As most of the Star Warriors were focused on the new arrivals, the plaza outside the settlement gate was almost empty. However, there were some warriors who did not seem to care about the new arrivals.
While walking, Lukas even heard one lady mutter in a cold tone, "When will they stop hyping these newbies for nothing? If they quit boosting their ego, a few of these young calves might survive..."
Lukas's steps paused briefly after listening to her words, but he soon continued moving, following the path to the outskirts of the plaza.
Once he was at the outskirts, the atmosphere changed completely. People in groups stood shouting; most of them were looking for specific members to join their raid outside.
"Need one healer to raid the region of Twin-Tailed Fire Breathing Apes. Compensation will also be decent, a full total of twenty Star Crystals..."
"We just lack one Star Refiner above Rank 3. Anyone interested please join us and we will immediately set out..."
Lukas's eyes twinkled when he heard the twenty Star Crystals as compensation—he just needed ten—however he didn't have healing abilities so he could not take up the task.
Lukas continued through the region looking for a job that could fit his requirements. Soon one hour passed just like this.
"All of their requirements are high. Do I have to enter the forest alone...?" He muttered in a low voice. If possible Lukas didn't want to enter the forest at all, but if he wanted to take advantage of the Basic Bonewalker Assimilation he would need to take the risk. Moreover, the fact that his potential was capped at two stars didn't make things any better.
He would have to take the risk; it didn't matter whether he liked it or not.
Just as he was about to give up and wander back to the forest alone, he spotted a fragile-looking man holding a large wooden board in his hand.
With narrowed eyes, he scanned the words written on the board.
"Need a porter, compensation 1 Star Crystal..."
Other than that there was nothing else mentioned—no destination, nothing.
"The compensation is fairly good for a porter..." Lukas muttered to himself, feeling the deal to be unreasonably good. Porters rarely got paid one crystal; rather they were employed on a contractual basis, like for a month, that too for as low as five Star Crystals.
This was the reason why Lukas said this deal was unreasonably good.
Although he knew something was fishy, he still decided to check it out. As the saying goes, what a hungry man does not do for his stomach? Lukas might not feel hungry because of the undead trait, but there was something that he was hungry for... it was hunger for power.
He was not willing to be a loser, not willing to be a bottom feeder. Now that he had the second chance, he would sit at the top above all, below none.
…
Nimo glanced at his shriveled body and his expression couldn't help but turn ugly. He couldn't help but mutter panic in his tone, "The blood-sucking poison is spreading faster than I anticipated. At this rate, if I don't head to the Druid Tribe, I might die before ever reaching home..."
Some months ago, Nimo was just an ordinary young man, arriving at the Star Dimension after awakening a talent with three-star potential. And just like everyone, he was also rejected by the Roaring Dragon Guild. At that time he was young and prideful and didn't want to, so he didn't join lower-level gangs and forces.
To survive, he took the job of treasure hunting. Moving through the forest collecting rare herbs and treasures, he managed to sell that stuff for a high price. Soon he accumulated enough Star Crystals to use the teleportation to head back home.
His talent related to movement also made things easier. Just as everything was doing good, tragedy struck: while collecting a Rare Grade flower, he was injected with blood-sucking poison, a poison that turned all the blood present in the body to water.
Nimo was destined to die if he didn't receive treatment in time.
"Time is running out. If I don't set out now, I might not be able to return before the ebb tide..."
Nimo couldn't help but contemplate leaving without a porter, but his body had grown fragile, unable to carry a load. Moreover, he didn't want to invite warriors to accompany him; his reputation as a wealthy merchant had already spread.
Just as Nimo was about to risk it all, he heard the sound of footsteps coming in his direction.
"Hello, are you in need of a porter...?"
Followed by the voice, a young man with a head full of black hair, two sharp eyes, and a pointed nose appeared in his vision. From the plain clothes that the young man wore, a single word appeared in his mind:
Noob!
Instinctively a smile appeared on Nimo's face. Perfect, an ignorant and powerless noob, the perfect candidate that I needed.
Lukas instinctively frowned, thinking there was something definitely wrong with this pale-looking man.
Nimo didn't answer Lukas's question but pointed in the direction of a large leather bag placed in the distance. "Pick it up..."
"We are leaving right now..."
Lukas without asking any more, picked the bag up. He didn't want to annoy his first job giver for no reason.
…
"This bag is so heavy for its size..." Lukas muttered while frowning. The bag that he carried was no bigger than a normal climbing bag but it was unusually heavy as if filled with stones. Although the undead trait gave him almost never-ending stamina, but his strength was the same. His shoulder had already started to hurt, but for power, he gritted his teeth and continued to move forward.
Meanwhile, the Roaring Dragon Settlement continued to grow smaller, smaller, and smaller until it was no longer visible. He was once again surrounded by tall Iron Trees.
Glancing around, Lukas had never expected that he would return to the forest so soon after leaving.
Maybe sensing his unfocused stare, Nimo's hoarse voice came from ahead. "Stay focused. There are rumors of a mysterious monster roaming the forest, a monster that feeds on the stars of awakeners..."