Harbor
"I'm finally here!"
Aay was drenched in sweat.
He had been running all day, covering roughly forty-five kilometers from Rubb City to the abandoned harbor.
It was no wonder Qin and the others had advised him to travel the day before the Pro Exam. This way, he could account for any unexpected delays and rest after the grueling journey.
"Alright, I've still got a whole night before the Pro Exam. I should probably clean myself up before then."
It was already nighttime, so there was no point in rushing to the test site—he still had an entire day before applications closed.
Fortunately, a river was nearby.
Seeing it for the first time left him in awe.
The endless stream of water was far more breathtaking than the descriptions and drawings he'd encountered in books.
With this water, Rubb City's drinking water problem could be solved instantly! That was his first thought upon witnessing the flowing river.
Stripping off his clothes, Aay slowly waded into the stream.
"This feels amazing."
A hint of excitement broke through his usually serious demeanor as he enjoyed the soothing touch of the calm waters.
He closed his eyes, savoring the serenity of the night.
But being carefree proved to be a mistake.
"Whoa—!"
His foot slipped on a steep slope, and he plunged into the rushing current, which threatened to drag him away.
I can't swim!
Aay flailed his arms, fighting against the relentless pull of the water.
It was a desperate struggle, but he managed to drag himself back onto the riverbank, gasping for air.
"My first defeat came from a nonliving thing, huh?"
He found it ironic that he'd nearly drowned, defeated by a mere river.
It was a stark reminder that the outside world was unfamiliar to him—he needed to be cautious and skeptical, yet brave and eager to learn from his mistakes.
"If I want to survive and succeed outside Rubb City, I need lessons, and this is a good start."
Though it was a humbling experience, Aay thought wryly.
"Anyway, a lesson is a lesson."
He gave his thigh a gentle slap to shake off the fatigue—he still had an important day ahead.
After traveling through dust and dirt, his clothes were undeniably filthy and in need of washing.
He washed everything—top to bottom—in the river and slept naked. The night was cold, but bearable. His clothes needed time to dry, and the gentle breeze would suffice until morning.
Aay slept soundly until the first rays of dawn touched his face.
"This should do."
His clothes were mostly dry, though a slight dampness remained. It was good enough—they'd dry completely as the day progressed.
He hurried toward the harbor to register. But the harbor was eerily deserted—not a soul in sight.
"HELLO!"
He called out, but no one answered.
Just as he began to doubt the validity of his brothers' intel, a knock on a wooden surface broke the silence.
"Are you an applicant?"
A middle-aged man with brown skin and a red, swollen nose peered out from the harbor booth window.
Aay approached cautiously. "Yes. Are you the examiner?"
"No. But I'm the ID forger."
"ID forger?"
Instead of answering, the man studied him. "You're from Rubb City, aren't you?"
Aay immediately leaped back, dropping into a defensive stance. "How'd you know?" he asked warily, ready to strike at any moment.
Is this a trap? Have I been followed?
It was his first time outside Rubb City's great garbage barrier, so how did this man know his origin?
Or was there some foul play at work?
Regardless, his current predicament was clear—he might have to fight his way out.
"Haha—!" The red-nosed man laughed. "Rubbage folks like you never fail to amuse me once a year!"
"Rubbage folk...?"
Aay asked, though his guard remained up in case of a sneak attack.
"Why do you think this harbor is still open for applicants? Because folks like you are the only ones who use it to apply for the Pro Exam—no one else. I've been the caretaker here for 25 years, and only one person outside your little city has ever applied here."
Aay lowered his guard slightly, sensing the man was telling the truth. "And why is that?"
The red-nosed man's expression turned serious. "Because folks like you are unwanted."
The comment, whether intentional or not, stung. But Aay knew better than to act impulsively—this man was his ticket to the Pro Exam.
"Good." The red-nosed man smiled. "It seems you've got a good head on your shoulder. Anyway, are you the only one?"
"Yes... I think so."
"Well, if no one else shows up before the ship arrives, that's their problem." He waved a hand dismissively. "Come here. Let's get your ID made."
Aay approached the booth again. "An ID? Do I really need one?" I'm going to pass anyway, so what's the point?
"Don't get cocky," the man replied. "I can tell you're strong—you're from that city, after all—but muscles won't be enough to breeze through the exam. Sure, your city has one of the highest passing rates, but there's no harm in being prepared if you fail." The man locked eyes with him. "Trust me, kid—people like you aren't welcome outside your little world."
Aay, still skeptical, nodded solemnly.
It had always been on his mind that folks like him weren't welcome outside Rubb City. If they were, many would have already left to seek a better life.
"Full name, place of birth, and birthday, please."
The man began the process.
"Aay Kindred. Great Azia, Pilipinas, Luezon City. Born on March 31, 2000."
Aay had no memory of his parents, but some abandoned babies in Rubb City had names, birthplaces, and birthdays written on their skin.
No one knew where this tradition came from, but the most accepted explanation was that parents who abandoned their babies—perhaps out of regret—left this information in case they wanted to reclaim them later.
Or perhaps it was just a way to ease their guilt.
No one really knew, but it gave the children of Rubb City a semblance of identity.
"A small country, huh?—way up north, too. Your parents must've really hated you to send you all the way here instead of one of the rubbish cities up north."
Slam!
Aay slammed his hand on the desk, his tone threatening. "I didn't know you had such little regard for your life." His eyes locked onto the man's.
"Haha." The man laughed, unfazed by the threat. "Just messing with you."
Aay wasn't amused, but he bit back his anger and stayed silent.
The ID process didn't take long. The PVC card printer soon produced a new ID with his photo and information.
"Hold on. Let me test if it works."
The man scanned the QR code on the ID with a PoS scanner.
Beep!
The QR code worked perfectly.
For good measure, he tested it twice more to ensure there were no defects.
"Done!"
He tossed the ID through the booth window without warning, but Aay caught it effortlessly, choosing not to comment on the unnecessary gesture.
The ID was simple: his portrait, his information, and a black pattern beside it—likely the QR code he'd heard outsiders used for payments.
"All you need to do is wait." The man leaned back in his chair. "The ship will arrive before 9 o'clock. Just show the sailor your ID, and he'll let you on. If you've got no more questions, scram. I'm trying to rest here."
Aay shot the man a glare before turning and walking away to wait at the dock.
As time passed, the man opened his eyes, sensing Aay was no longer nearby.
A smirk spread across his face.
Sliding his chair to his desk, he opened his laptop and navigated to Koogle, then to an auction site to start a new listing.
Rubbage person applying for Pro Exam from Republic of Noibi.
He titled the auction and paid a small fee to boost its visibility.
Tweet! Tweet! TweetTweetTweetTweetTweet!
The man's grin widened as the number of bidders grew.
"Hello, everyone. Welcome to my auction!" His comment was highlighted in the chat.
"As the title says, another Rubbage person is applying for the Pro Exam. It's been three years since the last one, and if you check my profile, you'll see I was the one who sold that information—so my credibility is solid, as proven by past buyers." He hit Enter and sent the message.
"Yeah, yeah."
"Just name your price!"
"Send me the info. I'll pay a million perry."
Some comments were impatient, others excited, and a few were clearly scams—trying to strike a private deal to resell the information later.
"Heh. Do they really think they can trick me?"
The man sneered and ignored the comments.
His fingers flew across the keyboard again.
"Without further ado, the auction begins. Starting price: five million perry!"
As soon as he hit Enter, the bids started rolling in.
He watched as the price climbed from 5 million to 6 million, the competition heating up.
Tweet!
"What—!"
The man's eyes widened at the latest bid.
Anonymous11772 bid 10,000,000 Perry!
The chat fell silent—everyone was stunned.
Tweet!
Anonymous21133 bid 10,100,000 Perry!
A second later, another bid came in.
Tweet!
Anonymous11772 bid 11,000,000 Perry!
Tweet!
Anonymous21133 bid 12,000,000 Perry!
As the two anonymous bidders battled for the information, the others dropped out, realizing the bids were beyond their budgets.
The man wasn't interested in keeping the others around—his focus was entirely on the two bidders driving the price higher.
Tweet!
Anonymous11772 bid 15,000,000 Perry!
The bidding stopped at 15 million.
The other bidder withdrew, leaving the lobby.
The man's face fell slightly—he'd hoped the bids would reach 20 million, but it seemed the competitor had reached their limit.
He sent the documents containing Aay's information to the winning bidder and was about to close his laptop when—
Tweet!
Anonymous21133 directly messaged you!
A notification popped up in his inbox—it was the bidder who had lost earlier.
"Send me the information. I'll pay 10,000,000 Perry."
The man smirked and began typing.
"A good-looking young man. That's all I'll say. I only need one million for it."
"Done."
The man's phone vibrated.
"That was fast," he said, amused. "People desperate to become Pros really are something, huh?"
He glanced toward the dock, where Aay—his golden goose—was boarding the ship.
"This job is the best!"
He leaned back in his chair, whistling a cheerful tune. Now, all he had to do was wait for the next applicant—even if it took years—to earn another easy payout.
And, of course, indulge in his newfound wealth.