After half an hour, Aaron arrived at the towering walls of Blightforge. Far from a small city, Blightforge is home to over ten million people, most of them adventurers and mercenaries. Its strategic location grants it immense importance in the region.
Blightforge sits between two other great cities: Mystgrove, the capital of magic, and Grimmhold, the mighty military fortress. All three are found on the northeastern edge of the vast Great Evervale Forest, a woodland that covers more than half the Calidora continent, where most human kingdoms and empires are established.
The forest is so immense that, despite being surrounded by countless kingdoms and several empires, no one has ever fully explored its depths. Each month, new dungeons and monster habitat areas are discovered, their origins shrouded in mystery.
All three cities form the first line of defense against the relentless hordes of magical beasts. Just a few kilometers beyond the city walls, the Great Evervale Forest begins. The first fifty kilometers of the forest are considered a safe zone, where most of the magical beasts are of the Fragment and Core tiers—ideal for newly awakened adventurers to begin their journey.
Blightforge has three main entrances. The western gate faces the forest and is used to deploy adventurers and mercenaries during beast horde attacks. This side of the city is lined with numerous adventurer and mercenary guilds.
The eastern gate leads toward the military city and is surrounded by many inns and restaurants. The northern gate connects to the mage city and the rest of the kingdom. Here, a busy market is full of weapon shops, potion stores, and many other merchants.
On the western edge, there are no gates. Instead, this area has noisy bars, bright casinos, and crowded slave markets.
Near the outer wall is the slum district, a maze of small, muddy alleys and broken houses. This area is home to gangs, criminals, and many unlucky low-rank Awakeneds who live in poverty and struggle every day.
At the heart of the city stands Estrium, where newly Awakened register, and the Estrium Council oversees all matters related to them.
Blightforge is governed by the Blackhelm family, one of the founding families of the kingdom. Their estate is also situated at the city's center, near Estrium.
Aaron made his way toward the eastern side, where the main gate stood firmly closed. From his memories, he recalled that it only opened during emergencies or for the arrival and departure of royal members. For ordinary entry, there was a smaller gate nearby.
Three guards stood there, wearing shiny silver armor with the Estrium symbol—a shield crossed by two swords in bright blue, like mana. They were clearly guards from the Estrium Council.
As Aaron approached the gate, one of the guards stepped forward and stopped him. "It's quite late—later than usual. And what's with your appearance? You look like you've been through a battle," the guard said, eyeing Aaron's torn clothes and the bloodstains covering him.
The guard's name was Orryn. He had served at the eastern gate for the past six years and knew Aaron well from his many trips to the woods to hunt rabbits. Over the years, whenever Aaron caught a rabbit, he would bring some for the guards—even when they tried to refuse, he always insisted.
All the guards respected Aaron for his kindness, and they were well aware of his difficult life in the slums. They often helped him when they could. The knife Aaron carried had been a gift from Orryn, given after Aaron's old one broke a few months earlier.
Aaron recognized Orryn and let out a sheepish chuckle, scratching the back of his head. "Good evening, Sir Orryn. I just got a little hurt during the hunt, that's all." Orryn, however, knew that rabbit hunting didn't lead to such injuries—especially for someone as experienced as Aaron. Noticing the absence of any game, Orryn guessed that trouble from the slums had found Aaron again, perhaps over money.
Orryn chose not to push further, seeing that Aaron didn't want to talk about it. However, he soon sensed something different about the young man—a faint mana surrounded him. Orryn's expression grew serious. "Did you awaken in the forest?" he asked.
Aaron nodded. "Yes, I turned eighteen today and awakened in the woods. I didn't realize the hunt would take so long, or I would've waited until after."
Orryn sighed. "You need to be more careful. Awakening draws magical beasts—it's dangerous to do it alone. I was about to go searching for you myself." He added, "Now that you've awakened, you need to register at Estrium. It's illegal not to, and unregistered Awakeneds are seen as criminals."
Aaron nodded respectfully. "Yes, I'll register in the morning."
Orryn waved him on. "I won't keep you any longer. Go get some rest."
Aaron thanked him with a polite bow before heading inside, offering a quick greeting to the other guards as he passed through the gate.
As Aaron walked through the gate, his eyes widened in surprise. The street in front of him was made of cobblestones, over twenty feet wide and full of people. Everyone was busy, talking and laughing as they went in and out of buildings with signs and symbols from different adventurer and mercenary guilds.
Almost everyone wore armor or clothes that matched their class, and most carried weapons—spears and shields on their backs, swords and knives at their waists, and magic staffs with glowing crystals in their hands.
Even though his memories told him this was normal, Aaron couldn't help but feel amazed—back in his old world, things like this only happened in stories. He stood still, staring at everything around him. After a short while, he pulled himself together and started walking toward the northern district, where the busy markets were. He planned to sell the wolf pelts he had just caught.
As he walked to the northern district, Aaron quietly asked the system, "Can anyone else see the system panel? Do others have systems like mine?" He wanted to be sure—if others could see the bright blue panel floating by him, it would draw too much attention. Moments later, the system's answer showed up in front of him.
[Only the host can see the system panel. And at this time, no one else possesses a system like yours.]
Aaron let out a breath of relief. "Well, that's good," he murmured to himself.
It took him some time to reach the northern district. Night had already fallen, and the moon was shining brightly. Magic lamps lit up the streets, filling the city with a soft, strange light. This place looked very different from the southern district. The wide roads were busy with wagons pulled by strong horses, carrying people and goods.
Along the street, people walked in and out of shops—most of them big stores with eye-catching displays. Some windows showed weapons shining in the light, others had shelves full of potions in many colors, and a few had magic items kept safe behind glass. Some stores sold fresh fruits and meat from beasts, and all the smells mixed in the cool night air.
After a few minutes, Aaron arrived at a modest shop tucked near an alleyway. He recognized it instantly from his memories—this was where he always came to sell rabbit pelts. The shopkeeper knew him well, as well as the old man who had raised him.
Before entering the shop, Aaron slipped into the alleyway, glancing around to make sure no one was watching. Satisfied that he was alone, he retrieved both wolf pelts—he didn't want to surprise the shopkeeper by making them appear out of thin air.He put the pelts over his shoulder and walked in, the bell above the door making a soft sound as he entered.
Inside, he spotted an elderly man behind the counter, absorbed in a small book. Aaron greeted him politely, "Hello, Old Latem. I hope you're doing well." Hearing the familiar voice, Latem looked up and recognized Aaron. But upon noticing his tattered, bloodstained clothes and the two heavy pelts—clearly not from rabbits—Latem's face filled with concern. "Brat, what happened to you? How did you end up like this? Did you try to hunt a magical beast?"
Aaron let out an awkward laugh as he set the wolf pelts on the floor. "It's been quite a day, Old Latem. I went out to hunt rabbits, but ended up awakening while I was there. That must've drawn the attention of these wolves." He paused, then added, "Luckily, the larger one was already badly wounded—probably from running into an adventurer—so after I awakened, it wasn't too hard to take them down."
Hearing this, Latem let out a sigh of relief, though he couldn't help but shake his head at Aaron's recklessness. "If you knew you were close to awakening, you should have stayed home," he scolded gently. "Don't waste the efforts of the old man who raised you."
Aaron looked embarrassed."There wasn't any meat left at the shack, so I thought the hunt wouldn't take long. I'll be more careful next time." Then, with a proud smile, he added, "But, Old Man, I awakened as a C-rank Assassin. Those low-level beasts won't be much trouble for me from now on."
In truth, Aaron chose to reveal the C-rank Assassin class in public—he had no intention of drawing unwanted attention from the kingdom by exposing his true class.
Latem gave a tired smile. "I'm glad for you, but don't get too confident, brat. The world is far bigger and more dangerous than you think. Don't bite off more than you can chew."
Aaron nodded with a grin. "Don't worry, I won't. Now that I'm awakened, I'll bring you lots of business!"
Aaron cleared his throat and shifted the conversation. "Let's talk business, Old Man. I'm completely broke. I brought you these two Storm Lykaras pelts—the bigger one was level five, and the smaller was level two."
Latem stood up, picked up the pelts, and examined them closely. "Well, at least you skinned them skillfully," he remarked, then glanced at Aaron. "Did you bring any of the other parts?"
Aaron blinked, confused. "What other parts?"Latem scoffed, a hint of mockery in his tone. "Don't tell me you left the fangs and hearts behind, brat. Storm Lykaras might not have mana cores since they're Fragment-tier beasts, but their hearts contain mana fragments used in low-level potions. In fact, the heart alone is worth more than both pelts combined."
Aaron slapped his forehead. "How was I supposed to know that, Old Man? Until today, all I ever hunted were rabbits."
Latem waved it off. "Well, what's done is done. Make sure you get a beast manual from Estrium when you register tomorrow. It lists every beast and the valuable parts you shouldn't miss."
Aaron waved his hand. "Yeah, yeah, I'll remember. Now, how much are these worth? I really need some new clothes—and maybe a bath."
10 copper = 1 silver.
10 silver = 1 gold.
Latem rubbed his chin, then nodded. "I'll give you twelve silver for both pelts—five for the smaller one and seven for the bigger."
Aaron's eyes widened in shock. From his memories, he knew rabbit pelts usually sold for eight copper coins. He'd never even seen more than five silver coins at once in his entire life.
Latem returned to the counter and counted out twelve silver coins, handing them to Aaron. Grinning, Aaron pocketed the money. He trusted Latem to give him the best price in the market—the old shopkeeper took little profit from their deals.
After bidding farewell to Old Latem, Aaron stepped out of the shop and made his way to a nearby clothing store. There, he purchased a simple black cotton shirt, a pair of black trousers, and a cheap black cloak—all for two silvers. With his new clothes in hand, he set off toward the eastern district, searching for an inn where he could eat and rest.
After some time, he arrived in the eastern district. Instantly, the rich aroma of food from nearby restaurants filled his senses. Groups of people strolled in and out of eateries, their laughter and conversation creating a lively atmosphere—it was the height of dinner time.
Aaron chose a modest inn known for its affordable meals and comfortable rooms. At the counter stood a woman with a bright smile. As he approached, she greeted him warmly. "Welcome to Moonleaf Inn, I'm Taeme. How may I help you?" Her voice was as pleasant as her demeanor.
Aaron glanced down at his disheveled appearance and said, "I'd like a single room for three days, with a bath if possible." Taeme nodded. "There's a room available with a bath. That will be three silver and six copper for three nights," she replied.
Aaron nodded and handed her five silver coins. "Could you send a bowl of meat stew and some bread to my room in about half an hour?" he asked. Taeme accepted the payment and smiled. "Of course. Here are your six copper coins in change—eight copper coins go toward the meal. Your room is number twenty-three, the third door from the stairs on the second floor." She handed him a key with a practiced flourish.
Aaron took the key, said a word of thanks, and made his way to his room. It was small, but comfortable enough for his needs—a single bed, a wardrobe for his clothes, and a mirror fixed to the wardrobe door. He walked over, realizing he hadn't seen his own reflection since arriving in this world. As he drew closer, his eyes widened in shock.
His hair and eyebrows were silver, his hair reaching down to his shoulders, and his eyes were a deep, striking blue. Aaron stared at his reflection—he was actually quite handsome, if not for his frail build. A smirk tugged at his lips. "Well, now that I'm awakened, being fragile won't last much longer," he muttered to himself.
He shook his head and chuckled. First things first—he needed a good wash and a hot meal. After that, it would be time to assign his attribute points. With that in mind, Aaron headed to the bathroom for a well-deserved bath.