The Void!

From Taekwondo To Muay Thai

Once again, my words didn’t reach Woodrow in time as Ricardo delivered a devastating elbow strike directly to her face.

"From Taekwondo to Muay Thai... this guy..."

"Your words aren’t as fast as my techniques, kid!"

The old man spoke and approached me, while Woodrow was trying to get back up after taking a devastating elbow strike from that Muay Thai. It turns out he was just assessing the situation between Woodrow and me. We had been fighting him for an entire hour, and I was convinced he was about to collapse, but he still seemed quite vigorous despite having taken numerous hits.

This is the difference in class of an A-rank Void Keeper that we couldn't bridge no matter what. The situation reminded me of the times when no matter how much I grinded or how much money I spent, I couldn't beat those using heat hacks, simply because they were too powerful with their unfair strength. And the only one who could defeat them was the Admin, the game's administrator.

Now, here he was standing in front of me. I frowned, not daring to look at the status board because it was inevitable either way.

"Get up, I'll take you both on!"

"What?"

"Come on, it's past lunchtime... oh man, it's been a while since I used a back kick, my back really hurts!"

The old man arched his back and headed towards the car after helping me up. Even manager Corbin couldn't fathom what was going on in his mind, only that we had completely escaped the ordeal.

[ Mission Complete: Confront A-rank Void Keeper - Ricardo Payne ]

[ Requirement: Defeat or survive against Ricardo Payne within the allotted time (00:00:00) ]

[ Reward 1: +1000 experience points (50% bonus for level difference) ]

[ Reward 2: Title (King of Endurance) ]

[ Reward 3: +$2,000,000 ]

The interface popped up unexpectedly before me but no longer startled me as before.

[ LEVEL UP! ]

[ LEVEL UP! ]

[ LEVEL UP! ]

...

I take back my earlier words; it really did startle me when the "LEVEL UP!" notifications cluttered my vision. I realized this system wasn't as useless as I thought, so I chose to review my information.

[ Void Keeper Profile #000 ]

Name: Beckham Anthony | Level: 7 | Rank: D

Affiliation: Government

Age: 18

Title: (Replaceable)

Location: Unknown

Passive Skills:

Admin: (No description)

Active Skills:

(Empty)...

(Empty)...

(Empty)...

[ Str: 6 | Vit: 9 | Int: 100 (Max) | Agi: 7 | Res: 0 ]

[ Accumulated Points: 7 ]

It turns out I had reached level 7 and had 7 points to spend, and it seemed that my Str and Vit had each increased by one. Ignoring that, the title section had changed. After selecting the title option, the text 'King of Endurance' appeared as a reward from the mission with a note.

[ King of Endurance: Starting from the second time the same type of damage is received, reduce that damage by 25% with each subsequent hit. (Note: Receiving different damage will reset the effect) ]

Not bad, meaning if I get punched, the second punch will only do 75% of the original damage, and the third only 56.25%. This will help me survive better in the future.

As for the accumulated points, I'm not sure what to invest in yet, I'll figure it out tonight.

"Beckham , what are you doing?"

"Oh, nothing!"

It's strange, after taking those hits, Woodrow still seemed as cheerful and bright as ever. Maybe she already had a strong physique?

I rode with Woodrow, pressing acupressure points on the little girl’s hand to ease her motion sickness, just like before. This might become a habit for us.

"Now I understand why you do this, Ricardo."

"What would you know?"

"They remind you of Ralph and Lynn, don’t they?"

Ricardo's eyes widened, observing us through the rearview mirror of the car.

"Shut up!"

"Haha."

The manager laughed joyfully as the car continued down the paved road along the riverbank.

"Yeah, if Ralph and Lynn were still alive, they'd probably look just like that.” Ricardo’s eyes softened, tender as a father's gaze upon his children.

"What did you just say?"

"Nothing!"

"In Paradise, they call you a tsundere, you know, Ricardo!"

And that was when my journey began, along with the "Admin" skill full of potential.

.

.

.

I later discovered that I could withdraw the bonus from my skill into real life and use it as actual cash.

"Let's have hotpot today, everyone, my treat!" I said, laughing along with them as manager Corbin quickly turned the wheel towards the shopping center.

.

.

.

[Void Keeper Profile #000]

Name: Beckham Anthony | Level: 7 | Rank: D

Affiliation: Government

Age: 18

Title: King of Stubbornness

Location: Unknown

Passive Skills:

Admin: (No description)

Active Skills:

(Empty)...

(Empty)...

(Empty)...

[ Str: 6 | Vit: 9 | Int: 100 (Max) | Agi: 7 | Res: 0 ]

[ Accumulated Points: 7 ]

I, a high school student who just graduated and immediately landed the world’s most dangerous job: a Void Keeper, fighting against disasters known internationally as The Void.

Sitting beside me was a cute younger female colleague, three years my junior. Unlike her appearance, she was playful, strong, and a bit rebellious, but as soon as she stepped into the car, she turned into a docile kitten, unable to resist her motion sickness and always offering her hand for me to press.

The person at the wheel was manager Corbin, a reliable, kind-hearted, likable, and enthusiastic man, adept at pleasing everyone, including myself. Although, he had one flaw: he could never hold his ground in an argument.

The remaining character hardly needs introduction, an old, stubborn, and gruff man under the guise of an A-tier Void Keeper. Initially, we thought he would leave after disciplining us, but to our surprise, he eventually agreed to supervise me and Woodrow.

After receiving medical care due to the spontaneous fight between me and Ricardo, we went for a hotpot together and discussed many work-related issues... naturally, it was our beloved spicy and sour Thai hotpot!

First, regarding the relationship between the supervisee and the supervisor, and how the Void Keepers operate.

Newly minted Keeper are usually supervised by B-tier Keepers working for the government. However, due to Woodrow and I being special cases—though I'm not sure what Woodrow's situation is—such special cases are assigned to an A-tier government Keeper, none other than Ricardo Payne himself.

The supervisor will not intervene in any of the supervisee's tasks unless there are exceptional circumstances approved by higher-ups. Their role is to observe and assess the abilities of the supervisee over the course of a week, which is quite similar to a probationary period.

As for how the Void Keepers operate, they are initially divided into four types:

Tankers, who lead the charge in operations, tasked with engaging the enemy, providing cover, and protecting teammates.

Rangers, positioned for long-range attacks, tasked with quickly neutralizing enemies while maintaining a safe distance to inflict damage.

Supports, versatile on the battlefield, often preparing gear, medical supplies, and provisions for the team. Their duties can vary from supporting the tanker by absorbing hits, drawing enemy attention, analyzing creatures to identify weaknesses for the ranger, or aiding in damage output for the entire team.

Scouts, a unique position reserved for C-rank Keepers and above, capable of effective independent operation, swift movement, and not heavily reliant on team formation. Their tasks are usually solitary missions, especially reconnaissance and reporting enemy information before regrouping with the team.

A team facing level 3 breaches and above must comprise at least three to four members, mandatorily including at least one tanker, one ranger, and one support. Failure to comply can lead to disciplinary action as this job seriously threatens their lives. For instance, Rory, a ranger, worried about me, prematurely left the formation and arrived at the scene alone, nearly costing him his life but also resulted in my rescue.

Tasks are also categorized, but for D-ranks like me and Woodrow, there isn't much besides patrolling designated areas to detect any level 1 or 2 breaches, as these often emit weak spatial vibrations that the system sometimes fails to detect. However, Void Keepers, those who have encountered The Void and possess a Clock'o Keeper, can better assess situations near disaster zones.

Manager Corbin brought us to a newly developed urban area funded by the Vietnam-Japan Alliance, reserved for high-ranking officials, corporate tycoons, or wealthy Void Keepers.