The streets were brightly lit like a rave party sponsored by a glowstick factory, with the sidewalk filled with bands of purple light.
On the city lines, banners with names and arrows pointing to different things could be seen, and Achilles passed throngs of people in this bustling region of the Colony City of Neon.
He looked above and saw a banner that read [Evolutius Catacomb Entrance #55].
A banner which pointed towards a certain direction where a lot of traffic of people constantly flowed in and out!
Advanced Humans were always given way as the closer one came to the region around an Entrance of an Evolutius Catacombs, the busier it was there.
Hotels. Restaurants. Entertainment Centers.
Anything that the Advanced Humans could want to enjoy after surviving the dangers of the Evolutius Catacombs.
It was a hub of business and money as the street he currently passed showed Advanced Humans getting out of luxurious Aerieal Evolutius Vehicles that made their descent, and they were received by normal humans who led them wherever they wished to go.
Achilles passed all of this with his head down as after all this time, he had made up his mind.
To obtain the money he needed for Rose's treatment, he would enter the Evolutius Catacombs to obtain Evolutius Crystals.
He had not even an ounce of power as an Advanced Human- not a drop of Advanced Human juice running through his body, but he had heard of instances where Humans scoured the catacombs. Sneaking in. Scouring the edges, and remaining lucky enough to not come across any Evolutius Beasts.
He was making a bet with his life on the line at this moment. It was a stupid plan, but it was the only one.
Enter the Catacombs.
Do not go too deep in.
Stay in the periphery, and see if he could come across and mine Evolutius Crystals.
If he came across an Evolutius Beast, he would be shredded to nothing and turned into a meal.
If he survived…the one person that made his life worth living could be saved.
"Please…"
He breathed out heavily as, on his phone, he selected [Y] to the question of whether he had awakened to become an Advanced Human.
Moments later, the page lit up with brilliant lights and fanfare as new words and a barcode popped up.
[Your selection has been saved. Proceed to the nearest Advanced Human Evoluation Center shown below to have your current rank verified and assigned.]
The page showed directions for a place less than a mile away from where he was currently before it was minimized, and the screen showed the words…
[Pending Evaluation.]
Pending!
This was the golden ticket for him- sort of. This was the page he wanted and needed to pull off entering Evolutius Catacombs and bluff his way through if he was lucky.
Unless accompanied by verified Advanced Humans, very few normal Humans entered the Catacombs.
To enter, one had to show their status as an Advanced Human, but occasionally…some normal humans slipped through the cracks!
Achilles neared the most bustling area in this region where an Entrance of an Evolutius Catacomb was, and he saw the neon gates that were surrounded by Guards- normal Humans holding Modified Weaponry as massive guns lighting up with red and blue lights were held in their hands. Big guns, lots of lights, and absolutely no smiles.
They stood straight while guarding entrances that once passed, one could see a radiant blue portal in the distance that acted as the entrance into the endless maze of the Evolutius Catacombs! A blue portal that glowed like a magicsl whirlpool of doom.
Advanced Humans passed in and out every few minutes from this entrance.
For those entering, some held massive Swords or Hammers, others held Modified Weaponry that looked like plasma cannons and guns as they went through without even bothering with the guards.
Others who weren't so high profile received a stare from the Guards as they pulled out their phones to show a display screen that showed their ranking!
Achilles…would need to be like this.
Even as on the display screen, it stated that he was Pending Review.
He made his expression that of confidence and arrogance that all Advanced Humans held, and he sauntered towards the gateway with his phone in his pocket and his eyes kept ahead.
DUM!
He felt the beat of his heart.
It felt heavy at this moment as if he was turned away…
No, he wouldn't think like this.
He had to go through.
He had to obtain what he needed!
His steps gained even more confidence as he neared the Guards, two on either side of this particular Gate.
He continued forward without looking at them.
Just when he was about to pass.
"Uhh, Sir? Could we please see a Verification Page?"
One of the Guards, who looked like someone in his 30s, spoke.
He was looking at the build of Achilles- his dark hair and eyes that didn't reveal much, and even the clothes he wore weren't as flashy as many of the Advanced Humans!
Achilles looked towards this Guard without even stopping as he took out his phone and flashed it towards him.
"Don't even waste my time when I'm already pissed today- those assholes are already taking their time updating my Evaluation. A mere Guard isn't going to try and be a somebody today, right?"
…!
His voice was filled with annoyance as the Guard saw the Pending Evaluation screen on the phone, and he looked towards the other guard, who raised his shoulders as if saying to not even look at him.
Many Advanced Humans were troublesome to deal with, and some had blatantly nasty dispositions as cases of violence between Advanced Humans and normal Humans were many.
One had to choose their battles when faced with Advanced Humans. Some were jerks. Some were dangerous, and some were both. This one had a hint of crazy in his eyes that looked ready to light the place on fire.
And as Achilles continued walking forward after flashing his phone…
The guard chose his battle today…to be a peaceful one as he sighed and continued standing in his position!
DUM!
Achilles felt the booming beat of his heart once more as he maintained his expression, quickly going towards the massive portal of blue light that looked to be connected to a cave.
A portal that he was possibly entering to never leave again.
But he had to leave it safely.
No matter how low the chances were.
He truly couldn't live with himself if he allowed Rose to die!
With a heavy heart and an abundance of fear that he was suppressing, he, a normal Human, entered the blue portal leading to a small area within a vast network of maze-like Catacombs…