It was nearing the end of the first day, and so far, despite Otto's willingness to spend millions of Wasnacht to find the perfect challenger for his team, he had as of now been met with no luck whatsoever.
The ten places Aeselvell had sent him to had indeed accommodated numerous high-end challengers, a few available for permanent hire.
However, few of them met his stringent qualifications. Those that did weren't suitable for his team.
Otto walked leisurely to his final stop.
This particular shop was recommended by the owner of the establishment Otto had just visited.
It wasn't a typical agency like the previous locations Otto had visited.
It was a little known shop with a reputation for gathering challengers with 'exotic races' and matching them to clients to take on requests.
Otto thought it was possible there was a challenger there that fit his needs perfectly.
Minutes later, he arrived at a remote alleyway in a hidden corner of the pantheon.
A small building was quietly lit up with two lanterns on each side of a small signboard.
The signboard was carved into a plank nailed to the top of the shop.
It read:
"Exotic Goods & Challengers"
Despite his skepticism, Otto entered through the creaking old doorway to take a look.
Once inside, he was greeted with a surprisingly normal scene.
A wooden bar stood atop a dilapidated floor.
Tables and chairs reminiscent of a small restaurant were scattered throughout the entrance.
The room looked like it had remained the same since the beginning of time.
Still, it was quite clean.
Otto called out loudly.
"Anyone here?"
There was no response.
No noise, either.
A few minutes passed.
Otto shouted again, louder,
"Hello?"
This time, a man walked in to greet him.
His face was aggressively wrinkled, his posture hunched, thin white hair sitting lightly atop his round head.
The man was ancient.
He sized Otto up before gesturing for him to take a seat.
From the cabinet behind the bar, he pulled out an unknown bottle of liquid and poured both of them a drink.
He handed Otto a glass, and raised his own glass up.
Otto smiled lightly and clinked them together.
He [Analyzed] the liquid to ensure it was safe to drink before taking a small swig.
His lips curved upward. The drink was sweet, slightly sour, and a little earthy.
It wasn't long before both glasses were drained.
Finally, the old man spoke. His voice sounded much younger and more energetic than his face would suggest.
"I am the proprietor of Exotic Goods & Challengers."
"Are you here to do business?"
"Hello, sir proprietor. I am Toto. I'm looking to find a teammate."
"A teammate?"
He gazed at Otto for a few long seconds.
"Your requirements must be high."
Otto nodded and stated his requirements for what felt like the hundredth time that day.
But this old man didn't balk in the slightest.
"I have only one challenger in the store right now that meets your requirements.
Would you like me to bring her out?"
"Very well."
Suddenly, the old man disappeared.
Otto waited for ten full minutes before he returned.
This time, there was a person behind him.
Otto was somewhat surprised to see that she looked no different from a human.
"All our challengers have the ability to take on human form. It is a special talent bestowed on every challenger who passes through these walls."
He looked fondly at the old store around him.
"Of course, our prices are…commensurate with their value."
Otto nodded.
Price was no object for him.
The girl slowly stood out from behind the proprietor.
If her human form was any indication, she looked to be somewhere around six or seven years old.
"Don't let her appearance fool you. She's...fully mature."
The girl's expression didn't change in the slightest.
She gazed at Otto calmly and seemed to be waiting for something.
Otto cast [Analyze] on her.
[Mirabelle]
Floor Cleared: 4th Floor
Class: Jack of Support
Race: Chantrelle Songbird
Health: 5,500/5,500 (4.1/minute)
Stamina: 500/500 (3.6/minute)
Mana: 560/560 (16.6/minute)
[Attributes]
Strength 28
Speed 47
Stamina 36
Sturdiness 41
Mana Pool 28
Intuition 25
Magic Power 45
Regeneration 83
Otto's eyes widened.
Her attributes…were astonishingly high.
Her health pool, in particular, was actually larger than Otto's own.
Not only must she have passed every floor on [Extreme] difficulty, but she either had a powerful class or had stumbled upon some achievements while doing so.
Maybe both.
A grin crossed Otto's lips.
But soon, he narrowed his eyes in suspicion.
Why hadn't she been picked up yet?
As far as he was concerned, she'd be a welcome addition to any team, as strong as she was.
Not only this, but her class was obviously geared towards supporting others.
He focused in on her class.
[Jack of Support]
Gold Grade
Basic Effects:
Doubles efficacy of all support spells.
Doubles duration of all support spells.
-30% cast time of all support spells.
-20% cooldown of all support spells.
An excellent class.
Otto couldn't see all of Mirabelle's class traits with [Analyze], only the basic effects.
Regardless, he was certain they were just as amazing as this.
His eyes landed on her race.
A Chantrelle Songbird?
He'd never heard of this particular type of songbird before.
Otto's gaze rested on the proprietor, prepared to ask a few additional questions, but the proprietor sighed and shook his head.
"There is a reason a Chantrelle fully matures at the age of 6 months old."
"Reveal Racial Traits"
[Vocal Casting]
All spells must be cast via the voice. The voice of the Chantrelle is unusable except to cast spells.
[Ethereal Voice]
Voice of the Chantrelle is capable of casting every element.
[Supportive Restriction]
The Chantrelle Songbird is incapable of harming other creatures with its magic. All spells only work on allies.
[Harmonic Response]
+900% Mana Regeneration
[Final Survivor]
+900% Health
+900% Health Regeneration
[Spirit of Self Sacrifice]
Chantrelle Songbirds can give for those they truly love. Sacrifices the body to double all attributes of every friendly entity within a kilometer radius. Boost lasts for 24 hours.
[Ephemerality]
The maximum lifespan of a Chantrelle Songbird is 10 years.
"..."
Silence swept through the room.
It took a minute before the proprietor spoke. His voice was hushed.
"No one wanted a bird that was guaranteed to die."
Though spoken impassively, an indescribable sadness enveloped his words.
Mirabelle began to fidget in discomfort.
She suddenly transformed before Otto's eyes.
Two small wings sprouted from her back.
Her skin grew feathers and her body shrunk.
After a minute, a beautiful bird stood on the proprietor's shoulders.
Mirabelle's body revealed almost every color of the rainbow.
Her short beak and both her eyes were golden, attached to a vivid red head.
Otto's gaze swept past her neck, where her feathers darkened to purple, then shades of blue on her stomach and back.
Her wings were green where they joined with her body, brightening to yellow at the tips.
A small mark at the top of her head revealed a yin-yang symbol, half black, half white.
Mirabelle was undeniably the most beautiful bird Otto had ever seen, and he was not particularly partial to colorful things.
Her body radiated an understated majesty unique to her race.
Its glow seemed to fill up the room.
An unknown stuffiness welled up in Otto's chest.
His mind could only come up with a single thought.
'This bird deserves to be free.'
Otto felt that he was at a crossroads.
If he took Mirabelle back as a full team member, and even injected a portion of his soul into her, what would happen when she died?
Not to mention her, he doubted he himself would face any good consequences.
He paused to ponder thoroughly.
Still, she was the only one who, so far, had fit all of his requirements in a teammate.
Moreover, she was focused on support, which was exactly the type of member that his team currently lacked.
The proprietor spoke and interrupted his thoughts.
"The price to take her permanently is 1,010 G4 Coins."
Otto did a double take.
"1,010 G4 Coins. You're… not joking?"
"That is the price including 10 G4 Coins for this shop. The rest is the fee paid to Mirabelle to hire her. Indefinitely."
So not only was there a fatal drawback to the teammate herself, but she also cost a fortune to hire for maybe three years?
Otto lowered his eyes and thought once more.
At a glance, his downturned expression might be mistaken as one of pity for the poor bird.
But a closer look would leave one chilled to the bone.
His eyes revealed no such thing as sentimentality.
Rather, benefits were all that filled his mind.
Otto made his decision.
His mouth moved.
************************************************************************
Otto walked back to the rented house where his team was living, still deep in thought.
A brightly colored bird rested silently on his left shoulder.
He'd decided to buy Mirabelle.
Frankly, Otto doubted he would find a better fit for his team.
His excursion could be considered a success, but Otto found that he only had more to worry about.
According to the proprietor, Mirabelle was guaranteed to die within 3.5 years.
Not even the evolution bead would be able to save her from her fate.
Thus, for the time being, Otto had decided not to split his soul for the fifth time.
He had faith that with his strength, he would find a way to help her fight her fate.
But until that day came, he couldn't take the risk.
Even if it meant losing a few additional attributes.
Otto stepped into the door to find the grinning face of the awaiting Ramesthes, who immediately greeted Otto with,
"I see you picked up another kid."
He gestured with his thumb at Jason's virtual pod where the boy was currently completing (trying to complete) the training regime Otto set for him.
Otto rolled his eyes,
"My brother."
Ramesthes almost choked on his spit.
"I… see...uh, you want me to get him up to speed?"
"Please do. In the virtual pod. Once you're done, I need everyone to gather in the yard again."
Otto took a deep breath.
"It's time to split my soul."
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