The first thing he bought was decent clothes; he definitely wasn't going back to his room at the warehouse, at least for quite some time.
The boutique attendant was a very charming young lady; Kael already knew she wasn't an awakened, but her appearance still looked rather captivating.
Although she wasn't the only attendant, most of the customers couldn't stop staring at her, and neither could Kael.
"Sorry, you're Lily, right?"
The young lady turned around to face him with her charming smile; he suddenly turned away a bit to prevent her from seeing him blush a bit.
'What's wrong with me these days? Although the ladies I'm seeing these days are rather beautiful, blushing after seeing one is simply stupid.
Get it together.'
"Yes, that's me."
Excuse me, but how did you know my name?"
Kael smiled back a bit.
"The person who recommended this place to me mentioned it."
"Oh really? I haven't been here a long time, so there are very few people I talk to."
"It was Lauren."
Lauren had recommended the place to him, thinking about how long he'd been in his current one—he obliged.
Lily's eyes widen a bit in surprise.
"Oh, Mr. Lauren recommended us to you?
Well, I do hope we have been able to satisfy your taste."
She smiled again, making Kael blush once more.
'Yeah, she's definitely doing it on purpose.'
"By the way, you're an awakened, right?
Kael was a bit surprised by the question.
"What makes you think I'm awakened?"
Lily looked at him for a moment, then replied.
"Well, you came in neat but rough-looking clothes and dusty shoes, meaning you walk around a lot, but barely anywhere in this settlement would be so dusty—meaning you came from the outer settlement.
Also, I picked up the fresh scent that's at the testing area on you."
Kael looked at her for a bit, then smiled.
'She's rather intelligent.'
"So in other words, you sniffed my clothes?"
The statement surprised her, but she hid it, making her break eye contact.
"O-f course not, I just happened to smell it when you walked in."
By now her ears had become red.
Kael laughed a bit.
"Calm down, it was a joke."
After she calmed down, she looked at him with a hint of surprise.
"Anyways, I wanted to ask you something."
Lily's flustered expression turned into a curious one.
"Oh really? What is it?"
He thought for a bit and turned away.
"Don't worry, I'll ask another time."
He simply completed his purchase and left the boutique.
'What could he want?'
It was already evening, and the boutique was about to close up.
Lily was taking stock of the clothes they still had in stock while her colleagues were doing other tasks like taking account of sales, etc.
After they finished, Lily and her friends waited to talk for a bit.
"Good work, Lily. Another day of the customers fawning over you."
The person who spoke was a lady in her mid-thirties, Linda.
Everyone except Lily laughed a bit.
Lily herself let out a long sigh.
"It's a bit tiring though, and the stares are really uncomfortable.
There was a time when one even tailed me home; I had to report him."
"It's wrong, but in all honesty, I can't really blame some of them.
I mean, you look really beautiful; even some awakened can't compare.
Just how will you look when you actually awaken?"
"Anyways, goodnight, guys. I need to get some foodstuff."
"Okay, goodbye."
Lily left the boutique and headed for the main commercial district.
The streets of the commercial district were still as lively as during the day, so she wasn't worried.
She still remembered what her colleague asked about when she would awaken.
She was already 17 and of the minimum age to receive the spell's challenge.
While some people were worried about the challenge or what awaited them in its unknown, Lily was quite anxious and excited as she waited for the day she would fall into the embrace of the spell's slumber.
'What kind of challenge will I receive if I survive? What ability will I receive?
I can work hard and join a top guild, and if I'm lucky, I might attract the attention of a clan.'
She was deep in thought when she saw a figure leaning on a pole by the side of the road.
He leaned beneath the streetlamp, white hair shifting in the wind.
As he turned to look at Lily, moonlight caught in his eyes, turning them into shards of blue.
For a few seconds, she was quite captivated by the late-night scene she was witnessing.
"Oh hey, you just got off from work?"
Kael waved at the girl standing a few meters from him and smiled.
"Yeah, but what are you doing here, though?
I thought you left already?"
"Yeah, I did. I needed to make inquiries about the porter job, the pay, accommodation, and other things.
But I actually came back to talk to you."
The statement made Lily a bit weary.
"What do you mean?
Are you one of those guys who try to stalk girls?"
Before Kael could answer her, she reached for her bag and pulled out a stun gun and pointed it at him.
"Just so you know, you won't have me so easily."
Kael couldn't hide the surprise on his face listening to the girl.
"What the hell are you talking about? I'm here because I thought you knew a few things about the different guilds' and groups' inner news since you work in a place where information moves around quite often."
As a wave of realization hit him, he let out a low laugh before he could stop himself.
A look of embarrassment crept onto her beautiful face, which made him laugh even more.
After a while, Lily had calmed down.
"Did you actually think I was stalking you so that I could harm you?"
"Well, it had already happened before, you see; this crazy guy stalked me all the way to my house."
He had thought about teasing the poor girl, but he refrained after hearing what she said.
"Oh, that's actually serious. I see why you're cautious.
Now, back to what I really wanted to ask you: what do you know about these guilds?"
"You don't know about the guilds? Isn't that common knowledge even in the outer settlement?"
Kael gave her a serious look and then sighed.
He couldn't tell that he needed to know about the guilds so that he could predict how they could affect him in his progression.
"Yeah, we all know a few things about the hierarchies and the top guilds and top awakened, but I was hoping you could help me with more detailed info about them."
Lily looked at him for a bit before responding.
"Hmm… Sure, maybe I can help you, but what would I gain from telling you all that?"
'Bingo'
He had predicted that response and had prepared a bargain in advance.
"Well… I do have something you'd be interested in."
The statement sparked Lily's interest.
"What do you mean?"
Kael smiled, and then he replied,
"Info about the spell's challenge.
Straight from a transcendent."
Her eyes widened as though they were going to pop out.
"D-Do you think I'd fall for such a lie?"
Even an ordinary human like her knew that transcendents were very rare; only a few dozen exist in the world.
Meet one was a feat in its own right; let alone a commoner recieving advice from one.
Lily was very doubtful of this information.
"It's the truth, but if you want to know, I guess that's your loss."
He simply turned around and walked away.
"Sorry for wasting your time."
'Wait, but what if what he's saying is the truth?'
She hesitated for a few seconds before calling him.
"Are you telling the truth?
You know that this is something very serious."
"Of course, it is.
Would I lie about something that would cost you your life just for a little information?"
She ended up agreeing to his terms even though she considered walking away from the deal at first, which didn't surprise Kael at all.
In reality, every adolescent that is eligible to receive the spell's challenge knows that the chances of surviving it are not good.
Even though there is information generally shared with the public, most of the important information isn't revealed.
Only those whose families are affiliated with guilds or clans can gain access to these types of information.
There's also the option of going to information brokers, but most people can't afford the prices for tailored information.
"So it goes this way: You tell me something, I'll see if it's worth knowing, and I'll give you a piece of information."
She gave him a cold look.
"Aren't you the one asking for something here?"
"Yes, but the information I have is much more valuable than yours—I have more negotiating power."
Lily shrugged and nodded.
"Whatever, I'll just tell everything I know, from clan news to rumors and then to gossip going around.
Just tell me everything you know."
A slight grin appeared on Kael's face.
"Desperate, I see."
Lily tilted her head and gave a subtle but cold response.
"No, but I can make you regret it if this information is wrong."
This gesture changed the calm and gentle personality he thought of her.
Kael smiled.
'Wow, scary.'
"Okay now, tell me what you know."