Chapter 303: Striking A Deal

"I would listen to the young friend Xun if I were you," Uhtred said.

The moment he spoke the name of the young man too, both men’s eyes went wide.

"C-Champion, sir! You know my name too?" The young man stuttered, his excitement palpable.

"Of course I do," Uhtred snorted. "I know a lot of things. How could I not when it is an ability tied to my class?"

"Esoteric..." the older man, Kun, whispered. "You’re an Esoteric type... We have an Esoteric type champion on our side!!"

He suddenly burst into an excited cheer, a jubilation that was equally mirrored by the young man, Xun, behind him.

Uhtred watched them practically begin to vibrate, and quickly raised a hand to calm them down. "Good friends, you have to calm yourselves. Keep your voices down."

"Can I trust you two with a task?" he asked after the two had regained some composure.

"Sure! Sure! Anything at all, great sir!" Kun spoke with enthusiasm, his prior vigilance long forgotten.

"Good. Well, it’s about announcing my arrival," Uhtred continued. "I think we should keep that between us, don’t you think?"

"But... great sir, it’s standard protocol," Kun said hesitantly. Even though he was excited at the reality of the human side having an Esoteric type champion arrive, it seemed even that wasn’t enough to douse all his sense of responsibility.

"Yes, yes," Uhtred nodded, stepping closer to Kun and patting him on the shoulder like he was talking to a close friend. "And I commend you for that, Kun. You’re a diligent man. But..."

He leaned in closer and whispered, as though telling an important secret.

"...The same way I was able to tell your names, I have also sensed that reporting my arrival will bring us bad luck."

"Y-You mean?" Kun’s eyes went wide as he processed the information.

"Yes. There’s likely someone on our side trying to sabotage us," Uhtred pressed expertly. "Which means if you announce my arrival... especially if you reveal I’m an Esoteric type..."

He left the rest unsaid, but both Kun and Xun could imagine the rest.

Xun, the younger man, looked sold on the idea in an instant, his eyes filling with righteous rage at such a possibility. Kun, on the other hand, was still clearly cautious, even though Uhtred’s words sounded plausible.

Ah, this guy’s not so easily fooled, Uhtred muttered internally. He could see the cogs spinning in Kun’s mind. If he didn’t do something to tip him over the edge right now, he was going to lose him.

Quickly, Uhtred mentally reached into his System-given storage space. Naturally, it didn’t contain much besides survival essentials — Essence Crystals, Essence Cores, and several other little things.

He brought out a mid-sized pouch’s worth of Essence Crystals and flashed them before Kun. In an instant, a visible glimmer could clearly be seen in the man’s eyes.

Even though the era was different, and Essence Crystals might very well be more common in this time period, Uhtred had trusted that even if that were the case, artificial scarcity would still make them valuable. Even on Earth, only those with regional dungeons could produce Inert Essence Crystals...

And from the glimmer in Kun and Xun’s eyes, it was clear the Essence Crystals were very much valuable.

"Now, I know you’re taking on a risk for me here," Uhtred said. "But I’m not one to ask for favors without giving anything in return. This is a small gift for your troubles. All you both have to do is continue with your duties like normal. So long as you do that, no one would know I was here at all."

The deal couldn’t be more enticing than that. This gateway was clearly one that nobody expected a champion to spawn out of. If Kun and Xun continued like normal, no one would even think to question them at all.

The only issue left would arise when Uhtred’s presence became known to the world. But by then, Uhtred would be long gone from here. No one would be able to trace his arrival point to this place.

For Kun and Xun, this deal was a no-brainer. They’d even get enough Essence Crystals to further their cultivation to a large extent. Essence Crystals couldn’t be gotten so easily like this — at least not without an exorbitant cost.

In a complete 180, Kun’s demeanor transformed. He swiped the pouch from Uhtred’s hands, his hesitation vanishing into thin air.

"Of course, great sir," he said with a bright smile. "And if it’s exactly like you say, then this is all for the good of us humans. We would be remembered as the heroes who aided the mightiest human champion!"

"Haha! Exactly, good friend," Uhtred replied, all smiles. Internally, though, his thoughts were entirely different.

This wily old fox, he sneered. Look how quickly he has spun the narrative to fit the situation. He’s even a better bullshitter than I am!

By now, Uhtred was certain that Kun didn’t really buy the story he had given. Of course, his earlier excitement was very real. It was clear that it really was a good thing for the human side to have an Esoteric type champion on their side.

But that was where Kun’s enthusiasm ended. An old fox like him couldn’t care less whether someone was scheming on the human side. The only thing that affected him directly were the repercussions of failing to announce a champion’s arrival.

Well, I don’t really need him to believe me, anyway, Uhtred scoffed internally. So long as he keeps his mouth shut enough for me to get out of here, then it’s all good...

To do that, though, I’ll need more information about this place. I still don’t know how exactly the competition works or where exactly I am in the world.

"In the spirit of our cooperation, my friends," Uhtred said, "could you point me toward a room? I’d like to refresh myself before setting off."

"Of course, champion sir!" Xun piped up eagerly. Pushing past Kun, he ushered Uhtred down a narrow corridor.

Kun watched them go, scoffing under his breath. He could see right through Xun’s eagerness — the boy genuinely believed Uhtred’s story and was trying to curry favor with a future legend.

"Gullible brat," Kun muttered, clutching the heavy pouch against his chest.

In any case, none of that was his concern. If anything, Kun was glad the boy was so naive. Rather than sticking around to demand his fair share of the crystals they’d already secured, Xun was off chasing extra favors from a champion who would forget he even existed the moment he walked out the door.