Clear-Headed in a Sober World, Refusing to Be Walking Chives

"The Fallen Zone data is shared among all cities, but membership services can only be used within this city."

Hearing that, Gan Ming finally understood completely.

This membership was run by the City 61 association.

Switch cities, and he would have to pay again.

"Then I'll think about it some more."

The female staff member's professional smile did not change.

"Certainly. If you need anything, you can come to the front desk at any time."

"Buying equipment, checking information, registering for membership—we can help with all of that."

She nodded politely and turned to leave.

Standing before the terminal, Gan Ming could not help but chuckle.

Though he had been mentally prepared, he had not expected the association's routine to be so thoroughly refined.

From the moment he swiped his card at the entrance, the system had labeled him a "freshly minted First Tier rookie."

Then the association sent someone to receive him, greeting him warmly, showing concern, and guiding him step by step into their chain of spending.

Not enough equipment?

We sell it.

Not enough money?

We lend it.

Need collateral for a loan?

We have guild love.

And after joining a guild?

Membership fees, equipment fees, intelligence fees—one charge piled on top of another.

No step would force you to do anything,

because every step was supposedly "voluntary."

Gan Ming rubbed the ring before the terminal, sorting through the entire chain in his mind. The more he thought about it, the more amusing it became.

What?

Did he think the Dawn Guild recommended by the review specialist would be any different?

How naive.

The guild's process would only be more meticulous, more considerate, and make him feel even more cared for.

How would they care for him?

The moment he walked in, they would definitely shower him with warm concern too.

Oh, little Gan, you came from the Lower District?

That couldn't have been easy!

Come, come, sit down and have some tea.

Then, as if casually, they would ask whether his equipment was complete.

He would not even need to answer. They would already know it was not.

They would slap their thigh and say, That won't do, brother! Going out like that is just throwing your life away!

How about this? The guild has exclusive internal channels. We'll give you a massive discount! A full set that costs eight thousand on the market can be yours for just sixty-five hundred at the member price!

Then he would say he had no money.

No money?

Money isn't the problem!

The guild has an exclusive guaranteed credit limit, no approval required, no handling fees, and interest two points lower than the association's.

Take out a loan, brother. Use future money to make yourself stronger now.

This isn't debt. It's investing in yourself.

Then, the moment the money hit his account—before it had even warmed up in his card—swipe, swipe, swipe, a full set of gear would be on him.

Armed to the teeth?

No, no, armed right down to his underwear.

He would wear equipment provided by the guild,

use loans guaranteed by the guild,

take missions assigned by the guild,

and go out to kill monsters and level up.

What about the materials he collected?

The guild would buy them all back at an "extremely reasonable" internal purchase price.

What did extremely reasonable mean?

It meant that after asking around outside, he would discover the market price was thirty percent higher than what the guild offered him.

But he had already become a guild member, so the proceeds from missions had to be supplied to the guild first. Violators would have that month's Contribution Points deducted and be charged equipment depreciation fees.

Would he want to leave by then?

Sure!

First, settle the equipment depreciation fees,

then pay off the remaining loan balance,

and finally make up the membership service fees.

Oh, and they would also need to calculate the "resource consumption costs" incurred while the guild had trained him.

Once they finished calculating, he would discover that not only could he not leave, he would even owe the guild money.

As always, crows were black all over.

The association's routine and the guild's routine had exactly the same underlying logic.

The only difference was that one butchered him openly, while the other did it so subtly it seeped in like rain.

And kind, naive people like him, who dared to venture into the world with three thousand in subsidies in their pockets, were nothing more than walking chives.

Lush, green, and tender.

Gan Ming did not need to think too hard to understand the entire scheme.

Since both associations and guilds were sickles that harvested chives,

there was only one thing he needed to do now: make sure he was not the chives.

How could he avoid becoming chives?

Simple.

Do not borrow money, do not join a guild, and do not sign any paper containing the word "agreement."

Do only what his money allowed him to do.

Only three pieces of equipment?

Good enough was enough.

No detailed intelligence?

Could he not just make a trip through the Fallen Zone himself and find out?

No party-matching platform?

With [Soul Snatch], what information about monsters could he not see?

He just needed to develop steadily and avoid doing anything dangerous.

Gan Ming took the exploration guide from his ring again and looked at the five areas listed on it.

West City Outskirts Woodland, eight kilometers away. Invasion progress: 22%. Recommended level: 1 to 15.

It was the closest, safest place, and the most suitable for a newbie like him who had just left the beginner village.

He put away the guide and turned toward the hall's exit.

As he passed the front desk, the female staff member was receiving another unfamiliar face.

Her voice drifted over from several meters away, in exactly the same tone she had used with Gan Ming.

"...If your funds are a little tight, I can recommend a New Awakened Support Loan. The limit is ten thousand, repaid in three installments, with monthly interest of only four hundred and fifty..."

Gan Ming did not turn back or slow down. He walked straight out the main doors.

West City Outskirts Woodland.

He would first see what monsters were there and whether he could Soul Snatch a few useful skills.

From the Awakened Association to West City Outskirts Woodland, the bus ride took four stops.

Gan Ming got off at the terminal.

This time, no one gave up their seat for him, because there were barely any passengers on the bus to begin with.

The closer they got to the edge of the city, the fewer people there were. By the final three stops, only he and the driver remained.

The driver was a thin old man of few words. He did not say a single word to Gan Ming during the ride, nor did he wrinkle his nose at the smell on him.

Perhaps he was used to driving this route.

After all, the terminal was near the entrance to the Fallen Zone.

Passengers who rode to the end were either Awakened or logistics workers delivering supplies to Awakened.

No matter which type they were, none of them smelled particularly pleasant.

After getting off, Gan Ming followed a concrete road for roughly six hundred meters.

The road became rougher from there, with the asphalt layer broken and patchy. The trees on both sides also grew noticeably denser.

The air carried an additional trace of an indescribable fishy smell.

It was different from the stench inside the Awakening Chamber.

This scent was faint, mixed into the wind, there and not there.

But he could tell something lay ahead.

Fifty meters ahead, a metal barrier stretched across the road. A person in standard-issue armor stood on either side of it.

Beyond the barrier was the boundary of the Woodland.

Gan Ming walked up to the barrier and swept his gaze over the two security officers.

Every time he looked at an Awakened, the Soul-Stealing Panel automatically popped up.

The one on the left:

``` [Soul Snatch Target: Awakened]

[Tier: Second Tier]

[Level: ??]

[Innate Talent (1): Hold Fast]

[Specialized Skills (3): Shield Wall, Crushing Pressure, Taunt]

[Skills: Block, Defensive Stance, Physical Enhancement, Counterattack, Immobilizing Stomp, Intimidation, ...(14 total)]

[Soul Snatch Target: Awakened]

[Tier: Second Tier]

[Level: ??]

[Innate Talent (1): Iron Body]

[Specialized Skills (2): Iron Wall Charge, Earthshaker]

[Skills: Heavy Strike, Block, Physical Enhancement, War Cry, Shield Art, ...(12 total)]

Second Tier, with both of their levels hidden by question marks.

In terms of their abilities, one leaned toward tanking and drawing aggro, while the other specialized in taking hits head-on and charging through them.

They could not be called particularly strong, but neither were they weak.

At the front lines of a Fallen Zone, they would be standard defensive builds.

For guarding a gate in a low-risk area like this, they were more than sufficient.

Gan Ming withdrew his gaze and handed over his identity card.

The security officer on the left took it and swiped it over the portable terminal at his waist. The screen lit up.

He glanced at the information, then looked up at Gan Ming.

"A freelance Awakened?"