[New Stage Mission Unlocked: Sell ten Devil Fruits]
[Stage Mission Reward: Three lottery draws, or 3000 Origin Points.]
[Note: 1000 Origin Points are equivalent to one lottery draw. The Host may combine them freely.]
While Rorschach was still riding the high, the system's voice rang out in his mind once again.
A new stage mission had been released.
"Ten Devil Fruits, huh?"
Rorschach felt his fighting spirit rise on the spot.
After everything he had learned from this stretch of selling, he was actually full of confidence about this new mission.
Forget everything else—didn't Kingpin already say he planned to bring his fiancée over next time?
That was basically one Devil Fruit already booked.
And besides, while there still weren't that many Devil Fruit users at the moment, every one of them had started radiating outward into their own circles.
That kind of influence might not show immediate results, but Rorschach believed it would absolutely pay off over time.
Looking at the situation now, aside from Deadpool—who had wandered in naturally—every other customer had come through that same kind of spread.
This mission wasn't hard.
"Boss!"
Just then, Helen Cho suddenly tagged Rorschach in the group chat.
Helen wasn't Deadpool.
She wasn't the type to spend all day rambling in the group and tagging people for no reason.
If Helen specifically tagged him, then something had definitely come up.
Rorschach didn't waste any time and immediately opened the group.
Shop Owner: @Helen Cho What is it, Dr. Cho?
Helen Cho: There's something I need to confirm with you. Should Devil Fruits be kept secret from mutants?
Although mutants were relatively rare and most people wouldn't normally meet one in daily life, people's attitudes toward them were sharply divided.
Some sympathized with them.
Some supported them.
And others were openly hostile—some even wanted them wiped out entirely.
In short, anything involving mutants was an extremely sensitive social issue.
Helen felt that on a matter like this, she really needed to ask for Rorschach's opinion first.
The others in the group also started paying attention.
They wanted to know Rorschach's stance on mutants too.
Because that could affect how they themselves dealt with mutants in the future.
If the boss secretly disliked mutants, but they ended up introducing one to him, that would be an awkward disaster.
Wade Wilson: Dr. Cho, that's actually a really good question. I've wanted to ask too, but I keep forgetting.
Wade Wilson: To be honest, there are two very stupid mutants who keep harassing me. One's a giant silver metal guy, and the other is a girl whose whole body lights up.
Wade Wilson: Oh, did I mention they're both X-Men?
Wade Wilson: I have no idea what they see in me, but they keep trying to drag me into the X-Men. The funniest part is I'm not even a mutant. Isn't that hilarious?
Then, as expected, Deadpool started dumping an endless wall of text into the group, rambling on about how Colossus and Negasonic kept pestering him.
And because Wade typed absurdly fast, huge blocks of text started pouring out one after another like someone had kicked over a barrel.
The whole group was instantly flooded.
"Group member Wade Wilson has been muted by the group owner for five minutes."
Peace was finally restored.
Mutants, huh?
Rorschach fell into thought.
To be honest, he didn't care about mutants at all. He had no prejudice against them whatsoever.
But there was one absolute cheat code among them that he was wary of—
Professor X.
That guy could casually read memories and control minds.
It was way too broken.
Rorschach had no intention of letting all his secrets get stripped bare in front of Charles Xavier.
After thinking it over, he immediately asked the system a question.
"System, can any mental-type ability users detect your existence from my memories?"
[The existence of the system cannot be perceived through any form of mental probing.]
[Because the system is already bound to the Host, the Host's mental world is likewise under the system's protection and cannot be investigated.]
That settled it completely.
Rorschach relaxed at once.
Shop Owner: Dr. Cho, and everyone else in the group, I treat mutants and ordinary people the same. Just follow your own judgment.
Helen Cho: Understood. In that case, I'm relieved, Boss.
Vanessa: Dr. Cho, did you come into contact with a mutant?
Helen Cho: Not directly. A friend asked me whether I could treat a mutant. I haven't agreed yet, but there were some things I felt I needed to clarify first.
Shop Owner: That's fine, Dr. Cho. Just follow your own heart. If you decide to treat that mutant, and if they ask you about Devil Fruits, there's no problem telling them.
Helen Cho: Understood, Boss!
Helen Cho: In that case, I won't disturb everyone any longer. Goodbye.
True to form, Helen was as decisive as ever.
The moment the serious matter was settled, she logged off immediately.
Not one extra word.
Then again, that made sense. Everyone here was an adult. Everyone had their own life and responsibilities.
Which only made one thing even more baffling—
How on earth did Deadpool have so much free time to spam the group every day?
Were mercenaries really that idle?
After spending another three hours in the shop, six or seven more walk-in customers came and went.
Of course, not a single sale was made.
That was completely within Rorschach's expectations.
And after selling four Devil Fruits today, he was already more than satisfied.
He closed up the shop, locked the door, and headed once again for the barren mountain where he usually trained.
But this time, he wasn't there to train.
He was there to experience what it felt like to be an Admiral.
"Ama no Murakumo Sword!"
With a single thought, countless photons condensed rapidly in his palm, and a brilliant golden blade formed instantly in his hand.
Slash!
He swung it casually.
A thick tree beside him—wide enough that one person couldn't easily wrap their arms around it—was cut clean in half.
"Lightspeed Kick!"
He lashed out with one kick.
A terrifying beam of light blasted forward and instantly reduced a massive boulder in front of him to fragments.
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
Rorschach transformed into light and shot up into the sky.
Then he crossed both hands and raised them.
Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew!
Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew!
A dense barrage of photon bullets rained down in a sweeping storm of destruction.
The sight was spectacular.
After trying out several other techniques, Rorschach's whole face was glowing with excitement, like someone who had just won the lottery.
His control over his power had now reached a level of absolute mastery.
In terms of Devil Fruit usage alone, he had truly reached the level of an Admiral.
At least in that regard.