Chapter Two
Not long after, Alex left the Outer City Gate with his entourage, with Carl following behind them as they traveled along an already paved path in an off-road vehicle.
Although this was an apocalypse, obtaining resources had actually become easier in certain aspects because of their abundance, especially products related to petroleum.
The Goblin Canyon Dungeon was located approximately two kilometers from the slums.
Although the distance was considerable for someone living in the slums, people like Alex, as well as others striving to become stronger, were willing to make the journey because of the dungeon's high drop rate of equipment and the occasional treasures that could be found within.
One hour later, they finally arrived.
The entrance of the dungeon was already bustling with people.
Some were selling the gains they had obtained from inside, while others were waiting for their turn to enter the dungeon.
The dungeon itself was guarded by twenty Half-Step Awakeners.
That number was more than enough to maintain order.
After all, no true Awakener would have the leisurely time to come all the way to an F-Rank dungeon.
Alex and his friends disembarked from the vehicle and walked toward the colossal gate.
A massive letter F had been engraved on the gate, signifying that this was the entrance to an F-Rank dungeon.
When they arrived at the dungeon's entrance, Carl was immediately dazzled by the bustling atmosphere surrounding the area.
He had never been to such a popular dungeon before.
Although he had heard about the Goblin Canyon Dungeon, he had never actually visited it because of the distance.
After all, no one in the slums could get their hands on a functioning vehicle.
As Carl looked around and saw the various Iron-Rank weapons being sold, a thought immediately crossed his mind.
He had to take advantage of this situation.
He could trick Alex into buying one for him.
According to what Carl knew, weapons and equipment were divided into several grades.
Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, and Legendary.
Iron-Grade weapons could break through the defenses of F-Rank beasts and could be dropped by F-Rank beasts.
Bronze-Grade weapons and equipment could be dropped by E-Rank beasts. They could easily break through the defenses of E-Rank beasts and could even injure D-Rank beasts.
Silver-Grade weapons were even more powerful, capable of dealing significant damage to D-Rank beasts and providing an advantage against C-Rank beasts.
The higher the grade, the more terrifying the weapon became.
Carl grinned.
He knew that Alex would not have insisted on bringing him along if he did not have something planned.
And since Alex currently had a use for him, Carl knew that he would try his best to keep him around.
Although Carl knew he could attempt to escape, he also knew that doing so would be futile.
Those who wished to awaken had to pass through several stages of body refinement.
Skin Refinement.
Meridian Refinement.
Bone Refinement.
Those at the Skin Refinement Stage possessed a strength of approximately five hundred kilograms.
Those at the Meridian Refinement Stage could reach a strength of two thousand kilograms.
And those at the Bone Refinement Stage, once they had completely prepared their bodies for awakening, could possess a terrifying strength of ten thousand kilograms.
Carl, on the other hand, had only managed to reach a strength of two hundred kilograms despite his daily training.
The gap between them was simply too large.
Therefore, escaping by force was not an option.
Just then, Carl spotted a weapon that immediately caught his attention.
He turned toward Alex.
"Alex, I want this weapon."
He pointed toward a massive Great Sword that was emitting a faint copper-colored glow, signifying that it was an Iron-Rank weapon.
The sword was enormous.
Its weight alone exceeded 1,020 kilograms.
Alex glanced at the weapon before looking back at Carl with disdain.
"Why do you want it anyway?"
His tone was filled with contempt.
"We don't need you to fight. You just have to pick up the loot. And judging by the weight of this trashy Great Sword, can you even use it to fight?"
Carl's expression remained completely straight.
"How is that your concern?"
He pointed at the sword.
"In the dungeon, I want to at least have something to protect myself with."
He paused for a moment before continuing with a completely serious expression.
"And don't you know that there's a two-faced monkey inside the dungeon that looks exactly like you, with a banana stuffed up its ass?"
The people nearby immediately turned toward him.
Carl continued without changing his expression.
"It's cunning and is known for stabbing people in the back."
"So even if I can't wield this sword, at least I can use it as a shield."
A chubby man standing close to the sword seller looked confused.
He scratched his head and muttered to himself,
"Why haven't I ever heard of or seen the monkey he's talking about?"
Carl ignored him.
"Of course, I'm not talking about you."
He turned his attention back to Alex.
"As the son of the prestigious Guard Captain of the Outer City, I'm sure you won't lack a mere two hundred copper coins to buy this humble loot picker's weapon."
Carl maintained the façade with a completely innocent expression.
Alex's face twitched.
He gritted his teeth before throwing a small money bag toward the seller.
"Give him the sword."
He narrowed his eyes.
"That's the payment."
The seller caught the money bag.
Inside were two hundred copper coins.
Alex knew exactly what Carl was referring to when he talked about the two-faced monkey.
He knew Carl had already guessed that he was planning something.
However, Alex had no intention of exposing himself yet.
As long as Carl only knew that he had something planned but did not know exactly what that plan was, Alex still held the advantage.
At least, that was what he believed.
...
When Carl received the sword, however, the massive weapon immediately slipped from his hand.
BOOM!
The Great Sword crashed onto the ground, creating a small crater beneath it.
The sudden impact attracted the attention of everyone nearby.
The surrounding people could not help but laugh.
The sight was simply too ridiculous.
It was like watching a baby trying to lift his father.
Even the sword seller could not help shaking his head in amusement as he watched Carl struggle with the weapon.
The Great Sword was approximately 1.8 meters tall and thirty centimeters wide.
It was an absolute monster of a weapon.
Anyone looking at Carl would naturally wonder why someone as weak as him would choose such a massive sword.
One might even think his decision was foolish.
But Carl had an advantage that nobody else knew about.
It was an advantage he had possessed from the moment he entered this world.
And it was also one of the reasons he had managed to keep himself fed during the two years he had lived in this unfamiliar world.
After the Blue Planet changed, everyone gained something known as an Identification Panel.
As long as a person's soul energy was stronger than the thing they were attempting to inspect, they could glimpse brief information about it simply by focusing their attention on it.
The stronger a person became, the stronger their soul energy would become.
And the stronger their soul energy was, the more information they could obtain through the Identification Panel.
Carl, however, possessed an abnormally powerful soul from the very beginning.
Because of this, he was capable of identifying things that most people could not.
And when he looked at the Great Sword, he noticed something peculiar.
Hidden beneath its copper-colored glow was a faint and almost imperceptible rainbow radiance.
Carl's eyes narrowed.
A rainbow glow...
That was a characteristic of a Growth-Type weapon.
His heart immediately began beating faster.
He quickly focused all of his attention on the sword.
A warm current suddenly flowed from his eyes toward his brain.
Then...
A translucent panel appeared before him.
[Identification Complete]
[Name: Desolate (Sealed)]
[Weapon Type: GREAT SWORD (Growth Weapon)]
[Stats: Strength +100% | Constitution +20%]
[Active Skills: Weight Manipulation | Mountain Cleaver]
[Weight Manipulation: The wielder can actively manipulate the weight of the weapon.]
[Minimum Weight: 100 kilograms]
[Maximum Weight: 5,000 kilograms]
[Mountain Cleaver: Increases attack strength and attack speed by 100%. The attack transmits vibration energy upon impact.]
[Current Rank: Iron Rank]
[Maximum Growth Stage: Gold Rank]
[Method of Growth: Blood Sacrifice]
Carl's eyes widened.
Then, slowly...
A grin spread across his face.
He had just made a huge windfall.
A ridiculously huge windfall.
"He has gone retarded."
The people who had been watching Carl could not help shaking their heads when they saw him suddenly grinning like a fool.
Even Alex couldn't help thinking the same thing.
Carl, however, didn't hear a single word they were saying.
His entire mind was occupied by the information displayed before him.
A Growth-Type weapon.
A weapon capable of reaching the Gold Rank.
And its current abilities were already this powerful despite being sealed.
Carl's heart was practically pounding with excitement.
He wanted to bind the weapon immediately.
But he couldn't.
Not here.
Doing so would attract far too much attention.
The only way to properly use a Growth-Type weapon and unleash its full potential was to bind it to oneself.
And to bind it...
One had to drip their heart's blood onto the weapon.
Only then could the seal be broken.
Carl stared at the massive Great Sword in silence.
The weapon that everyone else considered nothing more than an absurdly heavy Iron-Rank sword...
Was actually a hidden treasure.