The Outer Area, or what could be called the Slums.
Julian was genuinely shocked the first time he reached the Outer Gate, standing near a city that had long since fallen into ruin. Much like the Invaded Area, the surroundings here were just as bad.
A thick wall separated the Invaded Area from the Slums. But the wall itself was riddled with cracks and holes, even coated in dust and grime. The guards were made up of ordinary humans with potbellies, spears in their hands, though what stood out most were the rifles at their waists.
"Unlike the Central Area, getting into the Slums isn’t hard. Honestly, there’s no obstacle at all, but Master, trust me, the Slums are truly awful."
Hearing Kina’s words, her Coat pulled up like a hood across from him, Julian glanced over for a moment.
’It shouldn’t be that bad, right?’
At most there’d just be a few Homeless people around, right?
That was what Julian hoped. He passed through the Outer Gate, and the soldiers on guard didn’t even bother checking him. They just stood there yawning, while plenty of suspicious-looking people came and went.
But that wasn’t the real problem. The moment Julian stepped inside, he couldn’t help but furrow his brow and freeze for a few seconds.
’Does this even make sense?’
The Slums truly lived up to their name. Instead of paved roads or asphalt, there was only muddy, potholed brown dirt. Dust kept billowing into the air, and the buildings looked like they’d collapse at the slightest touch, some of them held together with nothing but patchwork repairs.
Julian took a step forward. A few Homeless people were visible, sitting, lying down, doing whatever they wanted as long as it didn’t bother anyone else. Some were digging through trash, some begged or busked, and others tried to steal, only to get caught and beaten.
The people accustomed to this kind of life seemed completely unbothered. Many carried sharp weapons, firearms, and extortion seemed to be happening wherever Julian looked.
There wasn’t a single plant here, no trees, no metal, every natural resource with any value looked like it had already been picked clean.
’Is this really the Slums?’
Kina hadn’t exaggerated at all, if anything, what she’d said was an understatement. Julian pushed down his discomfort and passed through a narrow alley across the way, an unpleasant, rotten smell hitting him.
Without meaning to, he turned his head and found a corpse that had long since dried out. Its body was swarmed with insects, being eaten alive. It was such a disturbing sight that Julian had no intention of looking any longer than he had to.
"Ugh... Master... let’s hurry, get away from here."
Kina clung tightly to his arm, just as uncomfortable as he was. Her pale blue eyes peeked out from behind Julian’s black Coat. Julian felt the same way, so he nodded and walked on.
Julian pushed the thought of the corpse out of his mind. Something far more troubling was on his mind about his current situation, something that had always been the center of life, something that guaranteed comfort and order.
Cold sweat trickled down his face as Julian suddenly stopped walking, startling Kina, who turned to look at him.
"Master...?"
Julian hesitated, giving her a smile, or what he thought passed for an awkward smile, and looked at Kina.
"Kina, do you have any money?"
Money was one of the highest forms of power in the world. Even if this world were different, even if Julian had ended up in a world of aliens or a world of animals, money would surely still hold immense value. Of course, if such worlds actually existed, money would probably work in a different way there.
Kina blinked for a moment, staring at Julian in a daze. But she quickly realized it was only natural for her Master to ask, since he had just woken up. At the same time, money honestly wasn’t something Kina worried about.
She gave a crooked smile, wearing an arrogant expression that suited her status as the daughter of a great family.
"Hehe~ I stole a ton of money from my family’s vault! Enough to live comfortably in the Slums for hundreds of years."
Hearing that, Julian nodded in relief.
’She’ll share it with me, right?’
Yes, all he could do was hope so.
"I’ll pay you back once I have money of my own."
Julian needed to make that clear first. Pathetic, but what else could he do here?
Become a Hunter and go hunting Invaders?
Hell no!
He would never touch that profession.
’If I can help it, I’d rather just go back to being an actor.’
He let out a small sigh as Kina looked at him with a complicated expression. He had no idea what was going through her mind, but she was clearly brimming with excitement.
"I can’t wait! Since it’s coming from Master, it’s bound to be worth many times over!"
’Eh?’
Julian’s body flinched. He smiled nervously, cold sweat forming inside, and stared at Kina in disbelief.
’What does that mean? Is she planning to slap on a mountain of interest?’
For a moment he felt betrayed. Though, it made sense, since they had only met today. Still, was this really normal treatment for someone who had just become her Master?
What made it worse was that Kina said it with a bright, cheerful smile, as if it were the most basic and natural thing in the world.
’She must be a devil.’
Weren’t elite families always like this?
Not a single one of them was normal!
Julian glanced around. He didn’t know anyone here except Kina, so he barely had any choice. But his last option would only be becoming a Hunter, something he wanted to avoid at all costs.
Since things had come to this...
"Fine..."
Julian nodded in complete resignation. That only made Kina more delighted, rubbing her cheek against his arm with a stifled squeal.
With that, the money problem was settled. So, what came next?
"You’re saying I can’t just get an Identity Card simply because I want one?"
An Identity Card was required to enter the Central Area, where the settlement was said to be far better and cleaner. Julian had set his sights on that, but once again, there was another obstacle in his way.
Kina nodded. "Yes, Master. To get an Identity Card, you need to prove your Worth and show a real Contribution to human civilization. And you also can’t have a criminal record, since they’ll reject you the moment they find out."
"...Isn’t there another way?"
"Why?" Kina blinked, tilting her head as she looked at Julian in confusion. "Doesn’t Master just need to go to the Invaded Zone where the high-level Invaders are, defeat those Invaders, and have the Identity Card officer acknowledge your contribution?"
"Huh?" Julian looked at Kina with an even greater sense of disbelief. What did she mean, how was he supposed to defeat Invaders that were far stronger than him?
He’d even lose to Kina right here. Not without reason, but he could only use One Slash once! And after that, all his Mana would be drained!
Meanwhile, Kina? She was clearly far better in a fight without relying on Skills. She was agile and moved with precision.
And now, Kina was asking him to become the very thing he wanted nothing to do with?
He had no idea how Kina had come to think this way, maybe there was some kind of misunderstanding, but first things first, let’s focus on what mattered.
"I’m not becoming a Hunter," Julian made his refusal clear, then, without waiting, he added:
"There’s nothing better than a Peaceful Life, one where we can live quietly without any chaos. That’s what I want."
Hearing that, Kina opened her mouth, then closed it again, looking at Julian with a new kind of gaze.
’Master... looks so exhausted... He’s like a war veteran wanting to retire. What could have possibly happened to him in the past to leave him like this?’
Meanwhile, Julian rubbed the bridge of his nose and let out a sigh.
’I’m genuinely tired of living just to work. Maybe here I can finally live in peace, enjoy a glass of soda, eat chicken every day, and watch some famous romance drama.’
Yes, this world might just make that possible. With his past experience, all Julian needed to do was stay careful and take the right steps.
He could start by making use of his system, which meant making use of his own disciple. He looked at Kina, who stared back at him in silence, then Kina nodded.
"Alright, Master! In that case, let’s try a different approach."
Fortunately, Kina didn’t push him to do something he didn’t want to do. Julian felt relieved about that.
As for Kina, she paused for a moment, thinking over what she could do, then smiled.
"Master, there’s one way. You can get into the Central Area like this."
Fortunately, their situation wasn’t entirely hopeless after all.
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