Just call me Thor

In the Core City of Truth, at Wolf's Den, in a private room.

Mike didn't even sit down before he started speaking. "Let's get straight to the point, I need to head to the Tower of Truth after this."

Today's task: SSSS-grade rating (0/1).

"One thing at a time," Maxen Stoneheart said as he closed the door. "The list you provided earlier has been fully verified, and the corresponding rewards have been calculated."

He handed Mike a list. Next to each name, there was a corresponding bounty amount.

"You reported 64 individuals, of which 25 have been captured or executed for various reasons, and 6 were actually our undercover agents already under our surveillance, with another 9 already known to us. So, effectively, you reported 24 valid individuals. The total bounty amount is 19 million gold coins."

Mike's eyelids twitched at the figure.

"Also, this operation has elevated your Lone Wolf tier from [Gold] directly to [Star]." As he spoke, Maxen Stoneheart extended his hand, and a beam of white light fell from his palm onto the Lone Wolf badge.

The badge was coated with a layer of silver glow, and the wolf's head design changed slightly, losing its previous fierceness and instead gaining a mysterious gleam in its eyes.

"Congratulations, you are now [Battle Soldier·Star Rank] no.1."

Mike curiously asked, "How many people are on the Battle Soldier Star Rank?"

"Just one."

He was both the first and the last on the list. Indeed, aside from Mike, no one else had managed to reach the Star Rank at the Battle Soldier stage!

Many didn't even have the chance to accumulate merits and went straight to becoming Battle Generals. Mike's situation was an extremely rare exception.

"What about the bounty for the fourth demon cult leader?" Mike quickly moved on to the next issue.

19 million gold coins was indeed a fortune beyond imagination. But for what Mike needed now, 19 million was not enough.

Repairing the Nightmare's Breeze required SSS-tier materials.

Crafting top-tier armor also required high-quality materials, preferably S-tier or above.

Just these two tasks alone would consume an unknown amount of money.

Maxen Stoneheart said gravely, "As you know, the demon cult leader is not dead yet. We were supposed to give you the full reward, but now we can only give you a fraction."

Mike was taken aback. If he had known this would happen, he would have claimed his rewards first and then reported Terenas Bloodscribe again to maximize the value of his report.

This move, known as [double dipping], was something Mike could have exploited.

"Alright, I understand," Mike said as if he had lost money. "I should have let Shadow Nine fulfill his promise."

"Let's not dwell on these unhappy matters. Let's get straight to the point, how much?"

Mike was straightforward. He saw his relationship with Maxen Stoneheart as purely transactional.

"I'll convert it to 12 Battle Lord merits for you, but I think you might need this more." Maxen Stoneheart pulled out a huge bone club from his pocket.

"What's this?!"

The giant bone club was laid in front of Mike, with strands of meat still hanging on it, steaming hot, indicating its freshness was 100%. Clearly, it had been stripped from its source and delivered to Maxen Stoneheart's hands instantly.

"King Cerberus's right leg bone?!"

"Yes, SSS-tier material, you need it, right?"

"I do need it," Mike said, looking at the steaming bone, momentarily at a loss for words. "Was this freshly killed?"

King Cerberus, once mature, was at least at the Battle Lord level! Despite the three heads often quarreling and even fighting each other, it was still a Battle Lord's strength.

How had it come to such a pitiful end, treated like fish in a barbecue shop, killed on demand?

There's no killing without a transaction!

"I'll take it!" Mike ordered without hesitation.

To hell with the killing; he was here to make a transaction!

"Look here." Maxen Stoneheart actually pulled out an anatomical chart, seriously explaining to Mike, "Apart from the cartilage, there are a total of seventy-two usable bones in a mature Cerberus."

"Order the full set of bones now (excluding the skull) and enjoy an 8.8% discount! Pay a deposit of 12 Battle Lord merits points, which can be credited as 20 Battle Lord merits points!"

Is this some kind of Christmas sale?

Mike pulled out all his assets, "19 million gold coins, 12 Battle Lord merits, how much can I get?"

"Normally, 1 Battle Lord merit is worth 1 million gold coins, so together that's 31 Battle Lord merits," Maxen Stoneheart calculated. "That's enough to buy the limbs' bones, but you're still 60 Battle Lord merits short of the full set."

60 Battle Lord merits, or 60 million gold coins. Mike suddenly thought about reporting a few more demon cult followers; he was really short on cash now.

"I'll take the bones, pay the deposit first, and figure out the rest later."

Maxen Stoneheart reminded him, "Just make sure this account isn't on me!"

"What are you saying, am I that kind of person?"

Maxen Stoneheart's look silently told Mike: Yes, you are.

With the right leg bone handed over to Mike, Maxen Stoneheart mentioned that the rest of the bones would be delivered over the next three days.

"Alright, if there's nothing else, I'm off. I'll buy you a drink some other time." Mike said as he got up to collect the 5000 single meals.

"Wait, someone asked me to give you something." Maxen Stoneheart stopped Mike and pulled out a few skill books from his coat.

"My Godfather said to give you two skill books."

"Oh?" Mike's eyes lit up.

Maxen Stoneheart's Godfather was Ares!

Had Ares's skill books finally arrived? And there was even a choice!

True to the most generous Supreme Being, Ares was generous in his dealings.

"These are all close combat skills, kind of odd for a mage like you..."

Maxen Stoneheart didn't say much else but pushed the skill books towards Mike, "There are five books here, take them back and study them at your leisure. After you use two, the remaining three will automatically disappear."

Looking at the five skill books in front of him, Mike's first thought was, "Is there a way to keep the other three from disappearing?"

Somehow, exploiting bugs had become an instinct deeply ingrained in Mike's soul.

A gift from a Supreme Being was not easily obtained. This opportunity was something Mike cherished deeply. If he could successfully exploit a bug, that was his own skill. Ares, being so generous, would naturally not say much.

"It is possible. Using an Ultimate Battle Lord tier weapon, you can temporarily store three skill books and study them when you're strong enough. But do you have an Ultimate Battle Lord tier, SS-grade weapon? Even I don't have such a weapon; they're incredibly rare!"

At this point, Maxen Stoneheart became very emotional, even starting to roar. Mike didn't quite understand Maxen's feelings because he had the Thunderclap Hammer.

"I understand your feelings; indeed, such equipment is rare and not everyone has the chance to possess it."

Mike spoke sincerely, every word true.

"Finally, you say something sensible," Maxen Stoneheart sighed. "Close the door when you leave, and be careful."

"Careful of what?"

"Lately, the frequency of demon god corruption in the Tower of Truth has been too high. If you go to the seventh level tonight, you're likely to encounter some trouble."

Hearing this, Mike also felt something was odd. Counting the first and second levels, Mike had encountered minions of the demon god! The Tower of Truth, supposedly guarded by a Supreme Being, shouldn't be so poorly defended.

But how did the minions of the demon god appear in the Tower of Truth?

As he walked away, Maxen Stoneheart burst out laughing, "No, I'm overthinking it."

"If anyone encounters this shameless kid, it's their bad luck!"

...

After leaving the room, Mike applied for a personal space at the front desk of Wolf's Den.

"Star Lone Wolf, SS-level confidentiality. You can conduct Combat Power Tests, practice skills, forge equipment, etc., in there. Room number [ss-002], access granted, scan your LoneWolf badge to enter."

Mike, carrying 5000 single meals, stuffed them into his storage space before heading to [ss-002]. Whispered discussions followed him.

"Nine-tier Battle Soldier, Star Lone Wolf, am I seeing this right?"

"That's the student Maxen Stoneheart is keen on; maybe he's accomplished something significant, there have been several precedents."

"Indeed, a Battle Soldier tier Star Lone Wolf... more famous than powerful, we'll see his real potential when he becomes a Battle General."

"Wow, he's got a lot of food, can he eat it all by himself?"

"....."

Some people's focus is always different from others.

Entering room [ss-002], Mike took out Cerberus's skull and right leg bone.

"Let's start by repairing the Nightmare's Breeze, then check out the skill books Ares gave!"

Maxen Stoneheart's final reminder made Mike extra cautious. If there was demon god corruption on the seventh level, achieving a 100% Exploration Rate might be challenging.

If he could aim for an SSSS-grade completion, Mike wouldn't miss it.

Thus, he needed to be fully prepared before setting out.

"Let's begin!"

Mike looked at the eager Nightmare's Breeze and tossed in Cerberus's skull. In an instant, the Nightmare's Breeze devoured the skull and even belched contentedly.

"Burp—"