Jumping Clown

The next day, after Four-Eyes met up with Reke, he told him about Bellis asking him for training.

"I reckon she's still looking to give you a hard time, so I hope you can go easy on her," Four-Eyes pleaded.

"Sure. It's not often I find some entertainment, so I'll be sure to cherish it," Reke said with a grin.

Four-Eyes silently offered a prayer for Bellis, hoping only that Reke would hold back. With Reke's word, at least Bellis wouldn't be in any mortal danger.

Before long, the two arrived at the Adventurers Guild.

Walking into the lobby, aside from the staff, there were only a few scattered people hanging about.

Four-Eyes still held some prestige in this small city; no sooner had he stepped into the hall than someone came forward to receive him.

"Greetings, Leader Pat. It's been a long time. Please, follow me to the reception room on the second floor."

"Hmm, lead the way."

Reke and the others followed the receptionist upstairs.

Just as they reached the second floor, they were met by a burly man over two meters tall, sporting a thick beard and an eyepatch. Behind him followed a refined-looking young man with a slicked-back hairstyle and glasses.

Upon seeing Pat, the burly man sneered, "Yo, isn't this our famous Leader Pat? I heard you lot scurried back from the Wild Grasslands with your tails between your legs a while ago. Shouldn't you be hiding at home instead of running around out here?"

Pat's eyes narrowed. Ignoring the burly man entirely, he fixed his gaze on the refined youth and said in a deep voice, "Hatton, keep your dog on a leash. Don't let him out to bite people at random, or he might get his teeth pulled."

"You're courting death!" The burly man roared, ready to strike.

"Ahem—" Hatton gave a light cough, stopping the burly man.

Adjusting his glasses, he smiled and said, "Pat, my little brother isn't wrong, is he? Isn't that the truth? Didn't you all flee back from the Wild Grasslands? And why haven't you submitted your mission report yet?"

"Does it have anything to do with you when I submit my mission? A dog catching mice—mind your own business."

"Heh! I heard your adventure team is short on funds lately. If you can't keep it running, just say so; I can help you take it over."

"You don't need to worry about our team's situation. You'd better worry about your own life—be careful you don't get killed." A cold, murderous glint flashed in Pat's eyes.

Hatton spread his hands, looking indifferent. "Plenty of people want my life, but unfortunately, I'm still living just fine. Isn't that frustrating, Leader?"

"Don't call me Leader. I don't have a brother like you who stabs people in the back." Pat's killing intent toward Hatton grew heavier.

"Hey, can you get lost? You're blocking the way."

As soon as Reke spoke, he drew everyone's attention.

"Little brat, didn't your mother teach you not to interrupt when adults are talking?"

"Pat, you've really gone downhill. Since when did you start acting as a nanny?"

Before Hatton could speak, the burly man jumped in again.

Reke looked at them, his patience wearing thin. Damn it, aren't these idiots wasting my time? These small-fry actually dare to jump around in front of me—they're practically begging for death.

"Pat, how about I just finish them off for you?"

No sooner had Reke finished speaking than the burly man reached out to grab him.

"Huh!"

Seeing the opponent dare to strike first, Reke was stunned—this was a death wish if he ever saw one. His figure flickered.

On the surface, it looked like Reke hadn't moved, but the burly man's hand, reaching toward Reke, stopped in mid-air.

"Bang!"

A second later, the sound of the burly man hitting the floor echoed.

When the others looked, the burly man's chest was gone, replaced by a gaping hole.

The air instantly froze. Cold sweat broke out on Hatton's forehead, his lips turned pale, and he stood there like a statue, not daring to look at Reke again.

He knew the burly man's strength all too well—over 900 energy units. To be taken out without even a struggle, without Hatton even seeing if the opponent had moved or how he had struck—the thought was terrifying.

"Pat, do you want me to take care of the rest for you?" Reke spoke again, breaking the silence.

Now, no one dared to underestimate him.

"Reke, let me handle him myself. I have a debt to settle with him," Pat rejected Reke's offer.

He had to deal with Hatton personally to honor his fallen brothers.

As it turned out, Pat and Hatton had once been in the same adventure team. Because of Hatton's betrayal, everyone in the team had died except for Pat.

The current Budaso Adventure Team was one he had reorganized later, and many of the children in the group were the offspring of his old brothers.

Reke shrugged and continued walking toward the reception room, staying by Pat's side.

As he passed Hatton, Reke said, "You piece of trash, if you dare jump around in front of me again, I'll make you vanish from this world."

After Reke and the others left, Hatton collapsed onto the floor, gripped by extreme panic.

He had been truly terrified by Reke.

He took a few deep, ragged breaths, not even bothering to deal with the burly man's corpse, and scrambled away, not daring to stay for even a second.

It wasn't until he returned to his residence that his nerves finally calmed.

"No, I can't stay in this city. I have to leave immediately." Still feeling unsafe, Hatton packed his things and fled the city.

After the receptionist led Reke and his companion to the reception room, he immediately ran out to fetch someone.

"Guild Master, a monster just arrived, and you need to go receive him," the receptionist said to an old man with a full head of white hair.

"What's going on? Drink some water and tell me slowly." Seeing that the receptionist was shaken, the Guild Master poured him a glass of water.

The receptionist took a sip to calm his nerves and immediately told the Guild Master what had just happened.

"Then what are we waiting for? You go handle the corpse, and I'll head to the reception room right now." After hearing the receptionist out, the Guild Master couldn't sit still and hurriedly gave his orders.

Standing at the entrance of the reception room, the Guild Master straightened his clothes and walked inside with a face full of smiles.

"Pat, it's been a long time. You didn't even come to visit this old man when you were free. Is there something you need today?"

It must be said that with age comes wisdom; the Guild Master established closeness with Pat right away before asking about the matter at hand.

"It's my fault, Guild Master, but you know I have over a hundred mouths to feed, so I really haven't had the time."

"As for coming here today, I'm accompanying Reke to register for his adventurer's license."

Pat was no greenhorn; he understood the Guild Master's intent, so he followed the lead by apologizing first before pointing to Reke to explain their purpose.

"Does a small matter like this really require a busy man like you to make a special trip? You could have just made a call, and I would have sent someone to handle it for you personally."

The Guild Master gave Pat a reproachful look before turning his gaze toward Reke.

Reke's baby-faced features imprinted themselves into his mind.

If he hadn't just heard what the receptionist said, the Guild Master would never have imagined that a child with such a harmless appearance could possess that kind of strength.

He didn't dare waste any more time and went straight to the point.

"Little brother Reke, let's go this way. I'll go perform the detection for you now."

Reke hopped down from the sofa, mimicked Kakarot by crossing his hands behind his head, and followed the Guild Master.