The flames died down slowly, leaving behind the sharp scent of burnt flesh and gasoline. Smoke drifted upward in lazy spirals, stinging the eyes and coating the back of Kael's throat with bitterness. What remained of the doppelganger was barely recognizable, a blackened, charred shape still faintly glowing at the edges.
For a few seconds, no one spoke.
Then the tension snapped.
"God damn," one of the men laughed, breathless, adrenaline still buzzing through his voice. "That was good! Got my blood pumping!"
"HAH!" John barked out a rough laugh as he clapped Kael on the shoulder hard enough to make him stumble a step. "Told you, boss! He was good, wasn't he!"
The boss exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders as if only now realizing how close that had been. He wiped his dagger on the ground, scraping away the last bits of ash and gore before finally looking at Kael properly.
"Aight," he said, nodding once. "You got that one right, boy."
He tilted his head, eyes narrowing just a bit as they studied Kael with renewed interest.
"That was some good reaction," the boss continued. "So tell me… how the fuck did you die on the first damn floor?"
Kael let out a tired breath, the weight of the fight settling into his muscles all at once.
"Shit luck," he said, the words coming out flat as he sighed.
He rested the hammer against his shoulder, the familiar weight grounding him. His hands still trembled faintly, not from fear, but from the aftermath of action, from how close everything had come to collapsing into disaster.
The boss snorted, clearly unconvinced but not pressing the matter further.
He crouched down near the remains and reached into the ash, fingers moving with practiced ease. Three orbs emerged from the charred corpse, glowing faintly even through the soot. Alongside them was a small octagonal stone, pale and clean in a way that stood out starkly against the blackened ground.
Kael watched closely, jaw tightening just a bit.
He wasn't stupid. He knew how these things usually went. Territory mattered. Strength mattered more. Complaining now would only paint a target on his back. Still, that didn't stop the sting of disappointment from creeping in as he assumed the loot was already gone.
The boss stood up and turned toward him.
Then, to Kael's surprise, he held out his hand.
"These are yours," the boss said casually.
Kael blinked.
"One for saving my neck," the man continued, placing two of the soul cores into Kael's hand, their faint warmth seeping into his palm. "The other for realizing the intruder."
He tossed the small octagonal stone after them.
"And the last one," he added with a crooked grin, "'cause that was fucking badass."
The boss pocketed the remaining core with a shrug.
"I'll keep one soul core since it's my territory. As for the rune…" he waved dismissively. "Do whatever you want with that trash."
Kael looked down at the stone, turning it over slowly between his fingers.
"Rune? Trash?" he asked.
A faint, translucent screen appeared in front of him..
***
ᚱ-ᚪᚾᛞᚹᛖᚪᚱᛞ {Presence}
Type –Consumable
Rarity: Uncommon Rune
Effect: Reduces Presence
Applies [Runenbound]
***
Kael stared at it for a moment longer than necessary.
"You don't know what runes are?" the boss asked, already backing away as he sat down on one of the broken stones lining the terrace.
Kael shook his head.
"Ah," the boss said, settling in more comfortably. "A real newbie."
He rested his elbows on his knees and sighed.
"They're basically trash-tier magic," he continued. "Good at the early stages, sure, but they come with a shitty side effect."
Kael looked up. "And what is that side effect?"
"You become Runebound... You can't use magic once you use a rune. And have to use only runes for magic going forward... Very limiting, a lot of people had hope for them since they called them the Language of Gods, but trust me, these things are nothing but fetters. You never want to find yourself in a situation where you have to use them."
Kael paused.
"Ah… I see."
The boss chuckled under his breath.
"Don't worry. You can sell that for a couple of cores at the merchant. They're useless for climbers, but some merchants would pay good money for rarer ones. Consider them as miscellaneous items," the boss said.
He straightened slightly, expression shifting as he pointed his dagger loosely in Kael's direction.
"This makes me wonder, though," he said. "How did you know he wasn't human?"
Kael answered without hesitation.
"I have a good nose," he said. "He smelled different."
The boss raised a brow. "Just the smell?"
"If you were wrong," the boss continued, voice hardening, "you would have killed someone of ours."
"That's why I didn't act until I was sure," Kael replied evenly. "None of you guys had his smell."
He paused, grimacing slightly.
"He smelled disgusting," he added. "Goblin piss kind of disgusting."
The boss barked out a laugh despite himself.
"That's a neat trick you have."
"Might be his inherent talent, He probably awakened with a good sense of smell," John said, tapping Kael's shoulder again. "That was good. it's rare to find an awakened this early..."
Kael frowned; he knew for a fact that he was anything but awakened. He has yet to even receive that opportunity. But as long as they believe it, then it's good enough for him.
He glanced toward the gate.
"Say, boss," John continued, "we let him in? With a nose like that, he can smell one of those fuckers before they get close. And he's a handyman."
He gestured toward the barricade.
"That is really rubbish," John added.
The boss followed his gaze, then sighed.
"Fine," he said, standing up again. "Fine."
He looked back at Kael.
"You're welcome to the Sun Clan," he said. "You need to know some of our rules then, Kael."
Kael nodded. "Sure thing, boss."
The boss smiled.
For the first time since arriving in this world, it felt… stable. Not safe, not comfortable, but solid enough to stand on.
These people didn't feel as terrible as they had at first. But believing that they were trustworthy... now that's a whole other matter.