Devil's Recompense

"Phew."

Roland quietly let out a breath and dispersed the Scarlet power he had gathered.

He always assumed the worst of others, because after his mother died, the world had never treated him kindly.

Just now, if that hunter had reached for his weapon, Roland might have been unable to stop himself from striking first, even if it meant continuing to flee afterward.

Disguised as a lost passerby, he walked down the main street to the town's crossroads. His gaze swept around before landing on a wooden sign beside the tavern entrance at the corner.

"This establishment accepts Spirit Coin payments."

Roland was secretly startled.

He connected to the Spirit Network and checked the map registration quest, only to find that the map around the town had already been revealed.

There should be quite a few Spirit Network members here.

He fell silent for a moment, then turned and slipped into the nearby alley.

This town must have had some history. Many collapsed, abandoned homes stood within it. They were uninhabitable, but they could serve as temporary shelter.

Roland picked a half-collapsed wooden house and used its walls and rotting planks to build a "shelter."

It offered no protection from wind or rain, but it blocked others' view. The ground around it was covered in splintered wood and garbage, which would make a loud noise if anyone stepped on it. Good enough.

He crawled into the shelter and blocked the entrance with debris and rotten wood.

A while later, he ate all the food he had previously bought from the Spirit Network. Feeling the long-missed fullness in his stomach, he fell asleep in satisfaction. When he woke again, it was already completely dark.

The town was quiet. He could faintly hear a few heavily accented voices, but not clearly enough