Although Earth's Kyle didn't know that man at all, Kyle knew him very well. Stumbling over his feet, Kyle walked towards to the door of the shack with difficulty. "Kyle! If you are still not better, we'll sell you off as a slave. The only thing you got after all, is your devil's luck and a pretty face, after all," the leader said gleefully, already well on his way being drunk. The underlings roared with laughter, as if he had said something hilarious.

"Oh, stop picking on children"

One of the man pouring the drink chided them exasperatedly, but Kyle continued to walking out the door without looking back. He closed the door behind him.

"Kyle"

Kyle turned his back at the sound of his name being called. The door reopened immediately and the man who was pouring drink stepped outside. "Let's go and get us some breakfast and let me help you to wash too. The man said while looking at Kyle. This man name was Ben and he was the right hand of the leader. . He was also on amicable terms with Kyle, often looking out for him like this.

" Thank you very much, Ben. Are you sure, don't you want to celebrate with others?

Ben responded with a kind smile when Kyle thanked him.

"Don't worry about it. I am thinking of quitting this job soon anyway."

"You are quitting this job."

Kyle replied with a little surprise. "Well, you remember the girl I told you about she has agreed to marry so I have decided to open a little shop with her and settle down properly." Ben said little bashfully.

Kyle had heard about that from Ben before. He had fallen for a girl and had been chasing her ever since. Kyle intended on paying him back someday, but just as he opened his mouth to tell him so —

"You seem different today did something happen to you?" Ben asked with wide eyes.

"Huh I am not sure what do you mean." Kyle answered uncertainly and tilted his head. He was startled "So you can make that kind of face too. You look pretty much better when you isn't sulking." Ben said cheerfully. "Er ..., sure," Kyle hesitantly agreed. "I will keep that in mind, I guess."

"All right, let's go otherwise they will get mad if we talk too much while standing here." "Right let's go."

The time was still early in the morning. The worn down wooden shack sat in the chaotic rows of the slums, where the air was characteristically stagnant. Nevertheless, the shining rays of the morning sun managed to make everything feel better.

Although the men had ordered Kyle to wash himself ,there was no proper bathing area in slums. He needed to leave the area and walk to the closest well if he wanted to clean himself. The capital of Erugenia was split into multiple blocks by walls that surrounded the castle in the center. Entering the city required both a permission form and entry fees. If you are a trader you need to pay tax too. Naturally, living within the walls was safer and more comfortable, but was only possible for rich and powerful; it was a sign of greater wealth to live closer to the castle. Meanwhile, travel between districts outside of the walls was completely free. The people who couldn't live inside the walls could be found in these areas instead. Although they weren't as safe, they showed different growth compared to the districts inside the walls. The slums were located in the outskirts of district outside the castle and while there was no entry fee, the state of law and order was the worst of all the districts outside the castle walls. They'd fallen out of reach of the government's supervision and became a lawless area left to its own devices as a result. One never entered the slums willingly, unless you had no choice but to live there. Kyle and Ben left the slums and headed for a nearby district with a well, then they quickly washed themselves and their clothes. Since it was still early, there were barely any people walking on the streets. Thanks to that, they were able to use the well in peace. Of course, there was no proper soap or warm water that could be used, but Kyle did the best he could.

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After thoroughly washing themselves, They stopped by a street stall on their way back and Ben bought some bread for himself and Kyle and then they made their way back to the entrance of the slums. He found a sunny spot to sat down, staring at the ground as he waited for his clothes to dry while Ben decided to join the leader and other men. It was early spring, but it was still too cold to be outside half naked and he was still recovering from his sickness. Fortunately, Kyle was used to the life in the slums, so it wasn't unbearable. At this early hour, the red light district neighbouring the slums was gradually emptying out. Both the women that sold their services and the men who brought them were making their way home. Barely any of them headed home towards the slums, though. The only ones that did were the ruffians that had struck it rich for the night. Kyle had no particular intrest in them, so he sat and thought about what to do next. In all honesty, he didn't think he could live with the men in the shack much longer — sooner or later, he'd be run into the ground if he did. And Ben was leaving too.

That being said, the world just wasn't kind enough to let an orphan live on his own without plans. The only chance an orphan had of survival in the slums was by scavenging for leftovers, stealing from others or being used by violent gangs, like Kyle was. There were no other options.

Author

Manthan