Chapter 19: The initiation test.

Adam's POV

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As we made our way through the dim alleyway, Dix spoke enthusiastically, his tail swishing behind him. “If you join us, nya, we’ll even give you a guild card! Then you can do all the things normal people do, nya~!”

“I see,” I said, crossing my arms as I walked. His excitement was contagious, but I kept my tone neutral.

“Alper,” Nove’s calm voice echoed in my head, snapping me back to reality. “Joining an unregistered organization is extremely dangerous. Groups like these are often involved in illegal activities. Proceed with caution.”

I gave a subtle nod to acknowledge her warning, then came to a stop. Dix noticed and turned back, his golden eyes filled with confusion. “What’s the holdup, nya?”

I fixed him with a steady stare. “What makes you think I would join your group?”

“Nyahaha,” Dix chuckled, flashing his usual smug grin. “Because you’re desperate, nya! No one will hire you, and you can’t get any kind of license card until they catch the fugitive. That could take months—maybe even years! Basically…” He leaned closer, his grin widening. “You’re screwed, nya!”

His smugness was infuriating, but I stayed composed. Years of experience had taught me to keep my emotions in check, even when dealing with the most irritating people. “Can I ask,” I began calmly, “why you even need more people if your group is supposedly one of the best in the kingdom?”

“Nyope,” he said, wagging his tail slowly. “You’ll have to join us to find out.”

I raised an eyebrow. “And what exactly do you guys even do?”

Dix puffed out his chest proudly. “We’re information brokers, nya! We sell information by infiltrating, scanning, and spying!”

I didn’t even hesitate. “Yeah, I’m out,” I said flatly, turning on my heel to walk back the way we came.

“W-Wait, nya!” Dix yelped, darting in front of me and spreading his arms wide in a desperate attempt to block my path. “I-If you don’t like that, we have other options, nya! You can do observation missions! Or help out around the base! Odd jobs, nya! You don’t have to do anything you don’t like!”

I paused, looking at him as his confident demeanor started to crumble. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his tail twitched nervously. It was clear he hadn’t expected me to reject him outright.

“I still don’t see how I get anything out of this except a guild card,” I said, turning on my heel again. “So, no thanks.”

Dix didn’t give up. With an acrobatic leap, he landed in front of me, blocking my path once more. “W-Wait, nya! Just listen!” he pleaded, his tail standing straight like an exclamation point. “You won’t have to do anything you don’t like, nya! And not only will you get access to the information we trade, but we’ll also give you a place to sleep! You can even do odd jobs to earn money, nya! How does that sound?”

His desperation was obvious, and it bled into his speech, his words becoming increasingly muddled and rushed. I stared at him for a moment, considering my next move. Then, unexpectedly, Nove’s calm voice rang out in my head.

“Alper, I think it’s better if we join them.”

My eyes narrowed. “What?” I mouthed silently, raising a hand to my mouth to hide it. She’d just told me moments ago to avoid them because of their shady dealings.

“Dix is offering us all three things we need to achieve our objectives,” she explained. “A place to rest, information, and a way to earn money.”

I frowned. She’s got a point, I thought. Still, I wasn’t convinced. Joining a group like this felt too close to what I’d done in my past life—things I wasn’t eager to revisit. But Dix had said I wouldn’t have to do anything I didn’t like.

I sighed, crossing my arms. Dix stood in front of me with his arms spread wide, watching me with a mix of hope and nervousness.

“Just to be clear,” I said, meeting his eyes. “I won’t have to do anything I don’t want to, right?”

Dix nodded vigorously, his beret bobbing with the motion.

“And,” I continued, “I can leave if I decide I don’t like it?”

He nodded again, even more enthusiastically. His tail was wagging so fast it was almost a blur.

I sighed again, feeling a mix of resignation and cautious curiosity. “Fine. Let’s go, then. I’ll join you guys.”

“Yes!” Dix pumped his fist into the air, practically vibrating with excitement. But then his expression froze, as if something critical had just occurred to him. “Nyo, wait! I almost forgot something!”

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I tilted my head, suddenly wary. “What’s wrong?”

“Well…” He fidgeted, twirling the tips of his fingers nervously. “You’re actually supposed to pass a test before we can invite you to join the Midnight Prowlers, nya.”

“A test?” I raised an eyebrow, crossing my arms again.

“Yeah, nya.” He shrugged, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “We can’t just hire deadweight, now can we?”

I sighed for the third time that day. “Of course there’s a test. Fine. What’s the test?” I asked, crossing my arms. A smug grin spread across Dix’s face as he produced a small circular device from his fingers and held it up triumphantly.

“This!” he declared.

I squinted at the strange gadget. “And what exactly is that?”

“Nya? This?” Dix twirled the device around in his fingers with exaggerated flair. “We call it a bug. It can listen and record voices, so we can play them back later, nya.”

My ears perked up at that. An actual bug just like the ones in my previous world? That’s… pretty useful.

Dix motioned for me to follow him, and with a roll of my eyes, I complied. We exited the alleyway and stepped onto a small street. It wasn’t particularly busy, but there were enough people walking around to make me wary. Some were dressed casually, others in armor, but most seemed to be minding their own business.

Dix stopped abruptly, turning to face me. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the device into the street. It landed with a soft clink and blended into the cobblestones almost seamlessly.

“If nyou can get that device back to me without being seen,” he said, his grin widening, “you pass, nya!”

“You’re kidding, right?” I stared at him, then at the street where nearly thirty people were wandering back and forth at any given moment.

“Nyope!” he replied, his tail swishing confidently as he crossed his arms and gave me a smug look.

“So let me get this straight,” I said, pointing to the street. “I just go down there, grab the thing, and come back?”

“Nyaha!” Dix laughed, shaking his head. “Without being seen, nya!”

I stared at him for a long moment, taking in his overly confident smirk and wagging tail. This challenge…

…was too easy.

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Dix POV

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Let’s see what he does, I thought, watching him closely.

This challenge—Bug Catching—was one of the harder ones we used to initiate beginners. In fact, it was nearly impossible for most newcomers to complete. The only person I’d ever seen successfully retrieve the bug was my own sister, and even she took half an hour to do it.

For anyone else? Forget it.

But the true purpose of this test wasn’t simply about passing or failing. It was about observing the approach—what course of action the person would take. As long as the method was interesting, efficient, or innovative, they passed. Simple as that.

“You don’t have a time limit, nya. Good luck!” I told him, studying his appearance. He was covered from head to toe in dirt and blood, a clear sign of someone desperate for survival. Just like the rest of us when we’d joined the Midnight Prowlers. He must have been through hell to end up in a position like this—seeking work, covered in filth, yet carrying himself like he had nothing to lose.

That’s what made him a good candidate.

But something about him made me uneasy.

When he turned to me, there was an air of confidence in his expression, so calm and assured that it caught me off guard. “No time limit? Really?” he asked, his voice steady.

For a moment, I hesitated. I almost couldn’t call him a kid. While he was playful at times, there were moments like this—moments when his demeanor shifted. His tone, his posture, his gaze… everything about him screamed adult.

“Nyep!” I replied with a slight twitch of my tail, forcing myself to recover. “But don’t take too long, nya—I don’t like waiting.”

“Don’t worry.” He patted my shoulder casually before turning back toward the alley we’d just come from. “I only need ten minutes.”

I blinked, confused. “Nya! The bug is over there on the street,” I called after him, pointing to the small device hidden amidst the bustling crowd. “Where are you going, nya?”

He glanced back over his shoulder, and for a split second, his expression changed. Gone was the playful kid I’d seen earlier. Instead, I saw the focused, piercing gaze of an experienced hunter—a look that shook me to my core.

“I’m going to complete the test,” he said simply, then disappeared around the corner.

I stood frozen for a moment, my tail stiff as I tried to process what had just happened. Who the hell is this kid? I thought, my usual confidence momentarily shaken.

It would be more believable if he was a dwarf with a genetic defect that makes him thin like a human, but the lack beard, chest hair and the stout figure said otherwise.

I shook my head, trying to shake off the weight of his gaze. “Nya~ What kind of horrifying things has he seen to have eyes like that?” I muttered to myself, my tail flicking uneasily. “Hmmm…” I crossed my arms, my ears twitching in thought. “Even if he fails miserably, nya, I’ll try to convince my sister to let him join us anyway.”

Leaning against the wall in the alleyway, I waited. Five minutes passed, and nothing happened. I was starting to wonder if he’d given up when a sudden shout echoed from the street.

“It’s Batman! He’s over here!”

My ears perked up immediately, my heart racing. Batman! The fugitive we’d been hearing whispers about for weeks now! My eyes sharpened instinctively. As an information broker, this was gold—a once-in-a-lifetime chance to witness the legendary masked figure everyone was chasing. This could be huge for us, but—

“Nyo! Control yourself, Dix!” I growled, grabbing my legs as if physically restraining myself would keep me from bolting toward the commotion. My tail lashed furiously as I muttered, “Nyo! Control! You’re in the middle of an exam, nya!”

From where I stood, I watched as the street in front of me emptied in a flash. The crowd surged toward the noise, chasing the shout like moths to a flame. Within seconds, the street was deserted.

…Wait a minute.

Something didn’t sit right. The timing. The sudden frenzy. My tail froze mid-swish as a thought began to form.

Is this…

Before I could finish my train of thought, movement caught my eye. From the opposite side of the street, through a narrow alleyway, he emerged. Calm. Leisurely, as if he were out for an afternoon stroll. His face betrayed no urgency, no panic. He bent down, picked up the bug, and walked toward me without a care in the world.

When he reached me, he tossed the device into my hands with an almost casual precision. “I told you, didn’t I?” he said, his voice calm but with a hint of smugness. “I only need ten minutes.”

I stared at him, the bug resting in my palm, and for a moment, I couldn’t find the words. My tail flicked once, betraying my awe.

“...Nya~,” I finally managed, swallowing my disbelief. This kid wasn’t just interesting—he was something else entirely.