Re-Awakening: Cannon Fodder With Strongest Talent-Chapter 23: Bronze Cores

Ethan hunted through the darkening forest for hours, taking down the usual mix of Shadowfang wolves and razorback boars in the area.

"Not bad," he muttered, tallying his haul. "Five mid-iron, three high-iron, and ten low-iron cores."

He transferred them into his storage ring. The beast's ranks weren't high enough to give him stats anymore, but cores were still a currency.

As twilight painted the forest in deepening shadows, Ethan finally headed back toward the city.

No sense pushing his luck with whatever was driving the beasts toward the walls.

He checked his status on the return journey, a smile playing across his lips.

"Eight percent mastery already." His footwork skill was developing quickly.

The walls loomed ahead, Jack still snoozing at his post.

Just like yesterday, Ethan scaled the barrier with fluid grace, slipping back into position without alerting any other guards.

'Another successful night,' He smiled, as he stood at his post.

But his instincts told him time was running short. Whatever was coming wouldn't wait much longer.

Ten hours later...

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Ethan's eyes snapped open.

'Today's the day I complete my Bronze transformation,' he thought, splashing water on his face. 'Two more attribute cores and I'll have officially entered the bronze-rank in all aspects.'

Ethan's plan was simple.

Hit District Two's core exchange, find Bronze cores with agility and intelligence attributes and complete his advancement before the beast tide hits.

Every hour counted now.

'If Tiana's right about the three-day timeline, I've got maybe forty-eight hours left. But I won't let my life depend on an estimate, to my knowledge, they could be coming at this second. I need to make every minute count.'

The checkpoint between districts came into view, the line already forming with merchants and workers seeking access to the wealthier section of the city.

'Two low-iron cores for entrance. Highway robbery, but it can't be helped,' Ethan thought.

When his turn came, the guard gave him the standard District Three treatment like he was inspecting something scraped off his boot.

"Two low-iron rank cores," the man demanded with an arrogant smirk, and his palm outstretched.

Ethan's status vision activated automatically.

'Pathetic,' Ethan thought. 'I could break him in half without using a single talent. But that's not today's mission.'

He handed over two cores from his pocket. 'Keep the storage ring hidden. Don't need the attention.'

As he stepped through into District Two, the difference was blatantly obvious.

'Like crossing into another world,' he marvelled. 'And to think this is still considered the "middle" district.'

Clean streets stretched before him, buildings with actual paint and decorative elements. People walked with straight backs and purpose.

The didn't have the same desperate looks and hollow eyes as those living in the third district.

'No wonder the military asks for an entrance fee to enter the second district,' Ethan realized. 'If the poor knew what they were missing, there'd be riots.'

'Core exchange district, three streets east. Near the research facilities where Tiana probably works.' He thought, remembering the answer one of the people living inside the second district told him.

The core exchange building appeared ahead—three stories of actual stone and glass, not the cobbled-together structures of District Three.

'This is it,' Ethan steeled himself. 'Get the cores, complete the transformation, prepare for what's coming.'

He pushed through the doors, ready to take the next step in his evolution.

...

The core exchange interior was polished and very tidy.

Behind the counter stood a woman with honey-blonde hair tied in a perfect bun, her uniform crisp and spotless. Her eyes flicked over Ethan, lingering on his clothes before putting on a professional smile.

"Welcome to Central Core Exchange. How may I assist you?"

"Looking for Bronze-rank cores. Agility and intelligence attributes."

She nodded her head.

"We have a limited selection of agility and intelligence-based cores. Let me check our inventory."

She tapped a crystal panel, scrolling through options. "You are quite lucky. We only have one Low-Bronze agility core available currently."

"What's the price?" Ethan nodded, happy that he was able to get it.

"Five Peak-Iron cores plus one Mid-Iron."

Ethan did the quick conversion. Twenty-two Low-Iron equivalent.

'Slightly pricier than the old man's shop would charge, but the old man doesn't have agility-based Bronze cores.'

"I'll take it," he said, producing the cores from his pocket.

She unlocked a drawer beneath the counter and removed a small box. "Low-Bronze agility, verified and certified."

She opened it, revealing a core that pulsed with faint blue energy. Beautiful.

"Intelligence core?" Ethan asked.