by L. M. Kerr
"Here." Sophia paused for a moment as she tapped on the air. A pair of basic handguns appeared, bought from the Shop, as did a pair of matching magazines.
"Lure the Morenkai onto the bridges and then shoot them from the sides, making them fall off. If you do this, you should be able to earn enough Points to survive and improve yourselves."
The two stared at Sophia, overwhelmed by her kindness. They thanked her profusely again for a solid minute before they ran off, promising to do as she said.
Micheal watched all of this, not revealing any emotion beneath his mask as he walked up next to her.
She looked at him, biting her lip slightly under her mask.
"So now what?" She said, nodding at him.
"Hmm?" He blinked, staring back.
"What do we do about them?" She motioned at the three men that had tried to rob the duo they'd rescued,
"I could set my Fairy Eyes to transport them to a living Hell. After they've spent an hour in something like that, they will definitely think again befo-" She cut herself off, abruptly, as she let out a faint scream.
While she was talking, Micheal had walked up to the main perpetrator, the chubby speaker. He then tapped on his Spatial Ring, bringing out one of his practice swords. He coated it in a layer of Sword Energy and then, without hesitating…
Plunged the sword directly into the man's heart.
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—- Points Obtained —-
Points: 144
.
Bright red blood spurted out as the man collapsed to the floor, killed almost instantly. Micheal stepped out of range of the body as it fell over, flicking his sword to the side.
"You- you killed him?!" Sophia's eyes widened in horror as she saw this, turning to look at Michael as if he was a monster.
He sighed,
"Sophia. Using your Fairy Eyes on them for an hour would force us to remain here for that hour. After you did that, there is no guarantee that they wouldn't go rob and murder more people." He looked at her, his eyes calm,
"In fact, if we were on Earth, this trio would almost certainly be considered mass murderers. You saw how they acted, they've clearly killed and robbed many people before. They likely would've killed those two for the Points they could gain after finding out if they had hid any Artifacts." He motioned with the practice blade at the now dead gunman.
"Anytime you kill another human, you get a small portion of the Points that human had, from either Abilities they'd purchased or excess Points they had leftover." Micheal began to explain,
"Humans lose around 95% to 99.99% of the Points they have had, not counting those spent on Artifacts, dropping only the remaining 5% if you're very lucky, but usually closer to or less than 1%." He sighed again.
The inefficiency really was quite great, but it didn't stop groups like the Black Flag Pirates from murdering others to gain Points.
"He would've shot the both of us if we didn't obey him." He nodded at the corpse,
"Would you want to let people like that go free?"
"But… you just, you killed him!?" Sophia took several deep breaths as she tried to force herself to get over her shock.
'She's still pretty innocent. She doesn't fully understand the horrors of this world yet.' He frowned.
"Sophia… your little sister is still lost. Imagine if we let men like this back into the world, what do you think they would do if they found her?" His words went off like thunder in Sophia's ears.
Her eyes shook as she stared at the body, not speaking.
"We aren't on Earth anymore, Sophia. Playing nice with people like that will get innocent people killed." He tried to make his voice less harsh, hoping to convey his sincerity.
Reality was not nice. Reality was not fair. The strong preyed on the weak. Micheal hated this fact, but that was how life was currently.
'I hope to change that, and change that soon.' His eyes flashed with determination.
'But that will take time.'
He finished his thoughts as he stepped forward, walking up to one of the two other robbers.
His practice blade blurred as he flicked his arm, stabbing the mugger in the heart and killing him instantly.
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—- Points Obtained —-
Points: 121
.
As he walked up to the third man, wiping the blood from his sword once more, he paused.
Sophia had walked forward, overcoming her shock as she stared at the man. Her eyes were cool, visible through her mask, as she stood before the man.
In her hands was her Burning Steel Knife.
"I-I will do it." She held the magical blade in front of her, her breathing steady.
'What a versatile mental state.' Micheal was impressed. Despite knowing her fierce reputation in the future, he still found himself surprised by how quickly she could overcome mental hurdles and adapt with so little experience. If it had been him on his first time here, he highly doubted he would've been able to move so quickly.
Micheal simply nodded, watching on.
She raised the sword in her hands, her hands not shaking a whit as she looked at the stupefied robber. She took one last deep breath and then stabbed forward.
SHKK
"…"
"Good job, Sophia." Micheal walked up and patted her on the back.
She stood in front of the dead body as it fell over, her red knife sizzling as the blood on it melted into the air, dissipating. No blood had spattered onto her, but the morning sunlight had stained her hands inescapably red. She looked down at them, her face expressionless.
"I know it's not easy. This entire reality is not easy. But it's the one we're stuck with." He nodded again.
She turned around and nodded back, her mood somber. He could see a fire in her eyes, however, one that refused to dampen.
They were quiet for a few moments before Micheal broke the silence.
"Now, let's look on the bright side! We took out some scumbags and saved some innocents, right?" He smiled, washing away the somber mood,
"Let's see if these thieves have anything we can use to sell!"
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Chapter 51: Arriving at the Open Market
Micheal took a deep breath of fresh air, looking out at the skyscraper in front of him. Memories flashed back as he looked at the towering edifice. Some good, some bad, but all rather nostalgic.
The skyscraper towered above its neighbors, a large black building with a unique roof that had a spire on it. Most of the skyscrapers had relatively similar roofs, ones that looked like this were rare.
Apart from the large, 10 meters high towering metal spire, the skyscraper was rather wide, its roof stretching more than 5 dozen meters in length and width. Despite that, not many people lived in the building long term. The constant trading sessions when the Stardust Open Market happened meant a large number of powerful visitors came here.
And that meant a correspondingly large amount of crime would take place in the general area.
Still, that didn't deter the many eager hopefuls that came by.
Micheal squinted at the roof, his eyes narrowed.
He could make out several large tables and booths already set up, with people spreading out various objects around it. He also saw several of what looked like guards looking over each of the connecting bridges.
While no major power ruled over the Open Market, there were many interested parties that wanted the market area to be secure. These groups had allied together to form the Market Guard, a team that helped regulate and keep the market safe, while also getting the best pick of spots to set up shop and arriving early.
"They're already setting up shop. Should we go in now?" Sophia's voice was hushed as she stood next to him, observing from afar.
They were standing about 3 skyscrapers over, looking on from a distance. Micheal glanced at her and then to the right and left.
He could see small strings of figures making their way towards the large skyscraper, getting ready for a lon
g, full day of barter and trade.
"We might as well. We have a lot of stuff to look for." Micheal smiled,
"Let's check it out."
After taking out the muggers from before, Micheal hadn't managed to find too much of value, only a few low-level Artifacts and some random odds and ends. It seemed whatever stash they might have had wasn't something they carried on their persons. Thus, he and Sophia had continued their journey, moving forward.
They were now in the vicinity of the Stardust Open Market.
They kept their white masks on as they moved forward, taking a bridge to a neighboring skyscraper. They began to trek towards the large skyscraper, blending in as another stray group coming in to trade.
As they walked, Micheal kept his eyes peeled, looking at all the people around him.
He could make out a small group of women all dressed in skirts and shirts, with clearly visible guns at their waists moving together in front of them. Behind them, he saw a trio of Asian men dressed in some type of traditional clothing, laughing cheerfully as they walked with swords strapped to their waists.
A plethora of interesting and unique figures dotted the area, all here to trade.
Soon, they managed to cross all the way over to the final bridge. Here, a small line had formed as the Market Guard checked everyone in. While the authority they had was rather limited, one of the few rules of the Open Market was that anyone considered an enemy in the eyes of the Open Market wouldn't be allowed entry.
Very few people gained that designation, and those that did typically caused trouble or tried to rob people and got caught. If you robbed or killed someone in secret, the Market Guard wouldn't care because they wouldn't know.
If it was in public and seen by witnesses, however…
Their rules created a certain feeling of security, a rare occurrence here in the Stardust Cluster, or anywhere in the First Layer really.
"Name and general goal of coming to the Open Market." A rough voice called out when it was their turn on the bridge, the tone of the voice routine as the speaker demanded an answer.
The speaker, one of the Market Guards, wielding a semi-automatic hunting rifle openly on his chest, looked at Micheal calmly. He had a short black beard and bright green eyes, eyes that were filled with an odd light as he saw the masks Michael and Sophia wore. He didn't comment on the gear, however, simply staring at them expectantly.
'While they do allow disguised people in, if those people were found to be enemies of the Market, they would be killed on the spot.' He tossed the stray thought from his mind as he spoke aloud,
"Heron and Crane. We are here to seek that which we desire. That desire is not trouble." His voice was cool, not releasing a hint of emotion as he made up a pair of names on the spot. His words contained absolute confidence within them, giving them an authoritative edge.
The guard nodded in appreciation,
"Very well, go on in." He waved them past.
They moved onto the main skyscraper area.
"It was that easy?" Sophia caught up to him, tugging slightly at his arm as she whispered incredulously. Around them, a few other men and women moved past, walking around the roof in the morning light.
"Yep. I saw a bit of how experienced people entered the Open Market in a glimpse of the future I had. As long as you sound like you belong, they won't try to stop you." Micheal replied, nodding at her.
As they spoke, Micheal looked all around.
Dozens of booths had been constructed as the Open Market began to kick off. Most of the booths were crudely constructed from wood or using plastic tables purchased from the Shop. Some had signs posted near them while others just had a variety of Artifacts laid out.
As he looked around, he could see about 40 people already here, roughly half of them working on setting up their stalls. It was still quite early and few of the traders had arrived yet.
Once the Open Market fully started, it would devolve into a somewhat loud, busy, and chaotic scene. Morenkai would occasionally be drawn in by the sound, but handled promptly by the guards.
"Follow me." He motioned at Sophia as he looked across the skyscraper roof, looking for, and finding, a specific person.
At the center of the roof, near the large spire, an elderly man could be seen sitting at a large table. Several of the Market Guards could be seen near this table, eyeing the surroundings sternly. A large collection of folded tables and chairs was visible leaning up against the large metal spire, just behind the elderly man.
The elderly man was completely bald, with a long white beard. He had a heavily lined face that was drawn up in a tight frown as he surveyed the roof around him.
'Commissioner Daryl.' His eyes narrowed as he saw the familiar figure.
One of the agreed-upon leaders of the Market Guard. Commissioner Daryl had a large amount of sway in how people set up their booths or trading lots. His word was like unbreakable steel here in the Stardust Open Market, unbending and impossible to go against.
He also happened to be a fairly well respected B Ranker from the First Wave. He had personally killed several people that tried to disrupt the Open Market, showing no mercy whatsoever.
Micheal had spoken to the man a few times in his first life, back when he was desperately grinding for Points in any way he could, looking for useful Artifacts to trade for. The Commissioner had helped him out a few times, giving him general advice and tips. While he was very stern, he wasn't a bad type.
He walked directly up to the table the Commissioner was at, Micheal's bearing smooth and confident. He carried himself like an expert that demanded respect, his unique appearance giving more weight to this. Sophia followed behind quietly, her movements quiet and calm. While she didn't have the air of a great expert, she didn't seem like a complete newbie either.
As the guards saw him, they tensed up slightly. One of them spoke aloud, bringing Commissioner Daryl's eyes on them.
When Micheal felt those eyes land on him, he felt a tingling sensation. A feeling of danger, a sensation he'd felt when he had seen the Pirate Lord Brandon.
'He's not quite on the same level, but among B Rankers, he's very close to A Rank.' Micheal finished crossing the distance, stopping right in front of the table. The Commissioner simply stared at him, not saying anything.
"Commissioner Daryl. We'll take a table on a Guarded Commission basis." Micheal voiced his words like a command, crossing his arms as he spoke.
"A Guarded Commission basis?" Commissioner Daryl's eyes narrowed. He tapped his fingers on the table in front of him several times, frowning,
"I don't know who told you about that, but we currently don't allo-" The Commissioner cut himself off as Micheal held a hand up. His face didn't change, but his eyes seemed to twitch, a hint of anger appearing.
"I'm not here to waste your time, Commissioner. Here's a look at what I'm trading." He tapped on his backpack, activating the Spatial Backpack with a mental command. As he moved, he noted that all the nearby guards tensed up, ready to jump to the Commissioner's defense at even the slightest sign of a threat.
WHOOSH
A heavy corpse fell onto the ground with a thud. It was the body of a dead Morenkai. Specifically, a dead Abnormal Morenkai, the one that had lobbed bolts of energy at Micheal, stunning him repeatedly and forcing him to use Sophia.
Micheal picked the corpse up with a grunt, placing it down on the Commissioner's table.
The Commissioner's eyes opened wide as he saw this.
"An Abnormal corpse? Ah, an Energy type Abnormal, and a strong looking one too." The elderly man ran his hands over the body, his experienced eyes immediately helping him pick out what he was looking at. His hands tapped on a few specific parts of its body where gashes or cuts could be seen, injuries from when Micheal had killed it.
After a moment, he looked up at Micheal, the cinder of anger no longer present. Instead, a newfound sense of respect could be seen.
The Abnormals were split up into different categories by
the powers they had. Certain features were common to certain types, making distinguishing them easy as long as one had enough experience.
Of course, there were always exceptions that didn't follow the curve, but in general, the markings on a Morenkai could serve as an indicator of what made them Abnormal.
"Did you kill this yourself? I can only see a few small injuries, carefully positioned to be just enough to kill it while preserving the corpse. I don't think I've ever seen such skillful swordplay." The Commissioner's voice was full of honest appreciation as he talked over Micheal's handiwork.
"Yes." Micheal responded simply and then continued,
"I'm here to sell multiple corpses of powerful Abnormals, each in near pristine condition." He kept his explanation short, his every word measured. The air around him seemed to shiver lightly as he spoke, an almost overpowering aura of confidence bursting around him.
"A Guarded Commission basis, huh? You know the rules, right? You'll have to help intercede should anyone disturb the Open Market. In return, all fees are waived and you can have an optimal trading position." The elderly Commissioner looked at the corpse and then over at Micheal.
"I'm aware. Do we have a deal?" Micheal's voice carried a friendly tone as he nodded,
Commissioner Daryl smiled and nodded back.
"We have a deal. Before we go through with it, I can't help but notice you know my name. Would you care to share yours?" The elderly man queried, keeping his tone respectful.
Micheal nodded, as if he had been expecting the question,
"My name is Heron and this is Crane." His eyes flashed as he waved at Sophia,
"We are independent hunters." He held out his hand.
Commissioner Daryl took it and shook it, the smile and respectful look on his eyes still present,
"A pleasure doing business with you. Let's look forward to a safe and non-eventful day."
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Chapter 52: Flesh Wizards Tower
"Ancient Stone Shards, open for barter! Looking for Healing Artifacts!"