The next day, Kian was in a kind of shop in Safe Harbor, staring anxiously at the middle-aged man at the counter.
The man, whose badge read Jun Park, lazily typed on the computer with one hand while propping his face on the other.
"S-so?" Kian asked, his fists clenched, knuckles white.
Jun Park had typical Korean features like dark eyes and hair, though rumpled.
He wore a loose, unbuttoned blue vest, crowded with fabric, bearing a print of a circle broken into four parts.
With a hunched posture, the small gray strands and faint wrinkles behind his eyes spoke of his age.
"Ah, yes, of course," he said, adjusting his glasses with a yawn:
"Thirty credits."
"Huh?" A stupid groan slipped from Kian as he stared at the man in confusion. "For everything? Including the rest of the corpse?"
"Exactly. That's what I meant."
What kind of nonsense is this? I'm being robbed, right?
Mouth agape, Kian was at a loss for words as he stared at the man. Nothing could have prepared him for what he'd just heard.
Gritting his teeth, he shot an irritated look at the indifferent clerk rubbing his eyes.
"There are places that would buy the Xerid core for at least forty credits," Kian pressed.
"Then sell it there. Have a good afternoon."
With that, Jun Park lowered his head, burying his face in his arms.
This guy—he's serious?
With a disbelieving look, Kian was sure the man was provoking him.
He could spot someone asking for a beating when he saw one. And this clerk was practically begging for it, in Kian's opinion.
"Is this some kind of joke?" Kian asked, a vein bulging in his forehead.
"Thirty credits. If you don't want it, leave," Jun Park replied without even lifting his face.
Blood boiling, Kian silently pulled out his phone and tapped it against a small white cube on the counter beside the computer.
A beep sounded from the cube, and a notification popped up on his phone saying thirty credits had been deposited, alongside multiple messages and missed calls.
"Thank you for your hard work. Have a good afternoon," Jun Park said, his face still buried on the desk.
Damn it, this is humiliating.
With trembling lips and a sour expression, Kian made his way out of the shop before things got bloody.
Thirty credits. That was all the Xerid that nearly killed him was worth.
The low price was expected since it was just a level 1 beast. But it was still far below what the ARA website described.
But nothing could be done. This was the only building that handled this kind of trade.
What are a measly thirty credits against my debt?
8,700 credits was what Kian owed. Expenses included his dagger, fake ID, and his passage to Zone A.
If things kept on like this, he'd have to stay much longer than three days just to make his 600-credit trip worth it.
Damn.
With a dark expression, Kian's steps were heavy as he walked out through the gate.
***
"Hell, what do I do?" Kian muttered, sitting on the street as he cast a look into the darkness of the underground parking garage.
No money, no power, no experience, no team.
Kian suddenly couldn't see a way out of this even as an Awakened.
The Xerid were much stronger than he'd expected. If he got too reckless or made one wrong move, that would be it.
How could he kill a Xerid quickly and easily?
"There must be at least fifty in there," he sighed, picking up the broom handle at his side.
There was a Node in there.
Small, but still a site that housed a Xerid incubator and provided a hive-mind effect.
What one saw, all saw. What one learned, all learned.
And there were fifty of the same chitin wolves he'd struggled to kill guarding that thing, all sharing the same mind.
"If I could lure them out one at a time…" His mind spun as he tied his dagger to the end of the broom handle.
The Node's effect had limited range and, being small, Kian suspected it was confined to inside the garage.
So as long as he could lure one out, he could try to ambush it and level safely.
"Sigh, what a headache." Gripping the cord tightly, he tugged the dagger at the tip, making sure it was firmly tied.
It's riskier, but it's better than wandering aimlessly through the city hoping to bump into a stray Xerid.
With a debt and a time limit hanging over his head, Kian needed to move fast.
Which might mean taking a few risks.
"No pain, no gain. I just hope losing the attribute bonus won't be a big hit."
Standing up, Kian did a quick stretch while checking his status.
───────────────────────────
STR (Strength): [7] + [0]
AGI (Agility): [5] + [0]
RES (Resilience): [6] + [0]
MND (Mind): [4,22] + [0]
Total Points: [22,22] + [0]
───────────────────────────
Since Kian was no longer in contact with his equipment—his dagger now tied to the end of the broom handle—he'd lost its bonus.
"Well, the reach and predictability should make up for it. Worst case, I just grab the dagger again."
With his improvised spear resting on his shoulder, he eyed the monsters' nest with a small plan in mind.
Opening the backpack he'd brought this time, he took out a small packet and pulled a small piece of meat from inside.
Tossing it at the bottom of the ramp, he watched with a heavy heart as he backed away.
"This better be worth it," he grumbled, eyeing the meat he'd bought in Safe Harbor.
Soon, a chitin wolf identical to the one he'd faced emerged from the darkness within, sniffing the bait before eating it.
Ah, my eight credits…
Keeping a few meters' distance, Kian lamented as he threw another piece of meat, this time to the mouth of the ramp.
Hiding behind an abandoned car across the street, Kian lobbed another piece farther, landing it in the middle of the road.
Slowly, the Xerid followed the little trail of the oldest trick in the book.
That's it, come closer, puppy.
Leaving his backpack open on the ground, Kian edged away as the wolf approached, drawn by the scent.
With the spear leveled at the backpack, Kian held his breath and didn't move a muscle, waiting.
The moment he sighted the Xerid, Kian struck, driving the spear for its eye.
The beast snapped aside, the blade scraping the chitin plate on its brow without dealing damage.
"Damn it." With a grimace, Kian leapt just in time as the Xerid grazed his arm.
Spinning his spear, Kian stabbed again, missing as the wolf lunged with jaws wide.
I'm definitely slower.
Doubt nagging him, the Xerid's claws raked his arm as Kian barely slipped away.
Twisting his body, Kian struck again, extending the spear as far as he could.
The blade cut the air and slid into the Xerid's throat just as it charged with its muzzle open.
The impact drove the spear's shaft into Kian's chest, the weight making him stumble and fall.
[HP: 235/260]
Air burst from his lungs as the spear shaft reared up, pressing into his abdomen.
More than half the shaft had disappeared into the wolf's throat, suspending it in the air with blood dripping down.
Clenching his teeth, a metallic taste hit Kian as blood ran down his face.
H-hell.
Struggling to breathe, Kian failed under the pressure on his chest, lacking the strength to bear the wolf's weight.
Unable to hold it, the spear toppled to the side as the wolf crashed to the ground.
"Cough, cough." Gagging for air, Kian pushed himself up as he watched the Xerid thrash with the spear jammed in its throat.
Grabbing the shaft, Kian wrenched his weapon as he kicked the wolf in the face, a howl echoing.
The beast writhed, growling and vomiting blood as Kian brought the dagger closer.
Fingers on the hilt, the attribute bonus kicked in, giving him strength.
Stabbing for the eye again, he released the dagger at the last instant, shoving by the handle as it struck home.
Ripping free his improvised spear, he snatched the dagger and struck again.
The wolf failed to pull back, Kian's reach extending to slice its unarmored neck.
Man, I should've thought of this earlier.
Ripping with a spray of blood, Kian powered up again with the bonus and pressed the attack.
With the bonus active, he's only a little faster than me.
Then the wolf lunged as Kian was drawing back his improvised spear.
Clutching the dagger, Kian barely slipped past it, ending up with his back to the car.
The Xerid charged blindly and slammed into the vehicle with a dull thud.
"Predictable idiot," Kian laughed, his spear tearing the wolf's eye again.
Keeping up his barrage, Kian repeatedly exploited its predictability and his extended reach.
Soon the Xerid's movements slowed; Kian stepped on its chest and knocked it to the floor.
Raising his weapon, he struck ruthlessly, hitting eyes, throat, and belly just as Cassian had told him.
At last the beast went still, motionless on the ground.
Kian backed off, panting and sweating as he looked at the dead Xerid, the scratches on his arm beginning to sting.
Then a familiar invisible pulse washed through him as a string of notifications chimed.
[+50 EXP]
[Level up 1 > 2]
[+2 STR, +2 AGI, +1 RES]
[Devourer of Souls activated: +0,22 RES]
[Devourer of Souls activated: skill {Vibration Sensor I} acquired]
"Seriously, why did I suffer so much in my first fight against this guy?" Laughing, Kian admired his improved status.
───────────────────────────
STATUS
───────────────────────────
HP: [235] / [302,7]
Stamina: [94] / [210,5]
Focus: [104,4] / [104,4]
Class: [Soul Devourer]
Level: [02]
EXP: [0] / [400]
STR (Strength): [9] + [5]
AGI (Agility): [7] + [3]
RES (Resilience): [7,22] + [0]
MND (Mind): [4,22] + [0]
Total Points: [27,44] + [8] = [35,44]
Class Skills:
[Soul Eater]
Common Skills:
[Vibration Sensor I]
───────────────────────────
"I guess it's time for a little grind." Smiling, he turned back toward the garage ramp.