Chapter 21
As Kael leaned against one side of the alley wall and brushed his hands together, the dust clinging to his palms fell to the ground.
The men who had surrounded him moments ago were sprawled across the alley floor.
Kael did not bother them any further.
One could call it an overly soft decision, depending on how one looked at it.
But every time he made up his mind to do so, something his friend had once said kept coming back to him and getting in the way.
….
To look at it positively… no matter how poor the security was in this district, it was still not the underground levels.
It would be better to avoid causing unnecessary trouble.
He picked up a single Tier 2 ACU, wrapped it in cloth, and put it in his pocket.
Then he closed his eyes for a moment.
He emptied his mind and analyzed his situation once more.
In fact, from one perspective, this situation was similar to when he had first been thrown into the underground levels.
An unfamiliar environment, limited information, and a dried-up circuit.
The difference was that this time, unlike before, he had some useful cards in hand.
It was far better than the first time.
If so, starting over would be much easier.
A place to rest.
Food and drinking water.
Information.
How would he solve those three problems this time?
Food and drinking water seemed much easier to obtain in the upper levels.
He had not properly eaten anything yet, but even at a glance, the food looked to be in much better condition than what he had found underground. It did not particularly smell of rotten oil or damp mold, either.
Information seemed like it would be relatively easy to obtain as well.
He had happened to hear that there were places in the upper levels where people exchanged information through terminals—a network.
It was where all sorts of information about job postings, trades, rumors, and news in Magitera gathered.
If he could use that, he would not need to run around gathering information on foot like he had in the underground levels.
That left a place to rest and a job.
According to Elena, he could purchase most necessities with the temporary citizen ID.
Naturally, she had said Seraph Industries would cover the cost.
It meant he was free to live comfortably without worrying about the expense.
However.
Where and when he bought something, which districts he passed through, which terminals he accessed, and so on.
Information about Kael would naturally be exposed to them in real time.
And that information would eventually flow into Seraph's internal network.
When he considered Adrian and Elena, he did not think they harbored any particular ill will.
But a corporation was not moved by the will of a single person.
That was precisely why he needed to minimize the information flowing into the corporation as much as possible.
Unless it was truly important, he should avoid using the temporary citizen ID.
That was his conclusion.
Some might say he was being overly cautious, but there was nothing wrong with being careful.
That made a job all the more necessary.
They would not be able to track money he earned with his own hands.
“Hmph.”
Kael raised his head.
There was a lot to think about, but standing in an alley and doing nothing but thinking would not produce an answer, so he decided to get moving for now.
If he walked around the neighborhood, he might happen upon something useful.
..
..
[Daily Security Guard Wanted]
[Nighttime Warehouse Cleanup, No ID Check]
[Cash Trading of Circuit Stabilizers]
[Retired Mercenaries Preferred]
[Recovery of Goods from a Conflict Zone]
[Hazard Pay Provided Separately]
……
Kael paused in front of the notices and scanned the compensation listed on them.
….
The amounts were incomparable to what he had been paid in the underground levels.
Not several times more, but dozens of times more.
Of course, he had expected prices in the upper levels to differ by a similar amount, but he had not imagined the gap would be this large.
No, were they even using the same currency in the first place…?
-No matter how useful something looks down here, it's all trash up there.
….
Kael continued reading the notices.
There were plenty of jobs at a glance.
Some were legal, some were half-illegal, and some looked blatantly illegal.
‘First, I need to check the prices.’
He happened to be hungry, too, and thought he could get a rough idea of the situation by entering a nearby restaurant and looking at the prices.
Even in his past experience, whenever he moved to a new place, he would stop at an inn and use the lodging and food prices to assess the surrounding circumstances.
Kael walked farther into the district, passing several shops.
There were small stalls selling fried meat and restaurants serving food made with synthetic protein stuffed between slices of bread. None of them could be found in the underground levels.
Then he stopped in front of an old four-story building.
The exterior walls were cracked, and the lights were off from the first floor to the third.
The windows bore signs that said Vacant, but
the fourth floor alone was lit.
A single swaying sign caught his eye.
[Last Round]
Last Round.
Kael tilted his head slightly and peered inside through the window.
“Is it a tavern?”
But an unexpected smell was drifting down through the slightly open window.
The smell of meat cooking, mixed with oil and spices.
Without realizing it, Kael began walking and soon reached the end of the stairs leading to the fourth floor.
The door was half open, and voices could be heard from inside.
“Did you put salt in today?”
“I did. Your tongue must be the problem.”
“How is the food this good when this is a bar?”
“Then should we sell meals instead of drinks?”
“That might have sold better.”
Kael pushed the door open slightly and entered.
Jingle.
As the small bell rang, everyone inside turned their heads toward him at once.
The bar was not very large.
A small kitchen was attached to one corner, and people who appeared to be employees were preparing food in front of it.
The place had not opened for business yet, judging by the lack of customers.
Or perhaps they did not properly operate the business at all.
Kael glanced around the interior and spoke.
“Ah. Do you not happen to sell food here?”
He remained by the door and lowered his head slightly.
“Then excuse me.”
At that moment, a young woman inside the bar raised her head.
She had short brown hair, tired-looking gray eyes, a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and a worn apron.
She appeared to be in her late twenties.
She looked Kael up and down once before speaking.
“It doesn't matter.”
She seemed to have a rather big-hearted personality.
“We can just add one more serving. Sit down.”
Kael looked at her for a moment before asking a question.
“It doesn't look like you're open.”
“We're not.”
“Then is this all right?”
“This place isn't going under just because one more person eats.”
The woman indicated an empty seat with her chin.
“Sit. If you came up here following the smell, you're hungry.”
Kael did not argue with that.
“Then I'll be grateful.”
He sat down in front of the bar table.
One of the employees beside him glanced at him and took out another plate.
Kael asked,
“Is the name of this place Last Round?”
The woman took out a new bowl as she answered.
“Yeah.”
“It's a good name.”
“It suits the place even better when it's about to close, doesn't it?”
She chuckled.
“I'm Mira Vellen. I'm the owner of this failing bar.”
“Kael.”
Mira shrugged as she ladled stew into a bowl.
“Everyone who comes here has a story. If they don't, they just took a wrong turn.”
She set the steaming bowl down in front of Kael.
The bowl contained a thick stew.
There were chunks of meat in the reddish broth, and it carried the scent of spices.
A piece of bread with a crisp, toasted exterior was placed beside it.
….
It was a dish he had never seen before, but
there was no need to explain to someone who had lived in the underground levels for a year just how luxurious this food was.
“Eat.”
At her words, Kael picked up the spoon and took a bite.
….
He paused for a moment, then silently scooped up a second spoonful.
And continued eating.
Mira watched him and chuckled.
“I guess you like it.”
Kael nodded.
“It's good.”
“Did you have to say it so seriously?”
“Eating is important.”
One of the employees in the bar burst out laughing at that.
Kael ignored them and continued eating.
Eating delicious food was one of his few hobbies.
It had always been that way.
Kael had even volunteered to be in charge of cooking at parties because he cared so much about food.
Perhaps that was why his comrades had occasionally told him he was strange.
Why worry about the taste of food on a battlefield where he might die?
But Kael had not seen it that way.
Rather, it was precisely because it was a battlefield where he might die that he cared about the taste of his food.
And the thought that he never wanted to return to the old days of living in a state of endless hunger had played a part as well.
Before he knew it, he had nearly emptied the bowl, wiped up the remaining broth with the bread, and only then set down his spoon.
It was the finest meal he had eaten since falling into Magitera. If there was such a thing as a last supper, he thought it might be something like this.
“How much is it?”
Mira waved her hand.
“Forget it. It's free.”
Kael looked at her quizzically.
“Free?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“I'm closing after today anyway.”
Kael's gaze slowly swept across the bar.
There were old chairs, shelves with empty liquor bottles, and boxes piled up to one side.
It was easy to infer from the interior that they were packing up.
He looked at Mira again.
“But the food is this good?”
Mira paused, then shrugged and smiled.
“What's the point of selling food at a bar?”
“Then sell liquor.”
“There aren't any customers.”
“You have me now.”
One of the employees laughed again at his words.
Mira let out an incredulous laugh and said,
“You came up here following the smell of food, not to drink.”
“That's true.”
Mira shook her head at Kael's unreserved agreement.
“You're a strange one.”
“I hear that often.”
“I imagine you do.”
Mira was about to take the empty bowl away, but stopped.
“Do you want more?”
He answered immediately.
“If it's all right.”
“You can have more until the pot is empty.”
“Then I'll have another bowl.”
Mira chuckled.
“Sure. Not a bad way to treat our last customer.”
She ladled stew into a new bowl.
She gave a satisfied smile as she watched her final customer eat with such apparent enjoyment.
Then it happened.
Bang—!
Before the small bell could even ring, the door slammed hard against the wall.
The atmosphere in the bar froze in an instant, and Mira's expression changed first.
The smile that had remained there moments ago disappeared.
The employees also stopped what they were doing without a word.
Three men stood in front of the door.
Kael moved only his eyes as he quickly looked at them.
‘Judging by the fact that they travel together, are they a gang?’
They gave off a similar vibe to the men he had dealt with in the alley moments ago.
“What are you doing still not having packed up?!”
The man at the front shouted, but Kael continued eating the stew that had just been served.
Mira slowly wiped her hands on her apron and retorted.
“You already paid this month's rent.”
“This month's rent?”
The scarred man snorted.
“That was the interest.”
Mira's eyebrows twitched.
“Your story changed.”
“Just say the circumstances changed.”
The man strode into the bar, and the other two followed him inside.
“Vacate this building by the end of today. Otherwise, we'll take all the remaining goods as well.”
“The contract says we're allowed to stay until the end of this month.”
“The contract?”
The man laughed.
“You still trust scraps of paper like that around here?”
He tapped his finger against the bar table.
“Pay more. Quickly. Or pack your things. Those are your two options.”
Mira bit her lip, indignant.
One employee cautiously tried to step forward, but Mira stopped them with a gesture.
“I have nothing more to say to you. I'll pack up and leave today.”
“Huh.”
The man's face twisted.
At that moment, one of the gang members in the back noticed Kael.
“Huh?”
He narrowed his eyes and grinned.
“Who's this guy?”
“Well, well. Looks like we have a customer.”
Their gazes fixed on Kael, but he continued eating his stew.
One of the gang members approached Kael and gave him a light nudge, but
“Hey.”
Kael continued eating without the slightest reaction.
“Hey, you. Are you deaf?”
The gang member leaned his face toward Kael.
“They're closing this place down. Do you really think this is the time to stuff your face?”
Kael's continued indifference seemed to provoke him even further.
“This bastard's ignoring me.”
Mira spoke up as the situation began heading in a dangerous direction.
“Don't touch him. He's just a customer.”
“A customer?”
The gang member sneered.
“What do you mean, a customer in a failed bar?”
He shoved Kael's shoulder again.
The gang member's expression stiffened slightly when Kael's body did not move at all.
“What the hell?”
Kael spoke without looking at him.
“I'm eating.”
“So?”
“Wait.”
A brief silence passed at his words, then
the gang members burst out laughing.
“He says to wait.”
“Is he crazy?”
“He's got some nerve.”
Kael did not react to their laughter either.
Then the gang member's hand moved.
Smack!
The back of his hand struck the bowl, sending hot stew flying through the air.
The bowl fell over the edge of the bar table and hit the floor.
Crash!
….