Chapter 279: The Level 80 and the Gene Trader

Kai’s eyes focused as he studied the figure beside the Gene Trader.

His Keen Sense had failed to detect the man until he was almost within reach.

That alone told him the stranger was using some kind of stealth skill, or perhaps an ability that blocked detection outright.

For now, Kai decided against radioing the others.

He might alert the man to the noise, and of course, if he announced this too soon, they would all converge here, and if tokens were limited, it would be a problem.

Better to let them search for a few more hours... maybe they’d stumble upon other Gene Traders.

For now, he just focused on the man before him.

As he waited for about ten minutes, Kai soon realized that their transaction had ended...

The cloaked merchant stored the crystal once again, and soon, the man started fixing his baggage...

Then, as if sensing Kai’s presence, the stranger turned. His eyes met Kai’s through the dim light, and he smiled.

"You there... don’t worry. I can tell you’re human. I won’t hurt you."

That was definitely a good greeting...

Kai hesitated as he held his baton... if it didn’t work, he was also ready to activate his Gene Weapon.

However, the man’s tone was calm, almost reassuring. After a moment, Kai deactivated his camouflage and stepped forward, revealing himself.

The man nodded approvingly. "I just bought a few things from this Gene Trader. Nothing more." His gaze also studied Kai more closely. Then he gave a small nod, as if confirming something. "You’re a Foreign Survivor, aren’t you?"

Kai frowned. "You can tell?"

"Yes," the man replied without hesitation. "Only Level 80 survivors of this land can approach the Gene Traders. Since you’re not even Level 40, you must be one of the Foreign Survivors. You all are blessed."

Kai’s eyes widened.

He didn’t expect that this man could tell that his level hadn’t reached 40.

’Is there a specific aura about them? Or maybe his Gene Skill allowed him to do so...’ He mused.

He had known the locals couldn’t approach the Gene Traders without meeting certain requirements, but he hadn’t expected the threshold to be Level 80. That was an absurdly high ceiling, far beyond what most survivors could reach quickly.

Still, he felt a flicker of relief. The man trusted him enough to speak openly, and that trust mattered.

The stranger extended his hand. "Vernon Leo. From Cameron City."

Kai studied him carefully before shaking his hand.

Vernon was tall, broad‑shouldered, with really caucasian features framed by short dark hair. His armor was practical but well‑crafted to fit his body. It had metallic plates that bore faint insignias of a lion’s head... most likely the mark of his faction.

"Kai," he introduced himself simply.

Inwardly, Kai searched his memory.

He couldn’t recall much about the Leo Faction in Cameron City. He had encountered Cancer, Aries, and even heard of Taurus, but the other zodiac factions hadn’t crossed his path. Cornelio of Aries had warned him about Cancer and Taurus, but never Leo.

That left Kai uncertain what to expect.

The two stood in silence for a moment before Vernon spoke again.

"Are you going to use the Gene Trader now? I just purchased various Gene Enhancements..."

Kai nodded, then he recalled something and asked carefully, "Right... Did you receive any notification about the Auction?"

Vernon shook his head. "No. Nothing like that..."

From here, Vernon guessed that it was a Foreign Survivor thing, so he didn’t ask.

Meanwhile, Kai’s suspicions were confirmed.

As expected, only Foreign Survivors like them get those invitations. The locals weren’t invited.

Vernon then reached into his pouch and pulled out a small token, handing it to Kai. "This is an invitation to Cameron City. If you ever visit, you can enter freely."

Kai was curious about this and inspected it for a moment...

"Ahem... I already have an invitation from Aries. I even visited Cameron some time ago."

Vernon’s eyes widened in surprise, then he chuckled.

"Aries? Impressive. I didn’t expect that. In that case..." He produced another token, this one etched with the lion insignia.

"This is for the Leo Shelter outside Cameron City, near the Grid Region. If you visit, you can trade there without heavy tolls or taxes. You’ll find many useful things."

Kai accepted the token, though he didn’t truly need it.

Still, he asked, "Why are you being so friendly? There must be a catch."

Vernon chuckled. "Well... There’s not really a catch. I just want you to view the Leo Faction positively. We’re not like Cancer or Taurus. We don’t thrive on manipulation or bloodshed... unless it’s against the enemies of humanity... If you remember us favorably, that’s enough."

Kai studied him for a long moment, then nodded. "Fair enough."

With that, Vernon adjusted his cloak and prepared to leave.

"I’ll be heading back... Take care, Kai. Perhaps we’ll meet again..."

Kai watched him disappear into the ruins, his figure faded into the shadows. He glanced down at the token in his hand, the lion even seemed like it had energy lingering on it.

"Leo Faction..." he murmured.

For now, he kept the token tucked safely away.

Kai stepped forward, the faint glow of the Gene Trader’s wares reflecting off his visor. The cloaked merchant raised a small, glowing purple sphere, its surface swirling with faint specks of light.

Immediately, a blue screen materialized before Kai’s eyes:

[ Gene Trader’s Store ]

[ Survivor Medal Items ] [ Energy Core Items ]

[ Item Conversion ] [ Auction Tokens ]

Kai’s brows furrowed. Two new tabs had appeared...

Item Conversion and Auction Tokens.

"So that’s how it works..." he muttered. He guessed the Item Conversion tab was meant for turning resources into Survivor Medals, while the Auction Token tab was where the entry passes were sold.

Without hesitation, Kai tapped on Auction Tokens.

The screen shifted, confirming only one item available...

"Nice..."

[ Auction Token: A sealed token inscribed with mysterious engravings. Grants entry into the Black Market Auction, a continent‑wide event where rare items, genetic resources, and forbidden technologies are bid upon. Without this token, entry is impossible. ]

[ Cost: 5,000 Experience Points ]

[ Stock: 10 ]

Kai was shocked.

"Experience Points... not Survivor Medals." He had expected the price to be steep, but this was heavier than he thought.

Still, there was no choice. Without the token, he’d be excluded.

He sighed, then confirmed the purchase.

[ You have purchased Auction Token. ]

[ 5,000 Experience Points deducted. ]

The glowing sphere dimmed slightly as one token vanished from the stock.

"Good. At least I secured one."

He then tapped back to the Survivor Medal Items tab.

He just wanted to see if there were any changes...

[ Super Gene Enhancement Serum: A basic serum that slightly improves genetic compatibility, granting small boosts to overall stats and a high chance of awakening a Gene Skill.

Cost: 4 Survivor Medals ]

[ Alpha Gene Enhancement Serum: A rare genetic resource that grants balanced boosts to overall stats and provides a small chance of awakening a Gene Skill.

Cost: 4 Survivor Medals ]

[ Warrior Gene Enhancement Serum: A rare serum that focuses on greatly improving Physique and provides a small chance of awakening a Gene Skill.

Cost: 5 Survivor Medals ]

[ Mutagenic Gene Enhancement Serum: An unstable serum that grants massive boosts to overall stats but carries a high chance of mutation. Mutations may result in unpredictable abilities or severe drawbacks.

Cost: 1 Survivor Medal ]

Well, the only change was the fact that the Prime Gene Enhancement was replaced by Warrior Gene Enhancement, and it was even more expensive than before.

As for the Gene Skills, there were only slight changes.

[ Gene Skill Crystal (Low‑Grade): A crystal that awakens an active or passive gene skill. The ability varies depending on the user’s genetic state.

Cost: 5 Survivor Medals ]

[ Random Gene Skill Crystal (Low‑Grade): A crystal that triggers a random bodily adjustment or passive skill, often minor but useful. The awakened gene skill depends on prior enhancements. Cost: 4 Survivor Medals ]

[ Active Gene Skill Crystal (Mid‑Grade): A crystal that awakens a powerful Active Gene Skill. The ability differs for each user, influenced by their physique and gene enhancements taken.

Cost: 8 Survivor Medals ]

[ Passive Gene Skill Crystal (Mid‑Grade): A crystal that awakens a powerful Passive Gene Skill. Cost: 8 Survivor Medals ]

[ Random Gene Skill Crystal (Mid‑Grade): A crystal that awakens a powerful Random Gene Skill. Cost: 8 Survivor Medals ]

They had actually become more expensive!

Well, they must have better effects now, but Kai couldn’t just accept this.

Still, he wasn’t here for the Skills.

So after calming himself, he tapped on Item Conversion. A huge blank window appeared, waiting for input.

"Alright... let’s test this."

Without hesitation, Kai opened his inventory and placed one mountain bike into the conversion slot.

[ Item Conversion in Progress... ]

[ Result: Mountain Bike to 0.07 Points ]

[ Note: 1 Point = 1 Survivor Medal. Conversion incomplete. Withdrawals unavailable until full point is reached. ]

Kai frowned. "Only that much for a brand new bike? Well... Whatever..."

Well, he had an Infinite Gift Pack anyway, he might as well abuse it!

Furthermore, those in his Superior Grade Gift Packs could surely give him better conversion!