The next day, Ryo woke up very early, ready to head toward an F-rank dungeon that was set to appear on the outskirts of the city.
His first stop had to be the Awakened Market to pick up some gear. Although the items sold there were considered "trash" by professionals, high-quality equipment was only available in specialized shops that were strictly regulated by the Awakened Association. That could raise suspicions about him—after all, he was considered the greatest disgrace among the awakened.
"What would he need that gear for?" they would wonder. They might suspect he was planning to kill an ordinary person or that he'd stumbled upon a newly discovered dungeon. That could lead to him being monitored or even followed. Worse still, a guild or the association might seize the dungeon from him—or even assassinate him to keep him quiet.
Besides, shopping at those high-end stores wasn't even a real option due to their outrageous prices. The Awakened Market, on the other hand, would help conceal his true identity. He also had an advantage that many awakened didn't: the "True Eye" skill, which revealed hidden information about items—giving him confidence that he might find something rare, maybe even powerful gear.
After scarfing down a quick breakfast, Ryo rushed out. His footsteps echoed on the stone staircase as the door slowly closed behind him.
Just as he disappeared down the stairs, the door to the landlord's apartment opened, and a woman stepped out with a phone in hand.
"He just left. Be careful not to get caught," came a whisper from the phone.
"Got it. Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll get rid of that bug in no time… and come back to enjoy our time together."
The woman's face turned red with embarrassment, like a teenager hearing love words for the first time. "I'm waiting for you, darling..."
Beep... beep...
She ended the call, lowered her phone, and smirked cunningly. "Let's see what you'll do after being crushed, you arrogant brat."
All of this was happening while Ryo had no idea. If he knew, he would've flipped them the finger and said:
"Screw you, idiots."
---
At that moment, Ryo was already in a taxi heading to the Awakened Market.
It didn't take more than half an hour to arrive. The market was a long street, bustling with vendors shouting at the top of their lungs to attract buyers. The air was thick with the smells of spices, iron, and burnt oil, while the voices of merchants clashed with the clanging of blacksmiths.
Ryo entered the market, hearing all kinds of sales pitches and promotions:
"Anti-poison charms! Perfect for D-rank dungeons and below!" "A blood mana-boosting pendant! Certified by the Association!" "Hey! Come take a look! A sword forged from dragon bone!" "Legendary potion that triples your stats!" "A miracle drug that regrows severed limbs—guaranteed!"
Ryo wandered through the crowds, glancing left and right, using his "True Eye" skill to scan weapon properties. Some sellers were outright lying, while others didn't know the real value of what they had—which was exactly what he was looking for:
> [Sword Grade: Common] [Shield Grade: Common]
He started feeling disappointed. "Is this how it begins? First market visit and I expect to find top-tier gear… am I an idiot? If there were good items, they must've been sold ages ago."
But he quickly realized he was being hasty and forced himself to stay calm.
"I need to think clearly. I'll find something good if I look hard enough."
He continued searching for nearly two hours until he came across something interesting:
> [Warrior's Shield Grade: Rare — Property: Increases defense by 6 points]
The shield was made of iron, pale silver in color, simple in design, and unadorned. And the price? Only $2,000.
"Lucky me. The seller doesn't know its value… this shield could easily be worth at least a million dollars!"
And his luck didn't stop there. He also found:
A pair of hand and foot guards that added +9 defense points
Gloves that increased attack by 5 points
Boots that boosted speed by 4 points
Ryo stood in a corner for a moment, admiring the "treasures" he had gathered. Once he confirmed their stats, he opened one of the official apps from the Awakened Association to check their prices.
"A set like this? Worth no less than $14 million…"
His eyes widened in shock before he smirked in disbelief. "And I bought it all for just five thousand?"
He recalled how he haggled with the old merchant, who thought he was just a reckless kid:
"$2,000?! Impossible! This is a rare shield—I won't let it go for less than $5,000!" Ryo replied with a cold smile: "If it's so rare, why hasn't it sold yet?"
The merchant stammered, and Ryo turned his back, saying, "If you don't lower the price, I'll go somewhere else… this market is full of junk."
The merchant quickly shouted, "Wait! Fine… $2,000—but don't tell anyone!"
Using the same strategy, Ryo got the rest of the gear—choosing his words carefully, maintaining his cold gaze, and using his unnerving confidence to throw the merchants off.
At that moment, a thought crossed his mind: "Why not buy equipment from the Awakened Market and sell it to major stores for double the price? I could make a fortune!"
But he quickly dismissed the idea. "That would attract attention… They might start monitoring me or use me as a tool to discover rare weapons and dungeons."
He looked at his gear again and said quietly to himself, "Once I have the power and influence, I can exploit that. But for now… let's look for a helmet and a weapon."
---
After a cautious search, Ryu decided to use a double-edged axe as his main weapon, and a giant shield for blocking and defense. An axe to boost his destructive power, and a shield to support his sturdy body. It didn't take long before he found what he was looking for:
Axe: +7 Attack Power
Giant Shield: High Durability
Helmet: +5 Defense
Though his gear looked completely ordinary, the "True Eye" revealed their true nature.
---
As he was about to leave, his eyes fell upon an old man sitting silently, a tattered cloth spread before him, with a few scattered items on top. The old man stared forward with cloudy eyes, as if he could see nothing… or perhaps saw too much.
What caught Ryu's attention wasn't the number of items, but a worn-out ring that could barely be distinguished from trash.
But to Ryu, it was anything but trash.
> [Storage Ring
Grade: Rare
Capacity: 100 rooms, each 10 cubic meters]
Ryu swallowed hard. This was the kind of storage ring only Awakened of Rank A and above could even dream of owning.
A ring this rare? Just tossed on the ground like that?
He glanced at the sign in front of the old man. The price? One dollar.
One dollar for such a rare item? Unbelievable.
Ryu felt like the world around him was losing all logic. But he wasn't foolish enough to show it. "Who cares if it's a dollar? I found it—I'm taking it."
He quietly took out a dollar, handed it to the old man, picked up the ring as if it meant nothing, and hurried out of the market toward the dungeon before anyone could notice anything.
He left the Awakened Market and hailed a taxi, carrying all his equipment on his back. He hadn't stored anything in the ring yet, since it required blood and mana to bind, and he was in a hurry to reach the dungeon.
As the taxi made its way deeper toward the city outskirts, Ryu stared out the window. The streets were nearly deserted, and the number of homeless people was overwhelming. This level of homelessness had become normal—since dungeons appeared in the world, many cities were destroyed, and even those that weren't were abandoned in favor of newer, safer ones.
Thus, poverty, homelessness, hunger, drugs, and illegal activities became rampant in the city's outskirts. No one cared about these people, as if they weren't even human—just those who had been cast aside.
As Ryu was lost in thought, he noticed in the car's mirror a motorcycle that had clearly been following him since he left the apartment. He curled his lip in slight disdain. He recognized the rider—it was the lover of the apartment manager, Lady Li.
"Looks like she sent… a piece of trash," he muttered quietly.
Before he obtained the SSS-level Luck Roulette, no one would've dared mess with him. But now, things were different—and there was a perfect place to dispose of a body… What better place than a dungeon? Strangely, Ryu didn't think of beating the man—he thought of killing him directly.
"Isn't it better to uproot the weed from the root?" His eyes gleamed with murderous intent, then dimmed again.
Suddenly, the taxi driver spoke:
"Sir, I can't go any further. I hope you understand."
Ryu hid his intent and smiled kindly:
"That's fine. I understand. My team will meet me here."
The car stopped, and after paying the fare, Ryu got out.
"He's really a good kid, unlike most Awakened these days," the driver muttered, then drove off.
If the driver had known that the "good kid" he just dropped off was harboring thoughts of murder, he would've run away without looking back.
Ryu entered a dark alley, disappearing into the shadows that hid his intentions.
After the taxi drove away, the motorcycle stopped, and a tall man stepped off. He wore biker gear and a helmet to hide his identity. He began following Ryu's path.
Deep in the alley, Ryu stood before a swirling blue portal floating in the air, rippling as if calling to him.
The man following him, holding a metal pipe he had found on the street, finally saw Ryu. He smiled under his helmet, but when his eyes landed on the dungeon, his face froze, then lit up with sudden joy.
"Heh… Looks like you've discovered this dungeon. I don't know how, but once I get rid of you, I can sell it for a good price and get out of this filthy place… and dump that whore!"
He spoke excitedly, as if everything was going according to plan.
Ryu glanced at him from the corner of his eye. He didn't even bother activating his True Eye—he already knew everything about him.
A loser who exploited defenseless women to make money, then discarded them like garbage.
Scum like him were one of the reasons society was crumbling.
Ryu curled his lip in open disgust, spotting a glint in the corner of his eye.
"What are you smiling at? Today, I'll get rid of you and rid the world of the biggest disgrace among the Awakened!"
Just a smirk from Ryu made him lose control. That's why people like this were never meant to be Awakened—their fate was ruin.
Honestly, Ryu didn't plan to end it quickly—he wanted to play with him a little. But now… he decided to end it immediately.
Boom!
In a flash, Ryu vanished and appeared in front of him, grabbing him by the head and slamming him into the ground!
Boom!
The impact shattered his helmet, and he blacked out instantly.
"What exactly were you trying to get rid of?" Ryu muttered, then grabbed him by the hair and dragged him toward the dungeon.
Suddenly, the man's phone rang. Ryu took it out and saw the caller: Lady Li.
He answered the call.
"Darling… did you take care of that bastard?" came her sweet voice from the other end.
Ryu smirked mockingly and replied:
"Oh… Lady Li, unfortunately, this trash wasn't worthy to work with me. And since you broke the agreement, I'll give you one day. Tomorrow, I want to see the apartment's transfer papers… or you know the rest."
Ryu ended the call without wasting another second on her.
At that very moment, Lady Li collapsed to the floor in shock and fear. She hadn't expected this… it felt like the world crumbled around her.
_______
To support leave a comment and a power stone.