Human Hearts Are Treacherous (5k)

The stench of blood on Truth Avenue had yet to fade.

The two guards who had taken the money worked quickly. They called over some cleaners to scrub away the bloodstains and even shooed away the onlookers.

To them, the death of a backgroundless apprentice was as insignificant as the death of a stray dog. As long as someone else cleaned up the mess, they were happy to stay out of it.

Tylen stood beside the carriage, watching the guards walk away. He let out a quiet breath.

The pale blue screen on his retina was still flickering.

[Sudden Quest: Don't Bully the Young and Poor]

[Phase One: Kill Haige (Completed)]

[Reward Issued: 1,500 Experience Points, Knowledge Crystal ×100]

Tylen was about to bring up the panel to check the detailed stats and plan his next move.

Just then—

"Watch out behind you!!"

A sharp scream rang out, like a whistle splitting the air.

Tylen's body reacted faster than his mind.

Without a moment's hesitation, he drove his hips forward and launched himself into an extremely ungainly but practical tactical roll.

Whoosh!

A gust of wind skimmed past the back of his head.

Tylen braced himself with one hand, spun around swiftly, and dropped into a half-crouch defensive stance.

Behind him, where he had been standing, a burly thug stumbled and fell to the ground.

A young man in coarse hemp clothes was on top of him.

The young man clung tightly to the thug's waist, clearly having put all his strength into tackling him.

Clang!

A sharp Bone-Cleaving Knife slipped from the thug's hand, bounced twice on the stone-paved road, and glinted with a chilling light.

He was one of Haige's four underlings.

Now pinned to the ground, the thug wore a savage expression. He glared at Tylen with bloodshot eyes, his face full of regret and greed, and cursed furiously:

"You damn dog! I was so close! I was this close to killing you!!"

Tylen looked at the Bone-Cleaving Knife, which had landed less than half a meter from where he had been standing. Cold sweat instantly prickled down his back, and a chill shot straight to his scalp.

He had been careless.

Truly careless.

He had thought that after killing the gang leader Haige, cowing the crowd, and dealing with the guards, it was all over.

He had thought that these underlings, scattered like monkeys when the tree fell, would flee like startled cockroaches.

But he had forgotten: this was a wizarding world that devoured people alive.

Tylen snapped his head up and swept his gaze like a blade toward the other three thugs, who were still itching to make a move.

"Are you looking to die too?!"

His low growl carried the lingering force of having just killed someone, along with undisguised murderous intent.

Tylen's icy gaze swept over the three thugs, and they froze mid-motion, their plan to launch a coordinated ambush brought to an abrupt halt.

They exchanged glances, looked at their failed accomplice on the ground, then turned without a word and scattered into the maze of nearby alleyways.

In the blink of an eye, they were gone.

With Tylen's malnourished frame, he couldn't have caught them even if he tried.

He drew a deep breath and forced his racing heart to calm down.

"Damn it. I really underestimated these desperate lowlifes who'd do anything for money."

Tylen reflected silently, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the cuff of his sleeve.

"Then again, these thugs are a pack of ingrates you can never tame."

"When Haige was alive, they were dogs. Now that he's dead, they're wolves."

"Now they have a chance to curry favor with those rich and powerful core apprentices. Why would they really be scared off just because I killed one man?"

For desperadoes, the greater the risk, the greater the reward.

If they killed him, Tylen, they could claim the bounty from that young lady Jane and make their fortunes.

"I'll have to stay alert about this from now on! Even when a lion hunts a rabbit, it uses all its strength. I can't afford to be arrogant and careless like that again."

As Tylen reprimanded himself, a timid voice sounded beside him.

"Brother Magnus... thank you for saving us just now."

"Otherwise, Haige might have beaten my brother and me to death."

Tylen turned around.

The speaker was a girl who looked about fifteen or sixteen.

She wore a gray dress, washed until it had faded white. Dust smudged her face, and tear tracks still clung to the corners of her eyes. She looked pitiful and delicate.

When Haige had driven his carriage toward them earlier, he seemed to have been chasing these two.

If Tylen hadn't blocked the road, Haige would probably have caught the siblings already.

"Mm."

Tylen's expression softened a little, and he nodded. "No need to thank me. I should be thanking your brother for warning me and helping me just now."

If the young man hadn't tackled the thug, Tylen would probably have had his head split open by the Bone-Cleaving Knife.

Tylen walked over to the thug pinned to the ground.

The young man had just managed to get to his feet, panting, but he still held the thug's wrist firmly underfoot to stop him from lashing out.

Tylen looked down at the thug, a trace of murderous intent flickering in his eyes.

Yet the thug showed no sign of fear.

Lying on the ground, he bared a mouthful of yellow teeth, his expression vicious and defiant.

"Heh... What? You want to kill me?"

The thug spat a mouthful of bloody saliva and stared at Tylen with contempt.

"You've already killed Haige."

"If you don't want trouble, if you don't want the guards to come back and throw you in the Black Dungeon, you might as well kill me too."

"Come on! Do it! Have you got the guts?"

The thug stared hard into Tylen's eyes, as though he could see right through him.

"You're a penniless bastard who came to collect a corpse. Don't think I don't know where you got that bag of money you gave the guards. It was the money you got for collecting the corpse!"

"If you kill me now, will you still have enough left to buy off those guards?"

Hearing this, Tylen's expression did not change, though he felt rather helpless inside.

The thug was right.

Killing Haige earlier, in front of everyone, had been a "duel"—an act of "self-defense."

But now the thug had been restrained and was completely unable to fight back.

If Tylen killed him now, it would be an "execution"—murder.

The nature of it was entirely different.

More importantly, his purse really couldn't take another hit.

The two hundred Purple Gold Coins he had just paid were already the absolute limit after cutting costs to the bone.

If he killed one more person, he would not only have to pay more money, he might also be dragged away for questioning over some mess or other. That would delay Mentor Makley's assignment, making it a genuine loss.

Damn the streetwise cunning of the lower classes.

These thugs might know nothing about magic, but they understood loopholes in the rules and human weakness better than anyone.

Tylen drew a deep breath, suppressing his murderous intent.

He bent down and picked up the sharp Bone-Cleaving Knife from the ground. He glanced at the young man pinning the thug, but had no intention of approaching the thug to punish him further.

What if the two were working together and this was an act to make him lower his guard?

"I'll remember you."

Tylen's eyes were cold as he stared at the thug as if he were already a corpse.

"Get lost!"

At Tylen's words, the young man restraining the thug silently let go and stepped aside.

The thug scrambled to his feet and brushed the dust off his clothes.

He muttered a resentful curse under his breath and glared at the young man twice. The fortune that had almost been his had slipped away just like that!

Then, full of resentment, he turned and hurried off.

Watching the thug leave, the young man who had saved Tylen muttered a curse.

"Those damn bastards... Do they really think they can walk all over us?"

Then he turned around, straightened his rumpled clothes, and walked over to Tylen with a respectful expression. He bowed deeply.

"Thank you for stepping in, Brother Magnus. If you hadn't killed Haige, my sister and I would've had a very hard time today."

The young man spoke sincerely, his eyes filled with gratitude and awe.

Tylen sized him up.

He had a blond crew cut and a high nose. Although he was a little thin, the burst of strength he'd shown when tackling the thug had been impressive.

And he was grateful, and brave.

Tylen felt rather favorably toward the young man who had just saved his life.

In this cold Wizard Tower, such mutual kindness was hard to come by.

"Don't mention it."

A gentle smile crossed Tylen's face. He reached out to pat the young man's shoulder, as though treating him like a friend worth making.

"It's not easy making a living in the Outer Ring District."

"By the way, why did Haige have it in for you? If there's anything I can do to help—"

Tylen had not finished speaking.

Then, everything changed.

The moment Tylen's hand settled on the young man's shoulder, the boy—who had been so respectful and grateful—suddenly changed expression.

His gratitude vanished in an instant, replaced by a terrifying madness and resolve.

Smack!

The young man suddenly thrust out both hands and seized Tylen's left arm, the one resting on his shoulder.

His grip was astonishingly strong. His fingernails even dug deep into Tylen's flesh.

Then he turned to the girl beside him and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Little sister! Do it now!!!"

"I've got his enchanted hand pinned down! Kill him!!!"

That shout tore apart every trace of warmth between them.

Tylen's pupils dilated sharply.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that the girl who had been standing quietly nearby, looking so delicate and harmless, no longer seemed weak at all.

Her face twisted into a savage expression, and her eyes glittered with a viciousness far beyond her years.

Whoosh!

The girl drew a Bone-Cleaving Knife she had hidden beneath her skirt, her movements unnervingly practiced.

Without the slightest hesitation, she gripped the knife in both hands and lunged forward, stabbing hard at Tylen's defenseless side!

The knife was aimed straight at his kidney—a vital spot!

Time seemed to freeze in that instant.

Tylen looked at the siblings, so perfectly coordinated, at the murderous greed practically spilling from their eyes.

Shock.

Heartache.

And... profound coldness.

He had thought he'd found fellow victims, people who understood his plight. He had thought he'd found good people who repaid kindness.

Instead, he had found two hungry wolves in sheep's clothing.

Their warning and their rescue had never been meant to save him. They had only been setting up this ambush—to claim the bounty for killing him all to themselves!

"How... pathetic!"

The last trace of hope in Tylen's heart went out completely.

In its place remained nothing but absolute rationality and ruthlessness.

Just as the Bone-Cleaving Knife was about to pierce his robe—

Hum!

Magic Thorn Art covered Tylen's right hand.

Having lived two lifetimes, Tylen was good at learning from experience: after seeing that little thug try to ambush him, he knew he couldn't completely trust anyone.

So he had instinctively kept his guard up around the siblings.

"Get lost!"

Tylen let out a low growl.

Then his right arm swung faster and harder than the girl could react.

Splurt!

Like a hot knife cutting through cheese.

The girl's hands, which gripped the Bone-Cleaving Knife and were about to stab into Tylen, were cleanly severed at the elbows.

The severed arms still clutched the knife. Carried by their momentum, they flew away and landed on the ground with a clang.

Blood gushed out at once.

"Ahhhhh!!!"

The girl froze for a second, then let out a bloodcurdling scream.

She clutched her bare, severed arm and stumbled backward, her face turning paper-white in an instant.

A piercing scream and a spray of blood rang out once again along Truth Avenue.

Passersby who had just moved on were drawn back by the commotion.

But this time, they merely glanced over coldly. There was little surprise in their eyes, only a numbness that seemed to say, "Just as expected."

It was as if they had seen this sort of twist coming.

"Little sister!!!"

The youth who had grabbed Tylen's arm let out a desperate roar at the sight.

His face was filled with grief and fury, as if Tylen were the one who had betrayed them.

"I'll kill you!!!"

The youth didn't back down just because his plan had failed.

He let go of Tylen's arm, whipped a dagger from his waist, and lunged at Tylen's neck like a madman.

Facing the youth's attack,

Tylen remained expressionless. His right hand sliced through the air in a graceful arc.

Whoosh!

A flash of cold light.

The youth's dagger-wielding right arm was severed cleanly at the shoulder.

Then Tylen raised a foot and kicked the youth hard in the chest.

Unfortunately, Tylen was barely any stronger than his opponent.

The youth stumbled back a few steps, then, thrown off balance by the loss of an arm, sank helplessly to the ground.

The fight ended even faster than it had begun.

At that moment,

the one-armed youth's brow throbbed with pain, and cold sweat poured down his face.

But he paid no attention to his injury.

Gritting his teeth, he propped himself up with his remaining left hand and desperately crawled toward the girl, who was writhing on the ground and crying out in pain like a dog with a broken spine.

"Little sister... Hang on... I'll stop the bleeding..."

The youth tore a strip of cloth from his clothes with his teeth, then frantically tried to bandage the girl's wound. Tears mixed with blood and dripped onto the ground.

Tylen stood where he was, watching this scene of contradiction and irony.

His brow furrowed.

"Why go to all this trouble?"

Tylen asked quietly, with a hint of disgust he could barely conceal.

He hated seeing this.

If you were going to be evil, then be evil to the end.

Don't murder and rob, betray people, then turn around and put on a show of family devotion and dying together.

Why pretend to be innocent? Why play the victim?

At Tylen's words, the youth tending to his sister's wound suddenly looked up.

His face was as pale as paper, but his eyes burned with a hatred and yearning that made one's blood run cold.

"Why? You're asking me why?!"

The youth snarled through clenched teeth, his voice hoarse and anguished.

"Not everyone is like you! Not everyone can earn a mentor's favor! Not everyone has a talent for magic!"

"We lowlifes... If we don't fight for our lives, if we don't claw our way up by any means necessary, we'll rot in the mud!"

"Do you know what our lives have been like for the past six months?"

"Do you know how many times I've been beaten? Do you know how many times my sister has been violated and abused by scum like Haige over the past six months?!"

The youth pointed at the girl beside him, who was nearly passing out from the pain. His face was full of yearning and greed.

"If we just kill you... If we kill you, we'll get a pile of money! That lord named Tom promised us!"

"If we kill you, we'll be qualified to become dogs for those core apprentices!"

"This is our only chance to change our fate! Our only one!"

The youth's voice grew fainter. He seemed to be losing too much blood, and his gaze began to grow unfocused.

"As long as we can become dogs for those young masters and mistresses... We can use our masters' power to kill everyone who bullied us..."

"Kill them all..."

The girl, pale as a sheet, leaned beside her brother and stared blankly at the sky as she murmured,

"Brother... I'm tired..."

"I want to go home... I miss Mom and Dad..."

Truth Avenue was bustling with passersby.

Most people who saw the scene merely frowned, covered their noses in disgust at the heavy smell of blood, and hurried away.

No one pitied the siblings.

And no one blamed Tylen.

That was the law of survival in Lion City.

The strong preyed on the weak. The victor was king.

Tylen stood in the pool of blood, silent for a few seconds.

Then he slowly took off his linen robe.

It was covered in the blood of Haige, the youth, and the girl. Its original color was impossible to make out.

Beneath it, he wore an apprentice uniform that was a little worn but had only a few bloodstains.

Expressionless, Tylen walked to the side of the road, picked up the Bone-Cleaving Knife and dagger scattered on the ground, and tossed them onto his cart.

They were iron tools. He could get a few coins for them.

Then he folded the bloodstained robe and laid it over the bodies on the cart to keep the wind from blowing it away.

When he was done, he climbed back onto the cart's seat and took up the reins.

He didn't look at the siblings again.

He didn't finish them off, either.

No one had died yet, and the two of them were still alive. There was no need for him to take responsibility for what happened afterward.

As for whether the siblings lived or died, whether their enemies came after them, or whether they bled to death...

He had no interest in knowing.

"Hyah!"

The old horse set off, and the cart rolled slowly over the bloodstains, heading toward the White Cloud Eye Rune Shop.

The sunlight remained bright, shining on Tylen's young face.

But his eyes had grown harder than ever before.

After what happened today, Tylen had truly come to understand the cruelty and madness of this world.

Here, humanity was a luxury, and conscience was a burden.

Those at the bottom were willing to abandon everything for a chance to become a rich person's dog—even to turn their blades on the benefactor who had just saved them.

Or perhaps Haige, his underlings, and the siblings who had been used as bait had all been working their own angles, each hoping to reap the rewards.

If Tylen hadn't had the experience of living two lives, if he hadn't stayed wary of human nature until the very last moment...

The one lying on the ground, drained of blood, would likely have been Tylen Magnus.

"I need to be more careful from now on. In my previous life, people's treachery came from the schemes behind the scenes—they wanted your money. In this hellhole, they just stab you outright. They want your life..."

As Tylen thought this, he pulled a piece of hard, dry black bread from his robes and took a fierce bite.

The exertion had made him hungry.

It tasted awful, like a mixture of stinky socks and blood, but he chewed it with determination.

Because only if you survived could you afford to talk about the future.