The Pathway of Evil (Bonus chapter for initial subscriptions)

Sifa tightened his grip on the Cane of Resentment. This Mystical Item had originally been an ordinary wooden cane, but its material had changed after it became a Mystical Item. In its normal state, it was as hard as an iron rod. If he activated its Zombie state, it would change accordingly, becoming even sturdier.

So, for now, Sifa could simply use it as a club. If anything lunged at him, he would not mind knocking out a few of its teeth.

Ucidi immediately stepped in front of Sifa, waving his arms as though shooing away a stray dog. "Stay away from this gentleman, Harry. Don't make trouble for your mother."

Another burst of hurried footsteps came from the lobby, followed by a man shouting, "Damn it, Darlene! Didn't I tell you not to bring Harry to the hotel?"

"I don't want any strange rumors spreading about my hotel!"

Sifa looked over his guide's shoulder and saw a little boy, four or five years old, crouching in the lobby. He was scrawny and filthy. His hair looked as though it had never been trimmed, and it had tangled into clumps.

Quite a few leaves clung to his hair, and several branches lay in a pile on the floor. The little boy lay over the branches, picked one up with his teeth, and shook his head to shake off its leaves. He seemed to be playing some amusing game.

"Good heavens, you've brought branches into the hotel again. Darlene, get over here!" A potbellied, middle-aged man in his forties or fifties held a pipe in one hand and reached for the branch in the boy's mouth with the other.

A woman came running from the back. She must have been beautiful in her youth, but now that she was middle-aged, her