Chapter 3 Part 3: First Day

“Th, then… Ms. Ella. For the measurement, could you take a look at this machine for a moment?”

“This is?”

“It’s a machine that extracts some of the body’s constituent materials and checks the purity and amount of mana contained within. In the past, it was said that only human blood could be extracted, but sometimes people who have transformed into other races also return…”

“Hmm.”

Perhaps to lighten the somewhat awkward atmosphere, the receptionist showed me a machine that I had never seen before with a slightly awkward gesture.

Probably, if I put a part of my body into this small container here, it would analyze it.

Judging from the fact that it was made to hold solids instead of blood, there seemed to be some races that didn’t bleed in the first place.

Is there a skull that moves alive?

“…Ms. Ella?”

“Just a moment.”

Certainly, most awakened people would have willingly put a part of their body into this machine.

Because it would have been a necessary act to live as an awakened person in this world.

…However, I didn’t need to do that.

If there was one lesson I learned from surviving in that rotten neighborhood for decades, it was that you shouldn’t trust anyone.

Even if it was a close colleague, if a client gave a large sum of money and told them to kill their friend, they could kill them without hesitation. You shouldn’t trust anyone in such a neighborhood.

The only one you can trust is yourself.

Public power is no exception.

I scanned the machine in front of me with both eyes.

…Old-fashioned parts that you could only see in a museum.

At the sight of the parts visible through the sensor, I inadvertently turned to the receptionist and asked.

“Is this, by any chance, an old thing?”

“Pardon? No. It’s something that was just commercialized a month ago. The design is very difficult, and it has a lot of the latest technology, so the price is brutal.”

“I see…”

“The way to use it is simple. Just put by-products such as blood freshly taken from your body into the machine. It’s simple, right?”

This is the latest?

Even an eight-year-old child could hack this, right?

Perhaps because it was a device that measured an unknown component called mana, there were some parts that I had never seen before, but structurally it was too vulnerable to security.

They don’t even notice that I’m hacking it right in front of their eyes.

Compared to that, the performance of the machine is… ha. Is it a hit?

Yeah, there’s no way they wouldn’t do something weird.

It seemed that they were analyzing the mana component and storing the component structure of the analyzed person on an internal server without anyone knowing.

Is it similar to secretly collecting DNA?

After checking the hidden functions of the machine, I briefly tampered with the function to cause an error, bit my finger a little, and dripped blood into the machine.

Then, as if startled, Haran rushed towards me.

“Ah, that must hurt…! Are you okay?!”

“It’s nothing with this much. Don’t worry, it’ll heal soon.”

“B, but…!”

“You’re so dramatic. It’s just a little blood.”

“Still, who bites their finger with their own mouth?! You can use a syringe! Look, the blood is… huh?”

“I told you it would heal soon, right?”

“Th, that’s strange?”

If a syringe worked on this body, I wouldn’t have bitten my finger like this.

This body is a thing with all kinds of the latest technology, so syringes like syringes can’t even pierce the skin.

Even if it were to pierce through somehow, it would be difficult to pull it out again because of the skin regeneration power of the body to which Irmin Biotechnology’s technology has been applied.

“Th, this is…”

“Why? Is there a problem?”

“…The mana purity is appropriate, but the content is too low. It’s F grade.”

“What?! Can’t we try measuring it again?! The machine might be broken!”

“No. This machine was serviced last night and there were no problems. There is no possibility of machine failure.”

“Th, that’s…”

“Why? What’s F grade?”

I could roughly guess from the feeling of F grade and the words that the mana content was low.

It’s definitely a low grade.

But is it something to be this flustered about?

“Most awakened people make a living as hunters, but F grade can barely enter the gate.”

“Hee.”

“Most F-grade awakened people don’t have the ability to fight, so they end up working as porters for other hunters…”

As if she didn’t understand, Haran stared at me intently.

She had an expression that seemed to think I was a strong person without a doubt after seeing me beat up the thugs.

“You know it well?”

“…I’m also an awakened person. Although it’s E grade.”

“I see.”

No wonder she knew the location of the Awakened Association like her own house, she was an awakened person. But she doesn’t seem to be a strong person.

Come to think of it, even though the guy who crumpled the front door was threatening, she wasn’t afraid at all, but was worried about her future safety?

It seems that she had a way to protect her own safety at least.

She wasn’t just a stupidly kind woman.

“What, a returnee is F grade? Puh-ha! What a funny b*tch. Hey, you’re fun?”

“Speaking of which, Haran. Are those thugs also awakened people?”

“Pardon? Ah, not all of them. Most of them are ordinary people, but there’s a story that their boss is a strong awakened person…”

“Interesting.”

“Oh-ho.”

Thud.

At the sound of a leg that brushed past my face and roughly slammed into the wall, the noisy Awakened Association became quiet in an instant.

“Then, what are the differences between grades? Are there any specific standards set?”

“Th, that’s… well…”

“F*ck, are you ignoring me? Aren’t you going to turn your face?”

…Hah, annoying.

I was just going to have a conversation and get some information about the place I would live in the future, but they can’t stand it.

“What’s wrong?”

“Hah, you son of a b*tch. You’re so picky. Are you saying you have a pretty face?”

As if she didn’t care about the attention of the people around her gathering in this direction, the man who kicked me blew a whistle as if he was a little surprised when I turned my head.

It was a vulgar and familiar sight.

“I’ll forgive you for ignoring me when I deigned to talk to a bottom-of-the-barrel like you. I’m merciful, you see.”

“Oh, is that so. Then, as a request for that mercy, would you please move away?”

“Hiiiik. M, Ms. Ella…! J, just a moment!”

“Why?”

“Th, that person is… well… the eldest son of the Hresvelgr Guild Leader, who is ranked 16th in the guild…!”

“Guild?”

“It refers to a company set up by awakened people, returnee.”

“Ah, so he’s a high-ranking person, is that what you’re saying?”

“Now you’re talking.”

The guy smiled triumphantly as if he was happy that he could show off his worth.

His appearance with a lot of bodyguards around him was familiar. He was the spitting image of a spoiled rich kid.

It was the face of an idiot who didn’t know the fear of the world and was caught up in the arrogant delusion that he could do everything he wanted.

There was always one question I wanted to ask when I saw these guys, so should I ask it once?

‘Then can I ask you just one question?’

“Try it.”

“I know you’re the son of that high-ranking person, but… Isn’t it your father who’s great, not you?”

“You b*tch!”

“Ah, sorry. I didn’t think you’d get that angry.”

The guy’s face, which had been relaxed, twisted like a demon in an instant, and the atmosphere became fierce in an instant.

When I looked around once, there were much more spectators surrounding us than before.

“How dare you insult me! I’m a B-grade awakened! I’m not incompetent!”

The young master, who was greatly angered that he had been insulted, began to rage.

If the commotion had grown this big, shouldn’t someone have stepped in to settle it?

Thinking that and looking around once, no one was trying to help. They were probably afraid that the sparks would fly if they intervened rashly.

Even the receptionist of the association was standing far away waiting for the incident to subside.

However, only one person, Haran, had an expression as if she wanted to stop this commotion somehow.

“

You,
Since I was going to make you, a trash with F grade, my lover because of your pretty appearance! I’ll make you regret that careless remark”

“…Haa.”

I sighed as I looked at the maniac in front of me, who was raging.

I thought I would see a little less of those disgusting human beings I had seen in Neo City since I had returned to my hometown, but why am I meeting a guy like this before a day has even passed?

It wasn’t a day or two since I met a trash who was rampaging because he only believed in his power and didn’t know the fear of the world…

After I had established myself in Neo City, I thought I would never see those guys again.

“I was going to live a little quietly here, but it’s not in my nature.”

I had a little expectation at the story that I had returned to my hometown.

The hometown I was reminiscing about was peaceful, and it was a place that at least pretended to respect me.

But while I was living in another country for a long time, it seemed that too much had changed in my hometown.

…Then, I don’t need to live quietly like I did when I was in my hometown.

I didn’t know much about this world yet, but I wasn’t too worried.

That’s how it was when I was adapting to Neo City.

Rather, the situation is better than it was then. At least I didn’t have this body back then.

I stretched out my fist towards the guy’s face.

“Hah, are you struggling now? What can a trash with a grade of only F do…”

As the skin of the outstretched arm opened, it revealed the built-in weapon hidden inside my body in an instant.

Was it not a lie that he said he was competent? The guy’s pupils dilated at the sudden situation, and I could see him moving his body to cope with the unexpected attack.

However, it was meaningless. It was already too late.

With my playful voice, the bullet that targeted the target tore through the air in an instant and rushed towards the guy.

Taang.

A noise like thunder echoed once, and the body of the guy whose head had exploded like a tomato collapsed powerlessly.

It was a futile death.

But that’s how all deaths are in the first place.

“Kya, kyaaaaaaaaak!”

Looking at the association, which had become noisy in an instant, I thought that I hoped he would realize the fear of the world as a result of this incident.

He’s already dead anyway, but who knows?

Maybe he can use the lessons he learned now in hell.