Chapter 81: Was this freshly killed?

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?!"

"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—"