Summoned with an SSS-Rank Portal Skill

William was bored with the situation and really didn't want to kill more people in front of Rebo, at least not for now.

So, to show the group of adventurers just how much stronger he was, he beat them with his hands.

Well, with his hand, since he only had one arm. William focused on their leader, knocking him out in seconds with a hard punch to the stomach and another to the face.

"Still want to try something against me?" William said.

The other adventurers were terrified. Their leader was the strongest among them, yet he'd been taken down with just two punches. What chance did they have if William turned on them?

"Sorry about that," one of them stammered. "We'll talk to our boss. You can go in peace."

William laughed. "Of course I'm at peace. You're the ones who shouldn't be, because if I wanted, you'd all be dead right here and now."

His goal was to scare the group, and it worked. The fear in their eyes was obvious, and they even backed away a few steps.

William and Rebo left after that, heading back to the camp nearby.

The camp was just a brief stopover. Now, they wanted to return to the city and maybe talk to Bruce about selling the magical beasts they'd hunted.

When they reached the camp, a few people glanced their way, but no one tried anything.

The place was quieter now—many had already left, and others were resting in their tents, ignoring everything outside.

Rebo had learned something from all this: power meant peace.

He noticed that because William was so strong, no one dared mess with him, whether to rob him or force him into anything.

William could go anywhere and be respected because of his strength, and that's what Rebo wanted.

The only thing he wanted more was to find his family, his mother—but for that, he'd need strength too. Power.

"What'd you think of the hunt today?" William asked as they walked along a stone road toward the city.

"It was cool," Rebo said. "I wish I'd seen more of the fighting, though. Next time, maybe drag it out a bit and don't end the fights so fast."

"Yeah, I'll do that," William said. "Depending on how much money we get from these beasts, we might not even need to stop in the next city to earn more."

Rebo, having lived in the kingdom longer, knew a bit more about these things. His knowledge likely came from his father, since he'd rarely left his village.

With confidence, he said, "Those beasts are considered four-star, like I told you, and we've got a lot of them. It'll be good money, trust me."

"Really? If that's the case, great. That'll make our lives a lot easier."

William perked up at the news. He had some items he could sell for cash, sure, but he preferred earning money other ways.

That way, he didn't have to part with anything he owned. Plus, it was the best way to stay under the radar. After all, his items came from different kingdoms, different times, maybe even different continents.

Hunting like everyone else was the safer bet.

After about an hour's walk, they reached the city. Getting in was easy since they weren't hauling a cart or anything.

Now, it was time to find Bruce. That would be tricky—the city was big, with tons of people.

William decided to ask the guards at the gate.

"Hey," he said, "I came to the city with my friend Bruce, a merchant. Any idea where he is? He forgot to tell me where he's staying."

"Bruce?"

The guard looked surprised, clearly familiar with the name.

"I don't know exactly where he is, but have you checked the central market? He's always hanging around there, eating at the restaurants."

"I'll check it out. Thanks."

Finding Bruce in the city would be tough. William didn't get why he hadn't said anything about where he'd be or where he was staying.

All Bruce had mentioned was that he'd sell some things in the city, but that didn't narrow it down. William had no clue where to start.

Then he remembered something: the symbol on Bruce's carriage.

A carriage like that would be in the city, moving through the streets, and it'd be easy to spot since William knew exactly what it looked like.

He headed to the central market the guard mentioned. It was a huge area in the heart of the city, packed with shops, restaurants, and people selling food and items right on the street.

It was chaotic, even at night. During the day, it was even crazier.

"Let's look for Bruce's carriage," William said. "It's probably parked somewhere in the city, ideally in a safe spot."

Bruce had hired guards to protect his carriage, but even so, it was better to keep it in a secure area.

The two wandered through the central market, and it didn't take long to find Bruce's carriage. The symbol helped, and so did the familiar guard standing by it.

"William!" the guard said with a grin when he saw them. "What're you doing here? Thought you'd be chilling at some tavern."

"Actually, I need to talk to Bruce about something. Know where he is?"

The guard pointed to a nearby restaurant. "He's in there. Go ahead."

William thanked him and headed to the restaurant. Inside, he spotted Bruce sitting alone at a table, with one of his guards standing nearby.

William sat down, catching Bruce off guard. "William! What brings you here? Hey, waiter, bring two more plates for my table!"

Bruce offered to cover dinner for William and Rebo. Neither complained—after spending hours hunting beasts outside the city, they were starving.

"I want to talk business," William said. "Is it safe to talk here?"

"Yeah, yeah," Bruce said, leaning in closer. "But it's not anything illegal, right?"

"Nah, of course not. I went hunting some magical beasts today to make some cash. I've got about twenty four-star beasts with me. Can you sell them for me? I need the money."

"T-Twenty? Four-star?" Bruce said, stunned.

That was a huge haul. Only powerful adventurer groups could take down that many, and it'd usually take more than a day.

Yet William had done it alone in a few hours. It was impressive.

Bruce was even more convinced that William was incredibly powerful and that getting closer to him might be a smart move. Not that they weren't already friends, but strengthening that bond couldn't hurt.

"I can sell them for you," Bruce said. "And I'll only take a 5% commission for the whole thing. Pretty low, right?"

William liked the sound of that. He knew selling all those beasts without the right contacts would be tough. Plus, Bruce could probably get better prices because of his connections.

"Deal. Where should I put the beast corpses? They're all stored with me."

"A spatial item? Nice. Can you keep them there and hand them over tomorrow? I'll talk to my contacts tonight to speed things up."

"No problem. But could you front me some cash for a decent place to sleep?" William asked.

After some back-and-forth, William and Rebo ate the meal Bruce paid for and then left to find a tavern to sleep in.

The city had plenty of options. Bruce gave William a decent amount of money, enough for a nice place, but William decided to save some and pick a cheaper tavern to pocket the rest.

Rebo didn't mind. In fact, he thought the same way as William.

They found a mid-range tavern—not fancy, but not a dump either.

William booked one room with two beds. He wanted to make sure Rebo was safe.

It might've seemed excessive in a city with plenty of protection, but he wanted to be certain. You never knew if a place was truly secure.

At least it gave him some peace of mind.

The two slept well that night, and the next day, they met Bruce again at the central market.

He had good news: a wealthy family he knew was willing to buy all the beasts William had hunted.

So, they headed to the family's mansion in the city's noble district.

The area was in a more secluded part of the city. Unlike the rest of the city, there weren't many people walking the streets here—you needed permission just to get in.

It was like a gated community for the city's elite. Every house was massive, and that's all there was—houses. No businesses or anything like that were allowed.

Bruce spoke to the guards and easily got them access to the noble district.

William was impressed by how many connections Bruce had. Honestly, it was kind of curious.

They headed to a huge stone mansion with high walls and a sprawling garden. It even had a small lake.

The guards protecting the mansion's gate seemed to know Bruce, because they grinned as soon as they saw him.

"Hey, Bruce," one of them said, then glanced at William. "This the guy you mentioned? The one selling the twenty beasts?"

"Yup, that's him," Bruce replied.

Both guards looked skeptical that William could've taken down those four-star beasts. He just didn't seem that powerful.

William ignored their odd looks and followed Bruce into the mansion.