Chapter 3 – Seeds of a New Civilization
My steps moved slowly along the ruined streets of the city. The stench of smoke, corpses, and blood mixed into one, stabbing into my nose. The tall buildings were now full of cracks, some already collapsed. From time to time, the roar of monsters echoed in the distance, sending chills down my spine.
"The old world is truly dead…" I muttered in my heart.
Beside me, my avatar walked calmly, disguised in the worn-out jacket I had given him. Even though our faces were nearly identical, others would only assume he was a twin brother or a close friend.
Our journey finally reached a large warehouse that still stood firm. From the outside, faint noises of a crowd could be heard. I glanced at my avatar, then stepped inside.
The sight before me made me pause for a moment.
Dozens of people had gathered—some sitting on the floor, others setting up makeshift stalls with cloth or cardboard. But the goods they sold were not rice, oil, or clothing like in a typical relief market.
There was freshly butchered monster meat. There were bottles filled with suspicious greenish liquid. I even saw a small shimmering stone glowing faintly.
"Hoh… so this is the beginning of a new market?" I narrowed my eyes.
[Manas – Brief Analysis]
Item: Mutated Rat Meat (White) → slightly increases dark energy, weak effect.
Item: Amateur Mixture (Gray) → 12% chance of being useful, 88% chance of causing stomachache.
Item: Raw Spiritual Stone (Green) → stores spiritual energy, can be absorbed to speed up cultivation.
I held back a laugh as I read the analysis.
"So people have started experimenting… some becoming merchants, others becoming swindlers."
In one corner, a young man lifted a large piece of meat and shouted,
"This is mutated dog meat! I tried eating it myself—my body instantly felt warm! If you want to get stronger quickly, try it! Trade it for clean water or medicine!"
Some people hesitated but still approached. The pressure of survival pushed them into desperation.
My avatar turned to me. I could feel his thoughts—or rather, our shared thoughts—wondering.
"So eating monsters can accelerate evolution. Not efficient, but clearly useful for survival."
I gave a slight nod.
"Yeah. At least that explains why people risk their lives hunting despite the danger."
Not far away, an old man with white hair unfolded a ragged cloth, revealing a small green stone. His voice was hoarse yet steady.
"This stone… when I held it, my body felt refreshed. As if a stream of energy flowed into me. If anyone has food or medicine, I'll trade for this."
The crowd instantly stirred. That green stone was clearly different from the other items. I sharpened my gaze, and the system quickly displayed a notification.
[Manas – Analysis]
Low-Grade Spiritual Stone (Green)
Stored energy: equal to 3 days of passive cultivation
Absorption efficiency: 85%
Note: overuse may weaken cultivation foundation
A faint grin spread across my face.
"Well, here it is—the new currency. Spiritual stones. People may not realize it yet, but soon these will be fought over."
My avatar crouched, pretending to show interest in a bottle of pale green liquid. The seller, a young man with cracked glasses, immediately spoke quickly.
"This is a homemade potion! I was a pharmacy student before all this happened. This liquid can speed up recovery and temporarily boost energy. The effects are real—I've tried it myself!"
I fell silent for a moment.
[Manas – Analysis]
Experimental Potion (Gray → Green)
Effect: accelerates recovery of minor wounds by 15%
Risk: possible side effect—nausea
"Hm… so it's true. Alchemy is starting to emerge from people's experiments. They're using old knowledge, mixing it with newly evolved materials. Still primitive, but it will eventually grow."
I patted my avatar's shoulder, then stepped back from the crowd. What I had seen was enough to open my eyes. The new world was laying down the foundation for a new civilization—an economy built on monsters, potions, and spiritual stones.
I smirked slightly.
"Good. The more people are busy trading, the fewer will bother me during my naps."
Manas released a short message.
[Manas – System Note]
> Recommendation: prepare a dedicated avatar for information gathering, hunting, and trading.
Potential profit: high.
Potential danger: extremely high.
I chuckled softly.
"Yeah, yeah… I know. All I need is to sleep. Let the avatar handle the trouble."