Chapter 40: Pretty Boy

Klaus, unaware of the stir he was causing, made his way to Ziggy’s Tattoo Shop. Without a phone, he had no idea about the buzz his image had gerated online. But as he walked, he noticed more and more people turning to look at him, their eyes filled with curiosity.

What Klaus didn’t realize was that the pictures of him were being uploaded to the internet with tags, including geotags that pinpointed his location. As more people in the area saw the photos, they began searching for him, eager to catch a glimpse of the now-famous “Pretty Boy.”

As he continued down the street, the increasing number of stares and the sound of camera shutters became too much to ignore. Irritated by the atttion, Klaus approached a young man who had just tak his picture.

“Excuse me, brother,” Klaus said, his voice firm but polite. “Can you tell me why everyone is staring and taking pictures of me?”

The young man was stunned, his mouth slightly op in shock. Had he just be spok to by the #Pretty_Boy himself?

“Uh, brother… don’t you know? You’re all over the internet,” the young man replied, still in disbelief. He quickly pulled out his phone and showed Klaus the scre, where the first t images were all of him walking toward the tattoo shop.

Klaus stared at the scre, confusion and surprise washing over him. He had no idea that his image had gone viral, and now he was at the cter of atttion. The realization made him feel a mix of annoyance and unease, but he kept his composure.

“Thank you,” Klaus said, nodding to the young man and turning to leave. But before he could take a step, the youngster spoke up, “Big Brother, can I take a selfie with you?”

Klaus paused, unfamiliar with the term. “What’s that?” he asked, but quickly realized what the young man meant. Not wanting to reveal his ignorance, he nodded. The young man beamed with excitemt and quickly took a selfie with him.

“My handle is @GoodBoyB,” the young man said, grinning from ear to ear. “You can message me anytime you want. I know practically everywhere, so if you need a guide, just reach out.” Klaus nodded again, smiling at the young man’s guine thusiasm. Unbeknownst to him, this smile was captured in the photo.

As Klaus noticed more people rushing over, his smile faded. With a frown, he tapped into his newfound speed after ascding and disappeared from sight in an instant.

“Heavs, he’s not just handsome; he’s actually a warrior!” one person exclaimed, astonished by Klaus’s sudd burst of speed.

“This is a clear sign of someone who’s both handsome and powerful,” another person said, excitemt growing in the crowd. “Quickly, spread the word! Hashtag #PrettyAndStrong, #PrettyStrong!” ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com

And just like that, the internet buzzed with ev more fervor, the chaos only escalating as Klaus’s image continued to spread.

Klaus sped forward, only slowing down wh he was a few meters away from the tattoo shop. He sighed, frustration evidt in his voice. “What was that? These people are so annoying,” he muttered to himself before walking toward the shop. The small bell above the door jingled as he tered.

“Hello, Uncle Ziggy, Uncle James, Uncle Jojo, Uncle Xian, and Uncle Matt,” Klaus greeted warmly as he saw the five m inside, laughing and talking together.

“Klaus, wh did you become such a pretty boy?” Uncle James teased, looking at him with a grin.

“You saw the pictures too, huh?” Klaus replied, shaking his head with a small smile.

“This is the era of cultivation and technological advancemt. These things are only normal,” Uncle James said with a chuckle.

“You’ve ascded, good boy. You’re definitely Pete’s son,” Uncle Ziggy said with a proud smile.

“Thank you, uncles, for the money and the recommdation card last time,” Klaus replied gratefully.

“No need to thank us, Klaus. We’re your uncles, and it’s only natural to help you wh you need it,” Uncle Ziggy said, waving off Klaus’s thanks. “But honestly, isn’t it a bit boring to keep thanking us for every little thing? It makes us feel distant.”

Klaus smiled at that. “In that case, I won’t stand on ceremony,” he said as he sat down. “Uncles, I need your help.”

“Just ask,” Uncle Ziggy said, and for some reason, the five m seemed ev happier to hear this.

“Well, I know it sounds arrogant, but the monsters in the forest ar’t strong ough for me anymore. I’ve heard the ones in the Forbidd Zones are much stronger. So, I need help getting into some of these zones,” Klaus explained.

The five uncles raised an eyebrow at his request, th burst into hearty laughter.

“Pay up,” Uncle Ziggy said, turning to the other four. “I told you he’d come asking sooner or later. Looks like it was sooner than I thought!”

“This…” Klaus was tak aback by the sudd turn of evts.

“Don’t be surprised, Klaus,” Uncle Ziggy said with a knowing smile. “The last time you were here, I ssed your spiritual Qi purity. I knew th you wouldn’t be satisfied with weaker monsters for long. If I’m not mistak, during your first hunt, you took down several Tier monsters and ev a Tier 3 one, didn’t you?”

Klaus was shocked by how accurate Uncle Ziggy’s guess was, but he nodded.

“I figured as much,” Uncle Ziggy continued. “I knew that once you ascded, those lower-tier monsters wouldn’t be much of a challge anymore. But I didn’t expect you to come back so soon. It seems you’re ev more outstanding than your father, Pete.”

“So, about the team?” Klaus asked, curious.

“Don’t worry about that,” Uncle Jojo said, stepping in. “We still have one last spot on the Bloodaxe Mercary team that your dad used to fill. It’s yours if you want it. But I suppose you wouldn’t go hunting with us, right?”

“Stupid, he’s just an Ascded. Are you trying to get him killed?” Uncle Ziggy cut in, shaking his head. “Klaus, don’t pay atttion to him. He had too much to drink this morning.”

“Why would I die if I wt hunting with you?” Klaus asked, confused.

Uncle Ziggy’s expression turned serious. “List well, Klaus. There are hundreds of Forbidd Zones all over the world, but not all Forbidd Zones are the same. They’re ranked based on the class of monsters they house. The ones you fought in the forest are like grehouse flowers compared to the real monsters out there.

The real monsters are graded into classes, and each class is stronger than the last. Right now, the human race has idtified five classes of monsters: Lesser, Great, Dark, Terror, and Devil. I won’t go into too much detail, but ev the strongest of us can only defd against or run from a Terror Monster.”

“What?!” Klaus shouted, shocked by the revelation.

“No need to be so shocked,” Uncle Ziggy said calmly. “We’re just Grandmasters forming our Star Core, while a Terror Monster has already formed its Beast Star Core. It’s only natural for us to struggle against one. But let’s not get off-topic. As I was saying, there are differt classes of monsters, but ev within a class, not all monsters are the same.

For example, if a mosquito and a lion both became Terror Monsters, it’s obvious the lion would be stronger than the mosquito. However, that doesn’t mean you could easily kill a Terror Mosquito either. So, if you’ve killed a Tier 5 monster, that’s impressive, but your chances of killing a Tier 5 Dark Monster are nearly zero.”

Klaus was shocked again. He had always known the monsters in the Forbidd Zones were strong, but hearing this made him realize just how immse the differce was.

“But don’t worry,” Uncle Ziggy continued, “Forbidd Zones are graded by Tiers. Currtly, you can ter a Tier and Forbidd Zone, but I’d advise you not to go too deep into it. A Tier Forbidd Zone contains monsters ranging from Tier to Tier 5, betwe the Lesser and Dark classes.

The stronger ones are mostly found in the inner sections, but that doesn’t mean you won’t counter tough monsters in the outer areas either.”

“Uncle, what makes these monsters stronger, and how can I idtify them?” Klaus asked after taking a momt to process what he had just heard.

“Well,” Uncle Ziggy continued, “these monsters are more evolved and have something called Monster Cores. These cores act like an ergy source. While you rely on your spiritual qi pool, monsters use their cores to power themselves. This core is what makes them stronger and allows them to use spiritual qi like humans do.”

He paused to let the information sink in before continuing, “To idtify them, there are two main ways. First, if your spiritual qi is strong ough, you can sse their class based on their aura. If you can’t do that, you can use your tracking band.”

“Tracking band?” Klaus asked, intrigued.

“Yes,” Uncle Ziggy explained. “The tracking band is what the military uses. It tracks the number of kills you’ve made and rewards you with points accordingly. It can also help you idtify the strgth and class of the monsters you counter.”

“Thank you, Uncle Ziggy. I’ll make sure to prepare well before heading out. It looks like I’ll really be facing stronger monsters this time,” Klaus said with a confidt smile.

“Well, the rewards are great, so it will be worth it. I suppose you hav’t gott your idtity card yet?” Uncle Ziggy asked.

“Not yet. I plan to go to the bank after I leave here,” Klaus replied.

“Good. Wh you get your card, come back here. We’ll register you into our team, and th you can head to the hunter guild to buy a Forbidd Pass. That will let you ter the Zone,” Uncle Ziggy said.

“Okay, thanks!” Klaus said. He turned to leave but paused at the door. “Um, Uncles, do any of you happ to have a hat and sunglasses?”

The five uncles exchanged amused glances and burst into laughter.

Shortly after, Klaus left the shop wearing a cap and sunglasses and headed to the Royal Gold Reserve Bank where a surprise was awaiting him