Location: Old Sewri Dockyards (Sector 12 Deadzone)
Date & Time: Next Morning, November 2025
The cold ocean breeze crashed against the rusted iron ships. After resting through the night in that deserted, radar-blind location, Rudra woke up early. He sat on the rusted edge of a massive ship, coldly observing the sea.
"You have 1.3 Crore in liquid cash lying around," Ruin Soul's ice-cold voice echoed in his mind. "Go to the Black Market, buy Boss cores, and devour them to officially push your rank to B-Rank."
A tactical question instantly formed in Rudra's mind. "I already have a B-Rank Boss core that is exponentially more profitable and powerful than all of those combined. Why shouldn't I just devour that directly?"
"Just do exactly as I say, if you trust me at all," Ruin Soul interrupted with a chilling tone. His logic was clear—wasting rare B-Rank materials for base progression was sheer stupidity.
Rudra did not argue. He accepted Ruin Soul's logic and stood up.
A short while later, Rudra was back in the underground Black Market. He approached a core broker and asked for the price list of all Boss cores currently in stock.
"These are rare items, brother," the broker said, pulling up his holographic tablet. "I currently have 3 C-Rank Boss cores. They are 10,00,000 Rs each. And I have 10 D-Rank Boss cores... with a discount, the total for those will be 45,00,000 Rs."
Rudra placed the order without wasting a micro-second. He pulled bags of cash from his inventory and placed exactly 75,00,000 Rs on the counter. Taking the cores, he left immediately without drawing any attention.
Returning to the deadzone, Rudra opened the 13 metal boxes. The radiation emitting from the 10 D-Rank and 3 C-Rank cores created a heavy pressure in the air.
[Gluttony Activated]
Rudra began devouring the 10 D-Rank cores one by one. With each core, his MP rapidly increased. (+20,000 MP).
Next, he pulled out the three C-Rank Boss cores. These were much heavier and denser than the previous ones. One by one, he absorbed them as well. (+36,000 MP).
The moment the final core completely dissolved into his body, Rudra felt a massive energy surge within him. His total MP had directly hit 99,820 MP.
Suddenly, Rudra felt profound changes in his biological structure. His senses had become countless times sharper than a normal human's. He could hear the rustling of the distant wind in perfect detail. His body suddenly felt feather-light, as if the effects of gravity on him had weakened. His agility had spiked so drastically that he could now move in any direction within a fraction of a second.
The world now appeared much slower to him. His reflexes and perception had reached an entirely new dimension.
"Congratulations," Ruin Soul's coldly calculating voice echoed. "You are now officially a B-Ranker."
[RUDRA'S UPDATED STATUS & INVENTORY]
Rank: B-Rank Dunger
Current MP: 99,820 MP (B-Rank Threshold reached)
Liquid Cash: ₹55,50,000 (Remaining after Core Purchase)
Primary Equipment: * Blood Crescent: C+ Rank Dagger.
Scavenger's Skin: C+ Rank Tactical Armor.
Stored B-Rank Loot (Intact): * 1x Deep-Blue B-Rank Mana Core.
1x High-Density B-Rank Boss Essence Stone.
1x Glowing B-Rank Boss Fragment.