After a few days, Zane accumulated 30,000 points. He needs to meet the bartender in a secluded area in the Black Market. He knew that this meeting could be potentially dangerous. Anyone who owns a map of Capricia is something not to be taken lightly.
So Zane made some ample preparation, including some potions and poisons. Furthermore, this time around, he brought a sharp sword named Cecilia.
With her around, few people can threaten them unless a high-level Awakened targeted them.
....
Deep in the Black Market, Zane went to a large house and knocked on the door. It was the bartender who specified that meeting location.
The small square hole on the door slid open, and Zane saw an old man's face, "What do you want?"
"We are here for the map," Zane replied.
The other person on the other side of the door wasn't surprised. He scrutinized Zane first, then moved on to Cecilia, whose face is fully bandaged with only eyes that can be seen.
"Come inside," the housekeeper brought them to a room that was decorated with stylish art.
"Please wait here. I will call the master for you."
Zane looked around and saw that the house was very clean. So clean to the point he forgot that he was on Black Market, where the streets were littered with all kinds of trash.
Soon, he heard a couple of footsteps. The first person he saw was very familiar to him because he saw him every day in the training yard of the Umbras. The person who the Umbra assigned to train the Blood Warriors:
"Gerax!"
Zane drew his sword the very moment he saw Gerax, and so did Cecilia, who went in front of him to shield him. Suddenly the atmosphere suddenly turned cold.
Behind Gerax was the Bartender and another three Awakened warriors whose levels were 11 and 12. The moment Zane and Cecilia showed their killing intent, the three unknown Awakened warriors drew their weapons. The first person was a tall average-built man wielding two small axes, the was skinny tanned person wielding a scimitar, and the other was a dark-skinned man with a buffed body wielding a sword and shield.
In a few seconds, very quickly, Zane drew a plan on how to escape the house. But before he could enact his preemptive strike.
Gerax spoke and raised his hand, "Relax. I mean no harm. I don't work for the Umbras."
When Zane heard it, he calmed down a bit and lowered his sword. However, Cecilia did not budge on Gerax's words. Instead, she was like a wild beast waiting to be unleashed.
For some reason, he felt that the moment he drew his sword would be the moment he would lose his head. Meanwhile, the Awakened warrior behind him also felt the same feeling in the air. A feeling like their souls was being cut slowly. Cecilia was breathing murderously, her aura seeping out. Even Zane felt chill from her.
Gerax knew that this bandaged person was not something to be taken lightly. Although he was confident in his skills, there was no gain in creating another enemy.
So he looked at Zane, "Can you ask your friend to stand down?"
Zane gave the signal to Cecilia and whispered lightly, "It is okay."
Cecilia listened and put her sword back on its sheet. Feeling the atmosphere calming down, Gerax sat on the chair.
"I heard that you have been poking around looking for a map."
"Maybe," Zane responded nonchalantly.
"Don't bother hiding. I already know that you were trying to leave this place." He laughed, "You think you were the first one to do so?"
Gerax looked at Zane seriously and said, "Have you ever wondered why the Nobles did not bother chaining all the slaves?"
Zane was surprised by the question. After his first arena battle, all of their chains were removed. Even the Blood Warrior with the status of Elites were also loosed all over the city of Capricia.
Gerax answered his own question, "Disregarding thousands of guards guarding the walls. It is because the wall that protects Capricia has Protective Runes. Those who try to run away without permission will be instantly killed by the protective rune embedded in the walls."
He continued, "It doesn't matter if you changed your appearance; your blood resonance can trigger the rune alarm."
After reading some of the books, Zane already learned about the Runes of this world. One of the books on his database was about the Berserker clan, who tattooed their bodies with runes to increase their attributes. Every time they activate it, they increase their strength by a fold.
Zane commented, "I assume that you already know the person who can deactivate these runes?"
Gerax smiled and said, "Yes, you are correct." Then he grimly said, "Although this city is but a backward place, the one guarding the Nobles in this region is an Ascendant."
This was the first time Zane heard the term Ascendant, so he asked curiously, "What is an Ascendant?"
Gerax couldn't but exhale deeply, "To summarize, the first stage is Awakening, like the rest of us in this room. We broke through human limitations and in our path of evolution. The next stage is Ascendancy. They are those who started the path of immortality. They were granted full control of the elements and unknown power. Even the gods watch over them and protect them."
"How strong are they?"
Gerax laughed and shook his head, "Don't even dream of fighting them. Even the 100 of you won't be able to scratch an Ascendant. They can easily destroy a city or a mountain if they want to."
"Then what is the point of us talking here?" Zane asked impatiently.
Gerax looked at Zane seriously and said, "Before I tell you, I want you to recruit you first on our group."
"We have been monitoring your progress and your actions over the past months. You have a very good sense of the overall battle, and you have a good potential to grow stronger in a short amount of time."
Zane did not wait for a long time, "I agree."
"Oh, that was fast." Gerax almost choked. He wanted to say more things, but it seemed unnecessary.
"I want to leave this place as soon as possible."
Gerax grinned and said, "Welcome to the Slave's Resistance."
"Let me tell you the plan."
...
After Zane left, the one holding the scimitar behind Gerax said, "It doesn't seem that he is that strong. If you let me, I would be able to cut him easily."
Gerax looked at him like a buffoon, "Yes, you might be able to do that. But you will probably be dead before you can even come close to him."
The other person said, "That person next to him, I felt like his sword was next to my neck. He is very dangerous. Just thinking about it gives me chills."
The Bartender was also very curious, "Who is that person next to him? A strong Awakened person protecting him. He has a lot of mystery in him."
"Doesn't matter. The stronger he is, the better our outcome will be. It is good for us that another person can help us leave this wretched place," Gerax said while clenching his fist.
...