Cursed Immortality

Jacob looked at the ID card in his hand, which he received just now.

It was made purely from bronze and there was the Gunsmith Emblem carved on the back and in front was his name and rank of Basic Gunsmith. He had to admit, the Gunsmith Guild was really rich to make a mere ID card with bronze.

It has been a week since he joined the Gunsmith Guild under the identity of Advance Gunsmith Apprentice. But the fact that he was going to be a Basic Gunsmith was only known to Drew.

Drew had to admit that Jacob had really played it well. Not only did he offer him the Magnum Revolver as a token of goodwill, he even let him claim the credit for the design as long as he can make the revolver.

In return, all Drew has to do is to keep his mouth shut and make sure no one found out about Jacob's talent, and let him use the smithy of the top floor without any restraint or disturbance as long as he wanted.

For Drew, this arrangement was a piece of cake for him and it was also what he wanted for Jacob as well, so he quickly agreed. But he still felt Jacob should be at least an Intermediate Gunsmith and remain hidden in the capital.

However, since Jacob didn't want that, he also accepted this arrangement as well.

From Drew's point of view, Jacob didn't trust anyone but him and once he becomes an Intermediate Gunsmith, Jacob might use him to do the same thing and acquire the Intermediate Rank without anyone finding out.

That's why he now viewed Jacob as a wily fox, not just any young man.

Getting the identity of a Basic Gunsmith was quite an easy process. As long as Drew's rank didn't outshine the test rank he was invigilating, he had the authority to make the final decision.

Furthermore, not only Jacob was now registered in the Gunsmith Guild's database as he was registered in the Star Mercenary Agency, but he also received another bank account at the Zodiac Taurus Bank and 500 Gold Coins to pass the Basic Gunsmith Test as well as he will receive 10 Gold Coins every month as a salary.

The Basic Gunsmith benefits outmatched the benefits of C Rank Mercenary.

There were also crafting missions in the Gunsmith Guild and as long as he completes them he could get rich in no time, far quicker than completing the mission of the agency.

Moreover, he enjoyed a 5% discount on any material as long as he purchased them from the guild as well.

Nevertheless, Jacob wasn't the least bit excited about all these benefits because he never joined these organizations for their generous benefits or money. They were all tools that he will throw away the moment they lost their value to him, without a second thought.

In this week, Jacob had not only continued his routine with the Water Meditation and got leaner by two inches, with the parts he had Isaac make in Rain Town and with more complex parts he created himself in the gunsmith guild.

He created three guns and completely modify the firearms he plundered to this day successfully.

Furthermore, he had also used the titan iron to create a whole gun made purely with the titan iron. If those gunsmiths in the rare region know this, they might curse Jacob to no end for wasting titan iron.

Even Jacob was shocked when he tested that gun and he had to admit this gun was up to his standards, but the bullets were the main problem since only bullets made with Titan Iron or Iron with the same traits can draw out its true power, but he knew it would be hard to acquire such metal in future even in the rare region.

Nonetheless, this didn't stop him from using ten titan iron bricks to create a hundred bullet rounds.

Today he was only here to get his guild identity card and after taking it, he left the guild and he wasn't going toward his mansion, but on the other side of the power square.

His destination was an imposing building with a star emblem engraved on the front: Star Mercenary Agency!

The Star Mercenary Agency branch in Lionheart City greatly differs from the branch in a small town like Rain Town.

The first floor was designed like a pub and there was a bar on the west wing of the first floor where many mercenaries were chatting and enjoying drinks while some mercenary teams were discussing the mission.

On the east wing was the registration and mission area.

Jacob headed toward the east wing without any hesitation. He had already gathered information about this place.

The reception counter wasn't crowded, especially the mission counter. A dainty woman sat there and when she saw Jacob approaching, she closely looked at his unique appearance.

Jacob wasn't as burly as he was a week ago, but his build was still heavy and intimidating.

"How may I help you, sir?" she smiled charmingly, as she found Jacob quite attractive.

Jacob coolly spoke while he placed his Mercenary License, "Where I can get a mission?"

The woman was startled when she heard since the mission board was on the other side, but when she saw the 'C-Rank' on Jacob's license, her eyes widen and she quickly understood what Jacob mean.

Although C-rank mercenaries weren't as rare in the Lionheart City as they were in the Rain Town, those mercenaries seldom accept missions in such a low-profile manner and with a humble attitude.

That's why she was surprised, even so, she quickly regained her composure. "Sir, please follow me."

She promptly stood up and led Jacob to a private room without drawing much attention, and only the women working beside her noticed this and they guess Jacob's identity.

Only a mercenary above D Rank can make them treat him so respectfully and may discuss business in the private room.

When they enter the private room, the receptionist respectfully said, "Sir, take a seat. I'll be back with the mission log."

Jacob nodded and sat down. He was here for two reasons.

First, he was soon going to inject himself with the Tiger Bull's heart essence, which mean he would be out of heart and blood, so he needed to hunt again.

Second, he wanted to see if there was another hunting mission that could interest him.

Especially if there was some kind of news on the rare beast, although the chances of it were close to zero. But when he thought about his encounter with the Killer Skull Society, he was hopeful.

That bunch was a terrorist organization, and a terrorist organization's job was to terrorize others by any means possible. He was hoping they would deliver some rare beasts to his doorsteps again, and the best way to find them was the Star Mercenary Agency.

They had an enormous network and if someone sighted such a beast antagonizing the cities, the first place they could come would be, without any doubt, the agency.

Moreover, he had still an incomplete mission he took from the rain town branch. If he found nothing interesting, he can take another mission and complete bother of them on this trip.

Jacob wanted to cross the 20% threshold before he started his journey toward the rare region and he still needed some final preparation.

The receptionist came back with a thin book and place it in front of Jacob with a smile as she said, "Sir, these are C rank missions available here."

Jacob nodded and opened the book.

--

-C Rank Mercenary Mission,

-Danger Level: C

-Type: Collection Mission

-Mission: Purple Crown Grass (Uncommon).

-Reward: 1 Gold Coins Per Bundle (10 Purple Crown Grass = 1 Bundle).

--

-C Rank Mercenary Mission,

-Danger Level: Between C & D

-Type: Extermination

-Mission: The Notorious group of Stone Ridge Bandit

-Reward: 100 Gold Coins

---

Jacob skimped through these missions. There were all kinds of missions, from collecting materials to the assassination of powerful, notorious figures throughout the humane kingdom.

Although the rewards were lavish bounty and assassination missions, he knew these missions remain unacceptable for a reason and he didn't want to ruffle some unknown feathers without no good reason.

Suddenly he stopped on a mission that arouse his interest,

--

-C Rank Mercenary Mission,

-Danger Level: C

-Type: Investigation

-Mission: Investigate the mysterious disappearance of people around the Lion Forest.

-Reward: 150 Gold Coins

--

Jacob's eyes suddenly shimmered with a peculiar glint. 'Lion Forest is fifty miles away from here and I have to cross it, anyway. Besides, this mission seemed to be quite interesting.'

"I want this mission." Jacob looked at the woman impassively.

She quickly looked at the mission Jacob was pointing at and frowned slightly. "Sir, are you sure? There's something wrong with that place.

"To this day, over thirty people have gone missing in Lion Forest, including two E-rank mercenary teams and one D-rank mercenary who took this mission before. It was originally an E-rank mission, but now it climbed to the C-Rank."

Jacob's lips curled, "I want this mission!"