In the middle of the ground crater with diameter about 1 meter, a leaf with the edges as thin as 1 Armstrong lay flat on that cracked crater. The leaf, which was capable of cutting atomic bonds and cutting gas elements scattered in the air easyly, had now lost its sharpness.
The stones and tree branches that Arya used to attack the void beast also lost their sharpness.
Likewise, the sharp mound of earth that resembled a long sword, which had previously succeeded in cutting the void beast's legs, now lost its sharpness.
Everything returned to its original form, along with the transfer of the Sharp Slasher ability from Arya back to Ayu.
"It seems like that's a sign to leave," said Arya, walking away from Ayu.
"Hey, wait!" said Ayu firmly, immediately turning a wooden branch into a sharp one.
The girl threw the branch at Arya, but the man managed to dodge to the side, causing the branch to stick into a tree.
"Oops... This client isn't the friendly type," said Arya, who immediately ran away, leaving Ayu alone.
"Hey!" Ayu shouted as she tried to chase after him but tripped instead.
The girl looked at her bleeding foot and could only pound the ground in frustration. "Damn scammer!"
She wanted to chase him, but her condition didn't allow it. She had to be satisfied with what she had achieved, which was not being killed by the void beast.
It wasn't a bad achievement, but it wasn't what Ayu wanted. As the girl wrestled with her thoughts, she suddenly realized one thing.
"Wait a minute, he borrowed my power for a fee, but where's my money?!" said Ayu firmly as she stood up with some difficulty.
"I don't have a bank account, so I should still get the money in cash, right? But where is it?!"
Ayu tried to catch her breath. "Ugh, never mind. It's just one of those bad days I guess."
She went to a bush where she had hidden her backpack. However, when she lifted the backpack, it felt strangely heavy.
She opened the backpack and froze, her eyes wide as she looked at the contents. In addition to her textbooks, she found 500 green paper money worth 1 Narat each. What's more, each money looked like it had just been printed, smooth and clean.
"Huh?! Wait a minute, what is this?!" said Ayu, who took one of the bills and examined it carefully to make sure it wasn't counterfeit.
She wasn't an expert in assessing money, but at least, in her opinion, the money was real.
"I... It's impossible... It's real..." said Ayu, spreading the banknote out under the sunlight. "How is this possible?"
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Lying on the patient bed, Ayu stared at the worn and cracked ceiling. The walls were covered with old paint and the floor was slightly dusty.
Right next to her, an elderly man was preparing makeshift surgical equipment. The 50-year-old man had no hair and wore a mask, old glasses, and a hearing aid.
"It's unusual for you to come here alone," said the doctor as he poured alcohol on the wound on Ayu's leg.
"Ouch! Why are you pouring it like that?!" complained Ayu.
"Hold still. Besides, if you want better care, you should go to the hospital," replied the old man.
The girl's face immediately scowled. "You know yourself that I can't go to the hospital for a wound like this."
"You're right, the ordinary doctors would panic if they saw what I see now," said the doctor, who began to stitch up the wound on Ayu's leg.
At first, there was nothing unusual, but upon closer inspection, Ayu's cells appeared to be regenerating.
It wasn't rapid regeneration, but if someone watched the wound for 5 minutes, they would realize that Ayu's cells were regenerating slowly.
"Even though I've known you since you were born, sometimes I'm still surprised by your physical abilities," said the old man who was focused on stitching Ayu's wound.
Ayu did not respond...
"Are you trying to hunt void beasts on your own?" continued the doctor, his tone so calm as if he was no longer surprised by the girl's actions.
"Don't tell my uncle about this!" replied Ayu in a slightly raised voice before she paused for a moment and turned her face away, her voice lowered not long after. "Please..."
"You know... I owe a lot to your late mother and your uncle who just retired. So, you have to understand that I have an obligation to report this to your uncle and—"
"I'll add 100 Narat if you don't tell my uncle!"
The old man smiled. "All right, it's done. I'll get the bandages and..." He glanced at Ayu. "I promise I'll keep my mouth shut."
Ayu narrowed her eyes as she stared at the old doctor and puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. "You're just like the man I met earlier. You're so sneaky when it comes to money."
"I need money too, Ayu. You have to understand that. Besides, I gave you a small discount on the surgery just for you," said the old man, bandaging Ayu's wound with a clean bandage while chuckling slightly.
"But I'm serious, what are you really thinking?" asked the old man, his tone now very serious. "Even if you get the void core, you have to find a way to sell it. If you want to find someone to buy it illegally in black market, you have to look outside this city."
"That's none of your business, hmph!" said Ayu firmly as she got off the patient bed.
When Ayu tried to use her injured leg, she still felt a stinging sensation around the wound.
"Be careful, even though you have the void beast's genetics, you are still human," said the old man who was helping Ayu walk.
Ayu walked over to her bag and took out 250 Narat in cash.
"Ayu, did you steal the money from the bank?!" asked the doctor, his eyes widening when he saw the 250 smooth and clean bills.
"Don't talk nonsense! I got it from a void hunter who scammed me," Ayu replied quickly, her voice slightly raised. "He took my void core and only gave me 500 Narat, that damn scammer."
The old man took the money and looked at it closely. "This looks like it was just printed. Who is this man you're talking about? Is he part of the Red Lion?"
Ayu put on her backpack. "I don't think so, but he has the ability to make money."
"Make money?! That's a crazy ability! He must be rich!"
While the old man was busy examining the money, Ayu walked out of the operating room.
"Thanks again, doc," said Ayu leaving the room.
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The taxi drove through a huge gate. On the left side was a large apartment complex inhabited by wealthy people, while on the right side was a government complex and elite schools.
In the city of Alpu, in order to maximize the area that can be evacuated when a void beast attack occurs, only certain people can own houses and private land. Even if someone has a lot of money, they must still live in a high-rise apartment.
Although they are called apartments, the buildings look more like multi-story houses that appear sparkling from the outside.
The first floor is an apartment lobby that resembles a five-star hotel lobby, and each floor is owned by one family. Each apartment building also has a multi-level underground parking lot filled with many expensive vehicles.
Each apartment building is at least 50 meters apart from each other, with a small park for children to play in.
These buildings are indeed apartments, but only certain people can live there.
And Ayu is one of them.