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In hindsight, I had probably chosen the worst night to enact my plan.

Plip, Plip.

The rain drizzled down into the alleyway and dripped around and on me. I had chosen an alleyway near a popular tavern and was sitting against the wall, my heart jumping into my throat with every passerby that might be the killer.

Splash, Splash

A pair walked by, boisterously loud, even above the drizzle of the rain.

The water seeped into my boots and I drew my cloak closer, the soaked fabric doing little to warm me.

I hadn’t wanted to draw anyone else into this potentially dangerous plot, and it felt kind of good to be able to rely on myself for once.

Despite my best efforts, I found myself drifting into my mind as I watched the muddled reflections in the rippling puddles.

{{Solve the mystery of the killer before it’s too late.

Quest Reward: 1000 XP}}

Why did the other system only give XP through quests, and why was the quest so specific at that? The usual quests I’d heard of people receiving were just focused on “defeating” whatever the object of the quest might be, as I had done for the goblins not long before.

Lost in my thoughts, I was caught unprepared when a hand rested itself atop my head.

I felt the sensation of the hand before a numb tingling spread throughout my body and I found that I couldn’t move. The staticky sensation grew ever worse, and I wondered if it was what the others had felt before whatever was done to them had been completed.

It wasn’t only that I couldn’t move—I couldn’t speak either, which might have stopped anyone else from being able to properly defend themselves if they didn’t have some sort of stun-breaking ability. Luckily, the earth control ability acted on my will.

I pulled it from inside of me and sent the earth out in a spike from my head.

While the spike wasn’t sharp or fast enough to actually damage the hand, it was enough for whoever it was to shout out in surprise and release their hold on me.

Whipping my head to the side, I caught sight of them as they backed away a few steps before taking off running.

Pushing myself to my feet, I took off down the hazy alleyway after them.

The rain hindered me just as much as it aided me. The figure slipped around the corner and crashed into the opposite wall. All I could see of it was its black, hooded cloak.

As the figure was picking itself back up from the ground, I leaped to tackle it. My arms wrapped around its rough cloak before I felt a strange, smooth sensation from between my arms, and the figure almost seemed to slither out from under my grasp—but not before my hand had closed around a part of its cloak and tore it away.

Holding the ragged section of cloth in my hand, I saw a glint of metal in the shape of a shield glint for a moment from the figure’s displaced cloak before it fell back into place.

Just as I was about to catch up to it as it took off again, the figure pointed its hand at the ground behind it and something emerged from the ground, blocking my path and letting the killer escape.

Slowly, with an ominous air, a creature somewhat goblinish in appearance pulled itself from the wet stones of the pathway, leaving a dark portal behind on the ground that drew shut and vanished.

It had the same goblinoid height and stature, but its skin was red and it had a whiplike, pointed tail. Its eyes displayed a cruel intelligence.

Sharp, pointed claws extended from each finger.

I hadn’t heard of or seen such a creature before.

The previously dark alleyway began to glow with a warm light, and little strings of fire wrapped around the thing’s claws.

We watched each other for a moment before it lunged at me.

While the thing looked intimidating, I found that its stats could not have been much different from a goblin’s. I easily sidestepped its first lunge and knocked it into the wall with «Strike».

The thing splatted into the wall and I followed up with another «Strike» from the opposite hand that finished it, whereupon it fell to the ground and burst into fire before the ashes were washed away by the light stream of water on the ground.

[[Enemy Defeated! +75 XP!

Current XP: 750/1000]]

There was that, at least.

Chasing after them further would be useless, as they had bought enough time to escape my sight.

Letting the drizzle of rain soak into my clothes and running my hand through my wet hair, I let out a sigh as I looked up and let the cool rain drip down my face.

That clasp… I had seen it for only a moment, but I had recognized it.

It was a shield-shaped crest with an engraved fort behind it…

The crest of authority in Karfana.

The crest that was given to the select few who had complete reign over the city’s decisions.

I could only think of three people who had such a crest: the city lord, the city advisor, and the head guardsman.

I had heard of all of them, though I had never seen them in person. They tended to stick to the far northern side of the city where the keep was.

“Interesting…”

I was beginning to think that the quest that the golden system had given me was going to be deeper than it seemed.

However, that only raised further questions: why was one of the city heads preying upon helpless poorer denizens of the city? Which one of them could it be? Why were the people left alive but “empty”?

I gripped the piece of cloth and slogged back home. The rain only got worse and left me drenched. The next few days would be interesting, at least.

I was also worried again about the last part of the quest message…

{{…before it’s too late.}}

There was nothing more that I could do for the night save for rest and think on the next day’s tasks. I felt a regretful tinge along the back of my neck. Whatever it was, it was certainly going to burn through my savings.

***

The next day…

“You did what?!”

Rhil was, understandably, upset.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

I had already told her about the abilities I had Awakened and the strange other system, so it was understandable that she would probably be upset that I had done something so reckless while relying on an ability we still knew little about.

I was leaning on the guard rails of the upper floor outside of our apartment doors, scratching the back of my head.

Naturally, she had been curious about what I had done the previous day and what I was asking for her help with.

“I guess I wanted to do something for myself…”

She paused for a moment, seeming to mull over what I was saying in her head.

“Just because you have the ability to doesn’t mean you should try to do everything on your own. We’re friends, Aizen. You can act like it, you know.”

She playfully punched my shoulder while I watched a few people trail by the back alleys where we lived.

“Now, how about we go out for breakfast on me, and you tell me more about what you’re planning.”

I nodded at her proposal. I hadn’t eaten dinner the previous day, too anxious about what I had been planning.

* * *

Reaper Scans

[Author – Farlight]

[Proofreader – Harley]

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* * *

“So you think that someone one of those three is responsible for the murders that have been going on?”

Munch.

She took a small bite out of the pastry. She had purchased one for each of us, and we were sitting on a bench, watching the main road of the city.

“I managed to tear this off of them in the chase, and I only saw it but for a brief moment, but they were wearing a city crest underneath the robe…”

She leaned over to take a closer look at the piece of cloth, her leg pressed against mine.

I was painfully aware of her closeness as the touch sent a light feeling up my body.

I knew that she had to have been aware of the touch as well, but she left her leg there.

“So you want to find out who’s behind it?” she asked, her head tilting up at me, crumbs at the edges of her lips.

Taking a bite out of my pastry, I thought for a moment. It was sweet, filled with jelly and coated with a sugary glaze.

“Well… Yeah. Not only because of this quest thing…”

I didn’t know how to quite put it into words, but saying something like “But because it’s the right thing to do” not only sounded cliche but it also wasn’t entirely accurate. It was more a feeling of being able to do something versus being obligated to do something.

Either way, she seemed to understand what I was trying to say.

“You’re going to have to get into the northern section of the city for that, right?”

I nodded.

“Yeah…”

I gestured to my general clothing, which wasn’t entirely shabby but also wasn’t on the level of someone who belonged in the northern districts, where upper-level Awakeners and those of more important stature tended to frequent.

“Mmm…”

She finished off the pastry and clapped her hands together.

“Do you know how aura magic works?”

‘Aura magic?’

I hadn’t heard of it before and shook my head at her question.

“Well… It’s a tracking-type magic usually used to find a specific person or monster. Investigators use it quite frequently. Basically, if you act fast enough, you can get a mage to collect the lingering mana from that piece of cloth and store it in a device, usually a gemstone, that will react when it gets into close proximity to its owner.”

I scratched the back of my head. Such matters were still foreign to me.

“I can get it done.”

She took the piece of cloth from me so that she could go to an enchanter she knew with it later.

“Also…”

She continued speaking.

“What if I could get us an invitation?”

‘What?’

“What do you mean by, “an invitation?”

“The lord frequently hosts parties for higher-level adventurers in the northern section of the city. He usually invites me on account of my past, but I haven’t taken him up on the offer before. It just so happens that there’s one later tonight… It could be a good excuse to get close to them.”

She gave me a conspiratorial smile and winked at me.

“Just find yourself something nice to wear. It’s going to be a party, after all.”

I felt a headache slowly coming on. I had never even been to an informal party before, let alone a formal one…

We finished the remainder of our breakfast in peace, me being painfully aware of our close proximity the entire time.

***

Later that day…

I sifted through different selections of suits and formal attire, each one stiffer and more uncomfortable-looking than the last. Tight collars that seemed to be trying to choke me, either too loose or too tight, boring colors like black and white—clothes more suited for a funeral than anything else.

“Ahem…”

I turned at the sound of someone trying to get my attention. One of the assistant storekeepers eyed me up and down, looking at me sifting through the suits. I was only more aware of how painfully obvious it must have looked that I was way out of my league.

“What’s the occasion, sir?”

The assistant remained polite, trying to help me find something suitable.

“It’s for a party. I’m a bit out of practice here, and while your selection is diverse, it seems…”

‘Boring’, was what I wanted to say.

The assistant let out a slight grin, the corner of his mouth piquing up ever so slightly.

“That’s probably because you’re looking at the funeral attire.”

I stepped back, rubbing the back of my head in embarrassment.

“I see…”

He gestured for me to follow him, taking me to a different aisle that was just as confusing in its own way.

Gaudy blues and reds, feathery masks, and decorative accessories lined the aisle.

It made me all the more aware of how society had seemed to regress with the Merge.

We still had the comforts of modern life through magical devices and constructs that simulated artificial lighting, water/waste management, and transportation, but power positions and social gatherings had regressed to something that resembled the Victorian era.

After going through and trying a few on. I finally managed to find something that wasn’t gaudy to the point of being unbearable: a simple blue suit/vest combination.

I thought it complemented my green eyes nicely—of course, the assistant’s excellent salesperson demeanor may have had something to do with that. The attire ended up costing me more than half of my savings, leaving me with a meager three gold coins.

I exited the shop in somewhat higher spirits and headed home to prepare for the upcoming party.

It was a thought in the back of my mind, but I still found it strange that the Snake gang avoided contact with me rather than pursuing me even more doggedly. It was something I would have to figure out sooner or later, but I put it out of my mind for the moment.

____