Year 397 of the Holy Calendar - Green meadow

Walking outside the forest, I could easily guess the way I came.

"That is a long trail" Alastor

The meadow outside the forest is ruined by the trail in the ground that my landing left.

It seems that Ifrit threw me very far.

"The core of Titan should be around the beginning of it"

I feel it in that direction.

"Let's keep at it"

I drag my aching body forward.

"Ifrit won't be happy to wake up and see that someone else got it first"

...

......

Someone else got it first.

"Another one, huh" Old man

An old man with very long white eyebrows was sitting in the undamaged part of the meadow, right next to the crater at the beginning of the trail.

"Could you wait until I finish drinking this?" Old man

He is calmly sipping from his handleless teacup without even looking at me.

"I wouldn't like to bother you, but haven't you by any chance found a Dungeon Core around here?" Alastor

"..." Old man

He keeps drinking his tea.

"I dropped it around here" Alastor

And I can feel it inside his belt pouch.

"...haa" Old man

He finished drinking his tea.

"It was a good tea" Old man

He is still focused on his now empty cup.

"..." Alastor

"..." Old man

Should I repeat myself?

"At least you know what it is" Old man

He places the teacup on the table in front of him, near his adventurer backpack.

"?" Alastor

The old man gets up slowly.

"A lot of adventures had come to this place, not every day a red comet hits the ground like that" Old man

...You were too flashy, Ifrit.

"I was the first to arrive here and I must say that it was a bit disappointing, I was expecting more than just a Dungeon Core"

Dungeon Cores are expensive, not a lot of people can treat them as something disappointing.

"I was scaring away the incoming adventures with the hope that its owner was some kind of legendary monster, but even that wasn't true"

This old man may be a skilled adventurer.

"Haaa"

He sighs.

"Well, if it is yours I guess that I should give it to you"

The dungeon core abandons his belt pouch.

"Really?" Alastor

That easy?

"Yes, This old adventurer had enough of those" Old man

I get closer before he changes his mind.

"Here, take it" Old man

He pushes it to my chest and I grab it with my free hand.

"Thank you for understanding" Alastor

For a second I thought a fight was inevitable.

"Next time hold it tigh..." Old man

When his eyes meet mine, something changes around him.

"You..!!" Old man

For an instant, a strange golden reflection shines in his eyes.

"?" Alastor

The old man does a backflip in the air.

"Demon!" Old man

His eyes filled with hostility look at me.

"What?" Alastor

Demon?

"You almost fooled me!"

"I am not...!" Alastor

"Don't even try to hide it!

Those dark eyes!

That dark aura!

And even the System Mission recognizes you as one!" Old man

"This is..!" Alastor

The God Guidance System!

It is manipulating his perception to go against me!

"My family! Come to my aid!" Old man

As he takes a bow from his back, I can feel the mana of thousands of beings answering his call.

"Damn it!" Alastor

I don't want to fight this good man!