Luke walked alongside the group of soldiers he had run into. From what he had gathered, they were returning from a reconnaissance mission.

  “Those damn Ardan Order bastards,” Isolde spat, clutching her wound. “They caught us off guard with their bombs.”

  “So this place has been at war for a few weeks,” Luke murmured.

  “We’ve been fighting each other for months,” Hugo replied, “but everything really went to hell this past week.”

  Two of them kept their distance from Luke, hands tight on their weapons, eyes never fully leaving him. He had already picked up all their names: Roland, Hugo, Ulric, and Isolde.

  “Miles attacked the military base guarding the exit rift,” Roland said. “He gathered damn near an army.”

  From what Luke understood, Miles was a baron of the Kingdom of Lagras. A few weeks earlier, he had rebelled inside the rift and allied himself with a criminal group known as the Eight Red Fingers.

  “He must have spent months sending people through illegal rifts,” Isolde added.

  And then he launches a full assault on the base managing the exit rift and takes it for himself with his private army. The situation reminded him of the tutorial.

  “He wants the…” Ulric began, then froze.

  In a sudden motion, Ulric spun, crossbow snapping up, finger tense on the trigger. “Don’t mov…”

  He never finished. Luke lunged forward, knocking Ulric’s arm upward so the bolt fired harmlessly into the air. At the same time, Luke pressed a kukri to Ulric’s throat.

  “You have one second to beg for mercy, or I cut your throat,” Luke said calmly.

  “Please, stop. Everyone calm down,” Roland shouted.

  Ulric locked up, sweat pouring down his face. “I, I, I beg…”

  Luke answered with a punch to the face. As Ulric collapsed, Luke flicked the kukri toward the archer who had shifted his stance. The blade grazed his cheek close enough to draw blood. The archer froze.

  “Did you seriously think you could try something against me?” Luke said.

  The archer glanced down at his bow and went pale. The string had been cleanly severed.

  “I thought you were one of Miles’ damn dogs,” Ulric groaned from the ground, blood running between his fingers.

  Five throwing knives hovered around Luke, suspended by the power of [Telekinesis]. He could not launch them, but that hardly mattered. The soldiers stared, fear deepening in their eyes.

  “Drop your weapons. Now.”

  “I’m wounded, you idiots, and you pull this kind of crap?” Isolde snapped.

  “We were trying to protect you,” one of them protested. “We thought we could take him.”

  “And you were wrong. You can’t,” Luke replied. “Now walk. Strip. Down to your underwear.”

  They stared at him, stunned.

  “You thought you could attack me and walk away clean?” Luke continued. “I’m not killing you. But I’m not letting it slide either. You choose. Walk back to camp in your underwear, or lose a thumb. That way I know you won’t be holding a weapon anytime soon.”

  “You’re joking, right?”

  “You thought I was some kind of bandit. Fine. I’m stealing your weapons and your clothes. Move.”

  Moments later, the three men stood there in nothing but their underwear.

  Luke pulled out a healing potion and tossed it to Isolde. “Drink it. You owe me valuable information. Consider this me sparing you the dignity of being carried by an idiot in his underwear.”

  “Th-thank you,” she muttered.

  “Wow, a real gentleman. My panties are soaked,” Artemis commented.

  Shut up. At least now they can move faster without dragging her along.

  “Now start talking,” Luke said as they resumed walking. “Tell me the whole damn story.”

  “These inferior beings,” Angie’s voice hissed inside his mind. “Saved by my lord, and this is how they repay him. If I could, I would make them suffer.”

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  ***

  While Luke listened to the explanation about the village and its treasures, a few ghouls began to creep closer.

  At first, the soldiers tensed, hands tightening around their weapons. Luke did not even slow down. One shadow ball after another flew from his palm, each one erasing a creature before it could get close. When five ghouls charged at once, the black explosion bloomed outward and swallowed them whole.

  [You have slain a Ruin Ghoul – Lv. 21]

  [You have slain a Ruin Ghoul – Lv. 21]

  [You have slain a Ruin Ghoul – Lv. 21]

  [You have slain a Ruin Ghoul – Lv. 21]

  [You have slain a Ruin Ghoul – Lv. 21]

  **Your second class [Witch] has reached Level 10!**

  [You have acquired a Witch Skill]

  As the conversation continued, Luke started to piece together what really mattered.

  There was a commanding officer in charge of administering the area. Her name was Cassandra, a noblewoman and the daughter of a general from the Kingdom of Lagras. The place itself was rich in mineral deposits and other valuable resources. On top of that, she was personally responsible for overseeing the search for treasures meant as gifts to the royal family of Lagras.

  “A nomadic community, an alchemist sect, a major gang, and you,” Luke said after sorting through the information. “Four different factions, all stepping on each other’s toes. What a mess.”

  “We’re getting close to the camp,” one of the soldiers said. “Can you give us our clothes back?”

  “No,” Luke replied calmly. “And pick up the pace.”

  He stayed farther back as they walked.

  “I need to know one more thing,” Luke said. “Has a new group shown up? A military unit from the other continent?”

  “Those outsiders?” Isolde answered. “Yes. A lot of them.”

  So Eleanor’s group might be here.

  Luke did not bother searching for them in the village. If they had come, they were probably at the rift. And now that he knew things had gone wrong inside the dimension, there was a real chance they were not even alive anymore.

  After some time moving through the forest, they finally reached the village.

  It had been built near a massive stone temple. That was where the first treasure of the trial had been discovered. The settlement started as a purely military outpost. Later, mercenaries began setting up tents nearby, drawn by the safety that came with staying close to soldiers.

  Eventually, it grew into a village.

  “In just one year, this place became fully functional,” Luke said as he walked. “That’s impressive.”

  He heard laughter nearby.

  “Dude, what the hell? Why are there guys walking around in their underwear?” someone said between laughs.

  'Is it just me, or does that not draw much attention for you?'

  After this, no one is going to suspect me of anything.

  “Humiliation is still too kind for what these inferior beings deserve. I swear, my lord, one day I will make them pay,” Angie said silently through their bond.

  She was genuinely furious. Luke could feel it.

  The soldiers escorted them to the furthest point allowed before another unit blocked the entrance.

  “Why are you wearing underwear?” one of the guards asked.

  “Stop laughing and get us some damn clothes already,” Roland snapped. “This guy refuses to give ours back.”

  A short while later, a man emerged from the temple, descending the stone steps slowly.

  “What the hell are you idiots doing walking around in your underwear?”

  “They’re deliberately stalling instead of grabbing a pair of pants, sir!” Ulric barked, snapping into a salute.

  The man who had just arrived was clearly an officer. His uniform was white, marked with the symbol of Lagras, a hound emblazoned on the chest. The nameplate read Peter Weiss.

  The three soldiers hurriedly explained what had happened.

  “And who exactly is the guy who stole your clothes?” Peter demanded, irritation seeping into his voice.

  “That would be me,” Luke said, tossing the uniforms onto the ground.

  Peter’s gaze snapped to him. “And who are you supposed to be?”

  “Sir, he saved us from monsters. We could have died,” Isolde said, standing at attention despite her injury. “He also healed me with a potion. This was our mistake. He deserves our sincere apologies and our gratitude.”

  'Wow. Looks like being an abrasive, socially inept bastard actually worked. At least one of them defended you.'

  The officer studied Luke for a moment, then turned away.

  “I saved four of your soldiers,” Luke said evenly. “At the very least, I deserve some kind of reward.”

  Peter turned back, clearly annoyed. “Talk to any of the sergeants at the supply tent. They’ll give you a few coins.”

  “I don’t want money. I want information. And from the looks of it, you can help with that. After all, your men gave me their word on behalf of the army, the king, or whatever the hell it is you serve.”

  The officer exhaled slowly and glanced at the four soldiers. He clearly did not like owing Luke anything, and it showed.

  “Within reasonable limits, you have the word of the Weiss family that you’ll be compensated,” he said, his voice tight with restrained irritation. “But right now, I’m busy trying to get us out of this dimension while dealing with two armies, the Alchemists and the Eight Fingers, without getting everyone killed in the process.”

  He turned sharply. “Until our commander arrives, I don’t have time for unnecessary distractions. Especially not a ragged mercenary.”

  With that, he and his men headed toward the temple stairs, leaving Luke behind.

  'How humiliating. Mister Ragged Mercenary.'

  Hardly. I used my rank skill on him. I’m seeing through his eyes and hearing through his ears right now. Perfect chance to spy on what’s going on inside the temple where one of this dimension’s treasures was found.

  Luke turned back to the three soldiers. “So, did you enjoy the underwear walk?”

  They swallowed their pride, grabbed the clothes Luke had dropped, and quickly dressed.

  Luke stopped beside Isolde. “Since it’s going to take a while before I get what I want, you can at least repay me for the healing potion.”

  “I, I don’t do that kind of service,” she said quickly.

  “The only service I care about is military,” Luke replied. “I need to see the outsiders. The ones calling themselves ‘Americans.’ There’s a chance I might know someone among them.”

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