The walk to the Slums took nearly an hour.
The bright neon lights of the Genesis Ward slowly faded behind them, replaced by flickering yellow streetlamps and tall, dirty concrete buildings. The rain turned into a cold mist.
Evelyn walked slowly. She was still weak, but the potions had stopped her from getting worse. She kept looking at Donald out of the corner of her eye. She was trying to figure him out. Just a few minutes ago, he was a shaking, broke kid. Now, he walked with a straight back and calm, steady steps.
"You don’t talk much, do you?" Evelyn finally asked. She pulled her ruined leather coat tighter around her shivering shoulders.
"I’m just thinking," Donald replied. He opened and closed his hands. He was still getting used to the strange, powerful feeling in his muscles. His [Valuation Eye] was still running quietly in the background. Every time he looked at a broken pipe or a cracked wall, the System tried to tell him how much it would cost to fix it. He realized he needed to learn how to turn the skill off so he wouldn’t get a headache.
They reached the entrance of Sector 4, the poorest part of the city. A narrow bridge crossed over a river of foul-smelling dirty water.
Standing in the middle of the bridge were two men. They wore matching patched jackets with rusty metal plates and spikes sewn into them. They were low-level thugs for a local gang.
The bigger thug, a man with a shaved head and a heavy iron crowbar, stepped forward. He smiled, showing some of his missing teeth.
"Well, well. If it isn’t little Donnie," the big man laughed. "And he brought a lady friend. You know the rules, Donnie. Toll to cross the bridge is fifty credits."
Donald stopped. In the past, he would have emptied his pockets and begged them not to hit him. But today, his pockets were completely empty already And he didn’t feel like begging.
"I don’t have it, Garek" Donald said calmly. "Let us pass."
Garek’s smile vanished. He banged the crowbar against his hand. "You don’t have it? Then we take the boots off your feet. And maybe your friend’s coat."
Evelyn sighed, moving to step in front of Donald. Even broken, her pride wouldn’t let her hide behind a boy. "I can take a hit," she whispered to Donald. "When he swings at me, you run."
"No," Donald said. He gently put his hand on her shoulder and moved her back. "Let me."
Donald activated his [Valuation Eye] and a text floated above Garek.
Target: Garek
Level: 3
Class: Brawler
Weakness: Poor balance due to heavy upper body. Old injury in the right ankle.
Combat Value: Zero.
Garek yelled and charged forward, swinging the heavy crowbar in a wide, sloppy circle aimed right at Donald’s head.
Donald didn’t step backward to dodge. Instead, he moved smoothly and quickly directly into Garek’s space.
As the crowbar swung down, Donald raised his left arm, activating [Aura of the Vanguard]. A faint shield glowed on his forearm. He angled his arm so the crowbar didn’t hit him straight on; instead, the weapon slid off the magic shield, striking the bridge railing with a loud CLANG sound.
Before Garek could pull his weapon back, Donald stepped his right foot down hard, trapping Garek’s right foot, the one with the bad ankle against the concrete.
With Garek’s weapon stuck on the outside and his foot trapped, his balance was completely gone. Donald didn’t need to punch him hard. He just put his palm flat against Garek’s chest and pushed sharply.
Because Garek couldn’t step back to catch himself, his bad ankle twisted. The big man yelled in pain and tipped over backward like a falling tree, crashing hard onto the wet bridge. He dropped the crowbar.
The second thug saw his boss go down in just two seconds. He took one look at Donald’s calm face, turned around, and ran away into the dark alleys.
Donald looked down at Garek, who was holding his twisted ankle and groaning. Donald kicked the crowbar over the edge of the bridge. It splashed into the dirty water below.
"That could count as a toll paid, Right?" Donald said simply.
He turned and nodded to Evelyn. They walked across the bridge without looking back.
Evelyn stared at the back of Donald’s head, then she said softly. "Boy, Where did you learn to fight like that?"
Donald looked at his hands. "I didn’t," he answered honestly. "I just... saw exactly what I needed to do."
It was the truth. The System had given him Evelyn’s [Aura of the Vanguard], but it felt like it had also given him a small piece of her fighting experience. He knew how to read a fight now.
They arrived at Donald’s apartment building ten minutes later. It was a tall, crumbling tower. The elevator was broken, so they walked up four flights of dark stairs. Donald unlocked a thin wooden door and pushed it open.
The room was tiny. It had a small bed, a rusty sink, a single glowing lightbulb, and a hot plate for cooking. It was perfectly clean, but clearly the home of someone with nothing.
"Welcome home," Donald said, feeling a little embarrassed.
Evelyn walked in and looked around. She didn’t look disgusted. She just looked incredibly tired. "Well, it has a roof. That’s better than the sleeping in the alley."
"You can take the bed," Donald said, pointing to the thin mattress. "I’ll sleep on the floor."
"Kid, you don’t have to..."
"I insist," Donald said. "You need to rest. Your mana core is still fragile."
Evelyn didn’t argue. She was too exhausted. She took off her wet boots and carefully lay down on the bed. Within seconds, her eyes closed, and her breathing became slow and steady.
Donald sat on the floor, resting his back against the wall. The excitement of the day was finally wearing off, leaving him tired but completely awake. He opened his System menu.
A new golden box appeared in front of him.
[Investment Update: Target Evelyn Vance has been secured.]
[Immediate Needs Identified: High-Protein Nutrition, Clean Clothing, 500 Mana Crystals.]
[Ding! New Milestone Quest: ’Road to Recovery’.]
[Objective: Provide the target with proper meals for 3 consecutive days.]
[Reward: +2 to all Stats. Minor Healing Skill.]