NOVEL NEXT Chapter 83: Two Plans
Anerias left after hammering out the details of their deal. He would lure monsters close to the campus every three days for two months in exchange for the information Zach had given him about how to help his Blackfire Hound grow stronger. It seemed unfair. All Zach had to do was open his mouth a little. Anerias, on the other hand, had to risk his life and work like a dog to attract monsters.
But while Zach and the others would only get a limited boost to their levels from what he could bring, Anerias had found the stairway leading upward for his familiar. The immediate gains were out of balance in consideration of the future benefits.
Of course, if Zach wanted more, he could always poke Anerias and share some more information, such as what creatures were from Heaven or Hell, where he could find them, and the part about a familiar's evolution.
But Zach didn't have anything else he needed from Anerias, so he held onto those cards until the time came when he needed them. Inspired by that idea, Zach bought a notebook and a pen.
Why only help Anerias? Why not start preparing cards he could use against the rest of his classmates as well? Thanks to his special access to the library's higher levels of information, he had an overwhelming advantage. So far, he had used it to make up for the underworld assassins stopping him from entering the forest and looking for information on the Underworld.
But he could use it for so much more. And now, when his classmates still could only access the most basic information, the information he held was worth the most.
Even if he couldn't enter the forest for several months, Zach and the others would still be busy with the two plans Zach was running, in addition to the preparations they had to make before looking for what Jigak had told them to look for.
Zach told Dukiel and Julius about his two plans, one about gathering information about their classmates' familiars to help them improve and one about using the information on monsters to improve his classmates' scores and results. The second idea was the one Anerias had inspired him with.
If Zach helped his classmates find and defeat more valuable monsters and find ways that would let them secure the most precious resources, he would be entitled to a portion of the marks they earned, even if he didn't partake in the hunt. It was the same as what he, Dukiel, and Julius had done.
It wasn't necessarily a significant portion, depending on the value of the information and how much it contributed to the hunt, but if he got a piece of all the cakes from his around thirty classmates, Zach's scores would soar. And since Dukiel and Julius were helping him, they would also get some. After all, they had to find a lot of information to help all their classmates. It wasn't a one-man job.
Dukiel and Julius were excited. It would be a lot of work, boring work. But it would mean good grades.
They were in.
They were a little skeptical, however, of Zach's other idea about keeping track of information that could help their classmates strengthen their familiars. Why not just help them without expecting anything in return?
Zach, on account of his reputation and status as a duke's scion, was a little more used to how easily people took things for granted and discarded people they approached for being useful once they were no longer useful.
That, and he knew better than to give stuff out for free when he could make a killing. Why would he help their classmates without expecting anything in return?
Dukiel and Julius were a little doubtful, but in the end, it was Zach who had access to the information necessary. He could do with it as he pleased. If they wanted to hand it out, they would have to negotiate that kind of access with the principal themselves.
They didn't even need to think about it before concluding that it was impossible. Just thinking about it again made them amazed that Zach had managed to do it.
But Dukiel and Julius wouldn't show their amazement to Zach. So, they instead focused on diving through the books for information they could trade with their classmates. Zach added more priority to the information about familiars.
The trio had neglected one thing, however.
Their classmates didn't accept the deal that easily. Some did, others took some persuading, and some others refused no matter what.
It wasn't a complete success, but it wasn't a complete failure either. It also gave the trio more time to focus on themselves and their familiars.
Julius already knew what to do. Dukiel had an idea after the Sentinel absorbed the mountain essence and the minerals from the swamp Locale that he had received. They just needed to keep going in the same vein to strengthen their familiars.
Zach knew how to train himself to some degree, and he had Yanael to help him. He had no idea, however, what to do to help Yanael grow as a familiar. She grew stronger through training. But when it came to her essence as a familiar, Zach didn't have a single clue other than her origin being Heaven. And she had said that her origin didn't matter much since she was a variant.
Zach could only look for more information while training, helping his classmates, and preparing for a far-off venture into the forest. They also had to attend several classes and receive the benefits of their deal with Anerias.
It was a busy period and time passed like flowing water without any big changes. But even a small stream could wear down stone.
Their efforts and growth, at times small and insignificant, built up over time.
However, during times like those, it was easy to forget the simpler things. Like maids. Like letters. Like underworld assassins. Like scheming principals and instructors. Fortunately, not all of those affected Zach directly.