Castle Interlude

Reke stopped at the entrance to a sprawling castle complex.

"Kid, this isn't where you should be." A burly man standing two meters tall saw Reke and tried to chase him off.

Reke didn't bother arguing with him. He couldn't help it—he was still a little baby just over nine years old, so it was only natural that people looked down on him.

He couldn't go around killing everyone who underestimated him. He wasn't a murderer.

Reke pulled his adventurer's ID from his pocket and handed it over.

"I'm here for a mission. Let someone know."

The guard eyed Reke suspiciously. Remembering that plenty of powerful people had come by lately, he suppressed his unease, took the ID, and examined it.

"Hm?" The guard's hand trembled, and he nearly dropped the ID. Daring not to offend Reke, he respectfully returned it and sent a message into the castle.

"Hello. I sincerely apologize for my earlier rudeness. Please come with me. I'll show you to your lodgings first."

Reke wagged his tail as he followed the guard into the castle.

The castle's steward immediately reported the news to the castle's master, who was also the person who had posted this mission: Parsona.

"So that's him? A Level 6 adventurer." Parsona stood by the window and spotted Reke following the guard at a glance.

"Heh!" Reke looked up toward the top of the castle, then continued following the guard as if nothing had happened.

"How perceptive. No wonder he's a Level 6 adventurer." Parsona hadn't expected Reke to notice him from so far away, and couldn't help but remark on it.

"My lord, it's almost time to set out. Should we gather everyone tonight so they can get acquainted?"

The steward bowed as he asked.

"Sure. Let's set it for tonight. Make the arrangements."

"Yes, sir."

Reke withdrew his perception, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"I knew it. Four-Eyes was still too useless. He was on a whole different level, and yet he claimed there weren't any with a combat strength of ten thousand."

From the moment Reke discovered the Rock Monster, and later met Pat and the others, he had felt that something was wrong. If nothing on this planet could suppress the Rock Monster's power, then the Rock Monsters would have conquered it long ago. How could civilization still exist?

"Interesting. Looks like all the answers lie in this so-called Super Ancient Civilization," Reke thought to himself.

"Knock, knock—"

The sound of knocking woke Reke.

"Good evening, esteemed adventurer. My lord is holding a banquet tonight. I'm here to show you the way."

Reke opened the door. A slender, pretty maid with two fox tails stood outside.

Reke followed the maid through a series of winding corridors, nearly getting dizzy before they finally reached the banquet hall.

Reke's nose twitched. He passed the maid and walked inside.

The hall covered several thousand square meters and was filled with all kinds of food and wine. Dozens of adventurers had already arrived, standing in groups of two or three and chatting.

Most of the people looked over when Reke entered. Some glanced at him and then looked away, while others kept staring.

Reke noticed them all, but couldn't be bothered to care. They were all small fry, and nowhere near as interesting as the food.

He made his way to the table, tore off the leg of some unknown animal, and began eating heartily.

Before long, he had polished off everything on the table and moved on to the next one.

Unfortunately, Reke only wanted to enjoy his meal in peace, but there were always fools in the world who liked to draw attention to themselves.

A man with Big-Breasted Woman in his arms stepped in front of him.

"Kid, didn't your parents teach you any manners? The host hasn't even arrived, and you've already started eating." The man pointed at the table Reke had cleared.

"Smack!"

A small booklet hit the man in the face.

The man first flew into a rage and was about to attack, but then he heard Reke's voice.

"Look at it, then get lost."

The man knew exactly what had hit him. He suppressed his anger and opened it for a look.

One glance, and his face went pale with fright. He didn't dare say another word. He didn't even bother with Big-Breasted Woman, returning the ID to Reke before fleeing the castle in disgrace, abandoning the mission as well.

Big-Breasted Woman didn't seem to care that her companion had left. Instead, she watched Reke with interest.

She had seen the ID just now, too. A Level 6 adventurer was no joke; there weren't many in the entire country. And now one stood right in front of her, so young.

Big-Breasted Woman's gaze made Reke frown. He tilted his head to look at her and said coolly, "Do you want to die?"

His tone was as casual as if he were asking someone whether they'd eaten yet.

Big-Breasted Woman hadn't expected Reke to say that. She raised an eyebrow, forced down her displeasure, and smiled. "Then I won't disturb your meal."

With the annoying fly gone, Reke turned his attention back to the food.

Big-Breasted Woman left the dining hall and went to a room, where she knocked on the door.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

"Poison Scorpion, weren't you fishing for guys in the dining hall? Why are you back?" asked the young man who opened the door, surprised to see Big-Breasted Woman.

Big-Breasted Woman swayed her slender waist as she entered the room, then addressed a middle-aged man with graying temples.

"Boss, our plan might as well not be a plan anymore."

The middle-aged man stopped what he was doing. His eyes narrowed, a glint of menace flashing in them, and he asked in a low voice, "What happened?"

"I ran into a Level 6 adventurer in the dining hall. He'll probably ruin our plan. I almost died just now."

Remembering the killing intent Reke had exuded, Big-Breasted Woman shivered as she replied.

"Heh! Poison Scorpion, so you can get scared after all? He's just a Level 6 adventurer. It's not like we've never killed one before. Besides, our boss is a Level 6 adventurer too. What's there to be afraid of?" Six-Arms sneered at Big-Breasted Woman, his tone brimming with confidence.

"Brain-dead idiot."

"What did you say? I'll kill you right now if you dare."

"Go ahead if you can. Let's see which of us dies first." Big-Breasted Woman scoffed, then beckoned Six-Arms with her index finger.

Six-Arms glared at her, but didn't advance. He knew how dangerous the woman was. He could talk big all he wanted, but he wasn't confident he could beat her in a fight.

"What a coward." Big-Breasted Woman spat, then turned to the middle-aged man and recounted what had happened in the dining hall.

After listening, the middle-aged man asked, "Do we have any chance at all?"

"I don't know." Big-Breasted Woman shook her head in confusion and continued, "That kid gives me a strange feeling. Before he turned his attention to me, I thought he was just an ordinary child."

"But when he focused on me, my whole body resisted getting close to him. It was as if approaching him would mean certain destruction. So I've decided to abandon the plan."

Big-Breasted Woman explained how Reke had made her feel.

"Is he really that terrifying? This is troublesome. In that case, we'll just treat this as a mission for now and see how things go later." The middle-aged man trusted Big-Breasted Woman's judgment and made his decision.

"It's about time. Let's head to the dining hall together."