037 Three is a Crowd

“Y-you . . . k-killed him,” Mathideus said, holding a hand to his head.

“Gladly,” Beelith replied. She wrung her arms of bloody matter and shifted back into a fully human appearance. “If this farce is over, we will take our leave.”

“But, Ezin . . .”

“That’s your problem now,” Byron said, pushing off from the wall where he had watched the spectacle. “You chose to become an officiator. It’s your job to inform him and bury the body.” He nodded at Beelith. “Loot the corpse.”

“What a load of bullcrap,” one of the brothers said and spat on the ground. “All that bravado, yet he dies like a fucking rat. My six-year-old cousin could have put up a better fight.”

I looked at the butchered redhead, unable to reconcile the outcome with the minutes that came before it.

Like, what the heck, man? You made all of that noise only to fold when it mattered?

Bile rose in my throat.

“Hey, what gives?” Beelith said, rising from the crouch she had entered beside the body. “This guy’s some sick fuck or something? He has only ten copper coins and a slime condom in his inventory!”

The second caster laughed.

Red Wyrm left after that, with Beelith sharing her annoyance over the paltry XP she had gotten. For one moment, as Byron passed, I felt the terrible urge to stab him with my dagger.

Thankfully, I wasn’t stupid. So, I simply stayed in place, fuming as the last of the quartet of young adults walked past me.

Mathideus raked his hair a second time. “Oh, Herald’s breath. I’m going to need a shovel, aren’t I?” He walked away in the opposite direction, muttering to himself.

I kept my abilities active, just in case any of them returned, and approached the fallen man. His skull had shattered in the last attack, leaving him nigh unrecognizable. Out of curiosity, I activated [Identify].

Corpse of City Adventurer.

He had really bitten it, huh?

I walked away.

. . . and looked back again when the red-haired man groaned behind me.

A health bar appeared above him, filling back up in front of my eyes. Blood, teeth, and hair bubbled up from out of nothingness, replacing all he had lost. His limbs reformed on his torso, as did his head. A moment later, he leaped to his feet with a grin.

“Now, that was a good nap,” he said.

I dropped my active techniques. “Wait, what? How?”

The man blinked at me. He stood almost as tall as I did, maybe even taller, which was impressive for a human. “Oh, you. Dark Elf. What are you doing here?”

“How are you alive?!”

“Ranker technique. How else?” He looked around the alley. “That blonde git’s gonna return anytime soon. I should probably scram”—then at his ruined pants—“Drat. I need a change of clothes too.”

He turned to leave. I couldn’t let him! Loser or not, he had just displayed a technique that was probably unheard of in the entirety of the Vizhima.

If this wasn’t the strongest ally I could meet, I didn’t know who.

City Adventurer LVL 13.

Well, that was a headscratcher. He was even weaker than me. But, I doubted Nana or anyone else could do what he did.

“Hey, wait—” I said.

“Damien?” Nicola called, wandering out of an alleyway. “That was so unfair. You left me to pick up your tab.”

She stumbled into the avenue, still in her belly dancer costume. “I saw Byron and his gang leave. They were talking about a dead person. Are you alright?”

The redhead paused to stare at her. Nicola looked at me. I gaped in turn at the redhead.

“Um,” I said, “I know this isn’t the best way to meet, but how about dinner if you both don’t mind? I’ll pay.”

“Dinner?” the redhead said, averting his eyes from Nicola. “What’s this? A kiddie party? A real man would know how to offer another a drink.”

“Well, yeah. But, I’m technically not a man . . .”

“I’m fine with dinner,” Nicola interjected. “And, I know a cheap spot. After that scare in the tavern, I don’t think I can handle another mug.”

I glanced at the redhead.

He glared at me as if contemplating blowing us off. I held his gaze until he turned away. “Whatever.”

“Great,” I said, smirking at my small victory. “Dinner it is, then.”

My coin purse had taken a dent between shopping and renting a room. I still hadn’t bought any ranker gear, but two extra meals shouldn’t impoverish me.

If all went well, the redhead would share his secret, and I would find myself one step closer to securing my life.

The two gluttons tried to impoverish me.

Nicola led us to a night market and then to a roadside cart that sold this world’s version of beef barbecue. The redhead and her managed to devour six plates between them before I stamped my foot.

We sat atop a flight of stairs after that, nursing full bellies.

“Paz,” the redhead said, still bare-chested from after his fight. “Gordo Sangrepaz. But, everyone calls me Paz.”

“Hi, Paz,” Nicola said.

Paz grunted. “You two are the ones who did it, right? The ones who used discernment? I can respect that; that kind of guts. Rankers should never be cowed.”

“I didn’t do . . .” Nicola paused, then glared at me. “Damien, was that your doing?!”

“Yeah . . .” I said, rubbing the back of my neck

She shrieked and pounded my shoulders. “Do you know how close I came to pissing myself? What is wrong with you?”

“Hey,” I said, wilting away from her blows. “I came to your defense! Plus, I’ve been using that skill all this time and didn’t raise any eyebrows. That girl was the first to react to it ever!”

“[Predator Sense],” Paz said, stroking his chin. “A high-tier Shifter skill. Very high tier. By the time it becomes available, most Shifters are better off chasing other options. She must have beaten an ogre or something to unlock it this early.”

“How did you do it anyway?” Nicola asked, calming down. “[Identify] is only available to magic classes.”

“He’s special, that’s how,” Paz said. “I could tell from the way he studied everyone in the tavern. But, he’s also green. ‘Doesn’t know the rules. At the rate he is going, he’ll get himself killed.”

His words resonated within me, having come close to the mark. He was rather perceptive for a drunk, which made him even more intriguing.

“I’ve been careful,” I said in my defense. “It’s not like I started the day with the intent to draw anyone’s wrath. Thanks for the assist though. The night would have gone very differently had you not intervened.”

“I hate bullies,” Paz said. “Can’t stand them, especially the kids who think they’ve seen it all just because of a few level-ups. Sad that I couldn’t fight Byron though. I would have loved to punch his face in.”

Nicola frowned. “Damien says you got butchered before you could land a single hit.”

“Hey! I was just testing her reaction, okay? I didn’t expect her to be so fast.”

“Still kind of stupid. Beelith’s in the top percentage of rankers in Skeelie. What did you expect to do?”

“I’m much stronger than you think! This isn’t my final form—”

The two bickered.

It struck me that they were both young—not teenagers, but only a little older than the members of Red Wyrm. At twenty-five, I was probably the oldest in our trio. And, oh god, what had I been doing with my life while these kids fought for theirs in Vizhima?

“How did you do it?” I interjected. “The resurrection thing.”

Paz quietened. “Only foolish rankers share their secrets with strangers.”

“Alright, then. Keep your secrets. But I was wondering if it was something you could teach?”

Paz laughed. The moonlight glinted off his teeth, revealing sharp canines. For that matter, his eyes glowed red like mine, though of a paler hue, less fervent than was common with the Irithiel.

“I unlocked that technique with help from my master,” Paz said. “So, I would say it is? However, all of that means nothing to you. The act of Specialization cannot be reversed. You should discard the idea of learning anything outside your chosen affinity and class.”

Bummer. I’d been hoping that wasn’t the case.

I’d ruined my chances to mingle with Glamring and would rather blow toads than align myself with Red Wyrm.

With two spirit orbs left, I was running out of choices. And, the less said about the second legacy quest—the one that seemed intent on killing me by getting me to explore dungeons—the better.

Gather strong allies, huh?

I inhaled and took the plunge. “I need a party.”

Nicola stopped humming to herself long enough to raise an eyebrow. “This again? You’re going to have a hard time getting anyone to join you now. Not after you’ve drawn the ire of the strongest party in the city.”

“I don’t care about other people. I’m asking you guys. Party up with me.”

“Damien . . . we’ve talked about this.”

“That was then when you still had Ben. Besides, everyone at the tavern saw you at the table with me during the fiasco. If you had problems joining parties before this, it would be even harder now.”

Nicola froze. The gears turned slowly in her head, almost loud enough to hear. Then she uttered a shriek and pounded on my shoulders for the second time, doing null damage with her fists. “No! You’ve ruined me. Damien, go back to the tavern. Tell them I wasn’t with you!”

“I’m not sure Byron would care . . .”

“Damien,” she bawled, clinging to my shirt.

Paz rose to his feet, interrupting our antics. He cut an imposing figure when he wanted to, what with his wide muscles and back. But, I didn’t like his expression. If he looked that serious, then I best prepare for rejection.

Paz patted down his torn pants and cleared his throat. “Dark Elf, what do you wish to accomplish?”

Um, I have a name, bro. “What do you mean?” I asked instead.

Paz kept his gaze fixed at a distance beyond the stairs. “I won’t sugarcoat it. I am destined for greatness, and I refuse to settle for mediocrity.”

“You’re weaker than us,” Nicola said, letting go of my shirt. “Who are you calling mediocre?”

Despite her proclivities, she still held more than a fair bit of pride in her abilities. Paz had no right to mock that.

“I am, huh?” Paz said, chuckling. “But, levels have nothing to do with strength. Byron might be the strongest adventurer in your insipid guild. But, he is terribly weak as far as I am concerned.”

He glanced down at me. “Do you understand, Dark Elf, what I am saying? Everyone has the potential to be much greater than they are. But, all of that depends on the loftiness of their goals. The harder the goal is, the brighter they shine. What is your goal?”

To save the world . . . But, that wasn’t it. That was the goal the [System] had bestowed on me. I needed spirit orbs to live another day until I could figure out a way out of this mess. I didn’t care about averting an Apocalypse.

Paz narrowed his eyes. “I have a gut feeling that you are built for greatness, elf. But, the you in front of me won’t reach your full potential. You come across as flighty, without the drive to change the world.”

“What are you saying?” Nicola said, springing to her feet. “Who cares about any of that? Anyone with real responsibilities knows that fulfilling them is its own reward! Stop talking like a drugged-up dreamer and focus on reality.”

“And, what are these so-called real responsibilities?”

“Family,” Nicola said and gritted her teeth.

“Family?” Paz snorted. “Deadweights are not responsibilities.”

“You fucking—”

“I don’t care much, woman, for people with weaker goals than mine. They exist to be devoured or trampled beneath my feet.”

“Nutjob,” Nicola spat.

A part of me stirred at their words. I’d been worried about finding people strong enough to help me, but what made me think I was strong enough for them?

Who needed a Hero who was unwilling to become one?

Paz made his exit, without another glance at us. Nicola yelled some choice words at him and made a rude gesture, but even she soon took her leave.

This seemed like a perfect time for the [System] to offer some kind of guidance.

But, a new quest didn’t pop up, even as they both disappeared down the street.