"Well? Have you made up your mind?"
When the other end of the headset fell silent, the little girl pressed him again. She mainly had her eye on his potential. At Beginner Level Three, he could single-handedly take down an Advanced Stage Servant Level Blood-Patterned Demon Rat, even killing it instantly.
Being born with both the Lightning Element and the summoning system truly made him exceptionally gifted. And the timing was perfect: her grandfather had refused to let her hunt demon beasts lately, and she did not want to go to school.
All the other hunters, her senior colleagues, were out on assignments too, leaving her with no options. Now that someone with decent strength had shown up, how could she not latch onto him?
"All right. I owe you one."
Soon, Su Miu's reply came through the headset. Hearing it, Ling Ling immediately brightened. She finally would not have to go to that school! She promptly replied:
"Then come find me at the Azure Sky Hunter Agency tomorrow. I'll help you with the paperwork."
And so, after spending some time on the job, Su Miu quickly made his way through all the sewers in the area, clearing out roughly eighteen Bewitching Spiders in total.
He even destroyed a spider nest, earning an extra hundred thousand from demon beast materials and bringing his total income to five hundred thousand.
The next day.
Su Miu returned to the Azure Sky Hunter Agency. Surprise flashed in Old Man Bao's eyes when he saw the returning figure.
"Young man, back again?"
"Yeah... I'd like to join the Azure Sky Hunter Agency. What do you think?"
He spoke plainly, without beating around the bush at all. Old Man Bao looked him over and replied nonchalantly:
"Young man, you're still a minor, aren't you? The Azure Sky Hunter Agency can't employ child labor. We're a law-abiding hunter station."
That single remark left Su Miu dumbfounded. Thinking it over, he realized he really was a minor-he was only seventeen. Still, he steeled himself and lied:
"I'm an adult. I just look young."
There was something distinctly odd about Su Miu saying that while wearing sunglasses and a black robe. Old Man Bao paid it no mind, looking through the commissions on the table as he said:
"Ling Ling, what do you think?"
"Grandpa, being young is good. Young people who aren't afraid of dying are rare. Why not take him?"
Ling Ling had been eavesdropping from the sidelines the whole time, holding a newspaper and pretending to read. The moment Old Man Bao asked her, she recommended taking him on.
At that answer, Old Man Bao froze. His casual attitude vanished instantly. After a moment of bewilderment, he raised his head to look at her, astonishment flashing in his eyes.
He knew his granddaughter well. She was incredibly picky. So many mages had come to the Azure Sky Hunter Agency to apply as hunters, and she had never given any of them the time of day. Now she was actually speaking up for this weirdo?
"Grandpa, haven't all our hunters been sent out? We're short on people right now, so why not hire him?"
Feeling his gaze on her, Ling Ling realized she might have been a little too obvious earlier and hurriedly found herself another excuse.
Old Man Bao fell silent, then fixed the young man before him with a piercing gaze. Had this fellow tricked his granddaughter while he was not looking? You inherently evil little brat! I'll deal with you myself!
In the end, however, Su Miu still joined the Azure Sky Hunter Agency, entirely thanks to Ling Ling's relentless coaxing and pestering. Once he joined, the little girl excitedly began picking out commissions.
"Hey! Come pick a commission!"
"Oh."
Hearing her, Su Miu sat down and looked over the commissions, though he kept feeling a chill down his back.
Unbeknownst to him, Old Man Bao was staring at him from behind with red eyes, a Super-tier spell already prepared in his hand. If Forbidden Curses did not require channeling, he would have blasted one straight into this damned punk's face long ago.
"Hey, why are you still wearing those sunglasses and that robe? Isn't it stuffy?"
Seeing him still dressed like that, Ling Ling suddenly realized she had never seen his face. She immediately asked whether he felt stuffy, and he shook his head in reply.
"No."
"Take them off! You're a grown man. What are you hiding for?"
"You don't understand. I dress like this for my own safety."
"You look like someone from the Black Vatican. If I shout that you're a human trafficker, I guarantee someone will come deal with you. Hurry up and take them off."
The more he kept himself covered, the more curious Ling Ling became about his appearance. Judging by the shape of his chin, he should be fairly good-looking, but why keep hiding? Did he have some shameful secret?
When he heard her tell him to take his clothes off, Su Miu hurriedly hugged himself, silently edged away, and said warily:
"I'm here to work, not sell my body."
"Oh, get lost! Do you want me to beat you up?"
Hearing that and seeing his pose, Ling Ling went red with anger. She was even starting to regret recruiting him.
"Are you taking them off or not? Do you still want that thing?"
After Su Miu nearly drove her mad, she could only threaten him with the Lightning Element spirit seed. Under that pressure, Su Miu had no choice but to obediently remove his black robe and sunglasses.
A fair, flawless face immediately came into view. Ling Ling's pupils contracted sharply. What the hell... why is his face fairer and softer than a woman's?
"You... are you a man or a woman?"
"Isn't that obvious? What, are you going to call me 'ma'am'?"
Her question seemed to strike a sore spot, and Su Miu's expression instantly darkened. Ling Ling, however, was utterly amazed.
"But... your skin is fairer, smoother, and softer than a woman's. You'd be an absolute beauty if you dressed as a girl."
She examined him from every angle as though studying some rare species. Clearly, this was her first time seeing anything like it.
"Cross-dressing is out of the question. I'd rather die."
Su Miu folded his arms, making it clear that was never happening. Ling Ling studied his pretty face again and asked curiously:
"With you being this pretty, won't your future girlfriend feel insecure?"
"Aren't we supposed to be talking about commissions? How did we get onto the subject of my girlfriend?"
At that topic, a golden figure and a blue figure inexplicably flashed through his mind. He hurriedly shook his head. He was simply helping his summoned beasts learn about the human world. He absolutely had no other intentions.
"Oh, right. I almost forgot. Then, Lady Master, take a look and pick a commission. I've shortlisted all the best options on the laptop."
"What the hell do you mean, 'Lady'?"
Hearing "Lady Master," his vision nearly went black. Looking at the little girl's seemingly mocking expression, he was truly on the verge of exploding.
In the end, he reminded himself that she was only a child and he should not stoop to arguing with her. It definitely had nothing to do with Old Man Bao watching him like a hawk from behind.
He immediately turned his attention to the various commissions on the laptop. He preferred simple, straightforward demon beast extermination jobs, since those were the quickest. He promptly selected a demon beast-clearing assignment.
"This one. Clearing out the Locust Tree Spirit Demons in the Locust Tree Forest!"
P.S. The third update for June 19, bringing the total to six thousand words.
Before you continue