Chapter 54: Poor Hero
"Stop." The Green Forest Elf raised his hand to stop me from saying anything further.
He immediately admitted his mistake, "I was wrong. Out of professional habit, I was simply exploring the possible consequences of awakening the Nightmare ability. Of course, these are just my conjectures. There's no basis for such things as invading the spirit world and engaging in spiritual communication, and I wouldn't randomly share them with anyone else."
I nodded, also with no intention of continuing this topic.
"I will find that psychic for you. As for the reward." I made a number with my hand.
The Green Forest Elf said in a serious tone, "This isn't the first time she's done this. It's just that most of the victims are men, and some with special abilities, so everyone finds it too difficult to talk about. But as superheroes, we can't let this go on! This is all for justice, Night Stalker!"
I curled my lips and said, "If you think it's expensive, just tell me."
"Well, I guessed that your fees were high, so I didn't want to use my hero points to exchange for a one-time item that changes my voice for 30 minutes. But you still recognized me." The Green Forest Elf complained while taking out his communicator.
He asked, "For the sake of our acquaintance and friendship, can I pay in installments?"
"If you spent fewer hero points and collected all those strange bows and arrows, you wouldn't live so poorly." Professional heroes are obviously a high-income group, but some people can still live a lavish life, such as the Green Forest Elf with a strange collecting habit.
He replied confidently, "A good weapon is absolutely essential for a superhero! Besides, just one weapon isn't enough. Those are points that should be used."
"I saw it."
Green Forest Elf "What do you see?"
"The content you recently shared on WeChat Moments was about you buying the bow and arrows used by the last century superhero, The Sharpshooter. Can such ancient and outdated equipment be called a handy weapon?"
He pointed at me and said, "You never post on WeChat Moments, but you always like to secretly pry into other people's daily lives and privacy. The sharpshooter's bow and arrow is no longer just a weapon! It's a work of art. It allows me to feel the efforts and sacrifices made by the great heroes of that era to fight against fate, and it encourages me!"
The Green Forest Elf's passionate words were all nonsense to me.
"Your Moments are posted on your own initiative so people can see them. Don't make up these weird excuses for wasting money."
"The archer's bow and arrow has increased in value after I bought it! My vision is never wrong!" said the Green Forest Elf very confidently.
"So, are you going to sell it?" I asked.
"No, I already said it has special meaning to me. It's one of my important collections."
"Since you're not selling it, why bother about its value? You can pay it in installments, but you have to add interest." Anyway, whatever is left will eventually be spent recklessly.
"The succubus's powers don't work best on women. I've actually considered commissioning a female superhero to handle this, charging lower fees. But revealing my experiences to the opposite sex is always a bit difficult. Plus, now that love is free and same-sex marriage is legal, I'm not sure I can find a straight woman who's completely unaffected by the succubus."
He looked at me and said, "Only with your words can I be 100% assured."
“Are you complimenting me?”
He nodded vigorously and changed his tone and said, "Please help me no matter what, Lord Night Demon! Let's just forget about the interest." After saying that, he showed a smile that tasted of poverty.
I didn't agree immediately, but asked, "What does the succubus's ability user look like?"
The Green Forest Elf paused for a few seconds strangely before frowning and replying, "...a vulgar, ordinary-looking woman."
I asked again, "Besides the vulgar appearance you described, is there anything special about her?"
The Green Forest Elf stroked his chin and thought for a moment. "Oh, the clothes she wore at the time must have been very expensive. I saw an advertisement for them in a department store on the commercial street. They were new products of the season."
"It seems that you are still under the influence of that ability. I can help you dispel it immediately."
“Well, how come I didn’t notice?”
"Because any woman who was attracted to your looks or approached you would be described by you as ugly. Now that this has happened, you describe her as 'vulgar'. I think that's already a high compliment from you, especially since you can still clearly remember the style of her clothes."
"Hmm..." The Green Forest Elf stroked his chin. "It's a little strange indeed. But, you're saying all this just to show that you're capable and your prices are fair."
I opened my mouth and said, "Chenghui."
"So, she should be a very beautiful woman?" Zhong Mengfan asked like a curious baby.
"No." The Green Forest Elf denied stubbornly.
"Some awakened abilities can change a person's temperament, appearance, and even personality. Since she's a succubus, of course she has everything that matches her abilities."
Zhong Mengfan nodded and looked at my face carefully.
Guessing the strange thoughts that might be going through his mind, I reminded him, "My awakened ability is called Nightmare. If you start to have these crazy thoughts, tomorrow's training will be twice as long."
He lowered his head quickly and said, "No, no."
"Oh my, why are you so harsh on a newcomer? I've known Nightmare for a long time, and his appearance has always been the same, with no changes since his awakening. Besides, as I said, the terrifying aspect of Nightmare's abilities lies in their deeper spiritual dimension.
It's not the brutal, direct, amplified lust of a succubus. The physical influence fades after a while, once you're free of it. The mental damage is the most terrifying, like prey being marked without knowing it, and then unable to escape."
Zhong Mengfan listened carefully and said, "Ah, you are indeed Mr. Green Forest Elf. You speak so professionally."
"No, no." The Green Forest Elf smiled at Zhong Mengfan in a casual and very deceptive way.
However, my communicator still retains the conversations I had in the group asking for help on how to provide one-on-one mentoring for newcomers. Among them was the Green Forest Elves' advice on teaching newcomers.
I thought about it and said, "How about this? Interest-free installments are fine. But there's a condition. My new recruit, Link, also has long-range attack capabilities, but his accuracy isn't high enough. This happens to be your strength. After we capture that woman, you'll be responsible for helping me train her."
Hearing that there would be no interest, the Green Forest Elf immediately agreed, "No problem. Archery is as easy for me as breathing and eating. But I always feel like you're getting a lot of the benefits anyway."
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