Lumière City’s Teleportation Hub, 10:48 in the morning.
Dylan stepped out of the Teleportation Hub, still wearing the slightly oversized clothes Kalen had given him.
His armament, Rain, hung securely from his left hip.
The first thing he noticed was the smell.
A faint metallic scent lingered in the air, mixed with the sharp tang of ionized mana.
Beneath it was the unmistakable smell of industrial pollution subtle, but impossible to ignore.
Dylan took a slow breath.
“…Huh.”
For some reason, he’d expected Lumière City to smell different.
It was, after all, one of the three largest metropolitan cities on Aurora Isle.
Instead, the air felt no cleaner than any other major city.
A cool breeze swept through the plaza, ruffling his black hair as he looked around.
Towering skyscrapers stretched toward the sky, their surfaces reflecting the afternoon sunlight.
Mana-powered vehicles moved along elevated roads, while holographic advertisements flickered across enormous displays.
People streamed through the streets in every direction, Awakeners and ordinary civilians alike blending together beneath the city’s towering skyline.
Dylan quietly took it all in.
“…So this is Lumière City.”
Dylan barely had time to take in the scenery before his stomach suddenly twisted.
“…Oh, shit.”
His face went pale.
He immediately reached into his Inventory Bracelet and pulled out a small emergency sickness bag he’d brought with him.
Good thing I planned ahead.
The next second…
“Blegh!”
Dylan doubled over and vomited into the bag.
He remained hunched over for several seconds, one hand gripping his stomach while the other held the bag.
The unpleasant sensation of teleportation still lingered throughout his body.
His head felt like it was spinning, his stomach churned violently, and even standing upright required conscious effort.
After making absolutely certain his stomach had nothing left to contribute, Dylan slowly straightened.
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and stared miserably at the Teleportation Hub behind him.
“…I really can’t get used to this teleportation thing.”
He sighed.
“Seriously. How does everyone else walk out of those things like nothing happened?”
Dylan glanced around.
People streamed past him in every direction, stepping out of the Teleportation Hub completely unfazed.
Not a single person looked nauseous.
Dylan frowned.
“…Seriously?”
Apparently, he was the only one whose stomach hadn’t received the memo that teleportation was supposed to be safe.
With a resigned sigh, he tied off the emergency sickness bag and tossed it into the nearest dustbin.
He took a deep breath, composing himself before pulling out his phone.
The screen lit up.
10:51 AM.
Dylan stared at the time for a moment.
“…Still plenty of time.”
Normally, he would have wandered the streets of this new, unfamiliar city, exploring it and tasting new flavors.
But he refused to waste any more time his hands itched to try out his new Aura, and more importantly, he wanted to experience his first prepared dungeon.
“Let’s go,” he muttered under his breath, running a hand through his messy hair, and started walking.
Dylan walked through the bustling city, his gaze occasionally shifting toward the people busy chasing their dreams.
Some walked with hopeful expressions; some looked tired, eyes filled with sorrow; some looked like they were in love; some looked like they just needed a cup of coffee.
He caught glimpses of countless expressions passing through the crowd.
Dylan finally understood why they called it Lumière, the city where dreams were brought into reality, a place where people came to find their dreams.
It truly was the city of dreams.
“…a city of dreams, where people live to bring their dreams into reality, He muttered.
“A place where light and darkness coexist for the sake of dreams.”
In his past life, Dylan had written this city as one of the central locations for the novel.
As the protagonist Ethan and the rest of the main cast faced numerous problems at Nexus Academy, they occasionally took breaks in Lumière City.
Ethan especially having grown up as an orphan in the middle of nowhere loved Lumière City, as it resembled everything he’d dreamed of.
It was the literal incarnation of the motto “bring your dreams into reality,” which made Ethan love the city dearly.
Another reason Lumière was so important in the original story was that it served as one of the seven major hubs for the Black Market.
“…It truly is the city of light and darkness,” he thought.
Lumière was a city where people didn’t really care about light and darkness there was no right or wrong here.
Yes, there was a Bureau of Authority that spoke of justice and peace, but everyone knew that even the Bureau wasn’t some purely saintly organization.
It was an authoritative force meant to create order in a world of chaos after dungeon emergence.
The reason the Black Market operated so openly in certain places across the globe was because of connections that existed behind the shadows.
“Honestly, I’m surprised that teenage me really wrote such a beautiful city,” he said, looking around.
Ethan had gotten to wander these streets with nothing but time on his hands.
Dylan didn’t have that luxury.
He had a reason for being here, and that reason lived somewhere Ethan wouldn’t set foot in until much later in the story.
The Black Market district.
“Public transport isn’t allowed anywhere near the black market area,” he said, halting his steps.
Dylan finally stopped walking as he arrived at the hover bike rentals.
The reason he’d come here was simple public transport wasn’t permitted into the black market district, and when it came to rules, the black market was stricter than most.
So he decided to rent a bike for three days.
“It’s better to take a rental anyway,” he muttered, then paused deliberately.
“If I bought a fully functional hover bike with whatever money I have now, just for a single use, it’d be the biggest mistake ever.” He wasn’t some economics specialist, but he knew one thing: reckless spending had a way of becoming an addiction that shackled your reasoning.
The real reason he wasn’t interested in buying a hover bike was simple, he didn’t want to buy it, use it once, and leave it to gather dust out of his own bad habits.
Dylan had a tendency to never use his things properly.
Another reason: he was more of a car guy.
“Maybe I’ll get my own Skyrunner X22S someday,” he mused, a faint grin tugging at his lips.
“…For now, I’d rather spend that money on something that helps me in the long run,” he muttered, the same words his father once told him, back when Dylan was nothing but an eight-year-old who’d blown his New Year’s money recklessly on snacks, only to find himself unable to afford a new game release because of it.
From then on, Dylan never really faced money problems save for a few impulsive slip-ups as a teenager.
He’d started spending in ways that paid off long-term instead.
The compact axe and inventory bracelet he’d bought in New California were proof of that; the bracelet, especially, had become something he relied on every single day.
He’d thanked his dad more times than he could count for that lesson.
“…Thanks, Dad,” he muttered under his breath, before finally stepping into the store.
As Dylan stepped into the store, a small bell chimed above the door.
The interior was considerably less impressive than the futuristic city outside.
A few hover bikes were displayed along the walls, suspended above metal platforms, while spare parts, mana batteries, and various mechanical components were scattered across several shelves.
Behind the counter sat an elderly man.
He looked to be somewhere in his late sixties, perhaps even older, with thinning gray hair and thick eyebrows permanently furrowed—his weathered face carrying the expression of someone the entire world had personally offended.
Beside him stood a little girl, no older than twelve, her messy hair tied into two small ponytails and her expression far too confident for someone her age.
The moment she noticed Dylan, she looked him up and down.
“…You’re an Awakener?”
Dylan blinked.
“Yeah.”
The girl frowned.
“You don’t look strong.”
Dylan stared at her for a moment.
“…Thanks?”
She crossed her arms.
“What rank are you?”
“F-Rank.”
Her eyes widened.
“F-Rank?!”
Dylan’s eyebrow twitched.
“Yes.”
“That’s really weak.”
“…I know.”
“You don’t even look like you could beat a Goblin.”
Dylan took a slow breath.
She’s twelve.
She’s twelve.
She’s twelve.
There was absolutely no reason to get irritated by a twelve-year-old.
“…Do you always interrogate customers?” he asked calmly.
“No.” The girl pointed at him.
“Only suspicious-looking ones.”
Dylan’s smile stiffened.
I’m going to regret coming here.
The old man finally sighed.
“Enough, Mira.”
The girl immediately looked toward him.
“But Grandpa…”
“I said enough.”
Mira puffed out her cheeks but obediently turned away.
Dylan quietly glanced at the old man.
Grumpy grandpa.
Bratty granddaughter.
Great.
The old man looked toward him.
“What do you want?”
“A hover bike.”
“Buying or renting?”
“Renting.”
“For how long?”
“Three days.”
The old man reached beneath the counter and pulled out a thin tablet.
“Models?”
“Something reliable. Nothing too expensive.”
The old man scrolled through the available options before turning the tablet around.
Several models appeared on the screen.
Dylan briefly examined them, his gaze stopping on one—Model-V77.
It was a compact black hover bike with a streamlined frame, reinforced suspension, and a modest mana-powered propulsion system.
“How much?”
“Five hundred dollars a day.”
Dylan considered it for a moment.
Five hundred a day wasn’t exactly cheap, but considering the distance he needed to travel and the fact that he’d be using it for three days, it was still reasonable.
“I’ll take it.”
The old man raised an eyebrow.
“Three days?”
“Yeah.”
“$1,500.”
Dylan immediately pulled out his phone.
“I’ll pay now.”
The old man nodded.
“Smart.”
A payment terminal slid across the counter.
Dylan placed his phone against it.
Beep.
$1,500 deducted.
Dylan slipped his phone back into his pocket.
“Done.”
The old man nodded once.
“V77 is in the back. I’ll bring it out.”
“Thanks.”
The old man stood and disappeared through a door behind the counter.
Dylan waited patiently.
Then…
“You’re really an F-Rank?” Mira’s voice came from beside him.
Dylan closed his eyes for a second.
“Yes.”
“You’re weak.”
“I’ve know that.”
“Then why do you have a sword?”
Dylan glanced down at Rain hanging from his hip.
“Because I like swords.”
“Can you even use it?”
Dylan smiled faintly.
“Well enough.”
Mira squinted at him suspiciously.
“I don’t believe you.”
Dylan shrugged.
“You don’t have to.”
For a moment, the girl said nothing.
Then she suddenly grinned.
“You’re weird.”
Dylan sighed.
“And you’re annoying.”
Mira gasped dramatically.
“Grandpa!”
From somewhere in the back of the store came the old man’s irritated voice.
“What?!”
“He called me annoying!”
A brief silence followed.
“Then stop annoying him!”
Dylan froze.
Mira froze.
Then the girl puffed her cheeks out again.
“…You’re still annoying.”
Dylan couldn’t help it.
A small laugh escaped him.
“Fair enough.”
A few moments later, the old man returned, holding a set of keys.
“V77 is ready.” He placed the keys on the counter.
“Don’t damage it.”
Dylan picked them up.
“I’ll take care of it.”
The old man gave him a skeptical look.
“Everyone says that.”
Dylan smiled.
“Then I’ll be the exception.”
He turned toward the exit.
Behind him, Mira called out.
“Hey!”
Dylan glanced over his shoulder.
“What?”
She pointed at him.
“Don’t crash!”
Dylan stared at her for a second, then a faint smile appeared on his face.
“I’ll try.”
With that, he stepped outside, the bell above the door chiming once more.
Dylan slipped the keys into his pocket and approached the rental V77.
The engine hummed to life beneath him, a soft mana-blue glow flickering along the underside of the frame.
He gripped the handles, feeling the faint vibration settle into his palms before easing the throttle forward.
The V77 lifted smoothly from the ground, hovering a few feet above the pavement.
He glanced at the navigation display near the handlebars, which was already flashing the route to his destination.
After one last breath, he pushed forward.
The city blurred around him as he sped through Lumière’s streets.
Towering buildings and flickering neon signs gradually gave way to narrower roads and dimmer lights as he moved farther from the polished central districts.
Eventually, the atmosphere changed.
The air, already polluted in central Lumière, grew noticeably worse.
A thick, acrid smell filled the streets, mixing with the scent of mana, smoke, and countless unfamiliar substances.
Dylan slowed the V77 as the sprawling black market district came into view.
Street vendors crowded the roads, openly displaying goods that would never be sold through legitimate channels, monster carcasses stacked inside crates, unmarked vials, strange artifacts, and countless other items whose legality was questionable at best.
Dylan looked around, taking in the chaotic district with a faintly amused expression.
“…So this is the Black Market.” He parked the V77 along the side of the street and switched off the engine.
Then he adjusted his coat and glanced deeper into the district.
“Time to find a dungeon broker.”