Hunter Town, Merit Points

As the Sky Rail arrived at the south side of Nanjiang City.

Jiang Yuan and his companion stepped off the terminal and walked for ten minutes to reach an abandoned town.

The town was bustling with people, almost all of whom were martial artists. They were dressed in a motley assortment of gear: some carried long spears, others giant swords; some wielded thermal weapons, others cold steel. There were men and women, youths, middle-aged people, and even the elderly.

This was Magic Valley Town, an Abyss town located in the south of Nanjiang City.

Two stable Abyss portals existed here.

One was a Level 1 Abyss.

The other was a Level 2 Abyss.

Aside from the military stationed here to guard the portals, there were a large number of professional martial artists who did not belong to any major factions or guilds, making a living by diving into the Abyss alone to slay fierce beasts and earn merit points.

These people were also known as—

Hunters!

Thus, this place was also called Hunter Town.

"So this is the famous Hunter Town?"

Jiang Yuan looked around with great interest.

The streets of the town were lined with shops catering to martial artists.

There were inns, taverns, weapon shops, potion shops, material shops, clinics...

On the streets, some martial artists had set up stalls, selling all sorts of miscellaneous items.

"Freshly forged rare weapons, come take a look!"

"Who has a Purple Poison Python venom sac? I'm offering three merit points for one."

"Selling 10 Roaring Boar tusks at a low price, come and see!"

"Anyone need a partner for an Abyss dive? LV23 Great Shield, fair price."

"Is there a healer available?"

"It's just like a newbie village in a game."

Jiang Yuan couldn't help but remark.

Although he had learned about this town online a long time ago, seeing it in person was still shocking.

It felt as if he had passed through the wall of a subway station and arrived on the other side of the world.

Lin Qingyan, standing beside him, glanced at him. "You really haven't seen much of the world."

"What's so surprising about a Hunter Town of this scale?"

"If you went to Cain Town at the Corner of the World, that would be truly shocking. Backed by an S-class Abyss, a single town houses tens of thousands of hunters from all over the globe. There are countless powerhouses, and even legendary-grade weapons are traded there."

Jiang Yuan gave her a strange look. "You know quite a lot. Don't tell me you've been there?"

"I—I saw it online."

The two of them, looking like high school students, stood by the roadside. They were quite an unusual sight in this town, drawing the attention of many passersby.

"Hey, you two... hic."

A drunkard sitting under an eave drinking saw them. "Don't you know this isn't a place for kids?"

"Get lost and go back where you came from... hic."

Lin Qingyan ignored him and walked up to a roadside stall. The vendor was a one-armed, one-eyed old man who grinned when he saw her.

"Miss, feel free to look around. These are all good things."

Lin Qingyan scanned the items; they were mostly broken weapons, beast bones and teeth, or mineral crystals.

She lost interest and turned her head to see Jiang Yuan squatting at a nearby stall, picking up a long blade.

"How much for this?"

"E-grade alloy long blade, 15 merit points," the middle-aged vendor said, adopting a take-it-or-leave-it attitude.

When martial artists dive into the Abyss, they receive a record card. Each Level 1 fierce beast killed earns one merit point.

One merit point is worth ten thousand yuan and can be used as currency in the market and on the Star Domain network.

"Fifteen thousand..." Jiang Yuan clicked his tongue.

He hadn't expected this broken blade, which he felt he could snap with his bare hands, to be so expensive. It really was easy to make money as a professional martial artist.

Seeing Jiang Yuan put the blade down, Lin Qingyan sneered. "Looks like you aren't completely stupid."

Jiang Yuan looked at her. "What do you mean?"

Lin Qingyan kept her hands in her jacket pockets and said calmly, "If you bought this kind of weapon from a blacksmith in the city, it wouldn't even cost ten thousand. He saw you were inexperienced and tried to rip you off."

"The people here aren't as simple as you think."

"You ran here all by yourself without knowing anything; you're going to get fleeced. I advise you to just go back."

She had just finished speaking when she looked up and saw that Jiang Yuan had already reached another shop, picking up a long spear while listening to the female shopkeeper chatter away.

"Young man, I can tell this is your first time in Magic Valley Town, right?"

"Do you know why the hunters here don't use firearms?"

"Because the bones of fierce beasts are hard and their hides have strong defensive capabilities. Ordinary bullets can't penetrate them and will just bounce off. Armor-piercing rounds and elemental bullets are much more expensive, which would significantly increase the cost of killing a beast."

"So, unless they're wealthy heirs who aren't short on cash, most people choose cold weapons. Look at this alloy spear forged from a fusion of beast bones and modern alloys. Although it's a damaged item, its durability is still quite high and it's incredibly sharp. If you buy it now, it's only ten merit points. We also accept cash transfers. Whether you're buying it as a gift or keeping it for when you become a martial artist yourself, it's a great deal..."

Watching Jiang Yuan nod repeatedly, Lin Qingyan's expression turned sour.

What a complete idiot. I really shouldn't have bothered with him.

She tossed her long, dark hair and turned to walk in the direction of the Level 1 Abyss.

Arriving at the Abyss entrance guarded by the military, she looked out into the distance and saw a massive fissure emitting a blue light in the open plaza. In front of the fissure stood many class-transferred martial artists in various outfits: warriors carrying greatswords, mages in robes, and archers with large bows. They stood in small groups, chatting and exchanging intelligence, forming a unique scene.

A patrolling soldier stopped Lin Qingyan, "Danger zone ahead. Non-martial artists are not permitted."

Lin Qingyan flashed her martial artist badge.

The stationed soldier was stunned, looking somewhat incredulous, "You... you are a class-transferred martial artist?"

"You can verify it."

After confirming the badge was genuine, the soldier's expression toward Lin Qingyan changed, filled with both surprise and awe.

"Can I go in now?" Lin Qingyan said indifferently.

The stationed soldier replied, "This... not yet. There is a regulation that Level 1 martial artists entering the Abyss for the first time must be accompanied by others, in groups of two to five."

Lin Qingyan's beautiful brows furrowed.

She had completely forgotten about that rule.

Tch, what a pain.

She turned her head.

She saw Jiang Yuan walking toward them.

Her clear eyes lit up, and she pointed at Jiang Yuan, saying to the soldier, "He is with me."

The soldier looked at the approaching Jiang Yuan and asked in surprise, "He is also a class-transferred martial artist?"

"Yes."

The soldier began to doubt his own life.

Were the young people outside really this impressive now?

After completing the registration and receiving their record cards, Jiang Yuan and Lin Qingyan walked toward the Abyss entrance under the gaze of the stationed soldiers.

"Why do I have to be with you?" Jiang Yuan asked, looking reluctant.

Lin Qingyan's face darkened, "Shut up. I don't want to be with you either, but someone made that ridiculous rule."

"We can go in together, but don't you dare hold me back."

"That's exactly what I should be saying to you."

Watching the two walk into the Abyss entrance, one soldier shook his head and said, "Two youngsters who don't know the terror of the Abyss. They think that just because they've become martial artists, they can challenge it? The Abyss is a completely different world from the outside."

"It's not the first time we've seen wealthy heirs who became martial artists by relying on supplements. I bet they won't last an hour."

"An hour is a bit long. I'd guess half an hour."

"I bet ten minutes. They might even wet themselves the moment they see a beast."

"Hahahaha."