Standing in front of the Energy Detector, the chairman said, "Reke, we'll begin now."
"Hurry up. You've already wasted too much of my time."
Reke had long since adjusted his battle power to 8,000, so he urged the chairman to get on with it.
"Beep, beep!"
Seeing the reading of 8,000 on the instrument, the chairman wasn't particularly surprised.
After hearing the receptionist's description, he'd known Reke's energy level was high. He'd also secretly sensed Reke's energy when he first entered the reception room.
The chairman might not look like much, but he still had a battle power of 2,000 and plenty of experience. Although he couldn't sense ki, he had his own way of judging danger.
Reke gave him the same feeling as the people with an energy level of 8,000 he'd encountered in his youth. Reke's very presence sent a constant warning through his body, telling him to stay away.
After handing Reke his Level 6 Adventurer ID and communicator, the chairman respectfully escorted him to the door.
Watching Reke's figure disappear into the distance, the chairman felt secretly relieved.
"Damn it, I'm too old to be scared like that! I'm quitting this lousy job tomorrow. I'm going home to look after my grandkid."
Reke had no idea he'd scared the chairman of an entire guild into quitting.
He was busy fiddling with the communicator issued exclusively to adventurers.
He scrolled through one mission after another, clearly in high spirits.
Just then, a mission caught his eye.
It had been posted by a research institute, and the person who'd posted it was an old acquaintance of his, Plus.
The mission was to capture a Rock Monster. There was no requirement for its energy level.
Reke immediately understood what Plus was after. He wanted to study the monster's weaknesses so they could be exploited in the future.
Reke accepted the mission with a casual tap.
He wasn't in a hurry to complete it, and he wasn't worried someone else would beat him to it. He returned to his residence with Pat.
Reke didn't go out at all that day, spending the whole time looking through missions.
Some of them genuinely interested him.
For example, one required someone with an energy level of 500 to fill in as a teacher for a month.
Another was from someone looking for a fake boyfriend to help her deal with her parents.
The missions came in all shapes and sizes. Reke felt like he was browsing job listings.
Before he knew it, he'd spent the whole night scrolling.
"Lola, I'm heading out to do a mission. Don't prepare any food for me."
As soon as dawn broke, Reke flew toward the Rocky Mountains.
Reke's method of capturing Rock Monsters was simple and brutal: he smashed all four limbs, picked up the monster, and flew back with it.
He'd made the round trip in just two hours.
"Plus, open up! I'm here to turn in the mission."
Reke hovered above Plus and called out.
Plus ran out of the research institute. Seeing Reke and the Rock Monster overhead, he hurriedly switched off the air-raid siren.
"All clear! You can come down!" Plus shouted.
"Do you have anywhere to keep this thing?" Reke asked, holding up the two-hundred-meter-tall giant.
Plus's mouth twitched.
"Are they all this big?"
"What did you expect? I even picked a small one. The higher a Rock Monster's battle power, the bigger it gets."
"The one I killed before was over a thousand meters tall."
Plus was nearly in tears. He thought of the ten-meter-high containment room he'd prepared, then looked at the two-hundred-meter monster in Reke's hands. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"I don't have anywhere to keep it. I made the room too small."
Reke looked at the hapless man, stumped too. He couldn't exactly keep holding the thing forever.
"How about I destroy it, then? You can get ready, and I'll catch another one next time."
"Wait, let me think."
Plus paced around frantically. Suddenly, he seemed to have an idea. "Got it! The research institute I used to work at has a place to keep it. I'll contact them now. Wait a moment."
"Fine. Make it quick. I have another mission to complete."
"I've got it arranged. Head over there."
"Professor, I hope you won't let this affect the construction of the spaceship. I'll let it slide this time." Reke gave the Rock Monster in his hands a little shake as he spoke with a pointed look.
As you might have guessed, Reke's main reason for accepting this mission was to warn Plus. The commission was generous, but it still meant nothing to him compared with the spaceship.
He'd already devoted a third of his life to this project, and Plus still dared to get distracted? He clearly hadn't learned his lesson.
Reke didn't spare Plus another glance before disappearing into the distance.
Plus understood the warning and realized where he stood in Reke's eyes.
There was no doubt about it: their relationship had shifted from a partnership to one between a boss and his subordinate. It had all happened because Plus had dismantled Reke's spaceship and then needed another twenty years to build a new one.
Now that he understood his position, Plus plunged straight into the research institute.
After finishing Plus's mission, Reke paid no attention to the way the people at the research institute stared at him like he was a monster. He headed straight for his next mission.
The mission had been posted by the mother of a young boy living in the slums. It was one of the cheapest listings on the board, worth only 50 Mali.
She wanted a child around her son's age to play with him for a day.
When Reke found the boy, he was rummaging through a trash can.
The boy looked so earnest and desperate that Reke couldn't bring himself to interrupt. He waited quietly nearby, and only spoke after the boy had finished picking through the trash.
"Hello. Are you Lan Xin?"
The boy turned toward the voice and looked at Reke. Confusion filled his little face. He didn't know why a well-dressed boy knew his name or why he'd called out to him.
"That's me. Who are you? What do you want?"
The boy wore clothes covered in patches, but they weren't dirty. Whoever had washed them had done a thorough job. What left the strongest impression on Reke, though, were the boy's eyes.
His sky-blue eyes were clear and full of hope for the future.
"Your mother asked me to find you. She wanted me to spend the day playing with you in her place," Reke said gently.
"No. You can go by yourself. I still have to collect trash. Mom's waiting for the money to buy medicine." The boy's eyes showed how much he longed to go play, but he still turned Reke down.
Reke froze. He had no idea what to do. He'd never encountered anything like this before.
"Then when are you free? Pick a day when you have some time, and I'll come back."
"Really, there's no need. I have to collect trash for money every day." Lan Xin refused again.
"Then I'll stay with you." Reke wouldn't collect trash alongside him, but he could at least keep him company.
"Suit yourself!"
Reke didn't notice the huge smile spreading across Lan Xin's face.
Reke watched Lan Xin from morning until night as the boy searched for trash, picked it up, sorted it, and finally sold it.
He followed Lan Xin all the way to the boy's front door.
Before you continue