Chapter 9: Aolang's Talent

Aolang nodded slowly, lost in thought.

Qiaoda smiled; as a "veteran" who had served in the Citadel Guerrillas for nearly thirty years, he knew exactly what a young kid like Aolang was worrying about.

Before the latter could ask, he proactively offered two options: "It's different from the days when you were a volunteer. Nowadays, the Citadel Guerrillas have funding specifically allocated by the Luokelake Guild, and even a dedicated logistics support system."

In other words, it could be treated as a stable job.

"Fixed monthly salary, free accommodation, standard-issue equipment distributed according to need, and so on—it's very attractive."

At this, his tone suddenly shifted. "But I can see you're not interested in such an arrangement, young man. You haven't thought about staying in the Citadel Guerrillas long-term, have you?"

"Mm." Aolang nodded without hesitation.

To be honest, his original intention was simply to find a place to stay when he ran away from home; somehow, it turned into joining the Citadel Guerrillas.

"Actually, there are quite a few young people with similar thoughts, so we have corresponding strategies for them."

"How about treating it as a short-term job? A week or two is fine, a few months is okay, and a year is even better."

"Although the fixed salary will be slightly lower, you'll have more freedom with your time. I can personally assign you more hunting and extermination missions—all guild-approved ones that count toward your mission quota, so it won't affect your promotion to Two-Star."

"Accommodation and equipment can also be provided. Of course, the equipment is only temporarily loaned and must be returned when you resign."

Aolang listened, somewhat stunned. "Aren't these conditions a bit too lenient?"

"Ha!" Qiaoda speared a large chunk of roasted meat with his fork and placed it on Aolang's plate. "Of course, not everyone can get such treatment, but you are a genius after all."

"Isn't it normal to give you a few perks? Just remember to tell us a few days in advance when you plan to resign, otherwise it will affect work arrangements."

Since the other party had gone this far, refusing would be somewhat impolite.

Besides, there was no need to worry about being cheated; the Citadel Guerrillas had a reputation to uphold and wouldn't scam a small Hunter like himself.

Moreover, the Citadel Guerrillas were actually directly led by the Luokelake Guild, and he was quite familiar with that little-bearded Guild Master...

"Then please take care of me." Aolang stood up and bowed to Qiaoda across the table.

"Hey! We Desert People don't use that kind of etiquette." Qiaoda laughed, walked over, and extended his greasy, large hand to embrace him, his steel-needle-like short beard pricking his face painfully.

Reisha and Shaji took the opportunity to eat heartily.

The best way to eat roasted meat is to wolf it down; before long, that large plate of roasted meat was completely devoured by the three humans and the cat.

"Ah~! Full, full!" Reisha patted her belly, saying with a look of pure happiness.

Shaji also yawned and squinted her eyes. "Meow—"

"You're the one who ate the most!" Qiaoda glared at Reisha. "Skipping work and mooching off meals... but since you brought Aolang here, I won't hold it against you."

Having said that, he turned to Aolang. "I'll have Reisha take you to get some equipment. Although the Guerrilla uniform isn't high-level armor, it's still slightly better than what you're wearing now."

"You need accommodation too, right? Let Reisha take you there as well. In short, ask her if you don't understand anything."

"I won't assign you a specific patrol area. What you mainly want to do is extermination missions to accumulate the mission count needed for promotion to Two-Star, right?"

"There are so many such missions that you can't finish them all. I'll arrange a few more for you. When you have free time, you can also patrol with Reisha, Shaji, and the others to change things up."

Aolang nodded.

"That's settled then. You two should leave quickly; there's still a lot to do this afternoon. Shaji, keep an eye on Reisha for me and don't let her wander around and slack off."

"Understood, meow!"

Reisha made a face at Qiaoda, then left with Aolang and Shaji.

Qiaoda sat in his seat for a while longer, seemingly waiting for someone.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, a woman wearing a gauze dress, draped in a scarf, and dressed in standard Desert People attire sat down opposite him.

"I felt someone following that kid from a distance for a while. It really is you," Qiaoda said, crossing his arms.

The other party removed the scarf covering her face. "I apologize. That child has caused you trouble."

Qiaoda exhaled a breath. "Miss Kary, although you are that child's teacher and also her adoptive mother, isn't this kind of stalking behavior a bit inappropriate?"

Kary's usually cold, expressionless face also showed some embarrassment. "You misunderstood. This is the first time I've done something like this. The main reason is..."

After a pause of several seconds, she continued: "I plan to leave."

"Ho? That's good news." Qiaoda smiled.

Luokelake is not small, but it's not that big either. As the leader of the Citadel Guerrillas, he couldn't possibly know everyone.

However, as a foreigner who had settled in Luokelake for a long time, and also a Dual Blade User like Kary, he naturally knew her and was aware of some of her circumstances.

He knew that her strength as a Hunter was even greater than his own; the reason she had been stuck at Five-Star was entirely because she had pleaded with the Guild Master and refused the mission required for promotion to Six-Star.

Five-Star and Six-Star are a dividing line. Five-Star and below are the so-called "Lower Rank," where mission acceptance is entirely voluntary and completely free.

But once one reaches Six-Star and above, the "Upper Rank," one begins to need to accept assignments from the Guild and travel to various places to handle high-difficulty incidents.

But she couldn't leave...

"Although we haven't interacted for long, I can feel that he is a steady-tempered child, and his strength far exceeds that of his peers. He has no problem venturing out alone. I really don't know what you can't let go of."

After another long silence, Qiaoda could see what Kary was hesitating about, so he didn't urge her.

Almost a minute passed before she spoke again. "Aolang's talent as a Hunter is very good. Very good."

"I know that. Becoming an Official Hunter before the age of seventeen; how could his talent not be good?"

"No, that's not what I mean." Kary organized her thoughts. "His coordination is extraordinary. When I first discovered this, I thought he would become a Dual Blade User like me in the future."

"But after a period of training, I found that his strength is also not weak. Although it's not the absolute top tier, it fully meets the standard for using heavy weapons."

"At that time, I thought he might be more suited for weapons with form-changing capabilities like the Shield Axe or the Slash Axe."

Qiaoda nodded while listening.

"When Haifa heard about this, he happily ran over and jokingly taught him the Great Sword Charged Attack technique. He learned it just as quickly."

"I didn't take this matter to heart at the time. After all, while Hunters who are proficient in multiple weapons are rare, they do exist."

"Until one day, I saw him in the Training Ground, holding a single sword from the Dual Blades with both hands, 'playing' with the Charge Slash."

Qiaoda continued nodding. "Mm... Huh?"

Any Swordsman knows that the Great Sword's Charged Attack isn't just about tensing muscles to exert force; during the charging process, the Great Sword's own weight is especially critical.

Just like blacksmithing, the weight of the forging hammer is essential; even a master craftsman cannot smash an iron block with bare hands.

Unless one is a figure who has honed certain martial arts to the extreme, relying solely on the mutual resistance between muscles to achieve a similar effect, possessing such a level of skill would make it no surprise to execute a Charge Slash with an umbrella.

But Aolang clearly does not possess martial arts of this degree.

In that case, the reason he can achieve this leaves only one possibility: it is some special talent beyond ordinary human understanding.

Huali continued in a low voice, "After so many years of development, the weapons and techniques used by Hunters have become fixed. Even if new moves are occasionally developed, the 'core' of each weapon remains unchanged.

Just like the Qi cultivation of the Long Sword, the Demonization of the Dual Blades, the Charged Attack of the Great Sword, the Inertia consecutive strikes of the Great Hammer, and so on.

But Aolang seems able to break these limitations through coordination and muscle control far surpassing ordinary people.

As for what letting him develop freely means, you should be very clear."

"It means uncontrollability and danger." Qiaoda pressed his brow, "The formation of any weapon is built upon the sacrifices of countless predecessors.

The reason Hunters' strength grows ever stronger is because they stand on the shoulders of the martyrs.

Aolang's situation is equivalent to jumping up and down on the shoulders of countless ancestors; whenever he slips and falls, it will be a shattering of body and bone."