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Chapter 3

The old man came back not long after I had fully mastered [Mana Compression].

"The talk went smoothly. I\'ve also made the payment."

He was accompanied by a towering bald man, who looked me up and down before speaking.

"Hmm, you\'re the one?"

For some reason, his expression seemed a bit curious.

Not paying it much mind, I gave a small bow and greeted him.

"Pleased to meet you."

"Yes, you can count on us."

"It\'s getting late, let’s hurry and go in! I’m dying to get some sleep!"

The old man was clearly in high spirits and strode into the building first. The bald giant motioned for me to follow, so I walked inside as well.

We entered the building without any trouble, and I couldn\'t help but be impressed.

"Wow, what is this…?"

The old man had been praising this place nonstop on the way here, saying how great it was, but I hadn’t really believed him.

Even if it was run by former mercenaries, I figured they were still just beggars. I didn’t expect the facilities to be anything special.

And the building’s exterior certainly looked old and worn out.

But…

"This is way nicer than I thought."

Contrary to the rough exterior, the interior was spacious, beyond what I had imagined.

The floor was polished marble and the ceiling was lined with bright lights.

One wall was neatly stocked with various supplies, and there were over a dozen rooms that looked like they were meant for guests.

Honestly, this place was more luxurious than most inns or hotels.

"There\'s a place like this in Sector 7?"

The giant must have noticed my astonished expression because he spoke in a low voice.

"Surprised?"

"Yes, well… it\'s not what I expected. How is something like this even possible?"

"You could say it\'s thanks to the power of magic. The space, the lighting, the supplies… There are signs magic’s everything here."

"Is there a mage living here?"

"Yeah, we’ve got a pretty skilled one. He’s our leader, actually. Oh, looks like he’s coming now."

Following the giant’s gaze, I turned my head.

A man with sharp features and slicked-back blonde hair was approaching.

"Oh, so you’re our guest?"

"Yes, I look forward to being in your care."

"Haha, the pleasure’s mine!"

He greeted me with a friendly smile, but I couldn’t help but glance around.

While there were plenty of rooms, all of them seemed to be empty.

‘Looks like they don’t have many guests.’

It was odd. With a place this nice, how could there be so few people?

Then again, it wasn’t entirely unbelievable. A facility like this probably wasn’t within reach for most beggars.

A sense of unease crept over me.

‘How much did that old man even pay?’

Could there have been gold coins inside his jingling pouch?

I was starting to worry about what I\'d do if the old man demanded some absurd repayment later on.

"Your room is over there."

The man with the slicked-back hair pointed to one of the rooms. One glance, and I could tell—it was pure luxury.

It seemed like this room was the best among the ones I’d seen while passing by.

At a glance, it had a soft-looking bed, a table adorned with intricate designs, and even a private shower facility.

"They’re really giving me this room?"

"Of course! You’re a paying guest, after all."

Well... that\'s true, but something still felt off.

"What about your room, sir?"

I asked the old man.

"Ah, I’m right next door!"

Even though his room was just as luxurious, my uneasiness didn’t go away.

No matter how much they’d been paid, was there really a need to treat a mere beggar this well?

"How about washing up first?"

The blonde-haired man who was standing nearby suggested.

I glanced down at my clothes—an old, faded T-shirt whose original color I couldn’t even remember, and pants riddled with holes, all of them emitting a faint and unpleasant smell.

"Yeah... that sounds like a good idea."

"You made the right choice. There’s a change of clothes inside, and by the time you’re done, I’ll have food brought to you."

"Thank you…"

I followed his instructions and entered the room. After tossing aside my worn-out clothes into the trash bin, I headed straight for the bathroom.

Shaaah—

Even without a connected hose, the water gushed out smoothly. It had a filter that automatically removed impurities. It was powered by none other than magic.

"...Is this a sales tactic? Treat me well so I\'ll come back?"

Despite my lingering suspicions, all those thoughts melted away as soon as the warm water touched my skin.

The heat loosened the grime stuck on my body, washing away the accumulated fatigue in one sweep.

"…Ah, this is nice."

Since I had reincarnated as a beggar, I thought I wouldn’t get to enjoy this kind of luxury for a while. Yet here I was, experiencing it already.

Squeak squeak—

I scrubbed my entire body clean in gratitude for meeting the old man.

It was only near the end of the shower that I wiped the foggy mirror and took a proper look at myself.

I stood silently, staring. This was the first time I was really seeing my reflection.

"…Not bad."

A sharp jawline, clear skin, and well-defined features. Even soaking wet, I was handsome enough to be presentable.

The dark circles under my eyes even added a kind of mysterious charm.

The only downside? I was horribly thin.

My cheeks were sunken, and my ribs were clearly visible beneath my skin.

"...No wonder. I felt exhausted after just walking for 30 minutes."

In this condition, it wouldn’t be possible to manage even basic activities, let alone magic.

Come to think of it, they did mention bringing food. With a body like this, eating wasn’t just a choice—it was a necessity.

Knock knock—

Just in time, I heard a knock. I quickly put on the clothes that had been laid out for me and opened the door.

The man with slicked-back hair was standing with a tray loaded with food in his hands.

Once again, it was a feast that seemed far too generous for a beggar.

"Now that you’re all cleaned up, eat this and rest well. It must’ve been tiring getting here."

"…Thank you."

As I took the tray, the man gave me a warm smile—a smile that seemed to have not a single trace of ill intent.

With that, I closed the door behind me and double-locked it with the latch.

Click.

I placed the tray on the table and sat on the edge of the bed.

Gurgle, gurgle…

My stomach growled loudly.

Yet, I just sat there and silently stared at the food.

The reason was simple. I could see something in the food.

"…"

I slowly closed my eyes and replayed everything that had happened so far in my head.

The overly kind old man who paid for my share, the strange look from the giant when we first met, the unnaturally friendly man with the slicked-back hair, and this overly luxurious place. Despite all this, the rooms had been empty.

I had chalked it up to good luck, but that had been foolish of me.

‘…This is Demon Fantasy.\'

What kind of game was Demon Fantasy?

It was a game far from joy, hope, or happiness. It was filled only with despair and frustration.

And in my current situation, those feelings were even more fitting.

‘Asteron’s Sector 7.’

A place teeming with criminals and dangerous felons. Here, no one showed kindness.

Everyone remained on high alert and scrutinized even the smallest things with caution.

That was Asteron’s Sector 7.

And I was right in the middle of it.

Swish.

Realizing the situation, I opened my eyes after realizing the whole situation. Only now could I fully comprehend what I saw in the food.

The green particles of mana hovering over the dish.

Poison.

Knock, knock, knock…

At the sound of knocking, I instinctively held my breath. Not long after, I heard hushed voices.

“...Seems like he ate it?”

“Haha, looks like you were right. Easier than I thought.”

"Let’s wait just a bit longer to be sure."

The voices belonged to the man with the slicked-back hair, the giant, and the old man.

I carefully positioned myself behind the door and moved silently. I gripped a small knife in my right hand.

More precisely, It was the steak knife that the slicked-back man had given me along with the food.

It was a mistake going to cost them their life.

"…"

I was lucky. Not only had I brought over my unique trait, but something else as well.

[The Former Master of Swordsmanship.]

A top-tier spirit limprint that every swordsman player dreams of.

It was time to put it to use.

***

Bang! Bang! Bang!

With a terrifying crash, the door shook violently. The giant outside had confirmed the double lock and was now trying to break it down.

I remained calm, thinking quickly amidst the noise.

‘Magic won’t work.’

At my current level, I could barely manipulate mana, let alone cast spells. So I needed to rely on other methods.

Fortunately, I had options.

[The Former Master of Swordsmanship.]

- 300% proficiency boost for all bladed weapons.

- Awakening during close combat.

- Reflexes and hand-eye coordination accelerated.

- +30 to instinct stats.

- Immunity to fear.

It was a comprehensive imprint that provided everything needed to become a master swordsman.

Bang!

Finally, the doorknob shattered, and as expected, the giant burst in first.

“Wait, there’s no—”

The moment his gaze landed on me who was hiding behind the door, I sprang into action.

Whoosh!

I immediately reached out with my right hand.

Though he was physically much larger than me, I felt confident I could pull this off.

Even if I was just holding a small steak knife.

Even if it was used to stab a living person.

My spirit imprint made it possible.

- 300% proficiency boost for all bladed weapons.

Thud!

“Gaaah!”

The giant screamed and clutched his eyes.

Blood streamed from them and poured out in torrents.

I had no reason to wait for him to calm down, so I swung the knife again.

With a swift motion, I slashed at his neck.

Shhht!

“Cough, cough!”

His massive hands moved to his throat.

Despite their size, they couldn’t stop the gushing blood from spraying like a fountain.

And then—

Thud!

He collapsed with a heavy thud.

I had no time to relish the victory of taking down one enemy.

Now, I could see the next opponent.

The man with the slicked-back hair.

“You bastard…!”

He seemed unfazed as he was preparing to retaliate as if this were routine for him. The friendly smile from earlier was gone.

Ah, he was the mage.

Whooosh!

Mana swirled around him, forming letters and shapes before finally coalescing into a circle.

All of this was a lesson for me.

- Magic learning ability increased by 300%.

I absorbed the intricate process of mana transforming into magic, and realizations began to untangle like threads in my mind.

“...So that’s how it works.”

I concluded that avoiding the spell he was casting was impossible.

[The Former Master of Swordsmanship] didn’t enhance my physical capabilities.

Thus, there was only one way to turn the situation around.

I needed to dismantle the magic.

- Magical computation ability maximized.

“Huh?”

The anger on his face turned to shock as my fingers twitched more and more.

“...What is this?”

Dismantling wasn’t difficult.

I just had to understand the mana pathways of the spell and disrupt them.

The current situation proved that.

...Fshhh.

The fading mana eventually scattered into the atmosphere.

The slicked-back man froze in place, his expression asking how I had done it.

There was no need to answer. I stepped closer and swung the knife.

“Gah!”

Though he was the leader of this place, he fell just like the giant in the face of death. As he bled out, he crumpled lifelessly.

Now, only one remained.

Squish, squish!

I walked through the puddles of blood, stepping over the corpses.

I faced the old man who was trembling and peed in his pants from fear.

“Y-you shouldn’t be here…”

There was no need to rush to kill him like before. What could this frail old man do?

So I spoke up.

“Why did you try to kill me?”

“Kill you? No, that’s not—cough!”

I abruptly reached out and gripped the old man’s neck. Though my body was weak, I had enough strength to subdue him.

“...Stop stalling. I’ll ask again. Why did you want me dead?”

The old man’s face turned red as he struggled to respond.

“...The heart of a mage sells for a high price.”

“And?”

“I saw you controlling mana...”

Suddenly, a forgotten memory flashed in my mind. The moment time resumed after I had chosen my trait, the old man’s startled expression came back to me.

“...So it was from then.”

I felt a wave of nausea.

Memories of our conversations came flooding back.

- I’ll cover your share!

- Why? Because I like you!

- I know a good place for people like us to live.

- I’ll be back after talking for a bit, so just wait here.

It wasn’t kindness.

It was a ruse.

From the very beginning, the cunning old man had only intended to kill me.

“P-please forgive me! I was just trying to survive! If it were any other beggars in that situation...!”

“...Yeah, I get it.”

I understood perfectly.

Humans will do anything to survive.

So I could forgive the old man, but I also knew I couldn’t leave any loose ends if I wanted to survive.

“I’m the same.”

“N-no...!”

Thwok!

I plunged the knife into the old man’s neck.

His trembling body went slack.

“...”

Silence enveloped the room as I slowly surveyed my surroundings.

The bloodied knife in my hand, the thick stench of blood in the air, and the three corpses sprawled on the floor...

I took it all in.

If their mistake had given me this knife, then what happened next was entirely due to my own failure.

A naive mistake.

A mistake of forgetting what kind of world this was.

“...Focus.”

The danger wasn’t just the demons.

This was a world where demons wore the guise of humans.

As I firmly acknowledged this truth, I made a vow.

“...I won’t repeat my mistakes again.”

I would ensure this kind of thing wouldn’t happen again.

Tragically, the first thing I did upon falling into this world was kill a human, not a demon.