Chapter 3

Shameless Encounters

Around the street corner of Bellamy's current location, three figures came into sight. They looked like they were around Bellamy's age. One of them was a tall and well-built youth. The middle one had a sharp and distinguished face. And the last frame belonged to a girl with her arms embracing the pointy-faced youngster. All three of them wore expensive-looking attire. Maybe they're nobles? As they crossed paths, Bellamy's suspicions were confirmed.

"Oi, watch out, commoner!" the brutish-looking youth shouted and intentionally bumped into Bellamy. The one to fall over was not Bellamy. He currently had his overpowered short-sword and cloak equipped. He would not succumb to someone larger than him in terms of physical force and maneuverability. In reality, he would probably lose out with his 15 Strength. Despite that, his Agility and Dexterity attributes were in a buffed state due to his items.

An agile shoulder parry made the stout youth lose his footing, resulting in an embarrassing thud to the ground. Bellamy could easily have dodged with his heightened reflexes and Speed but decided to stand his ground. He was not disappointed by the results; he had at least expected to be forced back a little.

"You! Who the fuck do you think you are?!"

The grimace the well-built youth produced was filled with malice as he got himself up from the ground. He was about to charge towards Bellamy when someone held out a hand, signaling him to stop. Bellamy and the brute both became surprised.

You want me to forfeit against this pipsqueak? the brute expressed agonizingly.

You're the boss despite your slender appearance? Bellamy directed his glance toward the pointy-faced youth.

It had become a staring competition.

"Come. Let us leave this loser, cousin," the girl nagged, "he's just a commoner filth undeserving of our presence."

Bellamy ignored the girl's remarks as he was still unnervingly staring at the pointy-faced youth. The youth's lips curved slightly, forming a twisted smile.

"Hah, very well, brat," the youth said as they were in a staring stalemate. "You've got some guts. Are you by chance an Awakener?"

…

Bellamy remained quiet for a while but decided to answer to avoid any unnecessary commotion. City Guards were now nearby as they patrolled the streets. City Guards in Thorsheim were usually Level 40 or above. Since they were in Farinmore, the capital city, these guards were at least Level 45. The thought of a Level 0 against several Level 45 opponents was considered absurd, so Bellamy decided to remain calm.

"Yeah, I'm a Water-Awakened."

It wasn't a lie. Not entirely, at least.

"Oh, and where are my manners. I'm Bellamy Aarick. I'm not looking for trouble, mister...?"

It was Bellamy's turn to ask a question.

"Lecter. Brent Lecter," the youth stated proudly. "I'm sure you've heard of it. You won't be as fortunate next time I lay my eyes on you, fellow Water-Awakener," he threatened before the trio decided to gloat forward while giving an annoyed glance at the City Guards approaching the group.

!

Lecter. Where had Bellamy heard this name before?

Ah!

The Lecter family was one of the top 5 noble families in the Thorsheim Empire! They were shareholders of Thorsheim's largest mineral excavation corporations and owned several other businesses, making them filthy rich in every aspect. Be it weapons, security, gold, or connections, their annual income was on par with the royal family. Who would have thought that these youths would brazenly walk around without any guards or protection? Bellamy let the matter rest and composed himself.

Before traversing the outskirts of Farinmore toward the City Center, he hid his Shortsword underneath his cloak sleeve. After walking from his apartment for about 30 minutes, he reached his destination. It would habitually take Bellamy over an hour to walk there, but with his Agility and Dexterity significantly raised, he reduced his traveling time significantly.

That very morning, Bellamy had decided to go shopping. He wanted to see what sort of Skills he could afford. His whole life savings summed up to 7 gold, 90 silver, and some pocket-change bronze. Bellamy already wore the Multi-Purpose Cloak ever since obtaining it. Before leaving, he equipped Soulseeker with no other reason than the excitement and thrill of owning a top-tier weapon.

The double-edged Shortsword was straight like an arrow and gleamed with a colorless sharpness. The forest-green, wyvern-hided hilt, gripped in his left hand, was followed by the slightly rounded pommel, half a palm in size. Together, they formed the perfect balance.

It was 8:55 in the morning, and most stores were yet to open. After the unpleasant encounter, Bellamy stood outside a tall, elegant building surrounded by other tall structures. Most buildings consisted of offices, banks, notaries, and other official or unofficial East Center businesses. Farinmore's City Center was divided into four populated areas. North, south, east, and west. They were all influential, famous metropolitan areas known to all races of Thrae.

You would often see traveling dwarven merchants, commoners or nobles, renowned or veteran hunters, and local store vendors in the streets outside the shops and tall buildings. At the core of it all, you could find The Supreme Residence, where the royal family of the Thorsheim Empire resided.

The streets were already bustling with activity, and a person inside the shop turned around the 'closed' sign.

'The Hidden Element. Open.'

Bellamy stored Soulseeker into his inventory and strode toward the entrance.

"Welcome to The Hidden Element, dear customer. Would you like to see our produ-"

The shop assistant took another glance at Bellamy. The young man was currently wearing a ragged-looking cloak and some worn boots.

"Sir, have you come to the right place?" the assistant inquired blatantly.

"You sell skill books here, right?" Bellamy responded calmly.

"Ah. Of course. But customer, do you have the coin? Our products are expensive..."

The shop assistant glanced at Bellamy's garments without direct eye-contact.

…

"Open inventory."

The young man withdrew a pouch of coins from his Soul Window and placed it on top of the reception desk. The shop assistant became surprised by the young man's actions.

"Oh, who have we here? A Hunter! Welcome! How may I be of service?" the assistant beamed and said apologetically.

The shop assistant's attitude had taken a strange turn. That was one of the privileges of being an Awakener. One was not be looked down upon easily as an Awakened.

"I would like to purchase some Level 1 Air- and Level 1 Water-Elemental Skills."

The assistant was puzzled for a moment and then asked, "Do you mean to say that you are a Dual Awakener?"

"No, I'm asking for a friend," Bellamy responded nonchalantly with a slight unnoticeable smirk and withdrew his pouch of gold.

"Not much of a talker, ey? No problem! Please take a seat at one of our shop's booths and scroll through our menus freely," the assistant gestured and directed Bellamy toward several menu screens shown on column-like shapes placed from floor to ceiling.

Bellamy quietly went over to one of the columns and sat down. After looking through his options in the menu's interface, he found the Air and Water categories. Most of the Level 1 Skills cost between 50 silver and 3 gold. Therefore, he estimated that he would only be able to purchase four to five Skills.

A few moments later, Bellamy had placed two Skills into his shopping cart; Aqua Shield Lv1 and Gale Lv1. The current total sum was 2 gold and 80 silver. His total amount of coins was 7 gold and 90 silver, meaning he would still have 5 gold and 10 silver left. Bellamy kept browsing.

A while later, an option to choose between Wind Sprint Lv1, Mist Lv1, and Precision Stab Lv1 transpired. The latter was a melee Skill with no elemental attributes and only cost 80 silver coins.

Precision Stab Lv1

Attack, +25%; Accuracy +50%; Critical hit chance, +20%

You are more likely to hit the target. Upon dealing damage, abnormal condition, Bleed, is activated and deals health damage per second based on Hunter's Strength and Dexterity attributes for 30 seconds.

Active skill

Cooldown: None; Cost: 50 Mana points.

After a moment's pondering, Bellamy decided to add Precision Stab Lv1 and Wind Sprint Lv1 to the cart. Wind Sprint Lv1 was a skill that increased his Movement speed and Dodge rate. Mist Lv1 could turn a large targeted area into a haze, making one's vision blurred. It was a useful Skill that he would purchase at a later time.

"Dear customer, since you're a Hunter, you can transfer a sum directly from your Soul Window into the shop interface. Purchased items will automatically become retrievable in the vending hatch below your booth once the transaction is confirmed," the shop assistant from earlier informed and bowed before stepping away.

"Thanks for the tip," Bellamy nodded politely and finished his shopping procedure. It was a pleasant experience despite the shop assistant's ignorant behavior at the beginning.

To Bellamy's knowledge, his current weapon could be summed up in a single word: overpowered. A Level 0 Awakened should not be anywhere near a weapon with Attack power beyond 1.000. At most, he would be able to equip weapons with 'Attack, +70' as most weapons had minimum attribute requirements. He had to be careful not to attract too many eyes. Thus the notion was to use his spare gold to purchase some basic Adventurer equipment.

Bellamy spent the rest of the afternoon rummaging around East Center to obtain some of his desired beginner equipment and some Health and Mana potions. Before leveling up, Bellamy decided to register as an Awakener. And finally, apply for the entrance examination in the world-renowned Hunter Institution of Farinmore, an academy where tens of thousands of Awakeners would apply annually.