Versatile Mage (Subtle Changes)

CHAPTER 23: HUNTER’S UNION STRUCTURE

ORIGINAL Author: Chaos

SPINOFF Author: Vester

Another month and a half passed and February came, the month of Valentine in Mo Fan’s previous world. But apparently no one knows about the tradition of girl’s giving homemade chocolates to the boys they like.

“Sigh... It was the same with Christmas as well. Apparently the Jesus Christ of this world was a wonderful mage who was hung on a cross for being too powerful by the Creator Magic God Archangel, or at least that's what those Christians are saying. They’re a lot different from my world.” Mo Fan sighed as the cultural gap between his two worlds was quite wide even though they were so identical.

In this past month and a half Mo Fan was able to connect all seven of his stars and cast and perfect the Basic Spell of fire element, Fire Burst: Searing Flames.

This time Mo Fan didn’t really have any problems with the seven stars, since he knew how to deal with them. He had after all already mastered the Star Orbit of Lightning Element.

The spell was just like a ball of fire which hits the target the caster desires and burns it to crisp. It did not have the same effect which Tang Yue showed them.

“Wonder which spell she was using at that time...” Mo Fan wondered aloud and was standing in front of a Huge building with a black mask covering his face and a red wig covering his head.

He had completely disguised himself, as students under 18 were not allowed to join. Since most of them would get themselves killed by overestimating their skills.

The Building was 20 storey tall and looked posh! It was his first time being somewhere like this. He quickly entered while being dazed by its coolness.

.......

The Hall of Hunters. The people came and went, it felt like a large hall of spirals, while at same time like a job fair.

On the wall of the Hall of Hunters was a colossal LED screen. It announced the newest missions, as well as the rewards of the missions. The lowest reward was 100k RMB, and the higher reward missions could go up to millions.

Mo Fan looked at the million-level missions, his saliva almost flowing down his mouth.

Millions of RMB. He had never seen that kind of amount in his whole life. If he had that much amount he could easily buy a house and become a tyrant within the Bo City.

Unfortunately, those million yuan quest wasn’t something a normal person like him could do, Yet!

“Iron Hammer Squad is looking for Ice elemental Mages. Required battle experience is three years and above. Have the desire to cooperate in a team. The most important thing is to have adept control of the Ice spell. The mission has already been received, average reward is 20k RMB, estimated two months completion!”

“Wind Element Mages, the squad lacks an experienced Wind Mage who can lure an One-eyed Magic Wolf. Other Elements are not needed!”

“Fire Element. Where are the Fire Mages, join our Fierce Wind Squad! Guaranteed to efficiently complete missions, and get wealthy!”

Mo Fan swept a glance over to the side, and he discovered that those Mages who had joined squads before had actually brought resumes!

On the resume was distinct proof of their time in other squads, how many missions they’d completed, and the levels of the missions.

Mo Fan was dazzled by this scene. For a moment, he had no idea on how to pick.

It seemed like the Mages who had just graduated were those no one wanted. After all, they had far too little experience with Magical Beasts; one small mistake and they’d lose their life. Who would dare to have Mages who just graduated?

Mo Fan hadn’t even graduated; he was a student who was still in the first year of High school. Bringing a Magic Student was simply a nuisance, and essentially defrauding his squad mates. He could tell that it would be very hard to find a suitable squad.

“Shit, being a Mage actually needs qualifications…” Mo Fan couldn’t help but curse.

He was feeling a little lost. He quickly saw a pretty lady on a reception counter. He went up to her as he wanted to register as a hunter.

“Good Afternoon and Welcome to Hunter’s Union!” The Receptionist greeted Mo Fan with a smile. She quickly deduced he was a country bumpkin from the way he was acting.

“May I know for what reason you have visited us?” She asked with a smile, she was professional through and through.

“I want to register as a hunter.” Mo Fan replied as looked around.

“You want to register as a hunter? I’m sorry but you look quite young, may I know what is your age?”

“Sixt...NINETEEN!” Mo Fan almost replied his real age but quickly corrected himself.

“Oh are you a Magic High Graduate?” She asked with a smile as she quickly brought out a form from under the desk.

“Yes! I am. From Tian Lan Magic High school” Mo Fan replied.

“I see... Here fill this form with your correct information as it is.” She replied as she handed out the form.

Mo Fan quickly filled the form up.

“Mr. Fan Mo please wait a second while I bring out your Badge.” She went inside a room and came out 5 minutes later with a brand new card and a badge.

“This will be your Identification badge. As your rank will rise, your Badge will be updated on its own till Advanced Hunter, for Hunter Master and above you will have to issue a new badge.” She said with a smile.

_Ranks? There are Ranks?_ Mo Fan Thought. He was a complete newbie among newbies here.

“Hey um could you please brief me about the organization please. I really don’t know anything here.” Mo Fan said Earnestly and humbly.

“Ok then.. you’re probably the first person to have ever asked me about it.” She said with a smile after seeing his honesty.

“The Hunter Union is one of the 3 major international magic organizations in this world. It was formed by wandering Hunter squadrons as a centre for quests, information and to earn money. With the world being populated by Monster beasts, mages needed a way to defend cities, earn information and attract mages suitable for certain jobs thus the Hunter Union was formed.

Membership is not as constrained as other magic organizations and renowned families, mages are free to pick and choose jobs and careers, quests could be issues but not forced except those in positions of power. Hunter titles are applicable throughout the world; one could enjoy the privileges no matter the country.

A country's hunter union typically works close in hand with their Magic Association, other large ancient families and occasionally the military to set up strongholds to patrol, defend and set up warnings and restrictions against Monster beasts. There however exists some form of bias between hunter union members and other magic associations due to the nature of their work and cultivation.

The average hunter is said to have much more practical experience in dealing with Monster beasts and thus would sometimes look down on others who mainly cultivate in safety if they are equally ranked, but you shouldn’t imitate them, okay? The Hunter Union requests that lower ranked hunters respect their seniors and are not allowed to compete with them for prey.

The cases usually involve the eradication of magical beasts or solving complex problems involving magic. The difficulty of the case will determine the price of the commission.

Information brokers are a key cog in the operation of the Hunters Union. Often hunters would sell bits of information in auctions. The information may be of no worth to the hunter who collected the intel but could be vital to the commission of another hunter. Likewise, hunters would typically invest a lot of money to get accurate information, especially high value commissions. Highly intellectual hunters are often more valuable than highly cultivated Mages on a commission.

Well that’s just it. The rest you can read from this book yourself. It has various information so it will be helpful to you.” The Receptionist said as she was lazy to continue further and handed him a book.

Mo Fan took the book and sat down on a bench nearby while reading it.

HUNTER CLASSIFICATIONS was the book’s title.

HUNTER’S HALL: Each main centre typically has a local Hunters Hall which take on the majority of the general commissions. This is an incredibly busy and important hub for many of its members to gather in the organization. Most of these commissions do not have a high difficulty and deal with monsters of the level of the servant or the level of the warrior. Since these commissions deal with low-level magical beasts, they are typically in high volume and therefore the majority of Novice and Intermediate-tier hunters take on these cases, providing an income and opportunity to get combat experience for newcomer Mages, such as High School Graduates. Almost everyone in the Hunter’s Union at this level form squads because there aren’t too many individuals who can fight against magical beast alone. Usually stronger Mages move on to higher difficulty commissions.

The hunter hall also operates as mediators and guarantors on certain commissions, usually those with a high chance of death. In the event of the hunters die while performing the duty, the payment of the contractor will go to the family of the hunter.

CAREERS: Due to the variety of quests and missions that are given the hunters naturally have their own expertise. While a majority of them align as Monster hunters due to the practical nature of their job, most branch out and focus on several fields including: Herbalists, Information brokers, Monster Hunters and Explorers. This is because Monster hunting is more than strength, one must have knowledge of their location, tracking skills, breeding partners and grounds & several others. Many Hunters are specialists in hunting certain species of Monster creatures.

RANKING: The ranks are as follows: Novice Hunter > Intermediate Hunter > Advanced Hunter > Hunter Master 1-7 stars > Senior/Elder Hunter > Hunter King/Queen.

Regardless of strength all hunters would start at the novice level and would only advance through accumulation of points, promotion is automatic all the way to advanced hunter when they meet the requisite point total. This is due to the skillset required to be a hunter. Quests at this level and below can be solved with requisite strength but hunter masters and above need to depend on other skills in addition. The Hunter Union need to be responsible for their customers and hunters so they ensure to prevent unqualified hunters from accepting assignments beyond their qualifications

Hunter Masters are close to the apex of the hierarchical pyramid of the Hunter Union, they are classified into levels from 1-7 represented by the number of stars they had. Most Hunter Masters would be advanced mages at the least. It was not difficult for a peak advanced mage and above to become a hunter master with their strength but this only applies to 4 stars and below. To reach 5 stars and above they need to have some other achievements that no one could lightly accomplish, similar to Completing sufficient amount of A rank quest or Completing an S ranked quest or Arresting Black Vatican’s Great Deacons or Chief-Extraditor. 

The Seven Star Hunter Master have an Authority equal to a High Seater of a Magic Association.

Due to the Contribution points, one would have accumulated at this point, Hunter Masters were able to issue quests too which were very well-received by other Hunters, Not only did those quests have higher credibility, but they would also award a significant amount of Contribution Points.

The Senior Or Elder Hunters are the utmost peak of the Hunter Union besides the Hunter King/Queen. To reach this rank from the 7-Star Hunter Master. One needs to complete accomplish a feat as great as Saving a City or Catching Red Cardinals or Extradition Heads of Black Vatican or clearing an entire city filled with Monsters and reclaiming their territory for humans or Completing SS Class Mission which were deemed as impossible. Senior Hunters who are above the age of 55 are called as Elder Hunters. They have a little more authority than Senior Hunters. 

Senior/Elder Hunters can mobilize Armies of Hunters including 7-Star Hunter Masters. They have authority over all Hunter Unions across the world. They have authority equal to Top Seater of a Great Magic Association.

The title of Hunter King/Queen came with utmost glory and respect, since the selection only took place every ten years. The grading of Hunter King/Queen happen every ten years, Every Seven Star Hunter or Senior Hunter can sign up for it. A preliminary competition is held every four years to select candidates for the title of the next Hunter King/Queen. The tournament to compete for the title of Hunter King/Queen is normally held four years after the Hunter Competition. Every country with a branch of the Hunter Union only has two slots for the competition. There are only two individuals as Hunter King & Queen. They have authority equal to that of a CHAIRMAN of one of the Five Continental of Magic Association as they rule over all the Hunter's Union in the world.

CONTRIBUTION POINTS: Hunters are judged based on their achievements, The Union would reward Hunters with contribution points based on the number and the rank of the quests they completed, how satisfied the employers were, and their completion rate. The contribution points would be accumulated and the hunter would be automatically promoted once they meet the lower threshold limit for the next level. This applies up until the Advanced Hunter level, after this a hunter would naturally have to apply for promotion.

Contribution Points were as valuable as money in a Hunter’s eyes. A lot of Hunter Groups were willing to take Contribution Points as the reward to obtain higher ranks. Once one becomes a Hunter Master, every Contribution Point they earn can be treated as a special currency among Hunters. When you need other Hunters’ help for your quest, you can offer them Contribution Points as a reward. Most groups will be willing to take your quest if the Contribution Points you offer are high enough. That being said, the Contribution Points that are given out will be deducted from the hunters balance, and they can face demotion if the points are lower than the required amount for their current title.

BADGES: These are identity cards for hunters applicable everywhere. They are similar to magic equipment and are only bound to a mage’s soul regarding them as impossible to fake. They show the seal and grade of the hunter. The seal of a hunter was the symbol of their identity.

HUNTER MISTRESS or ASSISTANTS are professional operators at the Hunter Union that perform clerical work for the Hunters.

They assist hunters in collecting and analysing information stored in the Union's database. They ensure quests and information are not given to those without clearance. As information at the Union flows faster than general media, the Hunter Mistresses naturally filter out gossip, false and unreliable information.

They are seen as a hunter master's advisor, in charge of their information and money. Their status is highly regarded the higher they are in rank; A hunter mistress in that was qualified to serve a six-star hunter was worthy to be appointed the minister of finance of a country.

CITY HUNTERS: The Hunter Union along with other organizations help provide security for a city, as such a city would normally have a City Hunter team that is called up to action within a city’s border whether it be to fight off the beasts or for evacuation.

NETWORK OF HUNTERS: This is an international information network hub, which is used by hunters throughout the world. This network is based on secret convolutions, and can be used to find operational information about magical beasts, various organizations, historical events and magic items. The Hunter’s Union uses this network and constantly updates information. This network is more extensive than any national information agencies.

UNOFFICIAL RULES: Although they are not rules enforced by the law, Hunters tend to follow these rules for the sake of safety.

• In the event of the death of a teammate, the remaining hunters are to adopt any children left behind.

• NEVER, EVER, take the babies of a creature while the mother is still alive, as the mother would often go and track them down, leaving destruction in their wake. (Although for some reason, no one seems to abide by this rule)

• Think twice about kicking out or rejecting an application to join from a: healing, mind, sound or blessing mage

• Make outsiders pay a security bond.

QUESTS/BOUNTIES: The average mages knows how difficult it is to be self-sufficient so it was common for mage’s to take on quests when they were running short on money. Quests could be submitted by anyone and any organization/city, once they are vetted they are posted for any available and suitably ranked hunter group to accept.

Hunter missions range from tracking and/or killing demon beasts, they would occasionally include defence missions, gathering, scouting, patrolling, escort, rescue operations to special operations. Money and contribution points are shared amongst party members.

GRADING: Thousands of mages come to the Hunter Union in search of suitable quests and rewards. The missions are ranked due to their difficulty from D Grade to SS Grade.

• SS rank Quests would only be given to Senior Hunters and Hunter King/Queen.

• S rank quests would involve anything with ruler level beasts or impossible difficulty Reward Pools.

• A-rank quests were only available to hunter masters. Any squad that had at least a single hunter master could accept an A-Rank quest, otherwise they did not even have the right to see the details.

• B-rank quests can only be accepted by Advanced Hunters and higher. They usually form 2-3 Squads of 5-10 Intermediate Mages to complete this quest. Usually to subjugate Warrior Class Monster’s Nests.

• C-rank quests can be accepted by Intermediate Hunters as well as a 5-10 member squad of Novice Mages. Mostly to subjugate Servant or Warrior Class Monsters.

• D-rank quests mostly taken by Novice Hunters. It mostly consists to collect herbs which grow outside the safe zones and to clean up the sewers by killing the Bottom feeder monsters who sneak in.

RESTRICTIONS: The Hunter Union did not allow employers to send their details and contact numbers to Hunters before an official meeting. That was to prevent the employers and Hunters from bypassing the Hunter Union and reaching a deal privately.

REWARDS: The rewards are distributed according to the difficulty of the Quests.

• D-rank Quests: Highest Reward = Three Hundred Thousand.

• C-rank Quests: Lowest Reward = Three Million.

• B-rank Quests: Lowest Reward = Fifty Million.

• A-rank Quests: Lowest Reward = Two Hundred Million.

• S-rank Quests: Lowest Reward = One Billion, Highest Reward = Reward Pools.

• SS-rank Quests: Numerous Full Cosmos Vein or Stamen of Earths or something equivalent.