Chapter 27 – Becoming Nosy

He waved his hand and chuckled, "I doubt the government can provide me with a weapon costing more than 100 thousand Store Points by now, right?"

'Not like I need them too.'

"Uhm, no." The chairman shook his head slightly as he looked at him in surprise. "That's true. Our equipment is not worth that much yet. But we can offer you a Sword Skill Book or something else based on your desire. We have that-"

"I also don't need that. In fact, none of us need it." He dismissed it quickly as he glanced at Kiara beside him. "Well, maybe Kiara can use that as she is lacking in the skill department. But I doubt we can accept the offer."

Skills weren't omnipotent, especially weapon skill. They would force the user to move exactly the way one should while attacking or defending, which made it less flexible and adaptive in battle.

Rather than skills, using a pure sword technique while incorporating a buff skill, like Mana Coat, was way better. And that was what Kiara tried to achieve with her training right now.

Getting a new Sword Skill was certainly the fastest way to get stronger, but it would make her sluggish in battle if she didn't understand its rhythm and tempo.

Vale didn't want his teammates to turn into a sword doll in battle. And the girl herself wanted to be a swordsman, a real one, instead of getting turned into one by her system.

Besides, he had a Skill Book in his space earring. If his teammates hit a roadblock and needed a skill to overcome it, then he would gladly give them his own. 

'I also have a plan for my Skill Book if they don't need it. And I think it's better to use it for my plan.

More importantly, skills were unnecessary for him.

"It's a problem..." Aleksy stroked his chin and muttered, "I want to give you some compensation to ensure you record your fight inside the dungeon for us. But it seems like you don't need anything material. Tell me, what do you want? Perhaps technology? Pass? Or something else?"

Vale smiled slightly. He was glad that Mr. Halych was someone smart and sharp. They wouldn't need to explain their situation and offer for him to understand it immediately.

"How about information?" He asked back, "AED has gathered information on dungeons and monsters in the past few months, right? I want information on those, permits for our team to enter a luxurious dungeon, and information on the monster in the news."

"The first two, I can understand it and we will provide the data we compiled. I hope you will give us more recordings if you fight those monsters. Of course, we will buy you the body camera you need and offer you compensation with each recording, either it's money or items."

Aleksy nodded his head slightly as he looked at Vale straight in the eyes, "However, the last one... Why do you want information about the White Mist?"

'White Mist?' Vale mused, 'So they give my disguise that kind of name, huh? Lame. I thought they could get a bit more creative.'

"Because that monster has a different level of intelligence than monsters we've faced before. And well, I need to be prepared if it ever shows up in New York or my group enters a high-level dungeon in the future." He quickly made an excuse without batting an eye.

"Hm, understandable." Aleksy nodded his head slightly with a hesitant look on his face. He looked at Kiara and Jenny behind him before letting out a deep sigh. "We will provide you everything you need, Mr. Gilstar."

"Thank you. I will send the recording as soon as you give me the contact information." Vale shook his hand and sealed the deal.

After that, he asked the new AED chairman about a question he was curious about,

"I've been wondering, but... Why didn't you ask us to defeat the White Mist monster, Mr. Halych?" He asked with a questioning look on his face, "I believe a riot caused by the masses regarding the monsters gives you enough headache, no?"

"Well..." Standing up, Aleksy looked at him and smiled wryly. "Let's say that the government wants to let the monster loose a little bit. All victims suffered from the monster's attack by far are gang members. We guessed this is a monster that's attracted to some kind of hostility or something we don't know that only those gang members have."

"Ah, I understand."

In short, they wanted the monster to wipe out gangs before killing it. A typical government move. They underestimated the danger on their doorstep.

'If it's a real monster and not me in disguise, I think it will destroy everything without being stopped.' Vale thought inwardly as he shook his head slightly.

The team saw the new chairman off after he and Vale exchanged contact information.

When Aleksy disappeared, Taylor and Jenny continued their workout while Kiara sat next to him.

"Everything worked out, huh? With this, people will get stronger. Aren't you worried that they will be a thorn in our side?" She asked curiously as she tilted her head slightly.

Vale smiled slightly at her question.

"People have been weak for too long. They need to toughen up to survive." He said with a shrug of his shoulders. 

"No matter how strong I am, I can't stop the apocalypse alone. I am nothing but one person. In Scenario 1 alone, 84% of humanity is wiped off in a night. Imagine if Scenario 2 is worse than Scenario 1. What will happen to our world?"

"You're right." Kiara nodded her head in understanding, "Without world, there is no reason to live either. Even if we are strong, there is nothing to protect except our own lives."

"Exactly. We need to be strong to survive. But if we are the only Survivors at the end, our attempt will be futile." Vale stated, "We're no Heroes. There are no heroes in this world. Unlike a fantasy world, reality and apocalypse is cruel. That's why I write."

Kiara looked at him in silence for a brief moment. She didn't know anything personal about him yet besides the fact they had the same interest. 

What kind of hobby did he have? What food did he like? What did he do after waking up? Did he like the color white?

Why did he create a monster identity and ask for that information from the government? How did he feel toward her?

For some reason, she began to take interest and want to know all of those things. This had never happened before. Not even her final opponent in the Kendo Championship interests her this much.

'Since when did I become so nosy?' She wondered inwardly as she shook her head slightly.