Chapter 19

Kaden stood before the beast's carcass he had been feeding on for the past week. The stench of decay hung heavily in the air, making his stomach churn. He crouched down, poking at the now-rotten meat with a stick. 

"No more meals from this one," he thought grimly. His gaze shifted to his system inventory, and there it was: the beast crystal. A small, shimmering object that seemed to pulse faintly in his mind.

"Time to sell this," he muttered, rising to his feet.

---

The outskirts were harsher than ever. Cruelty had become the norm, but now it had evolved. Before, teenagers bullied others with fists and threats; now, they wielded their newfound abilities with unrestrained malice. As Kaden made his way through the dusty streets, he noticed families—though rare—packing their meager belongings. A boy's mother struggled to lift a bag onto a cart, her face lit with rare hope. It was clear what had happened: the family's child had awakened a useful ability, one powerful enough to afford them a chance in the city.

Further along, Kaden spotted a familiar scene. Two boys cornered another, their voices sharp and mocking. The victim, a boy Kaden recognized instantly, had tears streaking down his face. He was the one whose father had threatened to disown him if he failed to awaken a strong ability. And unfortunately, it looks like he didn't, now here he was, helpless in the face of those who did. Kaden clenched his fists but moved on. He couldn't afford to get involved not that it was any of his business.

---

At the city gates, Kaden adjusted his dark hair to cover the chain tattoo on his forehead. Even though he hid it, his clothes betrayed him, marking him as an outsider. The difference was stark. Inside the city, cars sped along clean roads, their sleek designs a far cry from the rusted vehicles of the outskirts. People moved with purpose, dressed in vibrant colors, their faces mostly free of worry. Holographic billboards floated above the streets, displaying advertisements and news.

One such display caught Kaden's eye: "a billionaire had bought a banana artwork for $63 million—and eaten it." Kaden chuckled, shaking his head. 

"So while some kids can't afford a loaf of bread, someone paid millions to eat a banana? The world just keeps proving itself crazier than I thought."

---

Eventually, Kaden found what he was looking for—a pawn shop. Its sign promised to buy and sell "anything." 

He summoned the crystal from the system's inventory and it appeared in his hands, he put it into his pocket and walked into the shop.

The interior was cluttered but organized: shelves lined with weapons, armor, potions, and trinkets. At the counter, a middle-aged man sat watching a news broadcast about a man and something about a thousand of bottles of some type of oil.

"What do you want?" the man asked gruffly as Kaden approached.

Kaden didn't bother with pleasantries. "I'd like to sell a beast crystal."

The man's eyebrows rose slightly as Kaden placed the crystal on the counter. He picked it up, inspecting it under the dim light.

"Where'd you get this?" the man asked skeptically.

"I killed the beast," Kaden replied flatly.

The man chuckled, shaking his head. "Sure you did." He likely assumed Kaden had stolen it, but he didn't care. Business was business. "This is a Tier 1 crystal," he said. "There are eight tiers, you know. Tier 1 is the weakest, but it'll fetch $5,000."

Kaden kept his expression neutral, though the mention of $5,000 made his heart race. "I'll take $10,000."

After a brief exchange of bargaining, the man agreed, albeit reluctantly. "Fine. Cash or transfer?"

"Cash."

The man handed over a thick stack of bills. As Kaden left the shop, he stored the money in his system inventory, watching it vanish into the interface. "$10,000," he muttered with a grin.

Back inside, the shop owner smirked as he listed the crystal on his network for $1,000,000.

"What a fool," he said.

---

Back in the forest, Kaden chewed on jerky he had bought in the city. This was the first time he was eating something like this,— at least since he had came to this city.

Sitting under a tree bored, he summoned the pamphlet. It appeared in his hands, the rose emblem on its cover glinting faintly.

He read through the details, the man's words replaying in his mind: "You have the strength but lack the techniques." He hated to admit it, but the stranger had been right. At the academy, he could learn fighting styles, strategies, and footwork—everything he needed to survive.

The pamphlet mentioned the academy was currently in its admission period, but it was in another city. How will I get the transport fare? he wondered, though he knew the answer. He had the money from the crystal sale.

"Damn that man," Kaden muttered. "Couldn't he leave transport fare too?"

---

In a dimly lit hallway, the man in the blazer sneezed. "Oh I forgot to leave the boy some money for transport," he murmured, shaking his head.

He reached a door and stepped into a lavish office. Behind the desk sat a rotund man in an unbuttoned robe, his feet propped on the table as he plucked grapes from a bowl.

"Didn't I say no one should disturb me? I'm busy," the governor grumbled without looking up.

"You sure do look busy," the man in the blazer replied, his tone dry.

The governor looked up, panic flashing across his face. He scrambled to stand, saluting awkwardly. "S-Sir!"

The man waved him off and sat on a nearby sofa. "I hear there was a portal break near the city recently," he said.

"Yes, sir. But the casualties were minimal. I deployed soldiers to protect the people."

The man's gaze sharpened. "Do you think I don't know what you did?" His voice was calm, but the anger beneath it was unmistakable.

The governor stammered, "I—I'm sorry, sir—"

"You raised a barrier to lock out the outskirts and opened fire on them." The man's voice hardened. "You dissapointed me."

The governor apologized, "I'm sorry, sir"

The man stood, placing a firm hand on the governor's shoulder. 

"This world is already cruel enough. Let's not make it worse."

As he turned to leave, The governor bowed his head. "I'll make amends, sir."

The man stood, opening the door "See that you do."

As he left the office, a sleek black car pulled up. The man climbed in, and the driver asked respectfully, "Did you find what you were looking for?"

The man smirked, gazing out the window. "No, but I found something… interesting."