Monster attack!

Sitka, Alaska, at the Wall of Life construction site.

Raleigh brought Natsuki to the site and stood beneath countless steel frameworks. He had just stopped to explain the work to Natsuki.

Suddenly, a voice thick with displeasure cut in.

"Raleigh!"

"My Jaeger boy!"

"You actually dared to show up late today!"

A middle-aged American man in a heavy, filthy coat and a gray baseball cap shouted at him, patchy stubble covering his chin.

He squeezed past several workers in hard hats and approached Raleigh and Natsuki, his expression anything but friendly.

This was Miles, the shift supervisor for this section of the site.

"Sorry. Something unexpected happened on the way." Raleigh looked no friendlier, but since he still had to work under the man, he could only tell the truth.

That unexpected incident had been finding Natsuki lying in the snow.

Under normal circumstances, he would have reached the site long ago.

"Unexpected!"

"Very good!"

"Now I've got something unexpected to tell you, too!" Miles pointed at Raleigh, his mouth stretching into a malicious grin. The fat on his face made his stubbly chin look especially round.

Raleigh's heart jumped at those words.

Was this damn bastard going to fire me?

No, surely not.

They were desperately short of workers right now. Never mind being late-even if I skipped work altogether, I could still come back the next day.

And things went just as he expected.

"Three workers on top of the wall died yesterday. Fell to their deaths." There was not a trace of sympathy in Miles's voice. He treated it as the most ordinary thing in the world, still grinning.

"That was unexpected. But for you, I'd call it a pleasant surprise!"

"Three positions opened up on top of the wall all at once."

"And when I was hiring today, only one person was willing to work up there. That leaves two vacancies even now."

As Miles spoke, the finger he had pointed at Raleigh shifted sideways to Natsuki in his green jacket.

The moment he noticed Natsuki beside Raleigh, his eyes lit up.

"Oh! My Jaeger boy!"

"Since you happened to bring another worker along, I can forgive you for being late!"

"Two vacancies, two workers. Perfect!"

"Here, your ration cards. No need to thank me!"

Miles immediately guessed that Natsuki had come here to work, so he enthusiastically shoved two food ration cards into Raleigh's hand and gave his shoulder a pat.

He left them no room to refuse.

With that, he walked between them and headed for his office.

Looking at the scratched red ration cards in his hand, Raleigh pressed his lips together and let out a long sigh.

"Well, it's dangerous, but the pay on top of the wall really is the highest."

The words drifted from his mouth with a cloud of white breath. It was hard to tell whether he was comforting himself or Natsuki.

Building the Wall of Life was no pleasant job. Every day meant steel, wind, and snow, and with supplies so scarce, the workers had hardly any protective equipment. A hard hat already counted as top-tier gear. Several workers fell from the wall to their deaths every day.

Even so, countless people competed for this job.

They wanted a mouthful of bread so dry it caught in their throats, something that would keep them alive a few more days rather than leave them starving to death on the streets.

Working on top of the wall was the most dangerous job, but for that very reason, every worker up there earned the highest pay. The numbers on their ration cards were enough for several piping-hot meals.

Just as Raleigh had said earlier, this was an age of scarcity, an age they called the apocalypse.

"Come do this job with me."

"You're far more resistant to the cold than ordinary people. This work would suit you." Raleigh held a ration card out to Natsuki, his expression earnest.

He had rescued Natsuki from the snow, after all. He couldn't bear to watch him starve to death on the streets.

In his eyes, Natsuki was just a mentally ill man who tolerated the cold unusually well. A rather pitiable fellow.

"Hey, are you listening?" Raleigh asked in confusion when Natsuki didn't move, waving the ration card in front of his eyes.

"Of course," Natsuki replied offhandedly.

But his gaze still wasn't on Raleigh. He continued staring at the black bracelet on his right wrist.

The bracelet was the color of obsidian, with futuristic patterns and a diamond-shaped crystal set in its center. It looked like an Ultra Bracelet packed with all sorts of advanced technology.

Now, a translucent panel that only he could see appeared above the bracelet.

[Abnormal spacetime fluctuations detected. Initializing built-in system...]

[Initialization successful!]

[Verifying identity... Verification successful!]

[Currently bound user: Natsuki, full member of the Land of Light Space Garrison headquarters]

[This system is designed to help Ultra Warriors who have exhausted their potential unlock new potential, while using rewards and penalties to guide the user toward becoming an Ultra Warrior of exemplary conduct who can serve as a role model for younger generations]

[Current primary mission: investigate the abnormal spacetime fluctuations in this universe and eliminate the culprit responsible]

[Warning: a product of the abnormal spacetime fluctuations is approaching!]

[Choice mission triggered!]

[Option one: leave human sight, find a secluded location to transform, repel the approaching enemy, and save lives. Reward: 6 hours of mind space training time (Note: this is the correct option)]

[Option two: disregard the Land of Light's rules, transform in full view of everyone, repel the approaching enemy, and save lives. Penalty: 1 hour of hell-level mind space training time (Note: this is undoubtedly the wrong option)]

[Note 1: this system has a built-in transformation function and is soul-bound]

[Note 2: I know your personality will lead you to choose the wrong option, but I'm certain you won't enjoy hell-level training (Message from Hikari, chief director of the Land of Light Space Science and Technology Bureau)]

Good news: the Ultra franchise's biggest cheat developer had cooked up something new!

Bad news: it was aimed at me!

Looking at the rows of text on the panel, Natsuki immediately realized that every bit of its programming was Hikari's handiwork.

Natsuki would have to be out of his mind to listen to the culprit who had destroyed his happy life.

You want me to mend my ways?

Not a chance!

Whatever happened later, Natsuki had already decided to use this first choice mission to show Hikari who was boss!

"Hey, Xia!"

"God, you're not actually mentally ill, are you?!" Seeing Natsuki grin at a bracelet, his smile shaped like the Nike logo, Raleigh sucked in a cold breath. His assessment of Natsuki's mental state dropped another few notches.

He shook his head.

He figured he should get to work first.

If necessary, he could share some of his food with the poor fellow later.

With that thought, Raleigh walked toward the cage where the welding equipment was stored. Passing a group of workers, he opened the cage and strapped on a backpack containing a welding gas cylinder.

He walked over to the hoist rope, preparing to ride it to the top of the wall for welding work.

But before he could secure the rope, a sound rang out across the entire site.

"Wooo-wooo-"

Raleigh's eyes widened instantly at the sound. Disbelief covered his face as he turned toward its source.

Every other worker on the site did the same, looking in that direction.

That air-raid-siren-like sound meant only one thing-a monster was coming!