Chapter 114: Baka

Morning arrived far sooner than Reiji would’ve liked.

He slowly opened his eyes and stared blankly at the ceiling.

Yesterday’s events quietly replayed inside his mind.

Two Gates.

Two morphs.

One Monster Core.

No new skill.

He closed his eyes again.

"I guess I’m doing this shit today."

Reiji let out a quiet sigh before sitting up.

As frustrating as yesterday had been it didn’t change anything.

His objective remained the same.

The sooner Hina returned...

The sooner he could earn more Bond Points.

And the more Bond Points he earned...

The faster he could continue leveling up.

Everything came back to that single goal.

"Hina..."

A faint smile unconsciously appeared on his face.

"I’ll bring you back as soon as I can."

He stood up and stretched before completing his Daily Quest.

By the time he finished, the morning sun had already climbed high into the sky.

After taking a quick shower and changing into fresh clothes, Reiji quietly left the apartment.

Unlike yesterday he wasn’t expecting anything ridiculous.

He simply wanted enough Monster Cores to fulfill his end of the bargain.

Shadow gathered beneath his feet.

[Shadow Step.]

His figure disappeared.

Several minutes later.

Reiji stood before an ordinary E-Rank Dungeon Gate.

The military had long since established a perimeter around the area.

Several Adventurers chatted amongst themselves while waiting for their turn to enter.

Reiji calmly slipped past them without attracting anyone’s attention.

The moment he stepped through the Gate...

The familiar distortion greeted him.

His surroundings gradually came into focus.

An abandoned quarry stretched before him.

Broken stone pillars stood scattered throughout the area while countless cracks covered the rocky ground.

Reiji had barely taken two steps.

A familiar green screen appeared before him.

He stared at it without saying a word.

Several seconds later, he slowly looked around.

The surrounding mana rapidly became denser.

The pressure quietly increased.

"...Again?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose before letting out a long sigh.

"The third time."

Whatever this was it definitely wasn’t a coincidence anymore.

Still...

Making random guesses now would accomplish nothing.

"I’ll figure it out later."

Reiji tightened his grip around the Long Bone Sword before calmly walking deeper into the Gate.

The monsters didn’t slow him down.

Neither did the Gate itself.

Compared to the Labyrinth...

A newly morphed D-Rank Gate barely deserved his attention.

Time quietly passed.

Roughly ten minutes later...

The Gate fell silent.

The last monster disappeared into countless particles of light.

A faint glow gradually appeared across the ground.

Then another.

And another.

Reiji’s eyes shifted toward them.

"...Finally."

One Monster Core.

Two.

Three.

The number steadily increased until ten Monster Cores rested before him.

A satisfied smile slowly appeared beneath his mask.

"This is more like it."

He crouched down and collected every single one before storing them inside his Inventory.

At least today’s trip hadn’t been a complete waste of time.

Without lingering any longer, Reiji turned around and quietly left the Gate.

By the time Reiji returned to the city, the sun had already disappeared beyond the horizon.

The streets were illuminated by rows of streetlights while countless apartment windows glowed warmly against the night.

Reiji glanced at the ten Monster Cores resting inside his Inventory before quietly nodding to himself.

"That should be enough."

Shadow gathered beneath his feet.

The next moment, he disappeared from the deserted alley.

***

Aoi had just finished taking a shower.

She lazily walked into the living room while drying her slightly damp hair with a towel.

The apartment was unusually quiet.

She had planned to make herself something warm to drink before heading back to bed.

Just as she reached the kitchen...

A familiar voice came from behind her.

"I brought the Monster Cores."

Aoi’s shoulders immediately stiffened.

She turned around and saw Reiji standing a few meters away, his hoodie and mask still on as though he had only just returned from a Gate.

"...You really came."

"I said I would."

Her gaze immediately dropped to the small pile of Monster Cores he had placed on the table.

One...

Two...

Three...

Her eyes gradually widened.

She quickly walked over and counted them again just to be certain.

"...Ten?"

Reiji nodded.

"You asked for several."

For a brief moment, Aoi simply stared at the Monster Cores lying before her.

She hadn’t actually expected him to gather this many in a single day.

She originally thought he’d return with three or four at most.

A smile slowly crept onto her face.

She carefully picked up one of the Monster Cores before looking back at him.

"You know... most people would’ve tried negotiating."

"I don’t like wasting time."

"Not even a little?"

"You already made your conditions clear."

Aoi couldn’t help laughing.

"...You’re surprisingly honest."

Reiji shrugged.

"I just wanted to get this over with."

"Hmph."

She placed the Monster Cores back onto the table before crossing her arms.

"Fine."

After a brief pause, she walked over to the coffee table, picked up her phone, and unlocked it.

"Give me yours."

Reiji silently handed over his phone.

Aoi quickly entered her number before saving it.

She paused for a second after typing in his name.

"...Should I save you as ’My Blackmail Victim?’"

Reiji looked at her without changing his expression. "I’ll leave."

Aoi immediately giggled. "I’m only joking."

A few taps later, she handed the phone back.

"There."

Reiji glanced at the screen.

A new contact had appeared.

Aoi.

He gave a small nod before putting the phone into his pocket.

"Thanks."

"You thanked me a little too quickly."

"Hm?"

"I thought you’d at least complain after paying such an expensive price."

"I’ve already complained enough."

Aoi smiled in satisfaction.

"Good."

She carefully gathered the Monster Cores into a small container before looking back at him.

"Our deal is complete."

Neither of them spoke for a moment.

Reiji had already gotten what he came for.

There wasn’t any reason to stay.

"Then I’ll get going."

"Already?"

He nodded.

"I still have something to do."

"Alright."

Without another word, shadows quietly gathered beneath his feet.

Aoi watched as his figure gradually disappeared into the darkness.

The apartment became silent once again.

She stood there for several seconds before unconsciously looking down at herself.

"...That’s it?"

Her brows slowly knitted together.

"He seriously didn’t react?"

Despite being in only a towel he acted as though it was normal. It was completely different from how he reacted yesterday.

She looked toward the spot where Reiji had been standing only moments ago before letting out a small huff.

"...Baka."