The Glorious Evolution

Oracli murmured under his breath while checking the buyers’ list and the materials they had reserved.

Some had reserved large pieces of flesh in addition to organs, but he knew that if he requested they leave the flesh, skin, horns, and other external materials alone, they wouldn’t reject him.

Though, the only reason he was even considering going this far was because Levi seemed to have plans to hire them for another hunting job... and it was quite rare to receive such an opportunity immediately after a successful hunt.

”Price?” Oracli asked.

”Two million credits.”

”...Not a chance.” Oracli shook his head. ”We’ll earn much more by butchering it and selling the pieces.”

”No... the broker with the license to harvest it will earn much more,” Levi corrected calmly. ”A Hunter’s job is to hunt, not butcher... unless you decide to butcher it before importing it into the Boundless Expanse’s market, which will end up penalizing you under your Hunter License’s rules.”

Oracli went silent, realizing that Levi wasn’t here to get scammed... he knew exactly how the Beast Market operated.

The Hunter License permitted them to sign contracts for hunts and sell their spoils to Licensed Merchants unless they had no interest in bringing those spoils into the Boundless Expanse.

This meant the entire process, from hunting to harvesting and finally selling, required three separate licenses.

Oracli possessed only the first one... which was why his buyers weren’t direct customers, but merchants whose businesses centered around beasts.

Once he chose his merchants and agreed on which materials they would receive, the entire Leviathan... or whatever remained of it... would be sent straight to a licensed Butchery.

The Butchery would harvest the organs, carve apart the carcass, and take its percentage from the process before the materials were handed over to the merchants.

Only then could they finally reach the actual customers.

”If you sell me the complete hollowed-out carcass, you’ll save yourself from paying the Butchery to process the rest of it.” Levi smiled. ”I doubt you’re getting many offers for an entire carcass, which means you’d otherwise be forced to cut it apart and sell it piece by piece.”

Oracli showed a faint smile, realizing that he had lost the negotiation.

Two million credits was indeed a premium offer, especially since his squad would pocket ninety percent of it after the Administration took its ten-percent tax bite.

More importantly, it allowed him to remove another middleman from the process... not completely, since he still needed the Butchery to harvest the reserved organs and other materials, but it was still better than paying them to process the entire carcass.

”Before we shake hands on it, what kind of hunt are you hiring us for?”

Oracli’s focus remained on the hunt more than the payment... the money was good, but as a Tier 8 Powerhouse, he wasn’t doing this for profit alone.

He either hunted because he enjoyed it or because he was searching for a specific Leviathan that could become the key to his next Evolution.

Levi could practically feel Oracli’s interest in the supposedly undiscovered species he had mentioned earlier... which made what he was about to say considerably more awkward.

Knowing full well that he had lied his ass off just to get the Hunter’s attention, Levi cleared his throat.

”There is no such beast,” Levi admitted. ”I made it up.”

Oracli took a deep, slow breath.

An oppressive weight descended over the room.

Levi felt it pressing against his skin even though he wasn’t its direct target.

If it weren’t for Levi’s strength still being a mystery and the fact that they were inside the Boundless Expanse, Oracli’s reaction would have been much more severe.

”You wasted my time on a lie?”

”Not precisely.”

Levi didn’t hesitate to manifest a dimensional screen and expand it before Oracli’s aura could make him squeal... a Tier 8 Powerhouse’s spiritual pressure was more than capable of blowing him apart unless he used his Void Form to protect himself.

Alas, he wasn’t inside the Shadow Dimension.

Fortunately, the instant Oracli’s eyes landed on the screen, his oppressive aura weakened.

Prestige Merchant License.

Priority in Desert Exploration Contracts.

Trade Tariff Exemption — Permanent 10–15% reduction on import/export tariffs for Boundless Expanse goods.

Priority filing timestamps and general Exploration Permits.

Harvesting and Butchery Rights.

Oracli read through them one by one, his pupils widening slightly in astonishment.

Every permit and license carried the same registered nickname.

Dark Sun.

Oracli understood immediately that Levi had no way of forging documents issued directly by the Administration.

”Nocturn Administration Contract Priority,” Levi explained solemnly. ”Desert exploration permits reach me before they’re posted publicly... supply routes can be registered under my name, and my beast-harvesting rights allow me to butcher any beast I choose.”

Oracli’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Anyone possessing this many permits and licenses had either accomplished something insane in the Nocturnal Ring or was already a major player in the market.

The Prestige Merchant License alone was ridiculous... it allowed Levi to sell virtually anything, anywhere across the Boundless Expanse.

”My offer still stands... I want to hire you, but not merely as Hunters.” Levi leaned forward. ”I want us to become business partners.”

He gestured toward the licenses floating between them.

”You boys handle the hunt. I find the contracts, secure the permits, register the routes, handle transportation and butchery, and deal with the customers afterward.”

After an entire month of running around without much to show for it, Levi had finally realized that he had been looking at the problem through the wrong lens.

Trying to squeeze himself between established merchants and steal their spoils was always going to be difficult... they already had money, connections, customers, and years of trust behind them.

But if Levi could offer something many of those merchants couldn’t?

Then he didn’t need to poach their merchandise.

He could poach the Hunters themselves.

Levi possessed practically the entire arsenal of permits and licenses required to manage a Leviathan business from beginning to end... except for the hunting part.

The platform would never reward him with a Hunter License unless he thoroughly earned it himself. After all, going into the wilderness and hunting Leviathans wasn’t something the Administration treated as a joke.

Hence... instead of constantly seeking carcasses to buy, Levi had decided to build his own managerial company and hire Hunters to supply the business directly.

Naturally, he wasn’t planning to handle every aspect of the operation himself.

But that had never worried him.

The Boundless Expanse was brimming with talent.

Levi leaned back and added with a faint smile.

”Instead of working with multiple blood-sucking middlemen, how about you join my Hunters Management Company?”

Oracli let out a short chuckle.

”So, you’re admitting to being one?”

”Don’t worry... I’ll be gentle.” Levi laughed.

...

Some time later...

Levi walked out of the station with a satisfied smile.

Not only had he secured the hollowed-out Graveyard Drifter’s carcass, but he had also received preliminary confirmation of a partnership with Oracli’s Hunting Squad.

They hadn’t signed a contract immediately since Oracli still had too many loose threads to cut... fortunately, it wouldn’t be particularly difficult, considering he hadn’t signed any binding contracts with his current middlemen.

Levi told him to take his time and promised to contact him once he secured any leads on wild Leviathans.

He still possessed access to the Black Slime Syndicate Board even after retracting his deal with Mr. KM.

After all, their arrangement had revolved around Levi providing them with Leviathan-related market tips while they notified him whenever rare Sun or Void materials appeared on their black market.

Unfortunately, Levi was getting the short end of that arrangement.

Many of the truly valuable materials never reached the public black market in the first place... they were traded through invitation-only auction houses and private networks that Levi had no connections to.

But that wouldn’t remain the case forever.

If he managed to pull off the Leviathan Amusement Park, gain access to the Nobility’s private gatherings, and establish the Hunters Management Company... those closed doors would eventually begin opening.

His goal had never been merely to earn money.

He wanted access.

He wanted to insert himself into the most private, exclusive, and well-hidden networks in the realm.

And the fastest way to accomplish that was to turn himself into a Powerhouse within the Beast Market... someone whose reputation resounded across the Boundless Expanse.

’Shit... my business is expanding, but my pockets are still dry.’

After receiving his first preliminary partnership confirmation, Levi threw himself straight back to the drawing board.

Now, the Hunters Management Company had to become a reality at all costs.

Unfortunately, the expenses he had written on the board before leaving were still there... unchanged and unforgiving, staring back at him from within his world of darkness.

Butchery — Two Million and Five Hundred Thousand Credits.

Leviathan flesh was too tough for ordinary blades.

If Levi wanted his own processing facility, every saw, cleaver, drill, and cutting artifact needed to be at least Grade A... otherwise, his workers might spend three days trying to slice through a single tendon.

Storage — Two Million Credits.

Leviathan materials didn’t remain fresh forever.

Vitality leaked from flesh, organs deteriorated, spiritual properties faded... and every hour of decay meant bleeding credits.

This left him with two realistic choices: construct a gigantic preservation facility capable of storing mountains of flesh or acquire hundreds of Dimensional Wallets large enough to contain them.

Neither option was cheap.

Transport — Three Million Credits.

Moving something the size of a dead mountain wasn’t exactly a job for a cart and a prayer.

He could use Dimensional Wallets to transport smaller processed sections or rely on the freight station lines for entire carcasses. Either way, transportation expenses would pile up quickly... especially whenever materials had to move between the Chained Universe and the Boundless Expanse.

His tariff privileges softened the blow, but they didn’t magically make transportation free.

Hunting Grounds — One Hundred Thousand Credits Per Claim.

His Administration priority allowed him to claim desert exploration permits before most people in the Boundless Expanse even knew they existed.

Those permits were crucial.

Without exclusive hunting claims, multiple Hunter Squads could descend upon the same Leviathan and turn a profitable expedition into a territorial bloodbath.

If Levi wanted reliable contracts for his Hunters, securing the hunting grounds first was practically mandatory.

Registration and Charter — Ten Thousand Credits.

This covered the company’s registration and trademark.

It was by far the cheapest expense since virtually anyone... even an ordinary citizen... could register a company.

But registration alone meant nothing.

A company without territory, workers, infrastructure, contracts, or an actual business plan was nothing more than a name written inside the Administration’s database.

Levi stared at the numbers for several seconds. Then he slowly rubbed his forehead.

”Starting a business is no joke...”