Garp let out a booming laugh. Reaching into his coat, he expertly produced a thick bundle of Berries before walking over.
Lucas calmly nudged his gold-rimmed glasses into place, accepted the cash, counted every note with practiced precision, and gave a satisfied nod.
"The amount is correct."
"Looks like today is another pleasant day at work."
"But today is my day off."
"Mr. Garp, Chief Instructor Zephyr, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving."
Leave?
Everyone present was dumbfounded once again.
This recruit was unbelievably bold.
Not only had he arrived an hour late for such an important orientation—
After collecting his so-called overtime pay, he was actually planning to leave early?
Since when had the Marines become a nine-to-five job with paid overtime?
And what did he mean by day off?
Did Marine grunts actually get those?
Garp blinked before slapping his forehead.
"Hahaha! Lucas, if you hadn’t mentioned it, I’d have forgotten."
"Zephyr, today is Sunday. When Lucas joined the Marines, I promised he’d only work twenty-two days a month, with Saturdays and Sundays off."
"I completely forgot about that."
"But the fact that he came here on his day off already shows plenty of respect for you, Zephyr. Don’t take it personally."
The crowd turned to stone.
Looking at Garp casually patting Zephyr on the shoulder while laughing, everyone couldn’t help wondering...
Were they really serving in the same Marines?
Or had they somehow joined a fake version?
Otherwise, why had none of them ever heard of benefits like this?
"Garp, get your hand off me!"
Zephyr slapped Garp’s hand away before looking toward Lucas’s retreating figure and suddenly laughing.
"Hahaha!"
"A nine-to-five schedule?"
"Twenty-two working days a month?"
"Eight days off?"
"Paid overtime?"
"I’ve served in the Marines for most of my life, and this is the first time I’ve ever heard of benefits like that."
"Kid, don’t be in such a hurry to leave."
"If you pass my test..."
"I’ll agree to every one of those conditions."
"A test?"
Lucas adjusted his glasses and glanced back.
"Does it come with overtime pay?"
"If not..."
"I’ll pass."
Again with the overtime...
The muscles on Zephyr’s face twitched.
After taking a deep breath, he forced out a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
"Don’t worry."
"If you can last three minutes against my two finest students—and then defeat them—"
"I’ll pay you 100,000 Berries in overtime."
"Ain! Binz!"
"Begin!"
"Yes, Teacher!"
Two voices answered from behind Zephyr.
Everyone’s attention shifted immediately.
The next instant—
The two figures vanished like ghosts.
Soru!
The thought flashed through everyone’s minds.
Instinctively, they looked toward Lucas.
The dozen-meter distance disappeared in the blink of an eye.
When Ain and Binz reappeared, they were already standing directly in front of him.
"Sorry, rookie."
Ain’s expression remained icy and emotionless.
"Arrogance has its price."
"Let’s teach you that lesson first."
Her long right leg whipped through the air like a steel lash.
At the same time, Binz launched his own attack without hesitation.
Though their movements appeared elaborate, the entire exchange happened in an instant.
By the time the spectators reacted—
Lucas was still standing there motionless, seemingly frozen in place.
"Looks like this kid still needs more training."
Zephyr laughed.
Bang!
The two kicks landed simultaneously.
A thunderous impact echoed across the training ground.
The scene before everyone’s eyes caused their pupils to contract violently.
The smile on Zephyr’s face instantly froze.
Lucas stood exactly where he had been—
As unmoving as an iron tower.
A single thought crossed Zephyr’s mind.
Iron Body!
Then—
Soru!
Lucas disappeared.
Ain and Binz truly deserved to be called Zephyr’s best students.
The moment their attack failed, they instinctively retreated without wasting time trying to defend.
But before they had even covered seven or eight meters—
A figure had already appeared behind them.
"So fast!"
Both of their expressions changed drastically.
Realizing they couldn’t escape—
They abandoned the idea of dodging altogether.
"Iron Body!"
They shouted in unison.
Their muscles instantly swelled, becoming as hard as solid rock.
They stared at Lucas charging toward them, eager to see the look on his face when his attack was stopped by the very same technique.
That thought had only just appeared—
When Lucas stomped heavily onto the ground.
BOOM!
The earth beneath his foot shattered.
"Six Powers... Iron Body: Heavy Wolf Strike!"
His massive fist tore through the air with explosive force, driving straight toward their stomachs.
Boom!
The two were launched backward like cannonballs.
Their Iron Body might as well have been paper.
They crashed into a pile of wooden crates more than ten meters away.
The crates exploded into splinters.
The violent impact forced both of them to cough up mouthfuls of blood.
After barely regaining their footing, they stared at Lucas in utter disbelief.
The same technique.
Both sides had used Iron Body.
Yet theirs had been shattered.
By a single punch.
It was simply unbelievable.
Silence blanketed the training ground.
Everyone stared blankly at the cracked earth stretching nearly eight meters from where Lucas stood, as though they had just witnessed a ghost.
Ding! Congratulations, Host. Successful overtime check-in. Reward obtained: Flowing Water, Crushing Rock Fist (Mastery).
Ding! Current check-in progress: 99%.
After completing check-ins across the Four Blues, the next phase will unlock: Marine Headquarters Check-ins.
Reward chests will be upgraded to Silver quality.
The mechanical notification echoed inside Lucas’s mind.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
During the past year, his astonishing growth had all been thanks to the 9-to-5 Check-In System.
By checking in for work, he continuously received rewards that strengthened his body and granted mastery over the Six Powers.
Without the system, even if fate had placed him aboard Garp’s ship, he would have been swallowed by this world’s law of the strong devouring the weak.
The system was simple.
Clock in for work.
Complete progress milestones.
Receive treasure chests.
In addition, the salary he earned from working could also be exchanged for treasure chests.
However, throughout the past year, the highest-quality chests he could exchange for were only Bronze Chests.
After trying several times, Lucas discovered that Bronze Chests rarely contained anything valuable.
Aside from a few everyday necessities and small attribute boosts, they offered little of real worth.
Because of that, he had stopped wasting his salary on them.
After all, life wasn’t cheap.
Besides spending money on the system, he also had plenty of expenses in the real world.
But now—
Looking at Ain and Binz lying battered in the distance—
And remembering the 100,000 Berries Zephyr had just promised—
Lucas pushed up his glasses.
Looking directly at Zephyr, he smiled.
"Chief Instructor Zephyr..."
"If this is the kind of overtime you’re offering..."
"...I can keep working until I drive you bankrupt "