Black Cave Settlement

Irin told Liao Ji that the settlement wasn't far from the Relic Cave they were in—only a dozen or so kilometers away.

At the time, Liao Ji hadn't thought much of it.

But after walking just a few kilometers, sweat began to bead on his forehead, and a dull ache started to throb in his calves.

Noticing the disdainful look from the girl beside him, Liao Ji couldn't help thinking back to high school, when he'd gotten full marks in P.E. He'd been able to run long distances and do more than ten pull-ups. Yet after graduating from college, he'd somehow turned into a total couch potato.

Damn it!

Why hadn't he bothered to exercise?

After a classic inner lament, Liao Ji became even more determined to hurry up and level up.

Half an hour later.

"See? Up ahead—that's our Black Cave Settlement." Irin pointed toward a nearby fortress, looking as if she'd finally been set free.

The phrase she'd heard most often on the way was, "How much farther?"

Liao Ji, panting behind her, glanced at the girl. Even after walking more than ten kilometers, she looked full of energy, as if she hadn't done a thing. Then he looked in the direction Irin had pointed.

What he saw was a towering wall encircling the wasteland. It stretched so far that he couldn't see the end, and beneath it, numerous convoys and pedestrians were coming and going.

"You call this a settlement?" Liao Ji asked, puzzled.

With all those people, that much land, and walls like a fortress, it could easily be called a base city.

In the game, a settlement with a thousand people counted as large. But judging from the size of the Black Cave Settlement ahead, its population had to be counted in the tens of thousands, at the very least.

Had the world developed this much in the five hundred years since?

Apparently not.

"This is all thanks to people like you." Irin pointed at Liao Ji.

"What do you mean?"

"The 'legacy.' The Relic Cave used to be famous throughout the Holy Kingdom. Every year, hordes of newcomers came here hoping to uncover the legendary Great Emperor's legacy. At its height, even major corporations and financial groups got involved. Over time, the settlement naturally grew bigger and bigger."

"Now, the craze over the Relic Cave has died down, and many major powers have left. But the settlement's size and development have remained. As for why they haven't applied for city status and insisted on keeping the name—"

Irin paused to build suspense.

When she led Liao Ji to the entrance beneath the walls of the Black Cave Settlement, the girl pointed toward a densely packed crowd lining up at the checkpoint and sneered.

"If it became Black Cave City and came under the Church's unified administration, how could these gangs openly charge people a toll like they do now?"

Following Irin's gaze, Liao Ji carefully studied the entrance to the fortress. The so-called checkpoint staff didn't wear any kind of uniform. In fact, they all looked much like the scar-faced man and his gang from the secret room: leather jackets, ammunition hanging conspicuously from their belts, and large tattoos covering their exposed arms and shoulders.

They had cigarettes dangling from their mouths, laughing and chatting among themselves as they used their guns to hurry along anyone trying to enter the settlement.

Those who paid without a fuss got a token glance before being waved through. But if anyone hesitated, or looked like they had plenty of money, the gang members would immediately stop chatting and surround them in groups of three or five.

Just a few armed thugs standing in front of them were enough to make most civilians hoping to enter the settlement meekly give in, no matter how unwilling they were. Those returning from outings with something to show for it had it even worse: they had to hand over thirty percent of their gains to be allowed through.

However, Liao Ji also noticed that the checkpoint had two separate lanes: one for pedestrians and another specifically for convoys.

Compared with the pedestrians' lane, where the gangsters showed no restraint and charged tolls just as Irin had said, the convoy lane was much more lenient. Some vehicles were waved through without even being questioned.

Seeing that Liao Ji had noticed the other lane, Irin sneered. "Hmph. Anyone who can afford a car is either rich and powerful or one of the gang's own. These bullies who only pick on the weak naturally wouldn't dare rob them in broad daylight."

Liao Ji nodded and looked away.

That left one problem. If this settlement had been what he'd originally expected, there wouldn't have been an issue. But now that they had to get past the gangs to enter, they might be fine if they paid up without making trouble. Still, if the gang members recognized Irin, things could get troublesome.

Seeing Liao Ji's concern, Irin wore a smug smile.

The girl casually patted him on the shoulder.

"Come on, you old fossil. Do you think I'd be the type to let these bastards—gangsters—rob me every time I came and went? We scavengers have our own special way in and out of the settlement."

Now that was a pleasant surprise.

Liao Ji's eyes lit up. He gave Irin a thumbs-up. "I didn't know you were so resourceful!"

"Hmph. I've got plenty of skills!"

A few minutes later.

A narrow, filthy alley somewhere in the Black Cave Settlement.

The manhole cover on the ground shook. The screws that should have been holding it in place had long since disappeared. A moment later, it flew open with a bang, and two figures climbed out one after the other.

"So," Liao Ji said as he emerged from the sewer, releasing his pinched nose. Finally free to use both hands, he scraped some unknown, pasty filth off his shoe with a stone from the side of the road.

He couldn't help asking the girl beside him, "This is the special route you scavengers use?"

"What else? Did you expect us to dig a whole tunnel just for ourselves?" Irin shook the rotten apple peel off her shoulder. She looked as if she'd done this many times before.

Right.

Liao Ji took back his earlier compliment about the girl being so resourceful.

"Come on. The clinic's over there, three or four blocks from here." Irin started walking. The girl was anxious when it came to her mother.

But the young man behind her grabbed her and held her back.

"What are you doing?!"

"Are you planning to go straight to your mother like this?" Liao Ji asked.

"I..." Irin was reminded that she couldn't show herself just yet, certainly not out in the open like this.

They couldn't afford the Church's big hospitals, so her mother had to receive treatment at a private, underground clinic. It was in a gray area, crowded and chaotic, and there could easily be spies from Kalleva's gang watching the place.

If Kalleva found out that their men sent to search for the "legacy" still hadn't reported back, while their "guide" had secretly returned ahead of them, things would get complicated.

"The better you stay hidden, the longer the gang will take to investigate. That time gap will be enough for us to pick up your mother and get far away from here."

"So don't rush. Time's on our side. Sorry, if your mother were seriously ill in a way that could worsen at any moment and put her life in danger, I'd have no objection to leaving right now."

At Liao Ji's questioning look, Irin shook her head.

"No. My mom's seriously ill, but the doctor at the clinic told me that if I can raise the money for surgery, she'll recover quickly after the operation. Her life isn't in danger yet."

After listening, Liao Ji clapped his hands. "Then there's even less reason to rush. We should at least find somewhere to change clothes and disguise ourselves first—ideally so no one would recognize us at a glance."

"All right..." Irin thought the young man had a point. Avoiding the gang was the priority for now.

But then—

"What are we waiting for? Lead the way!" This time, Liao Ji was the one urging her on enthusiastically.

The girl looked bewildered.

"Huh? Where are we going?"

"Home, of course!" Liao Ji blurted out, as if it were obvious.

"..."

Irin: "?"