Under normal circumstances, no one should've approached Gabriel. Not only was he weak—looking like he would be knocked off his feet by a strong gust of wind—but he was also untidy and reeked terribly.
No sane person would recruit someone as unremarkable as him to their team.
"Well." Gabriel's eyes gleamed, the figures of an elegant couple reflecting in his blue eyes. The male, Martin, continued to stare at him with a smile, while the female, Gina, seemed distant and aloof as ever, disgust evident in her eyes.
These two before Gabriel were anything but sane, which also made a lot of sense. After all, a predator didn't pity its prey.
Despite knowing their reasons for approaching him, Gabriel's expression didn't falter. He held Martin's gaze and said in a deep, firm voice, "Fine, but I get to keep any monster cores or drops from the monsters I kill."
"How delusional. A stupid weakling like you dares to make rules." The disgust in Gina's eyes grew, and she couldn't help but mutter in a low voice brimming with an unhealthy dose of disdain.
Gabriel heard the mumble but chose not to respond or even acknowledge her existence by sparing her a second glance.
Martin smiled wryly, an apologetic smile beaming across his handsome features. "Sorry for my partner. She can be a bit harsh sometimes. Anyway, we accept. In fact, we'll give you five percent of our total gains as well."
The smile never left Martin's face as he watched Gabriel with an expectant gleam in his eyes. He expected the latter to be excited—most others always reacted like that—but Gabriel's expression remained unreadable as ever.
'This one… he's different,' Martin thought with a neutral expression, his eyes twinkling with dark excitement.
---
Some time later, after making the deal, Gabriel and the couple left the guild. As soon as they were out of earshot, a whisper spread through the guild hall.
"Another one," a burly man shook his head. "Well, he'll be gone sooner or later with a weak body like that."
"He should've used that registration fee to buy a sumptuous meal instead," another commented. And with a dry chuckle, he added, "At least he wouldn't be hungry in the afterlife."
---
Gabriel followed the couple to the car park of the Adventurer's Guild, which was located several feet underground, beneath the monstrous structure.
Their short journey came to a halt in front of a luxurious grey Kesla Truck, reinforced with the hides and body parts of a Muttaed Beast. Of course, the manufacturers had expertly integrated the materials into the design, ensuring the vehicle looked no different from any standard automobile.
'Ah, no wonder the newbie players easily fall victim,' Gabriel thought, staring at the car, which cost approximately $500,000–$600,000.
However, despite the cost, he wasn't impressed or shocked. After all, he knew that these two characters came from wealthy, powerful backgrounds.
'Many of the new players have never even entered a car as luxurious as this in real life. It makes sense for them to be easily charmed by these two.'
Some time later, they entered the car. The engine roared to life. The sound might've seemed like noise to some, but for car enthusiasts, it was heavenly.
As they drove through Stellar, Gabriel's gaze flickered over the cityscape, taking in the neon-lit skyscrapers, floating billboards, and the sea of pedestrians that moved like clockwork.
Stellar City was one of the ten walled cities of the Valerian Kingdom, also known as one of the starting areas for players who selected the human race in the game Realm of Ascendency.
In Gabriel's previous life, he hadn't spawned in the capital city. Like all newbie players, he had spawned in the beginner villages, where everyone was required to reach level 10 before leaving.
This time, however, he spawned in a mega city—not just any city, but the capital, where the major characters resided. Though the game hadn't launched yet, spawning in Stellar City automatically gave him an edge over the others.
The beginner villages were filled with restrictions. These limitations ranged from quests, skills, and even the types of weak monsters one could encounter.
'The first round of beta testers will log in some months from now, before the game becomes available to the general public,' he mused.
His main objective now was to increase his level and strength by utilizing his talents as much as possible.
'After that, I'll head to the newbie village… there's something I need to fix there. I just hope the normal level restrictions that apply to other players will be ineffective against me now that I'm a character in the game.'
Gabriel took all of this in with a detached gaze.
"You seem quiet," Martin commented from the front seat, glancing at Gabriel through the rearview mirror. "Excited for your first hunt?"
Gabriel didn't reply, only giving a small nod.
Next to Martin, Gina scoffed. "He's probably too scared to speak."
Gabriel shifted slightly, turning his gaze toward her. His blue eyes reflected nothing—no fear, no anxiety, just cold calculation.
"I'll survive," he said simply. His expression showed he had lost all interest in the conversation.
His lack of reaction seemed to irritate her further, but Martin only chuckled. "That's the spirit," he said, his tone light, though Gabriel could sense the predatory undertone beneath it.
The car veered onto a restricted road leading toward one of the Exit Gates. Unlike the well-lit, bustling inner city, this area was darker, filled with fewer buildings and more automated checkpoints. Here, only registered adventurers could pass.
As they approached the massive steel gate, Gabriel leaned forward slightly, catching a glimpse of the towering walls up close. Engraved with defensive enchantments and reinforced with the strongest alloy available, these barriers were all that separated the city from the ravenous beasts.
A low rumble echoed as the gate mechanisms activated, shifting and unlocking with a series of heavy metallic clicks. The guards stationed at the outpost gave Martin and Gina a casual nod before allowing them through.
"You might not know this since it's your first time, so let me enlighten you," Martin said as they parked beside several more cars that seemed to belong to other adventurers.
The trio stepped out of the car and started moving away from the wall.
It wasn't actually Gabriel's first time, but he decided to listen anyway.
"There are three zones out here in the wild. We are currently in the safe zone, and it'll be a few miles before we start encountering monsters. Following the safe zone is the green zone, which is about a mile long from the city walls. Here, it's highly unlikely we'll encounter monsters.
"Past the green zone, we have the red zones, also known as the Lost Lands. That's where we'll hunt the monsters."
---
Some time later, immediately after crossing the green zone, the group encountered their first beasts.
It was a group of mutated bees, each the size of a two-month-old baby. Their bodies, once golden, were now covered in obsidian black chitin, with pulsing golden veins along their thoraxes.
"Stay back. We'll handle this!" Martin smiled as a spear appeared in his grasp. Meanwhile, a pair of daggers appeared in Gina's hands, their cold blades catching the light of the sun. The two began to step forward.
When they got within ten meters, the bees' antennae twitched. Those golden eyes settled on the approaching enemies—and with a burst of speed, they lunged forward.
Martin charged and thrust his spear forward, effortlessly piercing the underbelly of one bee. He didn't waste time; he shook the bee off his spear and attacked another. Gina also cut down two bees that tried to flank her.
Gabriel's eyes gleamed as he observed them. The couple's battle style was well-synchronized, and they seemed to cover for each other perfectly. It was easy to tell that they had been hunting together for a long time.
While the two were engrossed in fighting off the group of bees, Gabriel began to approach the corpse of one. As soon as he was within arm's length, the system chimed, and a translucent screen flickered to life before him.
[Ding! Would you like to extract the target – Lv2 Mutated Voidsting Bee?| Cost: 2 EP]