Level Up The Colony
Chapter 68: Grocery

Chapter 68: Grocery

"No," Timothy muttered and immediately slipped the key card back into his inventory.

Tempting as it was, there were other things he needed to deal with first.

He wrapped up his bath quickly and headed out to change.

Since he wasn’t planning to go anywhere, he settled for something simple and comfortable, a pair of shorts and a neat brown T-shirt.

It wasn’t one of the new clothes he had recently bought, but it’d do just fine.

His phone buzzed, and for a second, he considered browsing the internet.

But then it hit him, he hadn’t eaten yet.

Knowing himself, once he sat down to scroll, he wouldn’t get back up for hours.

Deciding to ride the wave of productivity while it lasted, he headed straight to the kitchen.

It was Wednesday morning, April 2nd.

He hadn’t spent much since fixing the door, so he checked his bank balance: 3 million naira around $2000.

More than he expected, but after a bit of mental math, it tracked.

Not a fortune, but enough to get by, at least until his raid rewards came through.

With luck, he’d bounce back stronger when those dropped.

For today, though, he just wanted an off day.

Unfortunately, the system had other plans.

[Daily Quest is now available]

Timothy didn’t even need to open it.

He already knew what was inside.

Still, like a cheerful panda pretending everything was okay, he smiled and brushed it off.

He was going to complete it, just on his terms, and with a good attitude.

He decided to jog to the market.

He had a traditional meal in mind, something homely and hearty.

He wasn’t a master chef, but he could whip up a decent dish if he tried.

Earphones in and spirit up, he stepped outside and hit the road at a light jog.

It was almost 8 a.m. and he didn’t care.

Who said there was a right time to work out?

The market wasn’t too far, but the real struggle was navigating the chaos finding the right items at the right stalls, all while avoiding the occasional human obstacle.

Creek Road Market was a beast of its own: vendors spilling onto the road, hawkers weaving through cars like it was a sport, and pedestrians treating the expressway like a board game with high stakes.

A 25% chance someone would buy from you, 15% they wouldn’t, and 60% you’d end up roadkill.

Strangely enough, it often felt like the cars were more scared of the people.

Welcome to Creek Road Market.

It stretched roughly a quarter of a kilometer in a mostly straight line, packed with houses, roadside stalls, and a market jammed into the leftover space.

Timothy glanced at his quest tracker, he’d nearly hit his one-kilometer goal already.

By the time he made it home, that part of the daily quest would be done.

He kept jogging through the crowd, eyeing prices, comparing options, and noting which stalls had the freshest goods.

He didn’t buy anything yet; he just scoped things out till he reached the end of the stretch.

Prices were a bit steep today; no surprise. Wednesdays weren’t as friendly as Mondays or Fridays.

Time to double back and start buying.

Jogging slowed to a brisk walk as he picked up items here and there.

It took him about 45 minutes to get nearly everything on his list except one thing: a specific kind of seafood.

It’s not exactly rare, but it’s not easy to find today.

That led him deeper into the market’s underbelly where the rules were hazier, the sellers trickier, and thieves a bit bolder.

Still, Timothy moved through it with ease.

He didn’t have much on him worth stealing anyway, besides his phone and the groceries.

He kept up the optimism.

It was his day off, and he wasn’t about to let a little chaos ruin it.

Eventually, he made it to a cold room.

The air around it was noticeably colder unsurprising, considering it was practically a giant freezer used by sellers to store unsold stock.

Not everyone was allowed inside, but if he was going to find that last item, this was the place.

Women bustled in and out, hands full of plastic-wrapped seafood, the smell of fish heavy in the air.

He didn’t judge, it was their grind.

At this point, Timothy didn’t even care if the seafood was fresh.

He just wanted to find it.

He spotted an elderly woman near the entrance and made his way toward her only to be bumped into from the side.

"Sorry," Timothy said immediately, instinctively polite.

The man who hit him was huge and didn’t look pleased.

He turned with a scowl, towering over Timothy.

"You trying to mug me, kid?"

Timothy stood there, momentarily stunned.

Mug you? That was rich.

At most, the guy might be five years older than him.

If anyone looked younger, it was Timothy.

Still, he didn’t argue.

He simply offered a faint, polite smile and apologized again before turning his attention back to the elderly woman. She was already heading into the room, and he didn’t want to miss her.

Just as he took a step forward, the bulky man slammed his shoulder into him again, harder this time.

Timothy instinctively stepped back, dodging the impact with ease.

So the guy thinks having muscles gives him the right to act like a thug?

"Trying to run, kid?" the man growled, stepping in closer.

Timothy remained calm.

He could already tell the guy wasn’t awakened.

There was no threat here at least, none serious.

"I’m sorry, sir. That was a mistake—"

Before he could finish his sentence, two other guys approached.

They looked casual enough, both sporting loud haircuts and suspicious grins.

Timothy let out a small sigh of relief.

Good, at least there are witnesses now.

Maybe this won’t escalate.

"Hey, what’s going on here?" one of them asked.

"He’s a thief," the bulky guy snapped without hesitation.

"No, I’m not," Timothy replied quickly, launching into an explanation of the situation.

The newcomers listened, nodding along as if weighing the story.

Then the third guy spoke up.

"Just to be sure, check if your stuff is still on you. Can’t trust anybody these days. I don’t like his face."

Wow, Timothy thought, that escalated quickly.

Still, he figured a simple check would clear things up.

He crossed his arms, ready to wait it out.

Then suddenly...

"I can’t find my phone!" the bulky man shouted, patting himself down in fake panic.

Timothy raised a brow.

"Are you sure you brought it with you?" he asked, confused.

That only seemed to trigger more chaos.

The other guys began calming the big one down, telling him not to overreact and reassuring him that the truth would come out.

Another man joined them, more well-dressed, with an air of authority.

As Timothy opened his mouth to speak, the man waved him off.

"Let me hear from him first," he said, nodding at the bulky guy.

Timothy waited, growing increasingly frustrated as the story got twisted into something absurd.

The new guy barely hesitated before offering his judgment.

"Have you searched him?"

"Not yet," one of the others replied.

"Don’t do it here, it’s too noisy," the well-dressed guy advised. "Let’s move to a quieter corner. Less attention."

Then he turned to Timothy.

"If you’re innocent, come along. It’ll only take a minute."

Timothy didn’t argue.

He followed them down a narrow alley, still within sight of the cold room.

He had no intention of letting this ruin his day.

He surrendered his belongings, phone, ATM card, and the food he had bought and let them search him freely.

As expected, they found nothing.

Then one of the guys made a joke.

"Ah-ah, all this food? You won die? Share small nah," he said in pidgin.

Timothy gave him a blank stare.

"No."

Another guy snorted.

"This guy get money o!" he said while already scrolling through Timothy’s phone.

Timothy instinctively reached for it, only to feel cold metal press against his waist.

He froze.

The bulk guy had a gun on him.

Meanwhile, the others were casually transferring his groceries into a different bag.

One of them slid Timothy’s ATM card into his pocket like it was nothing.

Timothy’s eyes narrowed.

’In broad daylight? Are they insane?’

Worse, they hadn’t even checked the phone properly.

If they had, they’d know he was a registered B-rank Hunter.

Or maybe he was the stupid one for not using a lock screen.

His mind raced.

Should I just let them go with my stuff and block my card later? The bank might be far, but some ATMs can lock accounts now...

But two things stopped him from retaliating.

One, he still wanted this to be a good day.

And two, one of the red rules in the Hunter’s Handbook: Never harm civilians.

That included non-awakened.

Not that he planned to kill them, but if he snapped... well, accidents could happen.

Then, unexpectedly, the guy who had taken his card said Timothy’s name aloud.

He stepped back, suddenly hesitant.

Only the bulky guy remained in front of him, still holding the gun, partially concealed by his frame.

Timothy was about to brush it off with a laugh, maybe they’d get spooked and leave when he saw the look in the man’s eyes.

It was that same look Edward once had only darker.

This wasn’t adrenaline or panic.

This was pleasure.

Then the gun went off.

And realization dawned on him

The sound was muffled, the weapon angled upward but still fired point-blank.

Pain exploded through his side.

He stumbled, stunned.

The bullet had torn through his torso.

No one nearby even noticed.

The bulky man turned and fled.

And Timothy dropped to his knees, bleeding out in a noisy alley... on what was supposed to be his day off

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