So until then, he would have to find a job and pay his bills.
"Hopefully, there's a grocery store looking for a new hire," Abel muttered as he stood up.
"I'll need to clean my room and change into something better before heading out.
Abel swiftly went to work, cleaning his room and emptying the dirt outside. After he was done, he took a bath and put on a pair of black shorts and a hoodie. He exited the apartment, closing the door behind him.
As Abel walked down the staircase trail, he halted at the door at the bottom of the building.
This was Mr Jonathan's apartment, where he and his family lived. His mind raced as he hesitated, debating whether to approach and see if Mr Jonathan had survived.
In the end, he pulled back, turned around, and quickly exited the compound.
The streets and buildings were deteriorated from constant dungeon breaks and improper maintenance, to the extent that Mr Jonathan's building was one of the best in the area and had one of the most proper upkeeps.
Because of this, the rent was high, and most individuals residing there were barely able to afford it. This was the reason Abel had managed to rent it and move in so quickly.
The people living here were displaced from their cities, which had fallen to the apocalypse. However, with the help of Hunters and the authorities, who provided daily food and camps for them to reside in, they could at least live to see the next day.
There were factories and various other industries scattered around the city that provided services to the well-off. Many of the inhabitants worked in these factories.
There were also criminals and well-organised crime groups operating in various parts of the city. However, they didn't dare make too much of a scene in order not to attract attention.
It was a case where everyone knew they were there, but pretended not to know as long as they behaved. This was because the authorities would rather not divide their forces to deal with both the apocalypse and criminals at the same time.
For the people living here to dramatically change their lives, they would need to move to the nearest city with better infrastructure and healthcare and secure a high-paying job to sustain their daily living. This required money and connections, and as such, only a few were able to move.
The other option was awakening as a Hunter. However, the probability of that was far lower than moving to the next city.
Just as Abel would have been unable to awaken as a Hunter without the Final Boss Role-Playing System, many people would never have the opportunity to become Hunters.
One of the main issues with the current state of the city was that the people living here had given up, just as Abel himself had once given up.
The apocalypse might be a deadly trial or a feast for awakened Hunters, but for ordinary humans who didn't live in well-off cities with proper protection, it was a nightmare. And unless someone did something, no one was coming to save them.
Abel walked down the streets, passing various passersby, men and women, families with children, entering buses, crossing roads, heading into their homes, or stopping at stores to purchase necessities.
Then Abel noticed that he was being followed. His senses had sharpened, allowing him to pick up on the footsteps around him, especially those trailing behind him.
He slowed slightly, then slightly glanced back. He noticed two men hiding within the crowd, their behaviour suspicious.
Abel changed direction and swiftly walked into an alley.
Moments later, two men entered the alley.
They looked around in confusion.
"Where did he go?" One of the men asked. "Don't tell me that we lost him? The Boss is not going to be happy if we were to lose him again," He clicked his tongue in anger.
"He's slick. It's not as though we can drag him out of that building. You know that the owner of the building is living there and is a Hunter," the other man said. "Even the Boss wouldn't dare confront him, because the Hunter barely causes us any trouble, and the moment something happens to him, the authorities and the Hunter's Association will be on our ass."
"The kid is lucky that he was able to live in that building. But he had done it with the Boss's money, and the boss needs his money back. Let's look for him. He might not gone far and is hiding in one of these dumpsters." He glanced at the garbage dumpsters in the distance.
They nodded at each other and silently began walking towards the dumpsters.
Meanwhile, Abel hid within the shadows on the ground, out of their sight.
'So they also know that Mr Jonathan is a Hunter,' Abel thought.
He realised that the reason he had managed to escape the grasp of these debt collectors and live peacefully in his home was because of Mr Jonathan.
Yet, he had delayed a month's rent payment. And…
Abel exhaled quietly. The deed had already been done. He wouldn't lie to himself and say that, if he were given another chance to go back in time, he would reject the system or choose not to do it again. The repercussions of his actions were something he had to handle himself.
Once he became a certified Hunter, it would be easy for him to rack up several million Rubles within a few days. He would repay the debt he owed to Mr Jonathan's family and continue staying in the building to protect it until he finished dealing with the debt collectors.
That was the only way he could remove the guilt from his heart.
Abel knew that he wasn't a villain. He was only role-playing as one.
He didn't engage the henchmen, as he wasn't sure if there was additional backup nearby and didn't want to escalate the situation. Instead, he slipped out of the alley through the shadows.