The group moved into the Bronze Section.

It was far more lively than the Silver Section, filled with hustle and bustle, people moving about in every direction, carrying out all kinds of business. Aren and the others quickly noticed something else as well.

There were a lot of young Awakened.

In fact, they made up the majority of the crowd.

That meant many of the Awakened who had finished the trials had also gathered here, in War God City.

They didn't dwell on it for long.

Hungry, they quickly found a restaurant.

It was fairly basic, but large and lively. Walking inside, they were greeted by rows of tables filled with people eating, laughing, and chatting loudly. The atmosphere was warm and energetic.

Behind the counter sat a man who immediately drew Aren's attention.

He was bulky, extremely muscular, with completely white hair and a matching beard. He leaned back in his chair with a book in hand while the waiters and waitresses moved around serving customers, and the chefs worked in the back.

For some reason, the man gave off an imposing aura.

The group found a large table near the window that could seat all of them and sat down together. Moments later, a waiter approached, a young man who was clearly Trueborn.

"What can I get for you?" he asked, pen and order card in hand.

Everyone picked up the menus and began choosing what they wanted.

When it got to Aren's turn, he spoke casually. "Give me four plates of steak, and some orange juice."

"Four plates?" Aiden asked, staring at him. "How the hell are you planning to finish four plates?"

Aren just chuckled.

At that moment, Flo appeared beside Aren, hovering slightly as she looked at him.

"What about me?" she asked.

The waiter was shocked when he noticed the floating cat.

Aren glanced at Flo. "What do you want?"

"Just give me what you're getting," Flo replied. "But make it double."

Aren blinked. "I'm getting four plates of steak. You're asking for eight?"

"Oh yes," Flo said confidently.

"There's no way you can finish eight," Aren argued.

Flo shook her head. "Of course I can. Why would I ask for eight if I couldn't?"

"I don't think you understand the size of it," Aren said, clearly skeptical.

By now, the waiter was starting to look impatient.

Aren noticed and sighed. "Fine. Eight plates for her."

The waiter quickly scribbled it down and walked off.

"I'd like to see you actually finish eight," Aren said.

"Just watch," Flo replied smugly.

She promptly hopped onto Aren's head as they waited.

A few minutes passed as the group made small talk. Then the waiter returned, this time with two additional waiters helping him carry the food.

The table was soon filled.

Burgers.

Steaks.

Roasts.

Salads.

And much more.

This was one of the advantages of the domain, when it came to food, it could perfectly replicate items from the real world, even if advanced technology couldn't be brought in.

Everyone dug in immediately.

Aren wasted no time. He barely finished cutting his steak before ripping it apart with his fork and stuffing it into his mouth.

But the true highlight of the table was Flo.

She had already finished an entire plate.

Aren stared at her in disbelief. He hadn't even seen her eat.

She moved on to the next plate immediately.

Everyone watched in shock as Flo finished it in just three bites.

Where was all that food going in her tiny body?

No one could tell.

Halfway through her next plate, Aren noticed her eyes slowly shifting toward his steak.

He instantly picked up the pace.

Mouth stuffed, he muttered, "I think you all should eat quicker before she finishes everything."

What followed quickly turned into an unspoken eating competition.

The noise and spectacle drew attention from nearby tables, some people laughed, others looked uncomfortable, but no one interrupted them.

Before long, the first round of food on the table was completely gone.

"Another!" Flo said eagerly after finishing the first round of food.

She had completely fallen in love with the steak and clearly wanted more.

The thought that crossed Aren's mind was simple, and slightly concerning. Does she even have a limit to how much she can eat?

Still, indulging her, they ordered more food.

As the second round was about to be brought out, the restaurant doors suddenly swung open.

Rough laughter echoed from outside, deep, harsh cackles that immediately drew everyone's attention.

About five men walked in.

They looked to be in their late twenties to early thirties, grown men with rough beards and bulky builds. Their stench hit the room instantly, dirt, alcohol, and dried blood. Weapons were strapped all over them, swords, daggers, and one even carried a mace. The biggest of them followed at the back, grunting as he walked.

The man behind the counter frowned the moment they entered.

Everyone else did too, noses scrunching from the smell.

One of the slimmer men turned sharply. "What the hell are you scrunching your faces at?" he barked. "You smell some shit or something?"

He walked straight toward a nearby table and slammed his hands down.

BAM!

The table jerked violently.

The couple sitting there, a man and a woman clearly on a date, flinched in fear. They were Trueborn, and judging by their reaction, they didn't train much. Facing an Awakened like this wasn't something they could handle.

"Hey. Stop that."

The voice came from behind the counter.

Calm. Firm.

The white-haired man shut his book and placed it down slowly.

The thug glanced at him, scoffed, and then walked back to join his group as they approached the counter together.

The leader stepped forward.

He had a thick beard, messy hair, and a deep scar over one eye that made it hard to open. The other eye was an unnatural shade of red.

"Do you have it?" he asked, his gruff voice filling the restaurant.

The man behind the counter inhaled slowly before answering.

"I warned you," he said. "I told you I wouldn't be participating in whatever scheme you have going on."

The leader frowned slightly.

"We gave you six months," he said. "Six months before we started collecting. Your restaurant's been running the whole time. You should have enough to pay the tax by now."

"This is War God City," the man replied evenly. "Not your backyard."

"I told you already," he continued. "I won't be paying anything like that."

The leader's frown deepened.

"You're a real fuckass, you know that?" he said.

Then he moved.

He drew his sword without hesitation and slashed downward, clearly aiming to cut off the man's hand, to make an example of him.

But the man reacted instantly.

He lifted the book from the counter and parried the strike.

CLANG!

The blade scraped against the hard cover, skidded down, and slammed into the counter, cutting through it before hitting the floor.

Before the leader could react, the man swung the book hard.

CRACK!

It smashed into the leader's face, breaking his nose. Blood sprayed instantly.

The entire restaurant froze.

"Everyone," the man said calmly, "please leave."

He looked around the room.

"You'll be reimbursed. Your next visit will be free."

That was all it took.

People rushed for the exits, chairs scraping, panic spreading fast.

The men tried to attack, but the man behind the counter moved first, ripping the counter off the ground and smashing it into them, sending them flying back.

Aren and his group watched silently.

"Let's go," Kira said, not wanting any part of this.

Aren agreed. He didn't know these people or their issues.

They stood up and moved toward the door.

When suddenly, one of the men was sent flying.

Aren dodged as the body slammed into the wall beside him.

The man snarled, jumped back to his feet, and drew a short sword.

The first person he locked eyes with was Aren.

He lunged.

Aren caught his wrist mid-thrust, twisted with the man's momentum, and threw him forward, slamming him straight into another member of the group.

That was enough.

Several of the men turned their attention toward Aren and his group.

And the tension in the restaurant snapped tight.

"Let's leave," Aiden said. He knew that if they stayed there, they would be dragged into the issue.

But the thug that Aren had tossed had other plans. He gripped his short sword and it immediately became flexible, before turning into a black snake. It lunged forward at Aren.

"Die, how dare you attack me," he roared.

Everyone moved out of the way fast and the snake slammed into the door. It bit hard into the door and the door was blasted open right into the street.

He called back the snake fast and was getting ready to attack again, only for him to see Raze right in front of him, lunging forward with the leg of a chair in his hand, swinging for the head of the thug.

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