Aislyde stepped off the Pseudo-Train and looked at Hook Alley before him. A trace of helplessness crossed the Swordsmith's system-obscured face.
What kind of debt was hardest to repay?
Without a doubt, a debt of gratitude!
That was why the Swordsmith always found himself feeling a head shorter whenever he faced the tavern's proprietress.
He had owed her many favors in the past, and even now, he had never truly repaid them all.
He had come to Hook Alley, the Free Alliance's headquarters, to repay another favor.
Dekoman was a member of the Free Alliance.
He was neither a core member nor an outsider, but a player who wanted neither to be bound by rules nor to become a true lone wolf, and had ultimately chosen the Free Alliance. He had helped Aislyde in one of his earliest dungeon worlds, allowing him to reap considerable rewards.
In fact, in a certain sense, Dekoman had been instrumental in making him one of the ten great supernovas.
So, upon receiving his plea for help, Aislyde had immediately set off for Hook Alley.
Looking at the colorful alley made up entirely of gravel paths and low houses, the Swordsmith curled his lip. He disliked towns that looked as though they belonged in fairy tales.
Not because he considered them childish.
He simply felt that certain fairy tales were nowhere near as innocent as they appeared.
Dig a little deeper, and there was nothing but darkness.
For the Swordsmith, having his childhood ruined like that was an utterly awful feeling.
Perhaps that was why adults disliked reading fairy tales?
With that thought in mind, the Swordsmith entered Hook Alley. The instant he stepped into the alley, the rumble of wheels rang out.
It came not from inside the alley, but from behind him.
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