Kian's heart raced as the line grew shorter and shorter, the moment when he would be the next to enter the large vehicle in front of him getting closer and closer.
His hands trembling, he gripped the metal handle of the dagger stuck in his leg.
His eyes swept the place, a garage with huge armored trucks while a large building stood out to the side.
Thousands of Awakened lined up in front of each vehicle, all wearing armor and carrying various types of weapons.
In contrast to everyone else, Kian was wearing only jeans, a shirt, and a simple jacket.
Ignoring the looks and laughter they gave him, he just waited his turn.
Calm down, Kian. It'll be okay. They won't notice.
"Next," the inspector shouted, and Kian quickly stepped forward.
Adjusting the strap of his bag, Kian quickly handed over his identity as a Rank D Awakened.
Looking away, Kian stared at the truck ahead, his knuckles white as he gripped the hilt of his dagger.
"You can go through," the man said as he handed back his ID and typed something on his tablet.
Expressionless, Kian climbed into the truck, his fingers slowly loosening.
His gaze soon swept over the awakened people until he found an empty chair in the back.
As soon as he sat down, his shoulders relaxed as a sigh escaped.
Hell, it actually worked!
Smiling, he looked at his fake ID, his black eyes reflecting the photo of a young man with disheveled black hair.
Naturally, as an irregular awakened, Kian had no way to go to the Awakened Regulation Agency, the ARA, to officially register.
This is because he would have to explain how he awakened, that is, how he obtained the System in the first place.
Which was certainly not by legal means.
So he had to turn once again to Red Butterfly, the black market that helped irregular awakened people like himself.
And it was also through her that he was not only able to order a fake ID, but also reserve a place in the vehicle.
A small necessary evil.
From the corner of his eye, Kian spotted a small group of awakened people laughing as they pointed at him.
What's wrong with these people? Are they looking for a fight?
Raising an eyebrow, Kian just cowered in the corner, calling up the status interface.
───────────────────────────
STATUS
───────────────────────────
HP: [260] / [260]
Stamina:[180] / [180]
Focus: [100] / [100]
Class: [Soul Devourer]
Level: [01]
Exp: [00] / [100]
STR (Strength): [7] + [5]
AGI (Agility): [5] + [3]
RES (Resistance): [6] + [0]
MND (Mente): [4] + [0]
Total Points: [22] + [8] = [30]
Class Skills:
- [Soul Eater]
Common Skills:
- [ ]
───────────────────────────
Kian's smile widened, satisfaction welling up from within at the interface.
But seriously, is this really that powerful?
With that question in mind, he opened his only skill again as he felt the truck begin to move.
───────────────────────────
[Soul Eater]
───────────────────────────
When someone is killed nearby, it randomly steals 0.5% of their total stats. This gain is permanent and cumulative.
Increased chance of obtaining a skill.
───────────────────────────
0.5% is humiliatingly low.
Seeing that it allowed him to steal attributes, he initially thought it might be a Legendary class.
But now he wasn't so sure anymore.
It should be something like Epic. I heard the thief classes are at least Rare.
Of course, all the classes I had heard of were generally temporary robberies.
But mine says it's permanent, that's something rare right?
There was only one case of someone with a permanent skill stealing class, and it was defined as a Legendary class.
Of course, if he wanted to officially rank his class, he'd have to go to the ARA. Which wasn't a good idea.
This was apart from the fact that you would have to allow your full status to be displayed.
In other words, there was no way to know for sure how good your class was.
Well, I suppose if I hunt a lot of Xerid, I should get some points in the end.
Yes, everything would be fine as long as he killed a lot of Xerid. After all, it was cumulative, right?
***
"This place is much smaller than I imagined," Kian muttered, looking out the inn's window.
As far as he knew, the place was known as Safe Harbor.
The place was like a small fortress. In the center was a large, fortified garage that housed the traveling vehicles.
Around the garage, there were small establishments such as restaurants, hospitals, inns, equipment stores, etc.
"I suppose that's my destination." Kian's eyes wandered to the wall, observing the large gate where vehicles and awakened crossed out.
18 years ago, the Xerid invaded and conquered about 70% of the Earth, spreading throughout that space.
The rest was reserved for humans, who united and formed the country that is known today as the Republic.
"I can finally fight." Kian smiled, touching the back of his neck.
It was during this war that the System was developed, allowing many people to awaken and fight against the Xerid through classes, skills, and levels.
But despite the efforts of the awakened to reclaim the land, it did not change the fact that humans inhabited a small space surrounded by a great wall.
With the exception of the small Safe Harbor in the middle of the Wild Zones, from where the awakened ones went out to hunt.
"It took a good few hours of travel to get here," he muttered as he closed the curtain.
Currently, he was in a Safe Harbor right in the middle of Zone A.
"According to what many say, it shouldn't be too dangerous. It should be a beginner's zone."
Dropping his bag on the bed, he checked his only equipment:
───────────────────────────
[Chitin Dagger]
───────────────────────────
Attribute Bonuses:
+STR [5]
+AGI [3]
Durability: [100] / [100]
───────────────────────────
"Damn, I hope this is worth the expense." Frowning, he examined his simple dagger.
Oh, I really wish I had bought a sword, or a pistol…
Unfortunately, it was all he could buy with the borrowed money left over after paying for the fake ID and parking space in the vehicle.
"Well, it will do its job," he murmured as he fastened it around his waist.
As soon as he grabbed the dagger, his strength increased, his body willingly accepting the attribute bonus.
I really must avoid losing this.
Not only because it was expensive, but also because the bonus that the equipment provided was only possible upon contact.
"Well, that's all then. Time to go." There was nothing more to prepare, his gun was all he would take.
His bag contained only daily necessities for the duration of his stay, as he had heard that everything was more expensive here.
And I don't plan on staying for long either.
As soon as he touched the door handle, his cell phone vibrated while music echoed.
"..."
On the screen the name 'Adrian' was read while the cell phone rang.
Sigh, didn't you see my post-it? It's only 3 days, I'll be back soon okay?
Ignoring the call, Kian silenced the phone before leaving the room.
***
Walking slowly towards the gate of Safe Haven, Kian held the hilt of his dagger with a hardened face.
"Good hunting, kid," he heard someone say, catching his attention.
These guys?
Leaning against the wall next to the gate was the same group that had laughed at him in the truck during the trip.
Smiling, one of them nudged his friend as he looked at Kian,
"Go on, kid. Show them someone here has guts," he said, provoking a wave of laughter among his classmates.
What the hell is wrong with these guys, huh?
Feeling a vein pop in his forehead, Kian ignored it as he walked forward, memorizing the group's faces.
"Just wait and see, you idiots," he muttered, walking through the gate.
What awaited him outside was nothing like he would have imagined it would be like in the Wilds.
A great city in ruins was the best way to describe the scene amidst the cloudy sky, the sun hidden by the clouds.
Tall, cracked skyscrapers dominated the skyline. Vegetation grew through the windows; some buildings even had entire floors missing.
The asphalt was cracked and scattered with loose pieces. Debris was scattered everywhere.
Old cars were abandoned, now serving as a home for rust and vines.
Some of them were even missing parts, like tires and engines. Others had strange scratches and dents.
Wandering alone down the street, a melancholy suddenly struck Kian.
There was no sound at all. No distant sound of vehicle, animal, or anything whatsoever.
"This is kind of depressing," he muttered, looking at the empty buildings.
The city was dead.
Not a single sign of life existed now, only ruins remained to say that there had once been a civilization here.
Passing through the shattered glass door, he entered a large building, scanning his surroundings.
Was it a supermarket?
The thought occurred to him, looking at the various empty shelves, the overturned cash registers.
Signs offering offers and discounts were scattered on the floor or still half-hanging from the ceiling.
I wonder if it's possible to find anything of value around here.
He had heard of some cases where awakened people found jewelry and trinkets lying around.
These things tend to sell for more because they were made before the invasion…
But it didn't look like he would find anything here.
Looking into an empty freezer, Kian sighed as he looked around.
"Well, it looks like there won't be anything around here," he complained as something passed by the corner of his eye.
Uh?
Frowning, Kian stared at the ice cream freezer for a few moments.
Am I imagining things?
Drawing his dagger, he slowly walked around the freezer as he approached.
And there, huddled in the corner, was a large, four-legged creature, covered in gray plates.
Its jaw was serrated and long, earless, and it had four dull red eyes, all turned towards him.
As soon as Kian spotted it, the creature leaped forward.
"!?!" he clearly saw it approaching and tried to dodge, but it was too late.
The Xerid lunged for his arm and threw him to the ground, a strong smell hitting him.
"Son of a—" Without thinking, Kian swung his dagger, feeling it pierce as a grunt echoed.
Then the creature raised its head, and Kian felt his body weightless for a moment before falling.
Colliding with something hard, his vision blurred for a moment and a bark sounded again.
The Xerid lifted him off the ground again, before shaking his head and throwing Kian.
His body rolled across the floor until it hit a freezer.
[HP: 213/260]
"Hell…" Kian groaned, watching the beast with one of his eyes bleeding.