It's been two months since I enrolled in Pearl Institute, and I mainly spent the time hunting (I used an hour-long train to reach the fringes of the city) using a newly purchased bow while practicing control for the Basic spells of Water and Shadow. Over the first month, I mastered the Shadow Evade: Traverse spell, allowing me to teleport between nearby shadows. This nearly tripled my hunting efficiency. Since my Shadow Stardust only allowed 2 casts of Traverse, I used both of those to one-shot two unsuspecting Lesser Warriors each day at a critical moment in battle, along with my bow kills of around 10 Soldiers and sometimes one more full melee battle with a Lesser Warrior without Traverse. This strategy racked up 8 million yuan in materials alone, though I was not fortunate enough to get any rare bones from Warriors.
But I was incredibly fortunate with Soul Essence drops. 2 beautiful Warrior Soul Essences and 2 Soldier Soul Essences sold for a mind-boggling 40 million yuan. After just 2 months, I had nearly 50 million yuan in my account. I've already spent 30 million on two Elemental Spirits for my Light and Water Elements.
Elemental Spirits essentially increase the potency of your Elements. For example, once my Water Spirit took up residence in my Water Stardust, every Water spell I cast from then on was stronger. How much stronger depends on the quality of the Spirit.
Spirits are generally divided into three grades: Spirit, Soul, and Heaven. The quality of the Spirit determines its affix. Much like magical beasts, the ranking goes Inferior, Lesser, Average, Greater. The Evolving affix only applies to the appropriate magical beasts, since they're truly in the process of ascending to the next level. Since Elemental Spirits cannot evolve once they're born, this category was discarded. Right now, both my Light and Water Elements have an amplification of 3x from the Elemental Spirits I purchased, the mark of a Greater Spirit-grade Elemental Spirit.
Elemental Spirits' prices vary greatly depending on the Element. Most Basic Mages can't afford Elemental Spirits, and few can become Intermediate Mages using the Light or Water Elements. Also, few choose to awaken Light and Water if they reach the Intermediate level with another Element. This means there aren't many Intermediate Light or Water Mages in comparison to other Elements, and thus demand for those Spirits is low. Therefore, their price can be more than twice as low as that of a Fire or Lightning Spirit of the same quality.
30 million is barely enough to get a high-quality Spirit-grade Lightning Spirit, capable of boosting the power of Lightning spells by a factor of 3! At that strength, a single 3rd-tier Lightning Strike would leave most Soldiers half-dead. Meanwhile, I obtained 2 Spirits of similar quality for 30 million since they're for 'lesser' Elements. My Light Spirit even has an additional effect!
Additional effects are powerful properties that some, usually stronger, Spirits possess, ones that normally activate when launching a spell and don't consume any extra mana. My Light spells now have the additional effect of accumulation: after casting 3 Basic spells or 1 Intermediate spell, I hold an inferior version of the Holy Shield spell in reserve, and I can release it at any moment with no cooldown to block practically any attack beneath the Intermediate level. This stacks: casting 6 Basic spells or 3 Basic and 1 Intermediate will net me 2 of these shields, and so on.
Unfortunately, no Elemental Spirits exist for Shadow; it's a Dark Element, after all. Nevertheless, Shadow on its own already feels more useful than Water.
As I'm smiling to myself while meditating on my bed, looking forward to school starting in 2 days, Zhao Manyan nudges me.
"Hey, are you ready to attend the Welcoming Ceremony?"
"Huh? What's that?"
He stares at me in disbelief. "You haven't heard? Each year, the new students have a battle. It's the freshman of the Summon School versus everyone else."
"Oh? What are the rules?"
"Each battle involves one person from the Summon School, and at most 5 people from a mix of Schools; once you leave or get knocked out, you can't go back in. If the new Summoners fail to take out at least 100 people combined, the resources that'd originally be distributed to them will be handed out to everyone else."
I frown. "That doesn't seem fair. They only get to keep the resources originally allocated to them after beating 100 of us."
He shrugs. "Just how it is. Anyway, you coming?"
"Obviously. Give me a minute to get ready."
…
…
Zhao Manyan and I walk into a giant auditorium with a dueling arena in the center of the stands. We sit down near the bottom to get the best view.
Dean Xiao, seated near the entrance of the arena, begins delivering a speech through his microphone.
"Welcome, all of you freshman! I have one important message for you. If you're here to become a Magician respected in society, with a high salary, and live a luxurious life, you've come to the wrong place. Here at Pearl Institute, we train warriors, heroes who will protect humanity. If you want to be the former, I promise to give all of you a graduation certificate and a recommendation letter right now so that you leave and achieve those goals. Please don't waste the opportunities in this campus that could have been put to better use by others.
"On a more upbeat note, we're having our annual Welcoming Ceremony, revolving around the stars of the day, our Summon freshmen!"
Six young men walk onto the field, accompanied by someone who looks to be the Summon Element Dean.
"You all know the rules. If they can win against 100 of you, they keep their resources. Otherwise, you receive their resources! Now, let us begin!"
Much to the shock of Zhao Manyan, I tramp down to the field, asking the others about to enter to wait one turn. They grumble, but agree, muttering that it's my loss I won't team with them and whatnot.
However, Dean Xiao recognizes me, and he pauses briefly before announcing, "Alright, Summoners, pair up and decide amongst yourselves who will go first to face this brave young man!"
The Summon students glance at one another, utterly confused. The crowd is similarly perplexed, whispering to one another. Still, the Dean's instructions are absolute, and after some furious discussion, 4 of them walk to a corner of the field. The two that remain boast confident expressions as I pace toward them.
They summon their beasts: a rock golem towering 4 meters high, and a smaller undead eagle flying in the air. I judge them both to be Great Soldiers; they have decent synergy, forcing a confrontation with the golem while the agile eagle looks for openings to strike.
I'm already less than 5 meters away from the golem, and I engage, twirling around a fist it hurtles at me and then jumping onto the arm that just landed on the ground. I dash up its arm to its head, but I suddenly lay flat, avoiding the sudden swipe of the eagle. I pick myself up and continue; the slow, inflexible golem can't reach me when I'm next to its shoulder. I decapitate the golem and stab my sword into its neck, jumping down and grabbing it to let gravity cut the golem in half just as the eagle lunges at me again. During the fall, I was casting Water Defense: Resolve, conjuring up a rectangle of water covering my flank. The eagle pierced through it, but it slowed the undead bird's momentum significantly enough for me to slice off one of its wings. A heartbeat later, I cut off the other, forcing it to crash down to the ground. Both monsters lay immobile at my feet after only having used a single Basic Spell. Out of consideration for my opponents, I don't finish the beasts off, letting their masters recall them to recover.
This time, the uproar in the audience mostly consists of shouts of disbelief. A mere Water Mage defeated two Great Soldiers? I meet Zhao Manyan's eyes, and his reaction doesn't disappoint; it's the most gobsmacked look I've ever seen on his face. I did tell him how I defeated Luo Song, but he likely never imagined something like this.
Dean Xiao appears a little perturbed as he calls in the next pair of Summoners. 2 of the remaining 4 have already walked out of the arena, evidently having given up on facing me. One of the remaining two walks forward and aligns 7 Summon stars, calling forth a gigantic scorpion covered in spikes and solid keratin armor, with 6 legs as sharp as scythes.
"White… White Armored Battle Scorpion!" a few people in the audience murmur, recognizing the demonic beast.
The other completes his basic Summon spell and I'm now faced with a blue Spirit Wolf, one much less menacing than the Advancing Soldier my classmates and I battled over a year ago.
The scorpion cautiously approaches me, while the wolf sprints, hell-bent on tearing me apart. I neatly twist to the side to avoid its lunge and simultaneously slice through its throat. It's now wheezing and lying helplessly on the ground, immobile and bleeding out.
I shift my attention back to the scorpion, which has closed the distance to 10 meters. After a pregnant pause, it slashes its axe-like front claw with frightening speed. Right into my sword, which shears through the claw like butter. I allow myself a grin before dashing at the scorpion. It unleashes a flurry of swipes with its remaining limbs, all of which I easily cut through. One final dodge and I slice off the scorpion's tail; it now looks like an extremely spiky oversized pancake.
Both of the Summoners recall their magical beasts, appearing rather dejected. They did just lose the rights to their resources, after all. But I'm not satisfied. I direct my gaze towards Dean Xiao, who's stroking his chin in contemplation. He locks eyes with me, trying to discern my intentions. I mouth, "Send. Them. All."
A mischievous glint enters his eye, and he announces, "As Mages, you have to be prepared for anything! Let's shake things up a bit. As things stand, all the Summon department's resources will go to Yang Jianyu here. If that doesn't sit right with the rest of you, feel free to challenge him! Basic Mages in groups of up to 6, Intermediate Mages solo. But be warned, the moment you start challenging him, you wager the resources of the entire freshman class! You must use at most 100 students to defeat him, or else everyone's resources go to him."
[What'll it be? Will they be content to keep their own resources and allow me to steal those of the Summon department's, or will they be greedy and risk their own to obtain the Summoners'?]
A hubbub of annoyed chattering escalates in the audience, but it shuts off instantly when Dean Xiao amiably stands up and scans the stadium with a mild expression; subsequently, everyone silently accepts the altered rules.
The group that I cut in front of is the first to enter the arena to face me. I don't bother differentiating them by appearance: their Elements are what I care about anyway. They settle into a basic formation: 2 vanguards, 2 moving shiftily along the sides of the arena to flank me, and 2 in the back, likely offensive Mages. They both slowly conjure Fire Bursts and lob them at me, but I'm already moving out of the way and facing a speedy Mage rushing at me with a Wind Trail. I dispassionately knock aside his arm when he attempts to slash a knife, and I proceed to ram my knee into his stomach. He wheezes and bowls over in agony, and I whirl around into a kick that breaks the jaw of the Earth Mage who used Earth Wave to sneak up behind me.
[It's just too easy. As an Intermediate Mage, I'm stronger, faster, and I have superior reflexes.]
I jog towards the remaining 4 Mages, although it'd be a full-tilt sprint for them were they in my shoes. It's trivial to avoid the incoming Fire Bursts; I simply run to the open space that won't be the recipient of a Fire Burst in the next second. In no time, I'm facing two rather pale Water Mages with their circular Water shields held in front of them. Unfortunately for them, the shields are immobile once casted, so within moments I've already run around and dispatched them both with body blows—none of these students have any close combat experience. And 30 seconds later, I've closed in on the last 2 Fire Mages and swiftly neutralize them by landing gut punches.
I glance at Dean Xiao, whose brows are slightly raised in surprise, indicating that my performance thus far has exceeded his expectations. The next group of 6 Basic Mages doesn't even want to enter the arena; why would they, when I used precisely 0 magic to defeat the previous group? The students here aren't foolish. They recognize that my enhanced physique means I'm an Intermediate Mage, which means they'd be taken out even if they forced me to cast a spell.
Ah. Murmurs resound all along the line, and the next group musters up enough courage to step into the arena. Could the freshman body be cooperating to waste as much of my energy as possible?
For now it doesn't matter, because it's still merely a group of 6 Basic Mages. Easy pickings. I dance around the Fire Bursts, jump over the Earth Waves, demolish the Wind Mage who dares face me in close combat, take out the Earth Mage so that he can't save anyone, take out the Fire Mage while avoiding the Ice Spreads, take out the Ice Mage a bit later, and finish off the Water Mage and Light Mage. The latter did try to blind me, but I closed my eyes in time to avoid my retinas from searing; through the eyelids, it was only as bright as staring directly at a potent lamp.
No one in the audience is mocking me anymore. They stare in awe, wondering what'll happen next.
I go through another 16 sets of Basic Mages without even breathing hard, casting Water Defense: Resolve and a few Blindness spells at crucial times. I rack up 2 temporary shields via the additional effect. Normally when facing a Mage that has displayed his abilities, it becomes easy to develop a plan to counter them. Shadow Mage? Just toss in a Light Mage. Fire Mage? Put in a strong Water Mage. Lightning Mage? An Earth mage can block his attacks.
But against me, there's nothing to be done. The repertoire of Basic Mages is too limited; they can't effectively land a hit on me nor wrap restraints around me, due to my instincts plus defensive Elements. All they can do is run, but my trained physique surpasses theirs, so after their evasion spells go on cooldown, I easily catch them.
I've already defeated 98 students, and by the looks of the people who lined up, it's all groups of Basic Mages left.
Wait.
There appears to be squalor as 2 people cut into the front of the line. One shoves the front group out of the way, and they don't dare to display their displeasure. The other apologetically follows. The first is Luo Song. The second is a woman who looks like she'd like nothing better than to have an excellent match with me.
Luo Song enters the field to face me, wearing a mocking expression on his face. After Dean Xiao signals to begin, he immediately constructs a Star Pattern, but I interrupt with a Blindness. However, it looks like he's learned his lesson from our last match, and closed his eyes in time, though he still gets distracted enough to fail aligning a star properly. As he tries again, he notices I've already closed in, but he laughs and summons 3 pieces of Magic Armor that cover him from head to toe, only leaving gaps for his eyes and nose.
[A strategy that isn't thoughtless.]
But not one that's thoughtful either, as I just kick him down, pin his head, and hold my sword millimeters away from his right eyeball. I can see leakages of a stinky liquid seeping through the armor covering his nether regions. What a shitty plan: did he really think I'd just blunt my swords by swiping at his excellent armor?
Dean Xiao announces my win, and the audience starts to go silent, doubtless nervous that I'll actually
"The last challenger. I hope you won't be as disappointing as the rest of these lot."
She gives me a level gaze and doesn't say anything, waiting for Dean Xiao to commence the battle. I can respect that, though I realize now that I'm in for a real match. This won't be easy.
Indeed, she starts constructing a Wind Star Pattern at an experienced rate, far faster and smoother than Luo Song. I definitely won't make it to her before she finishes, so I'm forced to cast Blindness, which she anticipates, but it still interrupts her. This is developing very similarly to the fight with Luo Song: right as I approach her, she uses Wind Trail to speed away and tries channeling the Wind Intermediate spell again. I decide to expose my trump card.
"Wind Disc: Tornado!"
A whirlwind grows in the center of the field, quickly surrounding me with sharp, heavy winds. However, Light Blessing: Holy Shield won't protect me from an omnidirectional attack. Instead:
"Light Blessing: Painted Wall!"
Both of our spells are enhanced by Spirit-grade Spirits, but defensive spells generally hold an advantage over offensive spells, especially AOE attacks like this. A dome of light, the product of casting the 2nd-tier Intermediate Light spell, covers my figure as I dash to her location, shielding me from the wind. I anticipate her trying to escape with Wind Trail by pulling out my bow, which, along with a quiver of arrows, I've had on my back the whole time. As the whirlwind dissipates, I quickly fire arrows at her while she furiously aligns her stars, but she doesn't finish in time because she's forced to sidestep the arrows. I've already reached her position, but similarly to Luo Song, she covers her whole body in Magic Equipment. Her armor appears to be of far higher quality than Luo Song's: I can't find a single crevice or weakness to stab. I experimentally swing a sword at the clear scales covering her eyes, but it bounces off, blunted, and leaves a small white scratch. Great.
During this time, she has already channeled Wind Trail and subsequently escapes a few hundred meters away. Seeing how ineffective her Wind Magic was, she switches to her other element: Plant.
I see her construct a Plant Star Pattern and immediately start firing arrows at her, but they all clank off her impervious armor. I brace for what's to come as I approach her.
Thick, spiky vines burst out of the ground all around me, striving to constrict and trap me. I begin rotating as I evade, ensuring I see everything around me and roughly predict each vine's movement. However, tens of dozens of vines are growing out, enveloping a huge portion of the field in the spell's namesake: Forest of Kun: Prison. I slice and hack through, rotating, dodging, while my face and body are splattered with green juices. I slash through the final vine and stumble into the open, greeted by a pale-pallored girl and biting winds that immediately open several gashes all over my body.
Clearly, she cast a second Intermediate Wind spell, emptying her Wind Nebula in the process. I see the assistant about to intervene, but he stops in awe as I cover my body with 5 accumulated light shields and a Water spell for good measure, neatly forming a moving box that protects me from the whirlwind. My opponent gasps in magical exhaustion and tries to construct a second Forest of Kun, but it's too late. I kick her to the ground, eliciting a gasp of frustration as her Star Pattern formation is interrupted.
"Look, your armor is on a timer, and I'll just keep kicking you around if you try casting another spell. Do us both a favor and surrender."
She reluctantly unsummons her armor, her expression crestfallen. She's lost all the calm bravado she initially faced me with.
I hear loud discussions, outcries, and protests everywhere, but I'm focused on my opponent's words.
"I don't understand. I had two offensive spells to your one, a few evasive spells to your none, excellent armor that countered your swords and bow, and I've got 2 Nebulas to your one. How can mere evading and timing carry you to a victory when the odds were so stacked against you?"
"You can't put it like that. You were a very difficult opponent: if I hadn't unlocked the 2nd-tier Light Intermediate spell a couple of weeks ago, I'd have lost to your first Wind Disc: Tornado. You had 2 decent AOE spells and knew how to effectively use them; I've fought and killed Warriors that gave me less trouble. Moreover, judging by how rich you are, surely you could've used a Deathstrike Equipment to defeat me in the end? But you didn't; your sportsmanship is commendable."
My attempts at reassurance fail; she looks no less unsettled than before. "How could I be so shameless to use such life-saving one-off gear in a mere competition, no less when you didn't use a single one of your Magic Armors and instead suffered those injuries with your bare body? Though I'm less disappointed in myself and more curious about you now; what large faction raised you?"
[Ah. I should clear up this misunderstanding.]
But as I open my mouth to respond, Dean Xiao subjects the protesting audience to his booming voice.
"Silence, all of you! I'm disappointed in your Deans. They didn't say a single thing when I announced the change in the competition's format, yet they're complaining now that he has won. I have half a mind to fire all of them! As for all of you students currently suppressing your outcries, you behaved in exactly the same way. You could have simply not challenged him at all, but you were not satisfied with letting him secure the Summon students' resources. You were greedy, and you will suffer for it."
Somehow, a student manages to make his voice heard over the others that rise up in response.
"But Dean, this is unfair for another reason! Look at him, he's stacked with resources! Those swords, those amazing Elemental Spirits! They cost dozens of millions! How can someone like him with a large background supporting him take away the resources that are the only way for poorer students like us to improve? He already has enough wealth; it's not reasonable to take things from the needy and give them to the rich!"
"Suppose if I was convinced by your last sentence, which I'm not: it doesn't apply here when you all chose to risk your valuables. But suppose, regardless. It still doesn't apply here. Yang Jianyu has no such rich upbringing or clan showering him with money so he can improve. His foster father used to be a chauffeur in Bo City until he used his skills in combat to earn money, allowing his foster father to quit his job and lift his head high! During the calamity of Bo City, he fought with his life on the line both against the wolves and the Black Vatican, even capturing two of the latter alive! While you all have been lazing about in your rooms this summer, he wakes up at 6 AM every day and takes the train to the outskirts of the city, hunting magical beasts and acquiring their loot! He earned every single Elemental Spirit and equipment on him with his own blood, sweat, and tears. It is a personal affront that you accuse him of being undeserving of the rewards from his victory. Sit back down."
This time, I can't hear a single peep anywhere. Everyone seems utterly speechless, cowed, ashamed, and envious.
[It's rather embarrassing that Dean Xiao leverage my story to motivate the freshmen.]
"I believe there is little more to be said. None of you will receive any starting resources; they will all go to Yang Jianyu. Everyone can begin attending lectures starting in 2 days on Monday. Yang Jianyu, after getting healed, please come to my office to receive your reward. Thank you all for coming, and I will be posting a form online in a week asking if you believe this competition is fair and should be continued, and we'll accept comments for improvement. Please cool your heads that are no doubt angry at your losses; you are not elementary school children. Take the week to relax and then answer as logically as you can. Take care, future pillars of the nation!"
I extend a hand to the girl still on the ground.
"Excellent fight. I'm Yang Jianyu."
She hesitantly takes it, and I pull her up. "Likewise. I am Mui Nujiao."
My shallower cuts have stopped bleeding, courtesy of Nyx, but I still get everything healed before visiting Dean Xiao.
…
…
I ease myself into the chair opposite him. He rests his clasped hands on the desk and begins speaking.
"Such a marvelous victory deserves a corresponding reward. There's 4000 new students and 12,000 current students in the Outer Campus, and you just stole 4000 people's worth of starting resources. Each person, on average, would have received around 20,000 yuan's worth of materials or items. That's 80 million I can offer you, though I'm unable to give it to you in cash and would have to take it from the stockpile of Light and Water materials or the collection of Magic Equipment. Additionally, since your achievement of fighting all the Summoners, then 98 Basic Mages in groups of 5 or 6, an Intermediate Mage, and then the strongest newcomer aside from you, was so incredibly outstanding, I've decided to open the Three Step Tower for you to cultivate in for a week of your choice."
[Wow. I have no idea what that is.]
But I can hazard a guess; it's probably something similar to the Underground Holy Spring.
"What kind of equipment do you have in mind? I'm looking for a more powerful, versatile bow, and a pair of Magic Boots with an agility increase or some similar ability."
He ponders, stroking his beard. "Come with me to the armory, let's get you something."
…
…
And what an armory it is. Everywhere in the huge warehouse lies slightly glowing Magic Equipment and the occasional cold weapon.
"Let me know if something catches your eye, but I have 3 Magic Boots to recommend. One is the Blood Tabi: it infuses your legs with the strength of a powerful Warrior, containing 3 charges that last 10 seconds with short cooldowns between each one. You'll have to power it with Earth magic stones. I'll give a discounted quote of 16 million yuan.
"I have here the Rabbit Feet, crafted from the mutated leg muscles of a bunny-like monster. It recharges in your Spiritual World and imbues your legs with 3 times the swiftness of a Wind Mage casting Wind Trail, containing 1 charge that lasts 20 seconds. 20 million yuan.
"Finally, the best of all. Bull Xenon. Your whole body becomes invulnerable to low level Intermediate spells like the Wind Disc Tornado. It also raises your speed to 5 times that of a mage using Wind Trail. There's 1 charge that lasts 20 seconds, and it recharges in your Spiritual World. 44 million yuan."
"That suspiciously sums exactly to 80 million; what about the bow?"
"Ah. You see, you are unique. Very few Mages nowadays bother with cold weapons after surpassing the Basic level, perhaps keeping a dagger or short sword for emergencies. And I don't know of a single Intermediate Mage like you, who strives to compensate for his lack of offensive Elements by engaging others in close combat, chasing them down when they try to run. There's several excellent bows in here, some even capable of harming Commanders if used properly, but they're collecting dust. I'll recommend the best one but you can peruse at your leisure; any bow you select won't cost you anything.
"The one I have in mind is the Chaotic Piercer. It's a failed piece of Magic Equipment; it was meant for Chaos Magicians specifically, but anyone could have used it to a lesser degree by consuming expensive Chaos magic stones. It still retains some of its magical properties, although it's not a Magic Equipment as planned. One is related to the amplification effect of Chaos: any arrow you fire will fly 5 times faster than normal. Another involves the illusory and time-related qualities of Chaos: onlookers will perceive the arrows you fire to have been shot up to 5 seconds after you've already released them, or whenever the arrows find a target. The other attributes were unfortunately lost when the Magic Forging failed; otherwise, even a Super Mage would have paid a steep price to obtain it.
"Luckily, you don't need to charge the bow with Chaos magic stones to keep the two effects going; they were locked into the bow as passive effects, and the active effects were lost. It comes with a quiver and a set of 20 arrows also enchanted with Chaos magic: they return to the quiver 10 seconds after leaving it if they're not broken, and such a thing is impossible unless you're fighting a strong Ruler."
[Woah, that's a lot to take in.]
"All this sounds amazing even if it's not Magic Equipment; why hasn't anyone shown desire for it?"
He releases a sigh. "Your foster father came to meet me once to check on how you were doing and what the campus was like; I'm sure you visited him, but he wanted to see for himself that you were fine. In faith that I wouldn't tell anyone, and I won't, he conveyed to me a few details about your past. I don't know much, but I am certain that you are unique.
"Yang Jianyu, I've been all around the world when I was younger. I fought with my life on the line amongst countless Battlemages. I've seen Hunter Union, Military, Magic Association members. I don't think you realize just how impossible your talents are. Not a single person in the world can claim to have killed Soldiers, without luck, as a mere non-mage. No Intermediate Mage can fight against Warriors without the support of their Elements. No one thinks like you, believing this bow and its arrows are godly tools; they're too busy saving up for their next Magic Armor or Deathstrike Equipment.
"But with this unprecedented perspective and gift, you still choose to roam Shanghai's outskirts to seek monetary gains by killing magical beasts. However, out there, all it takes is one mistake. One. I'm not talking about a mistake during battle; I mean a tactical mistake that you can't prepare for. Maybe a horde of Warriors will come charging at you, maybe you'll step into the aggression range of a Commander. Evading Soldiers can't even be spoken of in the same breath as these possibilities.
"May I suggest you cut back on hunting demon beasts every day? It doesn't help humans right now, since you can only kill so many. You're better off dealing with commissions from the Hunter Union that involve taking out creatures in the city that actually threaten civilians. I'll recommend you to an old friend of mine in the Clearsky Hunter Agency, an excellent private hunting agency that won't restrict what missions you can take on based upon your Hunter rank. I hope you can preserve your own life and help the people, Yang Jianyu. Will you agree?"
[I didn't expect all that from asking about why no one wanted it, but he did sneak a semi-answer in there. I can extrapolate the rest: it's likely an experienced Super Chaos Mage commissioned the bow, and then donated it to the Pearl Institute when it failed to become Magic Equipment. Since then, Dean Xiao hasn't had students interested in this bow since it's not Magic Equipment, so here it lies.]
I seriously consider his words. He's far more experienced with worldly matters than I am, being 70 or possibly even older. His strength is an entire stratosphere above mine. He's more than qualified to give me a lesson and likely knows what's best for me.
Plus, his points are right on the mark. If I'm really as unique as he says I am, and if that'll make me a future pillar of humanity, it will certainly be a huge loss if I die. Can I really be absolutely sure no beast will get the jump on me? No creature will approach me without me reacting to its presence? There's too many species, too many variants, too many mutations. I could get killed at any point, even if the odds are unlikely, by unknowingly venturing too close to a Commander.
He's right. I should limit my time in the wilderness; I've profited enough. There's not really anything I lack now, other than Magic Armor and Deathstrike Equipment. The matter of offense is resolved with Dean Xiao's incredible bow. The only reason to keep hunting monsters is to watch my bank account grow; I'd be helping people more by tracking down dangerous beasts in the city.
[Do I care enough about strangers to value their well-being over my own wealth?]
I think back to the Bo City calamity. I didn't have to kill those One-eyed Magic Wolves over and over, but I did it because I despised the idea of people around me losing their lives. I didn't have to assist my classmates, but I helped them reach the Safety Zone, even facing a Warrior for the first time in the process of clearing a path for them.
I recall being in despair seeing the remains of the civilian neighborhood, people unable to resist getting slaughtered, even children suffering gruesome deaths. Things like that happen on a smaller scale every day in the city, and isn't it selfish to prioritize mere wealth, not even scraps in comparison to what I need to upgrade my gear and Spirits anyways?
I'm suddenly a bit ashamed of myself. When did I start pursuing money so doggedly? It was enough after securing a comfortable life for Xinxia and Uncle Mo and ensuring I wasn't defenseless, but attracted by the prospects of getting Soul Essences, I tossed all possibilities of helping others aside. Shouldn't I try to prevent things like the Mingala Kyun village incident, even if on a smaller scale?
Not only that, I should be searching for clues regarding the cause of that incident. And I won't find the Black Vatican by wandering around in a random meadow. Their target is humans, most often in human cities. Therefore, my priority should be accepting Hunter missions inside the city in hopes of stumbling into a case involving the Black Vatican…
[Alright.]
Dean Xiao stands there quietly, watching my conflicted face. I lift my head to meet his eyes, and suddenly sweep into a 90 degree bow.
"Thank you for correcting my path, Dean. Perhaps I would have been consumed by the pursuit of money in the future, but I've realized my mistakes. I appreciate your giving me a chance with the Clearsky Hunter Agency; I'll be in your debt."
Astonished, he hurriedly raises my shoulders. "No need, no need. They'll benefit from an excellent young man like yourself. In fact, go ahead and visit them now. I'll give them a call while you're on your way. And don't forget your bow and arrows."
He hands over the Chaotic Piercer, a pristine white with no designs and nearly as tall as me, and its quiver of arrows, also white. I receive them, and then imprint the three Magic Boots. They vanish and appear in my Spiritual World. I give him one more short bow, and stride away to the Clearsky Agency after searching up its location. It's near the Pearl Institute and my flat.