[Ancient Calendar: 11 Feb 0001]

  Waking up the next day, Kenji spent two full hours absorbing Ki to increase his reserves.

  Afterward, he left his room and headed to the living room. By now, the entire apartment complex was empty; everyone had either gone hunting or was out working to earn some money.

  After putting something in his stomach, Kenji cleaned the dishes and washed all the clothes stored in the basket outside the kitchen door.

  Once he was done, he left the complex and made his way toward the city gate.

  By the time he arrived, it was already 2:00 p.m., and the gate was noticeably less crowded, as the majority of hunters had already left.

  Unlike others who were either waiting for their teammates or searching for new ones, Kenji headed straight to the notice area, where small groups of people were gathered.

  The notice area was first introduced by a hunting party that couldn’t gather enough people to carry back their spoils. Since then, it had become common practice for parties heading out to leave one member behind at the notice area. After killing monsters, the party would contact that member to recruit help in transporting their spoils back to the city.

  “Boss, you’re keeping me here for nothing! If I’d gone with Rock’s party, I’d be back by now.”

  “Don’t worry. Today, my Silver Party is hunting Fire Lizards. They’ll contact me soon enough.”

  “Forget it, Boss. I’ll find work somewhere else.”

  As Kenji walked past the Silver Party’s gathering area, he saw one of the hustlers like himself arguing with a Silver Party member before storming off.

  “B-Boss… if you… don’t mind, I can wait… and help… carry back… the Fire Lizards,” Kenji said softly, mustering all his courage.

  The moment the words left his mouth, he instinctively lowered his head, bracing himself for laughter or mockery. After all, with his weak physique, no party was ever willing to hire him long-term, let alone a top-ranked team like the Silver Party.

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  But over the past week, Kenji had discovered a way to use his Ki to enhance his strength, stamina, and endurance. All he needed now was a single chance to prove he wasn’t as weak as he looked.

  “Sure.”

  Much to Kenji’s surprise, the Silver Party member didn’t mock him or turn him away. Instead, he nodded and allowed Kenji to join the labor group temporarily.

  “Th-thanks!” Kenji said, his eyes gleaming with excitement as he bowed slightly before taking his place among the others.

  About half an hour later, the call stone hanging from the Silver Party member’s waist began to glow.

  “Neo here,” he said, answering the call.

  “Get everyone over here. We’re done.”

  The voice on the other end spoke briefly before the connection cut off.

  “Alright, let’s move.” Neo looked up at the gathered workers and gestured for them to follow.

  “Finally!” someone shouted.

  “Let’s get this over with. I’ve got errands to run after this.”

  “Thank the gods! I was getting bored waiting.”

  As Neo spoke, the whole crowd had a sudden burst of vitality and hurriedly followed him.

  Leaving the city gates, the entire crew headed toward the Evergreen Forest. After entering the forest, they passed by a lake and arrived at the entrance of a cave, where a member of the Silver Party was already waiting for them.

  “Neo, what took you so long? It’s almost been an hour.” Upon seeing Neo, the other member of the Silver Party instantly complained.

  After all, he had been left guarding the entrance of the cave, an extremely boring task.

  “Where is everyone else, Max?” Ignoring Max’s complaints, Neo asked.

  “Inside, exploring; hoping to find a treasure chest,” Max said briefly, then led Neo and the rest of the crew into the cave.

  Following behind the group, Kenji carefully entered the cave. Inside, it was completely dark, and the only source of light was a lamp in Max's hands.

  Heading a little deeper, Kenji saw red lizards the size of alligators. Their glowing red skin illuminated faintly in the darkness.

  Soon, the workers began picking up the Fire Lizards, placing them on their backs, and heading toward the exit.

  “Neo, will he even be able to move that thing?” Max looked toward Kenji and asked. After all, Kenji was all skin and bones — he felt the boy might not even be able to lift a Fire Lizard, much less carry it all the way back to the city.

  “Well…,” Neo hesitated, not knowing how to answer. The only reason he had allowed Kenji to join was because he assumed the party wouldn’t have that many Fire Lizards; Kenji was supposed to help carry their equipment instead.

  “Let’s see.” Standing before the carcass of a Fire Lizard, Kenji drew Ki from his Source Ki and slowly began channeling it throughout his body.

  Within seconds, Kenji’s whole posture changed, and he seemed filled with vitality.

  Maintaining a small portion of Ki circulating inside his body, Kenji effortlessly picked up the Fire Lizard and placed it on his back.

  “This…,” Seeing Kenji walking toward the cave’s exit, Max was shocked. He couldn’t believe that such a weak-looking kid could carry so much weight.

  “He seems to have a pretty good Gift,” Neo mumbled under his breath.

  “Did you say something?”

  “Nothing. How about you get everyone else so we can head back?” Neo said, following the group of workers while keeping an eye on them.

  “Okay.” Seeing Neo leave, Max headed deeper into the cave. The cave didn’t have any sub-openings, so it was easy for him to follow the markings left behind by his teammates.

  “Wait here, and the rest of you get the remaining Fire Lizards.” After exiting the cave, Neo asked three workers to retrieve the last two carcasses.

  “This kid is strong. Carrying such a large Fire Lizard with that body is amazing.”

  “He’s got a pretty good Gift.”

  “Should I ask which Gift he chose? It looks promising.”

  Everyone was amazed by the strength Kenji displayed. Seeing their expressions, Kenji couldn’t help but feel this was his shining moment.

  Meanwhile, as Max went deeper into the cave, he came across one of his teammates lying on the ground motionless.

  “Keli!!” Calling out, Max hurried forward in a panic.

  __________

  Author’s Note:

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