Chapter 145 | Rachel!
A side door opened, and a young and incredibly beautiful woman stepped in, carrying a tablet and smiled.
"What can I do for you, Mr. Simon?"
Simon glanced at her indifferently and handed her the card. "Please upgrade this card to D-Rank. Maintain Gold Privilege status."
"Certainly." The secretary took the card, smiled at Simon and then swayed her hips as she disappeared back through the side door.
Simon turned back to Dexter. "Now, regarding the monster corpses from the outbreak..."
Dexter’s ears perked up. This was the part he cared about most.
"Sadly," Simon continued, his expression apologetic, "most of the resources recovered from the monster corpses have already been allocated. The funds earned from processing the carcasses have been directed toward repairing and renovating the Stonebridge Market District, which suffered extensive structural damage during the outbreak."
Dexter’s expression remained neutral, though he rolled his eyes.
’He should be talking about the mall Aurora and the Six-arm goblin king had destroyed.’
"Also, some had been distributed towards falling heroes families and also civilians families too."
"However," Simon added, raising a finger, "you are not leaving empty-handed."
Dexter’s eyes lit up.
"The Association will transfer your combat bonus directly to your registered bank account. This includes your standard outbreak participation pay, your per-kill bounty for each verified monster you eliminated, and a special hazard bonus for engaging Ultra-Class opponents above your registered rank."
Simon consulted a document on his desk.
"Additionally, your monthly salary has been adjusted to reflect your new D-Rank status. Although you’ve already received this month’s salary at your previous rate, the difference will be calculated and added to your next payment. Your benefits package has also been upgraded—you now have access to the Association’s premium medical coverage, discounted equipment purchases, and priority dungeon scheduling."
Dexter nodded, mentally calculating.
Between the combat bonus, the kill bounties, the hazard pay, and the salary adjustment, he was looking at a substantial influx of dollars.
"One more thing," Simon said, leaning forward with a more personal expression.
"Yesterday, several heroes who participated in the outbreak came forward. They pointed out some things to my attention."
Dexter raised an eyebrow.
"They said you saved them," Simon said simply. "They said you are the reason they are still alive. Some of them wished to get your contact information—your phone number, your address. I informed them that I cannot distribute a hero’s personal information without their explicit permission."
He paused.
"But they were quite... adamant... about thanking you. One of them was the hero named Plasmatic. He was particularly insistent."
Simon smiled.
"So I would like your permission. May I share your contact information with the heroes who requested it? I will screen the list and only provide it to verified, licensed heroes with clean records."
Dexter thought about it for a moment.
Having contacts within the hero community could be useful—both for future dungeon raids and for potential emergencies.
Plasmatic, in particular, was someone worth staying in touch with. His long-range firepower complemented Dexter’s close-combat style perfectly.
"Yes," Dexter said. "You can give them only my number. But only those i fought with in the battlefield ."
Simon nodded, making a note. "I’ll have the list sent to your phone by end of day. You’ll be able to review it and approve each individual."
Then Simon paused. He stroked his beard thoughtfully and leaned back in his chair.
"There was... one more person who asked for your contact information."
Dexter raised an eyebrow. "Who?"
Simon met his gaze as he looked at him strangely. There was an hint of surprise in his face as he spoke.
"Aurora."
Dexter frowned.
Aurora. The S-rank hero. The woman with the Sky Manipulation talent who had single-handedly killed the Six-Armed Goblin King and destroyed the dungeon core.
"Aurora?" Dexter repeated slowly.
Simon nodded with a smile, as if he couldn’t quite believe it himself.
Dexter’s frown deepened. "Why does she want my contact information?"
Simon shrugged, spreading his hands. "Beats me. I have no idea. She simply gave no reason and asked."
Dexter continued frowning. Aurora was an S-rank hero, one of the most powerful and influential young heroes in the entire city.
Having a connection with someone at that level could be good but it could also lead to complications.
And frankly, he hadn’t forgotten the way she had looked at him.
The cold, dismissive gaze didn’t exactly inspire a desire to exchange phone numbers.
Dexter shook his head slowly. "There’s no need for that."
Simon blinked. "I’m sorry?"
"I don’t want you to give out my contact information to Aurora," Dexter said flatly.
Simon stared at him with a stunned look.
"I’m certain I’m not hearing that right."
Simon said carefully, leaning forward. "I said... ’Aurora’ wants your contact information. Aurora. The current generation S-rank hero."
Dexter nodded calmly. "I know. I heard you. But I don’t want you to give out my contact information to her."
Simon sat back in his chair, genuinely stunned.
Aurora has always kept to herself. The fact that she had proactively, asked ’Dexter’s’ contact information meant she had deemed him important or worth her time.
And now Dexter was rejecting her.
It was really shocking.
Simon opened his mouth to say something but the look in Dexter’s eyes stopped him.
Simon closed his mouth. He nodded slowly, making a final note on his document.
"Very well," he said, his voice carefully neutral. "I will inform Hero Aurora that her request was declined."
Dexter nodded. "Thank you."
At that moment, the side door opened, and the secretary walked in.
She carried a small velvet tray with a sleek golden card resting on top, along with a folder of documents. She presented them to Simon with a professional smile.
"Your card and documents, sir."
Simon took the tray and turned to Dexter. He picked up the golden card and held it out across the desk.
"Here is your new license. D-Rank, Gold Privilege."
Dexter took the card. It was heavier than his previous one.
Simon also handed him the folder. "These are your upgraded documents, your new rights, responsibilities, codes of conduct, and operational guidelines. Please read through them carefully. As a D-Rank Hero, you represent the Hero Association in a more visible capacity than before. Your actions will be scrutinized more closely, and your responsibilities will increase accordingly."
Dexter nodded, tucking the card into his pocket and the folder under his arm. "All right."
Simon stood, extending his hand across the desk. Dexter rose and shook it.
"Take care, Mr. Dexter," Simon said. "And congratulations again."
Dexter nodded. "Take care as well."
Dexter left the office and walked down the corridor, toward the elevator.
The doors opened and he stepped inside and pressed the ground floor.
As the elevator descended, Dexter pulled out his new D-Rank card one more time, turning it over in his fingers. It looked more premium than last one.
"Ding!"
He slipped the card back into his pocket as the elevator chimed, announcing his arrival at the ground floor.
The doors slid open.
Dexter stepped out... he froze.
Outside, an incredibly beautiful woman was standing directly in front of the elevator, smiling at him.
She wore a fitted white blazer over a dark blouse and her posture was confident, and her smile was astonishingly striking to say the least.
The woman was Rachel...