Aron strolled leisurely around the plaza, hands tucked in his pockets, taking in the lively chaos of the event. However, a problem soon arose, no one was willing to trade with him. Everyone avoided his gaze, pretending not to see him, all because they didn’t want to offend D-One. That, in turn, meant Aron couldn’t acquire a single talent. But he wasn’t particularly disappointed, or even bothered. If anything, he seemed amused as he wandered from stall to stall, occasionally activating his Inspection talent to scout potential abilities. His plan was simple: after the event, he would follow each and every one of those people and claim their talents for himself. As he moved through the crowd, he found several talents worth noting and memorized their owners’ faces for later. The first was Sight, which granted the user the ability to see across long distances. The second was a Strength Enhancement talent. And the third, the one that truly caught his attention, was Language Comprehension, which allowed the user to speak and understand all languages. That one belonged to a slave for sale, and the owner refused to even let Aron observe the captive. The slave’s owner was an awakener whose own ability was... disturbing. He could sacrifice his senses or body parts, temporarily or permanently, for a proportional power boost. Aron decided that was way too creepy for his taste. After marking the faces of those he found useful, he began to plan his next move once the event ended. He considered himself powerful enough to traverse the route to Zone A without much trouble. Since he hadn’t found Demian in Zone B, he decided that after the event, he’d head to Zone A to look for Rihanna, his ex-wife. He didn’t know the current situation there, but before the network went down, Zone A had been reported as cleared of zombies, a supposed safe haven. That made it smarter to go after Rihanna first. Demian could wait, if he was even still alive. And with how hard it was to gain EXP now, Aron knew it would take ages before anyone reached the next rank. As he contemplated his next step, he was about to use Inspection on someone when his eyes landed on a figure inside a cage, someone who looked both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. "Sir Saint!" a merchant barked the moment Aron looked over. "Eighty percent off! Only five Ascender-grade cores, or anything of equal value!" Someone offering him a trade? That was rare. Suspiciously rare. "Can I see him?" Aron asked, studying the merchant, who looked desperate to get rid of the prisoner. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹⟡𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⟡𝙣𝙚𝙩 "Of course, of course!" The man gestured frantically, eager to unload the poor soul. Aron approached the cage, where a malnourished, dried-up man sat motionless. He already had a guess who it was, but he wanted to be sure he wasn’t hallucinating, because the shriveled figure inside happened to be none other than the crazy, lanky driver who’d nearly killed him speeding through Zone C. But this... this was not how he expected to find the man. Aron activated Inspection. [Talent: Indistructor (Passive) – Makes any non-living object indestructible while in contact.] Aron stared for a few seconds, speechless. "So that’s how he survived Zone C..." He had originally wanted to punch the guy’s face for nearly killing him back then, but after seeing his current condition, he decided death would actually be a mercy. Kelvin’s body was nothing but skin and bone, his flesh clinging to him like he’d contracted some kind of wasting disease. Aron reached into the cage and touched the man, just to confirm he was still alive. Barely. [Claimable Ability Detected: Indistructor] Before he could say anything, the merchant’s impatient voice cut in. "So, what mode of payment will you be using?" Aron’s brows furrowed. "What’s wrong with him?" The merchant shrugged. "Nothing’s wrong. He’s perfectly fine, if you ask me. Now, are you going to buy, or are you wasting my time?" Aron’s frown deepened. For an Ascender, it was almost impossible to get sick. Something was definitely off here. Just then, his senses picked something up, someone was tiptoeing toward him, cloaked in invisibility. However, there was no killing intent. So Aron didn’t react. He simply waited, pretending not to notice. When the figure got close enough, he quietly used Inspection. [Alias: LordMoonlight] [Talent: Summoner (Authority): ???] "What the hell..." Aron muttered inwardly. Everything made sense now. The strange man he’d seen earlier at the gate, the one his Inspection couldn’t identify, was likely one of this guy’s summons. But what truly caught his attention was the "hat" on his head. It wasn’t actually a hat. With his senses, Aron could tell it was alive, and the aura it released was something beyond the Transcendent Rank. That shouldn’t have been possible. No one could advance to another rank at this stage of the apocalypse. Which meant that whatever that "thing" was, it was most likely his summon. But even then, the logic didn’t add up. If his summon was that powerful, why was he still only at the Ascender rank? How could an Ascender-level Summoner control something three ranks above him? It wasn’t logical. Everything about his rank and appearance screamed punchable and easy to bully. Aron quickly drew a conclusion, this man was a swan pretending to be a frog. Because no one with that kind of summon could possibly still be an ordinary Ascender... unless it was by choice. Thank you for the Power Stones, Golden Tickets, and support, guys! I’m so happy you’re loving the story that this shameless author is out here twerking for y’all. Yes, twerking. Don’t question it, just throw more stones and tickets my way while I dance. 💃🔥 Every vote fuels my chaotic energy and keeps the Chapters coming faster. Let’s keep climbing the rankings together, your love keeps this wild author unstoppable! ❤️