The street was dim and grimy, the moonlight mixing with the dirt and blood on the ground. The air hung heavy with the stench of sweat and dust, a familiar scent in this part of the city.
A young man who was no older than sixteen, leaned against a cracked brick wall, clutching his side where a bruise was already darkening. His knuckles were raw and bloody, and a small cut traced his cheek. Yet, despite the pain, he had a bright smile on his face.
"Idiots," he said, looking at the three unconscious thugs covered in dirt and wounds. "If something's mine, not even ten of you can take it."
One of the thugs groaned faintly, stirring. Rolex Xal'tharoth kicked the man's head, spat on his face, and laughed loudly.
His laughter slowly faded as he looked down at the box in his hands. Inside was a piece of bone with a sliver of meat still clinging to it. The aroma was intoxicating, a scent he hadn't encountered in years.
"Dimensional Beast's meat…" he whispered, his mouth watering.
"Huuuh~"
He had stolen it from a fat bastard at an Academy, a place he could barely afford to dream of. The risk had been massive, but the reward—this single piece of meat… was worth it.
Rolex walked through the dark streets, his mind racing with plans. He had to clean up, put on his only decent clothes, and savor this meal like a king. He was hungry as he had not eaten anything for the last 2 days… but it was not something new.
After cleaning himself with a wet cloth and changing into a white shirt and blue jeans, Rolex stepped outside. The night sky stretched above him, full of stars that seemed almost peaceful. He sat down with the small piece of meat in his hands.
"Today's night sky looks beautiful," he murmured as he looked upward.
He took a bite. A single bite.
The flavor of the meat exploded in his mouth, rich and primal, a taste he hadn't experienced in four long years. His expression softened as tears welled up in his eyes and streamed down his cheeks. He tried to stop them, but the memories flooded back—memories of a time when meals like this weren't a rarity when life wasn't a constant battle for survival.
After a few minutes of silence crying, Rolex wiped his tears and lay down on the ground.
'I should have died too… I miss mom and dad'
Four years ago, the city he used to live in was attacked by a Dimensional Beast. Half of the city was devoured by that beast and his parents were among them. Everything happened in seconds, it was a beast that shouldn't have come out of the Null, but it was able to appear on Earth for 9.9 seconds. The short time was enough to cause a huge disaster.
Anyone devoured by that Dimensional Beast would be erased from existence itself. Even now he couldn't remember his parents' name, face, or anything about them. The only thing that he remembered was their warmth.
He wanted to take revenge, but to kill that Dimensional Beast? Impossible. No one knew its name or how it looked. Nothing about it was recorded in this world. And to kill a Dimensional Beast one had to be a Waywalker.
"If I ever get the chance, I'll become strong… and kill those damned Dimensional Beasts." Rolex didn't even know how many times he had repeated these words to himself. But becoming a Waywalker wasn't easy. It was next to impossible without the help of an Academy.
To join an Academy, one had to bring a lot of money and talent. When he tested himself at ten years old, his talent was mediocre. As for money… He was dirt poor.
"Tsk tsk" Rolex exhaled and let his mind calm down. Slowly, he drifted into sleep.
The next morning, when Rolex woke up, he saw two guys sitting in front of him. Both wore tattered clothes and had thin bodies.
"What's up?" Rolex stretched. Yesterday's fight had taken a toll on him.
"Jin wanted to tell you something," said Jim.
"Yes," Jin nodded quickly.
These two were brothers—Jin and Jim. They had run away from an orphanage and had been surviving on the streets. Rolex had known them for three months now.
Rolex nodded as he stood up. "What is it?"
"We know you always wanted to become a Waywalker, right?" Jin asked, excitement in his voice.
"Yeah?" Rolex didn't know what they were trying to say. He had known them for some time now, and they knew some things about him.
"Hehe"
"We heard that an Academy in Downwun City is accepting students for cheap," Jin said. And both of the brothers started laughing.
"Huh, what?!" Rolex was stunned, this was new to him as he was away from the street to steal the piece of meat. He planned it for 2 days and stole it yesterday.
"I know you would be surprised," Jim said excitedly.
"You are telling the truth?" Rolex still couldn't believe it.
"Yes, some of the guys already left yesterday and joined the Academy," Jin said whole nodding.
"Then… how much do we need" Rolex was tempted, his mind was filled with thoughts of joining the academy.
The smiles on Jin and Jim vanished. "it is… 29 Silver Shards."
Rolex smiled.
"Good thing I saved money…" He had saved all the money he had stolen or earned for the last four years, and it was almost 36 Silver Shards! He could use this money to join that…
"… don't you guys think it might be a fraud?" Rolex asked, his mind stopped working for a minute, but when he thought about it, why would an academy sell their seats to some unnamed nobodies?
"No, this Academy used to be big, but because of some accident, they lost all their powerful figures. Now, it's almost in ruins. I guess they're trying to rebuild by recruiting students this way." Jin said.
Rolex fell silent, if it was a scam, he would lose more than 90% of his savings… but if it was real. He would be able to become a Waywalker…
"Okay, let's join!"