'Nice,' Theo thought, smiling. 'I got it.'
For a few seconds, he simply stood there in the middle of the lobby, calculating the potential profits.
'Three and a half thousand in a week…'
If everything went smoothly, he could actually afford the down payment for a small apartment room for his parents after eight days.
'This is just the beginning,' he told himself firmly. 'Later, I'll buy them the biggest house in the world.'
Sliding his phone back into his pocket, Theo exhaled once and forced his excitement down. Getting carried away now was the easiest way for him to mess up.
He stepped out of the Hunter Association building feeling lighter, as if the weight on his shoulders had finally begun to lift.
By the time he reached the apartment Owen lived in, the sky had already completely gone dark.
Three heads spun around the moment he stepped inside.
Owen jumped off the couch immediately, while his parents stood up from the chairs in the dining room with soft smiles on their faces.
''Well?'' Owen asked immediately.
Theo smiled but remained silent as he reached into his pocket. Slowly, he pulled out a sleek metal card and held it up.
Owen's eyes widened.
''No way.''
''Yes way,'' Theo replied with a faint grin.
"Let's go!" Owen said as he punched him lightly on the shoulder. "I knew you'd pass."
''Congratulations,'' Laura joined in, her voice soft but filled with pride. ''I'll start something nice to celebrate.''
Daniel had a faint but satisfied smile on his face, nodding once in Theo's direction.
Dinner that evening felt brighter than normal, as an extra-large portion of food was served to him while they asked countless questions about Theo's exam.
Later that night, Theo was relaxing in Owen's room, playing some video games, when his phone buzzed softly.
''Hold on,'' Theo said, standing up.
Owen looked at him with a raised eyebrow but shrugged, his eyes locking back on the television.
Unlocking his phone, Theo instantly noticed a notification from the Hunter Association in his mail.
[Mission details.]
'About time,' he thought, opening the mail.
A few rows of text with strict instructions popped up immediately.
[Reporting location: Eastern Coastal Checkpoint 'Shoreline Park'.]
Start Time: 05:00
End Time: 17:00
He scrolled further down, skimming through the what to expect section.
[High alert in effect.]
Theo paused at that line.
'High alert?' he thought. 'Doesn't that mean the chances of a beast tide are high?'
He frowned for a moment. It made sense, otherwise why would they hire people for such prices?
Then, he shook his head.
'It doesn't matter,' he thought, his fist tightening slightly. 'There have been dozens of these warnings and nothing has happened. Just like before, it's probably just a precaution to keep civilians off the beach.'
He read through the rest carefully before finally locking his phone again.
'It'll be eight pm in a minute,' he thought, glancing up at the ceiling. 'I should probably head to bed now.'
The mission would start tomorrow, and early in the morning at that. The last thing he wanted was to be tired when he was risking his life.
After thinking for a few seconds, Theo turned back to Owen, already opening his mouth.
Suddenly, he froze in his tracks.
A familiar translucent panel flickered into existence in front of him.
[Would you rather—]
''…Now?'' he muttered under his breath, his eyes widening.
The rest of the glowing text slowly formed.
[Option A: Unlimited cake]
[Option B: Unlimited ice cream]
Theo stared at it, speechless.
''…You've got to be kidding me.''
He stared at the floating options in disbelief when the final two lines written in red flashed onto the screen.
[Time Remaining: 00:59:59]
[WARNING: Failure to select an option will result in the system's immediate disappearance.]
…
''What the hell…'' he muttered, rubbing his temples. ''I'm really getting threatened to make a choice in desserts?''
Though as he stared at the options, his mind started churning.
'Unlimited cake… or unlimited ice cream?'
Ice cream melted, which was an inconvenience. While delicious, the option didn't have much use to him.
At the very least, cake still stayed solid and could sustain him.
'Wait… why am I even analyzing all of this seriously?'
He pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment, his thoughts still churning.
''Screw it,'' he mumbled, glancing back at the holographic screen. ''Option A seems to be the best, so I'll go with that.''
The screen lit up in green, all the previous lines of text replaced by only two.
[Choice made.]
[Host can summon any kind of cake between eight to ten inches to his hand with a simple thought.]
The holographic screen closed, leaving Theo standing there with a faint smile on his face.
'Any kind of cake?' he thought, raising his right hand.
With a simple thought, a beautiful round chocolate cake, carried on a thin metal plate, appeared on top of his hand.
Theo's eyes widened slightly.
''This is actually… really high quality?''
He carefully shifted the plate to his other hand and poked the cake with a finger.
It was soft and moist, the scent of chocolate instantly filling the room.
'It's almost like it's just been baked…' he thought.
He glanced back at Owen's room behind him, then back at the cake and set it down on the small table in the corridor.
''Okay… test number two.''
With another thought, a completely different cake appeared on top of his right hand, this one topped with red strawberries.
''Yes!'' Theo let out, a wide smile plastered across his face. ''It really is unlimited!''
After a moment of hesitation, he placed it beside the other cake and broke off a piece for himself.
Theo took a large bite, his eyes widening instantly.
''…This is amazing.''
Suddenly, a voice echoed out from behind him.
''What you got there?''
Theo snapped out of his thoughts, smiling faintly as he turned around.
''Owen,'' he said.
Owen raised an eyebrow and looked past Theo's shoulder.
''What the hell?'' he let out, dazed. ''Is that cake?''