Kade Fubuster — the young man was lazily lying on his bed, stretched out like a cat in the sun.
He was resting on his side, one hand propping up his neck.
Dark circles hung beneath his eyes. On one hand, Kade was holding a TV remote. Anyone could tell he was lost in the world of long-running dramas.
A kind of peace — a lazy, comfortable enjoyment. Not exactly the kind of feeling one would expect from a man who had just come back to life.
"TEN... TENN... TENNN..."
The show Kade was watching had reached its final seconds.
"Finally, it's over…"
He switched the channel. The news was broadcasting updates about the rescued heroes.
Kade changed channels again. He flipped through five in a row, but nothing caught his attention. His taste clearly leaned toward soap operas.
Finally, Kade dropped the remote and sat up abruptly. His bare feet touched the cold floor. His hair was an unholy mess — tangled and wild.
He opened the refrigerator. Yesterday, he had filled it with all kinds of food.
"Let's start the morning with a cup of black coffee — no sugar, no milk."
This wasn't just any coffee. It was premium-grade, more expensive than even the famous civet coffee people raved about.
This one could supposedly boost your energy for an entire day — a cup worth a full silver coin.
"Expensive things always taste better. That's why people go crazy trying to make money."
Kade strode to the window and pulled the curtain open with a sharp swish.
A dim light filtered through the window, illuminating Kade's haggard face. Steam rose from the coffee cup, mingling with the smell of damp wood and rust in the small room.
Black crows flew over the ruined buildings, casting long shadows on the ground.
Outside, the sky was still gray. Dim light mixed with distant sounds — noise, laughter, crying, even the faint hum of mosquitoes and the bustle of traffic.
Kade closed his eyes, listening to all the morning sounds while slowly sipping his expensive coffee.
He silently thought to himself,
"So peaceful. I wish every day could be like this."
Perhaps Kade Fubuster had already forgotten that he used to be a villain — the ruthless one who killed without mercy - who couldn't hear a single sound of life.
Back then, even someone crying right beside him couldn't stir his heart.
"My past life… What a mess. Perhaps peace is only beautiful when we have lived through hell."
Libra — every misfortune Kade suffered had started with that woman. The woman he had loved with his entire being.
"I really lived one miserable life."
Kade gently swirled his coffee cup. The bitterness of it felt just like his previous life.
Kade thought: "Life is strange - people always try to find sweetness, but only remember bitterness."
"Even with this bitterness… it's still worth a silver coin."
That amount could keep an average adult alive for a week.
Kade took the last sip of his coffee with regret.
"Sigh… I still don't have enough energy to start the day. One more cup won't hurt."
He moved to the counter and made another one — this time with milk.
"I'm living in heaven. Coffee with milk — the best drink in the world."
Then he muttered,
"What missions do I have today? System, system!"
No response. Total silence.
"System maintenance, maybe?"
"System, are you even online?"
Still nothing.
He called again for five minutes straight. Not a single response.
"Maybe the system's broken. Guess even machines can't resist a handsome guy like me."
—-----------------
The clock struck 8 a.m.
RING. RING. RING.
The blue interface of the system blinked to life.
Text appeared slowly across the screen:
"Good morning, Kade."
Kade frowned.
"I called you earlier — no signal. Did you run out of power? How do I recharge you?"
System:
"I'm an official office machine. Working hours: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Outside that, don't bother — unless it's the end of the world."
Kade wanted to curse.
His confusion quickly turned into irritation. He downed the rest of his coffee in one long gulp.
"So even machines have stricter work schedules than humans now. What a disciplined system… I'm jealous."
The system ignored his complaints.
It began scanning for missions within a 5 km radius.
[Today's Mission]
Rescue 5 civilians trapped in the Spider's Nest
Reward: +10 gold coins
+5 Humanity Points
+1 New Skill: Spider's Thread
System reminder:
[Bonus Reward: Instant Teleportation Skill]
"Would you like to claim your reward now?"
[YES or NO]
System follow-up:
"Would you like to deposit your current gold coins?"
[YES or NO]
Kade didn't even think twice — he hit YES repeatedly.
After all, he didn't have much use for money right now. What he needed most was power — more skills, more strength.
No one else knew this, but Kade did. Something terrible was coming soon.
He placed his cup back on the kitchen counter and muttered,
"I need a good plan to prepare for that day."
The Blood Moon would soon dye the sky crimson.
Based on his observations yesterday, the area he was living in had zero defense against disasters. Weak, unstable buildings surrounded him. The people here lived in makeshift homes that could collapse at the first monster invasion.
Kade's brows furrowed into a straight line. There were more problems than he had thought.
"First thing — I need to move out. Somewhere isolated. Away from the city, with a basement. Spacious."
He looked out the window again. The air was still gloomy, the light still dim.
"And I need sunlight too."
"If I stay here any longer, I'll turn into a zombie."
"I hate this place."
He looked down at the floor, where two cockroaches had just crawled past.
"I really hate cockroaches."
Kade threw a blazing punch — no mercy.
—--------------------
Kade stretched his arms — not much muscle to show off.
"First order of business — I need to rebuild this body."
It was too skinny, too weak. That would be a major obstacle in improving his strength, stamina, and endurance.
A malnourished person could never become truly strong.
He opened the fridge again: eggs, cheese, beef, broccoli, a bit of onion, pasta, and some green bell peppers.
"Should I add chicken breast too? I'll need three times the normal food intake."
In the end, he grabbed two pieces of chicken breast.
"Perfect for gaining muscle and losing fat. Damn, this body doesn't even have fat."
A simple breakfast with three dishes:
Stir-fried chicken breast with onions and bell peppers.
Spaghetti with cheese, eggs, and beef.
Steamed broccoli with eggs.
The way Kade moved the pan and seasoned the food showed years of experience — confident and skilled. Clearly a professional cook, not an amateur.
The delicious aroma filled the room — completely out of place in this rundown neighborhood.
Good food was more tempting than magic, more captivating than love.
—------
Kade's phone started buzzing nonstop.
He clearly didn't want to answer it.
"Even lightning shouldn't interrupt a meal."
The system suddenly spoke up again:
"The player's cooking skills are excellent. It smells amazing."
The phone stopped ringing — then started again.
"That's a call from the Hero Association," the system reminded.
"That's exactly why I didn't want to answer. I'm not ready to go there yet."
—------------
A message appeared:
To Mr. Kade Fubuster,
We are the Human Resources Department of the Hero Association.
We hope this message does not inconvenience you.
Based on your verified achievements and combat ability, the Association would like to formally invite you to join our ranks.
If you are interested, please respond so we can arrange a meeting to discuss benefits, duties, and rank placement in more detail.
Alternatively, you may visit our office directly at 2 Faric Bone Wall, Loabes, at any time convenient to you.
Sincerely,
Hero Association Human Resources Department
Kade blinked at the message, slightly taken aback by how polite it was. Much more respectful than he had expected.
He immediately thought of the incident where he saved ten heroes from the vampire Corek the day before.
"Just goes to show — no matter the era, strength decides how much respect you get."
He smirked.
"This will be fun. Let's play a little game of cat and mouse with the Hero Association."
A confident grin spread across his face. He devoured his meal completely.
"Perfect breakfast."
—-------------
At that very moment, on the top floor of the Hero Association, high-ranking members were gathering.
Including, of course, the captains of S and even S+ rank teams...