Chapter 179 - Steam

"There's no need to sugar coat things, you can be upfront about things. It'll be for the better since I'll end up finding out anyway. Just tell me the full details now," Yuki told Elmer. 

"Okay then. Have it your way. What I'm asking of you is to join the gang we're part of. It pays well and you can do whatever you want once you're in the higher ranks there. Of course, when we bring in valuable members such as yourself, we get compensated very well," Elmer explained. 

"But why would you want me to join? I'm just an average kid," Yuki replied to Elmer. 

"Come on, stop it with the lies. We saw what you did Avila. There's no way the average person would have done what you did. You see, this kingdom was closed off from the rest of the world shortly after we all came to this world. We didn't have a say in this matter and were forced to accept our news lives here. Even though we weren't told why we were getting closed off, it still happened without any consultation. Anyone who tried to fight back was sentenced to death. Of course, after a couple public executions, we stopped fighting back and accepted our fate. As such, we weren't allowed to hunt monsters. You see where I'm going with this?" Elmer asked Yuki which was replied back to with a nod from Yuki. 

"That's great. But to make sure you understand, I'll explain everything in detail. And so, since we weren't able to hunt monsters or go into dungeons, we aren't able to increase our strength and level up. Which means, whatever level we had before the kingdom closed is what we're stuck with. Since most people either temporarily or permanently quit hunting monsters in the beginning, this kingdom only consists of mostly level 1 and 2 players with the rare 3 or 4 players. That said, Avila is part of the rare group. Which is why it's all the more impressive that you managed to knock her to the ground. Even if she wasn't ready for a fight, if you were a level 2 let alone a level 1 player, you wouldn't have even made her move, which is why it's all the more impressive that you have that much strength. If you were to join our gang, you would quickly rise through the ranks and of course, you would be compensated pretty well," Elmer explained.

"Would it be okay if I have some time to think your offer over?" Yuki asked. 

"Yes of course. It's not like any of us will be able to leave this kingdom. You can have all the time you need" Elmer replied to Yuki.

While Yuki didn't care if he joined or didn't join the gang which secretly controlled the kingdom, there was something that was bugging him. If Yuki was just a regular person who had committed the same crimes that Yuki had previously done and was in turn sent to the kingdom, that version of Yuki would be stuck in there for the rest of his life. There was no escape for him. Of course, he could try to escape using his ability but the necklace which was limiting his strength probably had a tracker which would mean that he would either get sent back to the kingdom with tighter security or he would face a more severe sentence. It was frightening to think about because if Yuki didn't have Zero and One by his side, he would have been doomed a long time ago. 

After having their serious conversation, Yuki and Elmer along with the other 2 workers returned to their casual conversation as they tried to drift from the serious mood. Once they finished drinking, they went to many of the other stores and activity stands as they explored the hidden sector of the kingdom. 

Of course, in doing so, Yuki arrived back at his house late into the night. He doubted that he would get any sleep so he thought of doing something productive as he waited for the sun to rise once more before he had to leave for work. 

The most obvious choice would've been for Yuki to go back to the dungeon and get some dungeon clearing done before he would go for another day at work. However, there was a slight problem with that. Seeing that he needed most of the night to clear even 1 stage of a dungeon, it would be impossible for him to do it in less than half the time he usually had. So, Yuki opted to take a rest day from dungeons and instead do something else. 

"Hey Zero, can you do me a favour and teleport me to a forest with some weak goblins and when you do, take this necklace off me but make it so that I'm still a level 1 player while I'm in that forest," Yuki told Zero telepathically. 

As expected, Zero did as he was told by his master. 

"I have done as you asked. If you wish for anything else, please ask," Zero replied before going quiet once again.

Now in the night, Yuki stood in a dark forest as he prepared to battle with goblins which had similar strength to him. Of course, he had done battle like this previously, more specifically when he first started hunting monsters but due to the way he leveled up, Yuki was always either too weak or too strong for his enemies. However, that no longer existed since this was the point where his matchups were the fairest. 

Standing in front of Yuki were regular looking goblins, much similar to the ones he battled in the first stage of the 3rd dungeon and the goblins he massacred to reach level 2. They weren't carrying any weapons which made it seem more fair. Nevertheless, if they had weapons or not, Yuki would still enjoy his time letting off some steam. 

With each punch he threw at the goblins, he remembered Avila and how much he wanted to beat her up. Due to her having Garth as her shield, Yuki would never be able to get to her. So, Yuki decided to settle for imagining her as the goblins then beating them until they were unconscious. Unlike many of his other fights, Yuki wasn't battling to kill, all he wanted was to let all he pent up anger out, there was no need for bloodshed in that moment. 

With his turn, dodge and hit Yuki landed, he felt himself getting happier. However, the goblins weren't going to allow Yuki to walk all over them like they were just simply trash. While Yuki was busy dealing with just one of the goblins, the other one devised a plan to hinder Yuki. 

Right as Yuki knocked away the goblin he was fighting and turned his attention towards the second one, the remaining goblin quickly leaped in front of Yuki and slammed a pile of dirt right in Yuki's face. In doing so, Yuki could no longer see what was happening around him as he panicked while trying to get the dirt out of his eyes. 

As Yuki was distracted, one of the goblins put Yuki in a head lock while the other one continuously pummeled Yuki's chest with a barrage of endless punches. Due to their strength being nearly equal, Yuki found himself in a tight situation. It was just like fighting one of the monsters in the dungeon. Although this did go on for some time, the goblins' perfect plan came to a stop when Yuki grew tired of holding back. 

"Hey Zero, make it so that these two goblins can't die," said Yuki as he threw the goblin which was holding him in. head lock to the side. 

"Activate ability: Fire Control"

Using his ability, Yuki engulfed the other goblin which was still busy punching his chest of fire. Seeing as the goblins were no longer annoying him, Yuki cleared the dirt off of his eyes and began to retaliate. 

Yuki quickly charged towards the goblin which was set ablaze and began to punch him directly in the face. After only a couple hits, the goblin fell to the ground however, Yuki wouldn't stop there as he beat the immobilized goblin without a second wasted in between punches. 

While was doing this, the other goblin which had been knocked to the side quickly came in as he tried to save his friend from the merciless beating which Yuki was giving him. However, just as Yuki had done before, he knocked the goblin away once more. 

After continuously doing this until the sun rose and his arms grew exhausted, Yuki finally stood up as he looked at the sun with a smile on his face. 

"I'm done for the day. Zero, teleport me back to my house in the kingdom now," said Yuki as his face looked exhausted.

Within a blink of an eye, Yuki was inside the comfort of his home. However, he would've got the luxury of relaxing as he had to go to work very soon. So, just as he had done the previous night, Yuki opened his inventory and drank 1 sleep deprivation cure potion and 1 full status recovery potion.