Chapter 59: Favorite toy

After the supplies had been delivered to the house, Kai left to pick up some fresh groceries from a nearby store.

He was itching to explore the area as well. They had arrived late the previous night, leaving him with little opportunity to see what the neighborhood had to offer.

He had received a message from the community service stating that someone would visit today to explain the local rules and security protocols. Kai had been asked to choose a convenient time, so he had suggested around three in the afternoon. He planned to challenge the ruins before three.

’Should I go back and check that place today, or wait?’

He still needed to meet the owner of his old flat and return the keys. While there, he could also make sure he had not left anything important behind.

Everything had happened so quickly the previous night that he had barely taken the time to double-check the cabinets and the few other places where he kept his belongings.

There was still food in the flat as well, and Kai would rather have the owner take charge of the place soon before anything spoiled.

But before that...

"Let’s see if he’s awake."

Kai pulled out his phone and called the one man who had urged him to make this sudden decision to relocate.

Adam.

The call went through after a few rings.

"Mister Kai. Have you relocated safely?"

Kai gave a wry smile. "You knew about it, huh? Well, I expect no less from the man responsible for surveillance."

"Well, you weren’t exactly quiet about your departure. But whoever helped you used a good tactic to shake off your pursuers. Even I would need some time to locate you now."

Kai let out a weary sigh. "I’d rather you didn’t find me... but, well, anyway. Thank you for informing me about the threat yesterday."

"I was simply keeping my promise. I said I would prevent anything related to this incident from reaching you."

Kai hummed. "But I never actually agreed to that deal, though."

"Then consider it repayment for your services to society. You helped those civilians and even captured Hunter Drake for us."

Kai shook his head as he came to a stop outside the store.

His eyes moved over the list of items displayed near the entrance before he asked, "Then may I ask something of you? A little help?"

"What is it, Mister Kai?"

Kai lowered his head slightly and muttered, "I wish to experience an E-rank dungeon. Would it be possible for you to include me in one?"

He had visited F-rank dungeons before, so he already knew the kind of monsters that lurked inside. However, he had never truly fought them seriously enough to understand their strength firsthand.

Now, he could confidently say that he possessed both the strength and the tools necessary to handle E-rank monsters. He wanted to test his limits outside the ruins as well.

"Finding an E-rank dungeon isn’t difficult. However, since this would be a sudden admission into a team without any prior notice, you could enter alongside them as an assistant or porter."

Kai grinned. "Works for me." Even if it was only for observation, this was a great opportunity. He already had some experience in the field, so taking on the role of an assistant or porter would hardly be a problem.

"Then I’ll schedule a dungeon for you tomorrow. When can I expect you?"

"Anytime after ten."

"Okay. I’ll send over the details."

The call soon disconnected.

Kai stared at the screen in silence for a few moments.

Fighting in the ruins was one thing. A dungeon was an entirely different experience.

It wasn’t as though the ruins were safe or the monsters lurking within were weak. Far from it. His experiences there had already taught him several valuable lessons, one of the most important being that stats alone could never truly define a person’s might.

Still, his goal wasn’t simply to fight.

He wanted to make connections and gradually elevate his rank by dealing with dungeon threats as well. His ultimate goal was to become strong and influential enough that Jean would no longer have to hide from anyone.

So yes, this would be the first step.

...

"Mm..."

Jean frowned in her sleep as she felt someone tugging at her hair.

She slowly opened her eyes and found her daughter with a few strands of her hair caught between her lips, crawling away as though she were attempting to drag her mother along with her.

Groaning softly, Jean muttered, "Where do you want to take me?"

She checked Elara’s diaper first before finally freeing herself from her daughter’s early morning assault.

Lifting Elara into her arms, Jean immediately received two firm fists against her neck from the little girl, who seemed thoroughly displeased about something.

"Want to eat something? Come on, Daddy must have prepared something for us."

She didn’t need to look at the clock to know she had slept for several hours longer than intended. The realization made her feel guilty.

She shouldn’t take advantage of his kindness.

As they approached the kitchen, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and warm bread reached her, instantly awakening her appetite.

She stepped into the dining area and heard Kai say, "Freshen up. I’ve reheated the breakfast."

"..."

Reheated.

That meant he had prepared it long ago, and Jean had simply slept through the morning.

She placed Elara on the table and told him, "Watch over her for a minute."

Kai chuckled. "Take it easy."

When he turned around, Jean was already gone.

He approached his daughter, who was reaching toward the dispensers placed at the center of the table.

She grabbed two of them and immediately developed a deep frown between her brows.

Kai prepared himself, his eyes sharpening as he focused on her hands.

The next instant, two projectiles flew toward him.

He shot out both hands and caught the dispensers before they could hit the floor.

"Naaa... paa!"

Elara angrily slammed her little hand against the table.

Kai faintly smiled and reached into his pocket, pulling out her favorite toy.

"Looking for this?"

Elara’s eyes immediately lit up when she saw the familiar sugar dispenser.

Kai had actually stuffed it into the bag the previous night. Thanks to that small bit of foresight, his daughter was now smiling happily.

As he watched her play with it, Jean returned. Her hair was tied back, her face was washed, and she finally looked properly awake.

"Sorry... I never thought I was that tired," she said as she approached the table.

"That’s fine. Sometimes we don’t realize how mentally drained we are until we finally hit the bed. Come, sit down."

He pulled out a chair for her.

Jean sat down with a smile, and Kai went to bring the breakfast.

As he served the food, Kai casually informed her, "We’re going out in the evening. There’s something I need to buy, and I might need a second opinion."

Jean blinked in surprise. She had assumed they would be staying inside for some time, or at least that she would need to keep herself indoors.

But after a moment, she simply nodded.

"Okay."