Investing in My Crippled Wife: Every Return Makes Me Stronger

Late at night, after dinner and putting Ethea back into bed, Soren sat on his futon and pulled out his phone.

He opened his banking app and checked his account balance.

[Current Balance: 42,247 Credits]

He’d actually made a profit.

Soren leaned back against the wall, doing the mental math.

His initial savings had been 37,247 Credits. Over the past four days, he’d spent roughly 10,000 Credits total.

Six training sessions at the dojo: 3,000 Credits.

Clara’s pay for eight sessions: 4,800 Credits. It rose since he made one session four hours long and two sessions a day.

The rest went to daily supplies, food, and other miscellaneous expenses that weren’t worth tracking individually.

So he should’ve been down to around 27,000 Credits.

But today’s Gate run had changed everything.

The boss slime’s core alone sold for 5,000 Credits. The merchant at the Hunter Market had actually seemed impressed when Soren pulled out the multicolored core. It seems like boss drops were always in high demand.

Fifty-four regular slime cores at 100 Credits each: 5,400 Credits.

Twenty-three elemental cores at 200 Credits each: 4,600 Credits.

Total earnings from one solo Gate clear: 15,000 Credits.

Which meant he’d not only recovered his expenses but earned an additional 5,000 Credits on top of his original savings.

Soren grinned.

’So this is why people become Hunters.’

One successful Gate clear could cover weeks of living expenses. A few more runs like this, and he could afford those expensive healing meal ingredients without worrying about going broke.

Of course, the risk was equally real. One mistake in that Gate, and he’d be dead.

But the potential was undeniable.

Soren closed the banking app and opened the Hunter Network instead.

It was time to look for his next opportunity.

Soren stared at the screen for a moment, then navigated to the Party Recruitment section.

He’d decided to join a party this time.

The Azure Slime Forest Gate was recharging and wouldn’t be available for another three days. More importantly, today’s solo run had taught him just how difficult being a Hunter really was.

Fighting alone meant no backup, no support, no margin for error. One wrong move and boom!

Joining a party meant splitting the profits, sure. But it also meant shared risk, shared workload, and a better chance of survival.

’The money won’t be as high, but it’ll be enough until I gain more experience and get stronger.’

He scrolled through the available listings.

Several parties were recruiting for First Circle Gates scheduled within the next few days. Most were in the city or nearby, which was convenient.

Soren applied to five of them, filling out the basic forms with his information with the app’s useful feature.

He hit submit on the last application and closed the app.

’I’ll check for replies tomorrow.’

Setting his phone aside, Soren crossed his legs into a lotus position, closed his eyes, and started cultivating.

Hours passed in silence.

Soren’s eyes opened as the first light of dawn filtered through the window.

He stretched, feeling the stiffness in his muscles ease, and stood.

A quick wash in the bathroom, then downstairs to prepare breakfast.

As he moved around the kitchen, cracking eggs and setting water to boil, curiosity got the better of him. He pulled out his phone and opened the Hunter Network app.

’Let’s see if anyone replied.’

The notifications loaded.

[5 New Messages]

Soren tapped the inbox and froze on the spot.

[Application Rejected]

[Application Rejected]

[Application Rejected]

[Application Rejected]

[Application Rejected]

...Every single party had turned him down.

’...This...’

Soren stared at the screen, his mind struggling to process.

’Why... why was I rejected?’

Soren frowned and tapped on one of the rejection messages to review the details.

[Thank you for your application. Unfortunately, we are looking for members with more field experience. We wish you the best in your future endeavors.]

He checked the others. The wording varied slightly, but the message was the same.

Lack of experience.

Soren pulled up his Hunter profile on the app.

[Gates Cleared: 1]

[Rank: F]

[Days Active: 4]

’...Of course.’

He’d barely started. One solo Gate clear didn’t make him experienced. From a party leader’s perspective, why would they take a complete rookie when they could recruit someone who’d cleared dozens of Gates?

’So this happens in the Hunter world too, huh?’

Soren set the phone down with a bitter smile.

It reminded him of his part-time job days. Before awakening, before the marriage, when he was just trying to survive on his own.

Every application required ”experience.” But how was he supposed to get experience if no one would hire him without it first?

It was a vicious cycle. A global problem, really.

At least the Hunter world was slightly better in that regard. He could clear Gates solo if he had the skill. Or he could team up with other inexperienced rookies who were in the same situation.

Or...He could join a Guild.

Soren paused, his thoughts drifting back to the Bureau. To that woman. Administrator Veyra.

’Should I contact her?’

He picked up his phone again and pulled out the business card from his wallet, staring at the number.

’Hmm...’

Guilds were popular. They offered benefits — equipment, training grounds, exclusive Gate access, and higher pay for successful clears.

But Soren didn’t have a good impression of them.

Because most Guilds operated purely for profit, they had strict hierarchies, binding contracts, and rules that limited freedom. Once you joined, leaving wasn’t easy. And if you failed to meet expectations, you were discarded just as quickly.

More importantly... There was a chance they could be controlled by whoever was behind Ethea’s curse, or whoever sent that assassin.

Powerful organizations with money and influence were exactly the kind of places where shadowy forces could hide.

The Government Bureau probably wasn’t much different in terms of politics and hidden agendas. But at least they offered more freedom. Or so he’d heard.

Hunters registered with the Bureau could work solo, form independent parties, or take on Bureau-assigned missions. No binding contracts. No forced quotas.

It was the safer option. Well, for now, at least.

’...’

Soren stared at the card for another moment, then made his decision.

’Alright, let’s give her a call.’