Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 51

A heavy silence fell the moment our eyes met.

After a brief pause, the gang boss who ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had orchestrated the kidnapping looked me up and down before spitting on the ground. "What are you staring at? That mask makes you look like some pathetic outsider. Piss off before I gouge your eyes out."

I ignored his vicious threat and stared right back.

He had a sparse beard, a menacing expression, and a build as massive as a wild boar. His shoulders were tense, and a dragon tattoo coiled around his thick arm. He was the spitting image of a stereotypical "inked-up pig" thug.

No mask.

Since he wasn't wearing a mask like me, he was likely a gangster born and raised in the underground city, not an outsider.

I shifted my gaze from the boss to the girl held captive by his lackeys in the back.

"Mmph!"

Her beauty was hidden beneath shabby clothes. She had clumsily braided, navy-blue hair and silver eyes that shimmered even in the darkness. She was the owner of the "special shop" I’d been looking for.

I’m in the right place.

I’d wandered a bit, but I’d reached my destination—and at the perfect time, too.

Ting.

I closed the system map floating in the air and glanced at the number of enemies, mentally preparing for the encounter.

One boss, four lackeys.

They were just common thugs with no special skills or impressive stats. After taking down Dandol and Chepesi and surviving a fight against a demon, these guys were nothing to me.

"Die!"

Whoosh!

The gang boss’s heavy fist shot through the air. It wasn't imbued with mana or any special ability, but its raw physical strength was enough to cave in a man's face with a single hit.

However, his fist never reached me.

CRACK!

With a sound like bone hitting a stone wall, his fist stopped dead in midair.

"Gaaah!"

The man clutched his swollen, bleeding hand and rolled around on the ground, howling in pain. I looked down at him, then shifted my gaze to the translucent armor shimmering in the air.

[Aegis Shield]

It had been completely shattered when Demer pierced through it during the last exam, but I had since restored its durability.

"Grrr… You son of a bitch, what kind of trick was that?!" the gang boss shrieked, clutching his dangling wrist.

It was as if he’d punched a concrete wall with all his might; his hand was likely shattered and his wrist broken. I looked down at him with indifferent eyes.

"You don’t need to know. And…"

Fsssh.

"Now it’s my turn."

I extended my right hand toward the man on the ground.

Swoosh!

A crimson magical light gathered around my outstretched palm.

"!"

The lackeys’ jaws dropped when they saw the flow of mana flickering in my hand.

"M-Mana?"

"A mage! He’s a battle mage!"

To common thugs with no special abilities, a battle mage was nothing short of a walking disaster. Running was a much better option than fighting. Of course, my constitution prevented me from casting spells directly, but simply manifesting mana like this was threatening enough.

"Run!"

The lackeys abandoned their fallen boss and bolted. Left alone on the ground, the boss screamed like a stuck pig.

"Fuck! Get back here! You have to take me with you!"

After spewing a stream of curses at his fleeing men, he glanced at me and scrambled away in a panic.

"Hiek!"

I watched his retreating back for a moment before withdrawing my mana.

"..."

I had even brought a strength enhancement stone just in case, but there was no need to use it.

How boring.

I dusted off my hands and shrugged. After the thugs had scurried away, I untied the ropes and removed the gag from the girl they had captured. She let out a long sigh of relief, then bowed repeatedly, expressing her gratitude.

"Thank… Thank you so much. How can I ever repay this kindness?"

Her braided hair swayed every time she bowed her head. Finding the way her hair moved—almost like a puppy’s tail—rather amusing, I finally spoke.

"Don’t worry. There is a way to repay me."

"...?"

Hearing me talk about repayment immediately after saving her, she seemed a bit flustered. She stammered, "Uh… yes, of course. There must be. I’ll be sure to repay you."

"Good. First, gather your things."

"Ah, right."

She scratched her head and began picking up the magical tools scattered across the alley floor. I watched her in silence, lost in thought.

Normally, by this point in the sub-quest, she should have become the owner of a proper special shop, but here she was, still living on the streets.

A world without a protagonist...

I had used my authority as Student Council President to search the student registry for any trace of the player, but it was no use. It wasn’t just that they weren’t on the list; there was no admission record at all. I had also looked into key story points that should have changed based on the protagonist’s quest progression, but I found nothing of note.

This scene before me was likely another consequence of that absence. In that case, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠what I had to do was clear.

I’ll have to take the player’s role myself.

For the story to proceed normally, I would have to get busy.

"Um, I’ve gathered everything."

As I was lost in thought, the girl stood up with a now-stuffed backpack.

"Good. Then lead me to your shop."

"My shop? Ah, so you were a customer looking for me. I’ll guide you, so please follow me closely. The path is a bit complicated."

"Alright."

The girl shouldered her backpack, which was heavy with magical tools, and began to lead the way. As I followed her quietly through the alley, she was the first to introduce herself.

"Um, my name is Lize."

The same name I remembered. The fact that she revealed her real name suggested she had a decent level of trust in me.

"I’m Roen."

To earn her trust, I figured I should at least reveal my own name. It’s not like Roen was an uncommon name in this world.

"Roen-nim..."

Lize repeated my name as if to commit it to memory, then asked a question.

"Roen-nim, is there something specific you want from me? As a way of repaying your kindness."

"Something I want..."

I stroked my chin for a moment, then pointed at Lize.

"I want you."

"Eh? M-Me?"

As Lize jumped in surprise, I added one more thing.

"To be precise, I want the talent you possess."

"..."

Lize narrowed her eyes and muttered something to herself for a moment before speaking again.

"Roen-nim, how did you know to look for me? I haven’t even been able to do business properly lately because of the Red Hound Gang. Was it through an acquaintance?"

Red Hound.

It seemed she was talking about an organization within the underground city connected to those debt-collecting thugs from before. Racking my brain, I recalled such an organization from the game. After a moment’s thought, I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠came up with a suitable answer.

"Finding you wasn’t that difficult. Rumors about those with exceptional skills always find a way to spread."

"Hehe."

"Even if they’ve gone completely broke and are drowning in debt."

"Ugh, you really know how to hit where it hurts."

After chatting with Lize for a while as we navigated the complex alleyways, she stopped in front of a building and gestured toward it.

"This is my shop. Though I’ll have to move soon."

It was a shabby shop in a deserted corner of an alley. From the looks of it, you could hardly even call it a shop; it was more like an illegal street stall. I frowned as I looked around at the dilapidated stall and the dark, gloomy alleys surrounding it.

"Do customers even come here?"

"Think of it as a hidden gem of a restaurant. You found your way here, didn't you, Roen-nim? The people who need to come, come."

Flap.

Lize pulled back the curtain covering the shop, stood behind the counter, and greeted me with a familiar line.

"Welcome, customer. Would you like an appraisal?"

The same line I’d heard countless times in the game. It had a nice ring to it. I shook my head to clear the thought and got straight to the point.

"I don’t need an appraisal. Is it possible to buy or ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sell items here?"

I could do appraisals myself. What I needed now was a contact—a reliable and capable contact who could help me secure funds by selling unnecessary artifacts or help me acquire high-level ones. Lize was originally supposed to be more than capable of filling this role.

But at my request, Lize looked troubled.

"Ah, normally I can… but you see..."

"Is there a problem?"

Pretending not to know, I tilted my head, and Lize’s shoulders slumped.

"Yes. My suppliers have all been cut off. I’m sorry."

"To the point where your suppliers cut you off? When did business get so bad?"

At my question, Lize let out a deep sigh and began to explain.

"It used to be okay. I was making just enough to slowly pay off the principal and interest on the debt my master left behind. The shop may look like this, but I had quite a few long-time regulars."

Lize’s master. According to the lore, he was the one who had recognized the orphaned Lize’s talent early on, taking her in and teaching her before passing away and leaving behind his appraisal tools.

The problem was that he had also left her his debt. One might wonder why a disciple should be forced to repay the debts of the dead when they weren’t even family, but such logic didn’t apply in this underground city. These were the kinds of people who would invent debts just to extort money.

Lize continued her explanation.

"But… a few months ago, the Red Hounds took on a new appraiser, and they started harassing me as a competitor. That’s when my suppliers were cut off and the debt collection became more aggressive. I’m not even big enough to be considered their competition."

I nodded, looking around Lize’s shabby shop. The Red Hounds were one of the resistance factions opposing Panopticon’s rule. As Lize said, they were too large an organization to bother harassing a mere street vendor as a competitor.

In that case, their intention was clear.

"They want to recruit you, don’t they?"

At my question, Lize quietly bit her lip.

"...I know. But how can I work under the people who killed my master?"

Lize quietly clenched her fists in anger. Seeing her trembling hands, I sighed inwardly.

"What about asking Panopticon or another faction for protection? Or just joining one of their organizations?"

Most merchants in the underground city paid protection money to a major faction to prevent situations like this. It was the best way to supplement the inadequate security provided by the vigilantes. Another option was to join a faction’s family and become a member. Becoming a member of a faction meant gaining a powerful backer, which would free her from the pressure of other groups.

But Lize shook her head and said in a gloomy voice, "You need money to pay for protection. They take everything I make. And they won’t accept a kid like me as a member."

"True."

They would demand even more protection money from someone targeted by another faction, and they wouldn't accept her as a member either. In the end, she was stuck, her debt continuing to grow, and she had just narrowly avoided a terrible fate.

It would have been easier if she had just set aside her grudge for her master for a moment, compromised with reality, and joined the Red Hounds. She could have worked within their organization, biding her time and sharpening the blade of her revenge for a later day.

But Lize had not chosen that path.

"Foolish."

"..."

But resolute.

I looked into Lize’s eyes, which hadn’t lost their light even in the darkness. She was a steadfast character who upheld her principles to the end, even in a gutter-like situation like this. This might be the very shackle that held back her talent, but that steadfastness was also the fundamental strength that made Lize the notable figure she was.

My role here was simple: break the vicious cycle she was caught in. That would be enough.

"..."

Having organized my thoughts, I quietly extended my hand to her for a handshake.

Ssk.

"?"

Seeing her tilt her head as she looked at my hand, I spoke calmly.

"I’ll help you."

"You’ll help me?"

As Lize’s eyes widened in a question, I gave a faint smile.

"Yes. But it’s not for free. There are a few conditions."

Recruiting new talent. It was always a pleasure.