside?" Su Ming’an was somewhat surprised.

From the channel chats, he knew that B-grade Soul Hunters were roughly on the level of players with a Combat Power of 1200 to 1500, a rank only the top fifty players in the world could achieve.

Soul Hunters of this level were typically the ones leading teams as squad captains, but now one was left sitting on the sidelines inside, waiting for the team to fill up...

"My lord, the team you’re about to join is a special squad of Soul Hunters," Xie Li said, "Unlike the forty front-line Soul Hunter teams, we refer to such squads as ’hidden’ Soul Hunters."

Su Ming’an had a vague sense of foreboding.

Although players generally had little resistance to the allure of the word "hidden," as someone familiar with the tricks of world games, he knew that whenever such special circumstances arose, it was highly likely the instance was set to ensnare him.

"Across the whole of Pulaya, there are three hidden squads, with around five people in each, making them the most streamlined teams," Xie Li continued amiably, "Hidden Hunters are used to carry out extremely special missions, unlike the front-line squads responsible for night raids and clearings..."

Perhaps Xie Li’s voice was a bit too loud, the people inside ceased their conversation.

"Who’s out there!"

A youth, clad in a unique, ancient-style robe and holding a long sword, looking as if worried others wouldn’t recognize him as a player, stepped out.

On this island filled with Western style, the swordsman stood out like a sore thumb, as if from a different painting.

"This is C-rank Soul Hunter Changtian, his ability leans towards frontal assault," Xie Li said without paying him any mind, turning to introduce him to Su Ming’an.

The combat power of C-rank Soul Hunters varied widely, roughly between 800 and 1200. Even among ordinary players, he was considered a strong competitor.

Su Ming’an looked inside and saw a woman wearing a sea-blue magic robe, as well as a youth with his head tucked in and his back turned to the door, who looked particularly timid.

"That one is Alna, a C-rank Soul Hunter, with abilities in support and assistance," Xie Li continued, "And that one is Luo Er, a B-rank Soul Hunter, whose abilities are in stealth and insight... Interestingly enough, my lord, just like you, both Alna and Luo Er come from the Yate Empire..."

Su Ming’an didn’t need Xie Li to tell him to recognize the woman named Alna.

He had seen her on the Yate Vessel, though it was just a hurried glance, he had a good memory. She was a female viscount from the Yate Empire, whom Saya had mentioned during a chat.

As for the youth beside her...

Seemingly hearing the noise, the bowed-head youth slowly turned his head, his face visibly stricken with panic.

...What a coincidence.

Su Ming’an truly hadn’t expected to encounter this drifter here.

Just yesterday, the youth had abandoned ship and fled, drifting away with the current as if pursued by sharks, in a most wretched state.

His actions had been turned into emoticons by forum-goers and were said to be spreading like wildfire.

Luo Er was probably the alias of Yamada Machiichi, who had concealed his identity aboard the Yate Vessel.

When Yamada Machiichi’s gaze met Su Ming’an’s, he looked behind him more than once.

Yamada Machiichi was a smart man, and considering the earlier instance of Su Ming’an’s clone appearing beside Su Rin, he had realized that Su Rin was Su Ming’an.

He dared not say more, only averting his gaze.

Just then, a shrill scream erupted.

"This is... this guy named Su Rin, he’s from the Soul Clan!" Alna shrieked.

She had been a member of the Yate Vessel and naturally reached here by getting on a lifeboat.

Upon seeing Su Rin, who hadn’t boarded the lifeboat but had safely arrived at Pulaya, she instantly realized something.

...Being on the Yate Vessel, where the Soul Clan was present, and still safely reaching Pulaya, he must be that Soul Hunter!

"Miss Alna, please calm down," Xie Li slightly frowned, "This is Lord Su Rin, an S-rank Hunter of the Soul Clan from Pulaya. He has a Duke’s proof of identity, so his status is beyond question."

"Impossible!" Alna objected, "He’s just a viscount, how can he be an S-rank Soul Hunter! If he were an S-rank, how could we have been forced to abandon ship and escape..."

Su Ming’an watched her speaking the raw truth, without interfering.

He knew what Alna was saying was indeed true, truer than gold.

But even as she spoke, Xie Li was bound to side with Su Ming’an.

Since technology stones couldn’t detect Su Ming’an’s Soul Clan identity, to everyone else, he was human. As long as he was human and possessed the formidable powers matching an S-rank Soul Hunter, then he had to be treated as a bona fide S-rank hunter.

There was no other choice.

Because Pulaya needed him, needed such an S-rank Soul Hunter.

Alna was still listing evidence, but Xie Li soon interrupted her:

"That’s enough, Miss Alna," he said, "Soul Hunters fight to the death for Pulaya, and an S-rank Soul Hunter is a formidable force. I will not allow you to insult a noble Soul Hunter who has come all the way from the Yate Empire to support Pulaya."

Su Ming’an shifted his gaze.

...Xie Li’s reaction was almost exactly what he had expected.

Pulaya was already a lawless city, no matter where Su Rin came from.

As long as he was human, as long as he had the strength, that was enough; humans’ biggest enemy was the Soul Clan, nothing else mattered.

A common enemy would cause otherwise discordant groups to unite in opposition.

Su Ming’an watched the somewhat unruly Alna, contemplating how he might secretly "sacrifice" her for the upcoming mission.

Suddenly, Alna also seemed to realize something at this moment.

"Wait." She lifted her eyelids, her gaze somewhat vacant, "He’s an S-rank Soul Hunter?"

"You’re joking..." Changtian was already dumbfounded beside her.

In their understanding, an S-rank Soul Hunter’s combat power was at least above two thousand.

If this Su Rin was a player...

Then there was only one possibility.

Because as of then, players with combat power above two thousand, worldwide, there was only one.

"Su..." Changtian was grinding his lips, as if about to blurt out the name.

"All right, Lord Su Rin, now that I’ve introduced all your squad members," Xie Li spoke up loudly, smiling at Su Ming’an, "These three, and one Royal City Knight who will arrive tomorrow, are the four squad members of your ’Team Twenty-Two’, and you are their captain."

Changtian stopped speaking.

Confronting Su Ming’an’s gaze, he suddenly realized that if he were to reveal this person’s identity here, he might face a very grim end.

"Lord Su Rin, in the next few days, your Team Twenty-Two will be assigned some highly critical special missions. Completing missions or killing Soul Clan members will earn Faction Points, which you can exchange for items on the second floor," Xie Li handed a communication device shaped like a rectangle to Su Ming’an and gave three receiving devices to the players:

"Lord Su Rin, this is your team’s communication device with the Soul Hunter Headquarters. Should there be any changes to your missions in the meantime, we will notify you immediately."

"You, as the captain, can communicate with the headquarters and your four team members at any time, but your four teammates may not initiate contact with the outside."

"The Soul Clan is sensitive to such communication devices. If you encounter a situation where you need to hide in an emergency, please do not activate the communication device, as this will allow them to quickly locate you."

"You may now go back and rest for a while. At eight o’clock tonight, the Eastern District Soul Hunter Department will summon you to complete the first mission. Of course, you can decide whether or not to accept it based on the difficulty, we will not insist. If you choose not to take on these special missions, we also have frontline Soul Hunter missions, such as area clearance, that we can assign to you."

"In short, you have a high degree of freedom, as long as you ensure your own survival."

As Xie Li spoke, the smile on his face became more and more evident.

"—I wish you a safe survival until the grand opening day of our ’Maritime Banquet.’"

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