START OF ARC 2

.

.

.

.

.

_________

.

.

.

____

[Chapter 12:]

WOOOOSH!!!

A flash of light so bright it was nearly blinding flooded Crow's vision, and a feeling of nausea overtook him.

Yet, as the light dimmed, and he regained his bearings, he found himself in an alleyway.

'I'm... really here?' He looked around.

His head still felt muddied, and the day had gone by so fast he was still processing what had happened, 'That ball of light putting a bounty on my head... What is my Dream?..'

He furrowed his brows and squeezed his fists, 'Fuk it! All I know is I gotta get stronger, and if this "Chapel" can help me do that..."

He looked up, surveying his surroundings, 'So be it.'

Piles of trash were littered around, and the smell of something so vile that words wouldn't do justice assaulted his senses.

"Ughh!" Crow quickly got to his feet and dusted his cloak off, before briskly walking through the alleyway, his hands beneath his cloak, secretly gripping his dagger, he took from the grey Slin.

'Raz said to find N0r, which granted she owns the Chapel, shouldn't be too difficult, but...'

An uneasy shiver unconsciously tingled throughout his body, 'The way he acted... Everyone has their secrets?... Don't reveal my true identity?... Does he know I'm not from this world?'

He gazed up at the smoggy sky as he walked through the alleyway, the multicolored orbs concealed by this city's gunk. 'Then why do so much to help me?'

.

.

.

[10 minutes later...]

Crow finally made it out of the alleyway. 'Damn, this place is a maze,' he muttered to himself, now taking a proper glance at his surroundings.

It was still night, so many shops were closed, with the light in homes being turned off as well.

'Seems about right,' he thought to himself, 'How am I gonna find someone to give me directions though?'

Suddenly, a voice came up behind him,

"Hey, you! You must be new here, waltzin' through the Rattler territory."

Crow's eyes widened, turning to reveal a man wearing a cloak similar to the one Crow was donning.

______

[NPC 1]

[Race: Human]

[Occupation/ Class: Low Level Thug]

[Realm: 1]

[Stage: 1]

[Source: None]

_______

Glancing at the stats and then at this man, a malicious smile arose on the boy's face.

.

.

.

[20 Minutes Later, within the alleyway...]

"A-and she has a student that goes out every few days in the evening. Pl-please, that's all I know, I swear!"

A man was on his knees, being held up by the hair, his left ear was cut clean off, and his achilles tendon was severed with more lacerations traced throughout his entire body.

Crow gazed at the pathetic man begging in front of him.

The man had pale skin and long hair, with any other distinguishing features being hard to make out in the darkness of the night, not that it mattered anyway.

Crow calmly smiled as he spoke to the man, "I always keep my word, you've told me everything, so I'll keep my end of the-"

SHUUUK!

Without warning, Crow sliced the man's neck before turning and walking away as the black boxes did their thing, ignoring the sounds of the man's choked wails.

His mind was racing as he continued forward, 'Okay, so the city is divided into 3 Sectors, with each Sector, the level of air quality, wealth, and even strength typically goes up.'

He glanced around the area, 'Explains why this place is like this and why he was so weak.'

He furrowed his eyes, 'N0r and the Chapel are located in what's called Sector 3, while I'm in Sector 1, and the only way to get into a higher Sector is by having someone from said Sector bring you in or "qualifications."'

He rubbed his eyes with his fingers while letting out an exasperated breath, 'Qualifications that aren't publicly revealed.'

Then, as if remembering something, a smile arose on his face, 'How could I forget N0r's student?'

He nodded his head as he praised, 'Though the "Rattlers" or whatever the gang is called hires weaklings like that guy, I have to admit their reconnaissance work is top tier.'

He stroked his chin as he made his way out of an alley before starting to climb onto the roof of a 1-story shop.

'That girl apparently frequently visits Sector 2 to run errands for her teacher. That will be perfect! Sector 3's defense is way too tight, but if I can find that girl and convince her, then I'm sure I'll be fine.'

Crow sat atop the roof as he stared in the direction of the walls where Sector 2 was. 'The only question now is... the matter of getting into Sector 2.'

.

.

.

[Early Morning the Next Day...]

10 guards stationed in silver colored armor were positioned in front of the Sector 2 Gate as the sound of horse feet clicking against the ground rang out.

"Halt!" the guard at the forefront called out to an approaching caravan.

A pudgy man who sat at the helm of the caravan let out a friendly smile, "Oh, hey Marco, wonderful day, isn't it?"

The guard gave a polite smile as he replied, "Indeed, Mr. Smith. Just a routine check-up, if you don't mind."

"Oh, not at all, please be my guest." The pudgy man smiled while staying seated.

5 guards approached, checking underneath and throughout the caravan before opening the back of the sheets.

A guard raised an eyebrow upon seeing the contents of the caravan, "Who's this?"

The pudgy man, whilst still keeping his smile on his face, looked back, "Oh, him? I found a great deal from inside Sector 1 and had to get him, hehe."

The guard, hearing this, couldn't help but frown in disgust.

The boy in front of him had a blank stare devoid of any life, 'Tsk, poor kid, but it's above my pay grade.'

The guards all came back in front of the gate, as the main guard called out, "Alright, all clear, let him through."

"Thank you, have a fantastic day, Marco!" The pudgy man smiled with a wide grin.

Yet now the guard could barely look at him, "Y-yes."

.

.

.

[30 minutes later...]

As the caravan moved through the city, the sound of footsteps and people's lively conversation came to the ear, making the pudgy man smile, not a wide, fake smile like he did with those guards, a genuine smile.

Yet this enthusiasm was doused by the voice behind him, "How far?"

"U-Um, only 2 minutes away, sir," the pudgy man quickly responded, sweat dripping down his back.

The source of this voice was, of course, Crow, who simply nodded before thinking about his next steps.

.

.

.

[Moments Later...]

The caravan finally arrived, stopping at a store that was rundown compared to the other well-put-together shops in the area.

Crow exited the carriage, glancing up at the run-down building, 'Figures.'

The merchant's desperation allowed Crow to get this far; he didn't even have to resort to threats, but with the chubby man's business failing mainly because of the lack of a powerful backer, other businesses were able to take away his business territory, so after coming across Crow, the pudgy man took a chance.

He was out in Sector 1 trying to make an underhanded deal with a group of Rattler gang members when Crow interrupted it by killing everyone except him.

Seeing his strength, the man knew he had found his opportunity to return his business to its former glory.

The pudgy man rubbed his hands as ideas formed through his mind, 'Now if I could just show him the benefits of staying with me-' yet his thoughts were interrupted by the boy's voice behind him, "Lead the way."

The pudgy man looked back and gave as pleasing a smile as he could muster before turning back ahead and stepping forward to unlock the door.

Once the pair were inside, Crow looked around to see a wooden interior resembling a living room space with cobwebs in corners and piles of papers stacked on a low counter surrounded by couches.

Seeing the mess, the pudgy man looked back with an embarrassed smile, "I apologize for the mess. I wasn't expecting your company."

Yet, Crow just waved his hand before revealing a bright smile, "It's fine, I understand. We're in a partnership now, so tell me. How much money are we working with?"

The pudgy man gawked at Crow, obviously not expecting the boy to be so direct, "W-well, uh, hmmm..."

He put his hand to his chin as he pondered, "...About 500 Sylva coins."

Crow almost raised an eyebrow at this, inwardly thinking, 'Sylva coins?'

Yet he retained his smile and nodded his head at this, grasping his chin as if thinking deeply before speaking, "Alright, bring it all out. I not only have the strength but I also gotta plan to put this money to use."

Sweat ran down the pudgy man's face, "B-but, this is the last of my savings!"

Crow waved his hand once more, silencing him before he revealed a comforting smile, "Relax~ You and I are in this together, trust me, I have a plan."

Seeing that Crow was so reassuring, the pudgy man nodded his head and walked into another room as he called, "I'll be right back."

Yet, Crow shook his head, "It's fine, I'll go with you."

Reluctance shone on the pudgy man's face, yet he didn't say another word.

.

.

.