’Someone’s behind me...’

Realizing this, Colin stopped. A moment later, a hard object pressed against his lower back, and his Chain Armor Shirt scraped softly.

’They must know I’m wearing a Chain Armor Shirt, so whoever this is must be confident.’

’Judging by the direction of the sound, this guy must be a bit shorter than me,’ Colin thought.

"You’re an Adventurer, right? Things are pretty bad right now. Countless Adventurers have died in the last couple of days. The scavengers are having a field day. So, the fact you’re still alive means you’ve got some skill, huh?"

"So? If you’re trying to rob me, my coin purse is on my belt."

"Well..."

Twisting at the waist, Colin drove his elbow straight into the nose of the man behind him.

He leaped back to create distance, drawing his Hand Half Sword with a SHING.

There were five of them.

The one he had elbowed was on the ground. The other four remained standing. Aside from one fat man, they were all similarly built. Their only common trait was the weapons in their hands.

The street was now pitch-black, making it impossible to see their faces or what they were wearing.

The group had approached silently, without even the sound of scraping Leather Armor.

"Armored against unarmored. How many of you do you think I can take down?" Colin began to chant the Spell for Flaming Arrow.

A magical Flame ignited between his fingers, illuminating several terrified faces in front of him.

They were all dressed in burlap, and their weapons consisted of things like wooden sticks studded with nails and short Daggers. Each man clutched a piece of red cloth in his right hand, the same hand that held his weapon.

Colin glanced at the red cloth. "The Blood Hand Gang? I haven’t taken out any high-interest loans."

"We’re... Dammit, you stupid pig! Why didn’t you tell us he was a fucking Wild Mage?!"

The man who’d been elbowed to the ground staggered back to his feet.

He grew angrier as he spoke, then turned and viciously slapped the fat man in their group.

The fat man was knocked to the ground. He pleaded with the man who had hit him, "I swear, he was just a dock worker when he rented the room from me! If he hadn’t started hanging out with that Half-Orc, the kid never would have become an Adventurer! I swear..."

By the faint light of the flame, Colin finally got a clear look at the man.

He frowned. "Mr. Mole, I don’t believe I’m behind on rent, am I?"

"It’s not my fault, it’s not my fault..."

The fat man lay on the ground, waving his hands frantically.

Colin glanced at the thugs.

Fear flickered in their eyes. The ability to conjure fire from thin air was an effective deterrent against ordinary men in any world.

Of course, Colin had the strength to back up that threat.

’Mr. Mole, on the ground, is no fighter. If I use the Emerald Flame Sword to take out two of them, the remaining two thugs in burlap won’t be a match for me.’

’These thugs are only good at picking on the weak. Are they really any tougher than a Jackal Wolfman?’

’The only concern is that killing them would definitely bring the gang down on me.’

’Of course, my status as a City Watcher means a gang can’t just push me around, but it’s always better to avoid trouble when you can.’

Colin asked, "If you don’t want to do this, why don’t we go our separate ways?"

The thugs understood his point.

Against a poor kid from the slums, they would win without a doubt.

But against a Wild Mage who wielded unknown Magic? Even if they won, it would certainly cost some of them their lives. They were all just trying to get by on the streets, so why risk it?

But then again, it wasn’t a completely hopeless situation...

The leader wiped the blood from his nose. "To make up for our offense, the Blood Hand Gang would like to offer you some compensation."

’He’s stalling for time,’ Colin thought.

’Screw it. I’ll just reveal my identity as a City Watcher and get this over with.’

Just then, a faint yellow light appeared at the edge of his vision, rapidly approaching.

He glanced over and saw six more Blood Hand Gang thugs emerging from an alley up ahead. The man in front carried an oil lamp.

"Boss, this guy’s a Wild Mage!"

The thug from before quickly shouted to his companion.

"Really? Then we’ve hit the jackpot! Hahaha!" the man in front responded with a laugh, unable to suppress the delight in his voice.

The crowd closed in, surrounding Colin completely.

The man who’d been elbowed said, "Looks like your luck’s run out, pal. Even if you know some fancy Magic, you can’t possibly kill all of us before you run out of Mana."

"If you have any sense, you’ll come back with us to the gang," the newly arrived leader said. "If you perform well against the Northerners, we might even have a reward for you."

The oil lamp illuminated their smiling faces. They looked as joyful as Hunters who had just bagged big game.

Their blackened teeth gleamed yellow in the lamplight, making them look even more disgusting.

’Working for the gang is an option, of course.’

’But it’s a terrible idea.’

’These gang members can’t even escape the slums themselves. You could count on one hand the number of people in this whole slum who’ve safely gotten out of a gang. Once you’re in, it never ends well.’

’Looks like I’ll have to spoil their fun.’

As he thought this, Colin extended his ringed right hand. "Sorry, but I’m currently employed by the City Watchers, and I’m not looking to change jobs."

At that, the smiles on their faces instantly froze.

"If you don’t mind, we can have a big fight. Best-case scenario for you, you trade a few of your lives for mine. After that, my superior will probably come over to see what kind of tough guys are hanging around here."

Colin warned, "So, what do you say? Is that the outcome you want?"

The thugs exchanged glances.

’Go up against the army of Thousand Masts City? Don’t make me laugh.’

’The gangs only control the slums because the City Guard doesn’t give a damn about anything outside the walls. Even in a straight fight, they’d have a hard time against the veterans of the City Guard. So, telling us to provoke the even stronger City Watchers? That’s just asking to die.’

The thugs stood rooted to the spot, silent.

Carrying his Hand Half Sword, Colin walked right through the middle of them. No one dared to say a word.

After he had walked half a block, the sound of Mr. Mole’s crying came from behind him.

He could hear the Blood Hand Gang members in the distance, saying they were taking him to pay the "blood tax." ’This is probably the last time I’ll ever see my landlord,’ Colin thought. He didn’t think the man could survive a brutal gang war.

Colin didn’t feel the slightest bit of sympathy.

He thought back to what he’d seen in the sewers while dealing with the Carrion Insects.

’If I were still that same young man, worrying about rent... if I hadn’t learned Magic through my Golden Finger... if I hadn’t joined the City Watchers... I’d be the one getting dragged off to fight and die for the gang right now.’

’So the Blood Hand Gang has resorted to forcibly conscripting Adventurers? Their situation must be getting desperate.’

’Gangs inside the city, monsters outside.’

’Life is such a hassle.’

’I’ll earn a few more Gold Coins and move into the city proper,’ Colin thought. ’My gear is pretty good already. Even another few dozen Gold Coins wouldn’t make much of a difference.’

He trudged through the sticky darkness, his steps unsteady, as if wading into a black, bottomless pool.

’Just a few more Gold Coins, and I can say goodbye to all this filth!’