Miserable Reincarnation

6 – A Wanderer’s Hidden Talent

There was no shortcut.

Because all sorts of scum resided on the path to where Jason, the junk dealer, was situated. A madman blasted by radioactivity, a madwoman who wore human skin as clothes, and a lunatic who brandished a knife encrusted with flesh…

“One would have to be crazy to even consider going that way.”

That’s why Deona chose the longer detour.

“I thought you would refuse.”

Deona glanced back thoughtfully at Ryan, following her. Despite hearing that warriors were typically aggressive, it didn’t seem to apply to him.

It was a good thing for Deona. The strong one here was Ryan, not her. If they were drawn into a fight, she was certain it would be her who would get hurt.

Ryan, carrying the sack filled with metal parts, surveyed the surroundings.

Beggars in the alleyways. Loud, echoing club sounds, gangsters smoking drugs openly. Indeed, it was not a typical alleyway.

“It reminds me of the old times.”

So were most stateless countries. Rebels armed with guns were all over the place, and those without power were treated as less than insects.

While it might have been beyond the barrier, it was quite revealing of the corrupt government of Tuhras existing till such dire conditions came about.

“Give us your money! Unless you want to die over some chump change.”

“P-please, not this!”

“f*ck. You’re not giving it up?”

Ryan’s gaze stopped at a certain spot. Thugs were mercilessly kicking a man.

“Don’t stare too much, it might start a fight.”

Fretful, Deona cautioned. It wasn’t concern about the man being beaten like a dog by the thugs.

“Clearly, he’s begging without permission.”

There were rules, even in the squalor of the back alleys. There were beggar kings, squatters fees, and tributes to pay. And if you broke those rules? You would be punished like a dog and stripped of everything you had, just like that.

Lian spoke in a deadpan tone,

“Do situations like this occur often?”

“Extortion is common. Three months ago, I saw them peel someone’s skin off while they were still alive.”

Snap!

The squirming man’s leg seemed to break. Yet he clung steadfastly to the coin in his hand as if it was the last bastion of consciousness. But it was a futile endeavor.

The street thugs finally managed to rob him and chuckled maliciously,

“Idiot, should’ve given it when they asked.”

“hehehe, if he was smart enough to know that, he wouldn’t be begging.”

While watching this scene, Lian picked up sharp-ended bolts from the ground. Normally, he would’ve ignored it to avoid unnecessary attention, but…

‘It’s familiar.’

The face of one of the thugs reminded him of a gang member who used to torment him. There was no way he was going to let this slide.

It was not out of spite.

‘For practice.’

There was no need for someone like him, who was not an ordinary person, to feel guilty about tormenting those thugs.

A flash of blue light emanated from Lian’s left hand. So small and discreet, even Diona standing next to him failed to notice.

Lian’s arm moved in a split second. Swoosh! The magically infused bolt shot towards the thug with tremendous speed.

“Ugh!”

“Arg!”

The thugs dropped to the ground as if something had pierced them. As they quivered, foaming at the mouth, Lian watched them for a moment before interestingly turning away.

‘Not bad.’

Although it was nothing compared to his past life, he had enough power to suppress someone.

Lian gestured nonchalantly to Diona, who was staring blankly at him.

“Let’s keep going.”

****

2 hours later. Finally, as Diona reached the entrance of the junk shop, she heaved a sigh of relief.

‘It feels like a lucky day.’

Because there hadn’t been a single fight.

Honestly, she was worried. Carrying a heavy bundle of cloth on one’s back was no different from advertising one’s possession of valuable goods.

But, fortunately, they reached the junk shop without any trouble.

“This part is crowded and the passageways are complex, so you better be alert and follow me.”

Lian nodded and headed inside the junk shop, which was as intricate as a maze, as Diona had described.

It was hard to distinguish whether this was a junk shop or a garbage dump because of all the trinkets piled up everywhere.

It didn’t take long to find the owner of the junk shop.

Rusty spectacles on a red face, cheap alloy prosthetics, and a gigantic ion-charge shotgun slung over his back. There couldn’t be two such grotesque figures.

“3000 cells.”

Jason started.

“You’ve failed to see the remains of a bike I picked up, nearly dying in the process!”

“That’s why it’s 3000 cells. Debris from officials is difficult to resell – at best, I can redeem the scrap metal value.”

As Jason knocked ash from his cigarette, he pointed at the price tag.

“Leave if you are not happy.”

The muffled voice of a bulky man echoed.

“… If it’s 10 kilograms, you should give me 500 cells more.”

“That’s a repurposing fee.”

“Damn it. If that’s the case, it should be written somewhere.”

-Clank

In the tensed atmosphere, the sound of the ion shotgun being loaded echoed.

“As we said, leave if you are dissatisfied.”

The bullet streaked across, leaving a red trace in its wake. The once noisy room fell silent in a split second. Everyone’s gaze was glued to the deep cracks in the concrete wall. The man who had been grumbling earlier was now peeing himself under the line of the narrowly missed bullet.

“He, heeek!”

“Bloody hell. This damn gun couldn’t even hit the target right in front of you.”

No one was oblivious to the fact that the miss had been deliberate. A shotgun no less.

“Next.”

Perhaps, having that much grit was necessary to do business in this area. With an admiring face, Lian moved forward.

“You’re a new face.”

Jason looked down. A boy with pumpkin-colored eyes was standing in front of him.

Lian signaled towards Diona with his chin.

“Diona introduced me.”

“Is that so?”

“…Yes.”

The second he answered, Jason’s face turned stiff. It was only for a fraction of moment, but Lian didn’t miss such a minute change.

Of course, he didn’t show it outwardly.

“Put what you brought on the counter. I’ll give you the current rate.”

Lian hesitated before placing the sack on the counter. The moment he walked into the scrap dealer’s, he knew that all eyes were on him. If he took out the parts here, he would certainly be targeted the moment he left the scrap dealer’s.

Diona, who seemed to share the same thoughts, whispered.

“Mr. Jason, can we deal in a quieter place? The item we brought… is somewhat expensive.”

It was a noticeable effort, but it wasn’t enough.

The vagabonds acted as if they had no interest in them, while secretly throwing stealthy, sticky glances.

And Lian didn’t miss those glances.

‘This is annoying.’

It wasn’t anything surprising.

In his previous life, he had experienced this kind of situation dozens of times. Back then, all the pedestrians walking on the street were prepared to rob anyone at any time.

Lian moved forward without hesitation.

He knew better than anyone how to handle this situation.

Chorus!

“…….Wa, Wait!”

Ignoring Diona, Lian spilled the contents of the bag onto the desk. Jason, who had been idly sitting, looked at Lian in surprise.

He asked, with his eyes wide open.

“…….Parts for a magic beast?”

“According to Diona, it’s called a Bloodhound.”

“How? Surely it’s only been a day-.”

In Jason’s confused eyes, a clean cross-section was seen.

‘Katana?’

It’s not a longsword. If you look deeply, there’s no doubt that it was made with the mark of a dagger. There are many mercenaries who use daggers as secondary weapons, but there are few who can handle a sword of this quality.

Of course, if they went inside the barrier, the story would be different, but there was no reason for those proud of their skills to come all the way here.

So who on earth? Jason was lost in thought when Lian opened his mouth.

“Can you lend me a knife?”

“…….A knife?”

“A box cutter is fine too.”

What is he doing? For a moment, a question mark appeared on Jason’s face. He had seen people asking for money, but this was his first time meeting someone who asked for a knife.

Jason, who had been pondering while tapping on his metal desk, ostentatiously extended a short sword.

“Be aware, kid, too much play acting can cause big trouble.”

“Don’t worry.”

Lian swirled the short sword he had received lightly.

‘Good.’

Both the feeling of snugly sticking to his hand and the center of gravity.

Undoubtedly, it was not something a typical junk dealer would use.

“If you’re messing around, then stop.”

“I’m not teasing, I’m satisfying your curiosity.”

“Curiosity?”

Rather than responding, Lian smirked, looking at Jason.

-Thump!

The sound of magic pulsating echoed through the air, the blade was tinted with a clear blue glow.

Sword spirit.

“!!”

“This is the curiosity I meant.”