Level Up The Colony
Chapter 39: Guilty Conscience

Chapter 39: Guilty Conscience

"How’s your mom?" Sophia asked, bringing the mood back down to reality.

Timothy’s usual indifferent expression returned as he observed her posture, calm, collected, and unreadable.

"She’s fine. I see you guys are doing well. How’s school?"

"Obviously... school is school. Not the best, but everyone has a purpose, so we just have to endure."

They kept talking, mostly about school, until Timothy suddenly realized he had unknowingly walked them all the way to their car.

They offered to give him a ride home, but what was he supposed to say? That life hadn’t been fair to him?

He declined, instead asking for Ralph’s number, an excuse to keep in touch.

Ralph gladly gave it to him before driving off.

But in reality, Timothy didn’t care about Ralph’s number.

They weren’t even in the same age bracket.

He had wanted to ask for Sophia’s number instead but something held him back.

Maybe fear? Maybe insecurity? His mind latched onto the worst possible outcomes.

As he stood there thinking, he suddenly remembered, the groceries he had left with mall security.

And he still needed to pick up a few more essentials.

While at it, he also bought a new phone, nothing extravagant, just something with good internet connectivity and decent storage.

Looking at all his purchases, he realized they wouldn’t fit into a regular Uber.

So he opted for the mall’s home delivery service, another expense, but at least everything would arrive before the day ended.

He paid the necessary fees, entered his address, and finally left the mall.

His account balance was now two million naira ($1,333) lighter.

And that was when it hit him.

The lady at the association had scammed him.

It all made sense now.

The payment he had received from the association had come from a personal account, not the usual financial institution.

That meant she had redirected the full amount to herself and only sent him what they had agreed on.

"It must have been when she asked if I wanted the money in my fixed account or another..."

Timothy muttered to himself as he hailed a cab home.

The cab pulled up in front of Timothy’s house, and he stepped out, immediately spotting someone waiting for him.

The man wore a cap pulled low over his face, paired with plain brown trousers and a matching T-shirt.

His relaxed posture and effortless style almost made him look like a celebrity.

"You know how long I’ve been standing here?" Miebaka asked, his tone carrying a hint of impatience.

"Relax," Timothy replied as he unlocked the door and stepped inside.

"Didn’t think I’d see you so soon. Besides, you’re dark-skinned, the sun won’t kill you."

Miebaka rolled his eyes but wasted no time following Timothy inside, collapsing onto the couch the moment he got in.

Thankfully, the power was on, and the ceiling fans whirred softly, offering relief from the heat.

Timothy rarely used them, though, not out of preference, but simply because he always forgot they were there.

"Feel free to tell me why you’re here whenever you’re ready," Timothy said, his voice laced with sarcasm.

"For one, I came to retrieve the materials you looted from the last raid," Miebaka said casually.

"They’re behind the couch," Timothy answered, nodding toward the spot.

"Secondly, I’m here to go over the rules."

"There are always rules, aren’t there?" Timothy sighed as he sank into a nearby chair.

He needed the rest, too.

"As long as it’s not some toxic cult, I think I can handle it."

"You don’t have a choice," Miebaka stated flatly.

"I’ll keep that in mind."

"First rule: secrecy. The organization thrives on discretion, don’t break that. Second, don’t draw unnecessary attention to yourself. If someone puts a hit on you and things escalate, the association will get involved, and trust me, you don’t want that. Third..." Miebaka paused for emphasis.

"Everything can be settled."

Timothy remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

"I read your file," Miebaka added, watching him closely.

"I know you’re looking for a hunter named Edward. But if he happens to be within the Kingpin Association’s inner circle, I’d advise you to give up."

Timothy’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"Why?"

"Because of the second rule," Miebaka said firmly.

"Killing someone within the outer circle is strictly forbidden. If you do, your name goes straight onto the ’Most Wanted’ leaderboard. And once that happens, your only hope is to stay alive long enough to negotiate the third rule, before the official association steps in."

"I can’t make any guarantees," Timothy responded blandly.

"I figured as much," Miebaka muttered.

He adjusted his glasses before continuing.

"For now, you’ll be running raids with random teams under the Official Hunters Association (OHA).

I don’t know how you managed to fake your rank after that incident in the double dungeon, yeah, I read your report, but we’ll have to keep you at E-rank for a while. It’ll throw off any lingering attention."

"Understood," Timothy said.

"Good. Your official life as an E-rank starts tomorrow. The OHA will send you mission details before then. You’re already booked for raids every day for the next two weeks, and once that’s done, we’ll move on to our night shifts."

"Understood," Timothy repeated.

Miebaka studied him for a moment.

The kid was too calm.

Too composed.

But he didn’t comment on it.

They were practically within the same age bracket, but he acted more mature than normal.

That is, until Timothy suddenly asked,

"How many ranks are there in the Kingpin Association?"

Miebaka stiffened at the unexpected question.

He already had a feeling he knew what this guy was thinking, but he refused to believe someone could be that reckless.

"The Kingpin Association only recruits from D-rank and above," he explained. "You’re an exception, listed as an associate with potential. In Port Harcourt alone, there are over five thousand C-ranks. But only about a thousand are actively participating in raids and ranking up. That gives you a rough estimate of how many teams operate within the Kingpin Association."

"Go on," Timothy urged.

Miebaka exhaled before continuing.

"B-ranks, on the other hand, make up only ten percent of active C-ranks. So there are about a hundred B-ranks in the state, with around half of them actively engaged in hunting. As for A-ranks..." He paused, his tone turning serious.

"Their numbers have never exceeded single digits in this state. Most of them are retired. In short, there are no A-rank hunters in Port Harcourt capable of defending us if something serious happens."

Timothy remained silent for a moment before asking,

"Which state has the strongest hunters in the country?"

Miebaka gave him a sharp look.

"That’s classified information. Just like everything I just told you."

With that, he moved to retrieve the materials Timothy had looted.

Unfortunately, they were heavier than expected.

He sighed before gesturing for help, and together, they loaded them into an Uber.

The car pulled away just as a large truck rumbled down the street.

Timothy recognized it immediately, it was the delivery service bringing his recent purchases.

The truck stopped in front of his house, and he signed for the packages before carrying them inside.

Later that afternoon, Timothy prepared a light meal, just a simple bowl of noodles.

He wasn’t in the mood to overeat.

Afterward, he sorted through the groceries and clothes he had ordered, organizing them into categories: hunting gear, casual wear, and indoor clothes.

Then came the gifts.

He had chosen them carefully, knowing exactly what his siblings liked, along with a few extra things for his uncles and aunts.

They had been included in the delivery as well.

Now, though, he found himself hesitating.

Should he call them first? Or should he just show up, unannounced, as if returning from the dead?

His conscience weighed heavily on him.

Guilt clawed at his mind, guilt for abandoning his family, for staying away for so long.

But he had already made up his mind.

He was going to see them.

No matter what happened.

Determined, he changed into fresh clothes, looping his trusted scarf around his neck.

He left Gray at home to keep watch, opting for a casual outfit with only his phone and wallet in his pocket.

Then, without overthinking it, he hailed an Uber.

His uncle’s house was in another part of the state, far from the city.

As the car pulled onto the highway, Timothy leaned back against the seat, his expression unreadable.

This was something he had to do.

No more running.

No more hiding.

He kept staring at his phone when he remembered he had a pending reward to claim from the daily quest

He immediately opened the status screen

...

DING!

[Daily Quest: A Strong Body]

Push-ups – 200/200 (Completed)

Sit-ups – 200/200 (Completed)

Squats – 200/200 (Completed)

Running – 20 km/20 km (Completed)

[Daily Quest Completed]

[You have received 4 free stat points]

[Do you wish to claim your rewards? Y/N]

Timothy didn’t hesitate. Yes.

[Choose a Reward]

1. Full Recovery

2. +3 Stat Points

3. Random Box

...

This should have been the difficult part, but by now, he was used to it. Everything the system provided was either essential at the moment or something he would eventually need, and he had come to accept that fact quickly.

Following that logic, if he simply chose random boxes each time... No, he couldn’t bring himself to waste the stat points. Without hesitation, he selected them.

Now, it was time to carefully review the rewards and notifications the system had bombarded him with hours ago.