Monster Hunter, start with a wife!

"Cheng Zhuo, Summoner, Sand Cat."

"Origin Card Potential, F Grade".

"Bio-strength rating: 5.2; potential for secondary gene unlocking: 0.00007%; does not meet the advanced training standards of Kashu Academy; enters the career placement process."

"Based on the overall performance evaluation, the assigned occupation is: sewer rat catcher."

Cheng Zhuo looked at his palm with a somewhat blank expression.

There was a fluffy, round-faced kitten, no bigger than the palm of his hand, staring at him with its big, round, amber eyes, looking at him with a mixture of curiosity and ingratiation.

This little thing is smaller than a mouse, who would catch it?

Put the cat away and leave the awakening room.

Cheng Zhuo could feel dozens of eyes fixed on him, some with sympathy, some with schadenfreude, but most with relief...

Fortunately, this top student and class monitor, who had always excelled academically, finally fell from his high position and became just like them—useless.

Cheng Zhuo silently walked to a corner of the hall.

Leaning against the cold seat, I stared blankly into space.

Am I destined to remain a lowly person who can never rise above others in this lifetime?

I originally thought that as a transmigrator in this catastrophic world with extraordinary powers, I could awaken a powerful ability, dominate the world like the male protagonists in novels, marry a rich and beautiful woman, and reach the pinnacle of life.

Who would have thought that despite his eighteen years of hard work and diligent training...

In the end, he was still a useless F-grade character.

"Cheng Zhuo..."

A soft call came from beside my ear.

Cheng Zhuo looked up and saw a tall girl walking against the light, her skin as white as snow, accentuated by her light blue dress.

It was his girlfriend, Su Wantong.

Her eyes held a mixture of concern and complexity. "Cheng Zhuo, I'm planning to sign with Thunder Guild... What are your plans for the future?"

Cheng Zhuo stared at her, and seeing her avoidance of eye contact, he sighed.

"You still agreed to his proposal?"

"I didn't agree to be his girlfriend, I just signed with their guild," Su Wantong blurted out, her ears instantly turning red.

"With your D-level potential, you're given a B-level contract, on the condition that you leave me?" Cheng Zhuo raised an eyebrow, a hint of sarcasm and self-mockery flashing in his eyes.

As expected, the first sword strike after landing is to slay the one you desire.

Even though he felt he had been given a second chance at life and could see things clearly and calmly, a sense of unease still welled up in his chest.

"How...how did you know?" Su Wantong was taken aback.

How could he not know? Others had brought people to block the school gate for him.

Cheng Zhuo hesitated for a moment, suppressing his complicated emotions, and spoke calmly:

Let's break up.

Su Wantong hurriedly grabbed Cheng Zhuo's hand, somewhat flustered, and said:

"Cheng Zhuo, we can pretend to be apart for a while, and when the contract expires, I'll..."

"No need." Cheng Zhuo gently pulled away, feigning a nonchalant smile.

"Don't feel guilty. Just pretend I was the one who brought it up. If anyone asks, don't say you dumped me, okay?"

Su Wantong bit her red lips lightly, averted her gaze, and changed the subject in a low, husky voice:

"Several new teams in the Thunder Guild are short of servants, and the pay is pretty good. Why don't you...?"

"Give me some face."

Cheng Zhuo interrupted her with a smile, got up and walked outside, saying, "I have some things to take care of at home, I'll be going now."

"Cheng Zhuo..."

Su Wantong stared at his somewhat lonely back, opened her mouth, and felt a sour orange stuck in her throat.

If you want to keep them...

It reached my lips, but I swallowed it back down.

She knew very well that from the moment Cheng Zhuo's awakening result came out, their life trajectories were like two lines that crossed and then rapidly diverged, making it difficult for them to intertwine again.

As soon as Cheng Zhuo left, Su Wantong's best friend An Nuo walked up to her and advised:

"Tongtong, Cheng Zhuo is actually quite reliable. With his intelligence, even if he doesn't become a Kashu, he won't do too badly in the future. Do you want to reconsider?"

Su Wantong shook her head decisively:

"Once I get a B-level contract, the gap between him and me will only widen. It's better to end it now than to suffer for a long time."

Anuo frowned, looking somewhat worried, and said:

"Although Zhao Shichang is the son of a shareholder of the Thunder Guild, it's questionable whether he can actually produce a B-level contract. Even if he can, he definitely has ulterior motives towards you..."

"So what if they have ulterior motives!"

Su Wantong's voice suddenly rose a few decibels, carrying a hint of inexplicable resentment:

"I've had enough of this wretched life. I want to go to the inner city, to be someone important. I don't want to live like my mother, stuck in a ditch my whole life!"

"Tongtong, I know you're not that kind of person..." Anuo reached out to touch her shoulder, but she dodged away.

"Your D-rank potential isn't bad either; you can definitely rely on yourself..."

"Stop talking!" Su Wantong clutched her head tightly, curling up in her seat. "I don't want to hear it..."

Anuo felt somewhat helpless upon seeing this.

He had no choice but to remain silent and stay by her side.

……

When Cheng Zhuo walked out of the school gate, it was already dark.

The old solar street light at the entrance struggled to light up, hissing, but ultimately failed to illuminate completely.

Cheng Zhuo's gaze pierced through the hazy gray fog in the air. The outlines of the inner city's skyscrapers appeared and disappeared. Compared to the dazzling neon lights and the endless stream of hovercars, this crowded and dilapidated outer city seemed to have been forgotten in the old era.

Two hundred years ago, a mysterious other-dimensional realm descended.

Countless dimensional gates appeared, and if they were not closed in time, a large number of calamity-causing beasts would pour out.

Fortunately, at the same time, beacons with mysterious powers appeared all over the world. They could isolate the influence of the Void Realm and help humans awaken their true nature, condensing a card with extraordinary abilities within their bodies.

Humanity huddles in cities protected by lighthouses, relying on the mysterious power of cards to fight against the world-ending crisis from the Ruins Realm.

On the surface, the giant city still maintains human civilization and the rule of law.

In reality, strength reigns supreme, and the hierarchy is extremely strict.

For example, only high-level Kashu and those with superior genes can settle in that magnificent inner city.

He knew that Su Wantong's dream was to go to the inner city.

He can't give it to me.

So, it's better to be dignified...

Whether her contract with the Thunder Guild was legitimate or not was none of his business...

Cheng Zhuo let out a long breath and walked towards the subway entrance.

Just then, a hurried shout came from behind him:

"Cheng Zhuo—"

He paused, then turned around in surprise.

At the school gate, a beautiful girl was running towards the school, her long, white legs under her denim shorts were dazzling.

"Ruan Qinghe?" Cheng Zhuo looked at the newcomer in surprise.

Ruan Qinghe was the class beauty in the next class. Over the three years of high school, the two had very few interactions.

What does she want from me?

Ruan Qinghe ran up to Cheng Zhuo. Her breathing was rapid, and her white T-shirt trembled slightly with her rounded figure, which was inexplicably eye-catching.

Cheng Zhu cursed himself for being a pervert, quickly looked away, and asked:

"What's up?"

Ruan Qinghe raised her delicate hand, her fair fingertips smoothing the wind-blown hair at her temples. Her earlobes flushed slightly, and she lowered her head, saying:

"I'm sorry, I accidentally overheard your conversation... Don't be upset."

"Thank you, I'm fine." Cheng Zhu forced a smile.

"You're welcome…"

Ruan Qinghe seemed a little nervous. She clutched the hem of her clothes, glanced quickly at Cheng Zhuo, then lowered her head and said somewhat incoherently:

"I'm an E-rank priest. Although I'm too timid to enter the Void Realm, I can still earn money by joining some medical systems or team support medical teams in the future. I'm usually very diligent, I can do housework, and I like children..."

"Ruan Qinghe..." Cheng Zhuo interrupted her, somewhat confused:

"What... exactly are you trying to say?"

Ruan Qinghe took a deep breath, raised her fair and rosy cheeks, and looked at Cheng Zhuo with anticipation in her almond-shaped eyes:

"Cheng Zhuo, do you want a wife?"

"???"

Cheng Zhuo was stunned. He even doubted whether he had heard correctly. "What did you say?"

"I... I know it might be too abrupt to say this now," Ruan Qinghe said somewhat hesitantly, "but I'm afraid if I don't say it now, I'll never have another chance. You... are you willing to register our marriage?"

"This..." Cheng Zhuo's mind went blank for a moment, and he was still somewhat puzzled:

"Why me? I mean... we're not that close, and you're quite talented. You don't need to perform breeding missions as required by the authorities, and you even have the opportunity to enter the inner city. Why are you in such a hurry to get married?"

Her Priest Origin Card is a rare healing card.

Although E-rank healing abilities aren't particularly strong, they are quite popular in some low-level raiding squads.

Cheng Zhuo subconsciously suspected that she had lost a game and came here to play Truth or Dare.

After all, putting talent aside.

Ruan Qinghe is outstanding in both looks and figure, so there's really no reason for her to rush to marry a good-for-nothing like him.

Ruan Qinghe bit her red lips, her face showing hesitation: "I... I've been watching you for a long time. I think you're mature and steady, someone I can rely on. Also, I want to move out of my family home as soon as possible..."

"I'm sorry, I'm not in the mood to think about marriage right now."

Cheng Zhuo's tone softened.

He noticed that there were two girls peeking out from the school gate, looking in his direction.

It seems like it was most likely a prank.

If he had heard that she was attracted to his maturity and composure, he might have believed it to some extent in his past life.

In this cruel world where you never know where your next meal will come from, family wealth and personal strength are the keys to success.

"I have something to do, I'll be going now."

Before Ruan Qinghe could reply, Cheng Zhuo turned and walked towards the subway entrance.

Ruan Qinghe watched Cheng Zhuo's departing figure with a sense of desolation. Her eyes reddened, and she instantly deflated, losing the courage to call out to Cheng Zhuo again.

￥￥￥￥￥￥

When Cheng Zhuo got home, it was already completely dark.

His family lived in the resettlement housing of the parts processing factory, which was the factory workers' housing where his father, Cheng Qingshan, worked. Rows of gray buildings were crammed together, and each balcony was fitted with rusty iron railings, looking just like pigeon coops.

His family now consists of seven people, besides his alcoholic father and his calculating stepmother.

He also has two full siblings and two half-sisters.

Cheng Zhuo originally had an older brother, but he died in the Ruins Realm.

I also have an older sister who has been married for two years.

In order to awaken as many extraordinary humans with high-level origin cards as possible, each beacon city offers various benefits in its pro-natalist policies.

For example, in Star Iron City, where Cheng Zhuo lives, a one-time subsidy of 50,000 city-state coins is given for each additional child born.

Because he had many siblings, his family was also allocated an extra single room.

Seven people live in a house of about 90 square meters, and they manage to get by.

As soon as Cheng Zhuo reached the door, he smelled the rare aroma of meat.

He was somewhat surprised.

The last time I ate meat was... the last time.

It's very far away anyway.

"Son's home! Come and eat!"

Cheng Qingshan's face, covered in red veins, peeked out. Surprisingly, he didn't smell of alcohol, and his voice was even more amiable than usual.

Cheng Zhuo felt even more uneasy.

His alcoholic father has always had a bad temper, speaks with a lot of profanity, and has no patience for raising children. If he is even slightly dissatisfied, he will bombard his children with profanity.

Today he awakened his Origin Card, so his electronic report card will definitely arrive home before his actual report card. He thought his alcoholic father would become even more outrageous...

However, this forced smile sent a chill down Cheng Zhuo's spine.

"Just say what's on your mind," Cheng Zhuo said.

Cheng Qingshan's eyes darted around, and he quickly waved his hand:

"Oh, no rush, no rush, let's eat first. Your Aunt Wang made your favorite braised pork ribs, come and try them."

Cheng Zhuo glanced at his stepmother Wang Xiulan, who was also all smiles, and his two younger sisters who were constantly drooling, and frowned, saying:

"Please tell me, how can I dare to eat like this?"

"Oh, you silly child, would your aunt possibly poison you?" Wang Xiulan scolded playfully.

"Your dad was worried that your awakening didn't go well, so he specially asked me to make this for you. Try it quickly."

"Hahaha--"

Just then, the half-closed door was pushed open with a "bang".

Fat Old Liu, a street committee member from the West Thirteenth District, walked in with a憨笑 (a simple, honest smile) and a swaying belly.

He raised his hand and patted Cheng Zhuo on the shoulder, his face beaming with a greasy smile:

"Congratulations, Xiao Zhuo! You were lucky to submit your application at the last minute; otherwise, you'd have to wait until next month!"

Cheng Zhuo looked completely bewildered.

"Uncle Liu, what are you congratulating me on?"

Fat Old Liu was taken aback: "What else could it be? A marriage arranged by the Department of Childbearing!"

Cheng Zhuo pointed to himself:

"Me? To be married off?"

"That's right!" Fat Old Liu laughed even harder.

"The government has given you a wife, so you can say goodbye to being a virgin right now. Aren't you happy?"

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[1. Star Iron City's administrative area is divided into a three-tiered structure, from the core outwards: Inner City, Outer City, and Suburban Shantytowns]

[2. Star Iron City originally consisted only of the inner city, which was in the absolute shielded zone of the Lighthouse. Later, due to population expansion, the current Star Iron Outer City was created in the surrounding area where low-level portals only occasionally occur.]

—Excerpt from the Administrative Section of the Star Iron Documents