real world

It was an ordinary night that took thousands of lives. To his surprise, Glumer remained completely unharmed. Even this mass tragedy, which unfolded while he slept, left no mark on him. It was strange because he was certain that this was not just a dream. Most likely, the place he had found himself in was the Realm of Dreams. He was not very familiar with it, but judging by the rumors, everything matched.

He stood in his small home, feeling a strange sensation in his vision. If Glumer was not mistaken, this was a System. A System was like a set of words that explained one's state, tags, skills, and so on. This System was possessed by people with awakened talent. Before forming a core, one's talent had to awaken. Talent could be awakened both forcibly and accidentally. He did not know exactly how this process worked. But it seemed that the Realm of Dreams had allowed him to awaken his talent.

The System was visible only when he closed his eyes, and only to him. When Glumer did so, he saw his current state:

**Race:** Human

**Current State:** Poor

**Rank:** No core

**Edge:** Enhancement – Mid-Level Apprentice

**Tags:** None

**Spiritual Beings:** None

**Spiritual Essence:** 35%

**Killing Moves:** None

Glumer immediately focused on the Edge.

The tag was a skill or ability divided into stages. There were ten stages of Edge: Apprentice, Journeyman, Master, Grandmaster, Archmaster, Magister, Virtuoso, Patriarch, Legendary, and Absolute.

Glumer instantly sensed the Edge within his soul. He was connected to the enhancement of tags. At this moment, Glumer was at the mid-level apprentice stage in this Edge. This was an impressive reward for the dangerous trial he had undergone on his own. This tag could allow him to improve the tag with a high degree of probability; after all, a couple of hundred attempts in the realm of dreams were not in vain. Even if people found the tags, they couldn't improve it as easily as it might seem. Even the gloomer spent more than a hundred attempts to improve the tag in the realm of dreams. This showed how important this line could be. But now, of course, it didn't bring him much joy.

First of all, the System was of little use to him at the moment.

Second, he could not enhance any tag since he had none.

Third, even if he did obtain a tag, he still lacked a core. And without the kernel it is impossible to change the tag. He learned about this in the kingdom of dreams

Fourth, he had no idea how to form a core on his own. This required a master, a recipe, or a method, but he had none of these. Even if he found them, his chances of success were slim, as there were no masters in these lands equal to those he had encountered in the Realm of Dreams. And he had no money to pay for their services. The most interesting part was that this Edge would not change his current position in the real world.

Most likely, the protagonists of other fantasy stories would have received a great reward after such trials, but in this world, Glumer had gained something he could not even use.

Still, he did not despair. Even this was a reward in its own way. Wasting no time, he immediately set out on his way.

Though the wall was closed, people had not stopped working, for if they did, the food supply would halt as well. The government quietly controlled the poor. Their district had a weak economy, mostly built on illegal substances.

He walked at a slow pace, glancing around. Along the way, he encountered a considerable number of homeless people—many of them dead, and the rest barely alive.

The roads, houses, and even many markets were in ruins. In truth, the place where he had spent the night was also an abandoned building. But it was still his shelter, his loyal home.

People in Diversion had a mindset where entering someone else's shelter was not acceptable. It was an unspoken law that almost no one broke—until recently. Lately, more and more people had started violating this rule. Because of this, he had hidden all his belongings, even those of little value.

He turned toward a more open space, where a broad view immediately unfolded. This was Arbat, the busiest place in the district, making it a trading hub. He also worked as a merchant, and this place was teeming with life. There were many guards here since the number of thieves had grown significantly. Everything was sold here, from drugs to food and low-quality clothing.

However, tags were never sold here. He had heard that there were other places for that. But Glumer had no useful information on this matter.

According to rumors, monsters could break through at any moment and slaughter everyone here. He needed to hurry. Every moment was a precious gift of time. The first thing he decided to do was enter a beer bar and seek an informant.

The beer bar was located at the corner of Arbat. It had the same half-ruined appearance as the other buildings but was decorated with paint and other embellishments. Guards stood outside, and they let him in immediately upon seeing the mark on his shoulder.

He had some small savings. He had wanted to use this money in the future to escape from here, and now the time had come.

The beer bar led him to a separate room, where he was asked to wait.

His wait was short, for in the next moment, the informant entered. Glumer had seen this man before—he had been sitting at the bar, drinking wine without a care. So when he entered the room, he reeked of an unpleasant smell, even by the standards of the outskirts.

The man was flipping a coin between his fingers and had a neat appearance. He looked about thirty years old.

The first thing he did was open the bag of money. He did not seem too pleased with its contents. However, his need for money was too great to refuse. And seeing a beggar before him, he did not lower himself to haggling.

"Sir, what do you need from me?" the man asked.

His voice betrayed how much he had drunk, but the alcohol had not dulled his mind.

Glumer had a soft, muffled voice that sometimes broke. Anyone who listened to him immediately understood that this person had serious problems with communication and socialization. However, staying home, he had worked hard to improve this skill.

"I have only two questions." A brief pause. "First, based on information from above, when are the monsters expected to break through?"

When he finally finished his sentence, he sighed in relief. For him, speaking his thoughts aloud was a real struggle. However, the informant seemed unfazed. In fact, this was a question he was often asked, so he had the answer ready.

"Ah, that? Two weeks. And by the end of the second week, it'll most likely be over."

Glumer was stunned. Two weeks? That was so little. In his mind, he had thought he had at least two or three months. He might not have believed it, but this bar was known precisely for the accuracy of its information.

He clenched his teeth. He wanted to use every ability he had to earn as much money as possible, form a core, and enhance a tag. Even two or three months would not have been enough for that. And now, it turned out he had only one to two weeks.

His second question was, "Can you point me to any alchemists or masters who could help me form a core?"

The informant was genuinely surprised. A core? Even he did not have one because it was extremely expensive and carried risks. But now the situation was different.

Who was this guy sitting in front of him, and why did he need a core? The informant was truly intrigued.

"Sir, of course, I know such people—both alchemists and masters—but their services are extremely costly. Even I couldn't afford them. I'll let you ask another question instead."

But Glumer was unwavering. He was as firm as a rock. So the man finally stopped flipping his coin and relented. He took a hidden notebook and wrote down the names of three people and their locations.

"The first is an old alchemist who can help you process a recipe quickly, but his methods are unreliable. The second and third are masters who can help you form a core rapidly and internally. However, they have a high fatality rate, and their services are far more expensive than the first. They are also quite arrogant. That's all I can tell you."

He pulled the bag of money toward himself and left first.

Glumer thought for a while and then also left the room and the bar.

Now he knew the people who could help him form a core. But he had nothing to pay them with. He also knew that he had little time. This information was quite useful, considering that in a week chaos would begin, and informants would be nowhere to be found. Moreover, demand for them was growing every day.

But most importantly, he could soon sell his stored goods and make a lot of money. If he formed a core, he would become a superhuman. Usually, even those who had just formed a core were 2-3 times stronger than an ordinary person.

Time was pressing him hard, but he still had other plans that also needed to be carried out.

As he walked, he noticed strange people. They had a more refined and beautiful appearance. These were special people sent from the upper districts. They were people with a core, called masters. Here, no one could touch them, and they were sent beyond the walls to protect these lands. Everyone, both the locals and they themselves, knew what ultimately awaited the people inside these walls. But they were not from here. So at any moment, they could leave or break through by force.

The people from the outskirts watched them with dark, gloomy gazes. If the government had stopped supporting this place, chaos would have erupted long ago.

He came to an ordinary alley between the houses, where there was an entrance leading underground. He descended and knocked on the door seven times, then said the phrase, "The serpent does not sleep at night." After that, the door opened for him.

Inside, the place resembled a club. People sat and discussed their business, paying no attention to the newcomer.

He approached one of the men in charge of missions. The man was sitting and drinking his wine. He had a large, muscular build. Glumer had worked with him many times before, so he could not fail to recognize him.

"Hmm, a familiar face. Aren't you that guy who can't even hold a normal conversation?" the man said.

Glumer ignored him, and after finishing his drink, the man finally stood up.

"So, you've finally decided to join us. Excellent."

In reality, this was one of the three most powerful gangs in the outskirts. It also held a major monopoly on resources and territory and was called the Legion.

Although Glumer was a loner, he still cooperated with them. If not for this, he would have likely been robbed, killed, or exploited long ago, as he was an easy target. But as long as everyone knew that he worked with the gang, few dared to touch him or his home. Over time, he had worked for them many times just to earn a small loaf of bread.

All the gang members had a snake tattoo on their shoulders, and Glumer was no exception.

When the walls closed, they immediately began devising a plan to cross them. The plan was already in motion.

Not everyone knew about it. Only the trusted individuals with the necessary skills were aware of the details.

The mission was too risky to agree to immediately.

So Glumer needed time to think. He still had other ideas. The mission was to infiltrate the warehouse through merchants, burn all the food supplies, and smuggle out a secret item. This item was a valuable cargo.

In reality, he had to plant one of the unique objects usually called a device, which would blow up the entire food stockpile. But for simplicity, he just said, "burn the supplies."

If the mission was successfully completed, he would join the escape group. The most difficult part was that, while it sounded easy in words, in practice, it would be very dangerous and difficult.

But before anything else, they had to make an oath. An oath was a contract where both parties had to fulfill its conditions. Any attempt to break it meant death.

It was easy to make an oath. It usually appeared as a tattoo on the arm. The main thing was to have the right master for it, and both parties had to give their consent.