After breakfast, Arthur tried to find a vacant corner. He needed a private place to finally gather his thoughts.

But it didn't take much searching. It turned out Arno had a whole private office.

Arthur had many reasons to feel happy. The first reason was that the chair he was sitting in was so soft and comfortable that it was as if it sucked the person inside.

The second was that there was a fireplace in the office! Magic turned out to be an incredibly livable thing.

The third...was the stunningly beautiful maid, who right now was personally pouring him tea.

However, when Sophia handed him the mug of tea, he had to try hard not to drop it. His hands trembled violently.

At the sight of the sweet smile on his wife's face, Arthur swallowed. A chill ran down his back. The hand that Sophia couldn't see was clenched tightly into a fist.

All because an hour ago he had finally found time to read the second note left by Arnaud.

"Dear Sophia and Elia,

I wanted to say goodbye. I don't have the strength to look you in the eyes...

This world is a terrible place. It values strength and ability, but I... The world rejects people like me...

I've been weak. Weak all my life. But I cherished this foolish dream that one day... one day I too would shine at the top.

But not for glory, not for riches... I wanted it for both of you.

I thought that one day you would look at me not as a poor boy to be protected and cared for, but as a man...like Eric, for example.

I wanted your hearts to be proud of me...

But... It's impossible, isn't it? I've never even had a chance.

I don't know what I've done wrong to you...

I didn't notice. I only saw your smiles... and didn't notice what was behind them.

I have nothing left...

It's a better world without someone like me..."

The hand that held the letter dropped helplessly. The paper carelessly flew out of his hand and swirled around the room in a gust of wind from the window.

Arthur stared at the wall in a murdered mood for several minutes. He didn't even move. Reading someone's farewell message is always incredibly agonizing, but...

- I hadn't noticed what was behind your smiles. - Arthur whispered in a sad voice into the empty room.

- After all, you did it because of them... What happened? Did you find out that Sophia is a goddess? That Elia came from the future? Why, Arno?

[Ding! The new mission received!]

Description: Find the reason for Arno Mann's suicide.

Reward: 1000 experience

5 attribute points.

Penalty: None.

Hearing the unemotional voice of the system in his head, Arthur leaned back in his chair. He was hurt and sad for some reason.

"What a joke, Arthur. Why are you so overreacting? It's not your family anyway..." - he thought, but at once he remembered the girl's love-shining eyes that made his insides flutter every time.

"I must find out the reason. Not because of the mission, I want it myself." - mentally Arthur made up his mind.

- - Aren't you going to have tea? - The question, uttered in a very gentle tone, brought Arthur back from his musings. He turned his gaze to the mug he was holding with trembling hands.

He took a sip and immediately grimaced. There was a slight bitterness from the tea.

"Strange taste," he thought.

- Thank you, Sophia... If you don't mind, I'd like to be alone. - He smiled tautly at his wife.

When the door closed, Arthur stood up and went to the computer lying on the table. If there was anywhere to start looking for clues, this was the place to start. He was lucky it wasn't password locked.

But that seemed to be the end of his luck. There was nothing important inside, this computer didn't seem to have been touched at all.

Arthur scratched the back of his head sullenly. He was actively puzzling over what to do next if this path turned out to be a dead end.

"Wait, didn't the system say that at level 3, I would unlock the body owner's memories. Then it turns out I can find out the answer anyway? Right, system?"

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

[Yes. Obtaining Arno Mann's memories will also count as completing the mission.]

"A workaround to solve the mission. How ridiculous." - Arthur grinned.

"But I haven't even made it to level 1. By the way, how do I get experience points?"

[Experience points are awarded for killing mana beasts and demons. Also as a reward for missions].

"A very large selection. With a body like that, I could kill a lot of mana beasts." - he thought sarcastically.

Arthur decided to go back to studying the contents of the computer. After a short time, he noticed one interesting thing.

"His calendar recorded all the dates of going out to hunt. At the same time, mana stones were constantly being ordered from this computer to the same address. And it was on the days when he didn't have work. Why was he sending them there?"

Arthur bit his fingernails with increased thinking. A silly old childhood habit he couldn't get rid of in any way.

He hesitated for a long time but eventually decided to go check the place out. Though he didn't have much evidence that he could find anything of value there. But for lack of other options, it was the best choice.

Arthur, like a real husband, begged Sofia for some money, explaining that he had lost his wallet at the guild, and got into a cab.

The address took him to the very outskirts of the city. "The Tearful Slums" was not without reason considered the poorest and most unfavorable neighborhood of the entire city. Not only the aristocrats did not frequent it, but even the middle class, rightly believed that such places were best avoided.

Arthur looked around warily. The timing of his little journey was bad. The last rays of the setting sun were visible in the sky, and it would soon be night. And that was known to be the most dangerous time in such places.

Walking down the street looking for the right house, suddenly Arthur felt something hit him in the legs. It was an old frayed ball. Two sweaty and heavy choking boys about eight years old ran up to him at once.

He held out the ball to them, returning it, but the kids immediately ran away.

"Someone might even be afraid of me. It's funny."

Arthur knew very well the reason for this. He felt like the black sheep in this place. All the people he passed suspiciously watched him. Their gazes greatly stressed Arthur.

All of these people, apart from their general poverty, had one thing in common. They were all purebred Arboreans. The most despised group in the world of Eridanus.

They could not be confused with anyone else, one characteristic thing that always gave them away.

It was the breathing mask on their faces. Usually made of cheap metal, it was not made for beauty. The mask looked hideous, seemingly covering half a person's face, and disfiguring them.

Why did the Arboreans wear these masks?

The fact is that Arborea, the world from which they fled to escape hordes of demons, was filled with mana. It was everywhere, including the air.

The Arboreans, on the other hand, had changed their bodies over thousands of years of evolution, so that with every breath they took, not only oxygen, but mana was in their lungs as well. It became a completely natural phenomenon in their world.

But in Eridan, a world devoid of mana, they were like a fish thrown out of the water onto the shore. Unable even to breathe clean air, they were forced to find another way to survive. This way was the wearing of these awful masks, in which special mana batteries were built in. It filtered the air they breathed in, adding mana to it.

"I even feel sorry for them. It must be unbearable torture to wear one of those things all the time."

Now, however, Arthur had himself to worry about. Two men were already headed in his direction with undisguised desire. A big one and a skinny one. They both looked like bandits with countless scars visible between the joints of their light armor.

The big man called out to Arthur:

- Hey, friend. Can I help you?

Arthur rubbed his forehead and sighed with undisguised irritation.

"I couldn't just walk down the street without stepping in shit, could I?"

He didn't need to explain what was about to happen. He had encountered situations like this all his childhood. Just in moments like this, he felt very comfortable, too used to them.

Arthur cast a glance in the direction of the cobblestone lying not far from him.

"If I hit the big man's mask right, I'll probably put him out of action right away. Next, I'll have to deal with the small one myself," he thought to himself.

- Why don't you say something, friend? We only came to talk. - The man's mask was visibly malfunctioning. It made an unpleasant squeaking noise every time he spoke.

Arthur was not about to play this silly game. He bent his knees and stretched his arm toward the stone. He began a countdown in his head to his preemptive attack. Engaging in pointless dialogue, he had no plans.

"One."

"Two."

- Stop. You two, stand back.

The three men turned around in unison at the sudden sound of a voice. An elderly woman with fiery red hair, waving her arms wide, was hurtling toward them. Arthur noticed, in surprise, the sour expression that appeared on the faces of the two bandits.

- Steph... - the big man began to speak.

- Stephanie. For you Stephanie, how many times do I have to tell you? Get out. - The woman swung around and kicked the smaller of the two bandits in the back. He collapsed to the ground as if he had been shot, swallowing dust.

Before Arthur could realize anything, the woman, who was obviously called Stephanie, had grabbed him by the arm and dragged him somewhere.

In a minute he was inside a dusty, ruined house, with walls full of holes.

It was dark, but he could see his surroundings.

- Arno, why have you come at this hour? Are you looking for death? - The woman grabbed Arthur's shoulder and squeezed forcefully.

"Ouch...and she's so strong. It hurts," he thought with a disgruntled look.

- Why are you looking at me like that? We agreed that you could only come in the morning. It's not safe here at this hour. If I hadn't come, your pretty face would have been cut up by now. And the body would be found on the side of the road in the morning.

"Wow... she describes it in such detail. It seems to be a regular occurrence with them. It must be a lot of fun."

- Sorry, urgent business came up. There was no other option.

- Then why the hell didn't you go inside right away? Why are you walking around like a jerk in front of everyone? It's like a huge burning sign that says "I'm a rich Eridanian, somebody robs me, please."

- Sorry...

- I'll charge you more for your rent this month. Fifty percent more... No, that's how it's going to be every month now. Consider it the price of your rescue today. Now go.

Stephanie released his shoulder from her steel pincers. Arthur looked at her puzzled.

"Did she say rent? So Arno rented something here? And where?"

- Mmm...it's night now. Outside is so dark. I'm afraid I won't make it on my own. Would you mind escorting me, please? - With a polite smile and pleading eyes, Arthur asked.

The woman took a step back, spread her arms to the side, and made a face as if to say, "Are you an idiot?"

After about 10 or 15 minutes, Arthur was standing in the middle of a room in the basement of one of the houses. There were no windows, so the air in the room was stale, making it incredibly hard to breathe.

"Thank you, that nice woman, for turning on my light. Otherwise, I would have broken my leg in the dark."

Arthur looked around the room. A mountain of piled garbage, mana stones scattered everywhere, and a couple of computers. On one of the tables, among other things, lay a firearm on a special stand. It was in a half-disassembled state.

But something else caught his attention most of all. A small iron spider was crawling toward him right now. Its eyes glowed red as it looked toward the guy who had entered its territory.

- Um... Hi. - Arthur said awkwardly.