While the frantic commotion reached a fever pitch at the massive research center in the middle of town, I casually strolled out of the dome structure. I was heading toward my "workplace"—if you could even call it that. In reality, it was just a regular meetup spot for our tiny, low-level gang.
Located a couple hundred meters outside the primary dome sat a weather-worn, medium-sized apartment complex. One of those cramped rooms served as our rented headquarters.
The moment I stepped through the door, the thick scent of tobacco smoke hit my nose. Two people were already inside. One of them was lounging by the table, lazily puffing on a cigarette.
"Hi, Ed. How've you been?" Lucy asked, throwing a sidelong glance my way. "Heard you had a bit of a conflict with Brett. What happened?"
Lucy was a stunning woman who ran the operations here as our manager. I definitely had a thing for her. Her easygoing demeanor and charming smile, paired with her pale skin, prominent bust, piercing blue eyes, and plush peach lips, constantly made me want to fuc—
"Hey, dumbass. Keep your expression straight before I punch that ugly face right off your shoulders."
A booming, heavy voice violently shattered my fantasy. It belonged to Rai. He was a massive, morbidly obese man who used to be a legendary bodybuilder before he awakened a high-tier trait related to Skeletal and Muscle Building. By de facto, he was our leader purely because he was the strongest.
Standing well over 2.5 meters tall, the man looked like an absolute giant. Rumor had it that back in his prime, Rai could lift a small car over his head by himself, and he had a shelf full of strongman championship trophies to prove it. What a monster he had been. But looking at him now? He was a mountain of pure fat. I wouldn't even be surprised if he dropped dead of a sudden heart attack from the sheer effort of breathing.
If you're wondering how such a powerful specimen degenerated into a disgusting, bloated mass, blame his trait's peculiar side effect. The trait completely erased a permanent, stable physique. To maintain that massive skeletal and muscular frame, you had to work out relentlessly every single day; otherwise, your body simply couldn't sustain it. The trait effectively locked your skeletal frame into a massive size, meaning you could never naturally shrink back down.
When your body is that large, it constantly screams for massive amounts of food to replenish the energy required to maintain the muscle. But the second you stop exercising, the muscle building stops while the insatiable cravings remain. It was a hellish trap. The only way to avoid ballooning was continuous, agonizing exercise. Once you lost your motivation, you became a fatass just like Rai. Needless to say, it was one trait I was never jealous of. I quite like my current build, thank you very much.
"I wasn't thinking anything inappropriate toward Lucy, boss," I muttered, carefully smoothing out my features. "My face has just looked like this since birth."
"Don't be so mean, Rai. Ed is a kind man, aren't you, Ed?" Lucy interjected, her pink lips curling into an easy smile. Just when i have the chance to taste those lips. "Now, please, fill your quota for the week."
"Here, 20 silver, Lucy. I hope the others are paying up on time too," I said, sliding the coins onto the table.
A weekly gang subscription of 20 silver was considered a massive sum. Considering a full meal of bread and coffee only cost me 30 copper, 20 silver could comfortably sustain an ordinary family for an entire month. But I had no choice. For a guy like me trying to survive without a legitimate, legal job, joining a small syndicate like this was the bare minimum required to stay afloat. It wasn't entirely without its perks, either. A portion of the collected pool was used to bribe local officials, giving us an automatic leeway whenever we happened to get arrested.
"Nice, Ed," Lucy purred, tapping the silver coins with her fingernail. "I wish every member was as reliable as you. Always paying your weekly quota right on time. Some of these idiots make me wait a month, but you're always a week ahead. And judging by the massive crowds flooding the streets today, I bet you made a killing, didn't you? Why not buy us all a drink tonight, Ed?"
That was Lucy's trait at work. Her ability was entirely centered around cognitive processing and environmental reaction. At first, I assumed her trait just minorly enhanced her baseline reflexes, but the terrifyingly rapid way she processed information and analyzed human behavior proved there was a much deeper secret behind her ability.
"Not much, honestly," I lied smoothly, keeping my voice level. "Just barely enough to cover the quota this week. I got a late start because I completely forgot today was the awakening day. My bad."
Of course I lied. Who in their right mind would honestly disclose their exact income to a gang manager? In reality, I had pulled in a massive haul due to the chaos in the city center. My pockets were currently heavy with a full gold piece and 35 silver. Hahaha! I won't need to do any real work for a couple of weeks. Hehe.
Rai snorted loudly, blowing a thick cloud of smoke in my direction. "Hmph. Those petty little tricks of yours. You know, I've never actually been hypnotized. Want to bet if that puny little trait of yours would work on me, Ed? How about we wager 50 silver on it?"
This fat pig... always poking at my wounds. Who on earth would be stupid enough to attempt hypnosis on a target whose mental guard was completely raised? He was an absolute idiot.
"Ah, boss, how could I possibly compare to you?" I replied, adopting a subservient posture. I watched his brainwaves instantly shift, smoothing out into a relaxed, smug pattern the exact moment the flattery hit his ears. He was just like a gullible kid. Fuck him. "This trait of mine is barely enough to keep me alive. Compared to a man of your stature, I'm just an ant staring up at a lion."
"At least you know your place. Good kid," Rai grunted, clearly satisfied. "Now scram before I change my mind."
"Copy that, boss."
Stepping out of the cramped apartment, I immediately made a beeline back toward the center of town. There was no way I was leaving all that easy money on the table. Bwahaha, lucky me! Dududu...
You might be wondering what my trait actually is. My family—the Lankat bloodline—inherited a specific ability called Wavelength Detection.
When I first awakened it, the trait seemed utterly useless. All I could detect was the geographic orientation of the Earth's magnetic poles. People literally called me 'Compass Man.' It was pathetic. It was the exact reason our family never managed to establish a footprint inside the dome; the trait was widely considered an absolute waste of money to awaken. Fuck that.
Not long after my awakening, I packed my bags, left home, and found work as a long-distance wilderness guide outside the dome structures. For nearly seven years, I relied on the trait daily to navigate treacherous terrain. Because I could constantly detect the planetary pole wavelengths, it was physically impossible for me to ever lose my way.
But gradually, the ability began to evolve. It wasn't just the poles anymore; I started detecting man-made magnetic fields. I couldn't manipulate them, but at least I was no longer just a simple compass—I was the 'Compass Man with Magnetism.' Sounds a bit better, right?
Then, after reaching my eighth year of continuous use, everything changed. I unlocked the ability to detect human brainwaves.
When I had free time, I used to watch medical videos breaking down neurologically emitted frequencies. I learned how brainwaves were categorized into Alpha, Beta, and Theta states based entirely on their fluctuating frequencies. To a regular person, it was invisible, but to me, it was clear as day. The wavelengths visibly shifted depending on a person's immediate emotional state—whether they were laughing, sad, focused, stressed, relaxed, or asleep.
By the time I fully mastered and memorized the exact visual look of these distinct wavelengths, I could accurately read a target's deepest hidden emotions even with my eyes closed.
Initially, I tried to leverage this to become a mainstream presenter or television entertainer. But my face kept me away. I got rejected by almost thirty different talent agencies I registered with. Just as I was on the verge of giving up completely, I happened to catch a late-night television special focusing on the mechanics of hypnosis.
When I analyzed how hypnosis actually functioned—essentially figuring out how to artificially slip into the specific brainwave frequency of an unsuspecting opponent—it clicked. For someone with my unique perception, mastering hypnosis wasn't just a skill; it was a natural extension of my biology.
For two years now, I've operated as a full-fledged street criminal hypnotist. Hahaha! Earning gold was ridiculously easy at first, but after a while, the local authorities caught onto my signature pattern. I ended up with an active police warrant, and practically every merchant shop I frequented flagged me as a walking headache. It became nearly impossible to squeeze even a single silver coin out of the same district. I constantly had to switch locations and keep my eyes peeled for regular patrols.
And who could have possibly guessed that at some point, I'd be stupid enough to try and hypnotize Lucy? Because her unique trait was heavily tied to rapid cognitive reaction, she instantly spotted the unnatural friction inside her own mind the moment I tried to slip in. Before I could even process what went wrong, Rai had smashed his way into the room. The next thing I remembered, I was securely tied to a chair in our current headquarters.
Sigh... talk about terrible luck. Ever since that day, I've been forced to fork over a hefty weekly tax just to keep them from storming my flat and beating me half to death. I definitely didn't want to end up like that.
But today? Today was a fresh start, and the streets were still absolutely packed with fresh, unsuspecting prey.