Walking down the steps of her house, I rubbed the back of my neck. A sense of disappointment lingered around my shoulders.

Even though nothing happened between us, I somehow felt a little let-down. Still…it was nice of her to do that for me. Without her, I would have had to spend the night on the street.

“Are you not gonna eat anything? You don’t have to rush anywhere, I have some time before work.”

Kana caught me by the front door as I entered the street. She was half-dressed in her work uniform with a slice of bread in her hand. She looked really cute like that, with her hair still in a mess. The slight orange tint of her hair glistened under the morning light in a way that couldn’t be replicated in a lifetime.

I stood there with my mouth hanging open at her beauty, amazed that I had just spent the night in the house of someone as cute as her. My wide gawk closed and curled into a smirk and lowered my head into a slight bow.

“Thank you.”

With that, I was off.

I didn’t plan to waste the day, depressed or not. I knew I couldn't ask Kana to let me stay there again, not with everything that was going on with me.

Luckily she lived pretty close to the Market District, so the walk over there was a brisk one. I crossed over the line and made my way through the bustling streets of the early morning.

The light veil of mist that ran through the city streets hid them from a distance but once I walked through it, I noticed the sheer amount of merchants and side stalls set up along the street.

Wooden boards and tables ran along the street in every direction, with barely an inch of unclaimed land. Torn material hung between the buildings with people pushing items on anyone that walked passed.

It was some kind of massive sale street–one I wasn't used to in the slightest.

Overwhelmed by it all, I kept my head low and tried not to make any eye contact with them. I took three steps and was immediately approached with the harsh sales techniques from both sides.

“Really cheap potions! Best in the city, guaranteed~”

“No-no! What you need is equipment, I see you’re not wearing any. Try these–they’re seriously cheap! I’m basically giving them away. See, see?”

They held their products up to my face as they bombarded me with fast prices and intense screams. Keeping my head down wasn't cutting it, I had to speak up.

“I’m fine, really–”

Before I could finish my sentence, one of the salesmen cut me off with a stern yell,

“You’re just overwhelmed, trust me, this is a good deal! It’s only 3,000 Rhan for this gauntlet. Good right, right?”

I looked down at the piece of armour he shovelled into my face and noticed the cheap layer of paint over it. The slight scratches and bad material were hidden under the paint but just barely.

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“Well actually…I don’t have any money.”

I didn’t say it all too loudly but somehow it looked like everyone on that street had heard me and all came to the same conclusion. The two men at my sides dispersed back into the crowded street and moved on to the next person.

“Hey you, really cheap armour here! Only 3 500 rhan for this gauntlet!” The salesman turned to another person and yelled.

Nobody would look at me, not even so much as a slight glance. I might as well have been invisible, a ghost that passed by.

“If I knew that would work, I would have done it in the first place. Sigh…”

Pushing past the salesmen, I arrived at a familiar sign that caught my eye. I tilted my head and followed the instinct that drove me into the store. The moment I peeked behind the door, my face stretched with surprise.

“Oh granny, you're here now huh?”

I knew the sign outside looked familiar. A spider symbol with a purple web behind, it was the sign used at the store I sold my monster core to. By the looks of it, she had moved locations.

The old lady's face lit up with excitement as I stepped through the door and made a large O with excitement.

She dropped the small gem she had been admiring onto the counter and turned to me.

“The wolf slayer himself, it’s been a while. I’m glad you’re alive and well boy, although you’re looking a little worse off.”

She wasn't wrong there, that last trip to the tower was just over a week but it felt like a year. I was beyond drained and my baggy eyes played the part too.

The only reason I was up and kicking was because of the medication and supplies Kana shared with me when I spent the night. That and the treatment we got from Heaven's Gate in the Tower.

Another thing I felt I had to repay her for, some other time…they began to pile up.

“Yeah well, I just got out of the Tower on a trip that went a bit longer than I’m used to.”

She examined me from behind the counter. She rubbed her chin and squinted while analysing me from head to toe. She let off a series of ‘Oooh’s’ and ‘Aahh's’ before she finally revealed her findings.

“I see… You did look a bit more worn out than the last time I saw you.” She said with a surprised face.

“I suppose…”

She looked disappointed at my apathetic response. Her eyes drooped, as if my mood had infected her and brought upon a similarly dreary expression to her face.

I remained quiet and placed my bag, which was strapped to my waist, onto the counter. My eyes remained glued to the surface between us as I released the items and drops onto the counter.

“I’ve already taken out what I don’t want to sell, so everything here is for sale. Most of it is from the sixth and seventh floor–”

Cutting off my sentence, the granny raised her concern with a hearty call,

“Young man!”

My eyes followed the words with a sluggish rise. Once my eyes met hers, she continued in a regular tone.

“The look you have in your eyes…is one I see nearly every day from veteran adventurers. It’s one you never see with the young ones that just start out or have only ventured to the lower floors.”

I hung on to her words, not particularly interested in what she had to say but rather wondered how it related to me.

“For you to have that look in your eyes…you must have lost quite the important person.”

Her words lingered in my ears and seemingly grew louder after the silence it brought. My eyes widened slightly and with it, came the familiar stinging in the corner of my eyes I hadn’t felt in days.

Don’t get involved with things you don’t understand…seriously.

I held it back, and with all my strength I bit down and my eyes began to twitch. The stinging sensation at the end of my eyes subsided and fell away. I had forced them away. I needed to.

“Take it from an old lady like me. It’s best not to dwell on those thoughts you’re having–but you can never forget them either. They’re a part of you, use them.”

“Use them…how does that work?” I muttered.

Granny shot me a worried look but ultimately gave up on it. Her eyes dropped to the tiny bag under her nose and turned back to her usual ‘work’ mode.

“Alright then, let’s see what we have here young man.”