He absorbed the awakening power and seemed to have the ability to escape on his own. It appeared that he had indeed found a reason to let himself go.
However... there was a fatal flaw in his words.
He thought Alden was just picking up awakening stone fragments to sell, so he probably didn't know how much awakening power these fragments actually contained.
But Alden was not like that. Despite living in the slums, he was once the top student of A City's number one high school, a former prodigy. He instantly realized that these fragments were no longer even needed by those students.
Even if the man could absorb awakening power, how much quantity did he have? Perhaps not even enough to perform a single awakening skill!
At the thought, Alden broke out in cold sweat.
He understood that this man still intended to kill him!
"Have you decided? You're a clever person, you know what to do."
The man seemed a bit impatient, constantly praising Alden highly and making him feel like a "clever person," someone who understood his words.
In reality, this was also a psychological tactic.
"Alright, I agree."
Alden still maintained that frightened look and even held the dagger unsteadily.
He slowly approached the man, his right hand reaching into his pocket, tightly gripping those fragments, while his left hand guarded in front of him, watching the man warily.
The man also focused on Alden's hand, a hint of mockery tugging at the corner of his mouth, and a barely noticeable cruelty flickering in his eyes.
"Give it to me."
As Alden pulled out the fragments, the distance between them had shrunk to just half a meter!
The man kept his eyes fixed on Alden's left hand holding the knife, but he didn't notice his right hand.
"Swoosh!"
Along with the white fragments came a pile of awakening stone dust that Alden had absorbed!
"Ah!"
The stone dust billowed, instantly blurring the man's vision, causing a sharp pain in his eyes. At this moment, the look of fear on Alden's face had vanished, replaced by a heart-pounding calmness.
His left hand holding the dagger slashed across in a vicious arc towards the man's neck.
In that moment, Alden knew he was on the brink of life and death. If he failed, there would only be one way to go—death! Therefore, he exerted all his strength, the muscles in his forearm bulging as he brought down the knife!
However, just as the situation hung on the edge, something unexpected happened.
The almost blinded man managed to stir up a faint trace of spatial awakening power, causing the angle of the dagger to deviate slightly!
While the dagger did not hit its mark, it narrowly grazed his neck, severing his artery.
Blood gushed out like a torrent, and the man roared in agony, wildly swinging a fist.
Bang!
Alden was struck hard in the chest by the punch, feeling as though his internal organs had shifted, blood spraying out. He was sent flying, slamming heavily into the door panel.
The old, decrepit door panel couldn't withstand such a heavy blow and collapsed instantaneously.
Alden was in too much pain to get up, but his heart felt relieved. In the dim candlelight opposite him, he saw the man's eyes congested, clutching his profusely bleeding neck, his body convulsing in agony.
"Why?" He wanted to hear Alden's reason for attacking before he died.
Alden picked up the fallen dagger, coughed up a mouthful of blood, silently supporting his body with his legs as he retreated another meter to ensure his safety.
"In fact, these awakening stones weren't something I picked up to sell. I used them myself."
He didn't explain further, but the man already understood.
A few seconds later, he slumped over, having lost his breath completely.
At this moment, Alden's tense nerves finally relaxed, and a searing pain swept over him.
His clothes were soaked with sweat as he lay on his back by the roadside, panting heavily. Overhead, the sky was adorned with a scattering of stars under the moonlight. The faint moonlight bathed his slender figure in silver.
In the distance, the barking of dogs echoed, mingled with the hurried footsteps of law enforcement personnel. Light led the team standing beside Alden, and a fiery red-clad woman emerged from the room.
"It's confirmed, the fugitive is Leo, a level two spatial awakening ability user."
"His carotid artery was slashed by a dagger, leading to fatal blood loss," the woman in red added.
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Alden with curiosity and suspicion. They knew that Alden was just an ordinary high school student, not an ability user.
Even though Leo was gravely injured, it would still be no easy task for him to kill several fully grown adults.
"How did you do it?" someone couldn't help but ask. Alden noticed that a few of them flashed a hint of doubt in their eyes, seeming unwilling to give up without an answer.
As members of the law enforcement bureau, their suspicions were naturally not light. Alden gazed at the large green light next to Leo, eager to approach and claim it.
So, he began to recount his previous experiences in detail, leaving nothing out, emphasizing that he had simply followed out of curiosity.
For a high school student, this mindset was entirely normal.
After finishing his account, silence fell over the scene. People stared at Alden as if he were a monster. Finally, someone broke the silence: "That's amazing."
Several teammates couldn't help but speak up upon hearing this.
Light's pupils contracted upon hearing this. Although Alden downplayed his story, Light knew that every step here was crucial for a high school student, and one misstep could be disastrous!
With a look of appreciation, he gazed at Alden.
It was a pity that Alden was not an ability user; otherwise, he would have made every effort to invite him to join the team.
"Alright, you can leave now, and this matter must not be disclosed."
Alden nodded in agreement, but before leaving, he deliberately walked into the room and stepped on the green light.
As expected, a "+9" symbol appeared on the light ball! Upon contact, Alden felt as if he were bathing in warm sunlight.
"I wish I could test my awakening power right now."
Back home, Alden tossed and turned in bed.
"He couldn't wait to take the awakening test again, but unfortunately the equipment belonged to the school, and ordinary families didn't have such things.
"Moreover, if he were to go for the test immediately, it would inevitably seem too deliberate."
If those "+5" and "+9" truly represented the increase in his awakening value, the speed of this advancement was simply astonishing.
After all, others might only increase by a few dozen points over three years, but he had achieved such a breakthrough overnight. It was hard to avoid drawing attention!
"No need to rush it."
Alden sat at home pondering.
"I never realized before how great the difference is between awoken individuals and ordinary people. No wonder they can get substantial rewards."
Recalling the scene of his confrontation with the man, Alden still felt lingering fear. If the man hadn't been seriously injured, he might have met his end.
Even without using an awakening technique, that punch was enough to be fatal based on physical strength alone.
"My ability is to extract awakening power from corpses. I wonder if it's equally effective on ordinary people and beasts?"
"For ordinary people, it probably won't work. From my previous experiences, the increased awakening power is closely related to the strength of the deceased. Most ordinary people don't have awakening power."
Although it was just a guess, Alden decided to go to the hospital and museum the next day to investigate.
The hospital had no shortage of bodies, and the museum displayed slain beasts. If it could be effective, Alden thought that immersing himself in the mortuary and museum journey would be enough without delving into other areas. Even if he were mistaken for having a mental illness, it could be overlooked if he became an awakened individual.
The night flew by, and the next day was the weekend. Mother went to work as usual, while father went out for a walk in his wheelchair. Sitting at the table, Alia ate bread and drank milk. Suddenly, she noticed the look Alden was giving her and instinctively protected the sausage in front of her.
"Alden, why are you staring at me? I'm telling you, this sausage is mine!" Alia exclaimed as if facing a formidable enemy.
Seeing Alia's tense demeanor, Alden felt somewhat helpless. Their family lived in a slum near the edge of City A. Every time they went out, they had to pay for transportation, and museum tickets were also an expense. A whole day's expenses were at least fifty or sixty yuan, which was already extremely frugal for him. If his mother hadn't gone out to work, he might have asked her for money, but he only remembered after she left.
"Alia, go ahead and eat. This sausage is for you." Alden said softly, gently handing over the sausage.
After quickly grabbing the sausage, Alia still kept a close eye on Alden.
"You said you wouldn't change your mind!" she emphasized.
"How could I possibly change my mind," Alden replied.
Alden deliberately put on an accommodating look. "Oh right, little sister, I remember you have a little savings, and now big brother urgently needs some money. Can you lend me some?"
As soon as he said this, Alia stood up as if electrified, her face turning red with anger, clearly very upset.
"Hmph, I knew it. You're only nice when you want something from me, otherwise you're up to no good! Don't think about borrowing my money!"
"Ah, let's discuss it, between us siblings, why be so formal."
Watching Alia quickly retreat to her room with the bowl and slam the door shut, Alden smiled faintly.
Of course, he knew his sister had a little savings. It was the pocket money she'd saved bit by bit, and she loved snacks, usually only taking money out for special occasions. Asking her for money was indeed more painful than killing her.
"It looks like I'll have to think of another way." Alden sighed.
At that moment, Alia took out a rusty golden piggy bank from under the bed, patted it a few times, then opened the lid and carefully unfolded the crumpled banknotes.
Alden was about to leave; he decided to walk to the hospital first. As for the museum, he had to save up from his meal money for the time being.
Just then, he heard a slight sound from the room. Several five dollars and one dollars notes were pushed out from under the door crack. Alden was taken aback.
"Hurry up and take it, or I'll change my mind." Alia's stubborn yet somewhat pained voice came from the other side of the door.
A warm feeling surged within Alden as he picked up the crumpled banknotes and put them in his pocket. Just as he was about to say thank you, Alia's head suddenly popped out.
"Remember, ten dollars becomes eleven!"