Ashé was back at Main Street. The busiest street in Agartha.

The Wall could just be seen over the horizon. There we’re less adventurers around than earlier, most of which are in the dungeon. There were more normal townspeople conducting day to day business. Even though there was a decrease in adventurers in the area, it was still crowded as usual.

While Ashé was walking on the pavement ground, his eye’s noticed a pair in the very back of an alleyway.

Their back was facing his direction, but he could see that there was another person. Her back was against the wall and she was being surrounded by the two.

Her face was clearly afraid, she was trembling in fear because of the presence of the two men.

One of the men has his arm on the wall near her, preventing her to escape.

Clearly, in one glance it was obvious that they were pestering the innocent lady.

If Ashé wanted to ignore it and just go to the Dungeon, but his instincts tells him otherwise.

He couldn’t see the faces of the two men, but he was certain that they were drooling on the sight of the beautiful lady. They are just waiting for the right opportunity to grasp her with those filthy, perverted, fingers. The picture of the disgusting smiles on the two’s face was enough to provoke Ashé.

“C’mon baby, just come wit’ us and well show you a good timeee!”

“Yeaaa, our club is just right on the other street.

One of them caressed the lady’s cheeks with his shameless, dirty fingers. Both of their perverted eyes were picturing the naked image of the young woman in front of them.

The lady could not even squirm in disgust or fear. She was shocked and frozen in place. Her eyes were closed. She was only waiting for her eventual demise, unable to defend herself from the two perverted assailants.

A single tear starts trip from the corner of her eye and down to her cheek.

“Awwww, look at the poor thing Zant!”

“I like it when they cry!”

Click-Clack

The sound of someone cocking a gun’s hammer reached the perverts’ ears.

“Huh?”

They both muttered and turn around with an irritated face in unison to only be greeted by the sight of a nozzle and a glimmering knife pointed at them.

The lady suddenly opened her eyes in disbelief. Her tense muscles have relaxed because of the sight of her hero.

Ashé was standing in front of them, gun pointed at point black range at one while dagger was unsheathed and pointed at the other. He was clearly pissed at the two men’s actions towards the innocent civilian.

“H-hey, what gives!”

“This nunya business pal’!”

He narrows his eyes on the two, and glossed over them.

They were not wearing any armour and seems unequipped with any weapons. They both don’t have an adventurer’s mark on one of their hands.

He deduced that they were only normal townspeople.

He shoved the nozzle of the gun at head of one of them and he touches the other’s throat with the knife.

They were both starting to retreat, both trembling with fear. They set sight on the mark on his left hand, making them sweat because of the sight.

They both recognize the adventurer; He was Ashé Krow, the level-1 adventurer that won against a Nue.

“Shit!!”

“Damn, damn, DAMN!”

Their eyes were both trembling from the sight of the gun and dagger. Their mouths were open in fear. They finally realized awful and disgusting deed they are doing.

he did not break eye contact at the two. The two weapons were still aimed at the two, his finger was on the trigger and the blade was ready to slash the man’s throat.

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“Move.”

Ashé’s voice was furious but collected.

A slight relief washed upon the two from the mercy that Ashé gave them.

Their eyes were still glued to the weapons while they slowly moved out of range of the weapons.

Then they ran as fast as they could out of the dank alleyway.

Ashé holstered both of his weapons when the two has disappeared from his sights.

He turned his face to catch a glimpse of the lady that was in trouble earlier.

Her face was refined. The silver-gray hair was flowing down and reaching her neck. Ashé could see his own reflection from the silver-gray eyes that is staring back at him.

The feature that stood out was her ears that was peaking out of her hair, they were long but not pointed.

She is a half-elf.

Half-human, half- elf.

“Did they do anything to you?”

Ashé asked the beautiful girl in front of her. His face was a little pink from the sight of beauty.

“Y-yes, thank you… um.”

“Sorry.”

Ashé grabbed her arm and starts to jog, leading her outside the alleyway.

She was surprised by the sudden action but she did not recoil. Her face was clearly blushing while she covers it with her free hand. She jogs right next to Ashé as a slight embarrassed smile starts to appear from her lips.

They had arrived at Main Street. The abundance of people on the street is a safety for the woman.

Ashé was not showing any signs of slowing down.

He lets go of her arm.

“Sorry, I’m on a rush!”

He flashed a smile at her while he was still running towards the Wall.

“W-wait…”

The single word didn’t reach Ashé’s ears.

Her eyes watched the young man as her disappears from the crowd of people.

----------------------------------------

The Ghouls of the Manor was wide awake. Snarls and growls from the foul rotting bodies could be heard in the Manor’s first floor.

A single adventurer was fighting a pair of Ghouls.

His ruby red eyes are in contact with the walking corpse, never blinking because if he does, he might perish.

The knife on his right hand is raised high and his other hand is open palmed, like ready to catch a punch. His feet was squared to the ground, one leg in advance and the other on place to prevent losing balance.

He was reading their movements, waiting for one of the Ghouls in front of him to attack.

The Ghouls move slow, it was obvious even for an adventurer like him to notice if one of them was to about to attack.

One of the rotting limbs starts to raise up.

“GraAAaghh!….”

He grabs the attacking arm with his open hand before it could even fall to him and slices it off right at the join in one consecutive movement.

While holding the arm, he moves past the Ghoul and quickly approaches the other a few centimeters next to it, slamming the severed arm right at the face of the Ghoul.

The Ghoul that received such an unorthodox attack fell to the ground.

He throws the severed arm back at the Ghoul that has it, The Ghoul lost balance. He takes the advantage and slices the head off.

The Ghoul that fell to the ground was just starting to stand up, but he quickly followed up with a stab to the head.

He defeated the two Ghouls in under half a minute but he was starting feel that the monsters inside the Manor would not do much to his improvement.

He wanted to go below the Manor.

Krissa told her that the level-1 adventurers that are new to the scene are permitted to enter the Manor. If 2 of their stats has reached 500 and above, they are recommended to venture up until the 3rd level below the Manor with adequate preparation.

He only has two low-level healing potions that he bought earlier before first arriving at the Wall early this morning.

Regarding his stats, he has no idea how much he improved. He did not set foot on the Dungeon and explored it properly for 4 days, but it seems like hes doing well.

He directs his gaze at the adventurer’s mark on his left hand. A light that is only visible to him appears, showing all of his stats.

ASHÈ KROW:

Level - 2

Strength: -790→-612 Defense:-832→-801 Agility: -633→-502 Dexterity: -296→-102 Magic: -999

Abilities:

Skills:

Looking at his stats made him relieve a little.The pace of his growth was better than he has expected.

If his stats keep growing at this rate, he would be able to reach 0 within a week.

“GrahGggH…”

Ashé's eyes shot open from the croaked voice behind him.

He forgot that he was leaving himself vulnerable.

Two strong limbs held him in place.

Before he could even react, he felt teeth sinking on his left shoulder.

“ARGH!”

A sudden pain gave him a shot of adrenaline, he reflexively stabbed the head that was biting his left shoulder with the knife on his right hand.

The Ghoul went limp, falling to the ground as it released him from its grasp.

Pain was overwhelming his whole left shoulder. A warm substance starts flowing down from the source of the pain, his undershirt being soaked with a crimson stain.

He collapsed to the ground on his knees, reaching for a green vial on his belt, opening it with his mouth, and splashing the green substance to his shoulder.

As the pain starts to subside. He closes his eyes and steadies his breaths, grasping the shoulder that was still aching .

The potion has closed his wounds, but the blood that was lost was still on his shirt and never to be returned inside his body.

A sighs of relief escaped his lips while he stands up quickly.

He carries his legs to the center of the Manor’s first floor.

Staying there would only expose him to more danger, his only option was to keep moving in the Dungeon.

The small pack on his bag was only half-full and his body was still half-full of energy. The bite from the Ghoul was still aching on his shoulder.

In the center of the floor was another room that is decorated with the overall theme of the Manor.

A large wooden trapdoor in the middle of the room leading to a stairwell down stands out inside the whole room.

It was the entrance leading down to the upper floors of the Dungeon.

The Manor was considered as surface floors and was the most basic level for adventurers.

If he was to stay there, the rate of his growth would grow stagnant because of fighting the same variation of enemies.

A driving force was propelling him down the staircase leading to the unknown.

He wanted to be better, and this is a way to be better.

Without hesitation, his shadow was swallowed by the depths of the stairwell.