Chapter 13: Recommendation

Chapter 13: Recommendation "You... did you just use the System Inventory?" Ruth's voice rose as she exclaimed in shock and slammed her palm on the table before leaning in closer. "You've been awakened?!" Her outburst caught the attention of the few people present in the room. Receptionists and awakened alike turned to see the commotion but quickly lost interest. After all, it was just a low-level awakener who had barely brought a rat and, on top of that, only half of it, and it was a weakling. It was hardly worth making a fuss over. Some, however, felt that the young man's face seemed familiar, though they couldn't place where or why. In the end, everyone returned to their business when they saw Ruth suddenly cover her mouth. But she couldn't help it. The person standing before her was Elliot Clark. Once a promising young teacher in Loen City, his career had crumbled when it was revealed that he could not awaken. Then came the news of his father's disappearance. He had been labeled a Misfit on his second awakening attempt and lost the last two people he could call his family, he was later persecuted by the family. Didn't they say he was a misfit? How is it possible for a misfit to awaken? Yet, here he was, standing before her, proving that the reality was different. The shock was enough to make her nearly cry out. Elliot felt a little uncomfortable under her stunned gaze but nodded. "So... do you think you can buy all that?" he asked again. Ruth forced herself to focus. She turned to examine the times on the table—the tooth, the fur and the half the body of a rat, cut with precision. She put on some gloves and carefully inspected the remains to verify their quality. "It's just been hunted not long ago, it's still warm. And it's been preserved very well," she murmured, running her finger over the clean wound. "Plus, the important half is perfect, as it died from blows to the neck." She couldn't help but shoot another glance at Elliot as she recalled his words and then once again looked at the corpse before her. "Are they all in such good condition?" she asked, hesitating. "If they are well preserved, we can buy all of them without any problem. And in this condition, I can even give you a better price." Elliot's lips curved into a small smile. "Perfect. Where can I put them? There are 119 more corpses." She stared at him, frozen. 'He's serious.' Swallowing her surprise, she quickly cleaned the table and prepared a larger metal container. "You can put them all in here. I'll count them and tell you what I can pay for each one, okay?" Without another word, Elliot started placing everything in order. One by one, he stacked the 120 corpses on top of the other and, although the container was quite large, they still filled it to the brim. Although she was amazed (as were all those who had previously thought he was a wimp), Ruth counted them and checked them carefully. "I can offer you $8 for each body," she said. "Normally, it would be $6, since it's only half of each, so take the others as a bonus and congratulations from me for finally awakening." She smiled at him. Elliot nodded and then proceeded to set down another pile—300 rat teeth. Ruth barely blinked. "Each tooth will give you $2. Normally, they would go for $1 or $1.50 each." Next, the 200 furs. "Hmm, they're good quality," she noted, running her fingers over the soft texture. "Too bad they're not full pelts. I can give you $3 for each fur. What do you think?" Elliot grinned, satisfied. "Sounds fair. I'd be grateful if you paid me like this instead of a bulk rate. Then I'll come and sell you more at half price when I have more." He knew that favors had to be repaid, so if she did him the favor of paying him individually and not by bulk purchases, then he wouldn't become ungrateful when the time came. She chuckled. "Haha, okay, we're old friends and helping each other should be the norm." Then she did some calculations on the computer and gave him the final total. "In total, it will be $2,160." Elliot nodded in agreement, and with his confirmation, Ruth began processing the payment while asking him to sit nearby and wait for her. While he waited, a few of the awakened approached him, their curiosity piqued. Some had taken an interest in him, and some even wanted to form a hunting party with him to hunt the rats. But Elliot refused. Right now, he wasn't interested in forming hunting parties that were after mere rats. Not when there were real E-rank beasts out there. And waiting for about 25 minutes, Ruth returned before him and handed him an envelope. "Here, $2,160." He got up and took it. "Thank you, Ruth. I'll pay you back later," he said and turned to leave, but she stopped him. "Wait." He glanced back. "What is it?" Her expression turned serious. "You... Did you really awaken?" "Yes. Just recently. Why?" Ruth hesitated, then sighed. "If the Clarks find out, do you know what they'll do to make your life miserable? They might even try to kill you." Elliot met her gaze. "I know, but I'm not afraid of them." She sighed. "I know, but why don't you just move to any other city? Don't be stubborn—the Clarks are powerful. With the money you have, you could start over somewhere else. A place where the Clarks have no influence, like Agora or even Zargo. Although they are close by, the Clarks have no power there." "No, I won't leave," Elliot declared firmly. "I understand your concern, and I appreciate it, but you don't need to. I have my own plans in this regard." His unwavering tone left no room for argument. She exhaled, realizing that she couldn't find a way to convince him. Instead, she reached into her pocket and pulled out another envelope before handing it to him. "John Clark is going to participate in the next Tournament of Stars. The Clark family wants to expand their influence along the coastal region, so they are trying to push several of their members to become Star Knights, preparing for the Leveled Leagues sponsored by the System. John is already a Star Knight, but he wants the top spot, so he'll be participating in the next one, as the other 4 will be, too." She then gave him a measured look. "If you don't want that guy to kill you when he gets there, then you should consider joining a local guild. If you want revenge, under the System's rules, that's the best way you currently have to take him down. But, of course, if you've just awakened, your priority should be strengthening yourself under the tutelage of one of those guilds. I have some acquaintances in that guild, maybe they can help you. Go there." Elliot stared at her, momentarily taken aback. He couldn't help but take what she was giving him. 'Honestly, joining a guild is a must if I want to keep getting stronger after clearing the association's few dungeons. They control the most dungeons, after all.' He looked longingly at the small envelope. It had always been his dream to be strong. He longed to one day win the World Championship. Who wouldn't want that kind of glory? Although he was still a long way from that dream, the fact that he had awakened a powerful class made him hopeful that things would be different from now on. And in order to reach the World Championship, he needed to climb the ranks of the Leagues—local, regional, national and even continental. In this world, power and competition were everything. A world where the one who obtained glory was always the most powerful. No one was exempt from wanting the greatness that the system could grant them after winning one of its leagues. Who wouldn't want to win the world championship? Every world champion walked this long yet wonderful journey. But in the end, they had gained something greater. Greatness. Glory. Divinity. Elliot took a deep breath and swallowed his growing longing. He had once promised his father he would be a hero, just like him. 'I will succeed.' Despite that, his thoughts drifted to the Clark Family. 'But first, I'm going to kill them.' A hero saves lives, not takes them. But the Clarks couldn't be saved. So, for now, his dream would have to wait. Because there was still an important mission he needed to do: Exterminate the Clarks. He squeezed the envelope a little and smiled at Ruth. "Thank you, I'll pay you properly later. I'll do my best." With that, he turned and walked away. Ruth's gaze followed him as he faded into the distance.