Pioneer of the Abyss - Book 3 - Chapter 6 (Patreon)

For those of you who are reading this on a website that is not Patreon, please stop. You're reading a pirated version. Instead, if you would be so kind, please click on the table of contents link below and go to my Patreon instead. Or even read it off of Royal Road, which is free.

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Table of Contents

Click the following link for the 1362 word chapter 6:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1g6-mooe9Rp7Ot_jX2QFCHW7DTNdrZIzf91XsewJEi2E/edit?usp=sharing

Or you can read the unformatted version below:

Aqua

Wow.

The accommodations the chairwoman spoke about definitely aren’t a hotel. Not even close.

She prepared a large mansion for me floating on the water at the edge of one of the largest cities on the planet. One with its own elevator going up to an additional suite in space connected to the largest space station.

Extravagance doesn’t even begin to describe the place.

And, unlike with on Oceana, I don’t have to worry about idiot hunters trying to break in or monsters attacking. I can just relax in here since the security here is incredible.

So I do just that and rest for a few hours after my journey through space to get here. Then I finally head over to the Vanguard Branch on this planet to sign up as a Vanguard. Which is pretty much the universal version of a hunter from Oceana.

People who are paid to hunt monsters and clear dungeons.

Of course, going there is pretty much just a formality since the process of signing me up was completed long ago. As it always is for people who become Official Pioneers.

But I still have to visit and get my ID and all that.

From what I understand, there are actual rankings for Vanguards in the Alliance. With the ranks going from Rank E through Rank A, with Rank S for some reason being at the top. Despite it not following the alphabetical order in the slightest.

Why they decided to do it this way? I have no idea.

They just did.

As I’m waiting for the receptionist to arrive with my new ID, I look up the exact determinations for each rank. Out of sheer curiosity and nothing else.

And what I find is pretty simple.

There are two determinations for what rank you are.

Level and the number of quests you have completed.

That said, someone can ignore the second determination if their first one is high enough. And they can ignore the first one if their second one is high enough.

So if someone is high enough in level and can show their strength in a test, they can ignore completing a certain number of quests to be promoted. Meanwhile, if they complete enough quests, they can ignore the level requirement to take a test to be promoted. Since it shows they are capable.

To start off, someone has to be initialized into the System to become a Rank E Vanguard. And that’s all that’s required for Rank E.

For promotion to Rank D, someone has to reach level 100 and complete at least ten quests with the Vanguard Association.

Then promotion to Rank C requires someone to reach level 500 and complete at least fifty quests with the Vanguard Association.

So I’m a high enough level to reach Rank C.

After C, Rank B requires someone to reach level 1000 and to complete one hundred quests. Then Rank A requires someone to reach level 5000 and complete five hundred quests.

And, last but certainly not least, Rank S requires someone to reach level 10,000 and to complete one thousand quests.

For someone to ignore the quest completion requirements, they have to pass an exam and be a level twenty percent higher than the required level for that Rank. And to do the reverse and ignore the level requirement, someone has to complete at least ten quests of the rank they are trying to be promoted to in addition to twenty percent more quests of the rank before it than are required.

As for what these Ranks actually get Vanguards in terms of benefits?

They give quite a few benefits. But most of those benefits aren’t all that useful to me since I automatically get the identity benefits from being an Official Pioneer.

The only things I will be getting from the Rank Promotions are access to better and more difficult quests from the Vanguard Association. Along with better intel for those quests.

Normally, someone’s Vanguard Rank acts as an ID that can get them access to different planets depending on their Rank. They also get better rewards for those quests than lower ranking quests.

But Official Pioneers already have permission to enter most planets. Not to mention Bloodliners, who have those permissions too.

Anyway, normally Vanguard Association Branches are filled with people on popular planets such as this one. From what I can find online, that is.

This branch, however, is almost empty.

At most there are a few people who look kind of like fishermen inside the branch. Many of which seem to be on the middle-aged to older side.

Is it because this is an ocean world? So Vanguards don’t tend to come here?

That sounds about right.

The receptionist eventually returns with my Vanguard ID, briefly surprising me when I find it to be a Rank B ID instead of a Rank C ID. But the lady just kindly explains that it’s because that’s what they evaluate my strength to be after watching all of my livestreams.

They also believe that my Rank would rise to B at a rapid speed even if they gave me a Rank C ID, simply due to how fast I’ve leveled thus far. So there’s no reason to leave me at Rank C.

After thinking on that for a moment, I decide I don’t care much either way since it doesn’t give me much outside of some additional intel and access to more quests. Then I head over to one of the panels lining the wall showing numerous job listings. Each of which open up to show a hologram when selected.

I’m a little over level six hundred, and with my Abyssal Servants and Bloodliner Skills, I think I should be fine fighting all the way up to level seven hundred and fifty at the minimum.

With that in mind, I go ahead and begin searching the panel for jobs hunting monsters around that level. Which doesn’t take long considering the sheer number of jobs there are listed here.

There aren’t exactly very many Vanguards on the planet to take the jobs, after all.

I accept a few different jobs, including but not limited to, jobs requiring me to clear out dungeons, to find minerals deep under the water in strange floating deposits guarded by monsters, and to just hunt a large and dangerous monster.

They’re all pretty simple jobs, and the panel lets me accept them directly from here simply by tapping it with my Vanguard ID.

I quite like the technology of the Alliance now that I’m no longer stuck in the technology backwards planet of Oceana…

Of course, it won’t stay backwards in technology for long. Not now that it’s opened up to the Alliance.

But still.

After accepting the jobs, I head out of the building before noticing a large number of people gathering near said building. People who begin to cheer at the sight of me while calling out my name.

Ah. There it is.

The thing I was worried about.

Well, I doubt they’ll follow me underwater.

So I move to the edge of the water near the Vanguard Association branch before jumping in and beginning a rapid dive downwards. With Vir following after me just as quickly.

And when I get far enough away from the city, I go ahead and turn on my livestream with a brief, “Hello.”

[SHE’S BACK!!!!]

[HOLY SHIT, YEEEEEESSSS!!!]

[SHE’S STILL STREAAAAMIIIIINGGG!!!]

[I’m glad you’re still streaming.]

[What are we doing today?]

[Where are you?]

Well they seem to be rather excited. Then again, they’ve been on radio silence for a couple weeks now. Ever since I became an Official Pioneer. So it makes some sense that they’d feel relieved seeing me turn on my livestream.

I chuckle at their messages before turning my attention to the map that I got from the chairwoman. Then I head in the direction of the closest quest target.

“Let’s hunt some more monsters,” I state in a carefree manner with a faint smile on my face.

Instantly making the chat go wild again now that I’ve confirmed my return to streaming.