Chapter 66

Episode 66. It’s Right in Front of You (3)

“Keter, it’s been four days. Looks like you’ve been to the underground, huh?”

The old man handed Keter a wooden cup without asking for payment.

But the contents of the cup were different. The water was much cleaner, and there were even ice cubes floating in it.

After drinking half of it, Keter threw the cup to the ground and said,

“Give me another one. Something better than mine.”

“Sure, sure.”

The old man handed over another wooden cup, and Keter passed it to Luke.

“Here, take a sip.”

“…Sigh.”

Luke accepted the wooden cup from Keter.

The old man bowed to Luke.

“My apologies, sir. This old man’s eyes are rotten, so I failed to recognize a noble guest.”

Luke wasn’t so much appeased as he was utterly drained.

Was that an apology? No. That was submission. How could someone switch their attitude so quickly?

Regardless, Luke was so thirsty that he was about to gulp down the water.

But something felt off.

His misfortune detection ability was screaming at him.

‘What is this?’

Luke examined the water. It was just water, no different from what Keter had drunk.

But his misfortune detection had activated. Luke trusted his ability.

“You drink this first.”

The old man panicked and looked at Keter.

Keter took Luke’s wooden cup instead and said,

“You’re immune to this kind of thing, huh? You must have near-complete resistance to ingested poisons.”

“Are you serious…?”

“Hey, give me the real water.”

Keter drank Luke’s water.

The old man’s eyes widened.

“That was a powerful sedative strong enough to knock out an ogre…”

“That won’t cure my insomnia.”

The newly provided ‘real’ water was given to Luke.

This time, the misfortune was silent. It was real water.

“You were testing me on purpose.”

“I was trying to teach you the lesson that in Ruquer, you shouldn’t trust anyone.”

Luke was about to drink the water without a second thought when he suddenly felt a chill.

‘Did I ever tell Keter about my ability?’

No. Definitely not.

But Keter was speaking as if he already knew.

“Not drinking?”

“I’ll drink.”

Luke decided to quench his thirst first.

Meanwhile, Keter kicked the old man’s water stall and said,

“Hey, give me the money you took from him.”

“Here you go.”

The old man placed the 1 silver Luke had paid onto Keter’s palm.

Keter frowned.

“Do you think I’m an idiot? Did Luke only pay 1 silver? Are you sure?”

“Huh? Yes. It’s 1 silver.”

“Sigh, that can’t be. It wasn’t silver. Did I see wrong? Are my eyes messed up?”

“Oh, no. I must have been mistaken for a moment.”

The old man exchanged the silver coin for a gold one.

Only then did Keter withdraw his hand.

“Behave.”

*Tap.*

Keter poked the glass window with his finger. A cracking sound echoed, and spiderweb-like cracks spread across the entire window.

The water stall owner was shocked, then looked crestfallen.

The glass protecting him wasn’t ordinary. It was reinforced with magic, making it highly resistant to physical impacts and even capable of reflecting magical attacks. Yet, Keter had nearly shattered it with a single finger poke.

If you’re upset, you can curse or pick a fight.

But when your opponent is Keter, that’s impossible.

In Ruquer, where strength is law, being weak is a sin, and if you’re not sharp, you won’t even be pitied when you die.

Keter demonstrated this perfectly.

Everyone coming from the opposite direction gave Keter a wide berth, as if an invisible barrier surrounded him.

Even those who didn’t know Keter followed suit, sensing the danger.

Luke, walking behind Keter, could clearly see this phenomenon.

“Keter. What exactly are you in Ruquer?”

“Just a handsome angel, as you can see.”

“I think you’re confusing yourself with a devil.”

Keter grabbed the arm of a passerby.

“Hey, am I an angel or a devil?”

The man, who was huge and had a menacing face, rolled his eyes and pondered.

Keter whispered a hint.

“My face is the answer.”

“…Ah, you’re a devil.”

*Wham!*

Keter’s fist slammed into the man’s stomach. The giant man knelt and collapsed forward from a single punch.

“See? That’s how I’m an angel.”

“You didn’t kill him…?”

“That guy was suffering from chronic constipation. I just helped him out.”

“……”

Luke silently quickened his pace.

* * *

It took about 10 minutes to reach the weapon shop to get a bow and arrows.

In just those 10 minutes, Luke was completely drained. He felt more exhausted than if he had climbed a cliff vertically.

“I can’t believe you lived here for 18 years.”

What Luke witnessed along the way was nothing short of hell.

A place filled with pure, purposeless rage.

People fighting everywhere, not just with fists but with weapons, trying to kill each other.

Even children were no exception. In fact, they were even bolder. One even tried to pickpocket Luke, who was walking right behind Keter.

Of course, with his misfortune detection, Luke wasn’t going to fall for it.

The most shocking thing was the corpses littering the streets.

At first, Luke thought they were just homeless people sleeping. But he was wrong. His curiosity had led him to a grim realization.

Though a knight by title, Luke had no real combat experience. The gruesome corpses were enough to shake his spirit.

‘I think I understand why Keter lives in the upper levels. Seeing this every day would drive anyone insane.’

Even in broad daylight, sunlight didn’t reach the ground. The fog covering the ground and the towering buildings blocked it out.

‘I wouldn’t last a single day in a place like this.’

He didn’t need to experience it to know.

This place was a jungle. A forest teeming with monsters, except the monsters here were human in appearance.

Even at the weapon shop, Luke couldn’t help but sigh. Normally, weapon shops display their wares on the walls for customers to browse.

But here, the weapons were first blocked by bars, with the actual weapons hanging behind them. It was a clear message: look, but don’t touch.

Regardless, the variety of weapons was impressive. Though bows were the least common.

“These are all used.”

They looked new, but it was just because they had been cleaned.

Luke could see the signs of use. At best, they were low-quality.

“Two bows. Thirty arrows.”

Keter told the weapon shop owner.

The owner went to the back and brought out separate bows and arrows. They were in better condition than the ones on the wall, but still just mid-tier used bows.

As a knight of Sephira, Luke was used to only the best bows, so he could easily tell.

Luke took the bow Keter handed him.

He didn’t need to shoot it to know. It was the worst.

“This thing looks like it’ll break any second. The arrows’ fletching is in bad shape too.”

Luke spoke his mind.

Keter held up three fingers.

“Lesson three. Even in the worst, there’s a best.”

“Got it, I won’t complain.”

But that wasn’t the point Keter was trying to make.

Most mentors value self-realization and don’t spell things out for their disciples.

But Keter was different.

He immediately scolded Luke.

“Idiot. You think I’m just nagging? If you’re unhappy with the bow, either put in the effort to find a better one or figure out how to use this one. If the bow breaks, are you just going to die? Think about what you’ll do if it breaks.”

“Ah, ah…!”

Luke immediately agreed with Keter’s rebuke. And he felt ashamed.

He had become arrogant, thinking his newfound abilities made him invincible. He realized that.

He was already relying on abilities he couldn’t fully control yet, and he felt safe just because Keter was by his side.

“Keter. I have some money, so maybe it’s better to find a better bow.”

“Then go find one.”

“You’re not coming?”

“You need the bow, not me.”

“Well… you’re right.”

Aren’t we friends? Luke wanted to say. Friends should look out for each other, right?

Luke didn’t voice his disappointment, but it was all over his face, so Keter added,

“Stop relying on others. If you want to do something, do it yourself.”

“What about the aftermath?”

“You took the dump, why should someone else clean it up?”

It was a crude expression, but Luke understood exactly what he meant.

“If I want a better bow now, I have to find it on my own and then come find you.”

“If you’re not confident, just use what you’ve got.”

“Got it, thanks.”

“It’s not free. It’s all adding up.”

“Still, thanks.”

Luke decided to follow Keter’s advice. Rather than searching for a better bow in the unknown world of Ruquer, he’d make do with what he had.

With the bow and arrows in hand, Keter started walking again without a word. Only then did Luke remember their original goal.

They were heading to the ‘Red Eye Gang’ territory to find Keter’s subordinate, Jairo.

“What does the Red Eye Gang do?”

“I was wondering when you’d ask.”

Keter first explained the four madmen of Ruquer.

“There’s the sword-obsessed guy, the eye-obsessed guy, the bomb-obsessed guy, and just a crazy woman. The eye-obsessed guy is named Marhan. The Red Eye Gang is his underlings.”

“I get the others, but what does ‘eye-obsessed’ mean?”

“He’s like you, an ability user. He can swap eyes with others and use the memories and abilities of the eye’s owner.”

“…So you knew I was an ability user.”

“I knew the moment I saw you.”

“I wasn’t trying to hide it. I just didn’t have the chance.”

“If you’re confident, don’t apologize.”

“Okay.”

Luke pondered for a moment, then looked at Keter and said,

“Keter. You’re not an elf, are you?”

“Just because I’m handsome doesn’t mean I’m an elf.”

“That’s not the point. When I look at you, I think of Lord Basil or the Lunar Knight Commander. It’s like… experience, or maybe wisdom. It feels like you’ve been through everything.”

“I have been through everything, though?”

“…I wish I had the ability to detect lies.”

“Kid. I don’t lie. Wanna know why?”

“Because you’re trustworthy?”

“Nope. I don’t lie because I don’t need to lie.”

“Huh?”

Luke didn’t understand.

Normally, Keter would elaborate, but this time he just moved on.

“Marhan can not only swap eyes but also awaken the power within them. The Red Eye Gang members have had their eye powers awakened by Marhan.”

“What do you mean by ‘eye power’? Better vision?”

“On par with the knights of Sephira. But that’s just a bonus. The real deal is ‘enhanced dynamic vision.’ It also reaches knight-level.”

“So Marhan can grant this power to anyone?”

“He can, but of course, there’s a price. Every ability comes with a cost. You included. Those who have their eyes awakened by Marhan usually lose their sight completely within a year.”

“They go blind…? Then he can’t have many followers.”

“Actually, he has the most among the madmen. People beg to become his underlings.”

“Does that make sense? Are they unaware they’ll go blind?”

“If they bring someone else’s eyes, Marhan can replace them. Though, there’s a high chance of failure, so most die.”

Luke couldn’t comprehend the mindset of Ruquer’s inhabitants.

No matter how much they wanted power, just one year? Going blind within a year, and even if they get new eyes, the chances of dying are higher. Yet they beg to become underlings.

‘This isn’t normal. Is it because they live in Ruquer, or do such people come to Ruquer?’

Having not entered Ruquer through the proper channels, Luke couldn’t know.

Other cities have high walls and checkpoints.

But Ruquer doesn’t.

It’s just open. There’s no entrance. If you want to come in, just walk in.

But once you’re in, you’re on your own. If you can’t protect yourself, you’ll just end up as fresh meat in some restaurant.

As Luke followed Keter, he suddenly felt a chilling gaze.

He turned his head toward the source.

There was a painting on the wall. A creepy ‘red eye’ painting. It felt like it was staring right at him.

Luke didn’t need Keter to tell him.

“We’re in, right? The Red Eye Gang territory.”

Keter didn’t answer and kept walking.

The frequency of the red eye paintings increased, and the area quickly became deserted.

Luke nocked an arrow and whispered to Keter,

“Keter. Let’s move quietly from here. There’s plenty of cover and obstacles for an archer. No need to fight in an unfavorable environment.”

“Good point.”

“Right?”

“Wrong.”

“…?!”

Keter took a deep breath and shouted loudly,

“Wake up! We’ve got guests, boys-!”