Kai woke up earlier than usual, and there was a reason for it.
He had already freshened up and changed his clothes.
He had stayed awake until quite late the previous night, carefully thinking everything through.
So far, two of the rewards had proven to be legitimate. The first was the cash reward, which he had already used two times, and the second was the all-you-can-buy card that had allowed him to purchase the childcare products he needed.
Speaking of which, when Kai glanced toward the bed and found his baby sleeping soundly beneath the mosquito net, his expression softened.
Her tiny fists were gently balled beside her face, her breathing quiet and steady. The sight alone was enough to make his eyes curve and his heart melt.
He had even sprayed a mosquito repellent that was safe for babies around the room, hoping to keep both Jean and the baby from waking up in the middle of the night covered in bites and scratching at their faces.
Since this place was situated far from any guild, its facilities were rather poor, and cleanliness was hardly something they could boast about. It was nowhere near the kind of environment Kai would have preferred for his daughter.
Regardless, both of them had managed to sleep peacefully. And unlike yesterday, Jean’s expression looked much more relaxed, as though she had finally managed to let go of some of the tension weighing on her.
Looking at her, Kai was inevitably reminded of what had happened yesterday.
The memory surfaced so clearly that the warmth immediately crept into his face.
There was no doubt that Jean was beautiful. Even in sleep, there was something almost ethereal about her, as though a fairy had wandered into his home and graced his eyes with her presence.
Both mother and child were so adorable that Kai could have stood there for hours simply watching them sleep. The sight brought him a quiet sense of warmth and contentment.
But he needed to leave. He wanted to check on the house the system had mentioned.
By now, he had begun to place some trust in the system, especially since he had yet to receive any calls from the bank or the police regarding the rewards it had given him.
Besides, there was nothing suspicious about simply going to inspect a house that had supposedly been gifted to him.
’Leaving without saying anything would be bad.’
Kai wanted to let Jean know that he would be gone for a few hours, but she was still fast asleep despite the clock already showing eight.
He did not have her number either, which was becoming a rather inconvenient problem. For now, though, he could only make do with what he had.
He picked up a notepad and wrote that he had gone out for some work, then added his phone number near the bottom of the page.
Once he was finished, he placed the note on the table and pinned it beneath the salt dispenser so it would not be blown away or overlooked.
Kai gave it a satisfied nod.
This should do.
Before leaving, he glanced toward the sleeping mother and daughter one last time.
A faint smile settled on his lips as he stepped out of the house.
....
Kreacher’s Block was located quite close to the Hunter’s Association, an organization directly operated by the government.
In this era, where hunters and guilds held immense influence, the Hunter’s Association possessed more authority than even the President himself.
It was responsible for overseeing the entire hunting society, facilitating the recruitment and registration of hunters, assessing newly awakened individuals, and providing them with the necessary training.
Managing and regulating guilds was another one of its major responsibilities.
Naturally, working for an organization with such influence required more than simple qualifications.
One needed an unwavering sense of duty toward the world, along with overwhelming strength to back it up.
Just that morning, Kai had read a news report about a newly assessed S-rank warrior who had chosen to join the Association by going through the standard procedure, despite having no obligation to do so.
S-rank hunters were welcomed into the Association without having to undergo any assessment.
Well, not everyone did things simply because they had to. Some people had their own principles and values.
Regardless, since he was slowly making his way toward high society, Kai decided to dress properly and take a taxi rather than walk there on foot.
The journey cost him around two hundred dollars. Kreacher’s Block was quite far from the area, unless one chose to travel through the underground subway.
"Why aren’t we taking Third Street? I mean, wouldn’t that reduce the travel time considerably?" Kai asked as he glanced out the window.
The taxi was currently traveling along Maple Street, a road that ran almost to the outskirts of the city. A large lake stretched along their right side, its surface glimmering beneath the morning sun.
"You clearly aren’t a hunter," the driver replied with a shake of his head. "Second and Third Streets are blocked off right now. Dungeon outbreak."
Kai’s brows rose in surprise.
"How could such a bustling part of the city remain unchecked for more than three days?"
It took time for a dungeon gate to absorb the residual mana in the atmosphere and stabilize the entrance enough for the dungeon to stabilize in the human world.
That was why Kai found it strange that the Association had allowed something like this to happen in such a heavily populated area.
"No clue, kid. But I heard there have been some rare sightings of hell holes around the island. Some people are even whispering about a Void or something."
Kai was surprised that anyone would even consider the possibility of a Void appearing out of nowhere.
If one had actually appeared, the media would have been all over it by now. Besides, as far as Kai remembered, a Void was hardly something the Association could simply conceal from the public. It was far too significant for that.
So, more likely than not, it was nothing more than a rumor.
The conversation soon died out, leaving the taxi in silence as the driver continued steering through the unusually empty streets.
Kai, meanwhile, decided that it was finally time to examine the deed to the property the system had gifted him.
He discreetly reached into his Inventory and pulled out the parchment.
"Woah."
What he had expected to be a simple deed turned out to be a thick stack of documents spanning several pages. A seal had been placed across the binding, with a small enclosed section seemingly designed to require a fingerprint.
Kai shrugged and pressed his thumb against it.
A soft click sounded.
The seal unlocked.
He went through the documents carefully, confirming that they declared him the legal owner of the house in Kreacher’s Block.
The papers granted him every right associated with the property, including the authority to occupy it, renovate it, demolish it, or even resell it at his discretion. There were no obvious restrictions attached to the transfer.
’This is insane.’
Still, Kai was not foolish enough to accept everything at face value. Before leaving, he had searched online for the proper way to verify property ownership and had spent quite some time comparing the information he found with the documents in his hands.
A genuine property transfer normally left a trail. Registration details, the previous ownership chain, encumbrance records, property descriptions, and other official records could all be cross-checked.
A single document declaring someone the owner was not necessarily enough to establish that the title was legitimate.
Kai had checked every detail available to him.
The property identification matched. His name was listed correctly. The registration information appeared authentic, and there were no obvious discrepancies in the ownership records he could access.
More importantly, there was no outstanding mortgage, dispute, or transfer recorded against the property.
Everything pointed toward the same conclusion.
The house was genuinely his.
God damn.
’Huh?’
After flipping through the final page, Kai noticed something that had not been there before. A small card had been attached to the inside cover of the document.
He pulled it free and examined it.
For inquiries and personal assistance, please call the number provided below.
Kai’s brows rose.
’Personal assistance?’
That was certainly unexpected.
He took out his phone and dialed the number.
For a few seconds, there was nothing but the faint ringing on the other end.
Then, to his surprise, the call connected.
{Hello? Mister Kai?}