Chapter 55: Barren Slum
Three years ago was one of Terrence’s darkest years. At just fifteen years old, while preparing for the Awakening in the following year, he was sent away to the outskirt sector of Suran City.
There, he met different people living far away from the luxury that the main sector possessed. It was so vast that he couldn’t comprehend why such a miserable living condition was forced upon them.
The outskirt sector wasn’t just a tiny stain that the main sector wanted to hide. They kept everyone they deemed unworthy inside this cramped, dirty place—a barren wasteland where no normal life could even be sustained.
There was no bountiful nature that one would usually expect from an outskirt. Instead, it was simply a dumpster for the main sector.
Everyone here had to work their bones to the point of surrender just to fight over the leftover trash dumped into the outskirts.
Terrence didn’t know why he had been sent there. They said it was for observation, education, or perhaps to help him understand the stark difference in the food chain.
Those who held power in the main city could dictate anyone’s life in the outskirt.
Terrence was told to understand it, accept it, and learn how he would soon dictate their lives as a noble. For better or worse.
He didn’t pick the latter.
A young girl taught him how to actually live in the outskirts. She showed him how to survive on the leftovers that initially turned his stomach upside down. During his very first meal in the barren slum, he puked up everything he had eaten that day.
He didn’t have access to any of the rich resources he had back in the main sector. Instead, he actually had to live alongside the people of the outskirt.
This wasn’t what he had expected from his education. Or perhaps, it was a massive mishap—a terrible situation he shouldn’t have been placed in, but an accident happened.
He really didn’t matter to them... well, at first, he desperately wanted to escape this hellish place, but then he convinced himself that this hardship was simply the nature of his test.
Terrence thought that being sent here was meant to teach him how to be compassionate instead.
Well, that’s what the accident had turned into in his mind, or at least what he chose to understand it as.
Weeks passed by. He slowly grew accustomed to the foul smell that used to pierce his nose. He became completely blind to the funky stench.
He realized that the smell only felt distinct if you originally came from a different, higher league. But since he had been living inside it, he finally understood that it wasn’t actually that bad once you adjusted.
With the help of the girl’s family, who treated him like one of their own, he finally understood what it truly meant to survive here.
They were tamers as well, but their beast affinities were nowhere near as good as those found in the main sector. They mostly possessed F-Rank affinities, and others who managed to pull slightly better affinities still couldn’t tame properly because they lacked the money for a proper taming technique.
From them, he learned the absolute basics of a beast’s weaknesses. This was where he developed the deep understanding that studying a beast’s weak points was vital for survival.
Terrence thought he had finally understood his real assignment here.
He had to learn the hidden weaknesses of wild beasts and practice fighting them using only a meager amount of personal power.
Well, at least for a full month, he truly believed that was his official assignment—right up until his family butler finally found him.
By that time, Terrence had lived in the barren slum for a month and had fully learned their ways.
"Young Master! Goodness, what on earth happened to you?!" his butler rushed forward to attend to him, completely ignoring the fact that he aggressively bumped into the father of the family whose house Terrence resided in.
"Don’t be so dramatic, Butler Liam. This is just reality that I have to personally understand so I can uplift the lives of the people in the slum," Terrence replied calmly, feeling proud of his own understanding of his assignment.
"As a core member of a pillar family, I should uplift their lives, which means I have to live their life first. Isn’t that right?"
Liam, the butler, felt his lips twitch in pure shock at the words he just heard. He couldn’t properly comprehend why the Young Master held such naive thoughts, but what truly mattered was that he was still alive.
"Please don’t think of it like that, Young Master," Liam urged, his tone strained. "Please, follow me immediately. I will bring you straight back to the manor."
Terrence hesitated for a moment before turning to follow Liam. As he exited the small, broken house, he looked back at the poor family who had cared for him. He offered them a warm, genuine smile.
"Wait..." Terrence paused, turning his attention to the girl who had originally convinced her father to take him under their roof.
"Do you have any credit gold coins on you, Liam?"
"What, Young Master?"
"Money. Money! Did you bring any from my monthly allowance?"
Liam processed what Terrence said, blinking in confusion. "Er..."
Although the Young Master wasn’t acting like how he normally did, Liam gave a stiff nod.
"Yes, Young Master. Are you thinking about rewarding the people who saved your life? Although you don’t really need to, considering they are already living on the city’s land for free... but I suppose it is just out of your personal kindness."
"Don’t be like that, Liam. It is my duty and mission to uplift their lives," Terrence stated firmly. "Their new future will start with the gold coins we give them today. Then the rest of the other families in the slum will follow, until this entire outskirt becomes a real, recognized part of the city."
"Whatever you say, Young Master," Liam muttered under his breath. A flash of disgust crossed the butler’s face, clearly wanting to leave the filthy area immediately, but the Young Master he was serving was being far too kind to these unworthy people.
Terrence stepped closer to the girl who had saved him, his eyes filled with absolute determination.
"I will return. Just wait for me."