"In the Tower, we are not competitors. We are comrades."
Sword Saint —Evelyn Queen. Guild Leader of the Queen's Army
I sighed and closed my eyes. I needed to rest. At least, that had been the plan until my phone started ringing.
I didn't even have to look. There was only one person who would call me at this time of the day, and sure enough, opening my smartphone, I could see her name.
[Hellen the Gorilla]
I did not answer the phone. It rang two more times, and finally, a message followed.
[From: Hellen the Gorilla
Message: I know you are ignoring me. I swear, if you don't answer my next call, I am going to storm your house.]
I groaned. That muscle-brained girl was crazy enough to do something like that. The phone started ringing again, and this time I answered.
"Hi… How have you been?"
{So, you really weren't sleeping. Ignoring me now?}
"Helen…" For all that I called her a gorilla, Hellen was a close friend. We had first met eight years ago, during a dungeon break, the day when my entire life changed.
{Don't you 'Helen' me. I heard what happened this morning. Why didn't you call me?}
"I'm not that shameless, you know." I sighed once again. "Look, I'm okay, alright? I knew it was going to happen sooner or later. If it wasn't for you and the Guild Leader, they would have chased me out long ago."
{... They only dared to do this because Mom is climbing the Tower.}
"Maybe. But let's be honest—as I am now, I'm useless." I dismissed her words. "Look, I'm going to try to get some sleep now."
{Please, Cain, don't do anything crazy, okay? I have to enter a dungeon soon for a short exploration. Just stay low and don't act like a hothead. I'll be back in three days, and we can find a solution together. Promise?}
"I… Yeah. I promise I won't do anything crazy. Now go. Focus on your dungeon run, okay?" Becoming a cleaner was slightly dangerous, but it was far from crazy.
{I will.} I could almost hear the relief in her voice. This made me feel a little guilty, but I couldn't wait for her to leave. I had no intention of relying on her or her mother's goodwill.
{And Cain… We will find a solution. Even if I have to give you my Elixir after I get chosen and reach the top 10.}
"Feeling confident, huh?" I laughed at her words. We'd already had this discussion many times, and there was no way I would accept her solution.
Once our call ended, I lay down on the creaky bed and tried to force myself to sleep. Even though sleep wouldn't come easily, I kept my eyes shut and waited for time to pass.
After tossing and turning well past 3 AM, I must have eventually drifted off.
* * *
When I opened my eyes again, the sky was brightening. I looked at my phone, and it showed 6 AM. I'd barely had any sleep, but my mind felt sharper. My mana was so low that it recovered pretty quickly.
Where should I start?
Entering a dungeon alone was impossible. The government and the guilds managed most of the dungeons in Abyss City. The regulations for entering dungeons as a Hunter were extremely strict.
After all, even F-rank Hunters were precious resources. They couldn't be killed off needlessly.
But there was a way for people like me to make money: working as a Porter or a Cleaner.
A Porter, as the name implied, was just that: people who followed Hunters in the dungeons, taking care of their supplies, and sometimes assisting with logistics and strategy. Some people might look down on them, but it was hard to become an official Porter without going through an exam.
In the past, I had worked as a Porter to make ends meet. But even Porters had to have a certain level of strength, so unfortunately, I'd lost my license. That day was honestly one of the most humiliating of my life.
Cleaners, though, were different.
They were the lowest of the lows, the ones given the shittiest jobs in the most dangerous zones. They were the rats of the dungeon, the hyenas, or the vultures. These were the people who cleaned the dungeons after they had been cleared, took back the corpses of monsters or even Hunters, and worked on the mana pollution.
They were also scavengers who wouldn't hesitate to steal from the dead, taking anything they found. At least 20% of the stuff on the black market came from Cleaners who were disposing of their ill-gotten gains.
Most Cleaners ended up mutating because of the corruption and were put down, or were killed by their greedy companions when they found a treasure.
Truth be told, this was definitely not a dream job.
But I need it.
I could not imagine myself doing a normal job, or even a part-time position. I needed this—the thrill, the adrenaline, the pumping of my heart as I fought.
But more than anything, I simply wanted to kill those monsters.
Time to clean up.
I stood up and left the boarding house to clean myself up. Common bathrooms were relatively cheap. They were mixed-gender, and I could see several people going in and coming out.
Although their primary purpose was cleanliness, they were also common hook-up spots. With STDs being a thing of the past and birth control reaching a 100% success rate, people were a little too casual about sex these days.
That kind of scene might have been shocking at first, but nowadays, it is so common that it is almost boring. This was even more so in places like Abyss City, where danger lurked around every corner. People would do anything to not think about their shitty situations—what better way than to use drugs, sex, and alcohol to forget all your problems?
A few people called me on the way; some invited me to join them, while others just leered at me. I ignored them all, however, and they knew not to cross the line. I might be a failed Hunter, but as an Awakened, I still had many advantages, including access to mana and the right to use lethal force against potential threats.
In the past, people had tried restraining Hunters. But as Hunters and Regulars became more and more powerful, and Gates kept opening, this movement was stamped out. People realized that pissing off walking weapons of mass destruction wasn't the smartest move.
A well-organized group could put down low-ranked Hunters, however. I was no more immune to bullets and knives than a normal human, even though I could use mana.
But mid-ranked Hunters were a different breed. Once an Awakened reached a high enough level, they could face even anti-tank rifles with little difficulty. As for high-level Hunters or even Rankers? For many, those people had long since transcended humanity and were more akin to walking nukes.
My shower was brief, despite the constant cat-calling. I wasn't worried about being attacked; despite my low mana, projecting a dagger wasn't much of a problem.
Getting a good gig as a Cleaner wouldn't be easy. But I had a few favors I could call in.
* * *
At dawn, Abyss City was no different from any other city in America. Previously known as Los Angeles 50 years ago, it would be more apt to call it the City of Demons nowadays.
In the entertainment and gambling districts, which were closing as the sun rose, people, worn down by life and drink, stumbled out onto the streets, avoiding the trash that had piled up overnight. The only ones moving busily were the market merchants, street vendors, and janitors.
Avoiding their gazes, I blended into the crowded streets of dawn. My destination was the market. I had on a pair of jeans and a baggy turtleneck, which concealed a protective shirt beneath it. I couldn't use the combat gear that belonged to the Training Center, but thanks to my skills, it was possible to replicate a few of them.
The smell of fish and food hit me as soon as I entered the market. Deep within, down a small alley that even the merchants didn't visit, was a tiny bar.
Making my way through the winding market alleys, I walked down the alley and entered the bar. The only one present was an old black man with a bald head and a mechanical limb where his left arm should have been.
The best way to describe him was a mass of muscle. He was nearly two meters tall, with biceps bigger than my head, and a menacing aura.
"We're closed for the day." His voice was calm and heavy. He didn't even bother looking up from his task.
"Hey, Iron Fist."
Only after I called his name did the owner finally look up. Iron Fist had earned his nickname for obvious reasons. He was also the leader of the Iron Fist Gang, the group that controlled this part of the city, and an old friend of my parents.
"Oh! Madman? What are you doing here at this hour? Shouldn't you be jogging or going to the Center?"
"I got fired."
"What?" As soon as he heard my answer, Iron Fist stopped wiping the table and furrowed his brow. Then he shrugged. "Take a seat, drinks are on me. Same as usual?"
"You know me." I took a seat at the bar and waited as Iron Fist made a non-alcoholic drink for me.
Alcohol was good; however, I always avoided drinking anything that could negatively affect my cognitive abilities. I was already slow enough as it was; there was no need to put myself in a possibly dangerous situation voluntarily. Some said I was paranoid, but I had seen enough brawls and stabbings in the streets that I would rather be paranoid and alive than incautious and dead.
Once I got my mocktail, Iron Fist closed the bar's front door before coming back to me.
"Hey, since I have you here, mind taking a look at my arm?" He asked as he took a seat next to me.
"Sure."
I placed a hand on his metallic arm, mana filling my body and focusing on my fingers and eyes as I activated one of my skills.
[Analysis.
Rank: Rare
Proficiency: Adept
Description: "A blade's history is written in its steel."
Allows the user to break down and understand the structure, composition, and history of an object simply by touching or observing it.
Effect: Can observe and better understand the internal structure of the objects you analyze.]
Analysis was, to be frank, one of my most useful skills. It allowed me to inspect objects in a way no equipment ever could. To fully utilize this skill, I studied many topics, such as machinery and weapons forging. I even briefly worked in a factory and apprenticed with a bladesmith. I wasn't a pro, but my basic knowledge was very useful in moments like this.
This was why I couldn't help but let out a whistle when my inspection ended.
"What the hell have you been doing the last few days, old man? Your arm is completely wrecked." Externally, it looked more or less normal, but I could see that all the weapons installed in it had been destroyed. "You may be a D-rank, but you should be more careful."
"You know I would love nothing more than that. But the Viper gang and the Black Mamba are relentless. They've been trying to occupy our zone, and it's becoming a pain." He grumbled and moved his arm away.
"Heh, Black Mamba." I chortled. Those gang names were always funny. But I knew the dangers they brought were real. The Iron Fists were not saints by any means. They dabbled in all kinds of bad stuff. But at the very least, they brought some kind of peace and order. Those two gangs, on the other hand, were nasty.
"Black Mamba is crazy, but he is at least manageable. The problem is Viper." Iron Fist sighed and downed his own drink. "That bastard has been trying to bring some new stuff from China and sell it on the street. I'm not talking mild stuff, but really bad shit. From what I have heard, it can even help awaken humans."
I stopped. Talk of new drugs was nothing new. Every few weeks, some scientists in China or America would develop something stupid or dangerous. But this was a whole new level. "Are people stupid? They think if there was a substance like that, it would be sold for a few hundred on the street instead of being treated as a strategic resource?"
The power of a country depended on the power and numbers of its Hunters. This was a lesson the USA had learned with blood after losing all of Las Vegas and a few other western states to the Abyss.
If there truly were a drug that could change humans into Hunters, then the governments or the big corps would have taken control of everything already.
"They aren't stupid, just desperate. If they can leave this hellhole, be it in dream or reality, they will pay any price."
His words brought on a somber mood. I couldn't refute his claim. After all, I was in a very similar situation.
If I could just get my chance at becoming a Hunter… I might even sell my soul to the devil.
[The Silent Watcher perks up at your words.]
Ignoring my celestial stalker, I started writing the list of everything needed to repair his arm.
"Done. With this, you should be able to repair your equipment at a lower cost. I would have loved to create something temporarily, but my mana isn't exactly at the right level currently." I gave a bitter smile, and Iron Fist simply patted me on the back. The old man wasn't the kind to give words of pity. This was one reason I was at ease spending time with him.
"Speaking of. Seems like the next batch for the Tower will soon be selected. What do you think? Feeling confident?"
I shook my head. "The selection is random. Even normal people get selected sometimes. But I…" I gritted my teeth. My hope rested in the Tower. The reward given to the Top 10 Clearers of Normal Difficulty and all the Clearers of Hard Difficulty on the first floor was a Reconstruction Elixir.
There was no black market for this. Those who could reach the Top 10 were ambitious and very talented people. They wouldn't sell something like the Elixir. Plus, once someone entered the Tower, they could not leave until the Fifth Floor. Not taking the Elixir while in Hard Difficulty was a severe handicap.
This was why there was no way I could accept Helen's gift. I knew she felt like she owed me a great deal, but this didn't mean I wanted her to risk her life. The death rate in the Tower was no joke.
"Old man, I need a favor." In the end, I stopped hesitating and asked, "I want to work as a Cleaner."