Chapter 244

After he was finished sorting out his status and the new internal mechanics of his system, Ray stood up to head toward the bathroom for a shower.

Once he had scrubbed away the grime and dried off, he changed into a fresh, clean uniform; the one he had worn earlier was nothing more than shredded fabric, completely destroyed during the violent process of Bruce’s transformation.

Without hesitation, he quietly slipped out of the room, leaving Van behind to continue his rhythmic, heavy snoring.

Once he reached the hallway, Ray exhaled a deep, stabilizing breath.

He dug his hands into his pockets and looked up at the ceiling overhead, his mind calculating his next move.

"Yeah, this should work...." He smiled faintly before walking away with a determined stride.

....

After about ten minutes of navigating through the quiet corridors of the facility, he found himself standing in front of the massive entrance to the combat and weapons hall.

Giving the heavy wood a firm, resonant knock, he waited.

With his newly heightened senses, he could perceive a presence inside—the steady pulse of a powerful aura—which was exactly why he stood patiently for a response.

Soon enough, a grunt echoed from within.

"Yeah? Who’s there? Come in."

Pushing the double doors open with minimal effort, the Tribrid walked in calmly.

The doors shut behind him, swinging back toward the wall before settling into place with a dull thud.

The large hall sprawled before him, looking strangely vast while empty of the usual chaos.

No other Aspirants were present to fill the space with the sounds of clashing steel.

Only a row of training bots stood motionless off to one side, while a wall filled with an arsenal of countless weapons loomed in the shadows.

And directly before him?

Captain Jake was visible, his chest heaving as he panted from exertion.

His bare upper body glistened under the hall lights, coated in a thick layer of sweat; he had pulled his shirt off and was currently positioned in front of a combat bot.

His Katana was gripped firmly in his hand.

It was clear he had been in the middle of an intense, private workout session before being interrupted by Ray’s arrival.

Now, the officer turned toward the boy with a cocked, skeptical brow.

"Shouldn’t you be resting after what you’ve been through?"

Ray offered a soft, respectful smile before sauntering over.

He snapped into a salute, pressing his three fingers tightly against his chest.

"At ease," Jake uttered.

He reached down to snatch a face towel from the base of the raised dais he usually utilized to instruct the Aspirants.

Dabbing the sweat from his face, he asked,

"What brings you here?"

Ray eased his posture but kept his hands clasped firmly behind his back in a disciplined manner. "I need your help, sir."

Jake paused his movements, the towel mid-dab, and lifted an eyebrow.

"Hm? My help? With what exactly?"

Ray hesitated for a few seconds, formulating his words before letting out a slow sigh.

"I want to sell something to you, sir. I wasn’t sure if you would have any interest in it yourself, or if you might know someone else who would be willing to snag it up."

Captain Jake looked at the boy with a growing sense of curiosity.

He proceeded to sheathe his Katana with a metallic click and then draped the towel over his neck.

Crossing his muscular arms over his chest, he gave a slow nod.

"Let’s see it. If it’s worth my bank balance, I might snag it off you myself. If not, I can certainly refer you to someone who needs it."

Ray breathed out a lungful of air to steady his nerves.

He dug his hand into his pocket, secretly activating his ’inventory’ skill to manifest the item before pulling his hand back out into the light.

Opening his palm, he revealed a glistening, pulsating core that caused Jake to momentarily falter.

"Huh? Isn’t... isn’t this the King-rank core I just approved?"

Ray nodded, maintaining a steady expression.

"Yes. This is one of the two."

Jake finally tore his gaze away from the radiant core to look the Aspirant in the eye.

"And why on earth do you want to sell it? Wouldn’t it be far more beneficial for your growth if you absorbed it?"

Ray had weighed this decision heavily.

He hated the necessity of the lie he was about to tell, but he felt he had no other viable alternative.

He needed the resources more than he needed to explain his true nature.

"Unfortunately, I don’t possess an ability, hence this core is ultimately useless to me."

Ray paused, letting that sink in before adding,

"... You were right before. We retrieved two beast cores from the creature. Since I was part of the group that dealt the lucky finishing blow, I was awarded this core, while another member took the second."

The boy lied through his teeth with a practiced calmness.

"Hm?" Jake lifted a brow, his eyes scanning the boy from head to toe as if trying to read his soul.

"You truly don’t have an ability?"

"Not at all," Ray replied, shaking his head.

The Captain’s brows furrowed deeply.

’Then how did he manage to land a solid blow on me during our previous spar? Something doesn’t add up. Was that pure luck, or—or something else entirely?’

Choosing to shelve those suspicions for the time being, the Captain nodded slowly.

"True. The core is of no use to you if you’re a non-ability user. So, how much are you looking to get for it?"

Ray scratched the back of his head nervously, his confidence wavering slightly.

"Er... honestly, sir, how much do they typically cost?"

Jake shook his head with a tired, knowing sigh.

"It depends entirely on their quality. From your earlier report, you mentioned the beast possessed an ability which it exhausted during that ’unknown’ battle that had already injured it.

From where I’m standing, I can already see a few hairline cracks on the surface of that core."

Ray drifted his gaze toward the crystal with a disappointed sigh.

Before absorbing the other core a moment ago, he had noticed these fractures and wasn’t sure how they got there or what had transpired.

When he had accidentally applied a bit too much pressure earlier, it had cracked even further—all too easily for his liking.

"Which means the beast had almost entered a berserker mode. Assuming it had completed that state, this core would have been rendered completely useless," Jake explained.

’Damn! I owe that Caster dude then,’ Ray thought, realizing how close they had come to leaving with nothing.

"... This has effectively reduced the value of the core quite a bit. Normally, a King-rank core would fetch about eleven thousand credits, which is sufficient to purchase a Grade 4 ability book. It’s a respectable sum. But with those structural cracks, the core will have to go for eight thousand."

’Ouch.’ Ray’s expression darkened as he looked down at the compromised treasure in his palm.

However, an idea quickly formed in his mind, followed by a slow smile spreading across his face.

"Did you just say that I could get an ability book with this?"

The Captain nodded.

"Although with eight thousand credits, you would likely get either a Grade 3 or, if you are particularly unlucky, perhaps a Grade 2 ability book depending on the market."

Ray smirked.

A plan was rapidly formulating in his mind as he stretched his hand, offering the core toward the Captain.

"So, will you buy it?"

The Captain stared at the core for a few dubious seconds, weighing its worth, before finally holding out his palm.

Ray dropped the core into the man’s grasp. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Almost instantly, his wrist was snatched by the Captain, who pressed his own watch against the boy’s device.

Tring—!

The balance reflected in front of Ray, causing his eyes to bulge in a moment of pure greed.

8.5k credits.

The extra five hundred had come from his daily allowance of ten free credits provided by the Corps, which had accumulated over time since he rarely needed to purchase anything.

Food and accommodation were already provided for.

"Sold."