A few minutes later, the call ended.
Soren lowered the phone and leaned back in the chair, processing the conversation.
The caregiver they’d arranged was a middle-aged woman nad Clara. A First Circle Awakened. Twenty years of experience with mobility-impaired patients. The consultant had spoken highly of her, saying she was professional, gentle, and reliable.
But Soren would still need to interview her himself later. If anything felt wrong, if that gaze held even a flicker of pity or disgust or hidden motive, he’d send her away and find soone else. No exceptions.
The eting was set for 1 PM, so that gave him a few hours to prepare.
He then opened his phone’s banking app and checked his account balance.
[37,247 Credits]
This was his life savings.
Five years of part-ti jobs. Scraped together penny by penny while his family stopped giving him an allowance.
It wasn’t much, but it was enough to live on for the next six months or so. Maybe more if he were careful with everything.
’Should be enough for basic expenses. Food, utilities, small repairs...’
But then his thoughts drifted to those recipes he’d learned not long ago.
’...I should check how much the ingredients cost.’
Soren opened the search browser again and started looking up.
However, as soon as he saw the prices, his eyes widened in disbelief.
[Frost Ginseng Root (50g) - 1,200 Credits]
[Glacial Lotus Petals (10g) - 800 Credits]
[Spirit-Infused Fish (whole) - 2,500 Credits]
[Bone-Warming Ginger (premium grade, 100g) - 600 Credits]
’These are... just the base ingredients?’
He quickly calculated the cost for a single serving of Frost-Touched Herb Congee.
’Frost Ginseng, Glacial Lotus, Spirit Rice, Moon Dew Water, minor herbs...’
’...4,200 Credits approximately.;
’...For one al.’
He was too stunned to speak. Because the most expensive al he had was about 200 Credits in total.
The Nerve-nding Fish Soup was even worse, nearly 5,000 Credits per serving.
The only affordable option was the Soothing Moon Tea, which ca in at around 1,000 Credits per pot.
’...’
Soren set the phone down slowly.
His entire savings could afford maybe eight als total.
...Eight.
That would last them a week if he fed her one healing al per day.
Then they’d be broke.
’...It seems like I have to change my plans.’
He couldn’t cook healing als every day. Not yet, at least. Maybe once or twice a week, rotated carefully. The tea more often since it was cheaper. The congee when she really needed pain relief.
’I have to find a job too.’
Thankfully, he was an Awakened now and at the First Circle.
Although the pay for Awakened at this level was only a little higher than normal work and more dangerous, he didn’t have any choice, for it was the best way to solve his problems and get stronger.
’I’ll figure it out...’
’Eventually...’
______ ___ _
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang.
Soren stood, glancing at the ti. Almost an hour since the call. Right on schedule.
He crossed the living room and opened the door.
Two figures stood on the porch.
Both wore the standard Kalmira Police Departnt uniform, black tactical gear with silver badges, and utility belts. One was a man in his forties, tall and broad-shouldered with a graying beard. The other was a younger woman, maybe late twenties, with sharp eyes and a tablet in hand.
"Mr. Valre?" the older officer asked.
"Yes. That’s ."
"I’m Officer Gareth, and this is Officer Lin. We’re here about the break-in you reported."
"Right. Thank you for coming. Please, co in."
Soren stepped aside, gesturing them into the house.
The officers entered, imdiately scanning the entryway with professional assessnt. Officer Lin’s gaze moved to the staircase. "Can you show us where the incident occurred?"
"Upstairs. Second floor. The bedroom."
"Lead the way."
Soren guided them up the stairs and stopped at the bedroom door.
"My wife is inside. She’s paralyzed. The intruder was standing over her bed when I woke up."
Officer Gareth’s expression sharpened. "She was the target?"
"It looked that way."
Soren pushed the door open.
Ethea sat in her wheelchair by the window, facing away. However, she didn’t turn around.
The officers’ eyes imdiately went to the broken window - shattered glass on the floor, the fra still damaged, cold air seeping in.
"Walk us through what happened," Officer Gareth said.
Soren nodded and explained everything in detail.
Officer Lin moved toward Ethea while he spoke, crouching beside the wheelchair to ask her questions in a low, gentle voice.
"So you’re Awakened now?" Officer Gareth asked when Soren finished, appearing a bit doubtful.
"Yes. I still can’t believe it myself." Soren replied, matching his expression. "After all, I have been a dud for all my life."
"Did you awaken an ability?"
"Yes, it’s called Accelerated Regeneration. That’s probably why my wound healed overnight."
Officer Gareth nodded, making notes. "You got any evidence?"
"Yes, I already collected them." Soren retrieved the dagger and bloodied bandages from the nightstand and handed them over.
The older officer examined the blade carefully. "A poisoned combat knife. It seems like this wasn’t just a random burglar."
"I see. Then please help us catch the criminal!" Soren replied with passion.
"Don’t worry, we will." Officer Lin returned from questioning Ethea, shaking her head slightly at her partner. Ethea apparently hadn’t been able to provide much detail.
They bagged the evidence, took photos of the broken window and damaged wall, and asked a few more clarifying questions about the intruder’s description.
Finally, Officer Gareth handed Soren a card. "Contact if you rember anything else. We’ll increase patrols here and review the surveillance footage. And I also recomnd that you install better security."
He paused at the door. "One more thing, you need to report to the Kalmira Awakened Registry Bureau and go through official testing. It’s required by law within 72 hours of awakening."
"I was planning to," Soren said. "Right after taking care of this."
"Good. They’ll assign you a rank, register your ability, and issue your Hunter License if you qualify."
With that, the officers left.
Soren closed the door and exhaled slowly.
’That went okay.’
Thankfully, there were no major problems. Officer Gareth had clearly been skeptical about the timing of his awakening, but without evidence to the contrary, he had no choice but to accept it.
They’d probably check his records later. Run background checks. Verify his story as much as they could.
But Soren wasn’t worried.
He’d done everything by the book: reported the incident, provided evidence, and told the truth.
Well... most of it, anyway.
The only thing left now was waiting.
Waiting for their investigation results. Waiting for 1 PM when the caregiver arrives. Waiting to see if whoever sent that assassin would try again.
And...
Explaining to Ethea what he planned to do next.
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