《Scum in Another World》 C1 - Nice title author~ Chapter 1 ¨C Into another world. End of the line. For me, that is. ¡°Erk!¡± I touch my ribs to find blood coating my hand. I got shot just as I ran into this building. Well, isn¡¯t this thrilling? I barely escaped that place for taking on such a dangerous request. I expected this to be a setup, but I¡¯ve been so bored that I agreed to walk into this trap. ¡°Hehe. I¡¯m bleeding. Ah~, today¡¯s the day. Finally.¡± I quickly shut the metal door and barred it with an already bent metal stud I struggled to move. With each excessive movement, more of my blood poured out of my wound. Even though it won¡¯t hold them out, it¡¯ll have to do. That¡¯s not to say I¡¯m running away. This is planned. I knew they would backstab me, I knew they wanted me dead. I¡¯ve been waiting for the day they would show their fangs when they went on a power trip. The moon shining upon the night is oddly blinding bright. I felt an ominous chill running down my back and smiled as big as the moon¡¯s lunar shape shining brightly in the sky. As I find myself limping past a room, I found a scummy looking guy staring back with a wicked smile. He had black hair, pale skin. His dead fish eyes were about the same as mine. He was painted in blood. He was me. I find it hilarious I¡¯ve become, what I¡¯ve loathed and always aspired to be. Trash. Then another jolt of pain snapped me awake. I have one last job to do. I could hear the door being pried open and dogs barking. When I made it up the first floor of this abandoned building, they tumbled in with bloodlust in tow. The dogs quickly catch up to me, but I quickly dropped them with a shelve rolling down the steps. Their panic gave me an adrenaline rush to which I made a blockade then rushed up the second floor. There, my prepared arsenal of weapons stood hidden at the end of the hallway. ¡°There he is!¡± Before I was able to reach my box of goodies, a man crawled through the window and sprayed bullets down the hall. The geyser of smoke was rapidly coming towards me. I ducked and rolled into a room, finding myself trapped and shot again on the thigh. ¡°I guess,¡± I wheezed. ¡°my luck¡¯s finally ran out.¡± I tore a strip of cloth from a dusty curtain and wrap my injury. I can hear footsteps coming closer and crashed open the window. ¡°Dammit, did he jump?!¡± He ran into the room and screamed. ¡°Hey, did any of you guys see where he went?¡± Before he was able to get his answer, I crept behind him with a broken glass shard and sliced his throat. I also shoved my beloved switchblade under his jaw for good measures and looted his rifle. You may be wondering why they wanted me dead. I don¡¯t want to brag, but I have powerful connections and I am someone else¡¯s powerful acquaintance. I always have something other people want. Information. As I don¡¯t belong to any organizations, these people were upset I turned down their offer when they tried to recruit me. They tried to make life a living hell for me, and in return I¡¯ve destroyed their group. These people are here for revenge. This became a one-sided relationship as I freaking adore them to the bottom of my bleeding heart. They¡¯re like children on an extreme level of tantrum, or demon spawns hellbent on killing me. As I climbed to the third floor, I can hear my name mixed with profanities. I let down another barricade of furniture to buy more time as I took what I needed from my box of goodies. Good, the rest of them are gathering in this easily crumbled- I mean the Prop building. All those swearing, all that hate, they make my body explode¡­ figuratively. Not quite literal yet- oops, oh dear¡­ I almost spoiled it~. Who are they? Heh, let me enlighten you! They are people I love. I had some history against them but I¡¯m grateful. They¡¯ve unshackled my mind and made me who I was today, and that is a useless, twisted heap of shit. My heart races with excitement with each step. Yes, you may call me a psychopath, but I''m just a lowly scum living in this world. I''m no better than trash. Hm? You said something? You want to call me a good for nothing worthless shit? Go ahead, but I think I deserve bigger insult. C¡¯mon! Bring out all your momma jokes anything! Make me feel miserable~. Finally, I reach to the highest floor of the building closest to the night sky. I stumbled over my shaking legs and slumped against the ledge, looking up to the silver moon right above me. I thought to myself what a wonderful night it¡¯ll be. Tonight, I will be trash cleaning up other trashes. My debt to them will finally be paid.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! When I looked back down, I see a trail of my own blood. Honestly, I¡¯m a little impressed I made it up here with that much blood loss. ¡°Got him-!¡± The instant a figure poked his head in my blurry view, I popped him. This caused a panic in their ranks as they¡¯ve only made it up through one entrance. I kept the trigger down. So long as I held it down, they don¡¯t dare to come out. I tossed aside the rifle after its barrel glowed red hot and drew my magnum. They noticed the silence and barged into the place not before I added two casualties on their side. ¡°Urgh!¡± I cried as my gunshot wound stung me. It made me drop my aim. They seized the opportunity to surround me, barrels pointed at me. The reason my life wasn¡¯t immediately taken was because they noticed a light show dazzling under my coat. I had strapped on a vest of explosives that turned their faces as white as a sheet. I used what strength I had left to greet the leader with a smile. ¡°Hey, fancy seeing you guys here again.¡± ¡°You brat. You do have a death wish.¡± ¡°Not as much as you.¡± I huffed. ¡°Just letting you know, these explosives will detonate when my pulse stops. You don¡¯t want to test that, do you?¡± I gave him a big fat grin. Their faces twisted into disgust. Excellent! I love those bitter glares being casted on poor ol¡¯ me. ¡°Cat caught your tongues? Why aren¡¯t you ending this poor sob?¡± I continued to tease. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel empowered now? I¡¯m bleeding out. I can die any moment. I¡¯m practically useless and can¡¯t fight anymore. I dare you, shoot.¡± ¡°Listen here. You have something we want.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t recall taking anything from you-. Argh!¡± That resulted in me being shot in the foot. ¡°Haha, you did shoot me.¡± ¡°Hey, stop it!¡± One of their people yelled. ¡°You¡¯re going to get us killed!¡± ¡°He¡¯s right. If I¡¯m dying, I¡¯m planning to take you guys down with me.¡± I said, pulling out a button. My thumb had already pressed it by the time they were able to take it from me. ¡°Oh fun, oh joy. Hehe~, let¡¯s go enjoy the paradise of hell together~. Come with me to see where life will bring us after death! HAHAHAHAHAHA!¡± ¡°Y-you¡¯re insane!¡± ¡°Fool, haven¡¯t you noticed the first time you saw me? I AM INSANITY ITSELF AT THIS MOMENT!¡± You know that Prop building we¡¯re on? I called it a Prop building for a reason as it¡¯s become the stage for my final act. An earthquake ruptured below us. A large crack split the building into several slices then I found myself floating in the air. The people below were the first ones to experience being crushed by rubble. ¡°GYHAHAHAHAHAHA! It¡¯s happening! It¡¯s happening!¡± I shrieked and every word I spit out cracked. My body gets injected by a unhealthy dose of adrenaline pluming through my systems. The chill going down my spine excites me even further as I kept my eyes on the beautiful shimmering moon basking me in its light. I Arden Charles, a information broker degenerate, hated by many, feared by none. With blackhair, bagged eyes, and a satisfied smile I declared myself to die today. To track down and kill these group of people I both love and despise makes my heart flutter. I finally release myself from their torment. Then everything went black. - - - - ¡°At last, the last piece has arrived. Welcome Arden.¡± Multiple voice echoed into my mind. I opened my eyes. The area is dark, because it is. Underneath me is a blue disc of flames that doesn¡¯t hurt. ¡°This is hell? That¡¯s it?¡± I sighed in disappointment. ¡°I was expecting a bit more finesse. A horned macho waiting for me on his precious throne with a pitchfork. Not a choir of angels.¡± ¡°A-Arden?¡± That voice sent shivers down my spine. I immediately sprung my switch knife and looked to the source of voice calling me. ¡°Ha¡­ haha¡­ I see¡­ hell is a place where your nightmares become t-true isn¡¯t it?¡± I stare at the women looking earnestly at me. A blonde long haired women and green eyes. Her tight office wear gave her this hourglass body most boys would ogle. Me? Because of my history with this women, I wanted to vomit. She and I go way back, way before I was adopted by foster parents. Her name is Noel Percy. Carefully examining my surroundings¡­ there are twenty four people in total, all faces I recognize. They¡¯re my classmates of my 12th grade class. ¡°Arden¡­?¡± Another one of my nightmares. Bastian Lartius¡­ that self righteous bastard that always try to play the hero in everything. I¡¯m not jealous of him. I hate that justice aura he always holds. You can say I am his opposite in everyway. His bushy brown hair is the same as always and that uniform¡­ he appears to be working for a cooperation. He¡¯s living a regular life, boring~. I¡¯m confused. The angels are quiet. Other people here are shouting at them and they¡¯re not responding. I going to hate myself, but I need information. ¡°Bastian, Noel, did you two die?¡± ¡°I-I died!? I was on a computer when suddenly I was brought here! I died from over working!?¡± Noel exclaimed. ¡°Hold on. I was printing things back in my workplace, I can¡¯t possibly die.¡± Bastian pinched his brows. ¡°I was shot multiple times then crushed by a building. I should have died.¡± I look to my arm and it was miraculously healed. ¡°¡°HUH!? HA!?¡±¡± The two dropped their jaws. ¡°You have not died. Rest assured, none of you have died.¡± The angels spoke in unison. ¡°Listen well, your gods have agreed to lend you to us for a game.¡± ¡°Game?¡± Someone asked. ¡°A war game. We will divide the twenty-four of you into two groups and send you to two opposing kingdoms.¡± ¡°H-hold on! We have lives back in our world! We don''t want to fight!¡± Noel cried. ¡°And your god(s) do not care. Your group was chosen to participate by divine law which your god(s) agreed upon. You will be transported to another world where you¡¯ll be given social statuses and become heroes for your kingdom.¡± Interesting¡­ a 13v14 battle. What? I don¡¯t plan to enter the war. I¡¯m going to do what I want. Anyhow, let¡¯s shake things up a bit~. ¡°Question!¡± ¡°Please.¡± ¡°Are betrayals allowed?¡± ¡°Be¡­trayals?¡± my ex-classmates muttered. ¡°Arden! What are you doing?¡± Bastian bellowed. He tried to grab my collar but then backed away from the angel¡¯s magic sword protecting me. ¡°I¡¯m trying to spice things up. It won¡¯t be fun without any psychological tactics. Angels, are those allowed?¡± ¡°They are. However, one must carefully think before acting. You may forfeit your life before you attempt to defect to another kingdom.¡± ¡°Great, and for what reason will we fight? Will there be a reward?¡± ¡°The winners are granted a wish of their desires and a decision to return home if request.¡± ¡°What if all of us went on the same side?¡± ¡°You will all be perished and are unable to return to your old worlds.¡± Interesting, haha~, everyone¡¯s making the same face. I¡¯m all for going to this strange new world. This will delay my grand performance, but I can always restart and build my great fall in another world. If I¡¯m lucky, I can also kill Bastian and Noel in the process. Besides, I¡¯ve taken revenge in my old world. ¡°Now heroes, the setting is complete. We will provide rules for the game after you introduce yourselves to leaders of your leader. Go serve your kingdom well and reach for victory!¡± The angels sang. The blue disc below us grew more violent and engulfed all players in the room. This is going to be a blast. I¡¯m truly a scum that¡¯s going to another world. C2 - Let trash be trash ¡°Arden¡­ psst! Arden, wake up!¡± ¡°Let me sleep more¡­ the floor is nice and cold.¡± Just like my soul. I was happily sleeping within the covers of my fur coat until I was woken up by the former classmate. My fingers secretly ran passed unusual cracks and noticed its floor made entirely off of one boulder. ¡°Seriously, wake up!¡± His hand shook me. ¡°Fine, fine! I¡¯m up! Give a dead man some room would ya?¡± I look around and all I see were aesthetics. Mighty fine chandeliers in the middle of the ceiling and beautiful paintings on the walls yell finesse. You''ve might have not known this but I have a passion with art with my special mix of paint being blood. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me. God, my head hurts.¡± ¡°Why are you covered in dirt?¡± ¡°Ah? I explained it once already you dimwit. A building collapsed on me. Where are we anyways?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the smart one here. I waited for you to wake up while everyone else went ahead to greet the King.¡± The glare in my eyes subsided and revealed the person who waited on the side was Bastian. Bastard¡­ you¡¯re a goody two shoes from the bottom of your stinking heart. ¡°The king?¡± This headache is slowly fading but it¡¯s making me unable to comprehend most things I¡¯m seeing. Then again, the angels I met were something beyond unbelievable. I¡¯m not in a sci-fi universe. Is this the summoning to another world clich¨¦? The moment I saw the angel pulling a magical sword from thin air, I should¡¯ve guessed. ¡°Follow me.¡± I guess I have no choice, I decide to stick by Bastian and see what in the hell is going on. I was supposed to have killed myself and this doesn''t seem like heaven or hell or the room I was in. Half of my former classmates are here, the other sent to a different country who we will be pit against. I don''t plan on dying by any of their hands, that¡¯d be boring. Up ahead, I spotted two people standing by the gate. "Ah heroes, this way please the king has already started his explanation." It¡¯s a fucking actual knight standing there. The comparison between male and female knights are¡­ a bit off. The males wear an unbelievable amount of armor while the females are sexualized. They expose more skin then they try to cover up. ¡°Cosplay?¡± I scratched my head. ¡°You two look ridiculous by the way. You look like a heap of useless scrap and she looks like she¡¯s wearing a few metal plates covering her genitals. Are you a exhibitionist?¡± ¡°N-no!¡± The female knight covered her body. ¡°These are equipment our finest blacksmith crafted for us. There are many magical enchantments to protect us despite our appearance.¡± ¡°Arden, you¡¯re bring rude!¡± ¡°I¡¯m making my argument valid! You try wearing what she¡¯s wearing! Tell me how protected you feel afterwards! If those are really magical, I can straight up walk in a birthday suit against a fucking nuke and survive!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not from this world so I wouldn¡¯t understand!¡± Bastian argued. ¡°I-I¡¯ll head to the armory¡­ If you¡¯ll excuse me.¡± The female knight ran away. I wonder what the blacksmiths were thinking when they created those armors for her. Sorry readers, I got reeled up for a second. To think I¡¯m transported to a world of magic and swords, I might be in deeper trouble than I thought. I hope some certain magic from RPGs don¡¯t exist, or everything I plan to do will surely become wasted. Hey, I played a few online games, read a few light novels. I know my general trope. ¡°Erm¡­ are the two of you ready to greet his highness?¡± ¡°¡°Yes.¡± ¡°No.¡±¡± Bastian and I answered differently. The guard ignored my opinion and opened the doors anyways. The first thing I noticed was the red carpet leading into a white marbled room. The columns were made of the same materials of the walls, the ground and the ceiling. The throne was painted gold and had the sculpture of a sun above where the king sat. It truly is beautiful, so beautiful I want to get my hands on explosives and bring it down. If you didn¡¯t get the memo from the last chapter, I¡¯m crazy. ¡°Mmh? The last two heroes have finally arrived. Please, we¡¯ve only began. I would ask you to please state your names, young ones.¡± ¡°Bastian Lartius. I was chosen to answer your call and serve this side of the kingdom.¡± ¡°¡­You can choose which side you wanted to be?¡± I asked Bastian but he gave me the silent treatment. ¡°And the boy in black?¡± ¡°Heh, feel worthless! For you have summoned the humanity¡¯s worse scumbag at your disposal, your majesty.¡± I humbly bowed. The king''s face is confused, his reaction is really hilarious and I wanted to laugh, wait I''ll laugh. ¡°Hahahahaha! And click. That¡¯s a cute face~.¡± I snapped a photo of the king with my phone. Now that I think about it, everything I had on me is brought into the world with me. I¡¯ll have to inspect all my possessions when I have the chance.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. My former 12th grade classmates eyed me with pity eyes and whispers amongst themselves. That''s good, look at me with those eyes, look disgusted by the lowly scum from your world. Just remember, I¡¯m the same species as you fools-. Urk! Noel is here too¡­ ¡°How dare you disrespect the king!¡± A royal guard yelled at me. I stood firm with a taunting grin. I dare him to try to attack me. C¡¯mon, c¡¯mon~. ¡°Now, now. I believe this youngster wishes to play his trickery as he could not fathom the situation he currently is. Boy, you jest. May I ask for your name?¡± "If I may, you''re highness. He¡¯ll waste your precious time. I will introduce him in his stead. His name is Arden Charles. I believe your highness should take extra caution around him at all times.¡± ¡°And why is that?¡± ¡°He is a criminal¡­ in our previous world.¡± "That''s not all I''m also one of the worst trashes in existence~." I sang. ¡°I see¡­ but he is now a hero of my kingdom. Arden Charles, you mustn¡¯t lower yourself like that.¡± ¡°Hero? I have more of a villain vibe going on me.¡± "If you look at the crest behind your left hand you are surely a hero.¡± "Arden, like this one." Bastian shows me the crest on the back of his fist and I could see an cross-sign. I check mine and it was just visible veins and skin with some dust on it. "I don''t have one, so I guess I''m not a hero. I''m going to leave now, adios!" "Wait, are you sure? Could you please present the back of your hand, so we may inspect it?" Ugh, of all the troubles! I guess I can just leave after I showed them. I hold my arm towards one of the soldiers that came to inspect it. He wiped the dust off my hand and carefully tried to search for the crest which I don''t have. Those angels may have studied my piece value into this world and gave me nothing. I want to shout into the sky and tell them they did a great job. I don¡¯t have to be forced to do another person¡¯s bidding and do what I want. "Your majesty he doesn''t have one." One guard even brought a warm towel to wipe my hand clean. "Thank you! Now can I go now?" "Surely this is a mistake, we summoned all of you and made sure you all are suitable to be heroes." "I just don''t have one, I''m just going to go explore." "Please wait!" Ugh! What now? Do you need help so bad that you need a scum like me to help? I''m sorry but I don''t like to do charity work. "I apologize for the inconvenience Arden Charles. This world is a dangerous place, so I wish for you to hear me before you leave." "Information? I guess I can stay for a while. I''m all ears." "Thank you. Before the interruption I have told the others why we summoned you here." The angels didn¡¯t send us off but we were summoned to one of the two kingdoms by chance? Right, this is clich¨¦ as fuck. ¡°Is it because of the opposing kingdom, or demon lord, or other catastrophic events that you need our power of friendship and love to conqueror blah, blah, blah, right?¡± ¡°U-uh¡­ only of the two things you have mentioned. We are at war with the opposing kingdom and the demon lord¡¯s faction. This is a three-way war at the moment.¡± ¡°Leave me out of it. I rather watch you people kill each other.¡± ¡°Arden! Do you not want to return to your world?¡± Noel marched onto the red carpet and seized my collar. I almost vomited being near her. She has this repulsive aura around her I can¡¯t stand. Did she put on shit perfume? ¡°I hate it back there-.¡± She slapped me. That¡¯s good. ¡°You¡¯re angry~. Put it to good use and try to kill me. Just so you know, you¡¯re parent¡¯s won¡¯t miss you one bit. They¡¯ll conceive another child, you were expendable to them. I know you better than anyone else here. You try your hardest in everything but in the end you fail. And you even caused a few deaths and ruined a life when you failed. Not just her, I know every little secrets you other heroes have.¡± I¡¯ll explain this at one point in the story. It¡¯s inevitable that I¡¯ll have to meet her many more times in near future. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t! Be quiet! BE QUIET!¡± She threw punches at me which I received with open arms. I feel a slit on my lips and licked the blood dripping from it. The King had to order his guards to restrain her. ¡°A rat like you can cower all you like, but we all want to return to our own worlds!¡± ¡°So I¡¯ve been demoted from trash to rat. You¡¯re letting up the insults~.¡± ¡°Sh-shut it. Leave you piece of shit! We don¡¯t need you!¡± ¡°Will do mam! Before that, I have a question directed to his majesty.¡± A scheme came into play. A small one, nothing big but I need to set some groundwork if I¡¯m going need to survive until my grand finale. ¡°H-how may I assist?¡± ¡°I demand a compensation for my arrival in this world.¡± ¡°A-Arden!¡± Bastian called out. ¡°He said so himself. He summoned us here without our approval and especially me. I don¡¯t have a role to play in any kingdoms so I will be living in the shadows. You¡¯re a king, all this wealth and power but you can¡¯t even give away a teeny tiny fraction to someone unfamiliar to this place and wander your lands?¡± ¡°However, you have stated you will not participate in our march against the enemies.¡± ¡°And you, old geezer, ruined someone¡¯s plan in their old world! I was about to witness something miraculous of my fruits of labour then you blew it!¡± ¡°A researcher? I¡¯m intrigued. Will you tell me about your findings?¡± ¡°It is something to brag, but I can¡¯t. You ruined everything, and it¡¯s lost in my old world. If you provide me some funds, I may be able to work my way up again.¡± I¡¯m bullshitting my way at this point. I think my words mislead him but I didn¡¯t try to bother correcting the king. My former classmates also don¡¯t know about my activities from my old world other than being a criminal. This is good for me. See? Information drives the world round, if someone objected I would¡¯ve had to cross another hurdle. ¡°In time, will you present your finding if I allow you to part away from my kingdom?¡± ¡°I plan to.¡± And to everyone is welcome to witness it when its time. ¡°Very well. Prepare a bag of coins for Arden Charles-.¡± ¡°You highness, he¡¯s not a person you would want to let roam freely.¡± Bastian called on me. ¡°I advise you to rethink your decision.¡± You son of a bitch, bringing the difficulty up are you? ¡°You have claimed he is a criminal of your world. His personality is certainly interesting, but not trustworthy¡­ I shall place restrictions of areas he may access and that will limit purchases he will be able to make within my kingdom. That is the best I can offer in return of granting some funds to him. Arden Charles, will that be sufficient?¡± I¡¯m smiling in the bottom of my bleeding heart. This is getting interesting. ¡°I believe so. Let trash be trash. This rotten apple should stay away from the fresh bunch to avoid spoiling the rest.¡± ¡°Guards, if you will.¡± The king waved. ¡°I apologize in advance, this may hurt a bit. It is a necessary precaution your comrades had warned me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a small delay in my plans.¡± I snorted. My left wrist was cuffed by an ornament. Something pinched me in the process but I couldn¡¯t find the source of where it was from. It was a thin bracelet with red runic markings faintly glowing. Does this make me look like a prisoner? It matches my present fashion sense. ¡°Here, a bag of coins for your journey. I wish your peaceful life good luck.¡± The King waved to me. So I¡¯m in a fantasy world of swords and magic. Most people would restart their life from zero but as for me, I¡¯ll continue my masterpiece of my old world from here on out. This unknown phenomenon I was granted, I expect so much of this world to be more exciting than the last world. Now that I¡¯m out of the castle, I wonder which side will pique my interest. Should I help the heroes? Maybe manipulate them? Oh! How about if I join the demon lord¡¯s side? What do you think I should do? HAHAHAHA! This is going to be fun as hell. C3 - Potential meat shield-, I mean ally Goals¡­ goals¡­ For now I need a goal. What should it be? Gosh, I¡¯m so stupid! It¡¯s obviously to create my garden of Eden where people throw insults and kill each other. No wait, that¡¯s too unrealistic. That¡¯s my dream. For now, I need to adapt to this world¡¯s rules. The king only gave me a bag full of silver. About 30 pieces. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a lot or not in this world¡¯s standard. For now, money is still an issue, this won¡¯t last me a month and I don¡¯t know the standard way to earn money. Guilds you say? Hell no. I don¡¯t need to do those dirty work. I¡¯m going to gamble. Not your typical Black Jacks, Poker gambling games. I''m going to invest with the information I have on hand. I wonder how will I do? It''s so exciting! I just need to know where I am right now¡­ I spotted an information center. Hm? I don¡¯t understand the letters on it at all. The enlarged map beside it is very confusing too. ¡°Hey, hey.¡± I call to the information lady stationed in the shack. ¡°Can I get some directions?¡± ¡°Sure, where do you want to go?¡± ¡°I want to know where the closest place for armors, weapons and magic stores are. I also have this bracelet to prevent me from accessing some area since I¡¯m a visitor here.¡± ¡°Hang on, let me mark down the things on the map for you.¡± ¡°Is it free?¡± ¡°Yes. You really are new here aren¡¯t you? Now we are near the castle gates, you need to go down main street and turn at the first path heading to the left. You will find blacksmiths and magic stores there-.¡± ¡°Great, thanks! I¡¯m in a hurry!¡± I bring the map close to my face and ran. ¡°Urrr¡­ your welcome?¡± It''s a race against time, I''m plan on making money by using my former classmates. No, I won''t be selling them. They''re not human wastes like me. I''m going to use them as investment chips when I gamble with a lucky store keeper. No clue what I''m going to do? I''ll explain it later; my mind is filled with excitement with the trashy scam that I plotted in my mind. ¡°So the closest armory is¡­ right here.¡± I double checked the map to ensure I am in the right place. I really can¡¯t read any of these signs, huh? I stretched my limbs and shook off the nervousness grappling my heart. It¡¯s your lucky day Mr. Blacksmith. Depending on what kind of crafty person you are, I¡¯ll multiply your payday at least five folds. ¡°Sorry to interrupt!¡± I kicked open the door as hard as I could to grab the owner¡¯s immediate attention. The store was empty and dusty. A big man by his counter looks up and walks towards me, I could say he''s about¡­ half a meter taller than me? How the hell did he fit through the door I was coming through? When I said he was walking to me I meant he angrily stomped to me and stared daggers into my soul. ¡°What do you want kid?¡± ¡°Kid? Please, try to throw something worse than that on me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll throw you out if you prefer.¡± ¡°You¡¯re being too nice. I¡¯m a peasant here to turn your frown upside down!¡± My fingers pushed the corners of my mouth as high as they could go. Lowering yourself is one of the tactics I''ve learned to get on the better side of others. It makes them feel more superior as they lower their guard towards you which you can use this opportunity to strike. Although some people like this guy didn''t waver at all with this tactic. I''m starting to like him. ¡°Are you here to play tricks or actually doing business with me?¡± ¡°Wow, this place is sure messy. No wonder you don¡¯t have any clients.¡± ¡°Kid.¡± ¡°These quality of weapons are so outdated,¡± But they¡¯re quite good. ¡°Do you even make new ones?¡± ¡°Kid! If you¡¯re here to cause problems, leave!¡± The blacksmith roared. ¡°Get out trash!¡± "You humble me too much, whenever you insult me I could feel my heart races with excitement." "Creep, if you won''t get your ass out of my store I will personally kick you out.¡± "Whoa, enough with the threats. The reason I am here is because I would like to propose a bet, which you and I can both win, money.¡± ¡°Money?¡± The blacksmith raised his brows. He¡¯s caught the bait and now I need to reel him in. ¡°Judging this place, you¡¯ve been out matched by another store. You need money to continue your business. You prized those trophies on that shelf and want to continue being a blacksmith don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Y-yeah¡­ Kid, you say you can help me earn money. Will your method be legal?¡± I¡¯ve backed the blacksmith to a corner. ¡°One billion percent legal. Time and your doubt is our opponent. If you desperately want money, you will listen to what I have say.¡± From my calculations on how the king speaks, he should be letting my other classmates to go shopping in around two hours. I suspected two hours because of the banquet the king has prepared for my former classmates and the speed of his speeches. Did I mention I am very cautious of my surroundings? On my way out of the castle, my nose picked up a nice scent and led me to a exquisite dinning hall prepared for the heroes. I have honed my sight and hearing senses over many years to keep myself from dying a boring death and for an informant, any information you can get is very valuable. ¡°What¡¯s the bet?¡± The blacksmith asked cautiously. I need to somehow break his wall of doubt. My efforts are putting cracks but I can¡¯t give him time to repair it. "Money, mutual earnings, and a fellow business partner. Just today, a lowly trash such as I, will have your store make the more money than the other blacksmith''s." I lowered my head politely to try to convince his thoughts boarding on my plans. Acting is one of the greatest weapons I possess to wedge my way through people''s conscious and thoughts to conceal my true intentions. "Hmmm¡­ I don¡¯t know if I can trust you. Show me your chips, and what would you want in return if you win the bet-.¡± ¡°Tsk, tsk. now is not the time to declare what I want. Time is running short and I don''t want to give any handicaps to time. I need you to decide now or we¡¯ll lose our chance. The longer you wait the harder my plan will become." ¡°I... really don¡¯t know.¡± "You need proof. What I prepared for you is rich information that hasn''t been told to the outside world yet.¡± I waved his hear to my height and whispered. ¡°The king had summoned heroes, they¡¯ll need weapons soon.¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it "I-Is this true!? No wait, I need more evidence from you. Words alone aren¡¯t going to cut!" When I was summoned here I brought some things with me. My switch-knife, cellphone, hand cranked charger, my wallet, and my lock picking tools, and a .44 Magnum-. Hold on, I have a gun but I didn¡¯t bother bringing extra bullets with me? I don¡¯t think this era of this world even has the capability to create bullets yet. ¡°Have you seen any of these?¡± ¡°These are¡­?¡± The blacksmith curiously lifted my switch blade then fiddled with the gun. ¡°Mechanisms for weapons? This thing, I can see its purpose is to launch projectiles. It¡¯s compacted compare to crossbows. I¡¯m intrigued.¡± ¡°They are items of another world. I ran away from being a hero because I don¡¯t have a crest.¡± ¡°You were supposed to be a hero!?¡± ¡°I told you to keep quiet!¡± I covered his mouth. Luckily this store is dead. ¡°Keep that information confidential. If you agree, then today will be one of your happiest day of your store! Can you muster 4 golden coins?" "I-I''ll accept, here! What happens if the plan fails?" ¡°If it fails? True, I will have to compensate. Take everything I dropped on the table.¡± I passed my phone, wallet, switch blade, hand cranked generator and lock picking tools to the blacksmith. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m letting him take my gun. But he wouldn¡¯t understand the value of them since they¡¯re new to him. ¡°If I fail, sell those to the market. I guarantee one of the items will sell for a lot. In the meantime, brighten up this gloomy place, would you? Your patrons will arrive about an hour.¡± "Heh, I''m also playing a gamble against myself with the tax collectors tight behind me." "Then its luck that a trash like me will give you great wealth. I''ll come back later and teach you how to win against heroes!" You know the blacksmith is desperately stupid. I could''ve taken all the gold and come back to steal my things later but that would be boring as hell. This is why I''m going to make him work his ass off today. Besides, if things went accordingly, I would make more than these four coins he¡¯d give me. These chips here will serve an important role holding the blacksmith''s business and my life. I won''t be able to begin if I don''t have money. It''s the same with my world only this world feels more pure and free. I just want to corrupt it. Everything I say is in my opinion don¡¯t expect my truth to be the world¡¯s truth. I skipped towards the castle holding a blessed parade of my own. People rudely stared at me with strange eyes. They make me feel so alive! I finally come across a few guards standing by the side of the castle gates. They seemed heavily armed and are talking among themselves. This sounds like a very good chance to eavesdrop. I''ll stand near them for a while to see if they are the people I am looking for. "¡­ou see those heroes? I¡¯m nervous to meet them." ¡°One of them quit being a hero.¡± ¡°I caught a glance, a few of them are beauties. I¡¯m going to ask for their names.¡± ¡°Dude, a person like you will be ignored. They¡¯re heroes and were just soldiers. C¡¯mon, we need to escort them to a blacksmith later.¡± Jackpot! I got the information I need. I''ll just put on an act and start my business with them. ¡°Hello guards, I heard you mentioned heroes that came from another world?" Though they didn''t mention another world, I''ll use those words to throw them off a bit. "Crap! Citizen how did you-, wait. You''re that kid who didn''t want to be a hero." "Yup, you got me, I am that trash who didn''t want to become a hero. Even if I could it''s impossible, I don''t have a crest." "True¡­ well you scared us for a second. Did you forget something back in the castle?" "Nope, I have business with you strong looking guards. You said you were going to guide them to a blacksmith, where is that exactly?" "You want to buy weapons too? It''s the one farthest from the castle, a pain in the ass to walk there." "Then how about if I pay you with these to lead them to a closer blacksmith? He¡¯s got all sorts of weapons the other stores have.¡± I brought out the blacksmith¡¯s purse and handed them 2 gold pieces. I did some math and surveyed the area to calculate the worth of currency for this land. Each tier of currency is 1:100, like 1 gold to 100 silver. I found numbers similar to roman numerals next to unknown letters. An average dish costs about 20 coppers. Including necessities and everyday items people buy, I suspect a total of earning of 1 silver a day is necessary for one person. Guards make about 5 silver a week, I¡¯m guessing? That¡¯s what the blacksmith told me before I headed out. That amount should be sufficient to fill their family¡¯s stomach. But here, I¡¯m waving two golden coins towards the four guards. They¡¯re guaranteed to earn at least five times more they earn in a week. I¡¯ve caught their attention, but they¡¯re faces don¡¯t look relieved. ¡°Well?¡± I put on my most innocent smile. ¡°You don¡¯t have to walk so far, and you get paid. How about it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that¡­ we heard rumors about you being a criminal in the other world.¡± ¡°I see, you don¡¯t trust me. I¡¯ll tell you why I¡¯m doing this. You see, there¡¯s a blacksmith who recently lost his inspiration for his job. I pitied him, that¡¯s why I¡¯m trying to help him out.¡± ¡°Which blacksmith?¡± ¡°I believe it¡¯s Dane¡¯s Blacksmith.¡± Another guard scanned my map. Dane¡­ that¡¯s the old man¡¯s name. ¡°The one down the street to the left.¡± I pointed the map to them. ¡°By the by! If you agree, I¡¯ll tell you the names of the women you¡¯re dying to know. You¡¯ll also be given these two coins to share among yourselves. Now the only thing is¡­ what will you do?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡± One guard immediately accepted. ¡°S-same!¡± Arden you just had to do that didn''t you. Putting on your evil grin and pressuring them with your bagged eyes to seal the deal. Even if I didn''t do that, the guards will still surely accept my request but it''s a habit to stop their second thoughts. Checkmate. I¡¯ve managed to stop time¡¯s progress to hinder my plans. "W-we just have to lead the heroes to get equipment and Dane¡¯s blacksmith should do. Well be there in 45 minutes when the heroes finish their banquet." "Thank you kind soldiers! That lightens my friend and my heart a lot! Could I also ask another favor?¡± ¡°Sure, anything buddy!¡± ¡°I need you to split these specific people from the group, have them enter the blacksmith at a later time. Here is 1 more gold coin for your efforts." Here I thought the people here would be more loyal to their jobs. I guess there are similarities here and back in the old world. Some people here are the same back home, easily bribed and finding a way to do less work. While only a rare few work hard and diligently. Then again, I¡¯m only witnessing a small portion of the new world. It¡¯s been easy, but I''ll expect the road to make my playground be more difficult in the future. Now, that I''ve finished my business I''ll head back to the blacksmith and update him about the situation. With one gold left, I decided I will go treat myself to a meal before I plan out the situations with him. I still have another half an hour to go. - ¡°Dane, I¡¯m back!¡± I kicked open the door as hard as I could. ¡°Hey-! Oh it¡¯s you.¡± The blacksmith stomped towards me. ¡°No wait. Could you stop kicking my door every chance you get!? You¡¯re putting a dent on the wall!¡± ¡°Relax, old man. How is your side?¡± I inspect the shop it looks very clean and there are some fancy weapons on the racks and cases. I look around once more and noticed there are no price tags anywhere, this blacksmith has some tactics in selling things. Without a price tag you can force customers to engage into a bargain with you. If you are cunning enough, you can set the price as high or low then you can argue from there. ¡°Wow! It¡¯s all sparkly, why wasn¡¯t it like this when I came here?¡± "Because your appearance and attitude was trash-. What¡¯s that on your cheek? Sauce? Did you use my money to buy food!?¡± ¡°Ya know, even rats like me need to eat.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to stop arguing against you.¡± The blacksmith sighed. ¡°How were your preparations?" "There were some hiccups here and there. I got everything under control, It''s all good. Here is the document the soldiers gave me saying the heroes will visit your shop, don''t worry." "Does that mean victory is assured?" ¡°No, I did my part and now it¡¯s your turn. There are some nuisances who¡¯ll be able to talk their way through for a discount. I bribed the soldiers to send them somewhere else so worry about the first wave. I came back because I''m going to teach you how to talk through those heroes. Grab a piece of paper and write these down quickly, we only have 10 minutes left.¡± A few of my former classmates have picked up annoying dream jobs. They¡¯ll certainly affect the blacksmith¡¯s sales by picking out flaws of his handy work. I separated the susceptible few who the blacksmith could milk as much money off them before they intervene. "Thanks, I guess." "Just remember I don''t do charity work. You can start repaying by insulting a trash like me, haha." ¡°Creep.¡± ¡°Even better!¡± For the last 10 minutes, I took out my phone and had him to jot down all the interests of all my classmates. Don''t call me a stalker, I collected their secrets in high school thinking I can use to embarrass the shit out of them if any of them crossed paths with me. Information is information and it''s very valuable. "What is that?" "A magical device you won¡¯t be able to comprehend. Hurry and write, we don''t have much time." After all the information was written down, I was granted permission to retrieve my items. I left him alone to study the information and exited the store not before telling him the debt will be collected hours later. I did the easy part. It¡¯s up to him and I haven''t even said what I wanted as a reward, so I will use that advantage to its fullest. I wonder how much I can plunder from the blacksmith later. This is just the beginning. This new world is able to entertain me so far. I can feel both my heart and spine being tickled by the sheer excitement of my own thoughts. This is going to be so fun! Maybe I should hit the bookstore to kill time. C4 - Terrible Me, I Am I¡¯m being followed. Left and right, I can feel my stalker¡¯s sharp gaze on me while I can¡¯t look back. The feeling of being ogled all over is well¡­ surprisingly new. I¡¯ve worked with crowds, I¡¯m a big attention whore, but this is one person staring at me. I¡¯m usually followed by a whole gang of stalkers wanting to ¡®play¡¯ with me. I think it started right after I left Dane¡¯s shop. I felt glares from the crowd. My spine gave myself its usual tickle, then I felt an urge to lean to the side and managed to dodge a knife thrown at my face. I¡¯m grateful to my attacker, since they gave me such a nice present. It had the kingdom¡¯s emblem on it and a note I can¡¯t read. Thankfully, a symbol near the bottom speaks the entire message. An eye, ¡°I¡¯ll be watching you¡± or something like that. I would love to escape from this stalker, but I haven¡¯t spotted anyone fishy. I¡¯d stir unnecessary trouble if I attempted to shake them off. All I know, as long I stay inside buildings, their prying eyes won¡¯t reach me. By giving out their presence, they¡¯re testing me. ¡°If it¡¯s a chase you¡¯re looking for, I¡¯ll give you one.¡± I said while smacking my lips. Whoever they were, my guts tell me they weren¡¯t serious about killing me. It would help me kill time. Is there a possibility they¡¯re using magic to throw my senses off? How are they finding me whenever I take a shortcut or hide myself inside crowds? Hopefully, they didn¡¯t notice my scheme. I better lure eyes away from the store when the guard brings them there. - - I look to a performer singing. His voice inspired me to sing a piece that resonated in my head. Children gave me blank stares, their guardians quickly carry them off away from me. "Oh! I have all my fingers The knife goes Chop Chop Chop If I miss the spaces in between My finger will come off But all the same I play this game, cause that''s what''s it''s all about!" I fucking love this song, especially when I play a game based on this song with my friends back home. Now that I think about it I don¡¯t have any friends. Why? They died! Then what about my enemies? I just let them live longer then my friends. As they say, bring your friends close, your enemies closer. Now that I think about it, I think I took that phrase literarily. Yeah, I don¡¯t make a lick of sense. Then again, when do you expect me of all people to make sense, am I right? Two hours¡­ I have a stalker that I need to find in that time. I don¡¯t want to make anything grand that¡¯ll effect my deal with the blacksmith. I¡¯m at a lost, I need to create my own advantage. For now, I¡¯ll go by the information shack again. I really need to start learning this world¡¯s words. I can¡¯t read this map. ¡°Hey.¡± I call to the soldier stationed by the information shack. ¡°I¡¯m back and need your charitable assistance once again!¡± ¡°You¡¯re that kid who took a map and ran. I remember you.¡± She shut her book and relaxed on her chair with her arms crossed. I think I made a bad impression on her. I have to be more careful. Her job requires her to know things. Right now, she is my ¡®go to¡¯ for gathering the basics of this world. I don¡¯t want to upset her. ¡°I really appreciate your help, it¡¯s just that my friend was in trouble at that time. Will you forgive a piece of trash like me for my rude behaviour?¡± I lowered myself. ¡°H-hey! Don¡¯t lower yourself, you¡¯re going to get me trouble! C¡¯mon, it¡¯s embarrassing. Stop that! I¡¯ll help, so j-just stop!¡± ¡°Perfect, here is the map you handed me. Can you point me to a place where a person can find interesting books or learning materials?¡± ¡°Weird way of saying library.¡± The information clerk dipped her quill. ¡°There is another place where you can get books if you¡¯re interested in learning how to craft medicine. The apothecary is here, and the library is around the corner over here-.¡± ¡°Thanks for your assistance again, I¡¯m off!¡± I snatch the map away and ran. ¡°Wha- again!?¡± She shrieked. People''s expressions are priceless, but what makes my blood filled with happiness are the faces people create to antagonize one another. While I''m making my way towards the library I''ll stop by the apothecary first. Now where am I? "Turn left~, right-. Ouch! What gives?" The bracelet on my arm refused my entry to the crowded street in front of me. So this is what the king meant by restricting me to some areas. Bastard¡¯s making me take the long route to my destination. The information clerk didn¡¯t happen to remember I have this bracelet on me. I wonder what¡¯s keeping me from entering this street. I see weird totems placed at the beginning and the end of the street. They emit some form of magnetic field repelling my bracelet. Well, there¡¯s nothing I can do. I¡¯ll take a detour to the apothecary then the library. It sucks being illiterate in an unknown world. I can only match the symbols on the map to navigate the city. I¡¯ll have Dane teach me the basics when I return to see his progress. Twenty minutes have passed since I was wandering aimlessly on the passages the bracelet allowed me to pass. I finally found an apothecary hidden on one of these streets. Who the hell designed this city? The architect scattered all these random dead ends everywhere. I wonder if I blow up all these buildings, will they reform the layout? Probably not. Hey readers. I know I¡¯ve been whining and complaining, there¡¯s also times I want to break things but you have to know I have zero resources available to me. Nada. None. I¡¯m trying to set some foundation at the moment and it takes time you know. Cling da ling- ¡°¡°Oof!¡± ¡°Ouch!¡±¡± An impatient customer bumped into me at the entrance into the apothecary. ¡°Watch it!¡± He yelled at me. He was cloaked. Beside him, his purchases piqued my interest. Three books laid on the ground, one with a thunderbolt symbol, another with a green bottle and the last with a blue bottle. His receipt was laying exposed beside the bag of books. ¡°Shit, they¡¯re dirtied because of you.¡± Chack-chack. I had an urge to snap a photo of his goods before he panickily hides them. Something about how this guy¡¯s behaviour rubbed me the wrong way. When the two of us stood up, I spotted a small wound on my palm. Nothing big, just a small cut that gave me an idea. ¡°Ow! There¡¯s a cut on my hand!¡± I suddenly cried and pretended to be in immense pain. ¡°Go see a doctor. I don¡¯t have time for this.¡± ¡°You bumped into me, you do something! I¡¯m just a tourist!¡± Without attracting the cloaked man¡¯s attention, I stretched the cut with my knife and squeezed the back of his cloak. I made sure to grab hard enough for my blood to soak a stain of his overall as an insurance if I think what I think this store is. That bloodstain on his cloak is going to attract the guards and hopefully my stalker. ¡°Screw off!¡± He brushed my arm aside and marched away. I can see he exposed a bracelet much like mine on one of his arms. He dropped his receipt. It might prove useful so quickly took a picture of it then called out to him. He snatched it off my hands without a thanks, how polite to someone trashy like me~. "What''s with the ruckus- hello young lad, how can I help you?" The shop keeper poked her head out of her shop. ¡°I want to make some purchases from your store but one of your customers rudely bumped into me. Mind if you let me browse your store?¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± The store clerk is an old lady, from my guess she is in her 50-60s. Though she is old I can tell from her stance, her habit of walking silently piqued my interest. She¡¯s hiding something.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. The books in her store are only simple medicine recipes with a roman numeral (I) or (II) on the sides. The man I saw was carrying at least (IV). There is a chance it may represent volumes. I can smell something fowl in the air and it was not the smell coming from her smoke pipe. For now, I purchased a roll of bandages to wrap around my hand. I scrolled through the isle for books. I don¡¯t understand any of the words on them. "Hey granny, can you help me?" My voice clearly reached her but she won¡¯t answer. What an annoying granny. She¡¯s being an ass when a customer is asking for assistance. Let¡¯s try a different approach. ¡°Hey lady.¡± ¡°What?¡± This calls for a revaluation. She¡¯s those types of people. ¡°What do the numbers represent on the covers?¡± ¡°You¡¯re that age and you don¡¯t know? Do you even go to school?¡± ¡°Never paid attention to my classes~.¡± ¡°They¡¯re the difficulties of stronger and more dangerous recipes. By law, all stores need a licence if we want to sell higher level of books.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s the highest level you¡¯re permitted to sell here?¡± ¡°Ones and twos.¡± ¡°What about fours?¡± "So you''re here to cause trouble eh? Get lost lad before I call the guards." ¡°What¡¯s with shopkeepers assuming I¡¯m trouble because of a question? First the blacksmith, now you¡­ is this city friendly to tourists?¡± ¡°Boy, you don¡¯t know what you¡¯re asking for. Do you really not know what you¡¯re even trying to buy?¡± ¡°I seriously don¡¯t. I¡¯m new to this city and I¡¯ve recently taken an interest to create my own potions. Say, what¡¯s legal and illegal on the market? Will you help a lowly alleyway boy like me understand?¡± Wow, I didn''t even expect myself to do an innocent kitty face¡­ I surely have to pay attention to what kind of faces I''ll be making in the future. At least it was effective enough to convince the old granny to give a sigh and grab a quill and paper. ¡°Fine, but it¡¯ll cost you. Grab a stool and pay attention to the slate.¡± ¡°Awesome! You¡¯re the best granny-!¡± ¡°Lady.¡± ¡°Lady.¡± I corrected myself. ¡°Could I also ask you to explain the symbols of all kinds of books?¡± I readied my phone to take pictures of her lecture. "Alright, pay attention, I won''t repeat again. By the way, what is that thing you''re holding?" ¡°A magical device to take notes. Don¡¯t worry about it~.¡± ¡°Whatever.¡± The granny scoured her messy drawer of receipts and empty glass vials. Writable paper must be expensive. I¡¯ve came to this conclusion from the amount of chalk she had more than one bottle of ink and the wear of the slate she had constantly used. Right now, this isn¡¯t important. I zoned out for a bit and when I¡¯ve come to reality, she had already written symbols to differentiate different potions. -The colored bottles; depending if they¡¯re green, red or blue, they can replenish stamina, health or mana. For now I should focus on stocking stamina potions since I clearly lack athleticism. -The arm symbol references as strength boost. Steroids in a fantasy world? -Shield symbol references as defence boost. -Boots references as Speed boost potion. Wait, in this world you drink something and you get to move faster? How does that even work!? Snap, snap. I took photos for each symbol she drew. Finally her explanation reached the more difficult and dangerous potions that require higher ranking licences to sell. These books teach the reader to make status aliment inflicting potions. ¡°What¡¯s wrong boy? Your smile is disturbing.¡± ¡°I¡¯m learning. I love learning!¡± I cover the lower part of my mouth, also stretching my cheeks to calm my wicked smile. ¡°I¡¯m very happy you¡¯ve gone your way to teach me this.¡± ¡°Hmph, I don¡¯t want to bore myself.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too kind~.¡± Indeed, she is too kind to help someone as helpless, worthless trash like me. It makes it sweeter when I use this knowledge for something wicked. ¡°Hey.¡± The old granny snapped her fingers in my face. ¡°Pay attention. If you¡¯re going to pursuit your dream as a pharmacist you should remember these ones thoroughly.¡± She wiped the slate with her rag. Each time her shaky arms smudge over the writing board, her bracelet scratched the board and makes an irritating sound. I¡¯m very bothered by that noise. I can see why her slate doesn¡¯t have much longer to be intact any longer. -Thunderbolt, in terms of some mobile rpgs I played, they usually represent paralysis and in this world too. I need to somehow get my hands on this but the bracelet on my wrist won¡¯t let me into shops that could legally sell this. -Droplet, poison. In my old world, I¡¯ve never consider using poison. I rather make loud noises. Oh, how I would love to grab some explosives! However, I may need to add poison in my arsenal until I can get large quantities of explosives. -Rock, slow potions. Yeah, no. I don¡¯t need this- maybe during tortures. Does it also affect inanimate objects as well? -X on an eye, blind. Can¡¯t I use smoke bombs for this? Now that I grabbed some information, it¡¯s time to test my wits against the granny. I need her as a stepping stone to go against my stalker chan~. ¡°Say, I remember the man bought a book with a yellow thunderbolt symbol on it. Aren¡¯t those illegal in your store?¡± ¡°Kid, you¡¯re imagining things. If you¡¯re here to bring trouble, get out.¡± Okay, good. I¡¯m glad she hasn¡¯t lost composure this early. I¡¯m just testing the waters. Let¡¯s see how she fares before the guards discover the cloaked man. However, I¡¯m very keen to spot signs of anxiety. The granny¡¯s avoiding all eye contact and a small bead of sweat formed on the side of her wrinkly face. GOOD! GOOD! Entertain this scum for a while, it¡¯ll be worth to savor the expression. I¡¯ve already won without ay effort. ¡°Right, I must¡¯ve imagined it.¡± ¡°Yes, you did.¡± ¡°Or not.¡± I unlocked my phone and push the image towards her. The owner¡¯s eyes widened when she saw the exacted customer and the goods on the screen. Oh, what a perfect reaction! She¡¯s trembling in fear¡¯s chilling grasp not knowing what bit of information she gave me was used against her. If you think I¡¯m only going as far to interrogate you, you¡¯re dead wrong. I have another surprise that will surely give you a heart attack! ¡°T-that¡¯s fake! You conjured a fake image on your magical device!¡± She argued. ¡°I agree. In this world, the concept of photography might not exist.¡± ¡°Fo-to? What devilry are you talking about, troublemaker? I¡¯ll call the guards on you this instant!¡± ¡°Do it. I¡¯d love to tell the guards about this. After all, I didn¡¯t just take one photo.¡± With a gentle swipe, I show her a slideshow of pictures, including the man¡¯s face who now owned the books. ¡°They¡¯ll find him and interrogate who was the vendor of those books. What excuses will you make? I have evidence. I wonder if the guards will believe me?¡± ¡°Y-you¡¯re trying to blackmail me by falsifying c-claims?¡± ¡°What if they already know?¡± I grinned. ¡°I left quite a bloodied mark on the customer that was holding to all those illegal purchases. It¡¯s sure to attract some guards to do an inspection check on his belongings.¡± ¡°Y-You demon! Were you aiming to tear down my shop from the beginning!?¡± The owner fell on her bottom frightened, grasping tightly on her chest. I really hope she is having a heart attack. My appearance what seems to be devilish in her eyes. I want to savor that expression but another surprise is coming soon, you better not die yet granny! *BAM BAM BAM* ¡°This is the guards, open up! We suspect the trading of unlicensed goods came from this store. We have apprehended the man and he confessed he brought his items from this specific store!¡± HAHAHAHA! My luck couldn¡¯t get better! This insanely great timing couldn¡¯t get any better, I¡¯m having a blast! Check, did I climax? Nope. Okay, I¡¯m still good. Seriously, this twisted luck of mine is as insane as I am! ¡°N-No! I can¡¯t go to jail! I still have little Suzie to look after!¡± ¡°Do you want this trash to save you?¡± ¡°I refuse! How do I know you won¡¯t threaten me any more after this!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, you won¡¯t know. Unfortunately, you don¡¯t have much of a choice, so this degenerate will offer you two choices. Either get punished by the guards or repay this trash that will free you from these hellish chains.¡± She looks around the store trying to find someone else to help her, but it¡¯s only the two of us present in the shop. Since she couldn¡¯t turn to anyone her eyes pointed at me and begged for mercy. ¡°So? What will it be? HAHAHAHA!¡± ¡°Please¡­ please help me.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t hear you~.¡± ¡°Help me! I''ll do anything, you want the books I sold to that man right? I''ll give it to you, please help me! Please!" Well duh, of course she would have wanted my help. She even got on her knees and begged desperately. ¡°Then don¡¯t make a noise. I¡¯m going to do something dangerous, so take cover.¡± I need a stage. I kicked opened the back door then ran near the bookshelves and threw all books off the shelves. My plan was to create as much disturbance to startle the guards not to frighten them away but to encourage them to charge to the shop. From my phone, I quickly scroll to the sfx app to add noises to the mix. I quickly brush my hand over dusty tomes and gave myself a worn look. The owner was exactly where I wanted her to be, hidden underneath her desk. Then, lo and behold, the brave guards tore down the front entrance and rushed in with their weapons drawn. They found me buried underneath a pile of books. ¡°H-hey! It¡¯s that kid! Help him out now!¡± It¡¯s the same group that lead my former classmates to Dane''s Blacksmith. That makes it easier to manipulate them. Time to put on a mask¡­ and show time! ¡°-Cough-cough- The¡­ culprit¡­¡± ¡°Culprit¡­? Tsk, not now, are you okay?¡± ¡°No! The person¡­ he threatened the owner¡­ he tried to store some illegal goods here¡­ until I arrived and tried -cough- stopping him.¡± ¡°So¡­ a smuggling was forcibly taken place here?¡± To be honest, I did not think of a story. I¡¯m thankful the guard got mislead. Sure, let¡¯s go with his idea. Still, it really is uncomfortable being buried underneath all these books. Their edges aren¡¯t sharp enough to cause pain. ¡°Ugh!¡± I cried when I felt my leg cramping. ¡°Hurry! Go catch him! He escaped through the back!¡± ¡°Right! You two, let¡¯s hurry!¡± The guard called his partners and ran out the back. I can¡¯t believe my bullshit actually worked. Now for my prize. ¡°Granny, come out. I think I deserve something after that act I put.¡± She sweat like a pig as she crawled out from the desk. She''s tougher than she looked, I thought she would''ve fainted with all the commotion outside. "M-my shop¡­¡± "Don''t be so tense, I did as you ask and drove the guards away. That¡¯s left is for you to make an epilogue to this act I¡¯ve just created.¡± I laughed. ¡°Although I am what people hate, I still show mercy to people who I made deals with. Now, I''ll need you to pay the fee for my services. I''ll take the thunderbolt and some health, stamina, poison books with a alembic set. Oh, and prepare two bags, please and thank you.¡± Whoo! Two schemes in one day. It''s pretty tiresome if you ask me. I had granny handed me two sacks and I inspected the contents. I checked the time and it seems it is time for me to check into Dane''s Blacksmith to plunder as much gold as I can from that guy. ¡°Granny, I¡¯ll leave this bag here. I¡¯ll come pick it up later.¡± My stage is set, I can go deal with my stalker. C5 - The other side of the story This is bad. Really bad¡­ As I transfer items between my real and decoy bags, a problem had just occurred. Gosh, I am a really worrisome person. If my stalker is sent by the king to observe me, the option to eliminate him is out of the question. It would make me more suspicious if the king had lost contact with his spy. In the first place, can I really fight against someone that has much more combat experience than me? How much does this stalker know about me? How much information was given to him from my former classmates? He should know I am labelled as a criminal in my old world at the very least. I¡¯ve set the stage to draw him out, but I didn¡¯t rehearse my lines. Oh well, I¡¯ll think of something then~. ¡°Granny, hide these for me, will you? I¡¯ll come back after I clean up some matters.¡± ¡°B-but¡­ my shop¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t care. Ask your insurance company to compensate you or something. We¡¯ve created a phantom culprit so it¡¯s now your responsibility to lie all the way till the end. Then, adios!¡± I wave as I exited the back door with my decoy sack. On my map, I¡¯ve marked the roads I cannot access. I got out from the alleyway rather than the front entrance to make me more suspicious. There¡¯re a few scenarios I hoped that can draw out my stalker:
  1. I hope they have strong sense of justice. If they care about the people of their city, they would try to help the weak if they see someone is being bullied. (My tactic)
  2. I am indispensable. The king suspects I still have worth. There might be this unknown power resonating within me I don¡¯t even know. If my former classmates have one, I should too but I am an anomaly. With this, I have an invincibility status as long as I don¡¯t cause too much trouble. (Advantage)
  3. To follow me until I meet someone of the enemy country attempting to convert or recruit me. (Unlikely but a possibility)
  4. To make an accident to kill the spy. (Very very unlikely. More like impossible)
So far, I am making conditions 1 and 3 seem plausible. I cannot control the factor of number 2. Number 4 will be my last resort. I must be cautious of my actions. If I make one sudden move, my amateur stalker might get replaced with a more experienced one. As soon as I stepped on the open street, I felt some overwhelming pressure off the crowd. He¡¯s nearby, but I can¡¯t see who he is. This game¡¯s going to be a blast! Allow me to determine the rules before this game of cat and mouse begins. Firstly, my bracelet may be a tracking device, I cannot just run away after I draw him out. Secondly, the gaze always comes from behind or so I feel. Third, my stalker refuses to enter the buildings I visit. I weave through narrow pathways every chance I get and use the reflection off the store windows. Unless he¡¯s moving within the crowds, I can¡¯t spot him. I¡¯ll need an excuse to shake him off. The slums seems like an ideal place. I might not able to outrun you, but at least I can pull some tricks and turn sharp corners to out maneuver and corner you. I scooped some pebbles on the sideroad when I¡¯m in the alley. As I slow my pace, I glanced around to find no one trailing me. I quickly split my purse into two. One purse filled with pebbles and a few copper coins, the other secured and hidden from any possible prying eyes. I toss one of my wallet openly in the air to signify my preparations. It¡¯s about deception. To the eyes of the king, I deduce he had been able to determine my shrewdness from our last exchange. That¡¯s why he sent someone to shadow me. Exactly how many layers did he see through? What did the others tell him? There¡¯s too many variables, too little time to counter. I got cocky and careless, so the future human garbage me is compensating for it. My destination is the slums. A genuine labyrinth of unsanitary roads, this place is perfect for people as low as myself. There are no totems to stop me as well. I can explore this place unhindered. Citizens of the rural streets were suffering from poverty and hunger. Compare to me, I fed myself well, carried many resources they wish to get their thieving hands on. I need them to cause a ruckus, and have my stalker take a misstep. Now! Children of the slums, I bring riches, medical supplies and food. Come steal from me to you hearts content, let me begin my game of cat and mouse with my stalker! Be warned, I do not take responsibilities of any casualties that will happen. Hehe~. - - ¡°Yah! Hiyah!¡± Right now, I am in the middle of combat training. If I am to return to the old world, I¡¯ll need to adapt to this world¡¯s rule and win the war game those angels had proposed. ¡°Hey, focus!¡± My trainer slashed downward and stopped mid-swing. He almost gave me a concussion with a dull sword. ¡°Geez, what¡¯s with you? You were holding your own pretty good until you began to zone out.¡± ¡°Sorry¡­ I still couldn¡¯t believe I¡¯m in a different world.¡± I responded shallowly. ¡°Alright, alright. You did good anyways, you may rest.¡± The trainer waved me away. ¡°Next!¡± It was too sudden. I couldn¡¯t comprehend being teleported and forced to fight in another world. I was working like usual then sudden got sucked into this mess and got to see everyone again. Especially Arden. Just what happened to him? Was it my fault he ended up being like that? ¡°Noel, you okay?¡± Bastian called. ¡°You¡¯ve been dazing off a lot, at this rate I suggest you take a break.¡± ¡°Somehow.¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s only been a few hours and we¡¯re here beginning our training already-.¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Test, I¡¯d say. They¡¯re observing our skills.¡± As expected of the handsome knight of our high school days. He¡¯s able to calmly analyze the situation and adapt to it. I on the other hand, cannot compare to his disciplined mindset. Still, Bastian is full of surprises. I never knew he could use weapons that well until he mentioned he did some martial arts training back home. He was able to fight on par with the trainer with a practice spear. Me? I use a sword and dagger. They said for my build, I could be a decent lightweight fighter. ¡°Sir!¡± A group of guards waited by the entrance. ¡°We are here to escort the heroes to the blacksmith.¡± ¡°Great!¡± The trainer said. ¡°Alright heroes, that¡¯s the training for today. Now we must send you to a local blacksmith to get you geared up!¡± ¡°Guess we have no choice. Let¡¯s go.¡± Bastian declared and I follow behind him. Knowing we are in a fantasy world, it would be weird for us to remain dressed in clothing not from this world. The king had his servants prepared clothing for us and moved our belongings to the rooms he lent us. Currently, I believe I wore something identical to people clothed as knights. Earlier, the maids had offered me be dressed in a rather expensive dress which would not be proper to wear for training. I chose a casual soldier¡¯s wear because the dress was too flashy, and I¡¯m not used to it. Not just me, everyone except for two girls of the group had the same idea. They were chosen as a Mage and Priest, so it was fine for them to wear dresses. We have eleven people after Arden left. To summarize our roles, I was told there are four classes; Warrior, Infiltrator, Spellcaster and Healer. I would be an infiltrator as my weapons are dependant on speed and a stealthy dagger like user. Bastian would be a Warrior. The eleven of us were led into the courtyard where two carriages were waiting for us. One was large enough to fit all of us, why two? ¡°Noel, need a hand?¡± The one who stretched out is not Bastian. His name is Frank, black hair, glasses, blue eyes. A rather quite person when we studied in the same class. I remember seeing him in the library everyday and reading even in classes. Although he¡¯s quiet, I heard he occasionally likes to help the librarian clean up at the end of the day. Surprisingly he does work at the same company as an accountant. He became one of the Healers of our team. ¡°Right, thanks.¡± ¡°Seriously, those two who are clinging onto Bastian are annoying! They need to leave him alone!¡± Beside me a women pouted. Her name is Christine, brown hair, green eyes. She¡¯s a girl I got along during the beginning to the end of our high school days. Work had me stop visiting her, but we would talk over phone. She¡¯s a tad eccentric but she would always help me with my studies... in return that I help her barely pass her science courses. She is one of the Warriors of our team. ¡°Are you saying you like him?¡± ¡°No, no, I already have a boyfriend.¡± She boasted. ¡°He¡¯s kind, he¡¯s strong, he¡¯s caring-. And those two girls are being stupidly loud and thirsty!¡± ¡°Christine, settle down.¡± Frank who remained cool and composed, sighed. ¡°At this rate, you¡¯re going to cause trouble.¡± ¡°They¡¯re annoying! I want to flirt with my boyfriend like that too! I want to go back! I miss him!¡± ¡°Well¡­ that behaviour¡¯s certainly not going to help.¡± I laughed. ¡°Nooooeeeeelllll! Comfort meeeee!¡± She burrowed herself in my chest. ¡°T-that tickles! Hey c¡¯mon! Stop! Hahahaha! Christine, there are guys here!¡± Once everyone climbed onto their seats, the driver signalled the horse to pull us into the city. Among the eleven, I noticed three of us were separated to another carriage, Basitan was one of the few. This seems fishy, but I can¡¯t wrap my thoughts about the feeling I¡¯m getting and it¡¯s not from Christine tickling me all over. This is where our crests began to act weirdly, like we¡¯re in some kind of game. This city¡¯s layout was built similar to a medieval themed amusement parks. The houses were mostly designed of European middle aged style. The flagstones account for bumpy ride all the way to the blacksmiths. The store was called Dane¡¯s blacksmith and I somehow managed to understand the unknown characters being translated in my mind. ¡°Welcome heroes!¡± A large man larger than the entrance came to greet us. ¡°I have a fine selection of weapons displayed around the store. Please feel free to ask questions when you find the weapon of your preference!¡± Weird¡­ I wonder how did he fit through the door I was coming through? It¡¯s a fantasy world, I shouldn¡¯t question much about it. The interior does look like an authentic blacksmith workshop. The forgery and anvil are behind the counter and the displayed items seemed reasonable in size. I have a feeling Arden is related to this shop. The guards knew our names, and there are no price tags on the shelves. Christine, Frank and the others began browsing through the store as I decided to confront the blacksmith. ¡°Excuse me, has anyone named Arden visited before us?¡± ¡°Arden? Sorry miss, I¡¯ve never heard of that name.¡± He blankly stared at me, rubbing his beard. His act, his voice and confusion were genuine. I can conclude he was not lying. ¡°Ah, thanks. I¡¯ll go look at your selections now.¡± ¡°Ah, hold on. You must be Noel, right?¡± ¡°Yes, but how did you know?¡± ¡°The documents the soldiers gave me had descriptions of each of you. I¡¯m trying to know your names, so I may be able to help with your choices of armor and weapons it you needed help in the future.¡± And I thought Arden told him¡­ even though the blacksmith never heard of him, I couldn¡¯t help but to think he had something to do with this. ¡°W-what the!?¡± Christine suddenly shouted. ¡°I see a screen in front of me. N-Noel! I¡¯m scared!¡± ¡°Let me see.¡± Everyone could see it. The thing glowing in front of her was a scroll with a quill on the side. I walked by her side and inspect it, the contents were:
Name: Steel Cutlass
Dur: 1000/1000 STR: 14 AGI: 3 DEX: 5 INT: 0 VIT: 2
A simple steel sword forged by a local blacksmith.
Statistics? No. We¡¯re literarily in a war game that decides on factors using numbers. I thought. ¡°Frank, grab something.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± He searched the isle and picked up a weapon. ¡°It did the same!¡±
Name: Blue Iron Mace (Water)
Dur: 500/500 STR: 7 AGI: 0 DEX: 2 INT: 15 VIT: 1
An iron mace imbued with the element water. Each hit has a small chance to inflict water blight.
¡°Water blight?¡± Frank questioned and pressed on the unfamiliar word.
Water Blight: To inflict water elemental damage to make the opponent¡¯s equipment seem heavier. Useful to exhaust a target.
¡°I see! We have to find the best stats for our weapons.¡± Christine added. ¡°You know that¡¯s going to be expensive.¡± The blacksmith laughed. ¡°It¡¯d be all the best ones I have.¡± ¡°We have the soldiers covering the costs for us.¡± Frank held onto the mace he picked up. He seems to have taken a liking to it. ¡°I¡¯ll take this.¡± ¡°Pleasure doing business with you! Now how about some armor to go with that?¡± C6 - Questions otherwise I could not ask Back to me. That¡¯s right, give your attention to this whore right here. I¡¯ve also bought myself a some new accessories upon arriving to the slums. You know? That poor child was just starving. I took a liking to the pins she wore and bought them for more than the price it should be. Two black bobby pins for my black-ish brown hair. My current goal is to remove this bracelet off my wrist. With it, I was told I am forbidden to leave this city. I heard these from a group of strong looking kind man who offered me a makeover. Sadly I wasn¡¯t ready to change my already ugly face and am now running from them. This will see if I am valuable to my stalker assigned to follow me on behalf of the king¡¯s orders. ¡°Get back here you shit!¡± One man called. ¡°I¡¯m flatter but that¡¯s ironic seeing how you actually had horse shit in your mouth!¡± I have a reason to start running. I can try to shake off the stalker as well as my pursuer. How did this happen? Simple. I scouted for the most notorious man-, and that¡¯s by finding a group tearing down someone else¡¯s stall and threatening the owner. With straps of torn cloth, probably someone¡¯s laundry, I scraped dung off the ground and slapped it on the leader¡¯s face. I proceeded to laugh and insult him until he became this rampaging bull he is. But¡¯s he¡¯s fast. In no time, he¡¯s halfway from the distance we started with. The others in his little group were also fast. They were able to find shortcuts and corner me, but I¡¯m tricky with how I move and my size allows me to hastily slip through the narrowest pathways compare to their muscular builds. I don¡¯t know this place well. ¡°Gotcha!¡± I was caught off guard when suddenly a man crashed through a wooden fence. He pushed me onto the ground and raised his axe. ¡°Geh!?¡± Why did he hesitate? Was it because of the smile I was holding? That¡¯s right, you thought I would be scared shitless. Too bad! I¡¯m already someone willingly to accept death! I really wished I had a mirror. I would have loved to see which kind of my hundred faces of smile it is. My smile was able to buy me a fraction of a second I needed to fight back. I took my stone filled purse and smacked him before he decided to chop my head off. ¡°So close, so close!¡± I tore my bag for a dose of stamina potions. The contents turned from liquid into vapour as it ran down my throat and reenergized my body. It¡¯s flavourless like water, just so if you¡¯re wondering about the taste. As I drank, my attacker recovered and lunged towards me. Two knives disarmed my attacker¡¯s weapon at the same moment I smashed the glass bottle over his head and continue running. There he is! From the rooftops, a small piece of a cloak figure¡¯s cloth fluttered as it sinks behind the buildings above. I found you, my mysterious stalker~! Seems like I guessed right for number 2. The king doesn¡¯t want me to die yet. As for this stalker, he¡¯s is doing exactly what I said for condition 1. ¡°Fuck, what are you smiling about!?¡± Another man leaped from the alley and ambushed me. My body felt hot. This pleasure from people wanting me dead is nostalgic. Sorry, I can¡¯t die now. ¡°Free money!¡± I shouted as I threw a purse of stone and copper coins in his face. It stunned him until he was ran over by denizens of the slums. ¡°Move! Fuck! Gah!¡± I was able to catch a glimpse of the stalker. I stole one pursuer¡¯s axe and my stalker¡¯s knives then ran deeper into the slums. Luckily there were three more people who wanted me dead. They quickly found me and we continued our game of man hunt. I¡¯ll spare the details about the chase. Trust me, it got repetitive. This chase began in the evening. Before I knew, night had come. My phone was charged at 45% from my solar bank and rapidly decreasing to 20% when I activated its flashlight option and useful apps. I finally rounded up my bait to corner myself in one dead end. ¡°We got you now! There¡¯s no escape.¡± The leader huffed and puffed. He drew his stiletto and slowly closed in on me. ¡°I¡¯m going to carve you up real good after what you did.¡± ¡°I rather not get so close, you smell like shit.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because its your fault!¡± He roared. His companions charged alongside him with their weapons ready to strike me. I¡¯ve ran randomly, around, in buildings and everywhere of the slums. I lured many crowds together to distract and block roads of these delinquents. All of these should cause a panic for my stalkers. ¡°Stop!¡± My white knight dropped in front of me. He was cloaked in the same style as I spotted him, wielding a sword. Appearance wise, he¡¯s just as suspicious as me. ¡°Further attempts to harm this man will result you three locked in dungeons.¡± ¡°But he-!¡± ¡°Do I make myself clear?¡± ¡°Tch. This isn¡¯t over!¡± The leader shouted back as he waddled away with the other two. Taking my chance, I revealed the axe underneath my jacket and swung at him. He blocked it. I flashed him with my phone continued my surprise to tripped him. You should see the look in his face, his eyes were widened. Then with the knives he kindly gifted me, I stabbed one next to his neck. ¡°You bastard-.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for you.¡± I couldn¡¯t contain my excitement and interrupted. ¡°This little game of cat and mouse has ended. Seems like this rat has finally ratted the cat into his trap, don¡¯t you think?¡± Slowly, I gently scratch the surface of his neck with the blade. Most would be scared what I planned to do. My stalker says otherwise. He has a good pair of eyes, not of fear or hate. He¡¯s disciplined enough to note I would not harm with if he wouldn¡¯t do anything rash. ¡°What do you want? Do you want to know who sent me?¡± ¡°Close, but I already know. It¡¯s the king isn¡¯t it?¡± His silence confirms my suspicion. ¡°What I want is this bracelet off my wrist. Will you tell this scum how to take this off?¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°A key.¡± ¡°And where will I find this key?¡± ¡°You won¡¯t.¡± A third voice rang behind me. Before I thought about turning around, I could feel something poking my neck. ¡°Arden Charles, on behalf on our king¡¯s orders you are under arrest. Public disturbance, assault on the innocent and authorities, destruction of properties. Those are your crimes. What say you?¡± ¡°Well hot diggity do. It seems I lost this game. There was a dog chasing a cat chasing a rat.¡± I was so focus on one, I forgot the possibility of another stalker. ¡°Those are some low level crimes I did- Oof!¡± I got what I deserved for being careless. My consolation prize? A mighty blow to my head rendering me unconscious. Dane, hold on to my share of money for a bit longer would you? This might take a while. - - ¡°Discovered: Unusual guest.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me I died from that pathetic blow?¡± I¡¯m back to where the angels were, only this time I¡¯m alone and scenery changed. It¡¯s not a black void like last time. Instead, I see trees hanging upside down from the ceiling, floating cats, red veins wrapping the white background. I¡¯m keeping my balance thanks to the blue disc of flames acting as my ground. This is some weird shit I¡¯m smoking. Standing in front was a different type of angel I don¡¯t remember from the last group. Her wings were mechanical, cyborg like and implanted on both sides of her hips. If you ask me, I won¡¯t know if she¡¯s a robot or a being modified to look like that. ¡°Fuck, I won¡¯t forgive myself if I ever die from something like that.¡± I muttered. ¡°Correction: You are not dead.¡± ¡°Then why am I here?¡± ¡°The most logical answer: We have failed to provide you with power equal to other pawns sent to each kingdoms. We have noticed your crest has malfunctioned, your crest¡¯s only function is to translate the spoken language of the world.¡± Crest? That meant everyone aside from me has gotten some magical esper superpowers. If I encounter them with my schemes, it¡¯d probably be a kid¡¯s heroes and villain show where I would lose. And I hate losing. It doesn¡¯t get my opponent mad enough to call me names. ¡°Therefore, conclusion: We will repair your crest and have you return-.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t want it. Someone as loco coco as me does not deserve to be a hero. I don¡¯t want some convenient powers that¡¯ll suddenly make my life easier. Instead, why not give me information regarding to the powers of my former classmates?¡± ¡°Denied: Wish can not be granted. Your request violates the rule of the war game.¡± I thought as much. If I knew everyone¡¯s weaknesses from the start, this game wouldn¡¯t last very long. I¡¯ll have to settle for the second best outcome for this bargain, but based on the technology integrated in the angel¡¯s body, I¡¯m practically up against a calculating machine. There¡¯s no chance to win but to aim for a consensus. That seems most logical. ¡°How about invincibility-.¡± ¡°Denied: The rule states the pawns can only given powers of crests provided by us angels.¡± ¡°And by these crests¡­ can you explain?¡± ¡°Affirmative: Access granted. I have been given permission to lecture you.¡± The angel nodded. I wanted to grab my phone, then I noticed most of my belongings from the real world was left behind. Anyways, here¡¯s a brief summary: -All crests are different. They only allow the users to use what weapons their crest is printed on the back of their hands. I remember seeing Bastian¡¯s with two spears and a shield. -Based on their given weapons, they are not allow to use others. Instead, it follows a video game setting to unlock skills the more proficient you are at using the weapon. -They are translators. I already posses the ability to understand the spoken language of this world, but I lack the understanding of characters. I can talk but not read. -Crests have the ability to open a storage compartment to safely store your items. -They allow you analyze objects. This does not include peeking at other people¡¯s status. Having a crest might be the right thing to do, but have you thought about cons for the long run? A crest defines as a hero from one of the two factions in war. You can be targeted by the opposing kingdoms at any moment. These crests also restrict the ability to use many types of weapons. I wouldn¡¯t be able to use my knife or the axe I picked up if it wasn¡¯t for this malfunction. There¡¯s also the scenario my real body is in. I should be locked up in a dungeon right now. If I accept this crest and am discovered, the king will surely force me back on the roster to fight in a troublesome war. ¡°Uncertain: Any more questions?¡± I need something that¡¯s equal to these crests, or better. I don¡¯t know how well I can bargain with a machine. ¡°Yes, you mentioned all pawns must be given equal power at the start of this game. By now, I would have lost the time needed to get on their level. Perhaps the compensation for information would be alright to catch up to the other¡¯s level?¡± ¡°Uncertain: Checking with administrator. Please wait.¡± The cyborg angel stood stilly. This game has a admin? Wonder what the person looks like. Is it a god, alien or someone like us that won a game similar to this? ¡°Answer: Permission granted. However, depending on the information you seek, we may remove some functions your crest may serve you. We will also revoke your request if the information you wish for violates the rules.¡± Good, this allows me to avoid being a hero. Now what question should I ask? What is it that I needed to know most? That¡¯s right, there¡¯s something bothering me at the start when I met the angels. ¡°How does one win this game?¡± ¡°Answer: By becoming the victors of the war.¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s the purpose of demons as the third force in this fight?¡± This question immediately put the angel in silence. As I thought, having a third force when two¡¯s enough for this war game is weird. If they really wanted us to kill each other, two is enough. ¡°Proposal: We will remove one function of your crest if we are to answer your question. Is that alright?¡± ¡°Take away the weapon¡¯s skill tree one.¡± I declared. ¡°Acknowledged: Removing UPI 64957.¡± The angel brought a screen in front of her. ¡°Answer: Demon King acts as a challenging faction and increases pressure.¡± ¡°And by faction¡­ you mean they also qualified to have the same status as the two kingdoms?¡± Again the angel went silent. I feel like I¡¯m getting close to something but I cannot wrap my mind around it. Something about a third faction could be a secret route to win this war. ¡°Proposal: We will remove two functions of your crest if we are to answer that question. Confirm?¡± ¡°Do it. Take away the storage and ability to use chosen weapons.¡± ¡°Acknowledged: Removing UPI 64972 and 64931. Answer: yes.¡± A simple yes. No detail or meaning behind it but that concludes my suspicions. The demon king is an objective to unlocking a second route to victory. My main unaskable question; What happens if we defeat the demon king? Or How do we win by defeating the demon king? Will surely violate the rule. ¡°One last question. If you need to, remove my ability to read characters of this world. To win this game, can we just defeat the enemy faction?¡± ¡°Removing UPI 64967. Answer: Yes.¡± That was more of a broad question, not anything at particular. I got everything I could from this tight lipped angel. I would love to keep the ability to analyze objects and understand the spoken language so I can¡¯t afford to ask more. ¡°Ending: Then as promised. I will return you to your world. Hero-, no. You have refused to accept the crest. I hereby appoint you as a wanderer. I wish you the very best on your journey.¡± ¡°I do too~. I can¡¯t to see what I can do in this world you brought me.¡± I said as I was bathed in white light that brought me back to the game. - - I wake up from my pleasant dream. Someone must¡¯ve changed me into these wonderful comfy clothing of rags. My arms and legs were chained. They really took everything from me. The room around was dark, lit by a small torch behind the bars in the cellular hallway. I slowly felt the area to map the area. I¡¯m on a worn carpet, no blankets. Stone walls surround me. I hear the cries of Prisoners and convicts from the opposite side from the results of brutal treatment by guards. Then something pinched my head, the two bobby pins I bought was not confiscated. Lady luck still smiled on me. I¡¯m not in a hurry to escape. Let¡¯s test out the analyze properties shall we? ¡°Analyze.¡± I looked down at my chains.
Staxains
DUL: 25/25
A deelrupp claxabtow staxains voaxank te lochlind cenvinds.
¡°Shit! Seriously!? I can''t read this! That fucking angel got me!¡± Here I thought anything analyzed would automatically be translated. C7 - Mutual Prisoners Now then¡­ what to do? I¡¯m locked up for being a cuckoo, for some petty crimes just because I was trying run away from the king¡¯s spies. I could stay in here forever, in this damp, dark, cold room the soldiers kindly dumped this lowly human in. That wouldn¡¯t make a very good story am I right? The bracelet that caused this remain attached to my wrist. My analyze skill works but it came out as texts of this world so I could not read its description. Surprisingly, objects I own are eligible. The bobby pins I bought would be an example.
Black Bobby Pins
Dur: 4/4
Description: A simple hair clip.
Hidden function (own): Could be doubled as a lockpick.
I¡¯m sure someone would read it if I asked them. First, I needed a surface to write. There¡¯s moss I can use to smudge the words. I can¡¯t take off these rags because of my chains, but there¡¯s nothing else I can use to write. I could tear off a leg from the cheap looking bed they gave me. I rather not use any strength. I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m strong enough to break it. Even the guards are nowhere in sight. ¡°Hey~, anyone else locked up in here? Hellooooo~? Heeellllllooooooooo-?¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying to sleep here, shut up.¡± On the other side, a man kicked his cell. I couldn¡¯t see his face masked by shadows, but that kick was able to dent metal bars. Moreover, the harder I peer into this darkness, small metallic surfaces reflect off the small torch from my side. This guy is much more fashionable than I am. I¡¯m jealous of the many chains restraining his neck, wrists, arms, legs, ankles and body. A total of 10 chains nailed in a cobweb formation around his cell. Other than that, I cannot identify his overall appearance. ¡°Well soooorrrryyyy. I¡¯ve just woken up from my beauty nap and no guards showed up for the past hour or so.¡± ¡°Ah, a new mate? No wonder it¡¯s so noisy.¡± ¡°Righto! What¡¯re you in to be chained up like some animal from a zoo?¡± ¡°Zoo? What¡¯s a zoo?¡± ¡°Right, I forgot this world doesn¡¯t have normal animals.¡± I muttered. ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it, pal.¡± ¡°Pal¡­? I can see why the guards decided to lock you up. You¡¯re those types of people I hate.¡± The old prisoner spoke in his gruff voice. He doesn¡¯t sound very healthy, constantly loosing his voice probably due to dehydration. Judging from his tone, he seemed to be an old man. I could make out his small stature by measure the gaps between each chains. He seems smaller than your average human grown man. I¡¯d say he¡¯s either a halfling or a dwarf but I have yet meet anyone other than humans after my summoning. If this is a fantasy world, I should expect to meet different opponents of different races. ¡°Whoa, we¡¯ve hitched ourselves on a great relationship! Just so you know, I love being hated.¡± ¡°Brat, if you¡¯ve the energy, I suggest you save it. The guards will only bring you out when you¡¯re on the brink of dying.¡± Slowly the old man¡¯s hand moved forward into the torch¡¯s dim light. ¡°I¡¯ve been in here for 1 month. I beg you, please leave me alone.¡± ¡°Oi¡­ you¡¯re kidding me.¡± First his long nails, and hairy hand were larger than mine. His were frail and skinny when compared to me and bore many small scars from exposed patches of skin. I underestimated him being locked up in here for 1 month but he¡¯s not human. His long snout exceeded my belief of how life in a fantasy world differed from my old world. He¡¯s a beast kin, a wolfman, werewolf?. His animal eyes were worthless, clinging onto hope until the very last second. Face pale. One ear, one eye missing, his tail had been severed. Lastly, the strong smell of iron does not imply his well being, yet he desperately exceeded anyone¡¯s impression of continuing to live in that condition. Clearly, the guards had way too much fun with him. ¡°HAHAHAHAHA! this is wonderful! Your fascinating existence makes me question everything this world has to offer!¡± I don¡¯t know why but I started laughing at nothing. ¡°Ha¡­ so, a werewolf. I¡¯d die to know more about you right now. Care to tell me how you wounded in here?¡± The werewolf gave me a snort then slipped his arm back into his cell. It wasn¡¯t very admirable of him, to react to someone who wanted to hear his story. I¡¯ll forgive him for rejecting me. I keep thinking, the place is fairly laxed. I haven¡¯t seen signs of guards wandering the place. Sheesh, and they say I¡¯m devious. These guards starve you until the last moment to deliver your last rites. If what the wolf says is true, I have about two days or so before I start suffering the same fate. No food equals no energy to think and that means no scheming. I can escape, but what about the wolf? I¡¯m interested in his background. By his tone, he seems like the type to never forget a debt. It¡¯s pointless to ask, I think I¡¯ll toy with him until he decides to open his mouth¡­ or fangs¡­ ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll get some food?¡± Silence. ¡°Do you know I came from another world?¡± More silence. ¡°Ha, of course you won¡¯t believe me. I can¡¯t prove how I¡¯m different than the people in this world.¡± Maybe if I rant enough, some of my words will poke a nerve. ¡°I would say people here are much rude than my old world. They have trust issues just because I¡¯m born looking shady, but then again, my existence is nothing more than trash~.¡± Even more silence. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll spare you the fun. Gosh, you¡¯re so boring.¡± I pull two bobby pins from my hair and turned them into picks. I¡¯ve done this so many times for a hobby in the old world, I can pick these locks blindfolded¡­ Actually, isn¡¯t this the same as being blindfolded? It¡¯s really dark in here. ¡°Want to escape? I brought picks with me.¡± I leaned onto my side of the bars and in return, the wolf responded. ¡°You¡­ how did you?¡± ¡°Dunno, I guess I was lucky these bobby pins blended with my hair for the guards to not notice.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I am going to definitely use this trick more often than I need to.¡± The locks on my wrists suit me. However I don¡¯t fancy having my movements restricted. -Clack! Thunk!- I stretched my legs wide and obvious for the wolf to see. That expression on him is perfect! If only he had a tail, I would be seeing it wag right now! ¡°Finally in a mood to talk are we?¡± I smiled. ¡°Tell me why you are here, maybe I can relieve of your suffering. You do pique my interest, I¡¯ve never saw anything like your kind before. In exchange for your freedom, tell me information of the same value as saving your life.¡± ¡°That¡¯s only if you do free me. Otherwise I will keep my mouth shut.¡± The wolf confidently spoke. ¡°You will need my strength to fight against the guards, am I correct?¡± ¡°You sir!¡± I clapped. ¡°Are absolutely right and wrong! I¡¯ll have you run an errand for me instead. So?¡± ¡°Tch. I hate you unpredictable kinds.¡± I proceeded to unlocking my cell and step into the hall. It¡¯s only a long tunnel with no light to indicate which path leads to the exit. -BEEP BEEP BEEP- ¡°Shit! It¡¯s so dark I couldn¡¯t see those totems.¡± Two red pillars blinked as soon as I stepped out of the cell. ¡°Well, werewolf person? Hurry and decide-!¡± In an instant, wolfman kicked down his rusty gate. He could¡¯ve escaped if his only obstacle was those worn bars, but he was bounded by 10 other chains. ¡°Please. Free me and I will be indebted to you. I cannot die now, I have to return.¡± ¡°Good answer!¡± A smile stretched across my face with the intent to challenge time to another match. -Clack- ¡°Nine! Any chance you¡¯re hungry?¡± ¡°Very.¡± He smirked. Those fangs of his are ready to tear and devour. Threads of drool ran down and hope rekindled in his predatory eyes.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Oh? Do tell me how humans of this world taste~.¡± I continued working to unshackle him. ¡°Six.¡± - - Footsteps echoed throughout the hall. Before I knew, a small patrol of ten fully armed guards discovered two opened gates; one leading to me still chained down. The chains are still on me and I calmly await my next meal the lad promised me. I can¡¯t contain my excitement any longer! I want to eat! I¡¯m very very hungry! I want to lunge at them and tear them to pieces! ¡°H-hey! One prisoner escaped!?¡± A guard entered the lad¡¯s cell to find it empty. ¡°He didn¡¯t.¡± I snorted. ¡°He told me he¡¯d like to play a game. If you say ¡®Marco¡¯ he¡¯ll reply with ¡®Polo¡¯.¡± ¡°Shut up, savage! Tell us where the kid is!¡± ¡°Who knows? I might¡¯ve eaten him.¡± Their faces went pale. The kid¡¯s right, someone doesn¡¯t want him dead. ¡°He foolishly entered my cell only to be devoured so I can live longer. I feel rejuvenated!¡± ¡°Captain! Orders!?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve kindly allowed you beast for a chance for to repent and you continue to sin!? Know your place demon spawn!¡± The captain angrily drew his sword. ¡°Execute that monster!¡± Good! GOOD! Come into my den, I want you all in my stomach! I can already taste the blood of my foes. Closer, closer, closer. This is the last of my strength, I can feel adrenaline pumping through my system. I thirst for blood and meat of these plump looking soldiers. They came off nothing more than meat pies in my mind. Two brave soldiers stepped forward, both lifting their weapons high, aiming towards my neck. Their biggest mistake was performing such a move to expose their stomachs and to not notice the illusion of me actually chained. ¡°Polo!¡± The kid shouted behind me, signalling me to rip, tear and massacre to my heart¡¯s content. He quickly unshackled the last chain off my wrist. I instantly took a bite of one man¡¯s rib on the left and smashed the head of the other into the wall. Metal, blood, meat, innards, I chewed it all. None of my food¡¯s going to go to waste. THIS IS A FEAST! I tore off limbs of my catch and swallowed them one by one. The others stood terrify as I devour their comrades. One began screaming and running, which tempted me to give chase and hunt him down. I knocked aside the remaining seven guards and pounced onto the fleeing monkey. This¡­ it¡¯s all returning to me. My primal instincts, the thrill of hunting. It¡¯s been a while. ¡°S-SAVE ME! GAAAAH!¡± The guard plead as I sank my jaws on his shoulder. I snapped his puny head then crushed his skull in my jaws. ¡°R-run away!¡± The other ants fled to the other direction. ¡°GAHAHAHA! Run, run! All of you are my dinner for starving me for a month!¡± ¡°Indeed, the most vicious type of wolf is when they¡¯re hungry. They¡¯d do anything to keep themselves fed.¡± The kid had the same wicked smile as I. ¡°Don¡¯t forget our deal.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± I smirked. With the kid keeping a lookout for escapees, I am free to roam in the dungeon for those who fled for their lives. First, the captain¡¯s subordinates. My sense of smell returned after some of the food in my stomach had been digested. I haven¡¯t had this much fun in decades! The place is dark, no light. As someone of my race, my night vision are degrees superior than humans. Not to mention I do not need to rely on my eyes as much as them. I can listen to their shivering breaths and smell their salty scented sweat. It wasn¡¯t long until I found six of the seven guards. One monkey managed to get around me and dashed for the exit. I instantly gave chase to find his body collapsed with the boy playfully twirling a wooden shiv he pulled from the guard¡¯s neck. He had me carve a toothpick with my nails when he was busy unlocking my handcuffs. ¡°Oh? You¡¯re finished with your game? Good boy! Should I pet you on the head?¡± I don¡¯t like the look in his eyes, they send chills down my spine. They purposely taunt you, irritate you. He admits himself as trash, a lowlife and yet he always hold that smug that puts you on the edge. I usually have good instincts to detect other people¡¯s intention. This kid¡¯s level is too high for me to know his purpose of setting me free. I don¡¯t know if perchance it was fate to meet this devil or I¡¯m just unfortunate. Right now, I need his help. I have no choice but to lend him my attention. ¡°Don¡¯t treat me as if I¡¯m a dog.¡± I carry my catch¡¯s arm and gnawed on the bones as I return. ¡°I am not those pat loving beast kin. I am an elder kobold.¡± ¡°No wonder why you¡¯re so short!¡± He laughed. Given his behaviour, I can somewhat forgive him for freeing me. But calling me short kind of hurts me. ¡°Spill it, kid. What kind of errand do you want me to do?¡± ¡°Can you play fetch?¡± ¡°Fetch? You¡¯re practically treating me like I¡¯m some dog!¡± I looked at him quizzically, but he seemed serious. ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t leave yet. The king hasn¡¯t given me answers for locking me up. I¡¯ll act as decoy for you to escape if you¡¯re willing to play fetch with me. Without further ado, this is what I need.¡± He wanted me to retrieve his belongings from two of buildings, then hide them in the outskirts. The bracelet on his arm prevents him from making a clean escape, so he¡¯ll try to disarm it before going anywhere. My arm on the other hand, is much larger than humans. I had heard the manufacturing time for those magic restraints to be roughly two months time, I would have starved to death by then. ¡°Name?¡± I asked. ¡°How rude~, shouldn¡¯t you offer yours before I tell you mine?¡± ¡°Uwhelt Yarfgard. As for information I promised, it will be included in your items. I used to be in the spy corps for this kingdom¡¯s army. My group was framed for falsifying information that resulted in hundreds losing their lives against the other kingdom. We brought back what they asked, then they tried to apprehend us. I need to escape in hopes of trying to find my brethren.¡± ¡°Hoho~ I¡¯ll call you Whelty! I love spies. So untrustworthy, double crossing, holding and manipulating information behind the scenes!¡± He laughed. ¡°And you?¡± ¡°I am trash, degenerate, a lowlife. The scum of scums of humans in my old word! I enjoy violence, toying with feeble minds, torture and being tortured and -.¡± ¡°Get on with it!¡± ¡°Arden Charles. I feel like we¡¯re likely to cooperate again in the near future.¡± He bowed. ¡°Likewise, if I escape unharmed.¡± I grunted. ¡°Good, carry me. My legs feel sore.¡± I began to question the likeliness of our escape. I am agile. My claws and fangs are strong weapons of mine. I also grabbed a blade and strapped on small plates of armor on my arms and legs. On the other paw, Arden¡¯s boney body lacks athleticism. He refused to remove the handcuffs and only has a dagger he looted from a dead guardsman. I doubt he could go against soldiers for a head on fight, and yet he¡¯s confident. For now, I am full of energy. I heaved him over my shoulder and sprinted for the exit. I kicked down the wooden door and dashed around the spiral staircases. I can see light. My first time seeing the sky in so long. It¡¯s as I remembered. The fluffy clouds, the blue sky. The gentle breeze brushed my blood stained fur. It truly has been a while. ¡°All units! Weapons!¡± I look down to find an army aiming the tip of their spears at me. Among the fifty, there were two groups, eleven of them stood out. They wielded a unique variety of weapons. They don¡¯t seem to be soldiers. Their newborn fighting aura does not represent them as adventurers. But one of them¡­ there was one to be careful. A capable man with a spear. This is bad¡­ the crest on their hands-. Heroes!? ¡°A-Arden!?¡± The voice wasn¡¯t mine. It came from the dual spearman and the women with boomerang blades. ¡°Why are you dressed like that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m cosplaying as a prisoner. I see you people bought yourself wonderful equipment. Did you come to love cosplaying as much as I do?¡± ¡°You cunning sly fox. You bet the arrival of some people you know.¡± I whispered. ¡°No, no. To be honest I hadn¡¯t thought of the possibility of them showing up. They¡¯re my enemies. They¡¯re heroes summoned to this world.¡± Heroes¡­ so much for heroes locking up one of their comrades. Seems to me Arden was telling the truth. These heroes must¡¯ve antagonized him in more ways than one for him to become this broken. No wonder he¡¯s willing to go on a bloody rampage with me. What should I do? I can¡¯t fight them all. There are heroes in the mix and I can¡¯t be certain of their strength. The spearman was the most terrifying of them all and he seems experienced in the art of combat with the aura I sense flowing around him. ¡°Damn monster, release me~.¡± Arden¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t convincing to increase tension. It was incredibly scripted. ¡°Hm¡­ Hehe~, if you tear off my arm, they might take me more seriously.¡± ¡°Fool! I can¡¯t do that!¡± I barked. ¡°Well, start climbing. They can¡¯t attack as long as you¡¯re holding me. Look.¡± ¡°Earth grasp!¡± A mage from the heroes chanted. ¡°Do I really have to shout each time I do this?¡± I slipped away from the slow mud arm growing from the ground and latched onto the castle walls. My claws dug between the gaps and pulled myself up with Arden shielding my back from possible projectiles. Crazy kid¡¯s laughing through this like a joke. After I got up, I continue to run. Arden suggested I throw him at the bunch of archers when they aimed their bows. I got no other ¡®bright¡¯ ideas and threw him as he instructed. When they fell, I killed them off and pull Arden back on my shoulders. ¡°HAHAHAHA! Throw me like the piece of garbage I am!¡± Sometimes I don¡¯t know what to say. I¡¯d best stay silent. Rather than me protecting him, I should say he¡¯s the one protecting me. He really is a suicidal freak, throwing himself in harms way to disarray the commands of each officers we met. We would repeat this pattern until we reached the final checkpoint. ¡°Hey. Leave Arden here, and I might spare your life.¡± I didn¡¯t know how, but the spearman reached the castle¡¯s exit faster than I could. I see¡­ I took a quick glance behind him to find the culprit behind him. The magic user used Teleport. ¡°I might as well be a dead man if I returned to that place! Kid, hang onto my fur!¡± ¡°Gotcha!¡± The sword and dagger wielder shouted as she cleaved from my blind spot. Arden immediately plucked a batch of my hair and threw it on her. ¡°OUCH!¡± ¡°Achoo!?¡± ¡°And this one¡¯s allergic to dogs!¡± He parried her dual blades with a dagger, then kicked her. He¡¯s very proficient when it comes to small weapons like a shiv or knife. His finger twirled the dagger dexterously in the most complex pattern. ¡°Warn me next time you do that!¡± I roared. ¡°That hurts!¡± ¡°I just saved your life, bud.¡± He sighed then walked to wards the dual spearman. ¡°Bastian, my dear Bastian~, Can¡¯t you see what they did to this poor fella? He¡¯s been starving for weeks, it¡¯s not his fault for eating his owners who don¡¯t feed him.¡± Behind the spearman, Bastian, the tiny magic caster trembled. Even though they look all grown, deep down they¡¯re only a pup. It¡¯s a good thing they haven¡¯t matured yet or this escape would be more trouble than I anticipated. In terms of strength, the present me should be enough to outpower him. ¡°Then what about you? Are you planning on escaping with that prisoner?¡± ¡°Who knows?¡± Arden said as he immediately rushed him. Of course, I needed to offer support and followed him closely. In an instant, my fur stood up. I see a spear reaching for my head, stopping short because of the chains from Arden¡¯s handcuffs catching Bastian¡¯s thrust. ¡°You idiot wolf! You almost wasted a good opportunity! Run!¡± ¡°Damn you! Frank, you¡¯re up!¡± ¡°Smite!¡± Without a word, I leap away from a earth breaking blow. One hit from that, and my bones would break. A man with specks clicked his tongue when his mace missed me. I sprint into the city where I blended myself in the slums before working on his errand. My cheeks were sore, it was until I came across a puddle on the streets to find myself holding a smile all this time. I think part of Arden¡¯s craziness affected me. C8 - For the Sake of What I Want To Do Back to the dark. It¡¯s already been a few days and I¡¯ve lost all my energy to move. Whelty was right. This dungeon of that damn king¡¯s does starve you nearly to death until the last moments of life flashing before your eyes. Not that this is anything new. In fact, it¡¯s nostalgic. This has already been done to me once, but this place was much less comforting. It¡¯s dark, damp, the stone floors are cold just the way I love my hard surfaces to sleep on. An extra bonus are those droplets of water sounding in the dark playing a lullaby to put me to sleep. Ah¡­ I¡¯m so hungry. You know, I¡¯ve come to realize I should appreciate food. My arms and legs are bounded so even if I wanted to eat the weed growing in the corner of the room, I can¡¯t move myself there. Gosh Arden! This isn¡¯t the time to repent! I just need to cling on to this worthless life until a chance arises. My plan to have Whelty retrieve my stuff from Dane and Granny was already a success. I don¡¯t have to worry about smuggling my otherworldly goods and those illegal recipe books. Besides, food and sleep are for the sane. But I can¡¯t move a muscle¡­ did the king forget about me already? *Clunk clank I hear something. My vision¡¯s too blurry to make out the figures lifting me off the ground. I eventually blacked out when I saw light enveloped my eyesight. - - ¡°-up!¡± What was that? Some kind of a bird call? ¡°Get up!¡± I was suddenly threw into the ground and the shock was enough to wake me. It¡¯s bright. I¡¯m starving. Where am I? A red carpet. White marbled room. This place looks familiar, but I can¡¯t put my finger on it. I could come up with a better guess if I could lift my head but I¡¯m too exhausted to do that. ¡°You damn degenerate! Get up!¡± A knight kicked me, forcing me to roll on my back. Ah. This is the throne room isn¡¯t it? I recognize that beautiful chandelier hanging above me. I wanted to blow up. It¡¯s just there, waiting for me to get my hands on some explosives. ¡°Five¡­ more minutes.¡± I groaned as I close my eyes- then clenched my empty stomach when I felt a kick. ¡°Oof! Do that a little harder would ya?¡± ¡°Enough.¡± A gruff voice displeasingly echoed across the room. Standing above the throne is the almighty king. Good, I love those types of eyes. Pity me, it only makes me quiver in pleasure. ¡°Arden Charles, I ask of you. Why?¡± What do you mean? I wanted to ask but my throat was too dry to produce any type of noise. The most I did was to put on a strained smile. ¡°Of course, how inconsiderate of me. You must be incredibly famished.¡± The king clapped his hands. ¡°Someone, fetch him a cup of water and bread. Make sure to soak the bread so it goes easy on his throat.¡± I was so weakened somebody had to lift my head up and slowly poured water in my mouth. Before any substance was given to me, I performed an analysis on the food. Dammit, still gibberish. This appraisal thing is useless to me until I learned to read this world¡¯s language. Once I drank all the contents provided and ate the moist bread the servants were ordered to bring me, I felt some strength returning to me. My legs were too shaky for me to walk properly but I managed to keep my weight upright. Then suddenly the King held a flask in his hand. The bottle was crystal clear for me to see a clear solution being swished within it. I¡¯ve saw a several diagrams from Granny¡¯s books that I can take a guess what he was holding. ¡°I¡¯ve poisoned you. If you wish to have this antidote in my hand, I suggest you to wisely answer my questions. Otherwise you will die at the end of today.¡± Of course. You wouldn¡¯t give me a speed potion after all, but did you really give me poison? You didn¡¯t execute me when I helped Whelty escape, killing many soldiers in the process. How stubborn are you to think I have the same powers as my ex-comrades? Either ways if he did or did not, I can¡¯t just escape. There are guards littered everywhere in this room and they¡¯re staring at me~. Too bad I didn¡¯t plan a show to perform with an audience I did not expect. ¡°I was reported you are very proficient with a dagger. I find it a shame to find a man talented capable of producing cunning tactics is unwilling to serve my kingdom.¡± ¡°Hello~, remember that I don¡¯t have a crest.¡± I pointed to my hand. ¡°The other ¡®heroes¡¯ will out power me in no time.¡± ¡°Indeed, but having an experienced pawn this early in the war could give my people an advantage over the other kingdom when their heroes are unnurtured.¡± In other words, he doesn¡¯t want to be at a disadvantage in terms of numbers. The King is aware he¡¯s already lost an important piece from the game as I don¡¯t have a crest. He wants to be efficient with me until I become useless to participate in the war, is that it? Maybe I could use this as a ticket to escape this hell hole. I¡¯m a natural schemer so I¡¯ll probe on any topic that might get his attention. Firstly, let¡¯s make a scene. I doubt the King would struggle against my wits and it just happens I have a crowd on standby I need to appeal to the king. I need to somehow make the knights around me to argue me with emotions, to put some pressure on the King. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean you¡¯re scared of the other kingdom?¡± ¡°The King, frightened!? Blasphemy!¡± One of the soldiers shouted. ¡°How dare you insult our beloved King!¡± Hey bud. I wasn¡¯t insulting anyone, I was actually trying to state some facts here. Actually, I¡¯m thankful you spoke up. And if that wasn¡¯t enough, the knight kicked me onto the floor and leaned his sword beside my neck. ¡°Stop! You are rude to the person I am negotiating with!¡± ¡°But your highness he-.¡± ¡°Are you questioning me?¡± I heard the knight reply with a Hrk! The face he made was hilarious. If I has my phone, I would¡¯ve taken a picture to add to my collection. Serves that knight right, I toss a mocking smile at him.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°Ow! Ow! Ow! My sides!¡± I suddenly screamed. ¡°It hurts! O¡¯merciful king, may you be benevolent and give this helpless rat mercy!¡± ¡°Stop acting! I didn¡¯t kick you that hard-!¡± ¡°I demand silence!¡± The King pounded against the arm of his chair. ¡°You there, step out of this room this instant! I have given you many warnings and yet you disgracefully ignore my commands! You are fired!¡± ¡°But I- He-.¡± Without another word, the Knight was forcefully escorted from the room by his companions. That was a huge load off my shoulders. If I acted without removing troublesome whiners like him, I can¡¯t bargain my way out of my situation. Now then, how should I proceed this? ¡°Arden Charles-.¡± ¡°Please call me trash.¡± Oops, that was reflex but it doesn¡¯t seem like the King noticed. ¡°Will you not consider joining the cause and bring victory to your comrades and my kingdom? I assure you will be generously rewarded with fame, riches, women, property anything within my power.¡± ¡°Does the throne count?¡± ¡°Oh? You wish to challenge me for the throne?¡± ¡°No, ruling a kingdom is too much work. I just wanted to sit on it whenever I want.¡± I could see the King having the same face when I first introduced myself. He gave me a blank stare and sighed as if he was speaking with a toddler. ¡°Surely what you¡¯ve stated was just a fa?ade. What do you truly want in order for you to serve my kingdom?¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t want to serve someone. It¡¯s a pain to do other¡¯s bidding. I just want to roam free without those stalkers you sent tagging behind me. I want my freedom!¡± ¡°It cannot be helped. Your comrades stated you are a criminal in your previous world. My trust is wavering from the idea to allow you to wander freely isn¡¯t something I can easily give, especially when you are in my kingdom.¡± ¡°Only when I¡¯m in your kingdom?¡± ¡°A few days ago, you and that escaped prisoner took many lives. Wherever you go, I don¡¯t believe I am unable feel relieved.¡± ¡°Fine. What can I do to earn my freedom?¡± I boldly stated. ¡°I want to go outside this city.¡± The King suddenly waved to his servants and brought a pair of bracelets, parchment paper and an quill, ink set. Words were written faintly on the paper as it brought closer to me. ¡°Arden Charles-!¡± ¡°Call me trash.¡± ¡°You wish that I leave you to your device, but you have caused a ruckus in my kingdom. I have decided to grant that wish of yours on a set condition you must fulfil.¡± I found it. The ticket to help me escape. Unfortunately, there¡¯s one last hurdle. ¡°A contract?¡± I recognize the layout of words but as I chose to have the angel remove my ability to read letters of this world, I might have to take a risk. There¡¯s not a single sentence of gibberish I can understand. However, I can¡¯t tell him I don¡¯t know how to read, this will give the king the opportunity to add unlisted requirements. ¡°Get someone to read this for me. My poor eyes just came out from four days of darkness and I¡¯m having trouble adjusting to the brightness.¡± In the corner of my eye, I made sure the king did not add any unnecessary gestures as he called his servant to read the contents aloud to me:
  1. I will not bring harm the king or his property. (Obviously the king wants to prioritize his safety).
  2. I will have to eliminate two enemy heroes in exchange for my freedom. (This means I will no longer have any affiliation with the king after I complete my mission).
Wait, hold on! That means when I get some explosives I can¡¯t blow up this chandelier!? God fucking dammit! Yes, I¡¯m angry that I won¡¯t be able to blow up that chandelier. Do it. Judge me. ¡°These are my requirements if I am to grant you your freedom. Do you accept?¡± ¡°You¡¯re sending me on an assassination mission?¡± I asked disappointingly as I pouted. ¡°Seeing as you have two options, serve me or fulfil my request, does it not please your smiling face?¡± ¡°Hehe. You saw right through my mask. I¡¯m starting to like you~. I¡¯ll gladly accept it, but you¡¯ll let me borrow some gear to accomplish my mission. Right?¡± - Unfortunately not. Like it¡¯d be that easy to get free stuff in this world where the king doesn¡¯t even put trust in you after employing you. Not even a dagger lent to me, but he even confiscated my decoy belongings and money. On the plus side, I got a visa to pass the gates, a new rusty bracelet and those damned handcuffs were taken off. The bracelet on my hand ensures the contract is still in effect. ¡°At least give me back my coat! My pants and underwear too you perverts!¡± I remember myself arguing for some of my belongings. Hey, the coat wasn¡¯t cheap from the other world. Before anything else, I should pay a visit to Dane. I bet he¡¯s freaking out since I haven¡¯t visited after our little scheme. ¡°Hey Dane! I¡¯m back!¡± I kicked the door open with all my strength as always, frightening him and the customer he was handling. ¡°Ge- sorry, I¡¯ll be back.¡± He apologized to the customer. ¡°Dammit kid, you disappeared on me for a few days! I thought you died in the alley or something! And stop kicking against my door like that!¡± ¡°I got into some trouble and I was disappointed it didn¡¯t kill me.¡± I chided his roar. ¡°Did a person name Whelty, you know, dog person, come pick up my stuff?¡± ¡°Yeah. I didn¡¯t think he knew you but after he said your name, like the other heroes did, it was obvious you sent him.¡± ¡°So? I see business got better. Does that mean the scheme was a success?¡± ¡°Oh boy, do I have a tale to tell you!¡± Dane put on the ugliest wide grin on his face. ¡°I made a fortune on that day! But I¡¯m going to help this rookie adventurer with his gear first.¡± ¡°Right, I¡¯ll help myself to a seat.¡± Unlike the first impression this shop gave me, it¡¯s now very well maintained. The rusts were polished off the hinges of display cases and there¡¯s no longer a speck of dust on the counter. Did I just do a good deed in my money-making scheme? Yeah, I think I unintentionally did, but from now on I¡¯ve secured a blacksmith that could probably make the parts I need to make the weapons I lack in this world. Well, if it¡¯s one thing I¡¯ve learned from the past few days of what I¡¯m doing, I can¡¯t survive alone. Not yet anyways. I need to establish underground and above ground connections like I have in the previous world. Arms manufacturer. Check. ¡°Yo, kid! You couldn¡¯t believe how much I made on that day! You were spot on with the first group¡¯s interests, but just as you said, I earned very little from the second group of heroes.¡± ¡°That so?¡± I said as I flicked my jet black hair. ¡°Alright, for my service fee you owe me 50% of what you earned.¡± Dane¡¯s face change instantly. His face¡¯s reaction told me he¡¯s having trouble processing my words into thoughts. I am trash, scum, shit but I really like toying to people. I relieve a sigh and decide to not tease him just to collect my reward. For now, I¡¯m thinking about 5%-. ¡°5-50!? C¡¯mon man, I did most of the hard work! For my shop to continue, I can only pay you 10% of what I earned.¡± ¡°Then 10%.¡± To be honest I don¡¯t care how much money I have. As long as I enough funds to get by the day any amount above my entertainment threshold is sufficient. ¡°What?¡± I frowned eyeing Dane weirdly. I felt he was giving me a ¡®who are you¡¯ look. ¡°I thought you were going to argue.¡± ¡°Yeah, I was going to, but I haven¡¯t finished. The information I gave you was worth a lot, so I¡¯ll be counting on you to give generous discounts to compensate.¡± ¡°Of course there¡¯s a catch.¡± He sighed as he tossed me a bag of coins he separated from the large sack behind the counter. ¡°Alright. Seeing how you saved my shop, I could give exclusive discounts to you but not low enough that¡¯ll put my sales into the red.¡± ¡°Good! Let¡¯s put that to good use right now.¡± Judging the size of the bag he handed to me, there¡¯s a few golden coins, silver and lots of copper. I reached for a few golden coins and put them on the desk. There are things I want made and it¡¯s important if someone, a blacksmith like Dane, could reproduce these wicked ideas that this world haven¡¯t touched upon. ¡°Oh? You¡¯re going to waste your earned money on me?¡± "Hey, we''re business partners from now on. I should throw my money at a store I am familiar with instead of a total stranger¡¯s." "Keh, that''s why I like you, ya fucking schemer. What can I for you?¡± "I need you to help me craft certain parts, also I would like to purchase some materials to make my own gear.¡± ¡°Alright, help yourself. I¡¯ll see what you get before I charge you.¡± I grabbed tanned leather straps off the shelves and some wood crafting tools. I purchased a new sack, some wood and iron ingots to have him craft small pieces of mechanisms, one that I will draw on a blueprint later. I¡¯ve designed it so the key was made so you have to turn and hook upwards at a correct angle to unlock the lid. I want to give this bag an upgrade and have a secret compartment. The books I got from the apothecary granny were illegal after all. This is my insurance, an answer in case I ran into bandits or thieves who managed to steal my things. It should be obvious enough that bandits exist in a fantasy world but there was quite a bit of wanted posters in front of restaurants for me to begin worrying the possibility. ¡°Can you make the parts like this?¡± ¡°Let me see¡­ a box? You want to put a box as the base of your bag?¡± ¡°The design looks pretty convincing, right? How long do you need to get it done?¡± ¡°If I start working on it, probably a day.¡± ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll add in an extra order. I want parts for this custom shovel.¡± C9 - No Explosives Yet Dane told me to return after four days to pick up my order. With the coins I¡¯ve earned from our little bet, my first task was to visit the nearest restaurant to cure my aching stomach. Although the food there does fill your belly, the flavors were bland, especially because the soup was very watery. I was surprised I could still move after only having water, bread and antidote, because the king had poisoned the things he gave me to eat. But man, the alcohol here is great! Oops, I got sidetracked and that was four days ago. I let out a loud ill-mannered yawn. Taking on the view of hills of books I burrowed underneath. Where am I? It took me a while to recognize I was at the library. At first, I couldn¡¯t tell because of the mess I made. Since I exchanged the ability to instantaneous understand the words of this world for information regarding to the war game, I figured I should get to studying with the time I have. Luckily, this world¡¯s pronunciation are near identical to the previous world. The structure is the same, sounds the same, but how you use it is¡­ meh. But you don¡¯t care, you¡¯ll only see them as gibberish anyways. In the same manner as I asked Granny to teach me the basics types of brewing potion, the librarian was kind enough to go through a child¡¯s exercise book once then left me to study alone. Though I did get a weird face here and there, I managed to grab an understanding to formulate somewhat broken sentences. As for the books Granny gave me, I needed to wait until Dane¡¯s finished with my order and find out where Whelty hid them. ¡°Aight¡­ I think I got the basics. Let¡¯s leave the mess here and go back to Dane.¡± My bones creaked at every action I made, feeling my sore arms being stretched for the first time in ages. Being alive like this is a pain, but I don¡¯t want to die a boring death. I¡¯m just a giant hypocrite that¡¯s very picky about what I want to do. ¡°Yo, Dane-! Ouch!¡± As I kicked the door, I felt a strong force rebounding from my foot. On a closer inspection the door wasn¡¯t locked. I confirmed Dane didn¡¯t try locking me out since I could push on it, but he installed a metal door that was painted over with the same pattern as his old wooden one. I should¡¯ve realized when I felt its coldness. ¡°Hey, what gives!?¡± I tackled the entrance with all my might, slamming the damaged wall with my body instead of kicking it. ¡°Why the heck did you replace it?¡± ¡°Dammit Kid! Stop using so much force on my door! Are you picturing my shop as your mortal enemy or something!?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my unique greeting to you.¡± ¡°Just greet me with everyone else¡¯s greeting. Be normal. I keep the door unlock because you keep antagonizing my door.¡± ¡°Did you just tell me to be normal?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. Sorry. You can¡¯t be normal. You¡¯re the scum of scumbags.¡± I saw him roll his eyes, going to the back as he grabbed the goods. ¡°Well, you came here just in time. I finished making the parts you drew but you didn¡¯t specify the scale of size so I forged these imagining you lifting it. Go on, show me your magic.¡± Over the counter, there was the unassembled box and a shovel with a wooden handle. First, the shovel. It was custom made to have one side sharpened with teeth for cutting and the other side for hacking. Its bottom was reinforced with a long narrow steel plate. I gave the weapon a quick swing to test its weight and as Dane said, he did a damn good job imagining an un-athletic person, yours truly, to use this. I felt that it was well made enough to be used in combat of the chance arises. I could slash, hack, and hammer with this, but I won¡¯t be able to stab with this thing. Stabbing is best used with a knife on your opponent¡¯s back. As for ranged weaponry, I had Dane look into crafting bullets for my revolver I brought into this world. Sadly, his forgery doesn¡¯t seem to be capable of making something as delicate and consistently produce the same quality shells. I can¡¯t risk damaging my gun, so I designed him parts for a spring launched ballistic knife instead. ¡°Yo, kid. You know those brass cases, bullets, you call them? I opened one and couldn¡¯t wrap my head around how your providers extruded the part very clean. By the way, what¡¯s the powder in it?¡± ¡°Oh yeah, I forgot the most important part about that. The blackish grey dust you find is called gunpowder. They¡¯re highly flammable. A spark is all it takes to set them on fire. Does this world have anything like that?¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°The closest thing I can think of are something similar I use to start my forge when I receive an order that uses materials one normally couldn¡¯t be melted by normal flames.¡± Dane reached behind for a cabinet in the forge and pulled out a small container of red crystal. ¡°What¡¯s it called?¡± ¡°Dragon¡¯s Spittle, hell of an item. Lots of blacksmiths use it. They can make your room hotter than a sauna if you aren¡¯t careful handling them.¡± ¡°So, it¡¯s not magic.¡± ¡°It is. I mean it somehow heats itself, right?¡± ¡°Sure¡­?¡± I¡¯m not going to lecture him. If he sees everything as magic, I don¡¯t want to waste more time to lecture him about science when I could go outside the city. ¡°How costly are they?¡± ¡°Pretty cheap as they¡¯re extracted from rock monsters that live in the mountains. Adventurers sell them to the guild, we buy them from the guild then adventurers buy higher grade weapons forged by the heat produced from them. Yeah, a cycle.¡± Judging by the description, it seems these crystals are the monster¡¯s core. ¡°And the cost¡­?¡± ¡°10 silver a bottle.¡± ¡°Ah!? That¡¯s expensive!¡± ¡°Not as expensive as buying it from a guild without an armor smith licence. I bought them for 5 silver and if you buy it at full price, it costs 50 silver a bottle. Be grateful I¡¯ve compromised and gave you a discount on it!¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you just directly buy it from adventurers?¡± ¡°Cuz that¡¯s the way this economy works. It helps the guild get the funding they need and let us post request of materials we usually aren¡¯t able to purchase from the market. Us blacksmiths can stay alive because adventurers need equipments every so often.¡± ¡°Okay, you¡¯re the expert at that. Hand them over.¡± I sighed as I toss a couple of silver coins onto the desk. At least I got my hands on some interesting thing I could research as I¡¯m out of the city. With the bag I assembled, I hid bottles of Dragon¡¯s Spit in the secret compartment. Knowing if I don¡¯t mask it with fabric, it¡¯ll make a rattling sound and attract attention which is what I don¡¯t want it to do. The key to this secrecy department is with a hook where you have to turn and push at a specific angle to unlock. I¡¯ve designed the appearance to be a normal sack with a hard bottom. ¡°Well?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°How does the shovel feel? Does it match your requirements?¡± ¡°I guess, but what¡¯s with the guard sticking from the back?¡± I knocked on the metal rod that curved into the middle of the shaft. As he pointed to the hinge connecting the neck of the shovel, I didn¡¯t believe he was able to add this feature. ¡°Hot diggity, you actually fucking did it.¡± I swung it vertically down and it made a very powerful click noise. The head of the shovel shifted perpendicular to the handle to look like a hoe. The guard that I question transformed into a pickaxe on the opposite side of the head. The transformation was smooth, with the spring he installed, it reduced the rigidness when transitioning its different forms. If I wanted to reverse the form, I only needed to unlock the pin that locks the head. ¡°Heh, took me a couple of tries to figure out what the heck you drew. It wasn¡¯t easy implementing it. Now that I somehow fitted without it breaking, I liked the design so much, I might steal and copy it for other weapons. Of course, I¡¯m not a scum like you to not reimburse the kid who thought of it.¡± ¡°Keh, naturally.¡± To be honest, I didn¡¯t want to carry too many tools so that¡¯s why I needed Dane to made this. It might as well be a long trip to the other Kingdom to fulfill my contract with the King and since I began with nothing, I would need to gather materials outside the city and manage own my equipment. ¡°Anything else?¡± Dane asked. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll take that dagger off the junk pile. As long as it can hurt stuff, it¡¯s good.¡± ¡°Boy, a huge patron you are. A demanding one that is.¡± Dane exasperated. ¡°Kid, I¡¯ll throw in a whetstone since you obviously look like you¡¯re leaving the city soon. Where you going?¡± ¡°Remember when I told you that I got in trouble? I killed a bunch of the king¡¯s guards, freed a dangerous criminal caused a bit of havoc in the slums-.¡± ¡°Hang on, you WHAT!? You killed- you killed the king¡¯s guards!?¡± ¡°Self defence.¡± I¡¯m not entirely lying. ¡°The point is, I¡¯m alive because the King still thinks I¡¯m a possible candidate as a Hero even though I don¡¯t have a crest. He fucking confiscated most of the things that was with me. Now I¡¯m forced to take on a contract and kill two enemy Heroes from the other Kingdom.¡± ¡°Kid, good luck. Illiad is on the opposite side of the world.¡± ¡°I know, I spent the last four days in the library and thanks to that, my phone rang out of batteries.¡± ¡°You should get some sleep, your bagged eyes are as creepy as usual. One more thing. What are you going to do tomorrow?¡± "I might go stroll around outside the city to see what trouble I can make. I¡¯ll be finding ingredients for the recipe books I got for free." ¡°Somehow your free isn¡¯t what I¡¯m thinking. So herb hunting right? In that case can you do me a favor? I''ll make sure to repay you handsomely, since you helped my business." "Using that business partner advantage to bribe me, I''ll take it. What do you want me to do? Kill, steal, threaten, gather information, spreading rumors, I could do all those things if you need me to." "Hey, slow down. I just need you to find a merchant whose skipped out delivering the things I ordered. It¡¯s been a few weeks and there''s been no sign of an apology letter at all." "So blackmail it is!" "All you ever think of is how to hurt people. I suppose that would work-, hey did you hear about that rumor that there is a devil inside the city''s library?" "Yeah, it was me. I''ll come by to get details of your job tomorrow. I''m going to get some sleep." Dane facepalmed himself as I left him speechless with more surprises. It''s gotten dark outside before I knew, and I decided to rent a room by the stables for the night. My head is filled with ideas on how to create mayhem in this pure city. I have the general idea how to do it. Unfortunately, I don''t have the resources right now, that plan would have to wait, plus the timing would be wrong. I''ll wait, I have patience. Until the contract with the king is done, I¡¯ll hold back my urge. - I was lost, surrounded by tall trees the next day I used my Visa to leave the city. ¡°Haha, fuck.¡± C10 - Invitation to Trouble Hold up, what just happened? I remember I didn¡¯t walk that far from the entrance of this forest. It was until a cold breeze brushed against me, my environment got shifted then I noticed I¡¯m lost. Maybe it wasn¡¯t me¡­ Someone did tell me something was wrong with this forest. It was after I retrieved my belongings from Dane, there was one person who pointed me to the direction best to gather herbs for potion brewing. Let me think back from this morning. - - ¡°Dane, did Whelty ever tell you where he was going to hide my stuff?¡± ¡°Yeah, he drew it on this map.¡± Dane, from behind the counter, unrolled a map of the surrounding area of this city. The location I¡¯m currently at is at the very left corner of the map, Kingdom of Vilja. This city was portrayed with a lion¡¯s cross-sign wearing a crown similar to the damn King¡¯s. Using the legend labelled on the bottom right, I measured the distances of the grid from X, Whelty scratched onto the paper. The place seemed easy to get to, and the mark was somewhere in the open plains near a tree out in the open. How cute, Whelty¡¯s like a dog hiding his bones. However, Dane made an unwelcoming face as his eyes moved towards a nearby forest. ¡°So my things are there.¡± Sadly, my phone ran out of batteries. I had to sketch a copy of the map onto a separate piece of sheepskin paper. ¡°And you said where was the merchant again?¡± ¡°Woodhurst.¡± Woodhurst¡­ Woodhurst¡­ Found it. Judging by the map¡¯s accuracy, the total distance would take me a day to reach the village by foot. If I go through this forest, I could cut the travel time by half. ¡°Kid, I wouldn¡¯t go through the forest if I were you. I¡¯d suggest if you to go with a group of adventurers if you plan on going there.¡± ¡°Good plan! If some monsters come my way, I can use them as decoys and run.¡± ¡°No-! Argh¡­ that¡¯s not what I meant.¡± Dane sighed for the umpteenth time. ¡°You see, merchants used to go through this shortcut, but after two or three of them suddenly disappeared half-way. It was advised that they take the alternate route. Some say they were spirited away, other say the forest is alive and the road shifts in its favor, trapping them in a never-ending labyrinth. I''d advise you to stay away from that forest." ¡°What if your merchant went through there?¡± ¡°Not possible. I ordered my supplies way after everyone knew.¡± A wide smile formed on my face. I could feel cheek muscles straining my face, trying my best to hide it from Dane. From what I¡¯ve gathered, the incidents of the disappearance of many merchants renamed the forest to the Lost Forest. From the information I''ve learned from the library, magical beings such as; Dryads and Pixies have abilities to control the forest, another possibility could be just bandits. I want to go investigate. If I¡¯m lucky, I can find leftover merchandises I could take. But first, I need to gear myself. ¡°Kid, I never got your name. Punch me if I''m wrong, it¡¯s Arden isn''t it?" ¡°If you know then why ask, Dane? I bet one of them guessed correctly I was behind the scenes?" "No, but a beauty mentioned your name. I didn''t know who she referred to, but after she left I got an idea it was you. Pretty sly of you hiding your name so I wouldn''t be able to tell them you were here." "I want to cut all ties with them. They were only good to earn us cash.¡± I heaved the shovel over my shoulder as I sheathed the dagger in its holster under my coat. Testing the weight of my custom equipment, I swung the door open. ¡°Then adios! This human waste is about to take his first steps into his meaningless adventure.¡± I said not before grabbing the spare knives for my ballistic knife. ¡°Got it. Don¡¯t die that easily on me.¡± ¡°This cockroach can crawl its way out of anything if he needs to.¡± I laughed. - My wallet¡¯s gotten light. Before I passed the gates, I bought a traveller¡¯s package from the guild. Since it only came with cheaply made cooking utensils, a lantern, an empty waterskin, fire starter kit and a compass, I was forced to spend on other necessities at the market for preserved food. Thankfully my haggling skills were barely enough to leave me with emergency savings if I pass an inn by chance. ¡°And X marks the spot.¡± I found a mound of dirt below the tree as stated on my map. This was why I needed a shovel. After I removed the dirt from the bag, I immediately searched for my solar charger to revive my phone. As for my gun, I came into this world with four bullets. One was given to Dane to try and reverse engineer the product but sadly it couldn¡¯t be done. At least he gained the knowledge of its mechanisms. These three would be used in emergency scenarios so they were stored in the secret compartment. My trusty switchblade fitted in my sleeve, ready for malicious use. I¡¯m especially proud of its sharp edge I personally grinded it back in my world. As for the items I received from the apothecary for free; recipe books, mortar pedestal, flask bottles, a tiny alembic, they had dirt on them. As long as the contents aren¡¯t broken, it¡¯s not a problem how worn they are. They still have their worth. ¡°Okay! So Woodhurst.¡± I stretched, after I completed transferring my belongings between my bags. ¡°The path says to continue East¡­¡± Honestly, the most spacious area without buildings was the scenery of deserts from my previous world. The plains in this world could rival the scale of it seemingly spanning into the horizon infinitely in my perspective. I wonder how far would a wildfire spread? I quickly dumped the idea and moved back onto the road. A little while later, a farmer was kind enough to let me hitch a ride on their carriage. ¡°Hey, lad. Get off!¡± ¡°Why?¡± I slept above the hay stash, staring into the blue sky. ¡°We¡¯re going the same direction for a while. You look lonely so why not have a bastard like me keep you company for a while?¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°I already said no! Get off before I report you to the guards!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think the guards would do much around the empty lands here.¡± It¡¯s true. As I sat above the carriage, I scanned my surroundings. There wasn¡¯t a single person travelling on the same road other than us. It¡¯s very quiet outside the city. ¡°Hrk¡­¡± The farmer frowned. ¡°If you like, I can start shouting. It might summon some highway bandits or monsters to give you some more company.¡± ¡°N-no. Don¡¯t do that. You win. Just keep your mouth shut, okay?¡± ¡°Glad we came to consensuses.¡± I said, killing the conversation. Nothing happened for the next hour as I tapped away at my phone, translating the recipes from books I got from the apothecary. It was suddenly when the horse pulling carriage suddenly stopped and cried. ¡°Whoa, girl! Steady!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°She always acts up on this intersection. It¡¯s that cursed forest over there.¡± The Farmer pulled on the reins, controlling the horse from running amok. It¡¯s that forest Dane warned me about. The sun¡¯s glare was making it hard to see. I point my phone, using its zoom function to get a telescopic view of the mysterious forest. There are red spots and a wall of¡­ thorny vines? Each strand was as wide as the trees it guarded. ¡°Say, about the shortcut to Woodhurst. It¡¯s through that forest, right?¡± ¡°Used to, about two weeks ago. Why you asking, lad? Are you going to be like them adventurers and challenge the dungeon?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a dungeon?¡± ¡°Yeah, a dungeon. A royal noticed has pronounced it to be a dangerous area. Apparently, them magical spikes of energy converted the forest into a dungeon. Though its true that you can save time using it as a shortcut, monsters in there are stronger than the ones wandering in them plains.¡± Like in games¡­ dungeons. Fascinating! This world¡¯s truly a wonder! That¡¯s one more thing to excuse myself from being a suicidal freak. ¡°Then again, if you¡¯re successful, you could sell many uncommon ingredients for potions and possibly ores that could earn you hundreds of gold coins. That¡¯s only if you come out alive.¡± ¡°Like these ones?¡± I showed him photos of herbs I planned on searching off my phone, to which he thought was a magical device. After he confirmed the ingredients I want that should be grown within the forest, I threw myself off the cart. ¡°You must be one of those travelling scholars to have them magic tablets. Why didn¡¯t you say so?¡± ¡°Me? A scholar?¡± I laughed villainously. ¡°Sure, whatever you say old man. I¡¯m just trying to rebuild my goal from ground zero. I¡¯m going to check out the forest.¡± ¡°Suit yourself. If you get killed, don¡¯t blame me.¡± ¡°Never, in fact I¡¯d welcome it as long I¡¯m the one who gets to extinguish my flame in a glorious manner.¡± ¡°What a weird lad.¡± - Buds of roses sprouted from the thorn¡¯s tip as red as blood. Thread of vines constrict human remains, those adventurers who attempted to challenge the dungeon for glory. As for the castle of thorns surrounding the perimeter forest I¡¯d estimate its height to be around 3 meters tall. When I approached the entrance I a tunnel was created by the vines shifting a grand entrance for me. The skeletons rattled in the squirming sea of wild vegetation. Their bones were crushed by the weight shifting above them then a cold breeze rushed to greet me from the dungeon. As I peered into the darkness, I realized my phone was charged at 20%. I struck a light into my lantern seeing as I have no other option to use a brighter light. "Stay away human, or I will use your body as fertilizer for my dear children!" ¡°Huh¡­ weird. You want me to stay away but you opened a road for me? Anyways, I think you¡¯ll find my body poisonous for your babies. I¡¯m full of junk.¡± I carried myself past the gate and saw recently dead victims wrapped by vines. I inspected the wounds on it and found they were injuries that could be made from a sharp object like a dagger. The other decaying body beside it had small holes piercing through its shoulder, must be from arrows or spears. The weird thing was the arrows were absent. I prepared for the worst. Just so you know, I have a good record of completing my jobs. As I accepted the job Dane offered and the King¡¯s contract, I don¡¯t plan to die yet. But this excitement! This spine crawling sensation pulling my curiosity into a dungeon! I had to give into temptation and explore the place. Then I came across a dead end. Not quite. ¡°Fine, human. If you persist to challenge me, then prepare yourself!¡± Strange hieroglyphics emerged under my feet, glowing intensely to steal my vision. A powerful gust forced me to close my eyes as I pull my hood down to cover my head and readied my tactical shovel. As I crack my eyes slowly, I noticed the air felt warmer. The tunnel of vines disappeared and now my sense of direction was lost. The leaves blocked my view of the sun so I couldn''t tell which direction I was going looking towards. The compass was twirling uncontrollably. Not very useful. ¡°Teleportation?¡± I muttered, quickly inspecting myself and check my belongings. ¡°Oh crap¡­¡± I can¡¯t help but worry if the scale of magic extended to spatial transportation, there¡¯s a high chance a mind reading spell might exist. However, if I could get my hands on that spell, I could essentially eavesdrop information with ease. I¡¯ll have to consult an expert on magic. For now, I climbed, jumped, crawled, over, under, around the tree roots and vines. Around twenty minutes I found myself a spring and took a break. The empty waterskin were taken out and filled with water, then I started walking again. I haven¡¯t thought about being teleported. Finding an escape route may be troublesome. Then I moved for about 3 hours. How long do I need to walk until I can reach the edge of the forest? If this map I copied from Dane¡¯s was correct, I would¡¯ve left the area two hours ago. I drank the last bit of water from the tiny waterskin after swallowing a piece of dried jerky. Man, for someone who doesn¡¯t often exercise, this is hell. Not the kind of hell I ever imagined myself to be in. *Crunch Not only was the noise loud, the tremor startled me. As usual, my curiosity was always more influential than my common sense. I decided to crawl behind trees to locate the source of disturbance. From the shadows of the tree I spotted an oversized-, crocodile? Aligator? I¡¯ll call it a dinosaur. It¡¯s similar to a Sarcosuchus except it had six legs covered with sharp scales over its body using its razor sharp teeth in its duck bill ripping its meal into pieces. Now that it showed it¡¯s face, it looked more of a Platypus with its beaver like tail. *Snap ¡°Oh fuck¡­¡± I looked down to find a snapped twig under my foot. When I looked up again, I could see a glint in the monster¡¯s eye. It found me. The Dinosaur gulped the rest of its meal and-. ¡°GaaaawwwWWAAAHHHHH!¡± It quacked while it flung its body towards my direction and began crawling in a frenzy. ¡°Aw shit, it¡¯s damn fast too!¡± I immediately ran in the opposite direction, finding cover but it was quickly closing the distance. I was able to squeeze through small openings curtesy of giant roots, but that Dinosaur pulverized every obstacle I threw at it in its path. I didn¡¯t want to look back to find how close it was and I¡¯m growing tired. On my left, I spotted a cliff and headed for there. I only had a fraction of a second to decide if I should head there. When I noticed a shadow growing over me, I flung myself to the side, avoiding the Dinosaur diving its teeth at me. At an instant¡¯s decision, I circled behind a tree for a quick breather. Man, my lungs are killing me. Slow and steady deep breaths. Good. But unfortunately, it knows where I am and slowly moved to my hiding place. I guess its time for me to experiment a bottle of Dragon¡¯s Spittle. Without preamble, I threw the flask of red powder at the monster and tossed a lit match before sprinting away. ¡°Ngh! Wow¡­¡± That thing is potent. I could feel a strong heat wave strongly even though I wore a coat. ¡°GaaaawwwWWAAAHHHHH!¡± ¡°You¡¯re kidding! It lived through that!?¡± I forgot this is a fantasy world. If monsters in this world follow game logic, it would have resistances. Using this chance, I moved to gain as much distance as I could. About ten meters from my current location, I stumbled onto a group of caravan pulling a giant cage. I was preoccupied being chased, I couldn¡¯t tell what they were transporting. Knowing I¡¯ll collapse if I continue to run, I changed my course and headed towards them and brought this oversized Platypus behind me. ¡°Hey! Care to give me a hand?¡± I don¡¯t know if they¡¯re friendly but all I¡¯m trying to do is get this Dinosaur off my back. ¡°Boss, do you see that?¡± ¡°Hm¡­?¡± One of the armed men squinted his eyes. ¡°Is that¡­ it¡¯s a Razor Beak Drake! Hide the merchandises quickly! We¡¯ll come back after we lose that monster!¡± The three men pushed the cage into a hole and started to run away from me. When the cage crashed into the ground, I heard some screams. That¡¯s not important. With incredible leg strength, the monster leaped into the air snapping its jaws against tree in its path, crushing the trunk with enough force to separate it into two halves. One bite from that duck and your body find a gapping hole. If its food it wants, I¡¯ll need to pass the ball to someone else. I pulled a sack of food from my bag and chased one of the armed men fleeing the scene. ¡°Slow down for a bit!¡± ¡°Hell no, are you nuts!? I¡¯m not going to slow down and get eaten by that thing!¡± ¡°You¡¯re bandits right? Here, take my stuff! Steal it!¡± ¡°What are you-?¡± ¡°Good luck!¡± I smiled as I separated from him. He opened the bag to search for its contents, but when he looked behind it was too late, the Dinosaur¡¯s jaws was over his head and everything about him was tear to pieces. Feeling content, it calmed down and began wandering aimlessly. I¡¯m spent. Oh god, that was tiring. C11 - The Not So Benevolent Piece of Filth Note to self. Add giant monsters to my list of terrors. I¡¯ve never ran this much from a chase. Often times, I was able to escape from my pursuers because I scouted or have knowledge of the area to make multiple escape routes. In this case, after I was teleported by unknown magic, I ran into a monster in an unknown area. I was grateful to pass by strangers I used as decoys and divert the Dinosaur¡¯s attention off me. Anyways, my rations are all gone. First things first, I need to secure something to eat before I get hungry. Who knows how long I would have to spend in this dungeon. If I recall, those armed people brought a carriage with them. If I could make my way to their belongings before them, I could possibly borrow some supplies. With a goal in mind, I backtracked to the last location I spotted their caravan using the monster¡¯s tracks. Since the trees were grown in a compacted formation, I decided to take on the higher ground in case I run into that Dinosaur again. ¡°Urk¡­ really?¡± Then of all my luck, that oversized Crocodile, Platypus, Dinosaur thingy was also heading to the same direction. I saw it point it bill in the air- possibly it has a strong sense of smell. It did make sense it was able to locate me because I was confident I escaped from its sight many times. Also, it seems the range is limited, judging the distance I am about 20 meters from it as oppose to below 5 when I hid from it. Not only was the monster already by the caravan¡¯s belongings, I spotted two armed men concealed behind bushes, eyeing the creature to leave their merchandises alone. Their red shirt made them obvious to the human eye, but they rubbed dirt on themselves to mask their scent. I did the same. That monster alone has changed so much of my plans. I¡¯ll go ¡®negotiate¡¯ with them. I may need some of their things to get out of this forest. I jumped down quietly, travelled around the beast and approached the two men. They¡¯re more fixated on the monster rather than searching for their third comrade that got eaten by it. But will they attack me? This got me thinking, how strong are people in this world? If they have civilization and magic capable of defending themselves against unearthly monsters, I wonder what the average strength of an average person is. As for the guards back in the kingdom, I am sure each individual are stronger than me but using darkness as my weapon and because the King didn¡¯t want me dead yet, I was able to use those advantages to win. I am aware my lower capabilities do not surpass a normal guard that go through rigorous training and am not a hero. And how strong is magic? How are they activated? The only spell I saw set off was by one of the people I was transported with. She mentioned [Earth Grasp]? It seems to be telekinesis to control the earth, which is damn useful. Like seriously, making things from the ground whenever you want. But what about the people in this world? How are magic casted? Does one recite the name of the spell automatically use magic or is there some unknown factor that requires the user to use it? I pushed my palm towards the two armed men¡¯s direction. ¡°Earth Grasp!¡± As expected after my chunibyo behavior, nothing came out. Good to know I¡¯m not special. Am I missing a catalyst or something? Who cares, I don¡¯t know anymore. I have no knowledge of how magic works in the first place. On second thought, do I need to approach them? I felt an urge to throw a pebble to lure the monster towards them. Unfortunately, as far as I see it, I believe information is more valuable. Since I set foot outside the city unaware of the dangers, and my curiosity got the better off me and I immediately paid for it. If possible, I could use them to kill the monster it might be worth keeping them alive longer. I readied my gun and a dagger behind my back. ¡°Hey.¡± I whispered from a safe distance. ¡°Oh, fuck-!¡± ¡°Kid¡­ you scared the shit outta us!¡± Honestly, I felt a tiny bit of joy startling them. If I were to imply RPG terminology to the two men in front, ah who cares. I¡¯m just going to name them based off their weapons. There is Halberd person and Swordsman. They both wear identical fur armor, except the Halberd person was given shoulder pads as the Swordsman has better wrist protection. ¡°You¡¯re the one that lead it to us. Do you want us to kill you?¡± ¡°Got it, so bandits.¡± I nodded. ¡°I do have a death wish but it¡¯s postponed. Let¡¯s skip the ¡®I want to kill you part¡¯ and have a temporary truce, yes? Good! Anyways, what are the chances you two could beat that thing?¡± ¡°You¡¯re asking the impossible.¡± Halberd person growled. ¡°Even with our third guy-, say where is he?¡± I won¡¯t say I¡¯m responsible, so I pointed my finger at the Dinosaur. ¡°Damn.¡± Swordsman clicked his tongue. ¡°Do you know the way to get out of this forest?¡± ¡°Find your own way out.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t. That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking you two.¡± ¡°Then why were you in a dungeon in the first place?¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m a curious bastard. You seem to know the layout of this dungeon. While we wait for that monster to pass, don¡¯t you mind telling what I should be looking for?¡± Skip. In short, every entrance into a dungeon sends you to a random location. Fortunately, there¡¯s always an exit and that¡¯s located at the deepest part of the dungeon. In this dungeon¡¯s scenario, there are no floors but a wide area. It would be located in its center. Another method is to destroy the core that fuels the labyrinth. If that was destroyed, the surrounding lands would revert to their origin. The suggestion is often ignored because the core is usually guarded and moved by the guardian of the dungeon said to be plenty times stronger than any monsters roaming around. As that Dinosaur thing was already strong, I wouldn¡¯t take my chances to try to fight my way out. I don¡¯t even know the anatomy of it, like; how many hearts does it have or what it¡¯s weak against. ¡°Okay, what¡¯s a way to know if all of us are going towards the center?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t. Our merchandise does.¡± Halberd person pointed to his wares hidden in the hole. So slave traders. Typical world setting. I thought. ¡°I see. Then good luck. I don¡¯t want anything to do with that monster.¡± ¡°On second thought.¡± Swordsman grabbed me by the collar. ¡°You could lure it away for us!¡± My feet were lifted off the ground as I saw myself fly a meter in the air. Hey man, that¡¯s not fair! You¡¯re so asking for it! ¡°GwwwwwaaaaAAAAAHHHHHH!¡± I slowly turned around to find that Dinosaur locked me in its sight. Threads of drool dribbled through its razor sharp fangs as it stared at me. Don¡¯t stare too hard. I¡¯m going to get a matador vibe on me. But I¡¯m too much of a trash coward to raise a red cloth and telling it to charge at me. I ran towards the people who threw me out. They¡¯re faster than me but I moved nimbly. Using this chance, I tossed my belongings aside somewhere in the cervices of tree roots. With the load off me, my body¡¯s gotten lighter as I slowly caught up to the slave traders and the Dinosaur right behind me. I flipped on the strobing light function on my phone, shining it towards the monster. It doesn¡¯t seem to like the flashes and steered off to the side. I moved away from the direction it turned towards, allowing me to gain the maximum distance and quickly leaving its area of detection. ¡°He used some weird magic to change the Drake¡¯s target to us!¡± ¡°Screw that, I¡¯m not going to die here!¡± Swordsman made a curt left turn, leaving Halberd person alone being chased by the Dinosaur. He wasn¡¯t just trying to leave, he searched and had nerves to swing his weapon at me. I barely dodged it, seeing he ambushed me so suddenly. Since my phone still had 5% battery life left, I shined a light at him and made him missed his second swing which allowed me to quickly stab him near the ribs with my dagger. ¡°Ack! Dammit!¡± Because of the leather armor he wore, there was a set of chainmail hidden underneath that managed to save him from my dagger reaching his vitals. On the other hand, I¡¯m only wearing cloth. Every blow he lands on me is considered fatal. I¡¯m much more proficient using a knife but unfortunately, I made a mistake leaving my dagger lodged where I stabbed him. Thankfully I still had my switch blade, but the reach is inferior than my dagger and his sword. The metal is also thin, meaning if I attempt to parry an attack, the blade would break. This is fun. It¡¯s challenging just the way I love it but¡­ Do I use it? My hand floated over the revolver holstered behind me. I only have 3 bullets left and I may need them to dispatch the Dinosaur or the Guardian of the dungeon. How much damage could a shot do to that monster? ¡°Curse you and your magic!¡± Swordsman rubbed his eye, then aimlessly swung towards my direction. I¡¯m no expert in martial arts but when an opponent panickily lashes out like that, they leave a bunch of openings. Since his vision was still recovering, I ducked behind and found a spot for my trusty knife into the side of his neck. I found, but I couldn¡¯t quite kill him. Swordsman wildly slashed around and forced me back. Seems to me it isn¡¯t easy to kill someone in this world. I gave up on the idea to fight in a fair duel but when do I ever fight fair? I ran away to snatch a coil of vines and small stones to make an improvised bola. For the sake of safety, I climbed into the tree¡¯s branches before I began crafting. It was crappy, just three stones tied onto the end of a three-way rope. ¡°Where are you!?¡± ¡°If you say Marco, I¡¯ll reply with Polo!¡± I shouted, turning his head to me. In an instant, I hurled the bola at him, succeeding to trap his upper half. Then Swordsman froze as I jumped on him with my knife in his neck. He struggled violently to knock me off but I quickly grabbed his head and drove my blade further in. I stretched his chin up and pushed my weight against my switch knife again until my hand was slick with his blood. I heard him gurgling blood from his mouth but the signal for me to release him was when his body limped. Before I release him, I put my fingers on his pulse and determined he was dead. As I casually moved back, I plucked my dagger from his armor and used his fur armor to wipe his blood off my equipment. See? A clean kill and not a single drop of blood on my coat¡­ other than my hands. Though I was disappointed I didn¡¯t get to torture him for what he did to me. I needed his corpse to get rid of the Dinosaur. Where is it anyways? It was still chasing after Halberd person. While the monster was preoccupied with chasing him, I moved Swordsman corpse to an ideal spot to prepare. Here¡¯s what I learned about the Dinosaur: 1. Powerful sense of smell, able to distinguish things in a short radius 2. Incredible endurance 3. Absolutely hates strobing lights. 4. It¡¯s fast as hell (That¡¯s given) My phone has about 4% battery left. It should have about 15 minutes of life I could guard myself using its light. That means my life is guaranteed to be safe until my phone dies out. It¡¯s always against time isn¡¯t it? Using Swordsman¡¯s sword, I cut off a limb from his body and used his weapon to skewer it above a campfire. Hopefully the scent of burning flesh would attract the Dinosaur. Next, I grabbed the rest of the bottles of Dragon Spittle from my bag, which I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d use so fast and strapped them around Swordsman¡¯s corpse. I think I reserve three bottles just in case. Just a hunch. I bought about ten from Dane and that made my wallet light even if he did give me a discount. But before that, I looted the fur armor and wrist protectors. Using my all multipurpose shovel to chop a few thin logs, I finished preparations to present the corpse into a delectable scarecrow. Then there¡¯s the matter of the merchandise the slave traders mentioned. I didn¡¯t see any keys on Swordsman so I¡¯m assuming Halberd person has it. Hopefully¡­ Now, where O where is-. ¡°ARRRGH!¡± Halberd person flew at me. He landed onto his back and quickly curled up in a fetus position to endure the pain. I have to applaud him for running that long. Are all the people in this world more physically enhanced or was it because of fear that motivated him? And lucky~. I spotted the keys hanging from his belt but as I reached for it, he grabbed my wrist tightly. ¡°Dammit kid¡­! If I¡­ die, you¡¯re going¡­ down with me!¡± ¡°Not that I mind but I¡¯m not exactly into vore.¡± I calmly said. ¡°But I think you¡¯re in no position to demand anything, don¡¯t you agree?¡± I sprung my blood-soaked switch knife and threatened to gouge his eyes. That¡¯s a great expression my dear friend! It¡¯s a pity my phone¡¯s almost dead that I couldn¡¯t take a picture of it. ¡°I¡¯ll give you two options because I¡¯m a benevolent piece of filth. Either you can join that swordsman to be monster bait and I can take the keys or do as I say and we can take down that Dinosaur or whatever you call it.¡± ¡°Fine. Do you have any bandages?¡± ¡°I think I did enough by sparing your life don¡¯t you think?¡± C12 - A simple bargain Halberd person decided to cooperate with me. Not that I gave him a choice. We have to do something about that duck billed dinosaur thingy- whatever it¡¯s called. A Razor Claw Drago-? ¡°That¡¯s a Razor Beaked Drake.¡± He answered. ¡°So, what did you have in mind?¡± He¡¯s about to pass out any moment. One hand rested above a large gash that ran down his left arm. I¡¯d hate to stick around him for long. His blood might attract other monsters. He looked uneasy as his eyes darted between two things. One was of course the most of our worries, the Drake. The second was the mess I turned his friend into. Actually, I don¡¯t know if he could consider the leftover of Swordsman his friend anymore because he was abandoned and left to run away from the Drake. The bait used to lure the monster was a cooked piece of meat courtesy of Swordsman¡¯s arm. I quietly waved to Halberd person. ¡°How hard is it¡¯s skin?¡± ¡°I heard it¡¯s hide is slightly stronger than leather. Arrows would be our best chance, but we don¡¯t have any.¡± So stabbing it up close. I must admit, after having the time to take a closer look at the Drake, I can see it has a thick layer of hide with scale like patterns on them. That means my gun could do some form of damage and I¡¯m thinking if I am required to, I should shoot for its eyes. I¡¯m very hesitant on using my bullets. They¡¯re a precious resource and it¡¯s not like I¡¯ve been backed to a corner, yet. That reminds me of the thing I ordered from Dane, a ballistic knife. I never really tested it and I might just have to. ¡°Does that thing have any weakness?¡± ¡°If it were that easy, I¡¯d killed it. It¡¯s all that merchant¡¯s damn fault for sweet talking us like that. Now look at us!¡± ¡°I thought you were bandits.¡± ¡°We¡¯re mercenaries, dammit!¡± ¡°Okay, I get it. Quiet down, alright?¡± I laughed, smacking his back before I go. ¡°I¡¯m going to get my things. I have something that might be able to kill it. Give me some kind of warning if it starts heading towards me, though your friend will keep it busy for a while.¡± ¡°Keh! Even if I want, I won¡¯t be able to move.¡± And an immobile person is a dead person. ¡°Fine, I have a roll of cloth you can use to treat yourself. I¡¯m keeping the potions for myself.¡± ¡°Greedy bastard.¡± ¡°You delight me.¡± I sneak around the Drake, stopping once in a while to assess both Halberd person and the Drake¡¯s location. For having to trust and cooperate with a scum (yours truly) that killed your partners, it¡¯s obvious once the Drake is down, Halberd person will one billion percent betray me. The Drake is gulping down Swordsman, and Halberd person is watching it happen intently. If you wanted a piece, you should¡¯ve asked me to save you a piece! The only one I knew ate humans is Whelty, but doggo forgot to tell me how human flesh taste. To be honest, killing that Dinosaur is too much of a chore. I don¡¯t want an achievement from slaying giant monsters. That¡¯s best left to video games. I found my things and cocked a knife into the ballistic handle. Using the zoom function of my phone, I see Halberd person frantically searching for me. I took it as my cue to sneak towards the hole where his team dumped their goods. I remember Halberd person said something about merchandise knowing a way out of here. Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s going to be that clich¨¦ trope. As soon as I peeped into the hole, I made out a silhouette of a person laying in the cage. Yup, a slave. Chocolate colored skin, black hair, female, cuffed. She still wore her leather attire, meaning she was recently captured. Looks like Ol¡¯ Arden¡¯s got to act like a despicable hero and save her to get out of this forest. Oh well. After I get what I want, we¡¯ll part ways. ¡°Hey, you.¡± I rattled the cage. At first, the slave didn¡¯t respond, and I didn¡¯t want to make a lot of noise. I grabbed a handful of dirt and threw small mud balls at her until she let out groaned. Her long ears flickered from the covers of her hair. I immediately have a bad premonition when she drunkenly looked at me. It¡¯s not like I have anything against dark elves, her expression says she¡¯ll be a pain to get rid of. ¡°Eep!¡± She cried, crawling to the back of the cage. Blood dripping from her forehead. ¡°P-please don¡¯t hurt me!¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°Be quiet. Do you want to get us killed? There¡¯s a giant lizard above this hole.¡± She covered her mouth and nodded. That quiet her down instantly, but it put a bit of stress on her face. I commend her for quickly understanding the situation. ¡°A-are you here to help me?¡± She asked. ¡°Well yes, but actually no.¡± As usual, I give ambiguous replies that leave people confused. Her strange golden eyes were fixated on me and gave me a look of a curious child. ¡°Do you know the way out?¡± Searching the area, I asked. ¡°I do, but¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s all I need to hear. In return for freeing you, I¡¯ll be asking you a few favors.¡± Remember when I gave Halberd Person a pat on his back? That was when my nimble hands snatched the key from him. Before I unlocked the cage, I spotted a satchel stitched with silver lining. It had a somewhat elegant design and it came with a light knife sheathed on the side. Of course, the mercenaries would steal her valuables. I¡¯m jealous the sharpness of the blade is superior than my beloved switchblade. It easily cut through roots like butter, but not metal. There¡¯s a certain lightness like it¡¯s made of aluminum though I suspect it¡¯s not. ¡°Analyze.¡±
Mithril knife+ (Epic)
Dur: 1650/3000 STR: 5 AGI: 25 DEX: 32 INT: 5 VIT: -
Forged of a valuable metal imbedded with magical protection properties.
Now this is treasure! This is a first time I see a + beside a name. What does it mean? ¡°Umm¡­ that¡¯s mine. Please give it back. It¡¯s important.¡± ¡°It¡¯s important?¡± I tauntingly dangled the knife in front of her then an idea struck me. ¡°Alright, this will be our deal. After you get me what I want, I¡¯ll give this back to you.¡± She silently nodded. That was easier than I thought. With our agreement, I unlocked the padlock. I opened the cage slowly to not risking it making a loud creaking noise and attract my Dinosaur friend. I kept my eyes on her as I put a foot into the cage then felt an unsettling chill down my spine. Either she¡¯s too trusting that I¡¯m actually helping her with good intentions or she¡¯s planning something. It¡¯s that stare darting between me and her knife. It¡¯s like she¡¯s examining my movements, calculating her next step. There¡¯s a chance she¡¯s just an airhead with a good set of eyes. Just because I want to, I¡¯m going to test her. Even if it¡¯ll put us in danger, it¡¯ll be fun to see her potential. I belted her dagger in a place in full view and approached her. ¡°Can you stand?¡± I stretched my hands to her. The moment I pulled her up, her eyes changed. She tackled me on the floor and pushed a blade onto my neck. Unfortunately for her, she drew a short stick, literarily. With a little slight of hand, I swapped the knife on my belt with a stick in amidst of the transition she pushed me down. I have my ballistic knife aimed up her stomach and her knife pricking against her side. I feel her hand sweating on my neck knowing she put herself in a bad situation. Kudos to her for not breaking character when she noticed she pushed a wooden branch against my throat. She displayed a lovely pale expression. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re quite good.¡± I smirked. ¡°If you get off me, I might forgive you~.¡± ¡°If you kill me, you won¡¯t be able to escape this dungeon. You need my help and you will return my things!¡± ¡°This knife¡¯s really important, is it?¡± She said no more but continued to glare daggers at me. She¡¯s got more balls than I thought. ¡°Alright, I give up. You can have it back.¡± That¡¯s the least expected thing I would say to throw my opponents off guard. A slight sigh of relief came from the dark elf. ¡°Just a question. Do you value your life or this more?¡± ¡°What do you-¡­¡± Before she answered, I whistled. Loudly. The ground started quaking and leaves started falling. The tremors stopped when we saw a duck bill poking above the hole. The dark elf¡¯s face went from pale to ghastly pale as she watched I turn the tables. I catch her light body and threw her on her back. Before she realized, I aimed the mithril knife at her. ¡°W-what are you doing?!¡± She whispered. ¡°Dear, you¡¯re dealing with a freak that has suicidal tendencies. I¡¯ll even gladly bet my life if I have to prove it.¡± I put on a business-like smile. ¡°You have two options. Either die with this piece of trash or cooperate so after you can have your dagger back without any trouble.¡± She could have stabbed me. A branch would hurt too. Since that duck billed lizard is close, it could probably sniff out my blood and kill her afterwards. The reason why we¡¯re not immediately caught by the dinosaur is because we rolled in the dirt. ¡°Your move.¡± I unshackled the cuffs. ¡°I only have to guide you out of this forest, right?¡± ¡°Well¡­,¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°If you would be so kind to show me where I can find some of these herbs, that would be great too.¡± ¡°T-then I want something.¡± ¡°Money? Are you in a position to bargain when I¡¯m the one holding your precious knife?¡± After examining the whimpering look of her face, I became curious. ¡°Ask away, I have time as long as that overgrown lizard doesn¡¯t get to us first.¡± ¡°I¡­,¡± Her voice quietly trailed off. ¡°I want revenge on the humans that destroyed my village.¡± Oh! She wants to kill Halberd Person. ¡°You¡¯re captors? Tough luck, for you there¡¯s only one survivor left. The duck ate one, I killed one and the last guy is up there hiding. The thing is, I also plan to kill the last guy myself to get some fun out of it.¡± ¡°You kill for fun?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t deserve your praise.¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t a-.¡± ¡°What do I get in return?¡± I curtly cut her off. ¡°What do you have to offer that¡¯s worth as much entertainment as the person you want to kill?¡± ¡°That, umm¡­¡± She fidgeted. She curled up her legs, wrapping her arms around her body with a tinge of embarrassment. Her mouth moved, whispering some words but I couldn¡¯t hear her. I tapped on my ear, asking her to repeat. ¡°I don¡¯t have much¡­ The knife¡¯s a memento of my family and I can¡¯t give that to you no matter what. All that¡¯s left, is¡­¡± It¡¯s her isn¡¯t it. That tone of her irritates me. It reminds me of my younger helpless and sane self. ¡°Before I agree, I¡¯ll decide your worth on how we handle the lizard. The man up there is yours to kill. Don¡¯t forget our deal.¡± We climbed up to find the Drake lingering far from us, but in sight. Halberd person is still alive, and was a tad too happy when he saw me. His jaws dropped when he saw he Dark Elf behind me. She gripped a crude dagger seething with anger. If only looks can kill. ¡°Y-you! How did you?! My keys!¡± That¡¯s a nice face. He looked like someone who had just seen a ghost. ¡°My watch doesn¡¯t say it¡¯s time to argue. Shouldn¡¯t we get all the help we can get?¡± I dropped one more bundle of stripped cloth and a healing potion. ¡°That should get you up.¡±