Survivor

Now that he had completed his first order, Abel knew how he should use the system from then on.

He had to get as many good reviews as possible!

And to get good reviews, the [quality] of the items he traded was crucial. Perhaps [quantity] mattered too.

Beyond that, there was timing.

So the greatest challenge in earning good reviews was figuring out how to complete orders better while still delivering on time.

That undoubtedly meant he needed to be well prepared at all times, ready to provide high-quality items or enough of them as soon as any kind of order came in.

And no matter how you looked at it, that wasn't something he could accomplish alone.

He needed people and influence of his own, plenty of money, and even a lofty position with privileges!

With just a single order, he could mobilize the richest resources and make the most thorough preparations in the shortest possible time. Then he could use the system to grow stronger and obtain resources no one else had, creating an unbreakable cycle!

Of course, that was only the most perfect, ideal scenario.

But that didn't stop Abel, who had nothing at the moment, from making it his goal to strive toward!

And at that very moment, a seed filled with ambition had quietly been planted.

Then Abel quickly took the Leg Strength Enhancement Shoes he had just received out of the system [inventory] and put them on. Right now, he had to do everything he could to arm himself.

They were classic white-and-red high-tops, and they fit perfectly.

Each shoe had a hidden dial on the outside that could be adjusted to one of three different power levels.

They stimulated the acupoints in the feet with electricity and magnetism, allowing the muscles to exert greater strength.

Each use consumed some of the battery, so the shoes had to be charged after they ran out.

But there was no need to worry about not having a charger. A small area on the upper could absorb and convert solar energy. Six full hours of sunlight would charge them completely, making them very practical.

Abel let out a satisfied breath, but immediately tensed up and lay back on the ground, pretending to be dead.

Just then, some soldiers happened to arrive with another load of bodies.

"Just my luck, getting stuck with a job like this."

"Come on, quit complaining. This should be the last batch. Put the bodies down, then head back and wash up. We can have a drink together tonight."

Listening to the soldiers talk, Abel's thoughts stirred.

But he quickly suppressed his excitement. If they realized he was still alive, they would probably finish him off on the spot.

Fortunately, the soldiers didn't want to stay here. They dumped all the bodies roughly and hurried off without even glancing in his direction.

Abel couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"No, I can't wait any longer. I have to get out of here right now."

Thinking of what the soldiers had said earlier, Abel felt a little anxious.

If that really had been the last batch of bodies, it meant someone would soon come and burn everything here to ashes.

If he couldn't escape before then—

But when it rained, it poured. Just as Abel was calculating the timing and preparing to leave, two soldiers came back. Their conversation drifted over from nearby.

"Hurry up. Grab the stuff and let's go."

"What are you worried about? Everyone else is gone. No one will find out."

"I'm worried this place is bad luck. It's disgusting! He~tui! Damn it, didn't you say the bodies were dumped over here?"

"This is the place. I even left a mark. It must be buried underneath. Hurry up and look."

"I'm telling you, you're one sick bastard. You actually thought of hiding the stuff inside a corpse."

"Hmph! We work our asses off to skim a little for ourselves, and those bastards up top just have to run their mouths to take it all away. Then they toss us a few scraps and expect us to be grateful? Fuck that! Once we get these jewels and turn them into money, we can find some island and live like rich men for the rest of our lives!"

"Haha, you've got a point. Let's do it!"

The two soldiers felt uncomfortable here, too, but people would risk their lives for wealth. Greed shone in their eyes as they searched for the valuable jewels they had hidden inside a corpse.

"This is weird. It's definitely here. How can it be gone?"

"Are you sure you've got the right place?"

"I'm sure. Forget it, let's look nearby."

Abel lay on the ground, pretending to be dead. Hearing the approaching footsteps, he couldn't help tensing up.

If they found him, he was as good as dead.

He wasn't willing to take that gamble, so he immediately took the I Am Just a Passerby coin out of the system inventory and chose to use it.

The next moment, the coin shattered and vanished.

I Am Just a Passerby began to take effect, greatly reducing Abel's presence.

One of the soldiers even came right up to Abel and started searching among the bodies around him, yet, in a strange twist, he kept overlooking Abel and never once touched him.

Otherwise, Abel, who was pretending to be dead, might already have been exposed.

After all, no matter how well he held his breath, his heart was still beating slowly but firmly. What's more, the body temperature of a living person was completely different from that of a corpse, making them easy to tell apart.

Seeing this, he couldn't help feeling lucky.

But not everyone was as lucky as he was.

The soldier searching among the bodies in another direction suddenly let out a shout, drawing his companion's attention.

"Found it!! Huh? What the hell is this?!"

"Get over here! There's a kid still alive?!"

"Quick, grab him!"

Hearing the shout, Abel nearly assumed on reflex that they had found him.

But when he carefully cracked his eyes open, he saw that the two soldiers had cornered a little boy wearing a black-and-white spotted hat between them.

That kid is Law? Trafalgar Law?

Abel recognized him almost at a glance.

After all, in this world, they weren't just fellow members of the same church. Abel had even received treatment for Lead Sickness from Law's father.

So the two of them were childhood friends?

When he realized that, according to his memories, he and the future Supernova had this connection, Abel hesitated.

If he kept pretending to be dead, there was a good chance he wouldn't be discovered, and his odds of surviving were high.

But beyond that, he wouldn't gain anything else.

And he would have to pin all his hopes on the soldiers finding what they were looking for and leaving quickly. Otherwise, when I Am Just a Passerby wore off, something might change.

But if he chose to save the boy, he would put himself in danger first, even though he was fairly confident he could get away unscathed.

He wasn't a saint. He didn't have a compassionate urge to save everyone he saw.

So at that moment, he weighed the cost of saving the boy against what he might gain!