Family Status

"Junior Partner, huh..."

After saying goodbye to Uncle Hu, Tao Yu started home. As he walked, he looked at the certificate in his hand, his gaze a little distant.

Before heading into the Abyss again, he could visit the mission halls in the various settlements across the Outer City and look up available partner missions.

There were no mandatory restrictions on partners. They were simply driven by profit through missions, and no missions were forcibly assigned.

But if a partner completed at least one mission every month, a Junior Partner would receive a guaranteed salary of 200 units of aspiration power. If they completed missions in all twelve months of the year, they could also earn a 1,000-unit attendance bonus at the end of the year.

Completing missions would also passively increase their cannon fodder points, so they wouldn't have to worry about being forcibly conscripted as cannon fodder.

"My talent certification is done, and I can also go collect the promised 1,000 units of aspiration power. Once I deal with Snake Fang's skill and the five Blood Orchids, I should make a decent amount."

"I wonder if I'll be able to learn the skill at the martial arts school before entering the Abyss next time. With aspiration power to help, I should have a chance."

As he walked along the muddy ground of the Outer City, full of potholes and filthy puddles, Tao Yu thought that, if he got the chance, he should move his family somewhere better.

The air was thick with the smell of daily life, and Oli Gei appeared from time to time along the road. He had no idea what was in those foul-smelling pools of wastewater.

But when he looked down at himself, Tao Yu felt he wasn't exactly in a position to complain about the conditions.

At Uncle Hu's place, he'd only borrowed some water to wash his face and tidy himself up. He hadn't had time for a bath. Now that he thought about it, his once-familiar griminess made him feel itchy all over.

It wasn't as if he'd been a neat freak in his previous life. It wasn't like he'd never gone several days without a bath.

But when he compared the two, he suddenly realized that he'd practically been a germophobe before.

"People really can adapt to anything."

Expressionless, he stepped around a lump of Oli Gei and spotted the farm where his family lived. It wasn't their farm—they only took care of it—but the living conditions were still decent by comparison.

It couldn't compare to the Security Team's housing or the settlements, but it was pretty good for the Outer City, and they didn't have to pay protection money to the gangs.

Some families didn't even have an autonomous machine gun to defend against Gray Mist Demonic Creatures.

Smelling the familiar scent of cow dung, Tao Yu pushed the door open and went inside.

"I'm home."

"Big Brother! Is it true you have A-rank talent?"

A lanky teenager, a head shorter than Tao Yu and built much like he had been at that age, rushed over first, excitement written all over his face.

Looking at the family's eighth child, his younger brother Tao Shi, Tao Yu smiled and ruffled his hair. Then his hand came away greasy, and his expression froze.

That pat on the head had killed him instead. Seriously...

"Get the Breathing Technique down first. Make sure you're well prepared."

Tao Yu lowered his hand and wiped it expressionlessly on his not-so-clean clothes.

"When I'm older, I want to go to the New settlement too. I want to go with Seventh Brother."

Tao Shi rattled on excitedly.

But Tao Yu paused, then sighed.

"You've still got two years. We'll see. If you were going now, I wouldn't let you go. It's too dangerous over there."

"Eighth, what are you thinking? Looking for a beating? Only fifty people from Seventh's group came back! There were more than two hundred when they left!"

Tao Long had been repairing a three-legged stool. Now he stood up and pretended to swing at Tao Shi.

"Hmph, I can awaken a good talent too! I'm going to help Seventh Brother!"

Tao Shi was skinny but nimble. He circled around Tao Yu, made a face at their father, then scampered outside.

"I'm going out to play! Don't wait up for me for dinner!"

Watching his little brother leave, Tao Yu shook his head helplessly. He turned to his somewhat reserved third sister-in-law and asked,

"Sister-in-law, is Eighth still hanging out with those people from the Morning Sun Society?"

"Ah, yes. That child, honestly."

Li Li didn't have a good talent or a stable job. She mostly looked after the family, only going to the Abyss for five days at a time on a regular basis to fulfill her obligation. She knew Tao Shi better than anyone else did.

The Morning Sun Society was one of the many strange clubs and gangs in the Outer City, a group made up of young people.

Compared to outfits like the Wild Wolf Gang and the Skull Gang, which collected protection money and ran shady businesses, they were much better.

They weren't bad people overall and often helped struggling families. Doing that in the hellish conditions of the Outer City was already quite admirable.

"Forget that brat. He seems to have picked up a few skills over at the Morning Sun Society."

Tao Long's wrinkled face showed little concern about Eighth roaming around outside. In the Outer City, kids were left to fend for themselves. He was already more involved than most parents.

"Seventh, your mother and I have saved up a little. We'll borrow some more when the time comes. You have to learn every skill you can. So many people died. It's too dangerous."

Tao Long's face was full of anguish as he spoke about the dead, even though Tao Yu had such high talent.

In the Inner City, someone with talent like his could receive plenty of resources from the start and quickly get established. But his family had nothing to spare.

"Don't worry about that. How long would it take you to save up from your income? Let me sell the things I brought back first. I asked Uncle Hu to estimate their value, and they're worth at least a few thousand units of aspiration power."

Tao Yu patted his backpack. The thousand units of aspiration power they'd scraped together to help him get started had already come out of his parents' tight budget. It was too much to ask them to save up for his expenses at their current rate of earnings.

"A few thousand?"

Tao Long was startled. Then he went to the doorway, looked both ways, and closed the door that Tao Shi had left open.

"That much?"

"Just that much. Danger and opportunity always go hand in hand."

"Why are you talking so fancy all of a sudden?"

Tao Yu couldn't help feeling speechless at the question. How was that fancy?

Then again, considering that he'd barely been literate before, maybe it was...

"Anyway, don't worry about it. There are plenty of opportunities in the New settlement. Your income alone won't be enough to help you improve."

Tao Yu steeled himself and spoke harshly. If he didn't make his parents understand, they'd probably start saving for him again. He'd rather they improve their own lives.

As his strength increased, so did his need for aspiration power. Even now, the things in his backpack would take his parents a long time to save up for.

His father opened his mouth, but his dry lips only moved uncertainly before he fell silent.

"Don't worry. I'll take anything that concerns my life seriously. I'll make the best use of my time to get stronger."

Tao Yu looked at the wrinkles on his father's face and smiled from the heart.

"All right. I really don't have the ability to guide you. Sigh, make sure to ask Uncle Hu whenever you can, and don't show up at his place empty-handed."

Tao Long looked at his son, who had clearly grown sturdier, and sighed. The Tao family had raised a good boy.

"Don't put pressure on yourself. We just want you to stay safe."

"I'm scared of dying."

Tao Yu grinned, then went to see his third brother. His third brother had a combat talent too, and he'd once been full of confidence.

That was exactly why losing his legs had hit him so hard. He shut himself away in his room every day.

"Big Brother, don't worry. I'll find a way to get you mechanical limbs someday."

Tao Tong sat in a handmade wooden wheelchair in his room. His legs were gone, but he was clean and well-groomed—much cleaner than Tao Yu was now. He'd barely even grown any stubble.

Hearing Tao Yu's words, a smile appeared on Tao Tong's weathered face.

"You fool. Do you have any idea how much prosthetic limbs cost? It's the thought that counts. Your first priority now is to improve your strength."

Tao Tong of course wanted mechanical limbs. He even knew that his younger brother, with his A-rank talent, really had a chance to help him.

But that all depended on his younger brother growing strong. Their family had too little to fall back on. The whole family's biggest task now was to avoid holding him back and do everything they could to help him get through the adjustment period as soon as possible.

They couldn't do anything that might hinder his progress or drain his energy.

He absolutely couldn't let his younger brother see how badly he wanted prosthetic limbs.

Everything depended on his younger brother surviving and growing strong. Only then could the family have a better future. They all understood that.

From this day on, Tao Yu was the heart of the family.