Reborn as a Hatrack in the Mystical Land-Chapter 75 - 6: The Passion of the Young Mercenary

The practice exhibited by Zack can be termed in modern language, well-known among the locals, as "scamming".

As long as Yue Jinghua slightly touches him, even if it's just her cuff, he immediately falls to the ground and demands money from Yue Jinghua.

If Yue Jinghua refuses, he loudly makes a scene. Sabah Town has a small population, but the remaining indigenous residents are exceptionally united, especially towards strangers like Yue Jinghua.

Before Zack could even shout out, he felt his neck being fiercely grabbed, and like a chicken ready for slaughter, he was thrown into a secluded alley nearby.

A chilly voice resounded next to his ear: "Kid, trying to trick me?" As she spoke, her grip intensified more precisely on the spot, rendering Zack unable to move.

On his neck, the steel-like fingers caused Zack's throat to burn painfully, he hoarsely said, "Dark Practitioner, I was wrong."

"What's your name? Why were you targeting me?" Yue Jinghua frowned. Just a moment ago, when Zack approached her, she had become alert.

"I am from Shaba Town. You look like an outsider, easy to bully, cough cough, can you let go first," Zack regretted terribly. He had really misjudged this time, originally thinking this girl who seemed to attend the Mercenary Assessment was easy to bully, but instead, she was fearsome. He felt that this girl was like a butcher who could twist off his neck just like that of a slaughtered chicken if he struggled even slightly.

"Local rascal?" Yue Jinghua glanced at Zack.

"Don't insult people," upon hearing the words 'local rascal', Zack stiffened, and with a bending strike of his elbow, he bumped into Yue Jinghua's ribs and diagonally kicked towards her belly. His leg skills were not bad, this strike faintly contained the fluctuation of Dark Power.

Yue Jinghua, however, did not expect Zack, this little ruffian, to be playing it cool. Just as Zack thought he was about to succeed, he only felt the woman behind him slip away like an eel, smoothly dodging his attack.

"I, Zack. I want to challenge you. Outsider, you insulted me, I am a mercenary." Zack was flushed with annoyance, he pulled out a manual made of beast skin, marked with a Mercenary Star Badge.

Unexpectedly, that formidable woman did not accept his challenge. She glanced at Zack's Mercenary Manual and sincerely said, "Zack, I apologize for insulting you, please accept my apology."

Nobody had ever spoken to him with such respect before; the emotionally stirred Zack calmed down. He sheepishly scratched his head, "Actually, I was also at fault."

"As compensation, I'll buy you a drink," Yue Jinghua looked around and spotted a tavern not too far away.

Zack did not reject Yue Jinghua's invitation; it had been a long time since he last drank.

In a mercenary's body flows two types of fluids, blood, and alcohol.

Wherever there is a tavern, there are bound to be mercenaries.

As he pushed open the tavern's door, a scent of roasted meat grease mixed with low-quality barley wine wafted over, it seemed every mercenary in town was squeezed into this tavern named 'Coconut Shell'.

In the tavern, tall voluptuous prostitutes and drunken mercenaries were seen flirting and jesting with each other. Yue Jinghua and Zack entered the tavern and sat down at an inconspicuous table and ordered two glasses of the local Bitter Malt Wine.

The Bitter Malt Wine was served quickly, the amount was large enough to fill half a wooden barrel, saying it was drinking was more like pouring - fitting the generous drinking style of mercenaries.

The taste of Bitter Malt Wine was somewhat similar to beer, a bit more astringent, with some uncleanly settled barley embryos visible in the drink.

The two chatted leisurely, under the influence of alcohol, Zack no longer seemed as reserved.

Yue Jinghua could see that Zack's skills were fairly decent. If in Polo City, he could have been a nursing home director for a small household. "Since you are a mercenary, why not take on mercenary tasks instead of doing this kind of job?"

Mercenaries who pass the assessment are awarded a Mercenary Manual and medals. Depending on their level, they can receive paid mercenary tasks from the Mercenary Guild every month. Each mercenary, based on the tasks they complete, earns corresponding Mercenary Merit Points, thus elevating their Mercenary Level.

"I can't afford to take on mercenary tasks. You saw the environment outside Shaba before entering the town. The living conditions around Shaba Mercenary Town are very harsh. Stone Rank mercenary tasks are rare, and one must have a referee's recommendation and pay a certain guarantee fee to receive tasks," Zack's face was flushed with drink as he spoke of mercenary tasks, his eyes glinting brightly. But when it came to money, his shoulders slumped again, and he took a swig of his drink in silence.

Having lost both parents, he had no dependence in town and no referrer, let alone money for a guarantee deposit. That's why he remained stuck as a One-star Mercenary, never having officially received a task.

"This system is obviously unreasonable. Is the Mercenary Guild the only source of paid mercenary tasks? I just saw a few people receiving payments up front," Yue Jinghua keenly observed that not everyone in the 'Coconut Shell' was there for a drink.

A few people were just now speaking with someone who looked like the bar owner, and subsequently received some compensation.

"The bar also offers some freelance tasks that do not require a deposit. However, the tasks here are more difficult, mostly above Yellow Pearl Level, and I can't complete them by myself," Zack lamented just as several young mercenaries approached.

The leader, holding a bottle of strong liquor, saw Zack and, with a breath reeking of alcohol, said, "Yo, isn't this Zack, who claims he wants to become the King of Continent Mercenaries? What have you swindled now to afford drinking here, lad?"

Zack lowered his head, "Johnny, shut up, I don't want trouble here."

"Trouble? You think you can? With just one more task, I'll be upgraded to a Two-star Mercenary. I've completed dozens of Yellow Stone and Red Stone tasks. How can you compare with me," Johnny, also a native of Shaba Town, and Zack had attended the local Mercenary School together as children. Back then, Zack surpassed Johnny in both performance and talent.

Young Zack had once boldly declared that he would become the famous King of Continent Mercenaries and enter Geyue Town.

Unfortunately, fate did not favor him. After his parents died, Johnny's father became an official at the town's Mercenary Guild, widening the gap between them.

Zack bowed his head, his fists buried between his knees.

"What, still unconvinced? Try taking on a task then. Tssk, I forgot, you don't have the money for tasks. How about I give you a few Gold Coins as alms, and then have my father write a referral letter for you?" A loud burst of laughter filled the tavern, appearing to mock Zack.

"Boss, he and I would like to undertake a mercenary task, a Blue Pearl Level task," a crisp female voice stood out amidst the laughter of the men.

All eyes, including Johnny's, turned in that direction,

Yue Jinghua was already standing in front of the bar.

The owner of Coconut Shell, a plump middle-aged woman, was examining Yue Jinghua's peculiar face with a strange look along with the drunken mercenaries.

"If I'm not mistaken, you are not a mercenary yet?" The cocktail shaker in the robust woman's hands flipped nimbly, her thick fingers deftly tossing it into the air.

"Not yet, but that doesn't mean I won't be tomorrow. By the way, where is the town's Mercenary Guild?" Yue Jinghua twirled an empty glass in her hand; the glass clanged against the shaker, splashing golden liquor perfectly into the glass. freēnovelkiss.com

(You must have forgotten about the levels of mercenary tasks.

Fu Zi's Demon Princess Mini Lesson, Mercenary Tasks: Six types—Stone, Shell, Pearl, Diamond, Unparalleled, with each type further divided into Blue, Yellow, Red levels. For example, considering Stone Rank tasks, they are further split into Blue Stone, Yellow Stone, Red Stone levels.)