Chương 4: Nowhere to Go

Ch 04 - Nowhere to Go

"How dare you, Zephion!" the man shouted, then grabbed the skinny boy by the shoulder.

"Do you even know what you've done? You useless brat, always causing trouble and never once thinking about the consequences!" Zeph clenched his right hand tightly while his other hand still gripped the man's fist.

"I work myself to the bone for you and this is how you repay me? You think you're strong now? You think you can look at me like that?" He kept ranting, his voice rising and falling without sense. Soon after, his body gave out and dropped to the floor until he was kneeling, and then his head fell forward, hanging from the right hand that Zeph was still holding. He released the man's hand, and the drunk collapsed to the side with a heavy thud, mumbling faintly.

Even while the city was under massive attack, while the apocalypse arrived and the dark cavalry stormed through the streets, explosions roared and people dying everywhere, this foolish man still had the time to get drunk. More than that, he had even managed to return home in one piece. Zeph drew in a slow breath and closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm the anger boiling inside him. He could not stay in this place any longer. This man would kill him the moment he woke up and saw the chaos in this house.

Not that he would be killed so easily by this man. At least Zeph was confident in his own strength now. He was level twelve. He was many times stronger than he had ever been before. Not that he cared about the man anyway. He stepped back, then quickened his pace. He went to his room in a hurry, grabbed the only backpack he had, stuffed several pairs of clothes into it, and then took off the clothes he was wearing, the ones stiff with dried blood.

Some time later, he stood once more in the living room with the backpack slung over his shoulder. He swallowed hard, then walked straight toward the door, the sound of it shutting from the outside echoing softly behind him. ** Zeph walked toward the main road, where ambulances wailed as they sped past. Fire trucks rushed by as well, while officers shouted orders to clear the way. It would take time to restore the city's condition.

Honestly, this was the most fitting moment for a fourteen year old boy like him to run away from home. He should have done this much earlier. The government clearly did not care about the condition of children, no matter how they were treated by their parents. Bruises and broken skin were dismissed as private family matters, nothing more than a household issue that did not deserve attention. Zeph continued walking along the edge of the road as he noticed people beginning to move about again.

Some were already dressed neatly, not even twenty four hours after an apocalypse like disaster had nearly drowned the city. Yet they had returned to their routines as if nothing had happened. He glanced up at the sky, which had finally turned bright again. The air felt strangely calm, almost too calm, as if it were pretending that nothing terrible had taken place. Usually, monster attacks came from outside the city, beyond the city walls where defensive systems were already set up and ready to respond.

He let out another breath. Last night's attack had come from the sky itself, and that caused far greater destruction because the city had not been prepared with proper anti air defenses. They should have thought about this possibility sooner. Not every dungeon break came from above, but it was not rare to encounter flying monsters that could cross the city walls and strike directly into densely populated areas. This city was actually quite large. However, its government truly did not seem to care enough.

Human lives felt like nothing more than numbers, mere statistics on a report in their eyes. Zeph stopped walking when a loud growl came from his stomach. He was starving. He had not eaten anything since yesterday afternoon. It had almost been twenty four hours. He slipped his hand into his pocket and realized he had nothing. No money at all. How was he supposed to eat? He pulled his right hand out of his pocket and clenched it tightly.

"I need to register at the Hunter Association and start hunting monsters like the others," he said quietly, his eyes fixed straight ahead.

"But before that… I need food." And there was another thing. He had to prepare himself properly. He would only waste time and fail miserably if he showed up unprepared. Having a level alone was not enough to pass and be accepted into the Hunter Association. In his current state, malnourished, thin, and without real combat experience, he would be rejected without hesitation and thrown out immediately. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

"Let's take on some temporary work first," he decided at last. After all, he had more power now. He was stronger than even the strongest normal human. It would be a waste not to make use of that strength. As he kept walking and thinking about what kind of job he could take, his attention shifted back to his status panel. There was more information there besides his Authority, the Undying Core. There was also the detail about the sigil he had successfully acquired. His first sigil was Epic-grade Night Cavalry.

A sigil was an ability that a person needed to secure whenever they reached a bottleneck at level 10, 20, 30, and so on. One of the most common ways to acquire one was by claiming it from a monster they had personally defeated. Only after obtaining a new Sigil could they break through to the next rank. In simple terms, a Rank 1 Apprentice would always possess one sigil. A Rank 2 Guardian would have two sigils, and the pattern continued in the same way for the ranks that followed.

It seemed that, without realizing it, Zeph had risen to level ten at the same time he managed to kill that dark creature. The process must have continued on its own, and without his awareness, he had even absorbed the monster's core. He obtained his first sigil. Not only that, he had even risen two more levels afterward. All of it happened while he was exhausted and unconscious. It was fortunate that nothing else approached or attacked him while he was lying helpless outside the house.

A sigil took the form of something like a marker on a person's body. It was similar to a tattoo, though it would only reveal itself when the ability was activated. Zeph raised both of his hands and studied his arms, wondering where exactly his first sigil was attached. There was only one way to find out, and that was by activating it. However, he could not do that right now.

"But still, Epic grade?" he murmured to himself. Sigils had grades that began from Common, then Rare, then Epic, and finally Legendary. Normally, a Rank 1 Apprentice and a Rank 2 Guardian could only acquire a Common grade sigil. Even possessing a Rare grade sigil was already considered exceptional. Yet he had acquired an Epic grade sigil as a Rank 1 Apprentice.

"Isn't this truly extraordinary?" he muttered again, a faint smile slowly forming on his lips. Zeph slowly came to a stop when he noticed three trucks lined up along the roadside. Several workers were unloading large packages from the back, stacking them carefully on the pavement. He tilted his head for a moment, then walked closer to a man who seemed to be supervising the operation. The man turned toward him. He had a thick beard and tired eyes, his sleeves rolled up as he watched the workers.

"What do you want, kid?"

"Sir, I'm Awakened. I need a job for food. If possible, could you let me help here?"

"Awakened?" the man repeated, raising a brow.

"Interesting. But I don't have the budget to hire an awakened person."

"Pay me the same as the normal workers," Zeph replied without hesitation.

"Well…" The man paused, studying him from head to toe.

"How old are you, kid?"

"Fourteen, sir."

"Fourteen." He nodded slowly.

"You don't look fourteen. You look younger, if I'm being honest. But with the city in chaos like this, no one is going to question it too much. Fine. I'll pay you daily." Zeph smiled and nodded. He honestly had not expected it to be this easy. But he truly needed food as soon as possible. He had no other choice, at least for the next week until he could figure out something better. He quickly joined the others and approached one of the workers standing at the back of the truck.

"Careful with that one. Don't drop it, it's fragile," the worker said.

"Use your strength, but don't crush the box. These are important supplies."

"Lift from the bottom, not from the side. If it tears, we're done for."

"Yes, I can handle it," Zeph replied. He received a box from the man standing on the truck and lifted it down. Just as he had expected, the weight that should have strained his thin arms felt far lighter than it looked.

"You're stronger than your body makes it seem. Hahaha," one of the workers said, eyeing him with surprise. Not bad as a form of training, right? It was not like he was unfamiliar with physical activity. In fact, he was used to it. Every early morning he worked as a package courier, delivering small parcels and urgent items across several districts before sunrise. Most of the time he ran to finish faster and take more orders. After that, he went to school, doing just enough to get by.

When classes ended, he continued with another part time job in the afternoon, usually helping at a small grocery store to carry goods and restock shelves. Every trip to and from those places, he ran instead of walking to save time and bus fare. His body was thin and dry, almost fragile in appearance. Not that he was unfit. He had stamina. He simply should have been in far better condition than this. If he wanted to survive in this world with his newly awakened core, he needed to learn proper combat skills.

Swordsmanship, perhaps. Or even how to handle firearms. Power alone was not enough. Strength without technique was just wasted potential. He would need discipline, training, and real battle experience. By the time late afternoon arrived, the other workers were finally wrapping up for the day. Some of them stretched their backs while others laughed and talked as they opened their meals. Zeph sat a little apart from them, watching quietly as they began eating. A moment later, someone sat down beside him.

When Zeph turned his head, it was the supervisor. The bearded man did not say much. He simply held out a small food box.

"You haven't eaten, have you?" he said. Zeph stared at it for a second before accepting it. His hands trembled slightly as he opened the box. The warm aroma of grilled meat and fresh bread rose into the air. He smiled without realizing it. He quickly brought the burger to his mouth and took a bite. For a brief second, he paused, savoring the taste spreading across his tongue. Then he began chewing faster, unable to hold himself back.

His stomach responded almost immediately, growling loudly before settling as the food finally reached inside. Warmth spread through his body. For the first time since yesterday, he felt alive again.

"Did you run away from home, Zeph?" Zeph stopped chewing for a moment when the man asked that. He glanced at him briefly but did not answer, then continued eating.

"You've got a good work ethic. But you don't look like you grew up properly," the supervisor continued. Zeph stayed silent. He did not know what he was supposed to say.

"If you need a place to stay, you can use the storage warehouse behind the loading area," the man said.

"There's a small room upstairs with folding beds and some basic supplies. The workers use it whenever they have to spend the night." He paused, then added, "Just keep it tidy, don't cause any trouble, and make sure you stay safe out there. The city's still unstable. But I'm not too worried about you. You're awakened." Zeph looked at him again.

"I'd really appreciate that, sir." The man continued.

"You can work as much as you like. But like I told you earlier, I can only pay the normal rate. And I hope you find your real place soon. This kind of job isn't meant for an awakened person, alright?" He gave Zeph a firm pat on the back, then stood up and walked away. Zeph watched him go, a faint smile forming on his lips. So this was what it felt like to be treated kindly by someone? It felt… surprisingly warm.