An Equipment Set for Eight Thousand

The association's lobby was even bigger than it looked from outside.

It had to be over a thousand square meters.

The ceiling soared high overhead, with circular service counters around the perimeter.

Above the second floor were layered, gallery-style walkways.

Quite a few people were there, scattered around in groups of two or three.

Some handled paperwork at the counters, while others gathered in corners and chatted in low voices.

When Gan Ming walked in, no one paid him any special attention.

A few glances occasionally swept his way, only to shift away naturally once they saw his ragged clothes and worn pants.

There was no disgust in their eyes, though.

All these Awakened ever saw in the Fallen Zones were monster corpses and their companions' blood.

The stench there was far more stimulating than a little body odor.

A poorly dressed peer might earn a couple of looks at most, but that was all.

The difference from those people on the bus was obvious at a glance.

But Gan Ming wasn't paying attention to them.

Because ten giant screens stood in the center of the lobby.

Each screen was three meters tall and two meters wide, lined up side by side from left to right. The information on them constantly scrolled and refreshed.

Gan Ming walked up to the screens and looked up.

The first screen.

At the top was a line of white text against a red background: [City 61 · Real-Time Situation in Surrounding Fallen Zones].

Below it were dozens of densely packed rows of regional data, each following the same format:

[Region Name], [Invasion Progress], [Region Status], [Combat Situation], [Awakened Tier Requirement].

Two rows labeled [Restricted Area] were marked in such a dark color that they were nearly black, making them especially conspicuous among the other entries.

[Black Abyss Rift: Invasion Progress: 100%, Restricted Area, Fallen, Awakened: 0, Entry Requirement: Fourth Tier or above]

[Ruins of the Old Capital Central Hub: Invasion Progress: 100%, Restricted Area, Fallen, Awakened: 0, Entry Requirement: Third Tier or above]

Gan Ming looked farther down and found that there were quite a few regions with invasion progress above 80%.

Those regions had dark orange backgrounds and were labeled "High-Risk Area." Their combat situations varied.

[Withered Bone Wasteland: Invasion Progress: 87%, High-Risk Area, Defending, Awakened: 14203, Entry Requirement: Second Tier]

[Third Industrial Ruins Zone: Invasion Progress: 82%, High-Risk Area, Reinforcements En Route, Awakened: 17156, Entry Requirement: Second Tier]

[Mistlocked Gorge: Invasion Progress: 91%, High-Risk Area, Retreating, Awakened: 58074, Entry Requirement: Second Tier]

"Defending" meant preventing the invasion from spreading, with monsters holding the numerical advantage.

"Reinforcements En Route" meant personnel were being transferred from the rear to the front lines.

"Retreating" meant the front line could no longer withstand the pressure of the monster invasion. The Awakened were withdrawing, and the area would soon become a [Restricted Area].

Three terms, three battle situations, each more critical than the last.

Of course, there were also regions with invasion progress between 50% and 80%.

Those regions had yellow backgrounds and were labeled "Medium-Risk Area."

[Rock Fortress Outskirts: Invasion Progress: 15%, Medium-Risk Area, Purging, Awakened: 33312, Entry Requirement: Second Tier]

[Southern Wetland Belt: Invasion Progress: 63%, Medium-Risk Area, Sealed Off, Awakened: 0, Entry Requirement: Not Yet Open]

"Purging" meant a large number of high-tier Awakened had been deployed there, aiming to reclaim the assimilated region.

"Sealed Off" meant the area had been locked down, with all entry and exit suspended pending orders from above.

Gan Ming moved from the first screen to the second, then the third, scanning them one after another.

Each screen displayed regional data from a different direction.

In some directions, Fallen Zones were packed together in swathes of dark red.

In others, the situation was somewhat better, with green and light-blue low-risk areas making up the majority.

Their combat status was marked as either "Expanding" or "Observing."

"Expanding" meant the Awakened held the advantage and were pushing forward proactively.

"Observing" meant the invasion was still in its early stages. No large-scale battle had begun, and only a small team had been sent to monitor it.

"Resting" meant the previous round of combat had ended, and the Awakened had returned to supply stations to recover and resupply.

Ten screens, hundreds of rows of data, refreshed every ten minutes.

Gan Ming read through them line by line.

But behind those numbers were living, breathing lives.

Behind every "Retreating" were Awakened running for their lives.

Behind every "Fallen" was an entire stretch of territory completely lost.

And in those regions marked "Defending," the invasion progress was still rising. That meant the defensive line had become a meat grinder, with the Awakened at a disadvantage.

He stood in the center of the lobby, looking up at the ten screens as his mind rapidly processed the information.

Just as he was considering which region to start with, a voice came from his right.

"Hello, Mr. Gan Ming."

Gan Ming turned toward the voice.

A female staff member in an association uniform, looking around twenty-five or twenty-six, stood before him.

An employee badge was pinned to her chest, and she wore a standard professional smile.

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

Gan Ming instinctively found it a little strange.

The lobby was so large, with so many people coming and going. Why had she approached him specifically?

But he understood the next second.

He had scanned his identity card at the terminal when he entered.

His information must have already synced with the association's system.

A new customer had arrived, and "customer service" had proactively greeted him.

It was no different from a phone store back on Earth.

Gan Ming looked at the female staff member. The instant his gaze swept past her side, the Soul-Stealing Panel automatically appeared.

[Soul Snatch Target: Awakened]

[Tier: First Tier]

[Level: ??]

[Innate Talent (1): Affinity]

[Specialized Skills (3): Swordsmanship Mastery, Evasion, Rapid Strike]

[Skills: Heavy Strike · Sweep · Block · Thrust · Combat Instinct · Physical Enhancement · Wound Treatment · Danger Sense (13 total)]

First Tier, and her level was also two question marks.

Her innate talent was "Affinity," with one specialization and eight ordinary combat skills.

An auxiliary-type Awakened.

Not every Awakened in this world went to the battlefield to fight monsters.

A considerable number chose auxiliary, logistics, or production paths after awakening.

Gan Ming said, "I want to earn Contribution Points. Could you tell me which areas are currently suitable for me?"

The female staff member nodded. "Certainly. Please follow me."

Gan Ming followed her across the lobby to a row of touchscreen kiosks against the wall.

The kiosks were about the size of bank self-service terminals, with category labels posted on them.

She led Gan Ming to a machine labeled "First Tier Section," tapped the screen a few times, and brought up an information entry interface.

"Are you combat-type or auxiliary-type?"

"Combat-type."

"Have you joined a guild?"

"No. I don't plan to join one for now."

The female staff member's finger paused slightly on the screen.

But she said nothing and continued operating it.

"What is your current equipment combat rating?"

"I just came out of the Awakening Center," Gan Ming said. "One iron short sword and one crude leather breastplate."

The female staff member's hand stopped.

She looked up at Gan Ming.

"Mr. Gan Ming, you currently only have a weapon and a breastplate?"

"Yes."

Gan Ming didn't hide it.

After all, going from a full set to two pieces was still the truth.

The female staff member turned around and brought up an equipment list on the secondary screen beside the kiosk.

"The Awakened Association provides basic equipment purchasing services. If you need to complete your equipment set..."

She swiped a finger across the list.

"The three essential pieces—helmet, breastplate, and greaves—can be bundled for under 2,500. A full set, including bracers, gloves, combat boots, and a belt, costs 8,000 in total."

Gan Ming: "..."