The streets of [Feltero] were just as prosperous as those in [Marestus], but now, when I looked at them, I saw nothing but endless evil and ugliness coiling within.
The view from the alley was, as expected, completely different from looking in from the main street. For “us,” who could only exist in these alleys, everything on the main streets was far too expensive and splendid. Yet, seen from the outside, the alleys held a different kind of scenery. “We,” who dwelled in the shadows and ugliness, weren’t even worthy of their gaze.
It was like… no, never mind.
The long, winding, and complex alley echoed with the intimidating clatter of iron chains, mixed with some grating noise. Walking through, aside from the shivering beggars crouching by the walls and the scavengers eyeing passersby with greedy looks, and aside from certain times, there were rarely any human or demi-human residents passing through.
Hmm… it was probably just my imagination, but walking in the alley, I felt the air was thin, and I even found it hard to breathe. No wonder beggars’ corpses turned up in the alleys every day. They must have given up on the will to live… I think I might have thought that way too? That’s why it feels so awful.
Stepping on the cracked pavement, I tried to ignore the beggars who moaned without being sick, but it was useless… so I just had to keep my head down and walk forward…
Their murmurs kept trickling into my ears, distracting me. But through them, I learned that [Feltero]’s prosperity was built on cooperation with the demi-humans. Without them, [Feltero] would only be an ordinary city, or even just a small town.
The difference between [Feltero] and [Marestus] was that [Feltero] used to be very small. Back then, it didn’t have the grand and diverse economic system it had now. Counting the visiting demi-humans who frequented the market, the entire town’s population was only one percent of what it was now.
Later, only after the new “town leader” took office did [Feltero] get its turning point… Within just ten years of integration with the demi-humans, it was reborn, becoming as magnificent as it was now.
However, some people also whispered that the “mayor” had dirty deals with the leaders of various demi-human races—well, that was just their own gossip and rumors, and not as trustworthy as the “news.”
“Oola! It’s the girl that guard wanted!”
Before long, accompanied by a stupid-sounding voice, a guy with a status box floating over his head appeared in front of me. I didn’t pay him much mind, but I still tensed up… I used the Force to control his head from a distance, then moved my hand slightly downward. He was slammed hard onto the ground and knocked out cold.
Honestly, so stupid.
“Too slow.”
I’d already sensed the presence hiding behind me, but I waited quietly for him to make his move… Just as I expected, he seized the moment and flickered behind me in an instant, trying to stab me in the back with something.
“Too bad for you.”
His time stopped right then. I snapped my fingers. With a flash of purplish light, the sound shattered behind me like a bronze mirror breaking, echoing through the alley and sending the assassin flying. At the same time, a gleaming white chain shot out from the wall as I willed it, piercing through the assassin’s abdomen and suspending him in midair.
He wouldn’t die—at least, I believed the chain wasn’t lethal… Hmm? What’s this?
Looking closer, the assassin had dropped something. Was this the legendary “loot drop”? I picked it up—it seemed to be a large piece of cloth. Spreading it out, it looked like a slightly worn and outdated robe…
Something was better than nothing. I draped it over myself, pulled up the hood, and planned to blend into the crowd.
But just as I turned, I spotted a few more figures. Thinking that a fight was unavoidable, I cracked my knuckles.
“Let’s see if a little girl like you is all talk.”
A mage, a warrior, and an archer—a pretty standard party setup. But looking at their matching white-and-red-striped outfits and high-quality gear, I suspected they were players from the same guild.
Generally speaking, mages who needed to chant spells weren’t much of a threat. Plus, in this narrow space, carelessly casting spells would only risk friendly fire and cause more harm than good…
Analysis over. Time to end this game.
…
“…Grandpa Alek, Miss Tōki… I don’t understand what happened, but why is she acting like that?”
“I’m not sure. It seems this is something Tōki has to figure out herself. We can’t interfere… Erf, go settle Huihui in. We’ll wait here for Tōki to change her mind.”
“…Okay, I understand. Come on, Miss Huihui, can you stand?”
“I, I think I just witnessed the arrival of death… how terrifying…”
“…Hmm? Someone’s knocking again? A material delivery? But Shuk came by this morning already.”
“Grandpa Alek?”
“Don’t worry, Erf. Get Huihui settled. I’ll go and see who it is.”
…
Patting the dust and dirt from the battle off my clothes and skirt, I cleared my throat a few times, coughing out the dust that had crept up my throat.
The warrior and archer were down, leaving only the mage. Though he held his staff tightly, looking like he had some skill, he seemed unable to stop trembling—his limbs quivered slightly… Well, if I were him, I’d be answering questions obediently by now—
Not that it really mattered to me anymore.
As I closed in step by step, the mage stepped back each time. At this rate, I’d catch him eventually.
“Are you still going to struggle… huh?”
As I passed the fallen warrior and archer, the warrior—who should have been unconscious or at death’s door—suddenly jolted awake and grabbed my ankle. Trying to buy his teammate some time, huh?
“Captain!”
“Don’t worry about us… Do everything you can to get out of here. Then tell the guild leader.”
I tugged, trying to free my leg from his grip, but he surprisingly held on with all his might, determined to keep me from moving.
As for the mage, he seemed to understand. He calmly began chanting a spell, brandishing his staff. At the same time, a small white magic circle appeared above his head and started moving downward…
That color… a teleportation spell. Damn it. Gritting my teeth, I stomped my foot, shaking the warrior off, and charged toward the mage. Even if I got hurt, I couldn’t let him go and report! My location absolutely couldn’t be exposed!
I felt the fabric of his robe in my hand and saw the terrified expression on the mage’s face. My heart leaped with joy!
Bzzz!
“Huh? Ugh—! Thud!”
I was dazed. What just happened? I didn’t know. It was like a sudden flash of light, and then pain… First my waist and abdomen, then my forehead hit something like stone. Finally, acting on instinct, I ended up lying on my side.
As I slowly came to, what came into view was the entrance of a deep, dark alley. I seemed to be lying in front of it… Behind me, there was noise and commotion—it sounded like a bustling street.
I didn’t have to think hard to figure out that after I pushed the mage, I accidentally touched the teleport circle as it was about to activate—what a headache, seriously.
Soon after I fell, footsteps began to gather around me. People started whispering about me, pointing fingers, and making sarcastic remarks.
Their comments were incredibly shallow. Since I was the one being targeted, I couldn’t understand their logic at all… It was as if, because I was a stranger who appeared out of nowhere with no connection to them, even though I hadn’t done anything, they felt the need to swarm me with criticism. And their tone and attitude made it seem like they were “judges” or something. How self-righteous…
Bracing myself on the ground, I stood up quickly. I dusted off my dirty cloak and hood, keeping my head down as much as possible, trying to leave the gathering crowd. But some people pushed me back.
It was puzzling. How could an ordinary person with no connection to you and no conflict of interest spark such curiosity? Were you all just looking for entertainment?
“I’m sorry, but can you let me go?”
I tried to keep my voice as low and polite as possible, but… it didn’t seem to help much. They still stood there, the wall of people still surging, with laughter occasionally breaking out.
…Fine, you win. It seemed the alley was the only place I belonged. Out here, they were more than happy to turn me into a laughingstock.
Sighing, I glanced back into the alley and noticed there were still several skilled fighters waiting for me inside. Honestly, I was tired of this cat-and-mouse game—
“Hey, from what she just said, this one’s a girl, right?”
“Now that you mention it, sounds about right.”
“But she’s wearing a hood. Her face is covered. Can’t really tell…”
Just as I was waiting for the next comment, suddenly, the warmth on my head was yanked away, and what poured down on me were a bunch of shocked faces.
I froze for a second, then quickly raised my hand to my face. Oh, they saw my face. That explained it.
The crowd erupted with excitement, then fear. I didn’t know why, but it seemed they’d suddenly recognized how dangerous I was—
“Hey! Could she be the one!”
“That’s right! She’s the girl who took down Vincent and got a city-wide bounty from the mayor!”
“I heard if you catch her, you can get any reward you want!”
“Let’s all go together! Don’t let her get away! Tighten the circle!”
In an instant, everyone united. The people who had been afraid of me were now completely tempted by the bounty on my head… The flow of people became hectic, the human wall tightened, and even the fighters lurking in the alley were starting to move.
Calmly, I took off the robe and stuffed it into my bag. I looked up at the sky, feeling a bit miserable.
After all that, it was all for nothing!
…
…..
Name: Hanatsuki Tōki
Age: 12
Status: [Wanted – Lost] [Wanted – Mission] [Normal]
Form Status: The wanted / girl / caster
——————
Attack: ???
Speed: ??
Magic: ∞
Strength: ?
Growth Potential: ∞
Precision: A
Mental Strength: A++
Airheadedness: D / Intelligence: A
——————
Switches: [Judgment] [Injury Evasion] [Scholar’s Mind] [Elemental Fury] [Accelerated Growth – Random] [Blood Boiling] [Space-Time Ability – Mode] [Sage’s Blessing]
Innate Attributes: [Locked – Boundless Energy] [Time – Forced Rewind] [KRYY’s Blood] [Recovery Healing – Superpower] [Tea Farmer Eater]
Weaknesses: [Cold Sensitivity] LV. MAX [Heat Sensitivity] LV.4 [Mental Resistance] LV.2
——————
New Skills:
【Seven Spirits’ Divine Power – Blue – Honesty】
— “Saw Blade”: Concentrates psychic power in the palm, then arbitrarily swings the arm to materialize X large/medium/small dark blue saw blades that move in a boomerang-like trajectory. The number and size of the saw blades depend on the current psychic power intensity.
