BXBX NOVEL Chapter 48 - Haggling With The System
[Goldfinger does not understand what the host is referring to.]
Goldfinger stated.
\'Are you sure you don\'t know? Or are you pretending not to know? Please remind me exactly what kind of system you are and what you are supposed to do.\'
Albion spoke mentally to Goldfinger.
At the same time, he undid his black dress shirt and went topless. The black dress shirt was placed on the bed before taking out a black bullet and stabbed himself in the previously shot shoulder with the pointed end.
"Ugh…"
He groaned with a slight frown due to the pain as he used the black bullet to cut a sizable wound on his shoulder. He tossed the black bullet aside after he was done before digging his fingers into the wound to take out the other bullet stuck inside.
The blood was cleaned up, and the wound was healed sometime later, before putting his black dress shirt back on while waiting for Goldfinger\'s response.
[Goldfinger is a system assigned to help the host survive the upcoming waves of the Apocalypse.]
Goldfinger stated.
\'And how are quests and rewards assigned?\' Albion asked.
[Quests are assigned based on Goldfinger\'s predictions of upcoming events that pose at least a certain level of danger to the host\'s life. The level of rewards is set according to the level of danger overcome by the host.]
\'That is to say that any dangerous situation overcome would grant a certain level of reward, regardless of whether a quest has been issued or not? What happens if the danger of the situation exceeds the predicted level of the quest? Will the initial level of reward increase accordingly?\'
Albion queried.
[…Yes.]
After receiving Goldfinger\'s confirmation, Albion nodded with an understanding look before his lips curved slyly. He got all the information he needed.
\'So then, where\'s my reward for overcoming the danger last night?\' Albion questioned.
[…]
[Ding! Sub Quest: Pest Control (Completed)]
[Ding! 1 unit of Divine Energy have been awarded.]
[Divine Energy: 5/1000]
Seeing the notifications in his mind, Albion nodded.
However, after a moment, he did not see any more notifications appear and wrinkled his brows.
\'Aren\'t you still forgetting something else?\' Albion questioned the system.
[???]
[Goldfinger does not understand. All rewards have been deposited for the question completion of last night.]
\'Oh, yes. The subquest reward has been received, but what about the other matter that happened that night? No quest was issued, but it was a dangerous situation, nonetheless. Considering I was shot by a dangerous weapon, I believe 5 units of Divine Energy is not too much to ask.\'
[That is preposterous. 5 units of Divine Energy is too much. The shot could have totally been avoided by the host. At most, Goldfinger will award host with 1 unit of Divine Energy.]
Goldfinger responded.
Nevertheless, Albion was unrelenting.
\'5 units of Divine Energy. That bullet could have taken my life if I were struck in the head. This level of danger far outstripped any other dangerous situations I have encountered so far.\'
[That is too much. Fine, Goldfinger will take a step back and award host with 2 units of Divine Energy.]
\'5 units of Divine Energy. It can only be more, not any less.\'
[How about…]
\'No.\'
…
Albion continued to haggle with Goldfinger like he was buying something from the roadside stores. Goldfinger continued making concessions, but he was relentless.
[Ding! 5 units of Divine Energy have been awarded.]
[Divine Energy: 10/1000]
After a while, Albion succeeded in his demand. He nodded with a satisfied look before he tidied up his black clothes and headed downstairs.
\'That\'s better.\'
[…]
Goldfinger was rather speechless.
How could its host be such a thug? Its host was seriously treating it like some cheap second-hand antique seller or the like.
Nevertheless, Albion knew that Goldfinger will not give him what he wants unless he fights for it, whether by hook or by crook. Desperate times calls for desperate measures.
They both needed Divine Energy, but they are also both cheapskates.
"Have you finished, Young Master Albion?" Klein Seymour turned around to ask after hearing Albion\'s footsteps on the stairs before he was mildly stunned by Albion\'s dashing look.
He knew that the Young Master was already handsome, but the Young Master\'s looks were on a whole different level after he was fitted into better clothes.
It was true what they say that clothes make the man.
Klein Seymour could not imagine how much the Young Master\'s appearance would be enriched if he wore branded clothing and had his hair styled.
Perhaps, he would have the qualifications to be a superstar.
Albion did not pay attention to Klein Seymour\'s thoughts. He nodded to Klein Seymour\'s question after storing away all the identification, bank papers, and property deed into a safe drawer.
"Let us head out."
"Alright."
Albion locked the doors to the mansion with the housekeys he received from Klein Seymour before they hopped into the car and drove off, leaving Skylark Hills.
While Klein Seymour was driving the white Civic Adnoh, Albion sat in the passenger seat and flipped out his new smartphone to surf the web.
It was from a brand called the Hiphone—which sounded and looked like some cheap knockoff of a famous brand he knew back in his previous world.
"Oh?"
Albion suddenly exclaimed.
"Hm? Did you forget to bring something, Young Master Albion? Do we need to head back and pick it up?" Klein Seymour turned his head to ask Albion.
"Oh, no. It is nothing like that. It\'s just that I\'m all over the local news." Albion said.
There were pictures and videos of him stopping a kitchen knife and squashing it into scrap metal. More importantly, most photos were focused on his face.
[Handsome Young Martial Artist Stopped a Robber\'s Knife with His Bare Hands.]
[Old Robber Picks on the Wrong Target—Messed with a Handsome Hunter.]
[Bakery Explosion on Coral Street—Found a Handsome Hunter.]
Alas, each new article\'s titles were centralized around the word \'handsome.\' Albion wondered who was writing all these reports.
Nevertheless, these kinds of news were all over the internet. People paid particular focus to anything even remotely related to Hunters and highly accomplished Martial Artists.
Even so, his news was just a few droplets in the big ocean, not enough to make any big waves. But to the people living within Silvercove, he seemed to have become famous.
This seemed to be the opposite of what the Dark Emperor would have wanted if he was still alive.
"Oi, oi, eyes on the road!" Albion suddenly warned.
Beeep—!
The sudden honk immediately made Klein Seymour alarmed and swerved his car back into his lane.
"Whoops, that was my bad. Hahaha," Klein Seymour laughed it off lightly.
At the same time, the passing driver from the opposite lane pulled his window down while they were passing each other and stuck the middle finger out, cursing angrily, "Learn how to drive, you f*cking old twat!"
It was a relatively young driver.
Klein Seymour became embarrassed rather than angry after hearing this. After all, the fault lies with him. He nearly caused an accident due to carelessness. The young driver\'s anger was understandable.
"I have made a fool of myself." Klein Seymour chuckled lightly with a wry smile.
Albion shook his head with a bit of helplessness and said, "Just focus on driving."
He will help the Seymour family, but there is nothing he can do if they get themselves killed.. He was not omnipotent.