I waited for a bit on the ground, it was moist, dirty, wet. But, anything was better than being near that person that called herself the Scholar⁠— that got called the Scholar. I pondered deeply over her words. 

Someone who intends to cleanse the world of all that is vile, and, the ones of old shall collapse. I snorted. Wasn’t she just basically crazy? A crazy person that was too dangerous for my liking⁠— and probably too dangerous for me in general. 

I looked around the alley, slowly standing up, my heart had stabilized a bit. The stale smell of the air wasn’t very pleasant, the dirt covering the walls of the buildings around me had mold on it, there were random wooden crates in the web of passages that was to my left, and to the right there were the main-streets of the town. Pedestrians walked, not really paying attention to where I was. 

I was out of danger… I stumbled to the nearest wall. I think… I leaned on it and sighed, almost collapsing yet again, eventually I put my back against the cold wall and took a deep breath. Looked at my hand and fiddled with my delicate fingers⁠. I felt the residual sensation, the itching feeling compelling me to weave, and rub my fingers together. 

Din⁠— [You have successfully used: Darkness Needle] 

I looked at the pitch-black needle between my fingers, even though it was supposed to be a needle, its length was closer to the length of my fingers than the one of an actual sewing needle. Its darkness eluded me, at the same time it was a curious thing. 

I touched its tip with my finger⁠— ouch. It was sharp, soon a small droplet of my blood came out, it was pitch-black… 

[Immune to your creation]

This time there was no bell to accompany it, no chime, just the words floated in my mind. I pondered about the needle for a second before finally deciding to put it on the waistband of my undergarments. Thankfully I had those⁠— On second thought, I decided to discard the needle. I didn’t understand how much mana took to regenerate. However, in my rather inexperienced opinion, one more needle wasn’t going to fix any of my problems. 

I tossed the needle deeper into the alley, somewhere near the center of it, I took note of where it landed to not step on it. And finally, I paid attention at my blood that was now⁠— very slowly dripping from my finger. Even on the parts where it thinned on my skin it was undoubtedly black, bringing my finger closer to my face, I decided to lick it.

Hmm… it didn’t taste that much like blood, perhaps a bit oilier and a bit more acid. If that was even the right way to describe blood. 

A sigh escaped me and I looked at the sky. 

I was really in a different world. I closed my eyes. An unfriendly one full of callous people. I didn’t want to accept it, I wanted to wake up and think it was all a dream. But… 

It had all come crashing down when I got the other set of memories from Computing unit, it was just too much for it to be a simple dream. At the same time the sense of danger that the Scholar had given me made me shiver. 

I was in a different world… With the game system, there were people like Number 39, or the Scholar that were simply out of my reach. Especially the former. 

I fixated on the blue sky overhead once again. Would everything really be alright? I didn’t really get to consider it when I was fainted, or recuperating, well rather⁠— I didn’t think of it, since it wasn’t objective. Objectively speaking, I should just do what I can to survive and not let my emotions affect me. 

But in the end. I wasn’t really a Dungeon Core was i? Though, I still felt like I didn’t understand how it actually worked. 

I looked at my hands again, and quickly at my body. I wasn’t very tall, at least from the little reference I had, I was closer to a kid than an average adult. I found myself fiddling with my hands yet again. I just had to try… I had no idea of where to go. How to change the era. Or what ascension even was. 

But, I had to do something. I took a deep breath and stopped leaning on the wall. It was time to act. 

Ding! 

[Computing unit: Now that you’re done thinking, it is time to act. It is time to leave Arlesh. This place isn’t safe. Should you encounter someone similar to The Scholar, it is outside your control. 

Plan of action: Leave this claimed territory while you’re still unnoticed. Ignore whatever The Scholar has said, even if the words carry some truth to them. We will only encounter death here.] 

I deeply nodded agreeing with Computing unit. Perhaps the Scholar had actually arranged something for me deeper into the alley. But I wasn’t even going to check it out. The only thing worth worrying about were the blood knights, the term eluded me, however, I still took it to heart. 

Looking behind me, to the empty alley, there was nothing⁠— no danger, just the wind. What could be waiting⁠— I shook my head. It wasn’t time to worry about such things⁠— A shadow flew past one of the branching paths and crashed against a wall. 

It splintered into a small cloud of wood, two pieces of a crate dully tumbled on the ground. What was that? 

A person walked out of the alleyway, he stretched his bulging arms forward that were covered in tattoos, he was smiling. Where had he come from? 

“Wait time is over,” a voice came from behind me. I turned around only to see another man standing there, he was much slimmer, but he still carried the same mocking face. It was especially obvious, his callous face full of scars, his yellowed teeth full in display, he had black dirty braids that caught my attention. 

There was no danger, yet… I tensed up⁠— I should’ve just left. 

“Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way.” The man asked, his voice carrying the same contemptuous tone. 

“Do what?” I asked. I began to form a needle on my hand⁠— I didn’t even know how useful it could be. But I didn’t like the feeling of this. 

I’ve arranged something for you. Her voice suddenly echoed in my head. Fucking⁠— Was this the arrangement?! I didn’t have a good feeling about this. I just had to keep grasping onto the feeling of the mana. 

The man opened his mouth. “The easy way is you become a nice little slave, and the other way is you resist and we have our way.” 

I scoffed. “They both sound bad⁠—” I paused recalling more words from her. “I can’t die here right?” The man paused. 

“I suppose that you’re correct, girl.” The man admitted with a solemn nod before smiling again. “But nothing stops me from getting you near-death.” 

Shit… 

Din⁠— [You have successfully used: Darkness Needle] 

I felt the needle between my two fingers. Good, now I had an idea of what to do. I had been looking at him, our eyes didn’t break contact. 

Ding! 

[Computing unit: Plan of action: Follow along with the capture, once you’re close use Darkness Needle to incapacitate the man in front of you and run.] 

My face almost contorted reading what Computer unit had said. That was the plan! I had to pretend, and feel. Like my fake sister had done, like the logic unit had done.  

A sigh escaped me.

“You’re right… Let’s just do it painless, okay?” I asked almost too innocently for my liking. 

The man’s smile didn’t even flinch. “Sure, let’s do it that way. Come here.” He gestured with one hand, making me walk towards him; nice and slowly. His other hand had some type of bracelet.

Soon I stood before him, I didn’t hear the man behind me move. Would he only move if I tried to escape? I took a deep breath as I stood next to the man in front. I looked at the passerby on the street, at the blue sky, and finally⁠⁠— He roughly grabbed my left hand. Wait… My right hand shook in a mix of nervousness and anticipation. 

“Now, don’t move,” he said looking at my hand. 

I made my move, my right hand aimed for his face. His eyes went wide, and attempted to dodge to the side. 

“You⁠— 

The man let go of my hand. I missed and almost fell over. He tried to grab me by the collar, but I ducked and unsteadily made it past him, almost tripping. Our eyes met for a second, still holding onto the needle I roughly flicked it in his direction, making him break away from me to dodge it. Did he know what it was? Even though I was surprised, I didn’t waste time to begin running away from him.

“So you’re going to do this the hard way?!” He exclaimed as I rounded the corner. “Ralt!” 

Not a second later I heard a weird grunt of pain followed by a grumble from the man. 

“Tch, she left a needle there too.” 

I barely registered his words in my mind as I weaved in between the crowds of people, some looked at me in confusion and others simply ignored me as I trotted past them. Unfortunately I couldn’t break into a sprint⁠— where was I even? There were so many people, but my heart wouldn’t calm. 

My eyes narrowed and I began to see the best path for moving. Between the red-cloaked man and the man in a tuxedo⁠— between the woman in green cloak and the mother with her child⁠— soon my pace almost reached one of a fast sprint. 

Though I couldn’t tell how fast I was, I felt as if I was a ghost moving through the crowd. People didn’t seem to mind me, which made my escape that much faster. 

Soon, I began to feel somewhat relaxed⁠⁠— at least enough to pay more attention to my surroundings. I was making my way through a busy-street, its width was surprising. There were business to the sides; signs protruded with their names in fancy lettering⁠. Which I could surprisingly read⁠— convenient. There were also food stalls and what seemed like simple houses. 

I was going in the direction of the sun, or well⁠— it was beginning to set. Was I even going in the right direction? 

[Computing unit: Yes, you’re going in the right direction.] 

I almost stumbled from the sudden words in my mind, it always felt unnatural. Or rather the notifications conditioned me to not feel it. But at least i was going in the right direction, at the same time Computing unit wasn’t as… useful as I had initially thought⁠— though she knew as much as I did. 

Needless to say, all she could do was think with limited information… 

A short sigh escaped me as I continued making my way in the same direction, almost all the buildings looked the same. The only weird trend I had noticed is that some people wore cloaks that were color coded, green, red, and blue. 

My situation was dire, since for the most part⁠— I still didn’t understand what was going on⁠— what was I supposed to do⁠— or how to even get out of the city. Perhaps, I had basic knowledge on The Beyond, perhaps I understood a bit about Dungeons, but that was it! This town? Total mystery⁠—

Ding⁠—

[Computing unit: The claim is growing weaker, turn sharply left to the market.] 

I was slightly surprised to be told something so soon, but nodded and listened anyway. At the corner of my eye I could see stands with a different assortment of vegetables and raw meats. I turned sharply to the left, cutting in between the crowd and getting some glances but nothing serious. 

I paused for a second. People talked and chattered with the stall vendors, almost no one had a cloak here, but it was just too crowded. Shaking my head, I made my way through the crowd once again; this time bumping into people from time to time⁠— I did apologize. 

I was about halfway through the market, I was now in a much more open area, the stalls somewhat spread out⁠— I could actually observe where I was; a plaza with a fountain in the middle⁠— spacious and lots of room. 

Di⁠— [Computing unit: Alley to the right, now.] 

I paused, and in that instant my eyes landed on a distant man. He wore baggy clothes and seemed to be sniffling the air, his yellowed teeth visible to me⁠— braided dark hair⁠— it was the same person?! I spotted his assistant to the side, he wore a much more serious expression. 

Run. 

I hurriedly looked to the right, there were alleys behind the stalls every few meters. I hurriedly went to the nearest one and went into it. It was moist⁠— deprived of sunlight. The air smelled of wooden rot, and it was chilly and devoid of sound⁠— but I felt safe. 

◇ ◇ ◇ 

My shoulders relaxed as I traced along the wall. Sometimes there were crossroads and other times it was a lot more straightforward. Computing unit didn’t seem to hold an opinion in which direction to pick so long as it got us objectively farther from our pursuers. 

My finger picked up the filth from the wall, but I wasn’t unsettled or disgusted by it⁠— instead enjoying the texture of the wall. It made my heart feel calm, and allowed me to think better. Though in spite of thinking in a much more clear manner; assessing the situation. I couldn’t help but grumble. 

What rotten luck. Whether it was the Paladins, The Scholar, or now the kidnappers arranged by The Scholar, it was just unlucky. I had no other way to say it other than to curse fate⁠— fate breaker? HA! 

Though, I didn’t hesitate to try to stab the man to get him away from it. It just felt so easy to do⁠— at the same time weaving or moving through the crowd wasn’t that bad either. I felt slightly tired, and perhaps a bit out of breath, but I wasn’t gasping or dying for air. 

It all felt… easy… 

I sighed as I continued walking. I saw the end of the alleyway I had been following, it led to yet another street. To my right there was another alley that veered off somewhere. Almost there. Speeding up my pace I walked to make it to the street and finally leave⁠—

RUN. I froze in my spot. My body shuddered. Danger, danger, danger. My senses screamed at me, I couldn’t walk anymore. I was about to cross past the alley, but I couldn’t. Was The Scholar there? My body couldn’t stop trembling, my heart-rate increased and I began to sweat. 

My fingers clenched and I began to tug into the sensation at my fingertips again; this time faster; more dexterous⁠— faster, danger loomed. It wasn’t moving, it wasn’t coming closer. But I couldn’t relax. My fingers rubbed together from mere muscle memory, I couldn’t even picture what I was doing. 

Din⁠—

It wasn’t enough. Whatever I had produced wasn’t enough… A simple needle woudln’t be enough. The alleyway was as calm as ever but the walls encroached on me, the ground moved and sank⁠— more, weave more⁠— do more. 

My mind grew faint, and I looked at my hand. I was holding a pitch-black stake. Was this a needle? But the sensation of danger wouldn’t disappear. 

Ding! 

[Advancement: You’ve understood past the basics of Darkness Needle (I) ⁠— Darkness Needle (I) has advanced to (II) ⁠— Darkness Needle (II)] 

Shut up! I protested in my mind, the notification had basically forced itself at the forefront of my attention. 

“Finally, caught up to you.” A chilly voice entered my ears. 

It was the same man that had been chasing me. I didn’t even need to look to know, but nonetheless I looked. I had to get past him to run away from whatever this danger was. 

He had his companion to the side, his gaze murderous. It was dangerous, but… I couldn’t stop shaking from the sensation that gripped my body, it felt as if I was drenched in cold water. 

“Ralt, be careful. These alleyways are dangerous,” he said, his voice carrying no playfulness. 

“Yeah, no shit!” I spat. The man raised a brow but simply gestured with his hand. 

Ralt⁠— his companion⁠— step forward, and looked at me with the hungry eyes of a wolf. His scarred mangled face in full view for me. Could I get past him? 

[Ralt. Lvl. 42] 

I could do it⁠— I could do it. I could see his level⁠— maybe he was stronger than me. But I had to at least try. I gripped the needle⁠—stake in my hand as hard as I could, its chilly surface bringing some type of comfort to me. 

Ralt looked at me and pounced intending to tackle me. No⁠—Not in that direction! My mind screamed and I slammed myself against the left-side of the wall in an attempt to dodge him. My hand involuntarily stabbed towards his side, the stake digging dip into his ribcage, drawing a grunt of pain from him. His hulking frame made it past me, he duly landed behind me close to the alley’s entrance. 

I had to get away⁠— he stood up in a hurry, and stumbled. He fell backwards and landed on the alley’s opening. 

The danger faded. Had I been imagining it? 

“Good, now you’re disarmed.” The man stood in front of me. 

“Eh?” I hopelessly looked at him in confusion. Had I been too preoccupied to notice. 

His hand landed on my neck before I could do something, he raised me by the chin against the wall. It hurt. I felt as if my skin was being stretched, it burned⁠— on the corner of my eye Ralt stood up again. 

A rattle entered my ears, making the man pause. 

“Ralt, get away!” He let go of me and looked at his companion who was stumbling⁠— the stake still in his ribs. 

Before I could react two crimson shadows came from the alley. They rattled like dangerous pythons and pounced on the hulking man. Impaling him against the wall like spears of war. Once they had stopped moving, the crimson shadows were actually bloodied chains; dripping blood onto the ground. He began to scream in pain. 

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA⁠—

His pained howl made me wince. He had only grunted to my attacks… 

Soon the chains rattled  once again— they pulled him into the alley as he tried to struggle for his life. There was half a second of rattling, blood splattered into the wall and floors⁠— and then there was silence. Only blood and markings on the wall were left. 

“Fuck…” The man muttered, biting his thumb. “That wasn’t supposed to happen.” 

Surprisingly, he was unimpressed by the death of his companion. 

Ding! 

[You have assisted in the death of: Ralt. Lvl. 42 ⁠— Gained: 4 levels] 

Ding⁠— [You have increased your level by 4, +8 to all stats.]

Di⁠— [Title acquired: Basic Predator ⁠— You’ve killed someone that is twenty levels higher than you⁠— albeit inadvertently.⁠— +110% to all stats when fighting an existence 20 levels higher than you.]

I almost snorted while reading the title. But I had to go⁠— far away. I crawled away while the man stared at the blood with a pensive look. 

“Stop,” he said, devoid of emotions. “I would let you go, but this is outside of my judgment. It was his request.” 

His request? He pulled me by the collar and pressed his hand against my face. 

“Sleep…” His deep voice entered my ears, it felt like a shallow lake⁠— lacking depth. It was ethereal. My eyelids felt heavy. 

Why⁠— did⁠—

It⁠— 

Work?