Seeing the girl so desperate for a mission, Firefly pulled out her terminal and stared pensively at the S- rank commission.
She looked up, meeting the girl's gaze.
"You mentioned needing Credits for your friend's treatment. How much do you actually need?"
"Just two thousand Credits is enough! A B-rank mission pays between five and ten thousand on average. Even if I only take a half-percent cut, I can save enough by joining eight short-term missions."
The girl immediately held up two fingers as she spoke to Sam.
"Two thousand Credits... eight missions..."
Firefly fell silent. For someone accustomed to millions of Credits flowing in, two thousand was an incredibly low figure.
"Yes... because on average, even a short-term mission takes over an hour. Doing it eight times would take nearly half a day. A half-percent cut is my minimum requirement..."
Hearing Sam mutter, the girl answered weakly.
'Two thousand Credits... that's only two Stellar Jades. It's practically nothing. Besides, I am a stranger in a strange land. I happen to need a guide to introduce me to this place. Spending two thousand Credits to hire one isn't a bad deal.'
(Actual local guides: Brother, never mind two thousand—if you offered two hundred, people would fight over the job!)
'Even if this person has an ulterior motive, it isn't a big deal. It's just a bit of flavor in life. I refuse to believe this world has power levels exceeding Firefly's. Even if they exist, they shouldn't be here.'
Firefly thought it over. Finding no real downside, she agreed to the request.
"Follow me then. I will give you the two thousand Credits, but I do not need your help with the mission."
"Fantastic! My name is... Wait, no! Big brother, I don't sell my body!"
The girl's eyes lit up at the prospect of leaching off a commission, and she hurried to introduce herself. But after processing the implication of "giving two thousand directly without needing help," she froze. Her face twisted into an expression of horror as she waved her hands in frantic rejection.
"..."
Firefly was rarely struck speechless, but this did the trick. She clarified:
"I am not buying you. Since you are so persistent, you will be my guide for the day. Two thousand Credits is not much to me."
"Oh! I see!"
The girl breathed a sigh of relief.
"Then... it's a deal. Just a guide, no selling my body. If you try to force me... I-I will definitely run away!"
"Take out your terminal. I will transfer the two thousand."
Ignoring the girl's wild imagination, Firefly opened the transfer interface.
"Oh, okay."
The girl produced her terminal. Firefly quickly sent the two thousand Credits, said "Let's go," and headed toward the South Gate. The girl hurried to keep pace with small, quick steps.
"My name is Su Xiaoxiao. What's your name, big brother?"
"Sam."
"What a domineering name! Big Brother Sam, what mission are we doing? Even if I'm just your guide, I have support abilities! I can help you out more or less in a fight."
"Clearing a mutant beast swarm. A simple task. I do not need your help."
Su Xiaoxiao was clearly indignant. Her hands began to glow with a white light as she turned to Sam.
"My ability can force someone directly into a state of Overclocking without any side effects afterward! It's a very strong support ability!"
"It is strong, but why were you rejected?"
Firefly stopped and looked at Su Xiaoxiao. If her ability was as she described, it should be incredibly potent. It was impossible for no one to want her in their party. Forcing Overclocking—a life-risking trump card—to be used as a standard attack without repercussions would tempt anyone.
However, she previously mentioned her ability was "weird." She was either lying about the effect or there was a severe restriction.
"That..."
The moment Sam asked why she was rejected, Su Xiaoxiao lost her momentum. After hesitating for a dozen seconds, she slowly revealed the truth:
"Because if someone enters Overclocking through my ability, the target is inexplicably consumed by intense rage. They become so furious that they lose all reason and start attacking everything in sight..."
"..."
Firefly finally understood why no one would party with Su Xiaoxiao. With such a terrifying debuff, who would dare? Buffing the strongest member of the team only for them to get stronger, lose their mind, and turn on their own teammates?
"And you said you could help me? Are you sure that isn't just making things worse?"
"Not at all!" Su Xiaoxiao argued. "I saw that you don't seem to have teammates, which is why I approached you! If you can't beat the swarm, I'll just hit you with Overclocking and then I'll run."
"Once you've killed all the beasts... I-I'll just come back."
"Then try using your ability on me now."
Firefly wanted to see if this so-called intense rage could actually affect her.
"Huh? Here? That... might not be a good idea..."
Su Xiaoxiao looked around at the pedestrians and mercenaries crowding the South Gate and spoke timidly.
"My oversight. We will head into the wild first."
Firefly took control of Sam and walked out of the South Gate.
"Wait for me!"
Seeing Sam leave, Su Xiaoxiao scrambled to follow.