Chapter 114 - Pity

As Yuki passed through the double doors which lead into the kingdom he had been teleported to, he was amazed at how peaceful it was. It wasn't that his kingdom was any different. It was simply because he hadn't gotten a chance to rest from the endless battles he was in. The dungeons had become his new home even though they were designed to take much longer to clear than Yuki had spent in them. Most would've needed to go outside the dungeons to replenish their strength, however, Yuki just abused Zero's power for his own desires. He was like a pay-to-win player while everyone else was a free-to-play player. 

There was an endless array of small wood constructed shops which were owned by players who had started their own stores to make money instead of killing monsters. The route of supplying goods was much safer than having to risk your life. Everyone had picked a different path to lead their life in this world. While some still chose to hunt monsters, others picked up providing goods or services to survive. As long as they could continue living, that was all that mattered to them. All the people that sought to become the first level 100 player had either given up hope or went off on their own to gain exp. 

Yuki snapped himself back to reality before too many people could stare at him looking dazed at a plain kingdom. It would've been best for Yuki to try and explore the kingdom before it got dark so he would at least find a place to stay. While walking by all the houses and stores, Yuki spotted a small diner. It looked to be pretty popular which drove Yuki away at first nevertheless, he went in there as he had no reason to be scared of anyone. If anyone wanted to get in his way, he would simply teach them a lesson. 

The store was a relatively small but average looking one floor diner. The porch side had 3 wooden tables with 3 chairs each. Every single seat had been taken by customers as they talked to each other about mundane things. The inside of it was no different. As Yuki looked through the glass windows from afar, he could see the long line of people who were waiting for their meals. Even though there were seats inside the store as well, they had been completely filled out and people had begun to resort to ordering takeouts. 

Yuki finally walked in the store-eager to learn as much as he could from eavesdropping on people's conversations. Yuki stood in the long line behind at least 20 people. Even though there was only one person who was tending to the customers, the line was moving at a relatively decent rate. 

Even though Yuki had been hoping that he could at least learn a few special things such as who was in charge of the kingdom but he was unlucky in his quest. All the people talked about was their boring lives and gossip about other people. Yuki had been waiting in the line for what seemed like hours as he stayed quiet the entire time. After waiting for so long, the last person in front of him moved out of the way so Yuki could order. 

"What can I get for you?" the store owner asked. 

...

While Yuki had entered the diner, he never actually planned on getting anything from there. It was odd because he had waited anxiously for his turn but when that time finally came, Yuki was left speechless. The only option he was left with was to order something but he didn't know any of the items on the menu. 

"What do you offer here?" Yuki asked as he didn't know what to get. 

Right as he said that, everyone in the store gasped in disapproval. It was as if they were telling him how dare he not know. This had caught Yuki off guard as it shouldn't be abnormal not to know what a store offers when you enter it for the first time. 

"Did I do something wrong?" Yuki asked as his voice trailed off when he finished his question.

"You must be new here.. right?" the store owner said as he looked relatively concerned. 

"It actually is," Yuki replied truthfully to get out of the situation. The people there had made it seem like Yuki had committed a federal offense. However, just as the people heard Yuki's words, they let out a sigh of relief. 

"Well that explains it. We're all good here then," the owner said as he let out a laugh. 

"Hey kid, where are your parents? You should definitely bring them along with you next time you come here," said the owner of the store. 

While most in Yuki's situation would've been angry at the words that the owner had said, Yuki was actually really calm about it. However, he needed to come up with an Alibi. He couldn't tell the owner that his dad was a deadbeat father and his mother mentally and physically abused him for years until he eventually killed her. Yuki was already used to making lies on the spot, as such this situation was no different. 

"My mother died of sickness when I was a little boy. As for my father, he's in a dungeon right now. He often goes there to earn us enough money to survive," Yuki lied. 

Everyone who heard Yuki's lie was moved by his story. They couldn't help but feel pity for him. This was the best outcome Yuki could've hoped for. When people pity others, they tend to be much kinder to them. That was the reason Yuki had tried to let go of any of his pride. Pride was one's weakness. Pure arrogance wouldn't get anyone anywhere. However, letting go of it allowed people to use trickery to achieve what they wanted. This was precisely what Yuki was doing. 

"Don't worry kid. This one is on the house. You can get whatever you want from here. How about starting out with a rice omelet? You can get anything else you want after that from our menu," said the owner with tears in his eyes as he gave Yuki a menu while his food was being prepared.