Vol 5 Chapter 6

As if to prove that Kapros's worries were unfounded, after entering through the city gate, the guide headed straight for a side alley instead of going towards the crowded main street. They were heading towards an area where particularly dilapidated buildings were clustered.

While the area near the Colosseum, Bistale's center, had relatively clean buildings and well-organized streets, this place was completely the opposite. There were hardly any users among the people passing by.

"We'll arrive at Rezul soon."

"When we get there, will we be able to see the Flower of Rezul right away?"

"Well. Once we arrive, I'll leave immediately. Even without me, there won't be anyone living in Rezul who doesn't know about it if you ask, so there shouldn't be a problem."

Still seeming reluctant to talk about the Flower of Rezul, the guide gave a half-hearted answer, saying that they would know everything anyway, and Kapros had to be satisfied with that for now. Still, since they were almost there, he decided to ask one more question.

"Do you know what your vice-leader meant when he said that if he had gone in deeper to where the Flower of Rezul is, he wouldn't be in his position now?"

The underground organization's vice-leader, who wore a white mask to cover his face but didn't hide the aura of a well-trained strong person. Someone of that caliber had calmly said that he could have died there, implying that if he had, he wouldn't be in his current position. For Kapros, who was about to visit that place, it was a very concerning statement.

The guide must have heard Kapros's words, but he just kept walking without giving any answer. He only opened his mouth when the already narrow road gradually became even narrower and the surrounding houses became increasingly dilapidated, to the point where it almost reminded one of a back-alley slum.

The guide stood at the entrance of the town where no people were visible and quietly turned to look at Kapros. From his expression, Kapros sensed that this village was their destination.

"What the vice-leader said."

The guide continued in a stiff tone.

"Is nothing but the plain truth. No exaggeration, no lies."

A faint tension flowed in the eyes that met his. After saying only that much, the guide turned his gaze away as if declining any further questions.

"That place is Rezul. I hope you'll be able to see what you want. If you survive, there might be a day when you come back to our organization. Well then, I'll take my leave."

"Thank you for the guidance."

The guide shrugged once and turned around without hesitation. By the time Kapros, who had been surveying the landscape of Rezul for a moment, looked back, the guide was already out of sight.

Left alone, he felt his nerves becoming even more on edge than before. Rezul looked no different from the dilapidated towns he had passed through so far. It was a place with dirty laundry piled up here and there, and brick houses with gaps scattered around.

'It looks ordinary from here.'

But Kapros knew well that he shouldn't let his guard down just because it looked unexpectedly bland.

'Well then, shall I go into the town and ask anyone about the Flower of Rezul?'

The guide had said that there was no one living in Rezul who didn't know about the Flower of Rezul, so he intended to trust those words. Kapros clenched and unclenched his fist once to release tension as he stepped into the gloomy slum.

"Excuse me, I'd like to ask something."

The first people Kapros encountered in Rezul were men who looked to be in their twenties. Although they whispered among themselves when they saw him, they didn't seem particularly threatening, so he approached and asked. One of them smiled unpleasantly.

"You look like a wealthy adventurer, what business does someone so clean-looking have here?"

"Sure, you can ask. If you pay well, that is."

"How about 5 gold?"

"Shouldn't we ask for more? It's a windfall that's rolled in after a long time."

Before Kapros could answer, the unpleasant laughter of the guys who had gradually surrounded him echoed to the end of the alley. They seemed to be trying to intimidate him in their own way, but Kapros stood expressionlessly, feeling bored and thinking of other things.

'The pattern is a bit cliché.'

He had expected something like this might happen, but the response was so predictable that he couldn't even laugh. On the other hand, the guys grinned at each other, seemingly marking Kapros, who was standing without any reaction, as easy prey.

"Hey, mister. Don't have 5 gold? Then how about donating some of what you're wearing?"

"The clothes look good too."

"What? You want to strip him completely and send him out? It'll be an eyesore."

Watching the guys laughing as if something was so exciting, Kapros recalled Hans's gang whom he had encountered when he first met Kran.

Back then, he had also been in a situation where Hans and his so-called friends, funny NPCs, had picked a fight after slightly bumping into him on the street. Just as he was about to deal with it, Kran had intervened, ending the extortion event that had been generated for once, leaving him with the regrettable memory of not seeing the end of the event.

With Hans and his friends, he had been disappointed that he couldn't handle them himself, but this time there was no one to interfere, so there seemed to be nothing to hold him back. Even as he was considering which magic would be good to use, the guys were busy making vulgar comments boisterously.

"You don't know anything. Look. That bastard may be wearing a black sack, but don't his hands look quite precious, being thin and white?"

"So what?"

"I'm saying that even if it's a man, those who've grown up without seeing sunlight like that are no different from girls when you taste them."

"As expected of someone who's been to school, your eye for detail is different."

Let's see how far they go, now they're spouting all sorts of nonsense.

'There's nothing more to see. I should just end this with Chain Lightning and ask about the Flower of Rezul.'

The lack of flesh on his hands was natural, and the whiteness was due to living cooped up without going out much for the past few years. It might not look that way from a distance, but up close, his hands weren't very pleasant to look at due to the calluses that still remained from his long kendo experience.

Jeong Seung-jo used to always laugh very pleasantly whenever Kapros didn't react well to hearing similar things...