[System upgrade successful! Performing final calibration… Calibration complete!]
A string of crisp chimes rang out in Lin Mo's mind.
Holding back his excitement, Lin Mo asked in his thoughts, "System, what new functions do I get after the upgrade—what's different?"
[After the upgrade, you can use the C-tier lottery. Each draw costs 1,000 Energy Points.]
[The Exchange Shop is now online. Any item you've drawn before can be repurchased with Energy Points.]
"Exchange Shop?"
With a thought, a blue, techy virtual interface unfolded before his eyes. Curious, he tapped the cart icon in the top-right corner.
What he saw made it hard to keep a straight face.
The shop's shelves were practically bare, with only a few lonely items listed—pathetic, really.
[Effect: Purely cosmetic. Might make you look cooler?]
[Cost: 100 EP]
[Basic Stamina Recovery Potion]
[Effect: Restores the user's stamina. The stronger you are, the weaker the effect.]
[Cost: 300 EP]
[Coin of Misfortune]
[Effect: After tossing, you can choose a target (not yourself). For the next hour, they will suffer one powerful "misfortune" appropriate to their strength.]
[Cost: 5,000 EP]
"Hiss—" The earlier items didn't seem bad. Not cheap, not exactly a steal either.
But back when Asura Kabuto went berserk and got obliterated by Saitama's punch, the emotional surge that generated had only netted Lin Mo 5,000 points total.
And this coin alone costs as much as the energy harvested from a Dragon-level monster? Isn't that a bit much!?
Even if the coin really is that strong—can you really pull something like this from a mere C-tier lottery?
"System, explain. What's going on?" Lin Mo called out to the system.
In the past, the system would answer any question immediately.
This time, his call sank without a trace. Silence. The system played dead.
"System? Hey? You there? Don't ghost me!" He tried a few more times. Still nothing.
"Did it load the wrong prize pool? Or is it secretly giving me special treatment?" The more he thought, the more plausible it sounded.
Could the system actually feel embarrassed? …Kind of cute, actually.
"Whatever. It's a win either way. Only a fool turns down a freebie." He shook his head, dropped the thought, and focused on the lottery. Time to see what C-tier has in store!
[Energy Points −2,000. Conducting C-tier lottery…]
[Congrats to the host: Energy Points ×800]
[Congrats to the host: Super Stamina Recovery Potion]
Well, so much for a special first-draw bonus. That was wishful thinking.
At Hero Association HQ.
"I don't care what it takes—you will find an S-Class hero to endorse our new product!"
"Otherwise, expect us to pull our entire annual investment!"
A pot-bellied middle-aged man barked at a cluster of Association executives, his arrogance drawing frowns all around.
Behind him stood a few mannequins dressed in flashy streetwear. The clothes weren't awful, but the executives wore troubled looks and didn't dare talk back.
They understood promoting a sponsor's brand. But wasn't that a job for celebrities?
Having heroes endorse products was already dicey for public image. And this guy demanded an S-Class by name.
Worse, he was one of the Association's biggest shareholders, controlling a hefty chunk of operating funds—a golden goose they couldn't afford to offend.
Anger simmered, but no one spoke up.
Once the man left, the staff vented in low, angry voices.
"Too much! This is an abuse of power—what do they think heroes are!?"
"S-Class heroes are busy enough as it is. We can't drag them into petty ads!"
"Yeah, I heard King's been patrolling City Z's abandoned zone a lot lately. Since he started, the disaster reports there dropped several times over!"
"Lord King is a true hero!"
"All right, quiet down."
A steady voice cut through the chatter. Executive Sitch rubbed at his aching temples, helplessness on his face. He knew they were putting heroes in a bind—but reality is cruel.
"He's a major shareholder. Falling out with him won't help us."
Sitch sighed and decided. "We'll first reach out to any S-Class who might have time, explain the situation, and see if anyone's willing to take the ad."
"Jace, put your current tasks on hold and contact King."
The young staffer named Jace straightened and nodded solemnly. "Understood."
"And to show respect, do it in person. It's awkward enough to trouble him with this."
"Hm? An ad… for clothes?" Lin Mo eyed the nervous young man. "Why is the Association suddenly asking me to do that?"
Jace felt like crying. No one had warned him that King's in-person pressure was this intense!
On screens and in briefings, King merely looked imposing.
In person, the aura was suffocating.
The tall, burly frame. Hair combed with not a strand out of place, setting off the three scars that carved across half his face—pure dominance.
Hearing King's mild question, Jace's brain auto-translated it into:
"And what makes the Association think it's qualified to ask?"
"Ah… w-well…" Jace swallowed hard, tongue tied.
"One of our major shareholders suddenly… wants to push his brand, so…"
"Capital's hand, huh?" Lin Mo was surprised, but he also saw an opening.
He'd been short on Energy Points. And now—an opportunity had walked up and knocked.
Decision made, he leaned forward slightly, voice low. "All right. I'll take it. Let's head to HQ now."
"Eh?" Jace froze. He'd braced for a rejection—or to be bodily thrown out—but King agreed so readily.
"Y-yes! Right away, Lord King—this way, please!"
Maybe Lord King wasn't as hard to deal with as the rumors said. Jace thought, and the knot in his chest loosened.
-------
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