Sebastian's heavy, rhythmic breathing faded as the echo of the last battle died down in the depths of Collector C-4. The purple haze of the anomalous zone still hung in the air, but now, with Strength 12, he felt much more stable. The Distortion mana no longer pressed on his lungs as hard — his body had adapted, as if switching to a different kind of fuel.
He picked up the C-12 knife. The steel was in terrible condition. The crystalline fluid of the Level 7 Brute had proven too aggressive for the cheap alloy. The blade was covered in dark spots and notches, becoming almost useless for serious combat. Sebastian realized he had been lucky. If the fight had lasted another minute, the knife would have simply crumbled in his hands. Rank F was merciless to those without quality gear.
Despite the fact that monsters were usually stronger than humans at the same levels, Sebastian survived thanks to a combination of circumstances: passive protection, timely Resonance, and anomalous Luck that pointed out the weak spot in the enemy's crystalline structure. But this "luck" was starting to annoy him. He didn't want to depend on chance. He needed a power that would allow him to tear through enemies regardless of which way the wheel of fortune turned.
—
The way back took longer due to the weight of the backpack. Sebastian moved carefully, avoiding zones where Resonance showed clusters of small predators. Although he had grown stronger, a single Level 5 Awakened remained a vulnerable target. This was a basic lesson he had learned quickly: Rank F is a time for caution, not heroism.
As he passed one of the main tunnels leading to the upper levels, he stopped for a moment. There, behind a massive steel grate, an Aegis hunter squad was passing. They were in full gear: shining mana armor, energy spears, confident strides. The weakest of them was Rank E, and the commander was likely a solid Rank D. Sebastian watched them from the shadows. They didn't even look toward the lower levels, as if the Rotten Sector were just a pile of trash not worth their attention.
He felt a cold fury boil in his chest. Level five... It was nothing. There were ten more levels ahead to Rank E, where he could finally awaken his first natural skill.
"Fifteen," he whispered to himself. "I need to get to fifteen at any cost. Faster than the others."
—
Heloplex greeted him with a cold, sour rain. Sebastian pulled up his hood and moved quickly through the labyrinths of rusted metal structures to Bruno's shop.
The door opened, letting in the smell of ozone and wet concrete. Bruno sat at his workbench, calmly tinkering with the mechanisms of an old energy shield. His movements were precise and economical — the movements of a man who had spent years reselling and repairing gear for scavengers like Sebastian.
Sebastian silently approached the counter and unloaded the loot. Heavy chitin plates, claws, and finally, the Brute core, pulsing with purple light.
Bruno set aside his tools for a moment and took the core in his hand. His face remained inscrutable, only his eyes narrowing for a second. "Level seven. Distortion," the old man stated calmly. "For your level five, it's a decent trophy. Most rookies in your area fear unstable mana like fire."
Bruno looked at Sebastian, assessing the changes in his posture. "You leveled up in there. Not bad. But you've completely ruined the knife. C-12 can't handle contact with Distortion."
"I need a weapon that won't fail, Bruno," Sebastian said. "I need to go deeper. Level five is too slow. I need Rank E."
Bruno huffed, putting the core into a lead box. "Rank E... Many break on the way there. At level sixteen, your mana will start rebuilding your body so radically that you'll either become stronger or simply burn out from the inside. But if you're in such a hurry... you'll need something better than kitchen utensils."
The old man stood up and pulled out a knife wrapped in dark synthetic cloth. "This is 'Black Star'. An alloy with mana-reactive steel additives. It resonates with your current Mana attribute. It's not a high-rank artifact, but for Rank F, it's the peak of possibilities."
Sebastian took the knife. The blade was matte black, without a single reflection. When his fingers touched the hilt, he felt the Mana inside him respond faintly. This was a hunter's weapon.
"The core and materials will be enough to cover the cost and leave you with three thousand credits in cash," Bruno returned to the table. "It's a fair trade."
—
The return home was quiet. Sebastian entered the apartment. Ariana was sleeping on the sofa, covered with an old blanket. A receipt for the payment of debts lay on the table — she had done it, using yesterday's money. But he knew that next month new bills would come. The Heloplex system was designed to keep people like them at the very bottom.
Sebastian went to his room. He placed the "Black Star" on the table and called up the status panel.
Every 1500 experience points now seemed to him not just a number, but a barricade that had to be breached. Level five... He felt power, but he knew it was meager compared to those who walked in the city's sun sectors. His motivation was no longer just survival — he wanted to dominate. He wanted to raise his rank so quickly that the corporations wouldn't have time to react.
He looked at the knife again. Tomorrow he would go to C-4. But this time he wouldn't just be collecting shards. He would hunt everything that had a higher level than him.