Chapter 8: When you bare your teeth at the world, you’ll find it surprisingly tame

The registration process was simple.

By aligning his eyes with the computer's camera for a quick scan and verification, William was able to access the true hunter's website—no longer in tourist mode.

The interface was impressive. A demon holding a lotus flower appeared, with occasional flashes of green and blue code, adding a sense of mystery.

He needed to register a nickname.

The nickname would serve as his codename and could never be changed.

William thought for a moment. His ability allowed him to alter his body weight, and with one punch, he could unleash a force of over ten thousand pounds.

[Confirm the use of 'Boxer' as your nickname?]

He clicked confirm.

[Nickname 'Boxer' successfully registered!]

[Reminder: Revealing the existence of the mercenary group or your hunter identity will result in elimination~]

Richard's sharp eyes locked onto his suited assistant, and he said sternly, "What happened tonight cannot be disclosed to anyone. You may leave now."

The assistant nodded quickly and left, not wanting to stay a moment longer.

Father and son first looked at the [Task Board] and [Trading Shop]. After clicking around for a while, they couldn't access either; both were under system maintenance.

By chance, William noticed a nearby chat channel and clicked out of curiosity.

Plague: "The Super Fruit has already been bought!"

Dragonfang: "I killed so many demon beasts just to earn points and grab that exclusive item, and now it's gone?"

Blade Soul: "Damn, such good luck!"

Ghost Slave: "Can anyone tell this old man when the next exclusive item will be available?"

Blade Soul: "What the hell, didn't you take a mission to kill a Bone Dragon? You're still alive?"

Fox Lady: "Which kind little brother bought the exclusive item? How about giving it to your big sister? I'll make sure to properly reward you."

...

William was in shock.

There were 894 people online in the chat channel. This meant the mercenary group likely had at least a thousand awakened individuals! Based on their conversations, it was clear the organization included both men and women.

The chat content left William and Richard horrified.

Some people here could single-handedly kill multiple demon beasts! One elderly member had even slain a Bone Dragon!

Their scalps tingled, and their breathing quickened. They couldn't help but imagine a mysterious and terrifying organization.

Hunters wearing demon masks, their strength unfathomable, traveling the world to complete tasks from the website.

After a day of adventure, they would open the site, whether in a villa, a slum, or even in the wilderness. No one knew the true power of the person behind the computer.

Richard thought to himself, "With so many powerful individuals, if even one of them helped the family, we could soar to new heights!"

However, this was all just in his imagination.

In reality, all these figures were virtual, created by Rosie as part of a thousand-strong team of AI bots.

The purpose was to create the illusion that the [Flame of Creation Mercenary Group] had existed for a long time, with immense strength.

Unaware of this, William was secretly delighted.

So many bigshots had been vying for the Super Fruit, and yet he had obtained it so easily.

The fifty million had been worth every penny! 

Ambition to surpass these giants quietly began to grow within him.

Until he noticed someone discussing how newcomers could easily earn points through beginner tasks. He started looking through the site for these tasks.

He wasn't sure exactly what points could be used for, but with so many people fighting desperately for them, they had to be valuable!

Just then, a message popped up.

[Customer Service]:

"Hunter 'Boxer,' a special task for newcomers has been released. Would you like to accept?"

Richard interrupted William, "Are you insane? Think it through before accepting! What if failing the task brings disaster to our family?"

[Customer Service]:

"Within three weeks, contribute ten spiritually enriched items (including demon beast corpses).

Task reward: 10 points."

Both father and son let out a sigh of relief.

This task wasn't difficult. With money and connections, they could easily acquire the items.

[William]:

"Senior, how do we make contributions?"

[Customer Service]:

"Staff will come to your door for collection."

Images of masked men in black immediately popped into William's mind. He wondered if all hunters wore masks to hide their true identities. 

In that case, he'd need to get himself a mask too!

William typed into the chat: "I will give it his all and strive to complete the task as soon as possible!"

Alexander looked at the chat interface, nodding in satisfaction.

The spiritual fertilizer needed for the extraordinary plants he planned to grow in his field was now being taken care of by someone else. It saved him a lot of hassle.

He checked his bank account balance on his phone.

Forty-five million.

The money from the Williams family didn't go directly into Alexander's bank account. Thanks to Rosie's powerful hacking skills, tens of thousands of fake accounts had been created.

The fifty million was split into these accounts, then passed through a series of transactions. After circulating around the globe, only forty-five million made its way back into Alexander's account.

The benefit of doing this was that no one would ever be able to trace where the Williams family's money ended up. Any online investigations would lead to dead ends.

Rosie still found it hard to believe. "That's forty million—just like that?"

Alexander calmly replied, "When you bare your teeth at the world, you'll find it surprisingly tame."

He transferred 300,000 to Rosie.

"Here's your living expenses for the next while. Buy yourself a better computer."

Then he transferred six million to Jack.

"This is yours. Help me buy all the old houses in the nearby area. Whatever's left is yours to keep."

Jack spying on Alexander that day had been a wake-up call. To ensure secrecy, the old houses needed to be properly organized.

Alexander planned to buy all the neighboring properties, connect them, and turn them into a grand mansion where he could hide the Super Fruit tree and other extraordinary plants.

Plus, he intended to have Rosie, such a crucial figure, live close to him. He couldn't have them all crowded into one small place.

Both Rosie and Jack stared at the balances on their phones, still afraid they were dreaming.

In just one day, their lives had changed dramatically.

Money that would have taken them years of hard work to earn was now in their accounts!

"Alex, where are you going?" Rosie asked as she saw Alexander preparing to leave.

Alexander replied, "Going to hire a company to renovate this place. Once it's done, you both can live here."

Alexander found a renovation company and walked through the doors.

A woman in professional attire with long legs and black stockings was bent over the front desk, organizing files. Hearing someone enter, she said professionally, "Welcome to New Era Housing. How can I assist you today?"

Alexander replied calmly, "Take your time. I'm not in a hurry."

He sat on a nearby sofa, waiting quietly for her to finish her work.

No wonder rich people were always so leisurely and polite, he thought. With his new perspective as the head of the [Flame of Creation Mercenary Group], the city now appeared like a game to him.

He couldn't help but wonder how many mercenaries this city would eventually hold. And what kind of scene it would be when he eventually devoured the entire world?

When the woman finally finished her tasks and looked up at him, she was startled. "Ah? Alexander? What are you doing here?"

Alexander hadn't expected to run into Claire.

Back when Alexander was living off scholarship money, Claire had been his roommate.

Claire's face became a bit colder as she realized something.

She knew her mature charm could have a devastating effect on someone Alexander's age, but she had no desire to get involved with him.

When Alexander had moved out, he had told her that he had failed to awaken and was returning to the old district.

Even though Claire had some affection for Alexander, who was handsome and hardworking, she couldn't be bothered.

Her goal was to marry a wealthy heir, and Alexander didn't fit that mold. If Alexander had awakened a combat profession along with his top provincial exam results, then maybe there would have been something to discuss.

But now, Claire was furious at Alexander's presence.

This was her workplace. Did he really think he could win her over by persistently showing up and bothering her? What if he interfered with her job? Didn't this naive kid know how hard it was to find a good job?