Chapter 69: Mercenary (Revision)

The game loaded smoothly, with no anomalies, as if last night's forced shutdown was just a trivial little hiccup.

Ying Duo still stayed in that cheap inn room, surrounded by oddly shaped modified parts, and the proficiency of the Modification skill visibly increased by a small amount.

Yang Yixie controlled him, disassembling all the weapons he had looted from the Dream Illusion Bar, obtaining equipment blueprints.

Thus, he now possessed the methods to craft those weapons.

With the rise of the Modification skill level, the quality of weapons that Ying Duo manufactured also improved.

At level 1 he could only make the simplest Explosives; at level 2 he could craft firearms, usually of white quality and rarely green; at level 3 the firearms were generally green quality.

Since excess gear in the backpack also takes up space, Yang Yixie simply disassembled them all; although some parts were damaged, it allowed the Modification skill to advance quickly.

In the game, Ying Duo kept looping disassembly‑then‑modification and modification‑then‑disassembly, striving to stack the weapon affixes he mainly used to the optimum, until the in‑game time jumped to the days near the start of school.

The two thousand credits in the account had long been mostly spent in the process of buying various scrap parts.

Yang Yixie looked at the game UI showing his empty wallet and decided to first go to the bank to withdraw the so‑called "parents' inheritance" as startup capital for after school.

Following the world map's navigation, he first went to the Slum district's station, boarded the train that could reach the Floating City "Tianmian", and then found a bank located in a bustling area of Tianmian City under Church jurisdiction.

Inside the bank the environment was tidy; Ying Duo walked straight to the counter and handed his ID card to the staff.

"I need to withdraw money, the more the better," Ying Duo said calmly.

The staff behind the counter was a woman with a standardized smile; she took the ID card, scanned it on the device, and the screen quickly displayed Ying Duo's account information.

When she saw the account type and balance, her smile narrowed slightly, showing a programmed apology.

"Mr. Ying Duo, hello, after reviewing your account, this is a fund governed by the 'Minor's Inheritance Custody Agreement.'"

The staff explained to him in a gentle tone.

"According to the agreement, before you turn eighteen you may withdraw only a fixed amount of living expenses each month; the current withdrawable amount is three thousand five hundred."

"Your tuition, accommodation fees, and other school‑mandated expenses will be settled directly between the Academy's finance office and the fund custodian, without any action required from you."

Bai Mu Yun had never mentioned this so‑called "Minor's Inheritance Custody Agreement" to him.

If it were possible, Ying Duo would probably be frowning hard at this moment.

Yang Yixie stared at the mere three‑thousand‑five‑hundred figure and quickly calculated in his mind.

Just buying slightly better materials would exhaust that money in a few days, let alone any other hidden costs.

No wonder it had been so easy for him to skim off a few coins from Bai Mu Yun before; apparently she had set a trap here.

"Too little."

Ying Duo expressed dissatisfaction directly, his golden eyes fixed on the staff, "Is there any way to make money quickly?"

The staff was taken aback by the blunt question, evidently rarely encountering a student asking her that.

She glanced at the "Mitra Academy" label on Ying Duo's ID and seemed to recall something, then resumed her professional smile.

"If you urgently need money, you can use your Mitra Academy student status to register as a mercenary with the Mercenary Guild."

"Mercenary?" Ying Duo repeated the word, clearly having triggered a new gameplay option.

"Yes."

The staff skillfully explained the situation; after all, many people commission mercenaries for tasks, and before that they must first deposit a guarantee at the bank, a process she was well‑versed in.

"The Mercenary Guild is a neutral organization open to any individual with sufficient ability; you can accept various missions posted by the guild and receive corresponding mercenary fees upon completion."

Mission difficulty and rewards range from low to high; many Mitra Academy students need to accumulate combat experience, so they choose to take missions from the Mercenary Guild, training themselves while earning side income.

She gave a brief overview of the procedure.

"Registration is simple: you only need your identification and a one‑time small registration fee plus an annual membership fee; after that you can take missions through the Mercenary Guilds scattered across the regions."

It sounds exactly like the kind of timed bounty quests that refresh in every town for players who want to earn money fast and grind experience, right?

Ying Duo immediately thought of hunting Aberrant Species outside the city, which would both complete missions for cash and allow him to grind monsters for Level Up.

"Are there any missions to hunt Aberrant Species outside the city?" he said straight out his goal.

However, the staff shook her head, her face bearing an uncompromising expression.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Ying Duo, for the safety of newly registered mercenaries, the Mercenary Guild has a clear rule:

All missions that require entering wilderness or abandoned zones must be taken by a team of at least two people, and the team must be reported to the guild before heading out."

She pointed to a bold guild clause on the screen.

"This is a hard rule of the guild, intended to lower the death rate of solo actions in dangerous environments; city‑based guard, patrol, and low‑threat variant‑creature clearing missions have no such restriction, you can look at those."

"Special Ability Practitioners can't take them alone either?" Yang Yixie tried to argue.

If a mission requires a multi‑person team, he can't do those for now.

He is currently completely alone and would have to raise an NPC's affection enough to invite them to form a team.

"Very sorry, that's not possible."

The staff's answer was firm, "It's for your safety; the wilderness's danger far exceeds your imagination."

So to earn money quickly by hunting Aberrant Species and grinding experience, he first needs to find an NPC with high affection.

Ying Duo silently took back his ID card, looked at the pitiful monthly withdrawal limit, and carefully reviewed the team‑formation rules.

In the end, Ying Duo chose to withdraw all the money for this month first, then return to school.

Besides, if he teams up, the reward will be shared, meaning the teammate's choice is crucial.

Although he could join a random NPC squad at Rusted Plaza, the share of the reward would be too small.

Instead, it's better to farm several high‑quality NPC affections at school; that brings money faster and makes grinding easier.

However, Mitra Academy does not allow free outings, which also means he cannot constantly go out to purchase needed items.

Finally, Ying Duo first purchased some nutrition fluid sold by the Dome; this stuff is really convenient for staying full and doesn't rot, making it the best stockpiling choice for players.

As for the remaining money, he spent it all on various odds‑and‑ends that could serve as gifts to increase NPC affection.