"John Clark is the one who wants your head. He's too busy to keep an eye on you these days, but he has paid plenty of people to make sure your life stays miserable."
Elliot frowned. What this man had said was nothing new to him, but there seemed to be much more behind the words.
"Does that include you?" he asked casually.
The debt collector hesitated, looking away a little before giving a small nod.
"The local government, too."
Elliot nodded slowly. "It still doesn't seem like that's all. A small fraction of something I already knew. And that won't save your life."
The way Elliot spoke all that so calmly made the debt collector's hair stand on end. He just couldn't tell whether Elliot was angry or whether he would really let him live, but it was of no use considering either of the two possibilities; both seemed detrimental for him.
The current situation was that he needed to find a way to survive, and for that, he had to do anything he could to save his life.
That's why he swallowed hard and spoke.
"John Clark recently passed a new order to his family. They want you to live until the end of the year. Tyler Clark is returning, and he seemed to be interested in personally killing you. That's why…"
"That's why you were trying to grab me, wasn't it?" Elliot interrupted.
"Yes," the collector said, nodding. "John wants to send you to the Night Snake Torture Chamber. Although he wants to keep you alive, he doesn't want you to stop suffering."
Elliot sneered. 'You bastard. So you want to send me to the Torture Chamber, eh.' He clenched his fists in anger.
It was clear now—he would have to be prepared to be suddenly attacked by anyone who approached him at any moment. Anyone could be a spy, a knife in disguise sent by the Clarks.
The collector kept talking, but most of it was of little value to Elliot or something that he already knew. Eventually, Elliot shook his hands to stop him talking.
"You can go," he said, waving his hand in a dismissing gesture.
The debt collector blinked as if he had found light at the end of an endless tunnel; he couldn't believe that this guy would actually let him leave.
The happiness of having survived came over him, and he got up to his feet, feeling shaky and weak as he took slow steps until he turned around and ran away in the opposite direction.
He ran as fast as he could, but having almost faced death, his body wasn't reacting as usual, so his running seemed to be slow but steady.
He ran desperately until he reached the corner of the alley and finally saw other people.
Upon seeing others, his legs seemed to have found new strength. 'That fucking bastard… I won't forget this humiliation.' He glanced back over his shoulder just before crossing the road.
But suddenly, he stopped, frozen…
Elliot was there, standing just a few inches away from him.
"Is that what you really thought I would say?" Elliot's voice was cold. "Hehe, I'm sorry, I'm not that stupid anymore."
His hand flashed—a knife's edge gleamed—and in one smooth motion, he sliced through the man's neck, severing his head off.
The man didn't even have the time to react. Although his flesh was hard, with no attribute energy to reinforce it, he was nothing more than meat in the face of Elliot's blade and strength.
Before the corpse could hit the ground, Elliot caught the body and dragged it into the shadows, careful not to arouse suspicion. Then, he quickly left the scene, thinking about being more careful from now on.
[You have killed a System Reject. You have earned 2 stat points.]
The system's announcement echoed in his mind, catching him off guard.
'Wait… did I get energy from the attributes of a misfit?' he thought. However, when he examined his body, he realized that this was not the case.
'I only have statistics, not the energy of attributes. Although they go hand in hand, statistics are attributed to energy that is processed and converted into strength. Makes sense.'
He quickly checked his stats window to see where they stood.
It turned out that his strength and resistance had increased by 1 each.
That brought a grin to his face.
Two more points in one go wasn't something that came along every day; he should be grateful for the gifts he had received from the system.
He quickly made his way to a nearby area where he paid for a taxi heading toward the upper-class rural zone. He didn't go too far into the center, knowing well that the closer he wanted to stay to the center, the higher price he would have to pay. And going any further into the center would cost him an arm and a leg to simply live.
The area he had stopped at still offered better security and comfort.
He knew he didn't need to be too fussy when looking for accommodation. He didn't have much money, and he didn't need a large space to live in either. What mattered most now was investing in his own growth.
Now that he knew the rats could help him make money, even if he couldn't retrieve the goblins' bodies from the dungeon in good condition, he could always go and hunt rats.
With those thoughts in mind, choosing a location for him to live made it easier. He wanted an area that wasn't too expensive but at least better than the last one.
He found a residential complex located near the martial arts center and the gym. Even better, it was close to the guild area, which he would eventually have to go to register.
Buying an apartment here was impossible at the moment, but renting wasn't an issue. It cost $1,000 a month—steep, but he didn't need to make a down payment; he just had to pay the first month's rent upfront, and that was it.
So, after doing so, he went to check out his new apartment.
The moment he stepped inside, he nodded, somehow feeling refreshed.
"The living room alone is bigger than my entire old place," he muttered with a small smile.
The apartment had two rooms; surprisingly, both were much bigger than anything he had had before. One of the bathrooms was bigger; the other was the same size. The unit also features a living-dining area and a terrace, perfect for sunny days.
The apartment had everything he needed—for now. Some utilities were still missing, like a computer and a few other essentials, but it was livable.
After he was done looking through it, he stepped out onto the balcony and took in the view of the distant city, feeling satisfied.
He took a moment to catch his breath and look at the city.
Loen City was vast and beautiful.
For a moment, he began to feel as if all this was surreal. He was standing in a new apartment, completely detached from the Misfits. Now, he was an Awakened one, gazing out from a high-rise at the beautiful, glowing city below.
Everything he had once dreamed of finally seemed to be within his reach, and it had only been a few days since his awakening.
But he knew very well that all this happiness was fleeting. The tranquility that surrounded him was nothing more than a calm before the storm.
Loen City might seem massive, but on a global scale, it was one of the world's smallest cities. In terms of size and power, it was a speck in this world – nestled within the Southern Continent, the most neglected and forgotten of all regions.
And in a world as vast and wild as this, peace was never guaranteed.
While the world seemed to be controlled by the System on the surface, it wasn't as peaceful.
Despite the appearance of order, the System didn't bring any true harmony. It merely redirected the conflict—transforming war into something more structured—a new kind of battleground.
The world has changed for the better in the eyes of civilians, but for the Awakened, life is a constant struggle. They are exposed to danger almost everywhere.
Ordinary wars no longer exist; now, everything is governed by System Sports Competitions, such as the once-famous 'eSports,' where the Awakened compete against each other for a place in the world, a prize, and glory.
But since everyone wished to achieve that glory, they were also willing to endure fierce competition and make enemies of anyone who tried to stand in their way, even if it meant killing them, if it meant they could move one step closer to their longed-for dream.
And Elliot wasn't exempt from that desire. His eyes were fixed on the distant skyline, reflecting the storm of thoughts racing in his mind.
He, too, longed for that moment. That was why his path would not be exempt from participating in the System Tournaments, as he also wished to compete in the World Championship.
In a world where System Tournaments regulate everything, where winning one could lead to gaining large territories to govern, and losing one could result in the loss of everything, including life, very few Awakened choose the path of tranquility.
Although the risk of dying was high, the rewards were tempting enough to make one take the risk.
All human beings desire glory from the moment they are born. If they were going to die anyway, many would rather die while pursuing it.
Elliot knew that. But standing here, so far removed from that dream, he couldn't help but ask himself—
Will he be able to achieve it? His awakening came much later than the others'. Was he really worthy of longing for those moments? Was he worthy of longing for glory?
'Although I shouldn't underestimate what little I know about my class so far. If I can maintain this pace, where will I be in a year? Maybe I can be ready to fight for the title in the next World Year,' he thought; the idea seemed bold but not impossible.
Only a few months had passed since the last World Cup, but many were already looking toward the next—still four years away but steadily approaching with each day.
Everyone was gazing at the distant horizon, waiting for the year when the World Championship would be on every screen, and the hearts of everyone in the world would be stirred with frenzy, yet again.
Elliot smiled to himself. He wasn't close to qualifying, but he wanted to be bold. He was barely at the bottom and hadn't even reached Awakened Rank yet.
But dreams were free.
And if he were going to dream, he would dream big.
"Even if it's just to make my mother and sister proud from their graves," he murmured. "I will strive for that glory, and I will achieve it… even if it's at the very end of my journey."
Suddenly, he stopped looking at the horizon and stepped back inside the apartment.
If he was going to reach that dream, he needed to push himself. That meant he needed to hunt beasts, train himself, and improve his power.
Thinking about this, his eyes shifted to the dungeon access before him.
But first, he needed rest.
He went to sleep, knowing he would need all this energy to fight against whatever he faced in the dungeon.
_____
About 5 hours later, Elliot woke up.
As he did so, he put his hand on his stomach and winced.
'I was planning to sleep longer, but this hunger is unbearable…'
He was forced to get up to eat, as his appetite had been out of control lately—an unintended side effect of his rapid training and awakening.
He went down to the restaurant in the housing complex and ordered a large feast of various meats and proteins, eating everything until he was satisfied.
He literally ate like a beast. The other diners—mostly ordinary people—watched in stunned silence as he devoured portion after potion.
Naturally, they couldn't hope to keep up with an Awakened who had been exercising a lot in the last few days.
When he finally finished eating, Elliot looked at his watch.
'1:30…'
The sun was high in the sky. Most people were busy having their lunch or resting at this hour.
Perfect.
Elliot stood up, left the restaurant, and made his way to the Awakened Association.
'It should be quiet at this time of day… I hope I arrive in time.'