Firmament landed on the roof of a nearby building and pulled back his hood.

  “Just a Category 1 monster,” he muttered. “I got worked up for nothing.”

  Then, a memory flashed. He remembered something he'd been doing before he left.

  “Dinner!”

  Allen scrambled down the stairs as fast as he could. He burst into his apartment, killed the burner, and slid the pot of soup aside, exhaling a long sigh of relief.

  ?After ladling the soup into a bowl and setting it on the table, his eyes drifted to a wooden staff with a hollow pommel and five stones resting beside it. The staff sat in a glass display case mounted on the wall. Looking at it, Allen allowed himself a small smile.

  “Maybe in the future... but not yet.”

  He stripped off his white robe, swapped it for pajamas, and turned on the TV to eat his dinner in peace.

  Titan struck the massive iron door and bowed low.

  “I request an audience to report to the upper ranks.”

  The door began to groan, gears grinding slowly until it creaked open. General Titan remained bowed, his eyes fixed on the floor.

  “The monster in City F, designated ‘Lupus Mega,’ was neutralized by a man in a white robe. I should add that Lupus Mega’s combat strength was Category 1. The clean-up crew has harvested the maximum amount of resources from the remains.”

  “You will be penalized with a rank demotion, General Titan. Return to City F and await orders.”

  As the door slowly groaned shut, General Titan—still bowing—was drenched in sweat, his hands trembling uncontrollably.

  ?Once the door finally clicked shut, the general turned and walked down the corridor, his forehead slick with perspiration. The person standing on the other side of that door was a formidable adversary. The strength of an A-rank hero, such as General Titan, was significantly less than that of an S-rank hero or higher. Titan was certain he would face immediate death if he reported his inability to capture the beast. But the upper ranks hadn't even deigned to care; it was only a Category 1. At most, they would have used it for experiments.

  ?The next day, Allen woke up and started his routine. He threw on some blue slacks and a white shirt and headed out into the city.

  After a thirty-minute walk, he reached a café near the university. A bell chimed above the door as he entered and took a seat at the counter.

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  “Morning, Boss.”

  Allen nodded with a smile and picked up a newspaper from the seat next to him.

  “Morning, Alex. How’s the day looking?”

  The woman smiled back, placing a saucer, a spoon, and two sugar packets in front of him.

  “Quiet. Because of the monster that showed up last night, the anatomy labs were canceled. We’ve only got about half our usual crowd.”

  Alex had tan skin and dark hair tied up in a high bun. She wore a sharp black waitress uniform with a matching apron.

  “Don’t sweat it. “It's just another day,” Allen said. “Just remember what happened a month ago when that firebird showed up... that thing was tough even for a Category 4. I think it was pushing Category 5.”

  Alex laughed, placing a cup under the espresso machine.

  “Don’t remind me... we had to close for a week because of the chaos you caused across the whole city.”

  “It was the only way,” Allen defended. “Besides, you know my talents are... specialized.”

  ?Alex smiled and shook her head, placing the coffee on the saucer in front of him.

  “You could have just used that staff of yours. When will you begin engaging in real combat? Your strength must be exceptional. Do you know the kind of fame and money you’d pull in? Additionally, it would provide you with significant political leverage.

  “Life isn't about fame, power, or wealth, Alex. When you die, you don’t take any of that to whatever comes next.”

  Alex huffed, staring him down.

  “Maybe it’s not about that, but you still need it to live.”

  Allen smiled, ignoring the comment as he stirred sugar into his coffee, took a sip, and opened his paper.

  “I hate it when you start tuning out the world...”

  “I’m not ignoring you. I’m just choosing not to answer.”

  Alex scowled and mimed strangling the air in front of Allen before turning back to clean the espresso machine.

  “The S-Rank heroes and the ones above them are still refusing to show their faces,” she remarked.

  “I know. A few hours ago, the guy in the yellow fatigues said there’s no need for anyone above A-Rank to intervene until we see at least a Category 5.”

  Allen looked up from his paper and took another sip of coffee.

  “Seems like General Titan gets more airtime than the President of the Federation.”

  “Yeah, that was his name. And now that I think about it, he said something about the heroes above A-rank. He said there are maybe a hundred S-Ranks worldwide, but the numbers drop fast as you hit the top tier. He thinks it’s better they don't fight unless it's absolutely necessary.”

  Allen sighed and shook his head.

  “That’s nonsense. Monsters are extremely powerful—and in some cases, lethal. The S-Ranks were nowhere in sight when the Gigax Leo appeared, posing a real threat.

  Alex looked at him, her expression dead serious.

  “Don’t talk trash... you took that thing out with a meteor that nearly leveled half the city.”

  “And that is why I don't use the staff.”

  Alex blinked, the weight of his words slowly sinking in. Her eyes widened in shock.

  “Are you... are you still not able to use it properly?”

  “That’s only half-true. I can control four of the five powers. The Topaz is still resisting me. I can’t command the earth element the way I’d like.”

  ?Alex started to respond, but a group of fifteen students walked in. Allen took a deep breath and looked back down at his newspaper.

  “Take care of the customers first.”

  “Right.”

  ?After a hectic few minutes, Alex leaned against the counter and looked at Allen, who hadn't moved from his paper.

  “When is Rose supposed to get back from City A?”

  “Day after tomorrow, if all goes well. I talked to her yesterday; she said there was a slight delay with the grading, so I’m not entirely sure.”

  “Sometimes I hate working for you, you know that?”

  Allen just smiled and rolled up his paper.

  “It’s not because of how I treat the two of you. Besides…”

  Allen felt something—a shift. He grabbed a cup, filled it with water, and set it on the bar. He watched closely as a faint ripple formed on the surface.

  “Go to the shelter. Now.”

  Alex nodded, seeing the grim set of Allen’s face. A second later, the city’s siren wailed. A monster had arrived.