SSS Awakening: Creating Primordial Beasts To Be My Summons-Chapter 9: Gaining Access To The Underworld
Eight hours had passed.
After Dax was forced to lure monsters from the Third Zone into the Second, the group managed to accomplish far more than expected.
Their new enemies were far stronger than them, at Level 10 and above.
Maya successfully reached Level 10, leaving everyone else in the dust.
Dax was now at Level 9, while Dana, Scot, and Abraham were all Level 8.
Bobby was at Level 15, while Cohen had only just reached Level 6.
They were all now gathered outside the gate, at the clearing within the forest.
The other Outliers noticed the difference in the leading party, their faces tightening.
Even Brawn and the other officials stared at them in surprise.
"I guess we have to work towards a Dungeon change," Brawn said jokingly.
"Maybe even separate all of us," someone said.
"They’re taking all the kills. Where’s the camaraderie you spoke about?"
"Reaping off monsters that we’re all supposed to be hunting. Tsk."
The Outliers started voicing their concerns to Brawn, forcing him and the other officials to calm them down.
The Outliers felt threatened. If they didn’t level up properly, the Guild might abandon them, and they wouldn’t be able to monetize their new status as Awakened.
This was the perfect time for shady business.
Cohen, standing with the others, sensed a sinister feeling somewhere, leading him to enhance his Perception of Gray.
In the midst of the thirty outliers, a man with black hair and red eyes was whispering into another with an odd smile.
Perception of Grays only granted Cohen awareness of his surroundings and the ability to sense disturbances.
So, he could not figure out what the two were discussing, until the man being whispered to suddenly let out a loud gasp.
"Vanguard?!"
In the midst of the complaints, many didn’t hear him.
The red-eyed man quickly hushed the man and continued speaking.
Meanwhile, in Cohen’s perception, one of the hidden observers reacted to the low yelp and retreated slightly.
’Vanguard? I’ve heard that name before. Is the gossip in the facility true? A Guild is trying to spread its influence here?’
Despite his thoughts, Cohen still wore a wry smile as a reaction to the people’s complaints towards him and Maya.
’Is there actually a Guild War brewing?’
- - - - -
The session concluded just as the sun began its descent.
It was around 4 PM when Cohen finished collecting his items and politely excused himself from his party members.
"See you later," he said.
He had a few more hours of daylight, and he intended to spend them productively.
His steps took him away from the forest, to the city gate, where he took a cab toward the center of Heavenly Spire City—the zone devastated by the explosion.
The closer he got, the heavier the air felt.
The smell of fresh concrete mixed with the faint, persistent odor of scorched earth and lingering ambient mana.
Construction had been relentless, with teams of Awakened workers and fortified cranes operating around the clock.
Cohen moved through the temporarily cordoned-off streets, passing the skeletal frames of new buildings rising from the rubble.
While passing, he silently wondered.
’They say the explosion of an Item caused this devastation. Could there be more behind it? Like two parties fighting over an item, leading to an explosion.’
Bobby rolled down Cohen’s face as if expressing concern.
"Yeah, yeah. I’m always fine, don’t worry. There’s no issue as long as none of their issues affect me from now on."
Bobby went back to his head and bounced around, making Cohen chuckle.
His destination was the newly erected Carcass Processing Facility—one of the buildings hastily rebuilt alongside the Guild Headquarters, a vital organ of the city’s economy.
’I’ll finally be able to confirm the rumor about the Boss having links with the Underworld. With all these suspicious spys and the Event duration reducing, I need to look for a way to level up fast while Baptising.
’And hunting in the Wild has proven difficult unless I want to give up my life to way stronger monsters.’
He reached the facility—a large, clinical warehouse humming with the low thrum of machinery—and was waved through the temporary checkpoint.
The air inside was cool and sterile, a familiar feeling that made Cohen feel oddly grounded.
"Yo, Cohen!"
"Kid, you’ve really left us, haha!"
"Hey, guys!" Cohen waved at them, moving towards his goal. "I’ll be right back, I want to meet the boss."
His former boss, Mr. Haru was in his office, his face a mixture of pride and exasperation.
Haru was a practical man in his late forties, his apron still spotted with faint red stains that never quite came out.
"Cohen! Butcher turned butcher," Haru chuckled, giving Cohen a hearty handshake.
"Good to see you, Boss," Cohen replied. "I’m just working hard to make enough."
"Your mother, huh? May the Heavens help her." Haru shook his head, a smile still on his face. "Congratulations on the awakening! The entire facility was buzzing by the good news.
"Nobody deserves this break more than you, Cohen. Years you spent waiting for a stone that never came, and then the universe just drops one on your head."
Haru looked up at Cohen’s slime. "And you seem to have gotten a great start. That beast of yours is a very rare one. Some luck, huh?"
"If not for your support, I wouldn’t have made it here."
Cohen’s smile tightened as he and Haru had a conversation recounting the past few days.
Haru felt bittersweet after hearing more about Cohen’s mother and how fast the boy was leveling.
He was an awakened and he could see the Level of those below him like any other.
"As always, come meet me for anything, champ. The whole facility is behind you."
Cohen smiled, scratching his head.
"I’ll be taking that offer now. I want to level, Boss. At those Guild training sessions, I can’t get a lot of EXP as someone in the backlines."
He paused, letting his gaze meet Haru’s.
"I need to know how to get into the Underworld. I want to hunt in a Level 1 Dungeon there."
Haru’s eyes widened, then narrowed almost immediately.
He rubbed the bridge of his nose, pulling a cloth from his pocket to wipe his stained hands.
"The Underworld, Cohen? That’s risky. And it seems like you plan to go alone."
"Well, I’m going with this guy," Cohen said, gesturing at Bobby.
Haru sighed, leaning back against his chair.
He looked Cohen up and down, recognizing the familiar, cold determination in his former employee’s eyes.
"Give me a sec."
Haru brought out his phone and called someone, turning his chair to look away from Cohen.
After a muffled discussion with someone, Haru turned back. He brought out a gold card from his chest pocket and slid it across the table.
"Amad’s Bar at the edge of the city. There’s an entrance there. When you reach the counter, use this as an access card. Also use this it to buy all you will need for your hunt there.
"Don’t worry about the expenses. You are a son to us, we will fund it."
Cohen gave a happy nod.
"Thank you, Boss! That’s more than I could have asked for."
He knew the danger was real.
But if he relied on the Guild’s training while they seemed to be having brewing tension, he might not be able to reach Central within the Event’s duration.
The Underworld was a risk he was willing to take.
