Walking out of the forest, I caught sight of the city walls looming in the distance. How many years had these walls been bathed in the blood of the monsters lurking in the nearby woods? No one knew for sure. But there was one thing everyone agreed on—this city, standing resolute, was older than any organization that now called it home.
As I approached the city gates, the crowds of people passing in and out barely spared me a glance, though a few scoffed or laughed at my appearance.Torn clothes clung to me, stained with blood and barely held together. Bandages wrapped my body in a patchwork of red and white. Only my equipment showed any sign of upkeep, having been replaced after a few battles on my way back here.
Looking around, I noticed countless people radiating spiritual energy like beacons in the dark. They couldn’t see it or control it, much as I hadn’t in the past.But then why hadn’t I seen the rabbit or the forest monsters emitting any spiritual energy? Were they incapable of harnessing it, or was there some unknown requirement?
I sighed as I approached the city gate. A guard stepped forward, barring my path.“It’ll cost you 20 copper to enter the city,” he said.
With no other choice, I withdrew the coins from the system and handed them over.
“Heh. Go on in,” he sneered, his lips curling into a mocking grin. “But don’t let me catch you looking this ugly again, or I’ll charge you extra next time.”
Suppressing the urge to retort, I stepped past him into the bustling city. Crowds moved purposefully, vendors hawked their wares, and shops buzzed with activity. But to me, it was all meaningless. The system’s offerings were far superior—its worst items were leagues beyond anything sold here.
As I navigated the throng, a man bumped into me.
“Hey, watch where you’re stepping—” he started, his voice sharp. But when he turned to see who I was, his expression twisted into a malicious grin.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t our favorite punching bag,” he said mockingly, throwing an arm around my shoulder with a force meant to steer me toward a nearby alley.
I resisted, glancing around and noticing others moving through the crowd with purpose. They blended in, but their presence didn’t escape my notice.
My fists clenched, anger bubbling beneath the surface. My face turned cold, suppressing the urge to strike the man and wipe the grin off his face.
He had planned this out carefully, bumping into someone to cause a scene and extort money. But he hadn’t expected to run into me. And he knew exactly who I was—an outcast.
No one was going to step in for me. Everyone knew my gene cap was 31. Who would risk standing against them now? They were Black Jackal, an organization infamous for extorting money from the people of Skylit City.
Would the mayor intervene to stop them? No. Why? Because the organization paid tribute to him, as well as to the bigger families and groups in the city. As long as their pockets were lined, Black Jackal was untouchable.
Just as Josh started dragging me toward the alley, a deep voice cut through the noise.
“Josh, not now. We have a mission to complete. You can deal with him later, but if we fail, the higher-ups will have our heads.”
I turned toward the speaker and saw a man with glasses walking over. He placed a hand on Josh’s shoulder, his calm demeanor commanding attention. Josh hesitated, his goons halting their movements as though nothing had happened, seamlessly blending back into the crowd.
This man had to hold some authority—I’d never seen him before.
Josh, however, shrugged off the hand on his shoulder without any trace of fear.
“Hey, greenhorn, the mission can wait,” he said, sneering. “Can’t you see I ran into an old friend and wanted to catch up? Or… are you friends with this cripple?”
The venom in his words was palpable, but the man with glasses didn’t flinch.
“Do you even know who I am?” he shot back sharply, his voice cutting through the mocking tone.
Josh smirked, bowing exaggeratedly as he replied with a playful edge. “How could I not? The thirteenth young master of the Niel family, His Majesty Lord Cain.”
His tone dripped with sarcasm, but Cain either didn’t notice or didn’t care. He straightened, puffing out his chest as if genuinely proud of the title.
“That’s right! I am the young master of the Niel clan,” Cain declared, clearly basking in his self-imposed grandeur.
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I suppressed a smile. He’s completely oblivious to the mockery in Josh’s tone, lost in his dream world.
While Cain continued boasting, I took the opportunity to slip away unnoticed. He was too busy reveling in his delusions to care.
Wandering through the market, I eventually found a clothing shop. But the moment I stepped inside, their staff barely acknowledged me. My torn and bloodied appearance was enough for them to dismiss me outright.
I didn’t care about their indifference—it felt better that way. Wandering around, I picked out a jacket, pants, a shirt, and a pair of shoes. The total came to 2 silver. What a robbery.
With my new clothes in hand, I headed to an inn and rented a room for three days. After spending a month straight in the wilderness, hunting monsters and collecting a mountain of herbs to sell to the system, I needed a proper rest.
Once inside, I removed my armor and made my way to the bath. The warm water was a welcome relief, washing away the grime and fatigue of the past weeks. After cleaning myself and changing the bandages on my shoulder, I settled in front of the television to catch up on the news.
Normally, such technology doesn’t function in the realm. But years ago, a group of relentless inventors created a breakthrough—a television capable of operating here. This innovation marked the beginning of certain electronics being usable in the first realm. Unfortunately, such advancements don’t work in the second realm, where the laws of that world are far stricter.
“In today’s news, we announce that the Eastern Alliances will be hosting this year’s Helix Cup,” the broadcaster announced.
So, it’s that time of year already? The Helix Cup—named after Grandmaster Helix, the strongest human alive.
Helix was the trailblazer who established the first safe city in the fifth realm. His accomplishments were legendary, too numerous to recount in a single day. Whether all the tales were true or exaggerated was anyone’s guess, but his influence was undeniable.
The Helix Cup was founded 50 years ago and has been held annually ever since. Participants are allowed to enter up to three times in their lives. Once registered, they receive full protection under the Cup’s rules, shielding them from any forces seeking to harm them.
For those who perform well, the rewards are immense. High rankings attract powerful organizations eager to recruit and invest in them, grooming them for leadership roles or prestigious family guard positions.
There have even been cases where individuals used the Helix Cup to turn their fortunes around, offending major organizations beforehand and using their success in the tournament to gain backing from powerful patrons. As for those offended organizations… well, their fates were sealed. Who would dare to challenge the authority of Grandmaster Helix or his Grand Phoenix Hall? Mentioning either name was enough to instill fear; invoking both was a death sentence.
“As the Eastern Alliances host this year’s Cup, they’ll likely aim to outdo the Western Alliances’ performance from last year,” remarked one of the television hosts.
“You’re right, Maya,” the male host replied. “The Eastern Alliances are pulling out all the stops, offering incredible rewards for the winner and encouraging participation by giving every entrant a gift just for signing up.”
“Just for participating, you get a reward?” Maya asked, her curiosity evident.
“Not exactly,” Jeremy corrected her. “The reward is only for people from the Eastern Alliance.”
Hearing this, I had initially considered participating to claim even a basic reward. But the mention of the restriction made me abandon the thought. I wasn’t from the Eastern Alliance.
I belonged to the Northern Alliance.
What are these alliances? There are five in total: Western, Northern, Eastern, Southern, and Central. The first four are coalitions of organizations representing their regions and acting as a counterbalance to the overwhelming power of the Central Alliance.
The Central Alliance, controlled by the Grand Phoenix Hall, occupies the most strategic and prosperous territory. It is the strongest and wealthiest region. Following it in power is the Western, Eastern, Northern, and Southern Alliances.
Unlike the Central Alliance, which consists of a single organization, the regional alliances are made up of three organizations each. This structure enables them to collectively challenge the Grand Phoenix Hall’s dominance and deter its influence, as no individual organization could match its might.
The Grand Phoenix Hall commands around 40% of all fifth-realm evolvers. Only by combining their forces can the other alliances rival its strength.
I shook my head, pushing aside these thoughts. They were far stronger than me and far beyond my reach to influence.
“Not only that, but this year I heard that Helix’s grandson will participate!” Jeremy announced enthusiastically.
“Oh my god! I’m a huge fan of Helix and his grandson Heron,” Maya exclaimed, her voice brimming with excitement. “But are you sure he’s participating, Jeremy?” She turned to him, her expression eager.
“Of course,” Jeremy replied smugly. “I wouldn’t be allowed to mention it on television otherwise.”
“Do you have any information about his gene cap? After all, he’s Helix’s grandson,” Maya asked, her curiosity returning.
“You won’t believe it, but his gene cap is—”
I turned off the television before Jeremy could finish. I wasn’t interested in the Helix Cup.
This tournament was nothing more than a platform for big organizations to scout talented individuals to recruit.
Why wasn’t I participating? On paper, my gene cap was 31, marking me as one of the weakest in the first realm. In reality, it was now 150. If I entered and performed well, people would inevitably notice.
If I won, they would come knocking, demanding answers about how I raised my gene cap. Even if I claimed it was luck, they wouldn’t believe me. I’d end up as a subject of their experiments again.
Without a strong backer to shield me, there would be no escape. Even my family, if forced to choose, would likely crumble under the pressure and abandon me.
The weight of my powerlessness settled heavily on my shoulders. With a deep sigh, I decided to cut my stay in the city short—from three days to just one.
The Cup was set to begin in a month. Soon, people would flood back to the city, eager to test their strength and try their luck. It was better for me to leave before that chaos began.