Code Collector

Chapter 25: The Deal

It had been two days after Allen faced the beasts on the lake. He had hunted day and night, sorted the best the items and materials as best as he could and now, he was ready to go to the next camp.

His destination was called Camp Twyla. It was one of the first camps to be ruled by a woman when the portals had opened. Twyla Aberdeen was a wealthy woman who earned her pride in sports. Albeit she was rather young when she became a Hunter and led the camp, she was powerful. She was at Emerald rank.

Hunters, other than levels, are rated by power. Levels determine the rate a Hunter can ascend to the next world, but rating measures how effective someone is at hunting. Stone, Amethyst, Ruby, Emerald, and the highest is Diamond.

It was given that all Primordial Beast Bearers were rated Diamond rank since they have the overpowered advantages like what Allen had at the moment. They must've utilized all of these and climbed up the ratings with ease.

Allen could do just that only if he were from a powerful family too. It was no question that the Primordial Beast Code will catapult anyone to Diamond rank, but connections are still a must.

Bearers like the Boar, Dragon, Rooster, and Ox were from prominent families. They had businesses already established, and it wasn't hard for them to transition to the new era using their status as Primordial Beast Bearers.

The others were from decent middle-class families that could provide them enough connections to be safe while they level up and get stronger. Technically speaking, they didn't climb the ranks alone. They have their families with them.

Allen's case was different, however. He was a nobody, and he had no one. Connections? He has none of that. He only had himself.

And if he tries to seek help from the outside world, from powerful families, he'll end up dead. He knew that all too well. He reminded himself of all these thoughts all the time, so he could go through the struggles of starting from the bottom.

Currently, he was at Stone rank. If he takes a test in a Hunter center at Earth, he can measure his current rating. But that was for another time. There's a series of trials to be finished when testing for a rating, including the logistics. They will see his Codes list and if they see the Snake, his plan will go down the drain.

While walking near Camp Twyla, Allen had heard a series of cries nearby. He looked around but saw no one there. When he was about to shrug it off, thinking it was just his mind playing with him, the noise came back.

"Hello?" Allen called out. He waited for a few seconds for a respond.

"Help!" he heard a woman yell. Allen instantly leaped from the ground and into a tree so he could get the vision.

"Please help us!" a voice yelled, a man this time.

Allen closed his eyes to feel the presence in the area. He took a deep breath when he suddenly heard a loud roar. The boy immediately got off the tree and into the sound of the beast.

He took out his hammer, leaped from a bush and slammed his hammer on the ground. It was much gentler than the one at the lake, but it was enough for the ground to shake a little.

In front of him was a giant black bear with a skull of another bear as its helmet. The bear was about the size if a van but had twice the width. Its claws were sharp and mettalic that it can pierce through the ground without any problem.

The bear turned around after feeling the shock from the attack. It looked at Allen dead in the eyes and started to growl in anger.

"Oh, damnit!" Allen grunted after seeing the terrifying beast in front of him. "I love bears. Why do I have to fight one now?"

"Here!" the female voice called out from behind the beast. "We will give you millions of dollars. Just please save us!"

"How much are we talking about?" Allen smirked. He initially didn't want any money, but after the mention of the money, and his new ideals to become greedy and selfish, a lightbulb lit from inside his head.

"Any amount!" the man yelled. "We're from a wealthy family. Just save our lives!"

Allen's face contorted. He was teasing them to raise the price for their lives. "I don't know an amount that's called "any amount". All I know is a million, two million."

"Five million dollars if you can save us!" the woman yelled. "We can arrange that immediately, just please save us."

"Deal," Allen smirked and switched his weapons. "Fervent Glaive, here we go!"

The boy leaped above the beast and slashed his weapon. He had already trained himself for the three weapons he had in his arms.

The hammer was the easiest to learn since all he need was power. All he had to do was overpower his opponents. The dagger was hard to learn since he had to get close to the opponent to hit them. But it was the lightest and Allen could easily move around with it.

Then the glaive. The weapon that was the trickiest for him to learn. It was a pole arm weapon meaning it has a long ranged weapon. The blade was basically a large knife attached to a wooden pole. Although the pole was wooden, it was covered with red colored runes that was responsible for the flame aspect.

Among the three, it was the most effective. The burning effect from the weapon was very useful in a fight. It was a damage over time effect and it can stack for up to three times. All Allen needed to do was hit the opponent three times and prolong the fight.

About how he holds the glaive, it was still a work in progress. The pole was a tough feat for him to master since it needed control. But since the weight of the weapon was perfectly balanced, he was sure that he'll learn how to master it in no time.

"You said six million, right?" Allen smirked as he slowly got closer to the bear.

"I said five"

"Yes!" the man cut the woman off before she could finish. "Six million, and you must ensure our safety."

"Deal." Allen said and slashed his sword.