Compensation? Who Compensates Whom?

John ignored the approaching group, first putting away the pain relief potion he had laid out on the ground, then slowly stood up, katana in hand.

Glancing over, he noticed two of the three people were Awakened, apparently acquainted with each other and forming a small team.

In the world of the Awakened, entering combat mode allows one to see each other's profession through the system panel, though details like level and name remain hidden.

The leading woman was a Mage, followed by a burly man who was a Warrior, and a blond guy with a compound bow, not showing any profession – probably not an Awakened, but seemingly a skilled archer nonetheless.

The woman seemed taken aback for a moment, also recognizing John as an Awakened, a Potion Master.

She initially mistook him for some combat profession.

After all, this goblin warrior, the two awakeners, had just been besieging for a while and neither of them easily captured it.

"You say this is your prey? Prove it," John challenged.

"The goblin's back was wounded by us!" the blond declared, flipping the goblin corpse to reveal a cross-shaped wound oozing green blood.

John had noticed earlier the goblin's weakened state, likely injured during its escape.

But these guys can't see their prey well, that wasn't his problem.

"Hey, Potion Master, killed our quarry, have you thought about how you'll compensate us?" The soldier walked forward, his face slightly weak, and there were obvious scars on his right arm and shoulder, clearly injured by the goblin warrior's stone hammer.

John snorted, "Compensate? Are you out of your mind? The goblin attacked me, I killed it in self-defense, end of story."

The awakened warrior suppressed the anger in his heart and whispered, "I told you, it was our quarry. What gives you the right?"

Despite being outnumbered, John didn't back down.

"Was I supposed to just stand here, waiting for you? You think that makes sense, idiot?"

The blond joined in, "If we hadn't wounded it, could you have killed it so easily?"

"You've got a point," John conceded, then turned to him, "Since you see it that way, you're also responsible for the damage it caused me, right?"

John pointed at his dented trunk, "I kill your goblin, and you don't even thank me. Pay for my car repairs, and we're even."

"What did you say?" The awakened warrior became unhappy after listening and took a step forward, standing in front of John.

Despite the three of them, including two Awakened, struggling against a tier-5 Goblin Warrior, it showed they were hardly a threat.

John was ready to silence the Warrior if he dared any aggression within the portals to another world.

"Calm down, Aron," the woman intervened, pulling the Warrior back.

Introducing herself, she said, "Hi, I'm Sini, president of the student council at Star Polytechnic University. You seem like a university student too?"

Sini put away her staff in her hand. Awakeners starting out their journey typically get some basic gear based on their class and role. As a Mage, she got a basic-quality staff,

whereas Potion Masters like John, despite lacking initial items, could nearly costlessly brew basic potions, balancing out the professions.

"Star Medical University, John," he replied, seeing no harm in exchanging details among Awakened.

Sini looked at Goblin's corpse on the ground with a regretful expression in his eyes. It was a level five elite monster, and killing it would give him a lot of experience.

"My friend was rude earlier. Our pursuit caused you inconvenience, I apologize," she diplomatically offered, then asked,"This can also be considered as our assistance in killing this goblin. Did it drop any equipment?"

John shook his head, "Monsters outside the Portals don't drop equipment, only experience."

Aron, spotting a boot glowing with a blue light in John's plastic bag, challenged, "No equipment drop? That was a tier-5 elite!"

Sini had already noticed that John's inconspicuous plastic bag contained an ordinary quality piece of equipment. 

Their kills hadn't dropped anything, likely due to low-level targets, but this elite goblin might have.

Sini inferred that the level of those goblins was too low, but this elite monster goblin warrior still has the possibility of dropping equipment.

John, keeping his solo dungeon conquest secret to avoid making headlines in the Awakened community, quickly stashed the Agility Boots back into his system backpack.

Without explanation, and letting them assume the boot came from the goblin, John was ready for a confrontation.

"What are you doing? Show us what's in there!" Aron advanced, but John's katana pointed at his face stopped him, while the blond aimed his bow at John, tension skyrocketing.

Sini, maintaining her composure, realized they wouldn't get the item from John.

But they could not afford to lose in vain. Coincidentally, the other party was a pharmacist, and Aron's arm was also injured. If they could get a few bottles of healing potions, it would be considered to recover some losses.

"John, since you killed this goblin warrior, the dropped equipment naturally belongs to you." Sini, as the student president, spoke with great skill, "but we also calculated our strength, right? Can you give us a few bottles of healing potions?"

"Not happening, too easy on him!" Aron protested.

He was injured by the goblin warrior and harbored a resentment in his heart. Now that the monster had died, he could only spread this resentment on John.

"Out of healing potions, but I've got a pain relief one," John smirked, seeing a chance to test his new concoction, selecting a pain relief potion mixed with athlete's foot fungus from his system.

Aron snatched the potion, checking its details,

[Item: Pain Relief Potion]

[Quality: Common]

[Attributes: None]

[Duration: 31 hours 43 minutes]

[Special Effect: Strong pain relief without side effects.]

"Well, it's cheaper for you, kid!"

After confirming that the potion was fine, Aron glared at John and turned back to step back.

His arm was already in excruciating pain, so he opened the bottle cap and poured the medicine inside onto his arm. The bone splitting pain instantly eased.

John was aware that his Poison Master is a hidden profession, and although the potions he produces came with additional effects, other Awakeners could not see them.

Sini took out his phone and approached John, saying, "John, let's exchange contact information. After all, everyone is now awakened and their personal power is very small. If something happens, we can also take care of each other."

John didn't refuse. After all, it's necessary for Awakeners to exchange information and share some intelligence with each other.

After exchanging contact information, John drove away from the place.

He felt it wasn't safe to leave his car here, and that it would be better to park it inside the school. He also thought he would need to fix the trunk later.