"Hello, name’s Ared, a merchant." Ared reached his hand forward. Darren returned the gesture and shook his hand. "So... what's happening in the city? Why does it seem to be closed?" He dropped down his giant leather bag.

"You are asking the wrong person. But I did see a blonde woman fly above the walls." Darren answered. Ared stared blankly at Darren's eyes. His mouth closed inward and a smile began to shape on his face.

"Hahahaha!" Ared laughed loudly, catching everyone's attention. "You really are the wrong person to ask." He chuckled some more, struggling to hold his laugh. "Sorry. I'm so sorry."

Darren stared blankly at the man losing his soul laughing. So what if he didn’t know one of the city’s S-rank adventurer, it wasn’t that funny. "You can stop laughing you know," Darren said.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry." He wiped his tears away and calmed his breathing. "What's your name?" He said afterward.

"I don't even feel... like telling you."

"Hahaha! Why is that?"

"I'm getting an odd feeling..."

"What odd feeling?" Ared completely wiped all his tears away, and his face looked like it had never laughed once in his entire life.

"The feeling like you're someone at a high position and after a pretty big event you go in and act like you're the higher up then become disappointed as the hero, quote and quote, ruins your plan. But you smile 'cause you know that person."

"That's... really specific, and who might that person be?"

"Me."

Before Ared could reply, the city gates started to retract as the guards returned from their post. More than two guards arrived, while the others mysteriously struggled to move backwards, like dragging a corpse.

Then the woman from before flew above the city walls. She opened her mouth and sent her voice directly through everyone's ears.

"The Lord has been kidnapped and Guild Master Seya is Dead." She said with a straight expression on her face. Everyone fell silent, freezing at the woman's cold stare. For a few seconds, not even the trees moved, nor the wind blew. Time felt like it stopped. But to everyone, it had to start moving again.

"Hah! Well, we just have to avenge him huh!"

"Yeah!"

"Who fucked the Guild Master, Kachi!"

"Yeah! Who killed the Guild Master!"

"Take back the Lord!"

"They must suffer!"

"Die! Those bastards!"

The people cheered. It felt weird. From a quiet and sad atmosphere to an instantaneous mockery like death was an opportunity for arrogance and pride. It was odd... and uncomfortable.

Darren looked to his side and witnessed a short smirk on the merchant's lips. At that moment he knew it was not even worth the plot twist. Hah... I wish I was not the protagonist... or maybe I'm not, I've read Manhuas, you never know.

His heart tightened, but then on the edge of his eyes, he saw the man he threw a knife at walking with a piece of cloth across his naked chest. Okay… at least I'm not a murderer… right now…

Everyone ran into the city enthusiastically, though just like water dripping on top of a mountain, it dried up before reaching the bottom. As soon as people entered the guild hall, sets of beers were already laid brim to the top of tables.

Darren wanted to leave immediately, but as he felt the burden on his back finally catching up, he didn’t want to make it explode.

“A drink for you newbie!” The receptionist dropped a glass of beer on the front desk, splashing Darren’s clothes, leaving him with an odd look.

“A… I’m not here… to drink…”

“Oh come on!” She jumped up the desk and sat on top of it, holding a beer and gulping it whole afterward. “Ahhh! Tsk. Tsk. I need more!” She reached out for the beer she just dropped and jugged it whole once again. “Thank you.”

“I’d like to um… sell some cores.” Darren just ignored the drunk woman and looked for a box or any container to place the monster cores in.

With his bag open, the woman stared at his bag and instantly grabbed his neck. “You’re one rich newbie! Get me some free booze!”

“I am starting to get fucking annoyed.” He twisted his head to the woman’s eyes.

Darren grabbed her hand and squeezed it as hard as he could, leaving it like dried wood. “Ahhhh!!” The woman screamed. He couldn’t care about it anymore and just dropped all the cores on the floor. I know you’re coping, but alcohol isn’t always the only way to cope.

Then he left, leaving almost everyone shocked, and just like fate would do it, he met someone he really just didn’t feel like seeing ever again.

"You not going to drink? People seem to be celebrating their victory at the guild." Said Ared, just a few streets away from the guild.

"Nah, I'm underage."

"Underage?" Confused by the term.

"Don't worry about it, anyway, you going to some creepy alleyway?"

"What? No, I'm going to the nearby hotspot and set up my stand."

"So you're just a seller huh."

"A merchant!" He said, offended.

"Uhuh, well see you never, man I forgot the name of." He walked off;

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

"It's Ared by the way!"

Darren returned to his inn, which was also a brothel. Business seemed to have been back. There were no customers, but the half-naked women were drinking in the middle of the morning like they had no job.

"Oh sir Darren!"

"I'd like my food please."

"Oh sorry, but because of the sudden evacuation, some people are taking a long time to come back."

"I'd like my food please." Darren threw a gold coin in her hand.

"It will be in a few minutes!" She immediately turned around.

The gazes of the woman were evident as soon as he threw the gold coin at her. His body shivered at their stares. Before any could even come up to him and offer some ridiculous thing, he hurried to the stairs and yelled. "Just bring it to my room!"

Darren went to his room as fast as he could, closing and locking the doors instantly. His stomach growled as he took out his bag.

The entrance to his room wasn't a living room, but was straight to his bed, just like any inn. To his right was a long table and many chairs that act as the dining room; with a door at the end, leading to the bathroom.

Straight in front of his bed was another room, though that room was not really something he wanted to talk about.

Darren walked to a desk beside his bed and pulled the chair until a knock on the door arrived. "That fast?" He asked; rubbing his stomach.

"Uh... Hello." The woman had her hands down with no tables behind her nor the smell of any food.

"What do you-" He stopped, forming a thought in his mind. Just a few hours ago, the moment he woke up, a girl was sleeping in the other bedroom, and running with only a piece of cloth around her.

"I'm sorry!" She bowed, looking directly at his pants.

Darren shook and stepped back, covering his precious guy. "What? Don't worry about it... it was uh... ummm... just a normal reaction to an earthquake."

"Huh?" She bent up fast and tilted her head.

"Wait. Wait... wai- wai- wai- wai- wai- wa...it!" Are you not apologizing for yelling at me earlier this morning?

"Oh... no." She rubbed her head.

"Then what?"

"For not having sex with you." She said with a straight face, causing Darren's brain to die for a few seconds.

"The fuck! What is with this area? Are you telling me the amount of money I gave you-! Allows me to just fuck a woman every single time I want?!" He yelled. "Huh! Huh!" And yelled more with his veins popping out.

"Yes."

"Oh…"

***

"Well back to what I was supposed to do." Darren straightened his back and laid a small book on the table. He slowly caressed the edges of the paper, opening it like a golden treasure in the middle.

- [ ] Learn Magic

- [ ] Learn Fantasy Swordsmanship

- [ ] Get a System/Cheat(Optional)

- [ ] Use All The Gold To Live A Lavish Life

- [ ] Make A Harem(Optional)

- [ ] Live For One Thousand Years In A Hobbit Hole

- [ ] Become King

- [ ] Become A Hero

- [ ] Earn The Title Of The Strongest

- [ ] Achieve Godhood(Only If Possible)

"And I would have never thought of adding more to this."

- [ ] Have Sex With A Woman From Another World

"Then marking it already."

- [x] Have Sex With A Woman From Another World

"Though I do have to add something..."

- [ ] Last 5 minutes.

"Well, okay, now what should I do." Someone once again knocked on Darren's door. "That should be my food. SHOULD!" He yelled. “Though I wouldn’t complain… hehe.” He laughed creepily, then froze at his spot for a few seconds and yelled. “Ahhhhhhhhh!”

Darren opened the door and got his food. After eating a full meal he got off his chair and laid down on the floor. "What to do... what to do..." He stayed on the floor for the next hour releasing random noises.

"I'll just wander around then." He said. Though it took him another 30 minutes to actually stand up. "It's weird. I feel so unmotivated today, it's just the second day here, but... after the city being attacked and lord literally dying, along with the guild master, it feels so overwhelming."

Darren went back to the floor for the next 2 hours until he finally got up and left his room.

"Do you want another girl sir?" A lady immediately approached him as soon as his feet touched the ground floor.

"No thanks, I just feel like wandering around. Speaking of wandering around, got any place to sightsee in the city?"

"Hmmm..." the woman got in deep thought. A few seconds passed and it started to confuse Darren. How can she not know her own city?

"Well, I would… suggest. -The Edwards Pastries and... hmmm... San Merchant Restaurant."

"Okay, thank you."

"Have fun!" She waved him goodbye, along with every girl in the room.

"Who the fuck does he think he is." A man clicked his tongue at Darren.

***

"Hmm... it seems I forgot something. I DID not ask where those shops are." Daren sighed heavily. "If only the ki-" As soon as he said that, he did spot the kid from before. But now he had a frown on his face and was walking with a suspicious man.

"Okay... two options. I follow them and maybe die... or... I become an anti-hero and not follow them... well anti-heroes still do good things to orphans though... never mind, just the first option then."

Darren waited until the two walked into an alley and disappeared. After waiting a few minutes, he followed. It was like Deja Vu, to once again walk into an alley and have the chance to really experience something new.

"Though I definitely did not expect opening a door would make me have sex, anyway."

The alley was far shorter than the first one he entered. But this time, it didn't end with bumping into a sign leading to another world. This time, it was a sewer hatch that was visibly clean. "That means... it's commonly used. How the fuck do people not see such a suspicious thing."

Darren opened the hatch and it reeked of feces. "It's not that bad, but it's still fucking disgusting." There was a ladder placed along the wall full of rust. It looked like it would break with just one touch. "How do they even leave this place." He jumped down.

"Ughh... even the floor is full of dust." Darren looked left and right and saw absolutely nothing. Looking further and squinting his eyes, he saw something pointing out of the wall. It was a small dot. "Is that... a door knob?"

Darren walked as quietly as he could until he reached the door. Should I? Uhhh... It was a half-glass door, even if that decision is quite questionable for such a suspicious group placed in a sewer, It's beneficial to me so fuck it. Darren peeked a little.

There were many white-robed men inside, including some weird torture-esque devices and giant glass tubes filled with different colors. Whatever this place was, it was a place for mad scientists.

Darren wanted to leave immediately until he saw a sudden burst of light in the middle of the room. It revealed a giant glass tube with multiple kids inside, including the one he met before. What in the fuck!

He unknowingly took a few steps back and made a noise of splashing water. Shit! Why the fu-. Darren ran without even thinking about it. The stairs were not far out, it may be rusty, but even if it had to be destroyed just so he could get out, he would.

Jumping as hard as he could, he reached half the stairs and began to climb. But then something grabbed his leg. With just a feeling of the tight grasp, it was one hundred percent a hand.

Darren didn't think of even looking down, he twisted a piece of the stair easily and jabbed it down like a javelin to the ground. The hand's tight grip disappeared but the hand was still there.

He jiggled it around and when it fell out, Darren jumped on the rails and grabbed down on the floor above, seeing another hand that he had just barely dodged.

Darren dragged his body up, launching him to the sky and flipping his body as he landed. He ran as fast as he could, out of the alley, and yelled, "Help!" as loud as he could.

"Oh my god! I definitely saw four of them! What the fuck!" I definitely wanted to ask about the shop to you little kid. Fly high in heaven, if there even is one.

***

"He got away."

"We apologize."

The four men in black fully block cloth all kneeled in front of the white-robed men.

"Why didn't you chase him!" Yelled one of the men in the white robe.

"He screamed for help, we couldn't risk it." One the man in the black robe said and sliced his hand off.

"Tsk. We should destroy this facility instantly."

"We have too much here, we can't." Another man in the white robe remarked.

"Then w-"

"Not enough time. Hunt him down!"