"Nyum, nyum, nyum."
Lars was now having breakfast inside one of the cafeterias somewhere in District 21. Since he had more money now, he had started taking better care of his meals and eating a more balanced diet instead of surviving on noodles three times a day.
"I think I need to start taking care of my health now. What good is becoming rich if I end up getting sick?"
At the same time, he scrolled through his bank account. Right now, his total balance was just over 200,000 Zents.
A wide smile appeared on his face. Never in his life had he imagined seeing this much money in his account.
Kring! Kring! Kring!
Suddenly, while he was scrolling, someone disturbed him with a call. Frowning, he looked at the number interrupting his good mood before his eyes widened.
The one calling him was his younger stepsister.
[Hello and good morning, my beloved brother!]
"Why are you calling me? Don’t you have any classes right now?"
[What kind of question is that? Is it wrong for your sister to call you? Jeez. I’m on semester break right now. I’m at home.]
"Ahh, I see. Are Mom and Lia doing well, Layla?" Lars asked. Lia was their older sister.
[Everyone is good and healthy. You don’t want to ask about Dad?]
"Why would I ask about him? He’s the one who kicked me out of the house. Plus, he’s not my real father," Lars said coldly.
[Hey! But he’s still my biological father!]
"Fine, fine. I’m busy right now. What do you want?"
[Did you already forget? My birthday is just around the corner! And this time, I want all of us to gather and celebrate together, just like before. Please, brother. I really want to see you. Mom and Lia miss you too.]
Lars fell silent as his eyes drifted toward the window, watching the busy road outside. It had been two years since he left his family home and started living alone. He had to admit that he missed them.
"I will try to be there. But I can’t promise."
[Yay! And please don’t forget my gift! Bye!]
Tup!
"This girl... she’s still as energetic as ever." Lars smiled. He was still undecided about whether to attend or not. But there were still a few weeks left, so for now, he just needed to gather as much money as he could.
"Alright! It’s already 9 a.m. I should make my way to the Dungeon Hub now."
He then rode his scooter toward the Dungeon Hub. When he arrived, he was completely surprised. The parking lot was filled with company vehicles, each displaying their own company logo. Some of which Lars recognized.
"Is there some kind of event happening at the Hub right now?" Lars wondered.
He entered the Hub and headed straight toward the Auction Hall. And then, he saw an extremely long queue.
Everyone was queuing to enter the Auction Room section. Lars saw several individuals checking each hunter before allowing them to pass through.
"What’s happening here?" Lars asked someone as he joined the long queue.
"Ohh, did you not read the forum? VolcaCorp and several other companies in the South Region are searching for the mysterious seller, Anonymous214. I never thought that guy was actually in this district. This is really troublesome." The man clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"VolcaCorp?!" Lars muttered.
He then remembered that among all the direct messages he had received, VolcaCorp representatives had sent the most. And their tone wasn’t exactly friendly. They had threatened him to reveal himself, and if he refused and continued selling Class Books, they said they would take necessary measures.
’ I never expected that company to be this serious! ’ Lars bit his nails.
He started thinking about what he should do. He considered going to another Dungeon Hub. Not every district had one, and there were only five hubs in the entire South Region. The nearest one was about an hour away.
"It’s not really cost-effective," he muttered.
Soon, he reached the VolcaCorp member. Lars could clearly see the logo of an erupting volcano on his chest.
"Show me your ID!"
"Errr... sorry! I think I need to go to the toilet first."
Lars immediately walked away and left the Auction Hall.
"Damn it! Just when everything was going well, this had to happen. Does heaven really hate seeing me happy? Will some calamity strike the world if I’m happy?" Lars grumbled in frustration.
"Hmmm... maybe things will cool down a little if I stop for a while. Yeah. I think I will do that for now," he muttered.
He then decided to head to the Weapon Store. Inside the store, he purchased a bow and some arrows. He wanted to test his new class, Divine Ranger.
Suddenly, as he walked away, someone tapped his shoulder. He turned around and saw a familiar face smiling at him.
"Max?!"
"Hello, Lars. Long time no see. I never expected to see you here," Max said. He was the same age as Lars, with orange hair and goggles resting on his forehead.
The two immediately hugged each other.
"Are you free right now, Lars? My party is still one member short. If you want, you can join us," Max suddenly asked.
Lars thought for a moment before agreeing. Right now, he couldn’t sell any Class Books, so it would be wiser to spend his time grinding for CP.
"Yeah, I’m free. Let me join you."
"Good! We can catch up at the same time, haha!" Max said as they walked out of the Hub.
On their way, they passed by a group of Mazeltov members who had just arrived.
"Damn those VolcaCorp and Golden Wing! It seems they also know about Anonymous214," Oscar sneered. He, Denis, and Ryuken were assigned to this section of the Dungeon Hub, while the others were stationed elsewhere.
Denis immediately called Zane and updated her on the situation.
[Don’t mind them. Just focus on the task at hand.]
Zane gave the order. All of them nodded before beginning their search. Unknown to them, the person they were searching for was already on his way to a dungeon.