Re-Awakening: I Ascend with a Legendary class

Chapter 574: Survival Structure of Layer 2, Anchor Points and Games

The group left the water garden together, stepping onto the wide crystal-paved avenue that branched out from Astarbound Ward.

The moment they crossed the boundary, the atmosphere shifted.

The serenity of the garden faded into something vibrant and alive.

Tall buildings rose on both sides, layered with floating balconies, hanging gardens, and glowing sigils embedded into their walls. Streams of light flowed through the air like invisible roads, carrying people, constructs, and beasts from one place to another. Holographic signs hovered freely, displaying shop names, game rankings, real-time Anchor Point exchange rates, and live broadcasts of ongoing arena matches.

"This place is lively," Saffa said, ears twitching as she took everything in.

"It’s noisy," Clovelle added, though her eyes sparkled with interest.

Almond extended his senses slightly, careful not to push too far. Even passively, he could feel the weight of countless wills pressing against the city. Every being here had survived games. Every one of them had paid for their existence with Anchor Points.

"Layer 2 really is different," he muttered.

Ainen was already walking ahead, head tilted slightly as his eyes flickered faintly.

"I’ve got the map," he said. "Markets are clustered by function. Food streets are that way. Materials and crafting districts are farther east."

"Let’s check out the food first and do some shopping since I want to buy a material," Almond said. "Then we’ll look for a place to live."

"Let’s go." Ainen grinned. "Hope they’ve got good food so I can learn new tastes."

The group made their way toward the food streets.

People of all kinds were roaming, eating, selling, buying.

They first encountered the food stalls.

Roasted meat, fermented sauces, sharp spices, sweet glazes, bitter herbs, and unfamiliar scents that carried a faint pulse of energy filled the air.

"The smell and appearance are good at least," Ainen nodded.

Gopu hovered lower, wings beating slowly as he followed the aromas, eyes fixed on the moving grills and rotating spits.

They also looked at the prices while moving.

The cheapest food dish they saw cost 1 Anchor Point.

They tried some easy food while walking since everyone had earned 750 Anchor Points.

"Hmm? Food Donation Stall?" Lily spotted a strange wagon stall moving in the wide street and read what it said. "People are donating food there. It’s for people who can’t afford to eat."

"The games only reward the one winner among multiple participants. A streak of losses can prove to be fatal," Fraisea nodded. "I guess that’s why we are seeing mostly groups. They must have pooled their points to share things and cut expenses of Anchor Points."

"And if housing is expensive, grouping would become essential for survival," Ainen blinked, curious about something. "We traded our points for food, but... can we trade Anchor Points to each other?"

"Let’s check." Almond made a trade with Ainen from the [Trade] button in their status screen.

Almond — [1 Anchor Point]

Ainen — [______]

When they previously bought food, this was how they got it. One of the stall owners also told them that stealing was impossible because their hands would just pass through the things if they tried to take them forcefully.

Without proper trade using Anchor Points, people could gain nothing. Moreover, even if people made products, their prices were not decided by the people, but would automatically be decided upon their creation.

"It’s not working." Ainen wryly smiled. "I can’t put Anchor Points to trade for Anchor Points."

"So it’s full-on hardcore survival on one’s own, essentially. You have to win, earn points, survive, and get strong until you can move to the next layer," Lily grinned. "I like it."

"Indeed. It’s perfect." Almond smiled.

"Haha, can’t deny that." Ainen laughed. "I just hope one day it can grant my wish as I ascend here."

"Rawr!"

...

The group then moved to more luxurious food places. They were restaurants.

They were big, fancy, and exotic, with their menus shining outside for everyone to see.

The cheapest food they saw on the menu cost 10 Anchor Points, and the most expensive item they saw cost 1000 Anchor Points.

The group was surprised at those prices, especially since the price of everything was decided by the system of this world.

They ate at a restaurant. It was a beautiful and serene tree-house restaurant, which was essentially just the trunk of a big tree with artificial branches stretching toward square platforms, each on which a table was constructed for people to sit and eat.

The group sat at a table and ordered one dish each, then shared them together to taste various foods.

It was delicious, and they also found out the reason it was expensive in some places.

Because the expensive food gave temporary buffs. And buffs could help them win in games.

Ainen was thrilled to learn that, since his food also gave buffs. All he needed was enough Anchor Points to buy a place and start a fantastic café.

As the group finished eating and left the restaurant, Ainen looked at the map and had a question.

"Strange. I don’t see any place that sells ingredients. At least, not in the 100 kilometers that my map has covered." Ainen rubbed his chin. "How are they getting ingredients to cook food?"

This time, he got an answer from the system.

[To acquire raw resources, you must participate in S-rank or higher games, particularly the type of games that involve resource gathering.]

"Interesting."

"What?" Saffa blinked.

Ainen shared what the system told him.

"The [Game] tab has a lot of games, but there’s a problem. It only shows up to A-rank games," Lily frowned. "How do we participate in S-rank games?"

[Invitations to S-rank games are limited to exceptional players only. You will acquire one invitation to an S-rank game of your choice if you win three A-rank games.]

Lily raised her eyebrows. She shared the information she got.

"Well, guess we know what games we are playing next." Almond smiled.

"Yep. And now it’s time to check out the courtyards or equally beautiful places." Ainen grinned. "I’ve got some marked, so let’s go check them out."