Chapter 10 The Cock's Crow Spurs Us to Action

"Hello everyone, I'm a rookie adventurer who just started today, and I hope you all like me."

The system seemed to give three options, but in reality, there was only one viable choice.

The first option, "Only those who have been defeated can become companions," looked stable and challenging. As long as you succeed in the challenge, you could get a powerful character one hundred percent of the time.

But in reality, it was a trap.

Currently, Yang Yu had nothing but the grass-growing Skill "Clover Cultivation." The only attack method available to him was the normal attack, and not the kind that came with Double Slash or Horizontal Slash, but a genuinely plain attack.

If he chose an experienced adventurer as his challenge, no matter how clever his maneuvers, he couldn't stand a chance against an opponent with many Skills throwing everything at him.

As for those with weaker abilities, he didn't want to pick a blank slate just to be a bag carrier, especially since he didn't need one.

As for the third option, "True heroes don't need friends; they are the lone wolves standing aloof," it was clearly a second-playthrough self-challenge option. Choosing it might give an Experience or attribute points boost BUFF, but you could probably never team up again.

This option is generally based on having some understanding of the game and confidence in one's own skills. Trying for a first-time clear without saving is asking for trouble, like knowing your wife has saved a bunch of coupons for a huge Double Eleven sale, but asking her to wait till the next day to buy things.

After much thought, Yang Yu finally chose to showcase his talent. If his enchanting dance could successfully attract the attention of some big shots, wouldn't that be delightful?

Making his decision, the system immediately issued a Task.

[Display your talent in the center of the adventurer's guild tavern. Reward: Favorability Detection for thirty minutes (you can see the Favorability of others towards you, and you can recruit anyone with a Favorability above 20 as a companion).]

A standard task, with recruitment based on Favorability, not uncommon either.

Upon receiving the task, Yang Yu immediately stood in the middle of the tavern, unafraid of the public gaze, and hummed a song.

If it weren't for Yang Yu being able to cultivate Clovers, they would have jumped up to crash into Yang Yu's head like a comet hitting Earth.

The onlookers were also baffled; they had never seen such an extravagant and bizarre dance. They all wondered if the young man had suffered some mental shock, but once they understood that the orbs thrown by Yang Yu were Slimes, they all had a moment of realization.

"It turns out he's a Monster Tamer; then it's fine."

People who successfully contract with Demons are few and far from having a normal mind.

Before long...

[Task complete, Favorability Detection activated, remaining time twenty-nine minutes and fifty-nine seconds.]

The system's voice rang out, and Yang Yu stopped dancing, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and turned around with a confident, charming smile.

That dance may not have been a hundred percent accurate, but he had at least seventy to eighty percent down. This fascinating dance was sure to capture most people's hearts, regardless of gender or age.

He looked around.

Above the heads of the onlookers in the tavern, numbers appeared, with red for Favorability, white zeroes for neutrality, and even more, grey for dislike.

What's the matter? Why are there so many people with negative Favorability? Was my dance not good enough?

A feeling of defeat welled up, and the air filled with an awkward atmosphere.

Yang Yu strongly wished he could reload the save and try again. If he could reload, he was confident he could puzzle out how to achieve a Favorability of 100 from everyone, but it was too late to ask the gods for a save and reload feature. He could only look among the scarce red numbers for someone suitable.

A quick glance revealed that those red numbers were all ones and twos, anything above three was rare, much worse than expected.

"If only I had known, I might as well have chosen the first one, found a blank slate to beat up, and then kicked him out."

He heaved a long sigh and made his way to the counter, hoping to use his financial ability to try to recruit some companions when a slight figure in a corner caught his eye.

Messy hair hid her face, and her petite body was cloaked in a dull dress of red and black. She wore a long, wide, purple robe that made her already frail body seem even more so. By her side leaned a wooden Magic Wand, typical to Mages, as smooth as a walking stick, exuding an ancient feel.

On the table was a plate of dried sweet potatoes, and her drink was just simple boiled water. She chewed dryly, all by herself, very quietly.

A big fellow had obscured the delicate girl, which was why Yang Yu had accidentally missed her.

Just one more look at her in the crowd had captivated Yang Yu's gaze.

Not for anything else, but because she had a big nineteen above her head. This was the only one in the tavern with Favorability towards him in double digits, just one short of the requirement.

"Wait, who said it has to be the Favorability at the end of the performance."

One dance had changed people's Favorability; in thirty minutes, can't I recruit a teammate?

Although Yang Yu was a single dog where actual age equaled real age, the adage "illness leads to the path of healing" holds: he might not have tasted pork, but has he not seen pigs run? Besides, many RPGs have some elements of romance, and Yang Yu was already thoroughly familiar with those romance elements. A little Favorability was nothing; he could easily raise it.

Changing his approach, Yang Yu walked to the girl's table and opened the Attribute panel.

[Name: Bai Jin Level: LV12

Race: Human (Civilian) HP: 62/62 MP: 230/230 Stamina: 30/30

Strength 14, Defense 18, Intelligence 201, Special Defense 72, Agility 35, Endurance 12, Charm -10, Luck 10

Resistance: Curse Resistance 50%, Magic Resistance 20%

Status: Frail.]

Emmm...

This kid didn't put all her points into Intelligence, did she?

That was Yang Yu's first impression, but he soon realized that even if he reached that Level and allocated all attribute points to Intelligence, there was no way he would achieve 201 Intelligence. That meant this was her natural talent... it was truly annoying to compare oneself to others.

Thankfully, her other stats were fairly normal; she was a standard glass-cannon Mage, just the kind of talent Yang Yu needed.

His mouth tilted up forty-five degrees, he flicked his not-so-long locks, eyebrows raised slightly, and with a hint of bewilderment and genuine sincerity in his eyes, Yang Yu greeted Bai Jin with a warm and friendly voice.

"Hello, this lovely miss."

Stopping her chewing of dried sweet potatoes, Bai Jin turned her head, revealing dark circled eyes under the disheveled bangs, lifeless and hollow.

"Are you talking to me?"

"There's no one here but you, so who else could it be but you?" Yang Yu continued, emulating the manner of a handsome man from his memory, "This lovely miss, if you don't mind, may I sit here? I have some things I'd like to talk to you about alone."

No sooner had Yang Yu finished speaking than the number above Bai Jin's head changed.