Chapter 83: Free Labor for a Quest

The heavy rain from the weekend had washed the skies of S City clean, leaving behind a crisp, sunny Monday morning. Golden sunlight streamed through the tall glass front of Origins VR Cafe, illuminating the quiet, immaculate interior.

In his private quarters—a space that expanded seamlessly alongside the shop’s upgrades—Alexander Donape sat cross-legged on the floor, his posture perfectly upright and his breathing virtually silent.

Having fully cleared The Path of the Heavenly Martial Arts 2 the previous night, his real-world cultivation had surged at an alarming speed, accelerating from the Early Stage straight to the Peak of the Body Tempering Realm.

Now, he was taking the final, dangerous leap across the threshold: breaking through into the Bone Forging Realm.

Thump.

A low, resonant reverberation echoed from deep within Donape’s skeletal structure, sounding like a muffled temple bell ringing through a vast cavern.

The barrier between Peak Body Tempering and the Early Bone Forging Realm shattered without resistance.

Donape’s body slowly levitated off the floor, suspended in mid-air as a dense, chaotic tempest of internal energy swirled violently around him.

Suddenly, Donape’s head snapped backward. His eyes and mouth burst open, radiating blinding blue and white light. Faint, hairline cracks spiderwebbed across his skin, each slit leaking the same brilliant, incandescent aura.

An instant later, the glowing fractures shattered into a wave of dispersing energy, sending Donape crashing heavily onto the pristine floor.

He gasped for air, pushing himself up onto his hands and knees. His face hung low, his chest heaving violently. His clothes were instantly drenched in sweat, and wisps of pale smoke rose from every inch of his exposed skin as his internal temperature skyrocketed.

A surge of purified, heavy Qi swept through his circulatory system, plunging directly into his marrow. His bones hummed, emitting subtle micro-vibrations that condensed their density far beyond organic human limitations. The lingering micro-impurities embedded in his skeletal frame were incinerated by the blistering internal heat, refining his bones until they possessed the tensile strength of tempered steel.

It took several minutes for Donape to master his racing pulse and regain complete composure.

Slowly sitting back on his heels, he surveyed his surroundings. The world seemed sharper, cleaner—every minute detail, from individual dust motes dancing in the morning sunbeams to the microscopic grain of the wooden floorboards, was magnified in vivid clarity.

He didn’t laugh or indulge in childish excitement.

To a man who viewed power as an absolute necessity rather than a badge of vanity, the breakthrough was simply a natural outcome of relentless ambition. He was driven by an insatiable hunger—a gluttony for strength—now that the path beyond human limits was no longer just fiction.

Standing up, he rolled his shoulders. A satisfying, metallic crunch-pop resonated down his spine.

"Early Stage of the Bone Forging Realm," Donape murmured flatly, wiping a layer of greyish sweat from his neck. "This... means I have officially crossed into superhuman territory."

With his newly established foundation, he could comfortably decimate an entire company of heavily armed mercenaries using pure Qi without exhausting his reserves. While true flight remained out of reach due to the strict realm requirements of higher cultivation, he was now capable of crumpling an armored tank with a casual wave of his hand.

Leaving his room, he headed to the bathroom to wash away the lingering impurities.

Once cleaned and dressed in his usual attire, he sat behind the counter, sipping a cup of Obsidian Roast Coffee. The aromatic scent of dark, freshly ground beans filled the hall as he waited for opening time before flipping the front sign—completely unbothered by the monstrous power now thrumming beneath his skin.

Unconsciously, time slipped by, and the clock struck eight.

Half an hour later, the soft chime of the entrance bell broke the morning quiet of the shop.

"Boss Ape! Good morning!" Irene’s energetic voice boomed through the doorway before she even fully stepped inside, with Ga-Eun and Mira following closely behind.

Donape looked up from the counter, a faint frown crossing his face. "Must you call me that out of nowhere? Just ’Shopkeeper’ or a casual ’Boss’ is fine. If you add that, people will actually start thinking I look like an ape."

"Hey! If you’re not ugly, you shouldn’t care what people call you! But fine, I’ll call you Donape then," Irene declared with a triumphant grin, tossing her vibrant red hair over her shoulder as she slid onto a barstool across from the counter. "Our morning class got canceled, so we decided to come here to relax—or maybe actually work on our assignments."

Mira and Ga-Eun smiled and nodded, their cheerful mood celebrating the unexpected gift of a canceled two-hour macroeconomics lecture.

"Three cups of Obsidian Roast Coffee, please," Irene ordered.

Instead of processing the order right away, Donape turned his gaze to Ga-Eun.

"Why not just start your part-time shift now and work until closing? That way, you can get Obsidian Roast Coffee in the house. It costs 50 BC per cup—surely a free cup is the better option, isn’t it?"

"Um... I really wanted to do that," Ga-Eun admitted politely, "but I have another lecture later this afternoon. So it’s fine to spend money right now! Consider it occasional support for Boss Alexander’s shop."

Irene chimed in, glaring playfully at him. "Exactly! Why are you trying to sway our friend? It’s up to her what she wants to do!"

Donape rolled his eyes. "Whatever. By the way, could you try speaking politely like Ga-Eun for once? You have a pretty face, but your manners are entirely too rough."

"What did you just say?!" Irene gasped dramatically, making a show of lunging forward as if to retaliate, only to be held back by a giggling Mira and Ga-Eun.

It was just lighthearted, casual banter—a comfortable rhythm between frequent regulars and a shopkeeper who didn’t take himself too seriously.

After serving the three girls their Obsidian Roast Coffee, Donape leaned against the back counter, contemplating whether to test out the new game, Magic Academy: First Semester, to learn about Mana.

Since he needed to wait until Ga-Eun took over his shift before he could go out and do his neighborhood patrol quest, diving into the new VR module seemed like the best way to make use of his time behind the counter.

As he was organizing his thoughts, a commotion flared up outside the shop’s large front window.

Through the clear glass pane, a crowd had formed on the sidewalk. Zerke, Jong-Kook, Jung-Un, and Suk-Jin, alongside Jae-Woong and Kennedy, were standing near the entrance, visibly blocked from going inside the shop.

Donape tilted his head slightly, watching the blockage with unbothered curiosity.

Beside him at the counter, Irene, Mira, and Ga-Eun set their cups down, their cheerful expressions quickly turning to shock and concern as they realized someone was trying to create a commotion in front of the shop.

Outside the front door, a group of eight burly, leather-jacketed thugs stood in a loose blockade, crossing their arms and looking down their noses at anyone attempting to approach Origins VR Cafe.

Sent under strict orders from Master Jin Do-Jun to intimidate customers and manufacture a violent scene to ruin the shop’s reputation, they looked every bit like arrogant street enforcers.

"All of you, beat it! If you try stepping inside this place, we’ll beat you to death," the lead thug snarled, slamming a heavy palm against Zerke’s chest to shove him back. "Listen closely! Turn around and get lost unless you want every bone in your body broken!"

"Are you not afraid of the shopkeeper here?" Zerke scoffed, brushing the thug’s hand off his coat with a cold, irritated frown. "Your numbers might look intimidating, but if you lay a finger on us, I won’t hesitate to call the authorities."

"You want to get hurt, old man?! You dare threaten us with the cops?" The lead thug bared his teeth, raising a heavy fist.

Jong-Un and Suk-Jin immediately stepped forward, their muscles tensing as they prepared to brawl right on the sidewalk.

Before the standoff could erupt into a fight, a sudden rustle of movement filled the tight alleyway. Dozens of men in crisp black-and-white suits suddenly flooded into view.

From the middle of the dark-suited crowd, Ji-Hong emerged—dressed casually, but radiating the unmistakable, arrogant aura of a top-tier family’s prodigal young master.

"Who the hell is trying to block the door to my sacred gaming haven?!" Ji-Hong roared, his voice echoing down the entire street.

The lead thug blinked, turning toward the sound. "Who do you think you are, kid? Mind your own—"

Without waiting for an order, A-Ji, Ji-Ga, and seven other bodyguards moved like blurring shadows, completely swarming the thugs.

In less than fifteen seconds, all eight enforcers were writhing on the pavement, groaning in sheer agony—dismantled with terrifying precision before Ji-Hong even had to slow his pace.

It was fast, clean, and devastating. That was the absolute difference between cheap street thugs and high-grade family operatives who possessed both overwhelming quality and quantity.

"What’s wrong? Feeling like it’s not fair?" Ji-Hong sneered, walking past the groaning pile of thugs. "Wanna call the police now after getting trashed by my bodyguards? Go ahead! Tell them Young Master Baek Ji-Hong of the Baek Family did it! I’m sure the precinct will be delighted to take your report! Hahahaha!"

Laughing smugly, Ji-Hong entered the shop. Flanked by Butler Lee and the Great Guardian, Mareum. He left his personal security team to handle the cleanup and aftermath.

Behind him, Zerke, Jong-Kook, Jung-Un, Suk-Jin, Jae-Woong, and Kennedy stood frozen in place, momentarily stunned by how effortlessly the threat had been erased.

Shaking off their shock, they exchanged amused glances and followed the group inside as A-Ji, Ji-Ga, and the other seven began dragging the thugs away.

Meanwhile, behind the main counter, Donape’s expression shifted as a glowing blue system window quietly materialized before his eyes.