The next morning arrived, marking Aaron's fourth day trapped in this game-like world. Since coming here, he had killed more thugs than beasts, but he had no choice—if he didn't, guilt would tear at his heart. With his old scars finally healed, he sat in a restaurant, sipping coffee while planning his next move.
Aaron had a little more than 3,000 gold coins, enough to buy a low-ranked Awakened from the slave market. Even though this was normal here, the idea of buying a person made him uneasy. After nearly 40 years in modern society, just the thought of buying someone who could feel pain and emotions unsettled him.
Aaron sighed and said quietly, "I don't want to get stabbed in the back by people I might work with later. At the very least, I can give them a better life than someone else would."
Slave merchants used special classes called Contract Scripters for this. They made slave contracts that recorded the mana signatures of both sides. With these contracts, a slave couldn't harm or betray their master, and they couldn't hurt themselves either.
If they tried, their mana channels would be destroyed. In this world, where people's lives depend on their classes and skills, that was even worse. They couldn't refuse their master's orders either. If they did, the master just had to inject mana into the contract to cause the same deadly effect.
Those who couldn't pay their loans, captured in war, and even families of those accused of treason could end up as slaves.
F and E rank Awakened who became slaves were treated as cannon fodder by adventurers in dungeons, or as bed warmers for the rich. Their lives meant nothing—this world was truly cruel to them.
D and C ranks were usually taken by wealthy merchants or influential people, who served as guards or servants.
Those above were claimed by the kingdom itself, trained and bound to serve the crown.
Aaron stood up and muttered, "I should head to the merchant district first and sell extra magic weapons in his inventory." He also had four space pouches—he only needed one for himself, so he could sell the rest. After arriving at the merchant district, he sold the common-grade magic sword he had gotten from Owain, the dagger from Reurig, and three of the space pouches.
He earned another 240 gold coins from the sales. Without pause, he continued to the western district, where activity was already high despite the midday sun. Bars and casinos overflowed with drunkards and gamblers, setting the stage for the slave market ahead.
Aaron walked straight to the street where the slave market was. When he arrived, his footsteps halted at the sight before him. Hundreds of men and women, dressed in thin, sack-like clothes, stood outside the shops, each with a wooden plaque hanging from their necks to show their worth. Their faces were empty, like the living dead, and their bodies were malnourished—waiting to see what more this cruel world would do to them.
Aaron clenched his teeth, his hand tightening into a fist at the sight. These were the lowest-ranked Awakened, not even sold as cannon fodder for a long time, now left standing as nothing more than advertisements for the shops. Aaron forced himself to control his emotions. He knew he had neither the power nor the influence to change what was happening in every kingdom, and his focus had to remain on his own survival for now.
Aaron reminded himself he wasn't a saint—humans were greedy by nature. Most of these people were here by their own choice. Some took money to gamble and left their fates to luck. Others tried to shatter the chains of weakness by borrowing gold for expensive weapons.
With that thought, he kept walking. As he passed by, he used Abyssal Insight to check the status of those standing outside. Nearly everyone had life-based classes, such as tailor, gardener, or woodcutter. Most were F ranks, with a few E ranks mixed in, and their plaques showed prices ranging from 400 to 800 gold coins.
As he ventured deeper into the market, Aaron reached the central hub. Massive shops with luxurious exteriors and lavish interiors stood out—these sold high-ranked slaves through auctions, and sometimes even featured slaves from other races. Hoping to improve his luck, Aaron stepped inside one of these shops.
Inside, the hall was vast and bustling, filled with wealthy merchants and adventurers gathered before multiple counters marked with rank signs from F to D. Behind each counter stood groups of four or five slaves, while a staff member from the establishment managed every counter.
Aaron moved through the hall, checking the status of the slaves. These were better—each had a combat class—but all of them were common. When he asked about their prices, they ranged from 1,200 to 1,500 gold coins. It was a lot, but Aaron was looking for rare classes with strong affinities. Low-ranked classes rarely had affinities, and when they did, it was often just a weak branch of a major element.
He didn't find anyone who caught his eye. Aaron kept searching, and after hours of looking, the best he found was a Stonebody Fighter—a D rank with Earth affinity. When Aaron asked for the price, the owner grinned, showing gold teeth, and said, "14,000 gold coins."
Aaron sighed and muttered, "Should I try another city? Maybe I'll find a rare class among the lower ranks there." As he was about to turn back, he found himself in front of an old shop, just as a fat man was grabbing two girls by the shoulders and dragging them inside.
When Aaron used his skill on the girls, his eyes shot open in surprise. He quickly made his way to the shop. It was a cramped, rough-looking place, barely ten by ten, with two other slaves in sack-like clothes. As soon as the fat man saw Aaron, he immediately let go of both girls and said, "Welcome, young adventurer." Aaron didn't answer—he just nodded, keeping his eyes fixed on the girls in front of him.
Both girls had ashen-gray hair and a faint family resemblance that made it clear they were related. Their clothes were ragged, and light wounds were visible on their bodies. One was slightly taller than the other.
The taller girl had dark violet eyes, fixed on Aaron as she stood protectively in front of the other, trying to shield her. The younger one had bright green eyes. Both of their bodies were weak from malnutrition—the taller girl was slightly healthier, her natural curves clearly visible beneath the thin fabric, though her skin was dull from lack of food. The smaller girl was delicate and fragile, almost birdlike.
At least, Aaron thought, they're not like the vacant advertisement boards outside. He confirmed with Abyssal Insight what he'd seen earlier—the taller girl had affinity.
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Name: Tyra
Class: E Rank – Cinderstring Archer
Level: 0
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Health Points: 60 / 80
Mana Capacity: 15 / 15
Attack Power: 15 (Strength × 10)
Affinity: Hellfire
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Skills
Steady Draw
Steadies breathing and posture before releasing, increasing precision by 15%.
Keen Sight
Heightens visual awareness and focus, increasing vision by 35%.
Cinder Nock
Channels faint Hellfire into an arrow before release, increasing damage by 40%.
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Aaron was shocked, even seeing it a second time. Her affinity was something he had never heard of. He had seen plenty of weaker versions of fire affinity, like Ember, Ash, or Kindle, but in rare cases, affinities could mutate and grow stronger—like Phoenixfire and this hellfire he hadn't heard of.
If she had even a C-ranked class, Aaron felt the major families of the kingdom would be fighting over her. But this world was truly cruel—she had one of the best affinities anyone could wish for, yet because of her low rank, she would never be able to reach her full potential. To make it worse, she had ended up in slavery.
She's an archer, and with enough Mission Points, I can upgrade her class rank. Properly nurtured, she could be top-tier ranged support.
Then Aaron looked at the small figure clinging to Tyra with all the strength she could muster. He used Abyssal Insight on her as well, wanting to check her status again.
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Name: Kyela
Class: F Rank – Spirit Tender
Level: 0
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Health Points: 40 / 50
Mana Capacity: 10 / 10
Attack Power: 5 (Strength × 10)
Affinity: Nature
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Skills
Lesser Spirit Call
Kyela calls a small nature spirit into existence.
Shared Senses
Links her perception with her summoned spirit.
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The real reason Aaron had come here was her. Even though her class rank was the lowest, that wasn't the issue—her class was a weaker version of spirit summoner, a class usually found only among elves, who are known as protectors of the forest and beloved by spirits. On top of that, her affinity was among the main ones.
The strongest thing about spirit summoners was their ability to call multiple spirits to fight in their place—each spirit with its own unique skills. In a team, they were the best support.
Aaron already knew the weakness of this class: low attack power and health, reliant on their summons. But with a rank upgrade, she could call several spirits to fight and defend, or even summon stronger ones.
Seeing Aaron's interest in the girls, a sly grin crept onto the fat man's face. A gambler from the slums had once borrowed 2,000 gold coins from him, using his own daughters as collateral in the contract. The fat man had only lent the money because he knew the gambler would never be able to pay it back, and he had even claimed that his daughters would awaken as Awakened in a few months.
And that's exactly what happened—the gambler lost everything, unable to repay the loan. The fat man had been pleased at first, hoping the girls would awaken high-ranked classes and bring him a fortune. But when he discovered yesterday that they were only E and F ranks, his excitement turned to rage. Today, furious, he went to the slums, beat the gambler senseless, and dragged the girls away with him.
He had only just brought the girls to the shop and hadn't even completed their slave contracts yet. All he knew was their class ranks—nothing more. He had tried to question them, but they refused to answer. He planned to force them after the contract was sealed, since they wouldn't be able to resist then. But before he could act, this young man appeared.
The fat man guessed the newcomer was interested in the taller girl—she did have some tempting curves, barely hidden beneath her ragged clothes. He sneered inwardly, thinking, I was planning to enjoy her tonight, but gold is an even sweeter temptation for someone like me.
The fat man rubbed his hands together, greed and lust flickering in his eyes. "Young adventurer, you have a sharp eye. Both of these girls are newly awakened—I haven't even finished their contracts yet," he said, motioning toward Tyra. "Just look at her. She's perfect for a plaything." At those words, both girls trembled in fear. Aaron snapped out of his thoughts.
Aaron shot him a cold, piercing glare. The fat man's confidence crumbled, and he immediately took two steps back. "Sorry for my disgraceful words," he stammered. Aaron held his gaze for a heartbeat longer, making the fat man gasp, then turned to the girls. "What do you want?" he asked the smaller one.
The fat man's eyes lit up with relief, thankful he hadn't angered Aaron and that the young man was still interested. He was about to name a price when Tyra suddenly stepped forward, standing protectively in front of her sister. "No, I won't let you take my sister," she said, her voice trembling with fear, but her gaze unwavering as she stared at Aaron.
The fat man lunged forward and slapped Tyra hard, sending her sprawling to the ground. "Shut up, you bitch," he snarled. Then he turned to Aaron, saying, "You can have her for 1,500 gold." Aaron said nothing, barely restraining himself from killing the bastard right there.
But Aaron's patience finally snapped. In one swift motion, he drew his daggers and growled, "If you lay a hand on them again, I'll cut your hands off and shove them up your ass." The fat man stumbled back in terror, while the other two slaves stared in shock at their master, who was now sweating like a pig.
The old man stammered, his voice trembling, "Y...Yes, I won't do it again, please forgive me." Aaron withdrew his daggers and asked, "What about both of them?" Still shaken, the fat man replied, "Y...You can have both for 3,000 gold coins. The other is even E rank—I'll give you the same deal for both as an apology for my behavior just now."
Tyra was still on the ground, and Kyela crouched beside her, both girls' eyes welling with tears as they listened to their worth being debated. Aaron could tell the fat man was trying to raise the price since he didn't know their affinities or classes—he hadn't completed the contracts yet. But to Aaron, these rare classes and affinities were priceless.
Aaron pulled out gold coins from his space pouch and said coldly, "I'll give you 3,000 if you can take a hit from me the way you hit her. If not, you get 2,500. Now, choose."
The fat man's face twisted in horror. He wasn't a combat class, and he could tell Aaron was dangerous—one hit might kill him. He didn't hesitate. "2,500 gold will do," he muttered, cursing himself for losing 500 coins through his own stupidity.
Aaron nodded and handed over 2,500 gold coins. The fat man quickly grabbed the papers and began scripting the slave contracts. Once finished, both girls and Aaron pressed their mana into the contract, sealing it. Both girls knew that, from now on, their lives would be determined by their master's will.
Tyra's eyes were still watery. She had always protected her sister since their mother passed away, knowing their father's gambling habit would never let him support them. When she learned her father had sunk so low as to gamble his own daughters away, she feared for her sister's fate. But now, at least, she found a small sense of relief—they would face whatever came next together.
Aaron had only wanted a spirit summoner for his system mission—one member would have been enough. But after seeing the sisters' unbreakable bond, he couldn't bring himself to separate them. In truth, he didn't mind having both; together, they could become excellent supporters.
The fat man muttered his thanks, but Aaron simply nodded and turned to the girls, speaking gently, "Please follow me." Hearing Aaron's soft tone, both girls calmed down a little. With weak, uncertain steps, they followed him outside