Beginning of Cultivation
Chapter 181: The First Mission

Chapter 181: The First Mission

The reason the Hero Association seldom assigned trivial tasks to Alice was quite understandable—her extraordinary talent.

She was among the rare few who possessed an elemental affinity, allowing her to harness the natural energies around her to strengthen herself. Because of this, prioritizing her growth took precedence over wasting time on insignificant errands.

Most heroes lacked such talent; they could not cultivate their powers and thus relied on missions to hone their other skills.

At that moment, Alice noticed something else—the condition of Nora’s outfit. She remarked,"Wait a second, your clothes are a bit tattered. They didn’t even bother changing you before dumping you here."

Hearing this, Nora paused for a moment before lowering his gaze to inspect himself. After a brief moment, he nodded and said,"Could you go to my house and fetch some clothes for me?"

The two of them had visited each other’s homes countless times, and they even had each other’s keys. It was safe to say they could come and go as they pleased.

Alice didn’t mind making another trip outside, but she found it inefficient. After a brief thought, she suggested,"How about this? I’ll grab your clothes on my way home and pick up a mask for you as well. That way, we save some time."

Nora considered her proposal before nodding in agreement. It was indeed more convenient than him making the trip himself. He replied,"Then I’ll trouble you with this."

"Don’t mention it."

With that, Alice left the room and headed to Nora’s house. She always carried his house key with her, so entry wasn’t an issue.

Inside Nora’s room, Alice scanned his wardrobe and commented,"Why does this guy only have black clothes? If not black, then it’s some other dark shade. Add a black mask to the mix, and what does he become? An assassin? A mafia boss? A hero should at least look a little brighter."

Despite her complaints, she still picked out a set of black clothing for him before quickly making her way back home.

Alice rummaged through the wardrobe and found a pile of masks with various designs—ones she had bought just for fun. After sifting through them for a while, she finally picked out a simple black mask that, when paired with Nora’s outfit, barely formed a matching set.

Looking at the items in her hands, she nodded in satisfaction and said,

"All set. Time to tag along on a mission. It’s been a while since I last took one."

With that, she made her way back to the hospital once again.

Meanwhile, Nora sat waiting in his hospital room. He had been waiting for quite some time and eventually let out a sigh.

"Why is she taking so long just to pick out some clothes? Though, I guess it makes sense—she has to choose something she’s satisfied with."

As he spoke, he shifted on the bed and yawned. Just then, the door to his hospital room suddenly swung open.

Alice strode in and tossed a bag toward him, saying,

"Get changed. Keep the mask on you for now—put it on later."

Without another word, she turned and shut the door behind her—not too forcefully, of course, since this was a place where noise should be kept to a minimum.

Nora caught the bag midair and sighed.

"What’s with the rush?"

Despite his complaint, he proceeded to change into the clothes she had brought. Once dressed, he reached into the bottom of the bag and pulled out the black mask—one that looked far from normal for casual wear.

Looking at it, he couldn’t help but feel like some cosplayer wandering the streets. And honestly, that wasn’t too far from the truth.

Shaking his head, he tucked the mask into his jacket and pulled out his phone to call the hospital staff.

"Hello, I’d like to be discharged."

"Understood. You’re free to leave immediately."

The swift response left Nora momentarily stunned. After a few seconds, he thought to himself,

"Looks like the Hero Association pulled some strings. There’s no way the discharge process would be this effortless otherwise."

Deciding not to dwell on it further, he opened the door and stepped outside, where Alice was already waiting. The moment she saw him, she said,

"Follow me."

Without hesitation, Nora gave a slight nod and fell in step behind her.

Not long after, the two arrived at an isolated area.

Alice spoke,

"Alright, put on your mask here, and then we can accept the mission."

With that, she pulled a crimson fox-shaped mask from her coat and placed it over her face.

Seeing this, Nora retrieved his own mask—a black, dog-shaped one—and put it on as well. Curious, he asked,

"Is this always how it’s done? What if there isn’t a secluded place nearby?"

Alice responded without hesitation,

"There’s always somewhere people aren’t paying attention. Even in a crowd, most people don’t really notice their surroundings."

Hearing that, he didn’t press further. Instead, he took out his phone and tapped the screen.

[Mission accepted. Task details: Mrs. Margaret has lost her pet. The target is an orange-furred cat with a rather plump body. The mission must be completed as quickly as possible.]

Nora stared blankly at the mission description, feeling like his brain had just short-circuited.

He turned to Alice with a confused expression, only to be met with a knowing smile and silence.

From this, he understood that there had to be a reason behind the mission. But for now, he couldn’t figure it out.

Regardless, it was still a good deed—helping someone in need. So, he decided to go along with it and said,

"If you don’t find this mission too boring, then follow me."

Of course, he already knew what her answer would be. He was only asking for the sake of it.

"Of course it’s not boring," she replied cheerfully. "It’s been a while since I last took on a mission. Let’s hurry and go!"

Thinking about their mode of transport, he asked,

"I suppose we’ll be running this time?"

"Obviously. Since we’re on a mission, you’re free to use all your strength."

Hearing this, Nora felt reassured. He opened the map on his phone, and the shortest route to their destination appeared on the screen.

"Alright, let’s head out!"

With that, he took off at his fastest speed.

Alice followed effortlessly behind him. Even though Nora was running at nearly full power, it posed no challenge for her.

After all, the gap between an E-rank and an F-rank was not just a simple doubling of strength. At this stage, even ten Noras wouldn’t necessarily be a match for Alice alone.

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