Chapter 33: Race to Level 10 X

“STOP!!”

When Dan heard the loud yell, his complexion paled. He began trembling like a dried leaf barely hanging to the branch in the face of a tempest. Thinking that he had done something wrong, the aged man in uniform let go of Teo’s leg hastily. An aghast expression took over his scarred face as he crawled away.

“I… I am sorry, sir.” Dan’s hurried apologies were the only sound in the otherwise silent passage. Everything else had strangely gotten quiet.

Just before Dan prostrated to redeem himself in front of Teo, a looming shadow entered his field of vision. He dared turn his head around to see what caused it. But what he found nearly made his soul flee from his body.

The grotesque form whose identity he would never forget for several years to come was seen crouching right behind him. Elongated claws that looked like they could rip steel walls to shreds were but a mere inches away from the back of his head.

“Gyah!!” Giving out a shrilly scream, he scurried away, eyes wide as dinner plates. “What the hell?”

“Shut up! If I was even one microsecond slow, your head might’ve flown. Oldtimer, what’s the great idea, huh?”

Noticing Teo’s reproachful look, Dan shivered while his back was drenched in a cold sweat. At the same time, he made two startling discoveries. One: this man, Teo, could control the beast that killed their entire entourage single-handedly. Second, he doesn’t want to kill him… yet.

And neither made him happy.

Fuck! I really have worse luck.

“My sincerest apologies, sir.” Dan lowered his head, still on his knees. He didn’t dare to make any unexpected movements while the beast was still behind him. What if his actions startled it? He was not sure if this dangerous man would save him again.

Thinking of this, Dan kept his distance and continued, “I was afraid that you’d take revenge for the sin we committed against you. I just wanted to live, sir. Please forgive me.”

Teo’s gaze fell on the man groveling on the floor as a complicated look flashed in his eyes. Sure he wanted to take revenge, but killing was not on his agenda. At most, he would have beaten them up until he was satisfied.

Besides, their arrival gave him a great idea.

Because of his wariness toward Gloria, Teo’s abilities were not being used to their full potential. Coupled with the atrocious way he invested his attribute points, his damage output left much to be desired. All he could do with his current skillsets was be a good tank.

Due to this, their level-up speed couldn’t pick up the pace.

There was also another reason why he wanted them on his team. Gloria had already reached level nine and was steadily accumulating experience points. She would reach level ten sooner or later and exit the dungeon. What would he do then?

“Which base camp are you two from?” Teo asked, snickering at the other man who had turned into a metaphorical statue behind his minion. He didn’t even dare to breathe loudly, afraid of startling the ghoul.

“Number ten. We came from base camp number ten.” Said Dan with honesty. He was too afraid to lie.

“Tenth base camp? What a small world! Which side are you from?” Teo asked, surprised. He had not expected them to be from the same base camp as he. A small world indeed.

“Errr… we are from underground slums.” Dan hesitated before speaking with a tremble.

“Underground slums! You are E-grade citizens! No wonder you are wearing those uniforms.” He exclaimed, surprise coloring his voice. Only now did he remember where he had seen those unique uniforms. They belong to the laborers working in the fields.

“Wait! How did you get your hands on Awakening stones?” Teo said, squinting his eyes at them.

Even he, a D-grade citizen, wasn’t allowed to buy an awakening stone. Or else he wouldn’t have resorted to illegal means and bought from the black market. If caught, he might get into a lot of trouble even with his future status as a [Player].

As an E-grade citizen, Dan shouldn’t have the opportunity to use them. As far as he knew, E-grade citizens were not even allowed to leave the slums. Which begged the question: how did they come into the possession of such a controlled item?

“Someone gave them to us. They wanted us to awaken as players.”

“What?”

Dan’s answer shocked Teo to the core.

What are awakening stones?

They were strategic resources for humans in their battle against the ever-looming threat of monsters. They could let a normal person awaken as [Players]—humans with god-like powers. Given their priceless purpose, the council of Human Frontier kept an iron grip on them. Possession without proper authority was considered a punishable crime. Not even the [Players] would escape their fate if caught. One needs to pass proper validation as well as graduate from the school to be eligible for one of these stones.

They were available in the black/underground markets as well. But the price was so astronomical that not even [Players] would have an easy time getting it.

And you are telling me someone is distributing such a treasure to these E-grade citizens? That too for free? Then what the hell are my years of suffering worth?

Teo felt the ugly claws of jealousy gripping his heart.

He had to suffer for years, save on every penny before he had enough points to buy one. Yet some guy just appeared out of nowhere and started distributing these stones to people who were not even allowed inside the city?

Sensing that his thoughts had gone awry, Teo took in a few deep breaths. His overwhelming willpower managed to suppress these disgusting emotions, and helped him clear his head.

Only then did Teo notice the things he had missed previously.

It didn't seem like the work of the managing bodies of their base camp. They didn’t even treat these E-grade citizens as humans; why would they give them free stones?

The logical answer would be that someone smuggled them inside for the sole purpose of distributing them to these low-grade people. The question was, why. What would they gain from doing something so wasteful?

The entire situation smelled fishy to Teo.

Forget it. It’s not my job to find that out.

Teo pushed these useless thoughts to the back of his head and focussed his gaze on the two men.

“Would you like to join me?” He asked.

He allowed them to choose. It just felt like the right thing to do instead of forcing them with fear.

“Yes. Please allow us to join your team, sir.”

However, Dan’s answer came almost instantly. As if he was waiting for him to ask this question. It nearly made Teo rethink his decision.

“O…okay. My name’s Teo. Don’t call me sir.”

“Understood, sir.. err… Teo. I’m Dan. He is Lane.”

Teo nodded, committing their names to his head. Then, his gaze steeled when he looked at them. His eyes carried a sharpness that scared both men.

“Tell me about your strength and weaknesses.” He demanded.

Dan blinked, taking a few seconds to understand what he meant, then nodded.

“Yes, of course. I spent all our points on strength, agility, and magic in a ratio of four-four-two.”

Teo nodded, then looked at Lane.

“I... I’m also the same. Sir.”