A boy with dusty brown hair, wearing a half torn shirt and ripped pants, was running—clutching a piece of ripped bread. Behind him, the angry shopkeeper chasing.
"Stop! You little thief!"
The boy darted into a narrow alley on his left—so tight that only someone his size could squeeze through. On the other side of the alley lay the only world he knew, the world of no laws.
"That scumbag from the slums always gets away with my bread!"
• • • • •
He crouched beside a trashcan, rummaging through the filth until he found a bent iron wire. With practiced hands, he shaped it into a small hook and attached it to the bread. He tucked it carefully into his pocket—ripped on one side—so the bread wouldn't fall.
Just ahead, to his right, yawned another alley. Wider than the last, it reeked of rot, sewage, and decay. The boy held his breath as he stepped carefully, avoiding the scattered feces and puddles of stagnant water. A broken pipe nearby trickled continuously, feeding a pool so foul even the flies stayed away.
Reaching the end of the alley, he glanced around for guards. Seeing none, he bolted toward a collapsing house nestled beside a dead tree. Iron rods jutted from the walls, holding the structure together. The roof was nearly gone. A dirty cloth hung in place of a door. The colour almost washed up.
Inside lay a sickened boy—his eyes tinged yellow, ribs visible sucked up his stomach, skin dotted with white splotches all over. He looked up, weakly as his older brother entered.
"Jake! Look, I brought bread for you. I'll fetch some water, get up buddy."
In the corner, resting beside a wall, was a mattress stained black and yellow with ripped packets and dust sitting above it. A clay pot with water collected after standing on the line for several hours, stood next to it, sealed with a wooden slab. The older boy poured water into a chipped wooden cup—something he'd found in the trash—and handed it to Jake.
"Stay here, okay? I'm just going for a walk."
Jake nodded faintly, too weak to speak. His brother had to run—if the guards followed him here, Jake would be in danger.
He ran again, slipping through the maze of alleys. A guard spotted him.
"There! That's him!"
Panic surged through his legs. He turned sharply—then crashed into a young man in a mining uniform, slouched with poor posture. It's Han.
"Hey kid! Where are you going?"
The boy didn't reply. He scrambled to his feet and bolted again.
• • • • •
His legs trembled. Breath ragged. Feet torn and bleeding. Arms dangling like dead weight. He tripped while glancing back—and hit the ground hard.
"Hahh… You're a fast little thief, huh?"
The guard reached for his cuffs.
But then—a wall erupted from the ground, slamming between the boy and the guards. They stumbled back, confused, and when they got to the other side. He was already gone.
• • • • •
The boy opened his eyes. He was inside a house—slightly bigger than his own, but still heavy with the stench of poverty. He sat up slowly. The pain was gone. His wounds were healed.
"Ah, the kid finally woke up."
In the corner, Han sat beside, Jay fixing the roof of the old man's house, Nana playing with Zuna—the old man's youngest daughter. Scarlet was helping his wife in cooking, while Martha read some old, corroded books she found on the broken shelves.
"So tell me, kid. Who are you? And why were the guards chasing you?" Han asked.
"Umm… I'm John," he said, then added, "Bread."
"Bread?"
Han gave a confused look, not able to understand the meaning.
"I stole a piece of bread from the shop. That's why they were chasing me," he replied, his eyes showing shame and guilt.
"And your reason?"
"My brother."
The little boy John began to explain his story.
At the time of Jake's birth, their mother passed away due to complications. Shortly after, their father died in a mine explosion. He and his brother became orphans at a very young age. To survive, he started to find work, but there was no one willing to give jobs to children. There were no places for orphans. Every day, he had to steal just to feed himself and his brother. But three months ago, Jake got affected by an unknown disease—his gums swelled, his eyes turned yellow, and he grew weaker and weaker.
"So where is your brother now?" Scarlet asked, bringing some food for the kid.
"At home," he replied. His stomach growled as he saw the food. It was simple—boiled potatoes mashed into a soup. To make the taste better, Scarlet used salt that Martha gathered in the valley.
They couldn't have bread. Bread was a luxury for slumdogs.
"Then let's go to your home."
• • • • •
The group left.
Walking through the streets, garbage lumped along the footpaths, unsanitary water flowed from sewage onto the roads. Behind a big shop was a long line—thousands of people standing for hours to get ration and food. Lifeless eyes, hands covered in dirt and coal, the smell of sweat filled the atmosphere. Children rampaged through garbage dumps, the disabled begged, clothes hung on wires, apartments barely held together.
There were no thieves here. Because the people had nothing to lose.
The group walked midst the crowd. A mother holding her newborn begged for money. An old woman sold combs. A coal miner pulled a heavy cart of coal. A young boy with a broken arm searched for customers to polish shoes—in a crowd where most couldn't even afford shoes.
"What is all of this!" Nana was almost sickened by the horrors.
But they could do nothing, except grieve for those innocent lives.
They reached a small, rundown house held together by a few rods. Scarlet stepped inside. There lay the sick boy—he looked almost like a corpse. Martha brought some leftover soup, and Scarlet used her power to heal the boy, once more praying to the Goddess of the Forest.
The boy looked a little brighter. But the physical weakness couldn't be cured by magic. Scarlet and Nana were both almost in tears looking at the poor soul.
John held his brother close and started crying. Tears rolled over—tears of happiness, rare for those who live in slums.
Jay and Han went outside. Han used his skill [Inspection]. The mana bar went down 5 points. A brief structure of the house appeared.
"Hmm… It's barely holding together. It's better to leave this house before it trembles and falls," Han said, looking at Jay.
"It's better for the kids to stay at the old man's house for some time," Jay smiled, looking at both the kids happy.
"We need to find jobs first… and get out of here. Kazuki is still missing."
Jay nodded.
• • • • •
The group brought both kids to the old man's house. He accepted them without saying anything. Even though he was also financially poor, he was more than happy to help those poor souls.
"Now we need to find a way to escape the slums," Jay murmured, crafting weapon prototypes from scraps of rusted iron and aluminum he took from the kids' tumbling house.
"There is a way," the old man answered after some thought.
"What is it?" Han asked instantly.
"You all are really strong… defeating that [Dwolf]. In the [Nyd], there's an adventurers guild. At first, they might not pay well, but after climbing some ranks, you'll easily afford houses in [Giefu] or [Gynn] areas."
"Can you show us the way?" Martha asked the old man.
"Yes. I've gone near the area, since the mining company is nearby."
He added, "Also… becoming adventurers might help you find your friend. Most young newcomers either join the guild or enlist in the army."
Hearing everything, the group decided to visit the guild tomorrow.
---
Another night came. It was their second night as a party. The first was inside a cave. This one… was better. Sleeping on the ground, yes, but inside four walls.
---
• • • • •
The sun rose, glittering the street. Everyone got ready, wearing old clothes that the old man gave them. The clothes belonged to his eldest son—he died during the war. The girls wore clothes that belonged to his second daughter, a little older, close in age to Martha and Scarlet. She had left the house to find work in the [Nyd] section.
The old man and the group left the house. All their faces were dark. Their eyes filled with rage at the emperor for neglecting his people—and with determination to find Kazuki.
What lay ahead… was something they had never dreamed of.