18. Awakening

"Son of a b*tch! Just you wait till I catch you. Tenfold—no, hundredfold! I'll make sure to pay you back for this humiliation, damn it. Ahhhh… so annoying!"

Sid muttered under his breath, refusing to accept the defeat he had just suffered. But he wasn't about to let it stop him. The underground black market was still his goal, and there was no way he'd back down now.

With a determined scowl, he forced back his surging rage and reentered the tunnel.

Descending the stairs, what met his vision was not some grand scene, like the one aboveground. It was but a simple structure made of reinforced iron and concrete—a plain entrance.

But as he entered through the door, he felt as if he was passing through a layer of membrane. It was quite a familiar feeling, though not as strong as the one he had felt before escaping that inferno hellscape.

A multitude of thoughts crossed his mind, finally transforming into one word—"Magic!"

Ignoring all that, he refocused on the task he came here to do. Adjusting his breath, he looked straight ahead as he started to walk forward, exuding the confidence only seen in a veteran.

His steps soon came to a halt before the counter. Pitch black in color, it was a simple yet elegant glass counter. His gaze subtly observed the surroundings, finally stopping on the receptionist lady ahead.

She was tall, taller than him in fact, just about reaching 6 feet. With a striking face that would have been perfect if not for a scar running down her left ear, giving her a slightly rugged edge. Her body was well-balanced, with an athletic build. Combined with her fair complexion, it was clear why she had been chosen as the receptionist—it was one of the best that the slums could provide.

"How may I help you?" she asked in a flat tone, scrutinizing Sid's appearance. There were no honorifics that you would expect to hear from a usual receptionist. In fact, seeing a receptionist in a black market was rare in itself.

Her words sounded in Sid's ears, sending a chill down his spine. He looked up at her, trying his best not to let it show on his face. "Awakening!"

His voice was unflinching, exuding firm confidence, causing the receptionist lady to look at him again. She nodded slightly, sitting back down in her chair.

"100 bronze pieces," she said, indicating for him to pay. This almost caused Sid to cry tears of blood as he painfully counted the money, placing it back at the counter. Then a crisp sound of typing resounded through the almost empty hall.

"Here, floor B2, 14," she said, handing Sid a palm-sized slip. Pointing at the lift entrance at the side, she indicated for him to leave, sitting back down in her chair.

Sid went down the lift, arriving at floor B2—just below the reception area. It was the only area that contained the Awakening stones for public use in the entire slums.

Although people can awaken just after they reach 15 years old, as it was just the start of the Awakening era, not to mention the people in the slums couldn't often afford the price, this venue still had people coming in from time to time. It wasn't that strange for one to wait in line for their turn.

Sid's turn was 14th in order. The wait wasn't too long or too short, as his turn came in no time.

"Son of a... they are charging a hundred copper for just this?" Entering the room, Sid saw the most basic arrangement he had ever seen. In fact, it was even cruder than the reception area.

There was just a desk, upon which a stone tablet was placed. At the bottom of the tablet, a palm print was carved, leaving the above area blank, most likely for status display after registering.

"This is what you get for 100 bronze. If you want something fancy, then go to the main city to spend a fortune. They've got everything from body enhancement to gene optimization. Don't expect those miracles here in the slums. Ungrateful kid..."

Looking at the voice, there was a grumpy old man sitting across the desk, eyeing him unkindly. "Hehehe..." Sid just smiled sheepishly in response, unable to retort.

"Hmph, just place your hand on the stone; it'll do the rest of the work for you." The old man snorted, still quite annoyed at the brat. Seeing this, Sid was left helpless.

He moved forward and placed his hands on the stone tablet before him. A faint tingle began at the tip of his palm and gradually spread through his entire body. The sensation was subtle but unmistakable.

Sid recognized it immediately. It reminded him of the similar, inexplicable energy he had felt from the mysterious stone he found in the bag, though it was definitely far stronger than this.

"Don't you feel anything?" The old man said, his eyes widening. Seeing Sid's calm appearance, he was quite surprised.

But soon his eyes widened further as he looked at the gray stone tablet suddenly turning dark and then gradually crumbling into dust.

"This... this shouldn't have happened! I was sure the stone still had quite a bit of power left," the old man exclaimed in disbelief, looking at the once stone tablet that had now turned to ash. Standing up from his chair, he then looked over at Sid in disbelief.

"Ahem... Don't look at me. How would I know? Maybe there were some problems in your calculations, old man," Sid said, trying his best to hide the nervousness in his voice.

"You wait here. I'll grab another stone to check. Besides, you haven't awakened yet, have you? You still need to get your money's worth," the old man muttered, walking inside to grab another awakening stone.

"No... no need to. Let's leave it at that. Just give me my money back and I'll be on my way." There was clear nervousness to be heard in Sid's voice as he shouted at the old man.

"What's wrong? Don't you wanna awaken anymore, kid? Besides, the black market works on a no-refund policy. Didn't you hear?" The old man's gruff voice came from inside, mixed in with the clattering and shuffling of boxes.

'Damn it! Grumpy old bastard. And that f*cking beggar, I'll kill him. Why didn't he tell me before there was something like a no-refund policy down here?' Sid cursed in his heart as beads of sweat flowed down his forehead.

'Ahh, what a mess! There are too many people looking.' Sid's nervousness peaked at the sight of the small crowd gathered due to the commotion.

"Just keep your damn money then!" Sid shouted unwillingly as he ran towards the lift entrance.

Soon he arrived at the first floor, composing himself once again. Putting on a dejected look on his face, he quickened his pace, leaving the underground black market behind.

Blending into the crowd, he navigated his way out at the fastest pace. By the time the news reached above, Sid had already left.

.....

Deepest floor of the underground black market.

A figure sat in the president's chair, holding a file in hand. "What's the meaning of this?" A female voice sounded, cold and emotionless, as if to freeze the listener in an ice prison.

"We don't know. He ran away before we could check any further. He..." The receptionist responded, standing opposite the table obediently. There was a slight unease to be heard in her voice.

"Leave!" The cold voice sounded once again. Before she could continue any further, the receptionist was dismissed, leaving the president's chamber.

"Hehehe... guess that kid really has something. What do you say, should I investigate him?" As the receptionist left, a lecherous voice came from within the shadows. A lanky figure emerged from within, his figure indiscernible in the darkness.

"Leave him be for now. We've got other important matters to consider here." The still emotionless voice sounded, this time mixed with a tinge of disgust, reprimanding the lanky figure.

"Hehehehe..." There was nothing but lecherous laughter in response as the figure once again disappeared into the darkness.

.....

In the narrow alleys of the slums.

Sid's figure flashed, darting around through the labyrinth of the passages as it came to a stop before a shack. He looked around vigilantly, confirming if there were any followers nearby.

After finding no one around, he entered the shack at lightning speed, shutting the door behind him tightly. Sitting down, he then panted heavily.

'Damn it! Just my shitty luck! Running like a dog through the entire slums. I bet even the black market will be targeting me now. Guess I can't go there for the time being. I'm so stupid; I should've handled the situation more calmly instead of creating a scene like that.' He cursed, still gasping for breath, as he looked intently at the cause of it all.

There was a pitch balck holographic panel floating in front of him. His eyes focused on the only text written on it.

[WELCOME.]