Ren walked through the checkpoints at the edge of Zone Z45. The guards wrinkled their noses at the stink of dried blood stuck to his clothes, but they let him through.
He stepped back into the noise of the Safe Zone. Clean air. Paved streets. People walking around without the fear of getting their throats ripped out.
He pushed the heavy glass doors of the Quest Department. His boots left dirty prints on the floor as he walked straight up to the same receptionist.
She looked up. She blinked behind her glasses, a flash of pity crossing her face.
"Oh, you're back." She let out a soft sigh and lowered her voice. "It's okay if you ran away. I know Zanos was out of line giving you that suicide mission. At least you're alive."
Ren gave her a cold, flat look. He didn't say a word.
He slid the blood-stained burlap sack off his shoulder. He dumped it right on her pristine glass desk.
Thud.
The heavy impact left a dark, sticky smear on the glass.
"Wh-What is that?" She leaned back in her chair.
"Twenty F-Rank goblin cores," Ren said. His voice was deadpan. "My quest is done. Where do I stamp my ID?"
Her eyes went wide. Her hands shook as she untied the string. The foul stench of rot and the dim green glow of the cores hit her face. Exactly twenty.
She looked up at him like he was a ghost. "How... how did you do this? A rookie summoner killing twenty goblins in five hours? Without a single scratch?"
She bit her lip, leaning in closer. "Listen, did you steal these from another party? You can tell me. I can cover for you."
"I didn't steal anything," Ren cut her off. His eyes were like ice. "Check the logs with the Z45 inspectors if you want. Now, stamp the card."
She swallowed hard. She grabbed his copper ID and stamped it, making his residency inside the wall official.
"Another question." Ren leaned against the desk. "Where can I sell extra cores? And what are the going rates?"
She blinked again. "Extra? You have more?"
She rubbed her temples, trying to process the shock. "You can sell them at the Association market. F-Rank cores go for 10 gold coins. E-Rank cores sell for anywhere between 80 to 120 gold, depending on purity."
Ren's jaw tightened.
One hundred gold coins. He used to haul bricks on construction sites for months under the blistering sun just to scrape together a hundred gold. Just to pay the rent for their crappy apartment.
But here? A few hours of slaughter bought a fortune. Awakened lived in a completely different reality.
"I need another entry permit for Zone Z45," Ren demanded.
She looked at him with genuine worry this time. "You're getting a kick out of this, aren't you? Listen to me, kid. F-Rank goblins are bugs. But if you run into an E-Rank monster, it'll tear you apart before you even blink."
"Just get me the permit."
She sighed, completely giving up. "I'll start the paperwork. Come back in two days."
At the Association market, Ren sold the ten extra cores he had stashed in his Dimensional Storage.
A hundred gold coins clinked in his pocket. He had never felt this kind of financial security in his entire life.
He walked straight to the pharmacy. He bought a heavy-duty painkiller synthesized from D-Rank monster cores. It burned a massive hole in his pocket—80 gold coins. But it would keep his grandfather out of agony for months.
With his last 20 gold, he hit up a clothing store. He bought a sturdy pair of sneakers and a thick winter jacket.
He kicked open the rusty door to their apartment. The familiar smell of damp mold hit his nose.
"I'm back," Ren called out, kicking off his muddy boots. "Lia? Where are you?"
A small girl with messy black hair peeked out from the cramped kitchen. She was wearing a faded school uniform that was two sizes too big.
"I'm here." Lia smiled, but her eyes looked tired. "How did the Awakening go? We were so worried."
He didn't answer right away. He dropped the shopping bags onto the wobbly table and pulled out the new jacket and shoes.
"These are for you."
Lia stared at the brand-new clothes, then looked at him in total shock. "Where did... Ren, did you do something stupid?"
"I Awakened." Ren gave her a small, genuine smile. "Summoner class. I sold some loot from a hunt today. I'm not working construction anymore."
Her eyes widened. She rushed forward and threw her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. She was shaking.
Ren patted her hair quietly. He knew the other kids bullied her because of her taped-up shoes and cheap clothes. He wasn't going to let that happen ever again.
He left Lia to try on her new clothes and walked into his grandfather's room. The hired nurse was sitting in the corner. Ren tossed her the medicine and coldly ordered her to administer it immediately.
Two days passed.
Ren stood in front of the Association's massive steel gates. The cold wind bit at his face. The new permit rested in his pocket.