The first thing Vincent Crowe heard when he woke up the following morning was the persistent vibration of his phone against the bedside table.
He groaned, stretched one arm out from beneath the blanket, and fumbled around until his fingers finally closed around the device.
His body still ached from his confrontation with Felix Granger, although the bruises had become considerably less painful after a full night’s rest.
Squinting against the morning sunlight filtering through his curtains, Vincent unlocked his phone and discovered a notification from the Hero Association.
[Hero Association — Mission Payment Notice]
[Congratulations, Hero Vincent Crowe!]
[Your first completed mission has successfully passed final administrative verification.]
[Captured Villain: Felix Granger]
[Alias: Slipstream]
[Villain Classification: White]
[Superhuman Rank: Rank 1]
[Base Capture Commission: $10,000]
[Superhuman Rank Multiplier: ×1]
[Total Capture Commission: $10,000]
[Payment Status: Successfully Transferred]
[Hero Merit Earned: 100]
[Thank you for your contribution to public safety.]
Vincent stared at the notification for several seconds before sitting upright.
"Ten thousand dollars," he murmured, a delighted smile spreading across his face. "Now that’s a nice way to wake up."
Almost immediately, another notification appeared at the top of his screen, this time from his banking application.
[Bank Transfer Transaction Alert ]
[Incoming Transfer: +$10,000.00]
[Sender: Hero Association — Capture Commission]
[Transaction Status: Completed]
Vincent opened the banking application and confirmed that the money had indeed arrived.
The balance displayed on the screen was considerably healthier than it had been the previous evening, and for several moments, he simply sat there admiring the number.
He had earned ten thousand dollars from a single mission.
Back when he worked at Marcus Halden’s Hero Agency, receiving that much money in one payment would’ve been practically unimaginable.
His salary had been modest, and after deducting rent, utilities, groceries, and other expenses, he rarely had much left to save.
Now, after capturing one wanted Villain, he had earned an amount that exceeded several months of his former salary.
"Hahaha! Maybe becoming an independent Hero wasn’t such a terrible financial decision after all," Vincent laughed, throwing aside his blanket.
Unfortunately, his excitement caused him to move a little too quickly.
A sharp pain shot through his ribs.
He remained seated for another moment, waiting for the discomfort to subside, before carefully climbing out of bed.
After showering and preparing breakfast, Vincent settled at the small dining table in his apartment with a cup of coffee and his laptop. His phone remained beside him, displaying the bank notification that had already improved his morning considerably.
He opened the Hero App and examined his updated profile.
[HERO LICENSE]
Name: Vincent Crowe
Hero Rank: F
Hero Merit: 100
Completed Missions: 1
Total Capture Commissions Earned: $10,000
Vincent nodded with satisfaction before navigating to the Association’s mission directory.
Hundreds of assignments appeared across the screen, ranging from relatively straightforward security requests to dangerous operations involving wanted Villains. Each listing displayed its eligibility requirements, mission details, and potential rewards.
He selected another White-Class Villain at random.
The criminal was a Rank 2 Superhuman.
[Base Capture Commission: $10,000]
[Superhuman Rank Multiplier: ×2]
[Total Capture Commission: $20,000]
Vincent raised an eyebrow.
"Twenty thousand?"
He opened another listing.
This time, the target was a White-Class Rank 3 Villain.
[Base Capture Commission: $10,000]
[Superhuman Rank Multiplier: ×4]
[Total Capture Commission: $40,000]
Vincent leaned forward with growing interest.
"So that’s how it works."
Although he’d seen commission information when accepting his first assignment, he hadn’t paid much attention to the differences between the rewards. At the time, he’d been more concerned with obtaining his first Hero Merit and proving that he could succeed independently.
Now, however, the financial implications were becoming considerably clearer.
A Villain’s official Classification determined the base commission, while their Superhuman Rank increased that amount according to the Association’s established multiplier system. This story is hosted at novelping . com.
Vincent continued browsing until he encountered a Green-Class Rank 3 Villain.
The commission displayed beneath the criminal’s profile made him nearly choke on his coffee.
[Base Capture Commission: $50,000]
[Superhuman Rank Multiplier: ×4]
[Total Capture Commission: $200,000]
"Two hundred thousand dollars?!" Vincent exclaimed, staring at the screen.
For a brief moment, he imagined capturing several such criminals and watching his bank balance grow by hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Then he remembered how badly Felix Granger had beaten him during their confrontation.
Felix had only been a White-Class Rank 1 Villain.
Vincent slowly closed the listing.
"Yeah, maybe not anytime soon," he muttered.
He wasn’t foolish enough to believe that acquiring four supernatural abilities suddenly made him capable of defeating significantly stronger opponents. His confrontation with Slipstream had already demonstrated how dangerous even a Rank 1 Superhuman could become when they possessed sufficient combat experience.
Furthermore, his maximum Flux Energy remained at twenty units.
The Villain Assimilation System had granted him Impact Amplification, Bone Hardening, and Kinetic Acceleration, but none of those assimilations had increased his Flux reserves.
He now possessed four supernatural abilities, yet he lacked the energy necessary to use them freely during prolonged battles.
Vincent glanced at his notebook and began calculating his monthly expenses.
Rent, electricity, water, internet, transportation, groceries, and other necessities quickly accumulated into a respectable amount. Although ten thousand dollars was certainly enough to cover his immediate living expenses, he couldn’t assume that every mission would end successfully.
There was also the possibility of serious injury.
If he ended up hospitalized for several weeks, he wouldn’t be capturing Villains or earning additional commissions.
Vincent was still considering these problems when his phone rang.
Julian.
Vincent answered with a grin. "Good morning, Mr. Private Investigator."
"Morning, Mr. Professional Hero," Julian replied cheerfully. "How’s our famous criminal catcher doing? Still recovering from yesterday’s celebration?"
Vincent chuckled. "I’m fine. Actually, I woke up to some excellent news."
"Oh?" Julian asked, sounding interested. "Did somebody finally offer you a sponsorship deal?"
"Better," Vincent replied proudly. "The Association transferred my first Capture Commission. Ten thousand dollars, straight into my bank account."
Julian whistled appreciatively. "Ten grand! Not bad at all. Congratulations, man. Your first mission, your first hundred Merit, and your first proper paycheck as an independent Hero."
Vincent smiled. "Thanks. I was just looking through the other missions, actually. Some of these commissions are ridiculous. There’s a Green-Class Rank 3 Villain listed for two hundred thousand dollars."
Julian laughed. "And there’s probably a very good reason nobody’s collected that money yet."
"Yeah, I figured," Vincent admitted, rubbing his sore ribs.
"That’s the thing about Capture Commissions," Julian continued. "The Association isn’t paying Heroes ten thousand dollars because it enjoys throwing money around. Even a White-Class Villain can kill somebody. You’re being compensated for taking risks most ordinary people wouldn’t even consider."
Vincent nodded thoughtfully. "Makes sense. Although the difference between classifications is pretty enormous."