OLD-WORLD EXTRA

Chapter 40: Payment

The Hunter Association officials were constantly reminding returning hunters to present their Hunter IDs and complete their patrol reports.

This was to ensure a smooth payment distribution process and avoid any potential issues.

Emir joined the queue to complete his report and handed his Hunter ID to the staff member, who then used the information terminal to verify his details.

Once the terminal beeped to confirm the completion of his job, he checked his own information terminal for the request history.

Navigating to the page that displayed individual hunter data, he confirmed that the completed patrol was indeed listed there, accounting for two patrols, including the one with the hunter reinforcements.

'It seems I was exempted from the third patrol. Well, it's getting late now, so that makes sense,' he mused to himself.

Emir already informed the official that he would prefer his payment to be sent through the network instead of cash.

'I'll receive my payment at home. So let's just head back and relax.'

….

[Today was a tough day, wasn't it?] Emir asked Lyra while walking through the busy streets filled with hunters of all kinds strutting about.

[Yes, it was, and you did very well, so expect some good change.]

[Change? I'll be getting a few million UC after this you know?]

Replying, she sounded a chuckle:

[This amount is insignificant compared to what you'll need in the future. The Unity credit currency is primarily used for transactions within the massive corporations under the UEF. For truly expensive purchases, old-world relics or Valora are the only currency of choice.]

[Remind me, what was the name of those corporations again? And wait, since the US is the leading nation of the UEF government, then do Unity Credits have the same or similar value as the dollar in my previous life?] He continued his barrage of questions.

[Not really, due to rapidly rising inflation, the dollar's value decreased way lower than the currency in your previous world, so they opted to create a new currency recognized by the entirety of the West, under only the UEF, of course, it only recently started stabilizing after the big corporations took control.]

[Those corporations total eight, named Horizon Holdings, Stellar Solutions Inc., Quantum Corp., Omega Industries, Nexus Enterprises, Helix Tech, Apex Dynamics, and finally the one that you are familiar with, Hyperion Arms.]

[The big eight, huh,] he exclaimed.

[Well, after today, I'll finally be able to buy a proper augmented suit, so I will be saying hi to Helix Tech soon enough.]

….

….

Family Flat

Emir spent some time relaxing on the couch watching some drama show on the holoscreen with Laura, he already told her most of what happened, and after all her worries were alleviated, they ate dinner and are enjoying their free time.

'Forgetting all that I've been through, it feels like I'm back in my old world. I wonder how those guys are doing. Have they moved on from my death?'

'I truly hope that they have.'

'Anyway, my payment should be coming any time now.'

Minutes later, his terminal beeped, indicating a new message had arrived.

Emir picked it up and quickly scanned the contents.

{You are required to meet the manager for the payment, further details will be explained in his office.} HQ

{Understood.} He replied, standing up.

"Hey Mom, I'll go get my payment and come back in a bit," Emir said, walking towards his room.

"Okay, honey, be careful," Laura replied, her eyes not leaving the screen.

After changing into his suit and strapping on his weapons, he turned to Laura before leaving.

Amusement filled his voice as he chuckled.

"It looks like you're really invested in this show."

Laughing back, Laura replied:

"It's pretty good, you know. I bet that all housewives love it, and besides I don't have much to do here when you and Lily aren't around."

Going up to her, Emir kissed her forehead and said:

"Thank you for everything you do for us."

She smiled at him.

"Of course, dear."

Departing the flat, he made his way towards the Hunter Association, and shortly after, he arrived at the building.

Approaching the receptionist, Emir handed him his ID.

After scanning it, he said:

"Hunter Emir, your meeting with the manager will be in a few minutes; in the meantime, please relax in the waiting area."

Nodding, Emir took back his ID and waited.

After a while, the receptionist called out to him:

"Hunter Emir, please follow me, I will lead you to the manager's office."

Following him, they finally reached the office that Emir seemed to frequent quite a lot.

He entered the room and was greeted by the same manager, Nathan.

"Emir boy, it appears that you plan to come here every day, huh?" He burst out laughing.

"What to do. It seems that trouble loves me."

The manager composed himself and looked at him with a serious expression.

"That's true, trouble does seem to follow you around. But that's not the only reason you're here, is it?"

Emir shook his head.

"No, I'm here to collect my payment."

"Ah, yes. Your payment," the manager said, shuffling through some papers on his desk.

"But before we get to that, there's something I want to ask you about."

"What is it?"

"How did you manage to pull those bombs off the truck without them exploding?"

Emir shrugged and said:

"I just trusted my gut and did it. I figured I was going to die anyway, so I might as well take the chance."

The manager raised an eyebrow.

"That was a pretty risky move. You could have died."

"I know, but I had to try."

Nathan nodded.

"Well, I'm glad it worked out for you. You saved a lot of lives that day."

Emir nodded back.

"It was worth it."

'Fuck that, I would never risk my life like that just to save nobodies, but I'm obviously not going to mention Lyra's involvement now,' He added in his mind.

The manager smiled and said:

"Alright. Now let's talk about your payment."

He tapped a few times on his terminal.

"Contributing to killing one rank B monster, solo killing one rank C monster, and one rank B monster, combined with the killing of 42 rank D monsters, 161 rank E monsters, and 15 rank F monsters, minus the cost of the bombs, your total earnings amount to 1,930,000 UC."

"For your reference, the extermination of an F-rank monster will reward you with 100 UC. Eliminating an E-rank monster, on the other hand, will grant you 1000 UC, and killing a D-rank monster will net you 10,000 UC."

"If you're able to take down a C-rank monster, you'll be rewarded with a whopping 100,000 UC. A B-rank monster is worth even more, with a reward of 1,000,000 UC. If you're lucky enough to slay an A-rank monster, you'll receive 5,000,000 UC."

"While the elimination of an S Rank monster can earn you 10,000,000 UC, the rewards for SS+ monsters are even higher, often exceeding 100,000,000 UC, depending on factors such as the monster's perceived danger, its current location, and the significance of its death."

Trying not to show his surprise about the amount, Emir nodded.

"Thank you for the info."

The manager leaned back in his chair and said:

"By the way, your hunter rank will go up to eight, although you deserve to be ranked way higher, we can't bend the rules too much or there will be pandemonium."

"Anyway, what's next for you?" Nathan continued, probing Emir.

"I don't know," Emir said, denying him.

The manager shrugged.

"Well, if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to come see me."

"I won't," Emir replied, before turning to leave the office.

….

….

When he got home, Emir found his mother still engrossed in her show.

She looked up and smiled at him.

"Did you get everything sorted out?"

"Yeah, it was quick and easy," he replied, giving her a hug.

"Good job," she said, hugging him back as he sat next to her on the couch.

Emir joined her and watched the show, but he obviously didn't know much of what was going on, so he simply enjoyed the theatrics.

His mother, however, continued to comment on things only she knew at every other moment, confusing him even more.

Saving him from his misery, Lily finally returned from the academy, prompting Laura to shut off the holoscreen.

"Hey, sis, how was your first day?" He asked her as she sat next to them.

She smiled at Emir and said:

"Never mind that, tell me about how your first job went."

Standing up in front of them, he began to talk as if they were watching a play.

He told her about how they patrolled the area, slowly getting overwhelmed as more and more monsters attacked, then told her about when he solo killed a C-rank monster.

Emir enacted how he almost got overwhelmed by the sea of monsters that came in waves, and how he managed to pull through with only a knife at hand....

Describing his final stand with the other hunters and how intense the fight was, ending with their victory bordering on certain death.

As he talked about his experiences, Lily listened intently, hanging on his every word.

Emir could see the excitement and awe in her eyes as he described the battles.

He then explained how he joined the reinforcements for another patrol, which resulted in him earning a lot of money.

"So yeah, I've got around 2,730,000 in the bank right now," he said excitedly.

"Though most of it will be gone tomorrow since I need to buy a better suit."

Lily's jaw dropped as she heard the amount of money he had earned.

"Wow, that's insane! You're already making so much money on your first day. What kind of augmented suit are you planning to buy?"

He smiled at her enthusiasm.

"Well, I was thinking of getting the Helix Mk IV suit. It's one of the best suits in my price range that's currently available on the market."

His mother interjected:

"Make sure you're not spending all your money on just one thing. You never know when you might need it for an emergency."

Emir nodded in agreement.

"Don't worry, mom. I'll make sure to budget myself properly."

They then asked her about Lily's day, to which she described as boring and uneventful in comparison.

After their talk ended, he went to sleep after a quick bath, wanting nothing more than the next day to arrive so that he could confirm his suspicions.