Chapter 22: Fortune and Misfortune.

Chapter 22: Fortune and Misfortune.

"Curiosity killed the cat."

A proverb, that is used to warn of the dangers of unnecessary investigation or experimentation.

It also implies that being curious can sometimes lead to danger or misfortune.

And here we have a silver-haired boy, looking curiously at the circus-like place that he deemed, was the perfect definition of suspicion.

But the questions as to 'what it was' and 'why was it in an empty alley' made him forget the fact that this was a cruel world devoid of a speck of mercy.

Felix prepared himself for whatever he was going to face at the place that looked like a circus.

He inwardly activated his skill 'Silent steps' and strode forward, sneaking up to the opening of the tent.

Holding the soft curtain-like opening, he parted it slightly as he gazed inside.

There, he saw it.

Cages that were too big for a human.

And certainly, it did not confine humans, but.....monsters.

'W-What the hell is this??'

Felix cried out in his mind as his brain failed to process the horrible scene in front of him.

Monsters like goblins, wolves, trolls, kobolds, and much more were held captive being bruised and wounded as they seemed to be on their deathbed, jailed within the cages.

They could not detect his presence as he was using his skill, but even without activating it, they would not be able to sense him as they were laid unconscious in the cage with their twitching bodies.

*Gulp*

Felix took a deep breath, calming his racing heart that felt like it was about to jump out of his chest.

Around the cages, there were chests and other wooden barrels laying on the ground. They seemed to be filled with water and food to feed the captured monsters.

'What should I do? What should I do?'

His mind raced as he bit his fingers, trying to comprehend the surreal scene that lay in front of him.

A nervous energy coursed through his veins, his palms growing damp as he clenched his fists.

'This seems too terrifying, maybe I should run from here.'

He hesitated for a moment, debating whether to approach or retreat from the horrible spectacle.

But before he could do that, he heard footsteps approaching from behind him. Someone was walking toward the opening he was at, from the alley he came from.

'Hurry! Hide!'

Without wasting any more time, he quickly entered the tent and hid behind a large chest, shrinking his body and making no sound.

"Kekeke Sir Oswell, you will not regret choosing to make a deal with us. We will certainly give you something worthy for a noble."

A sinister voice sounded, as a man of short stature entered the tent rubbing his hands together while wearing a professional smile on his face, that had a few broken teeth.

"Umm, I expect that you have already prepared what I requested."

This time, an arrogant voice could be heard as another man walked in. He was a bit on the taller side, with a large belly that could be mistaken as a pregnant woman's stomach and a handlebar-style mustache on his face.

"Yes yes, please follow me. I'll show you some of our top-grade products"

After killing 8 of the many monsters in the tent, he sat on the ground with an exhausted pale face from all the carnage he did.

"Haaa..., that was crazy."

He couldn't believe he had mercilessly killed the motionless monsters.

'If it was a fair fight in a forest, I would have already been dead and eaten by those monsters. So, there's no reason for me to show sympathy toward them.'

Felix clenched his hands to keep from passing out, not wanting to give himself a reason to feel guilty.

'No! I gotta do it, there's no guarantee I would not fall into dangerous situations again. Only by being stronger can I keep myself alive.'

Steeling his heart, he rose up to his feet.

He held the knife tightly and again went on a killing spree as he continued to take the lives of the miserable half-dead monsters.

[You have killed a being higher than your own rank]

[You have gained 10 skill points]

[You have killed a being higher than your own rank]

[You have gained 10 skill points]

[...]

After killing all 22 monsters in the section of the tent that he was in. He laid down near a chest resting his body from the overexhaustion.

"Haa...Haa..."

'It's done, there's no monsters remaining here.'

Glancing around at the tent with all the dead monsters, Felix made up his mind to not stay here anymore.

He quickly got up, his body limping from the fatigue.

Walking out of the opening he came from, he hurriedly moved away from the tent. Going far away as he could.

When suddenly he heard loud shouts from the tent behind.

"WHO DID THIS!!"

"FIND HIM NOW!!"

The screams reverberated through the alleys making a chill running down the spine of everyone who heard it.

Felix froze as the people in the tent seemed to have finally found out about the mess he had made.

"Shit! I got to run."

Not wasting a single second, he activated his skill and started running through the alleys without looking back.

Unfortunately, he met a dead end without a single way out after sprinting toward a narrow path.

Before he could run back and escape down another alley, he heard hurried footsteps approaching from behind.

"FUCK! They're going to catch me at this rate."

He looked around where he was and couldn't find a way to escape making him scared shitless and feel terrible about the situation.

'What do I do now??'