Ah You woke up at noon, body screaming in protest.
Every muscle ached. His head throbbed. Even his bones felt tired. Fighting two matches in one day, especially that insane battle against Jason, had pushed his body past its limits.
[HP: 140/140 - Fully Recovered]
[MP: 65/75 - Regeneration Complete]
[Status Effect: Physical Exhaustion - All physical stats reduced by 10% for 6 hours]
[Recommendation: Rest and recovery. Light activity only.]
He dragged himself to the bathroom, splashed cold water on his face, and stared at the stranger in the mirror.
The same face. Same mixed-blood features that had made him an outsider his whole life. Same cheap haircut he gave himself with kitchen scissors.
But the eyes were different. Harder. More alert.
Two weeks ago, he'd been invisible. A nobody washing dishes and taking abuse for 1,200 ringgit a month.
Now he was a Level 6 esper with Arena sponsorship, business consulting contracts, and powerful enemies.
His phone had 23 missed calls and 47 text messages.
Most were from numbers he didn't recognize – fighters wanting to train with him, people offering sponsorship deals, reporters asking for interviews about "the plant boy who beat Jason Tan."
Three messages mattered:
Linda: Don't talk to any media. Don't accept any offers without consulting me first. The consortium meeting is Thursday.
Zara: Training postponed until you're recovered. But when you're ready, we're going HARD. Level 6 opens up new possibilities. Get excited.
Unknown (M.C.): 2 PM. Carpenter Street. Don't be late. This opportunity won't come twice.
Ah You checked the time: 12:17 PM.
Less than two hours until the meeting with Melissa.
He made instant coffee and reviewed his system interface while eating leftover rice:
[SARAWAK ESPER SYSTEM]
[HOST: Li Ah You]
[LEVEL: 6 (124/1800 EXP to Level 7)]
[BLOODLINE: Rainforest Guardian (108th Generation)]
[HP: 140/140]
[MP: 65/75]
[ATTRIBUTES:]
- Strength: 12 (+3)
- Agility: 11 (+3)
- Intelligence: 18 (+5)
- Perception: 22 (+5)
[ABILITIES:]
- Nature Sense LV2
- Basic Combat Awareness LV1
- Nature's Resilience (Passive) *NEW*
[TITLES:]
- Natural Merchant
- Discerning Eye
- Arena Survivor
- Giant Slayer
- Underdog King (NEW)
[ESPER POINTS: 210]
His stats had jumped significantly. Intelligence and Perception were now his strongest attributes – made sense for a sensing-type ability. But Strength and Agility had grown too, probably from all the combat training.
He clicked on the new passive ability:
[NATURE'S RESILIENCE (PASSIVE)]
[Description: Your connection to plant life has deepened. When in contact with living plants, your HP regenerates 50% faster. Minor wounds heal within hours instead of days.]
[Additional Effect: Poison and toxin resistance increased by 20%]
Useful. Very useful. Especially if he kept getting into fights.
The system shop had new items available now that he was Level 6:
[SHOP - AVAILABLE ITEMS]
[Nature's Wrath (Active Skill) - 500 Esper Points]
[Description: Channel plant life energy into offensive attacks. Create thorned projectiles, acidic sap sprays, or explosive seed pods. High MP cost.]
[Advanced Nature Sense (Upgrade) - 400 Esper Points]
[Description: Upgrade Nature Sense to LV3. Range increases to 30 meters. Can now sense animal life and their conditions. Improved detail on plant properties.]
[Root Network (Passive Skill) - 300 Esper Points]
[Description: Establish mental connection to plants in a wide area. Sense disturbances, threats, and changes through plant root networks. Basically plant-based radar.]
All expensive. He had 210 points – enough for Root Network but not the others.
Should he buy now or save for something better?
His phone buzzed. Linda calling.
"You're awake. Good." Her voice was clipped, business-mode. "Before you meet Melissa, you need to understand what you're walking into."
"I thought you didn't want me taking meetings without you."
"I don't. But Melissa specifically requested you come alone, and refusing her is... unwise." Linda paused. "She operates in circles we're not fully connected to yet. Underground economy, black market resources, connections that span Southeast Asia. If she's interested in you, it's because she sees profit potential."
"Should I be worried?"
"Always. But also intrigued. Melissa can open doors we can't access through legitimate channels. Rare plants, exotic ingredients, things that command insane prices among certain clientele."
"Espers."
"Espers, traditional medicine practitioners, pharmaceutical companies doing 'research,' wealthy collectors. There's a whole economy built around rare natural resources that most people don't even know exists." Linda's tone shifted. "But Ah You – be careful. These aren't restaurant suppliers. These are people who've killed over a particularly valuable ginseng root. The stakes are different."
"Then why are you okay with me meeting her?"
"Because you need to see this world to understand what we're building. The consortium isn't just about restaurants. It's about positioning ourselves in multiple markets, legitimate and otherwise. You're our key to the 'otherwise' part."
After she hung up, Ah You sat quietly, coffee growing cold.
He could still back out. Meet Melissa, politely decline whatever she offered, stick to the restaurant consulting and Arena fighting.
Stay in the shallow end.
But the shallow end hadn't gotten him anywhere in nineteen years. The deep water was dangerous, but at least it was moving forward.
He finished his coffee, got dressed in decent clothes, and headed out.
---
Carpenter Street was one of the oldest areas in Kuching.
Narrow roads built in the colonial era, shophouses with faded paint, businesses that had operated for generations. During the day, it was a mix of hardware stores, traditional medicine shops, and small eateries.
The address Melissa had sent was a traditional Chinese medicine shop called "Lin Herbal Remedies."
Ah You entered through a door that had probably been there since the 1950s.
Inside smelled like a thousand different herbs – earthy, medicinal, some pleasant and some astringent. Wooden drawers lined the walls from floor to ceiling, each labeled in Chinese characters. Glass jars contained dried roots, fungi, mysterious powders.
An old woman sat behind the counter, reading a Chinese newspaper through thick glasses. She looked up as Ah You entered.
"Li Ah You?" she asked in Mandarin.
"Yes."
"Upstairs. Second floor. She's waiting."
A narrow staircase at the back led up. The second floor was nothing like the traditional shop below.
Modern. Clean. Temperature-controlled. Shelves held specimens in sealed containers – plants Ah You had never seen before, roots the size of his arm, fungi that glowed faintly.
Melissa sat at a sleek desk, examining something under a magnifying lamp. She looked up as he entered.
"Punctual. I like that." She gestured to a chair. "Sit. We have much to discuss."
Ah You sat, his Nature Sense automatically scanning the room.
The specimens around them were incredible. Rare, valuable, some radiating energy signatures he could barely comprehend. These weren't normal plants.
"You're sensing them," Melissa observed. "The special ones."
"What are they?"
"Spirit herbs. Awakened plants. Natural treasures that have absorbed ambient esper energy over decades or centuries and developed unique properties." She picked up a sealed jar containing what looked like a small purple flower. "This is a Void Orchid. Grows in caves where ley lines intersect. Enhances mental clarity and increases MP regeneration by 30% for six hours. Worth approximately 200,000 ringgit to the right buyer."
Ah You's eyes widened. "For one flower?"
"For one flower that took eighty years to grow and can only be harvested during a three-day window once per year." Melissa set it down carefully. "This is the world I operate in. Not restaurants. Not food ingredients. Power. Enhancement. Resources that can make the difference between an esper reaching their potential or stagnating forever."
She pulled up a tablet and showed him images – plants growing in impossible locations, roots that seemed to pulse with energy, fruits that literally glowed.
"There are ecosystems hidden throughout Borneo that normal people can't access. Too remote, too dangerous, guarded by awakened beasts or environmental hazards. But they contain treasures that could make us both very, very wealthy."
"Why me?" Ah You asked. "You're clearly established. You have connections. What do you need from a Level 6 rookie?"
"Because I'm a dealer, not a harvester. I can identify valuable resources and connect buyers with sellers. But I can't safely extract rare plants from dangerous environments. Most harvesters are brute force types – they tear the plant out, damage it, reduce its potency by 50%. Or they miss the best specimens entirely because they can't sense quality."
She leaned forward. "You can. Your Nature Sense is more sophisticated than any harvester I've worked with. And you're a Nature-type – plants respond to you. You could extract delicate specimens without damage. Identify the perfect harvest window. Maybe even cultivate them."
"You want me to go into the rainforest and steal rare plants."
"I want you to harvest renewable resources from unclaimed wilderness areas and be compensated extremely well for your expertise." Melissa smiled. "Semantics matter."
[QUEST AVAILABLE: Into the Deep Green]
[Description: Enter the world of spirit herb harvesting. High risk, high reward.]
[Warning: This quest involves illegal harvesting in protected areas, dealing with dangerous entities, and operating outside normal legal frameworks.]
[Accept? Y/N]
Ah You didn't accept immediately. "What's the catch? Besides the obvious illegal parts."
"Several catches. First, the locations where spirit herbs grow are dangerous. Awakened beasts guard their territories fiercely. Environmental hazards – toxic gases, unstable terrain, extreme conditions. You'd need to be at least Level 10 before I'd send you anywhere truly valuable."
"I'm Level 6."
"Which is why I'm proposing a partnership, not immediate field work. I have contacts who can provide growth resources – pills, elixirs, training methods that accelerate esper development. You use them to reach Level 10 within six months. In exchange, you commit to three harvesting expeditions for me."
"What kind of growth resources?"
Melissa pulled out a small wooden box and opened it. Inside were three pills, each the size of a marble, dark green with gold flecks.
"Foundation Strengthening Pills. Made from spirit herbs, monster cores, and rare minerals. One pill provides the equivalent EXP of defeating a Level 8 opponent. Take all three and you'd jump to Level 7, maybe Level 8."
Ah You's heart raced. That was... that was insane. Instant power.
"What's the real cost?" he asked carefully.
"The pills themselves are worth 50,000 ringgit each. I'm offering them as an advance against future earnings. Complete the three expeditions successfully and we're even. Fail or refuse, and you owe me 150,000 ringgit plus interest."
"That's indentured servitude."
"That's investment with clear terms." Melissa closed the box. "I'm taking a risk on you. These pills could go to established harvesters who'd pay cash upfront. But you have rare potential. I'm betting you'll be worth more long-term."
She pulled out a contract, already printed.
"Think it over. You don't have to decide today. But understand – opportunities like this don't wait forever. Other dealrs will notice your abilities soon. Some will make similar offers. Some will try to force you into worse arrangements."
"Is that a threat?"
"It's the reality of the underground economy. You're a valuable resource now. How you get used is up to you." Melissa stood. "Take the contract. Read it carefully. Consult with Linda if you want – she's smart enough to understand the real terms. You have one week to decide."
She handed him the contract and the box of pills.
"One more thing," Melissa said as Ah You stood to leave. "The Ong family is making inquiries about you. Specifically about your abilities, your background, your connections. They're building a profile."
"Let them. They already hate me."
"They don't just hate you. They're planning something. I don't know what, but when old esper families start digging into someone's history, it's rarely for friendly reasons." She met his eyes. "Watch your back. And your grandmother."
Ah You froze. "What about my grandmother?"
"She lives in a small kampung three hours from here. Alone. Elderly. Vulnerable." Melissa's expression was neutral. "I'm not threatening her. But I'm aware of her existence, which means others are too. The Ong family plays dirty when they want revenge."
Cold fury flooded through Ah You. "If they touch her—"
"They won't. Probably. Attacking non-combatant family members is frowned upon in esper society. But accidents happen. Houses catch fire. Medical care gets delayed. You understand."
She was right. The Ong family couldn't come at him directly anymore – he'd proven he could fight. But Ah Ma was defenseless.
"What do I do?"
"Protect her. Move her somewhere safer. Hire security if you can afford it. Or..." Melissa paused. "Get strong enough, rich enough, and connected enough that threatening her becomes more trouble than it's worth."
Another reason to accept the contract. The pills would make him stronger, fast. The money from expeditions could hire protection for Ah Ma.
But the cost...
"I'll think about it," Ah You said, taking the contract and pills.
"One week. After that, I take my resources elsewhere." Melissa returned to her desk. "Oh, and Ah You? The Arena fight last night was impressive. But the real tests happen outside those cages, in places where there are no referees and no rules. Remember that."
Ah You left, head spinning.
---
He didn't go straight home.
Instead, he found himself at a kopitiam near the waterfront, ordering cheap coffee and sitting alone, trying to process everything.
The contract was twelve pages of dense legalese. But the core terms were clear:
- Melissa provides 3 Foundation Strengthening Pills (150,000 ringgit value)
- Ah You completes 3 spirit herb harvesting expeditions within 18 months
- Each expedition: minimum 100,000 ringgit worth of harvested materials
- Failure to complete: full debt repayment plus 20% annual interest
- Success: debt cleared, option for ongoing partnership at negotiated rates
There were clauses about confidentiality, non-compete agreements, liability waivers for injuries or death during expeditions.
It was a real contract. Legal, binding, enforceable.
And it would make him powerful, fast.
But it would also lock him into a criminal enterprise. No matter how Melissa framed it, harvesting protected plants from national parks and selling them on the black market was illegal.
His phone rang. Linda.
"Where are you?"
"Kopitiam near the old courthouse. Thinking."
"Stay there. I'm five minutes away."
She arrived in four, sliding into the seat across from him, eyes immediately going to the wooden box and contract on the table.
"She offered you the pills."
"You knew she would?"
"I suspected. Melissa doesn't do anything without calculating return on investment. She sees you as a high-potential asset." Linda picked up the contract, scanning it quickly. "These terms are actually fair by underground economy standards. I've seen worse."
"Is that supposed to be reassuring?"
"It's supposed to be honest." Linda set down the contract. "The question isn't whether the deal is fair. It's whether you want to go down this path."
"Do I have a choice? She basically told me the Ong family might go after Ah Ma."
"They might. Or Melissa might be creating urgency to pressure you into accepting." Linda sipped his coffee without asking. "Everything in this world is leverage and manipulation. You need to decide what risks you're willing to take for what rewards."
Ah You looked at the pills. Three small objects that could change everything.
"What would you do?"
"Me? I'd negotiate for four pills instead of three, reduce the expedition requirement to two, and demand 25% of profits on materials I harvest that exceed the minimum quota." Linda smiled slightly. "But I'm a hardass businesswoman. You're a nineteen-year-old who was washing dishes two weeks ago. Different risk tolerances."
She stood up. "Whatever you decide, decide for yourself. Not because you're scared, not because someone pressured you. This is your life, your power, your future. Own the choice."
She left money for the coffee and walked away.
Ah You sat alone, staring at the pills.
[Decision Point: Accept Melissa's Contract?]
[Option A: Accept - Gain immediate power, enter underground economy, risk legal consequences]
[Option B: Decline - Maintain current path, slower growth, fewer immediate resources]
[Option C: Negotiate - Attempt to modify terms, uncertain outcome]
He thought about Ah Ma. About the Ong family's implied threats. About being powerless his entire life and finally having a chance to be strong.
About the cost of that strength.
His phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number:
Your grandmother is safe. For now. But safety is expensive. Make the right choices. - A Friend
Someone was watching Ah Ma. Right now.
Ah You's hands clenched around the coffee cup.
He opened the wooden box and looked at the three pills.
Power. Fast power. The kind that could protect the people he loved and make enemies think twice.
But also chains. Obligations. A descent into a world where "accidents happen" and people killed over plants.
He made his decision.
Ah You pulled out his phone and texted Melissa:
I want to negotiate. Four pills, two expeditions, 30% profit share on excess materials. Also, security detail for my grandmother during the contract period. Non-negotiable.
The response came thirty seconds later:
Interesting. You've got spine. Come back tomorrow, 2 PM. We'll discuss. - M.C.
Not a yes. Not a no. An opening.
Ah You pocketed the contract and pills, left the kopitiam, and headed home.
He had one day to prepare for negotiations with a woman who traded in illegal resources and had probably killed people over business deals.
No pressure.
---
That night, Ah You couldn't sleep.
He lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking about choices and consequences.
The system chimed softly:
[SPECIAL EVENT TRIGGERED]
[Your actions have drawn the attention of multiple factions. The next phase of your journey begins.]
[New Feature Unlocked: Faction Standing]
A new interface appeared:
[FACTION STANDINGS]
[Arena (Independent): Friendly - Sponsored Fighter, Rising Star]
[Linda's Consortium: Allied - Key Member, Trusted Associate]
[Ong Family: Hostile - Active Enemy, Seeking Revenge]
[Melissa's Network: Neutral - Potential Partner, Under Evaluation]
[Unknown Watchers: ??? - Monitoring Your Progress]
Unknown Watchers. That was ominous.
His phone buzzed. 2:47 AM. Who the hell was texting at this hour?
Unknown number:
You've been noticed. By us. By others. There's a tournament coming. Invitation-only. High stakes. Life-changing prizes. You're on the watch list. Prove yourself worthy. Details soon.
No signature. No context.
Another message, different number:
The Rainforest Guardian bloodline. 108th generation. Do you even know what that means? What you're capable of? They don't teach real history anymore. If you want answers, seek the Old Temple in the Santubong ranges. But only when you're ready. You're not ready yet.
What the actual hell?
Ah You screenshot both messages and forwarded them to Linda with a note: *Is everyone in this city insane or is it just me?*
Her response came immediately: *Both. Welcome to the esper world. Get some sleep. Tomorrow's negotiations will be brutal.*
Easy for her to say.
Ah You finally drifted off around 4 AM, dreams filled with glowing plants, underground markets, and shadows watching from the rainforest.
When he woke at 11 AM, he had a plan.
Not a great plan. But a plan.
He was going to negotiate with Melissa. Get the best terms he could. Use the pills to reach Level 10 as fast as possible. Complete whatever expeditions were required.
Then use the money and power to protect Ah Ma, build his position, and figure out what the hell the "Rainforest Guardian bloodline" actually meant.
Simple. Straightforward. Only moderately likely to get him killed.
His phone rang. Zara.
"You awake? Good. Arena training, 1 PM. You're Level 6 now – we're entering advanced combat techniques. And I heard rumors you're getting into some shady business. Don't die before I'm done training you."
"I'll try my best."
"Also, there's someone who wants to meet you. Another Nature-type. Very rare. She's heard about your fights and wants to compare notes. Interested?"
Another Nature-type esper?
"Definitely interested."
"Good. She'll be at training today. Her name is Ivy. And before you ask – yes, that's actually her name. Her parents were either prophetic or had a terrible sense of humor."
After hanging up, Ah You reviewed his stats one more time:
[Current Level: 6]
[Esper Points: 210]
[Available Shop Items: Nature's Wrath (500), Advanced Nature Sense (400), Root Network (300)]
He bought Root Network.
[Purchase Confirmed: Root Network (Passive) - 300 Esper Points]
[Remaining Points: -90... ERROR]
[Insufficient Points. Purchase Cancelled.]
Wait, what?
Ah You checked again. He had 210 points. Root Network cost 300.
He couldn't afford it.
Damn. He'd misread the numbers in his exhaustion.
But that meant he could afford... nothing in the shop right now. All the good stuff was 300+.
He needed more Esper Points. Which meant more quests, more fights, more risks.
Always more risks.
Ah You showered, got dressed, and headed out to face whatever fresh chaos today would bring.
At least his life was never boring anymore.
---
[To Be Continued]