Unlike hand-to-hand combat, light-based skills couldn't be memorized through bodily instinct, so progress over a single night was painfully slow.
He hadn't even managed to fire a beam, let alone practice on stationary or moving targets.
Just before dawn, Jostar suggested that he and Nexus train together.
At Joneus's urging, Nexus nodded in agreement.
Jostar's fighting style mimicked Joneus's. Every punch carried his full strength, and his heavy, fierce attacks sent great clouds of light particles scattering through the air.
Compared to Nexus in his Red Youth form, Jostar had an overwhelming physical advantage.
He didn't just surpass Nexus in strength. Unlike a form that sacrificed speed for power, Jostar was faster than Nexus, too.
But no matter how powerful a blow landed on Nexus, it was as though it were pounding into a quagmire.
That figure seemed as if it would never fall, standing firm as a mountain. The expression in his pure white eyes never changed, and even when he was knocked down, he quickly got back up.
Nexus always managed to endure the attacks and launch one counterattack after another.
As the fight went on, the red across Nexus's body seemed to catch fire. His fighting spirit never waned.
After Nexus punched him in the face yet again, Jostar had to admit that without all his solid muscle, he would've been knocked flat long ago.
He hadn't been knocked flat, but the Nexus Armament had landed a few nasty hits on him, leaving him a little sore.
"As expected of Nexus." As the words left his mouth, the morning sun rose.
Even though he'd lost his fight with Nexus, Zhou Hong was in a pretty good mood. He even hummed the tune of "Hero" while cooking rice porridge.
He wouldn't say he'd learned Nexus's will, but he'd certainly witnessed firsthand the skill of taking on a stronger opponent while at a disadvantage.
The usually quiet morning was suddenly filled with singing. Grandma glanced at Zhou Hong in surprise, smiling. "Ahong, did something good happen yesterday?"
"Did you meet a girl you like?"
Zhou Hong put down his bowl and waved his hands frantically. "What are you talking about, Grandma? I'm just a bricklayer. What girl would be blind enough to like me?"
"I'm just happy for a friend."
Grandma was used to Zhou Hong and Uncle Li having all sorts of strange friends. At her age, she didn't care to know too much.
Grandma glanced at the clear sky, then at Zhou Hong, who was still eating slowly. Usually, he wolfed down his food and rushed off to work.
Was he not working today?
Grandma made no attempt to hide her gaze, so Zhou Hong naturally noticed the confusion in her eyes.
He scratched his head and explained, "I might not be going to work anymore."
That was simply out of the question.
Grandma immediately set down her chopsticks and began to lecture him. "How can that be? It's already hard enough for you to find a girl. If you stop working and stay cooped up at home, will this old woman ever get to hold a grandchild?"
Her concern for him was plain in every word.
Zhou Hong scratched his head. "Last night, Uncle Li and I went out and earned more money than I could spend in this lifetime."
Grandma tapped the table lightly. "If you don't go out and make friends, who'll know about you, even if you're a billionaire?"
The more he thought about it, the more sense that made. It wasn't like he was trying to pick up girls. That wasn't what a righteous Giant of Light cared about.
Spending all day laying bricks without seeing a single girl wasn't much of a life, either. He wanted a job where he could exercise and meet girls.
Training with light at night could improve his fitness, but if he trained during the day as well, wouldn't that mean twice the fun?
As it happened, the television was broadcasting an announcement that TPC was hiring.
Great. It was settled. He'd join TPC's logistics department and take care of all the heavy lifting.
After saying goodbye to Grandma, Zhou Hong arrived at one of TPC's recruitment stations.
How should he put it? There weren't many people there—or rather, there was no one at all.
The TPC logistics staff member handling recruitment was idly lifting weights. When he saw Zhou Hong, he didn't seem particularly interested.
"Here's the form. Fill it out."
Zhou Hong found it strange. They were hiring, so why did the staff member look so relaxed?
"Just take a look at the form. You'll probably leave anyway, so I won't bother making you tea." The guy in the blue uniform looked utterly dejected, muttering under his breath, "Damn it, they dragged me here to recruit people, and I haven't seen a soul in two days."
Zhou Hong picked up the form and looked it over.
Nothing unusual. Most of it just explained the realities of the job.
Things like whether he was afraid of monsters, how he'd need to help evacuate the public when monsters appeared, how he might sometimes need to help GUTS lure monsters, and whether he was afraid of cleaning up monster corpses.
It was the kind of work anyone could do—though they might only get to do it once.
He wrote what he thought was a wonderfully carefree signature on the form, listed "wealthy" and "strong" under his strengths, then handed it back to the staff member.
The staff member perked right up. Looking Zhou Hong over, he said, "Everyone's afraid of monsters. Some people have even left TPC Far East Headquarters."
"You're the bravest person I've seen in a long time."
"Of course. I'm super brave," Zhou Hong replied.
Anyone willing to face monsters was brave, wasn't he?
"Idiot! Bravery is necessary, but too much bravery is just foolishness."
Zhou Hong had already rolled up his sleeves, ready to show the guy what bravery meant. But the regret in the man's eyes, along with the grief he couldn't hide, convinced him to put off the beating.
He looked down at the form in his hands and paused again at the listed strengths.
"How is being rich a strength? Take this seriously!"
"I have over a billion."
The staff member looked at the young man in despair. At his age, he'd probably earned less than a fraction of what Zhou Hong had.
"And what about being strong? How strong are you, exactly?"
Zhou Hong looked around and settled on the solid wooden table in front of him. With one hand, he lifted it effortlessly.
The table's shadow blocked the sunlight. Watching Zhou Hong hold it up one-handed without breaking a sweat, the staff member realized he'd found a treasure.
"Excellent! Great spirit. You've been accepted into our Rookie Squad."
"Rookie Squad? Isn't this a recruitment drive for the logistics department?"
"When did I ever say this was a recruitment drive for the logistics department?"
Zhou Hong started to walk away, but the man latched onto his right leg.
Zhou Hong managed a few steps, dragging the man clinging to him along the ground.
"Let go!"
"No!"
"Don't think I won't hit you."
"You're a teammate approved by me, Hibiki Gousuke. Even if you drag me ten miles and knock me out, I still won't let you run away!"
"What did you say your name was?"
"Hibiki Gousuke!"
Before you continue