Alex POV ~~~

Bodies being torn apart and dismembered.

Blood everywhere.

Next to me, two young women with nervous expressions watch the unfolding scene with expectant eyes.

I don't blame them for showing such emotions in the midst of a one-sided massacre, after all, I'm no different.

I won't lie, it's still a bit disturbing to see this scene in front of me. Not out of pity, after all, the bastards who are dying are the same ones who tortured and enslaved me. However, seeing firsthand a superhuman reaping human lives as if they were flies is, indeed, quite a cinematic sight.

Looking at the fate of the guards, I even think I was lucky to become a slave and not minced meat by any superhuman…

Or should I say hero? Seriously, the guy has gray hair, arrived in the midst of an explosion, and saved the two attractive slave girls from danger. Could he be the protagonist?

*Swish*

Ah, great!

Seeing a final head roll, I realize he has finished his sword dance.

Despite all this glamour, in the works I consumed in the previous world, I think the authors forgot to mention how repugnant the smell of blood and guts, from more than 20 guards, can be.

Unlike the laid-back hero, the killer is in bad shape. Besides being ugly, he's all covered in blood. He really doesn't seem trustworthy to me.

Wait, how does the dismembering sword hero not have a single drop of blood on him?!

Okay, he really turned his face and smiled after killing about 20 guys. THIS is weird, a truly born psychopath.

Poor girls, they must be extremely traumatized by thi... no, they're blushing, never mind.

...

*Footsteps*

Passing through the door and arriving at a grassy area surrounded by a dense amount of trees, I take a few steps forward, towards the forest, hearing the hero in the background: "Okay, guys. From here, we just need to cross the dense artificial vegetation that surrounds the auction hou..."

*Clang*

Startled by the noise of metal colliding, I turn towards the hero, stunned by the sight: How can such a huge white Dwayne Johnson appear so suddenly?!

With the shock, I take a few steps back, towards the tree line.

*Clapping*

Damn, that's Henry! Go hero, finish this jerk-!

End of Alex POV ~~~

While the gazes of the hero, the ugly assassin, and the two beauties focused on the newly arrived enemies, Alex, who was startled by the appearance of the huge bald guard and his own kidnapper, distractedly took steps back towards the trees, being silently swallowed by the slope hidden in the dense vegetation.

After rolling a few times, Alex finally manages to balance himself, saying in pain: "Damn it, I really should pay more attention to my surroundings... Wait, what a strange déjà vu."

Getting up dazed, Alex picks up the bag that had fallen next to him and, ready to go back up the slope, he reflects: "Hmm... Do I really want to go back there? Ok, I don't need to think, I'm getting out of here..."

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Alex, in his gala outfit, now dirty from the fall, holding a wool bag, could be seen running in the opposite direction of the slope.

After a few seconds of running, Alex suddenly stops and thinks: "Wait. What if they're in danger?"

In his mind, the scene of a gray-haired man dismembering limbs while dancing with a sword, then turning around and smiling, could be seen.

"Yes, yes. They'll definitely be fine... What can I do, after all...". Alex confirmed, feeling a chill down his spine at the idea of socializing with someone who kills while smiling.

~~~

Far from there, in the previously dark and luxurious room, now completely illuminated, two people could be seen.

"Mr. Christopher, we are ready." Said a slender man to the person sitting in front of him.

Christopher, hearing this, stood up. Wearing tailored pants and a dress shirt with a few buttons left to fasten, the muscular man, who was holding a metal box, said: "Then let's go, Thomas, this city will soon turn into chaos."

With Christopher leading, both men left the room, which was once luxuriously decorated, but now only a beautiful white leather armchair remained, with a deep tear in its armrest.

~~~

Walking through the bustling streets, Alex, who acted naturally, easily blended into the landscape.

It didn't take long for him to leave the wooded area, after all, he was still within the city.

Despite his slightly dirty clothes, it was still a beautiful gala outfit, and along with his good looks, Alex could easily be mistaken for someone of high status.

Luckily for Alex, the surroundings of the auction house he had just left were in a more upscale area of the outer city, right next to the huge walls.

Here, despite the slight smell of sewage, there was no more trash on the street, with dumpsters scattered in many places for trash disposal.

"Finally, I found you." Alex said, looking at a beautiful two-story shop with a huge banner reading 'Jewelry Store'.

Upon entering, Alex was greeted by a beautiful employee, who accompanied him to a counter, where a thin, white-haired old man with a monocle was standing: "Hello, young sir. My name is Jacob. What kind of jewelry is the young sir looking for?" The gentleman said politely upon seeing the young man who, although a bit dirty, was well dressed.

"Hello, sir. Actually, I would like to sell some jewelry." Alex said, taking out two necklaces and two bracelets from his bag, still leaving a little more than half of the jewelry inside.

The old man's eyes widened at the sight of the jewels that the young man in front of him casually pulled out of an unconventional bag.

Fitting a mechanical device with lenses onto his monocle, the old man quickly analyzed them, holding his breath with each item.

Thinking it was a test, the old man said with a sincere smile: "Young sir, please, there's no need to test this old man's honesty. The treasures you've been carrying are far beyond what a simple outer city store can afford. At most, we have enough to purchase one of the necklaces and one of the bracelets."

Realizing he had done something wrong, Alex smiled at the old man and, while putting away one of the necklaces, tossed the remaining bracelet and said: "Then this will be your reward, old man. Congratulations on your honesty."

"Haha, I knew it! Jackpot!" The old man thought excitedly, quickly catching the bracelet in the air.

"Thank you very much, sir! I will expedite the purchase of the remaining two items as quickly as possible! Please wait just a moment." The old man said as he ran to the back of the store, returning shortly after with a long bag of coins.

"Here you are, young sir, 55 platinum coins."

"55?! My God, no wonder he said it was a test! That's 550 gold coins!" Alex thought, picking up the bag of coins, remembering one of the books he read when studying the language: 'The Coins of the Seven Kingdoms'.

On the surface, Alex smiled kindly and waved: "Good afternoon, sir."

Thinking internally: "Ok, I just gave 200 gold coins to the guy, can I ask for them back?"

"Anyway, I have to get out of here as quickly as possible. I just escaped and I don't want to go back." Alex affirmed, heading to a clothing store.

~~~

After buying more casual clothes, Alex was now in a comfortable hotel room.

After some thought, he figured it wouldn't be a good idea to go around with so much money and without knowing exactly where he was, so, as the outer city of Castle Grey was huge, surrounding the immense walls of the inner city, Alex decided to go to the other side of the vast city and, after a 4-hour walk, found this cozy inn.

"Ok, let's see what we have here..." Alex said, emptying his wool bag onto the bed.

"Ok... 3 necklaces, 2 bracelets, the Knight book, the acolyte book and... A black ring? It can't be..."

In disbelief at what could be the polished black stone ring in front of him, Alex put it on his finger and tried to feel it, even entering his strange consciousness space.

"Ahh... It seems it-, It seems it's just a normal ring after all." Alex said, sighing in frustration.

Returning to his body, Alex extended his hand around his finger to remove the ring which, to his surprise, could not be seen anywhere.

Floor, carpet, under the bed, pockets... Nothing.

"Wait a minute..." Alex said, having an insight, entering his mental space.

Floating in the watery environment, a black ring could be seen reflecting the faint black light of the place.

"Finally you were useful to me, mental space!" Alex exclaimed joyfully.

If Alex's mental space had life, Alex would certainly have lost his upon saying that.

Grabbing the ring with his consciousness, Alex returned to his body and, to his surprise, the ring was in his hand, as if it had always been there.

"Ok, now this is getting fun...".