God-Tier Awakening: The Dead Can Still Level Up

Chapter 15: Awakeners Centre

"I am okay, Mom, don’t worry about me," Xingluo said while holding the phone against her ear, her voice already carrying some frustration.

"I was only tired and a little sick. The hospital visit was mostly a formality, so you take care of yourself and focus on work instead."

She listened for several more breaths, then rubbed her forehead as her mother continued speaking from the other side.

"Okay, okay. Have a good day, Mom," Xingluo said at last before ending the call.

The moment the screen went dark, she threw the phone onto her bed and released a tired sigh. "Ha... Mom still treats me like a little girl."

Shen Wuxia floated near the desk and glanced at her calmly. "She is right to worry about you."

Xingluo looked at him with a faint pout, but Shen Wuxia’s gaze had already shifted toward the window.

You might not understand that now.

For a moment, a blurry face tried to surface inside his mind, but no matter how hard he reached for it, only empty fragments remained.

He could no longer remember his mother’s face clearly.

Shen Wuxia lowered his eyes for a breath, then pushed the thought aside before it could stay too long.

Xingluo noticed the pause but did not ask. She only picked up her phone again and stored it inside her bracelet.

"Whatever. Do not start giving me a lesson now," she said while standing up. "It is time to go."

She looked around the dorm once more, checking the room she had returned to only last night, then walked toward the door.

Shen Wuxia followed behind her as she locked the room and stepped into the corridor.

As they walked toward the campus exit, Xingluo lowered her voice and asked, "So what should we do first?"

"For now, we should not sell anything from the vault," Shen Wuxia replied. "Moving that much equipment at once will attract unnecessary attention."

Xingluo nodded slowly, though her fingers still brushed the storage bracelet with obvious reluctance. "Then what are we buying?"

"Dominion Runes first," Shen Wuxia said. "You need them to use higher-level equipment without hurting yourself."

He glanced at her bracelet before continuing, "After that, medicine for your mother, supplies for the trip, maps, antidotes, camping gear, and escape tools."

Xingluo’s expression became more serious after hearing the list. "You really are planning to take me outside the city."

"I already said that," Shen Wuxia replied calmly. "I usually mean the things I say."

Xingluo stared at him for a moment, then clicked her tongue and walked faster. Soon afterward, she boarded a bus heading toward the city center.

Even though it was still early, the bus was already half-full, and snow continued falling beyond the windows in thin white lines.

Students, workers, mercenaries, and low-level players sat quietly in their seats, most of them still carrying the dull exhaustion of morning.

Xingluo found a seat near the back while Shen Wuxia floated beside her, careful not to drift too far from the anchor range.

The bus passed through several districts before the buildings outside became taller, cleaner, and more crowded.

By the time they neared the Awakeners Center, the number of people on the streets had already increased sharply.

Players in armor moved through the snow with weapons strapped to their backs, while merchants and couriers hurried between shops that had opened before sunrise.

When Xingluo stepped down from the bus, the first thing she saw was the massive building standing at the center of the district.

The Awakeners Center rose above the surrounding streets like a fortress built for officials, players, and desperate people with nowhere else to go.

Its front gate was wide enough for military vehicles to pass through, and two enormous statues stood on either side with stone weapons lowered toward the ground.

Xingluo looked up at them for a moment, her eyes stopping on the faint runes carved across their arms and chests.

Those were not ordinary decorations, during a beast tide, both statues could be activated and sent into battle, each strong enough to fight a peak Third Transformation beast alone.

If they moved together, they could even hold against the city lord for a short time. That alone showed how important the Awakeners Center was to the city.

Hundreds of people moved in and out through the entrance, some carrying injuries, some holding documents, and others dragging sealed monster materials behind them.

Xingluo pulled her coat tighter and stepped into the crowd. Shen Wuxia floated behind her, his gaze moving across the guards, counters, and hidden security arrays near the entrance.

Together, they entered the Awakeners Center, disappearing into the noise of players, officials, missions, and transactions moving beneath the bright hall.

After entering the trading hall, Xingluo walked toward one of the open counters and waited behind two mercenaries arguing over monster-core prices.

Several staff members moved between customers, processing orders, checking damaged equipment, and sending sealed crates toward the storage area.

No one came to her immediately, and Xingluo’s eyes lowered slightly after seeing the difference between her plain clothes and the armored players around her.

Shen Wuxia floated beside her and glanced across the hall. "Do not shrink. You are here to buy, not beg."

Xingluo’s mouth twitched, but before she could reply, a young girl in staff uniform hurried over with a small tablet in hand. "Sorry for the wait," the attendant said politely. "What do you need today?"

Xingluo looked at her for a moment and noticed that she seemed younger than most staff here, probably still a high school student working part-time.

Still, the Awakeners Center was not an ordinary shop, so even a junior attendant here had to be better trained than most outside clerks.

Xingluo gave a small nod and glanced toward Shen Wuxia. "I need wilderness supplies."

The attendant’s smile remained professional. "For how many days, and which zone difficulty?"

Xingluo paused for half a breath before repeating what Shen Wuxia said beside her. "Seven days, outer wild zone, Level 60 to Level 90 beast activity range."

The attendant’s eyes changed slightly, and her tablet moved faster beneath her fingers. "Understood. Do you need standard supplies or combat-grade supplies?"

"Combat-grade," Xingluo replied after Wuxia’s cue.

The attendant straightened a little. "Then I recommend antidote kits, emergency talismans, concealment items, field shelter equipment, and beast-control incense."

Xingluo nodded, then began reciting the list Shen Wuxia gave her. "Ten mid-grade antidote kits, five wound-sealing pastes, five blood-recovery potions, and three mana recovery packs."

The attendant tapped quickly, and Xingluo continued before she could confirm the order. "Six emergency shield talismans, four short-range escape talismans, two direction-lock talismans, and two distress flare stones."

The girl’s forced work smile slowly became more real as the order grew larger. "Also, three packs of beast-repelling incense, two beast-attracting incense sticks, one bottle of scent-erasing powder, and one spirit-concealment talisman."

Xingluo’s brows twitched slightly as she repeated the last few items, because even she understood how expensive some of them sounded.

"What kind of map do you need?" she asked afterward. "Basic public maps are cheap, but they are often outdated."

Xingluo waited as the attendant continued explaining. "We also have monthly hunter maps, guild-verified route maps, and military-updated danger maps. The newer and more detailed ones are much more expensive."

Xingluo’s fingers tightened slightly near her bracelet. "How much more expensive?"

The attendant turned the screen toward her, and the prices appeared one after another.

The basic map was cheap enough for most students, the hunter map was already several times higher, and the military-updated danger map made Xingluo’s eyelids jump.

Shen Wuxia did not hesitate. "Take the military-updated one, with beast territory markings and dungeon-fracture records."

Xingluo slowly inhaled before speaking. "The military-updated danger map. Include beast territories and dungeon-fracture records."

The attendant’s expression became brighter at once. "That version also includes abandoned shelters, water points, recent beast migration marks, and last-known patrol routes."

"Add it," Xingluo said, feeling her heart ache even though the money was not truly hers.

Shen Wuxia glanced at her from the side. "Money saves lives only after it is spent correctly."

Xingluo gave him a stiff look but did not argue. The attendant added it to the order, then glanced at Xingluo with a more respectful expression than before.

A few nearby staff members also looked over briefly, as an order this large from someone dressed like an ordinary student was hard to ignore.

Xingluo noticed their glances and straightened her back without thinking. Shen Wuxia saw the movement and said nothing.

"Anything else?" the attendant asked.

"Dominion Runes suitable for Level 80 equipment," Xingluo said. "Safest quality available."

The attendant nodded and returned a few minutes later with sealed boxes, talisman cases, rune packets, and several narrow incense tubes arranged on a floating tray.

She checked everything once more, then lowered her head and began calculating the final price on the tablet.

Just as the numbers started appearing, Xingluo suddenly remembered something and leaned forward slightly. "I also need a Mana Poisoning Antidote," she said. "Mid-grade if possible."

The attendant paused, then quickly typed the item name into the search field.

For the first few breaths, her expression remained normal, but soon her fingers slowed above the tablet.

Xingluo noticed the change almost immediately, and the slight hope in her eyes stiffened.

The attendant checked another page, then another, before finally looking up with an apologetic expression.

"I am sorry, Miss," she said carefully. "All common Mana Poisoning Antidotes are currently unavailable."

Xingluo’s breath caught for a moment as her fingers tightened around the edge of the counter, but she forced her voice to stay steady. "Unavailable?" she asked. "All of them?"

The attendant nodded, her expression becoming more awkward than before. "Yes," she said. "They were all bought out this morning by someone...."