Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Deadly Hospitality
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The Old Man showed up not long after I had fully mastered Mana Compression.
“Looks like the talk went well. And the money’s been paid.”
He was with some bald burly man, who looked me up and down before speaking.
“Hmm, so you’re the one.”
For some reason, he had this puzzled expression on his face.
I didn’t pay it much mind and gave a slight bow.
“Looking forward to working with you.”
“Yeah, just stick with us.”
“It’s getting late—let’s get going! I could use a good night’s sleep!”
The Old Man, all hyped up, strode into the building first.
The burly man gestured for me to follow, so I did.
We got inside without any issues, and I couldn’t help but let out a small gasp of admiration.
‘……Whoa, what’s this?’
The Old Man had been raving about how great the place was the whole way here, but honestly, I hadn’t expected much.
Even if it was run by former mercenaries, they were still just beggars at the end of the day. No way they had decent facilities.
The outside of the building was covered in signs of age, after all.
But.
‘It’s way better than I thought.’
The interior was completely open and spacious, blowing past my expectations entirely.
The floor was polished marble, with bright lights spaced evenly across the ceiling.
One wall had supplies neatly stacked up, and there were over a dozen rooms that looked like guest quarters.
It was luxurious enough to rival any mid-tier inn or hotel.
‘There was a place like this in District 7?’
Maybe he saw the shock on my face, because the burly man asked in a low voice.
“Surprised?”
“Yeah…… yeah, I am. Unexpected. How is this even possible?”
“Magic, you could say. Space, lighting, supplies…… nothing here isn’t touched by it.”
“There’s a mage living here?”
“Yeah, a pretty high-level one. He’s our leader, too. Ah, here he comes.”
I turned my head following the burly man’s gaze.
A sharp-featured man with yellow hair slicked back was approaching.
“Oh, you must be our guest?”
“Yes. Looking forward to it.”
“Haha, the pleasure’s mine!”
As he flashed a friendly smile like he was genuinely pleased, I subtly glanced at the rooms on either side.
There were over a dozen, sure, but they were all empty.
‘Doesn’t seem like they get many guests.’
That struck me as odd.
A place this nice, and no people?
Well, it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible.
Facilities like this wouldn’t be accessible to penniless beggars.
A bad feeling started to creep in.
‘……How much did this old guy pay?’
Maybe there were even gold coins jingling in that pouch of his.
I was mulling over what to do if the Old Man demanded repayment for some insane amount when.
“That room over there’s yours.”
I looked where the slicked-back man pointed. My first thought: pure luxury.
It seemed like the best one I’d passed on the way in.
A plush bed at a glance, a table covered in ornate designs, even a private shower setup.
“You’re giving me a room like this?”
“Of course! For a guest who’s paid properly.”
Well…… sure, but. Why did it feel so off?
“Where’s your room, old timer?”
“Oh, right next door!”
His room was luxurious too, but the unease didn’t fade.
No matter how much they’d been paid, did they really need to treat a random beggar this well?
“How about washing up first?”
At the slicked-back man’s suggestion, I shook off my thoughts and looked down at myself.
A faded T-shirt whose original color was a mystery, pants with holes everywhere. A foul stench was wafting up from them.
“……Yeah, good idea.”
“Smart choice. Clean clothes are inside, and by the time you’re done, I’ll bring some food.”
“……Thanks.”
I stepped into the room and tossed my worn clothes straight into the trash, then headed right for the bathroom.
Splash-.
Water poured out steadily from the connected hose. A filter that automatically removed impurities. A shower powered by mana.
“……Some kind of sales pitch? Treat me nice so I come back?”
The nagging doubt lingered, but it vanished the moment the water hit my skin.
Warm water melted away the grime caked on my body, washing it all down the drain. All the built-up fatigue swept away in an instant.
“……Ah, this is nice.”
I’d figured as a beggar, I wouldn’t enjoy anything like this for a while. Yet here I was, already getting the royal treatment.
Scrub, scrub.
Grateful for meeting the Old Man, I washed every inch of myself. I wiped the fogged-up mirror only toward the end of the shower.
I stared silently at my reflection. The first real look at myself.
“……Not bad.”
A sharp jawline, pale skin, distinct features. Even soaking wet, I was handsome enough to turn heads.
The dark circles under my eyes somehow added to the vibe.
Just one flaw…… I was skin and bones.
Cheeks hollowed out, ribs starkly visible on my torso.
‘……No wonder. Just a thirty-minute walk wiped me out.’
With a body like this, forget magic—basic survival would be a struggle.
Come to think of it, they said they’d bring food. With this physique, eating was basically mandatory.
Knock knock knock-.
Right on cue, I threw on the provided clothes and opened the door.
The slicked-back man stood there with a tray piled high with food.
Way too extravagant for a beggar.
“All cleaned up? Eat this and get some rest. Must’ve been tough getting here.”
“……Thank you.”
I took the tray, and he gave a warm smile, utterly devoid of any ulterior motives.
I closed the door behind him, then locked it with the bolt for double security.
Click.
I set the tray on the table and perched on the bed.
Gurgle, groooowl……
My stomach roared like thunder.
But I just sat there, staring at the food.
Simple reason. Something was visible in it right now.
“…….”
I closed my eyes slowly and replayed everything.
The Old Man who covered my share so kindly, the burly man’s puzzled look at first sight, the slicked-back man’s overly friendly attitude, this place with all its luxuries. Yet the empty rooms……
I’d chalked it up to good luck, but I’d been naive.
‘……This is Devil Fantasy.’
What kind of game was [Devil Fantasy]?
Far from joy, hope, or happiness. It was packed to the brim with despair and frustration.
Especially in my current situation.
‘Asteron District 7.’
Crawling with criminals and vicious thugs. No one here offered kindness.
Everyone was on high alert, suspicious of the smallest things.
That was Asteron District 7.
And I was right in it.
Rustle.
Eyes open, fully aware now. I could finally accept what I saw in the food.
Thanks to my constant Enlightenment state, the green mana particles embedded in it.
Poison.
Knock knock knock-.
I held my breath at the knock. Soon, whispering voices followed.
“……Looks like he ate it.”
“Heh heh, told you guys. Easier than I thought.”
“Just wait a bit to be sure.”
The slicked-back man, the burly man, and the Old Man.
I listened closely, creeping silently behind the door.
A small knife gripped in my right hand.
Specifically, the steak knife the slicked-back man had given me with the food.
Their blatant mistake.
“…….”
Lucky for me. What I’d brought to this world wasn’t just traits.
[Former Owner of Sword Saint].
The top-tier soul imprint every sword trainer dreamed of.
Time to put it to use.
***
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A terrifying crash shook the door violently. The burly man, having checked the double lock, was smashing it down.
Amid the noise, I calmly assessed my options.
‘Magic’s out.’
My level was barely enough to manipulate mana, let alone cast spells. So, no magic—something else.
Fortunately, I had options.
‘Former Owner of Sword Saint.’
Its effects:
300% proficiency correction on all bladed weapons.
Awakening in close combat.
Accelerated reflexes and dynamic vision.
Intuition stat +30.
Fear immunity, too.
It had everything needed to become a sword saint.
Kwang!
The doorknob finally gave way, and as expected, the burly man burst in first.
“Hold on, he’s not…….”
The moment his eyes swept the room and landed on me behind the door.
Whoosh!
I thrust my right hand out.
Huge size difference—his head alone matched my build—but it was doable.
Even with just a tiny steak knife.
Even piercing a living person.
The soul imprinted in my own made it possible.
-300% proficiency correction on all bladed weapons.
Crunch!
“Gaaaaah!”
The burly man screamed, clutching his eyes.
Tears of blood gushing out.
No need to wait for him to calm. I swung the knife again.
Slicing straight across his throat.
Spurt!
“Guh, gurok.”
His massive hands flew to his neck.
Big enough to cover his face, but useless against the fountain of blood.
In the end.
Thud!
He collapsed with a heavy crash.
No time to relax after dropping one foe.
Now the backup appeared.
The slicked-back man.
“You little bastard……!”
No stranger to this, he calmly prepared a counterattack. The friendly smile long gone.
Right, he was a mage.
Whoooosh!
Mana surged around him. Forming letters, shapes, then a circle.
The whole process hit me like a lesson.
-Magic learning rate increases by 300%.
I etched the mana-to-magic transformation into my eyes. Insights flooded in, like tangled threads unraveling in my mind.
“……So that’s how it works.”
Dodging his spell was impossible, I judged.
[Former Owner of Sword Saint] boosted physical abilities, but not enough.
Only one way out.
Disrupt the magic.
-Magic calculation ability maximized.
“Huh?”
The fury on his face turned to horror.
More and more as my fingers twitched.
“……Why is this……?”
Disrupting wasn’t hard.
Understand the spell’s mana pathways and interfere.
This situation proved it.
……Fizzle.
The fading mana dispersed into the air.
The slicked-back man froze, staring in disbelief. Face screaming, *How?*
No need to answer. I closed in and slashed.
“Guh, guhuk!”
The leader here, but no different in death. He spewed blood and crumpled pathetically.
One left.
Splat, splat!
Stepping through the pooling blood, past the corpses.
I faced the Old Man, legs trembling.
“H-How did you……?”
No rush to kill him now. What could a feeble old guy do?
So I spoke.
“Why’d you try to kill me?”
“K-Kill? No, that’s not…… guhuk!”
I lunged, throttling his neck. My weakened body was still enough to overpower him.
“……No bullshit. I’ll ask again. Why?”
Deprived of breath, his face turned beet red before he answered.
“……M-Mage hearts fetch a high price.”
“And?”
“I-I saw it. You handling mana…….”
A forgotten scene flashed back.
The moment time resumed after picking my trait, his shocked face.
“……That’s when you knew.”
It stung.
Our conversations replayed.
-I’ll cover your share!
-Why? You just took a liking to me!
-I know a great place for folks like us.
-Wait here, I’ll talk to them.
Not kindness.
A scheme.
A crafty old man plotting my death from the start.
“F-Forgive me! I just wanted to s-survive! That’s all! Any other beggar in that spot would’ve……!”
“……Yeah, probably.”
I got it.
Humans would do anything to live.
So he’d understand.
I couldn’t leave loose ends to survive either.
“Same here.”
“N-No……!”
Stab!
I plunged the knife into the back of his neck.
Soon, the Old Man’s shuddering body went limp.
“…….”
Silence fell. I slowly scanned the room.
Bloody knife in my hand, metallic stench vibrating through the air, three corpses sprawled on the floor……
I took it all in quietly.
Their mistake gave me the knife. But this mess? Entirely my own fault.
Naive oversight.
Forgetting what kind of world this was.
“……Get it together.”
Danger wasn’t just demons.
This was a world crawling with demons in human skin.
The moment it sank in, I vowed.
“……No more mistakes.”
Never again.
Tragically.
My first act in this world wasn’t slaying a demon.
It was killing humans.