First, a clapping sound could be heard, followed by a loud scream from a woman. This caused the general uproar to quiet down, as every idiot present wanted to know who had gotten carried away this time and what would happen next. While such incidents didn’t happen every cycle here, on the other hand, the simple equation of alcohol plus an idiot, pervert, or some other moron wanting to show off their drunken courage very often led to this outcome.

  Raya also peeked out from behind the wall separating the seats, but due to the rapidly gathering crowd of stupid onlookers, she was forced to climb onto a table and then stand on her toes to finally be able to see the idiot responsible for the commotion. A red nose, half-closed eyes, a stupid grin, and difficulty maintaining balance clearly indicated that the pervert, if treated the way she thought he probably would be treated, wouldn’t feel at least a significant portion of that treatment.

  Or at least he’ll feel it when he wakes up.

  And it didn’t take long for the woman responsible for the earlier scream to enter the room, now accompanied by a fucking zhazu! Their massive build was something common to every member of their race, regardless of gender. He had two pairs of thick, tree-like arms with skin that was partly stone, partly bark. Seeing him, Raya now began to doubt whether the idiot would even wake up to face the consequences of his idiocy.

  “Sir. This is the Side Story, not just any old brothel. It is forbidden here to slap female employees, as well as other guests. You must leave. Is that clear?” the woman said coldly.

  “Ehehee, come on, chill down and come have a drink!” the idiot replied, hiccuping, not even noticing the mountain standing above him. “How many times do I have to tell you to come? Disobedient, eheeeh. You can… hic! Bring your friends!”

  The skin of the zhazu changed color, which was a kind of blessing of nature, indicating to others when a member of this race becomes irritated. It was said that if you witnessed something like that, you wanted to stay away.

  And you certainly didn’t want to be the reason that the guy got pissed off.

  Raya sighed and, turning around, stepped down from the table. Although a part of her wanted to see the beating the idiot was sure to get, another part of her wasn’t a big fan of violence. She also had to admit that seeing the red skin of the four-armed version of the bipedal, intelligent thargrim, she didn’t want to be caught standing on the table.

  And although she was quite surprised that the Side Story had hired zhazu as security, as they were rather rare, she thought that this place might not be the best establishment for a petite woman anyway. She decided that from now on, she should appear in places like The Regular Chapter, which were known for their more peaceful, homey atmosphere.

  Finishing her meal and beer, she ran to the counter and, waving her arms energetically, finally got the attention of the clueless receptionist. Another reason she decided to stop going to lunch at that damn place was the lack of accommodations for people her height. Then, after completing the transaction for her order, she left the establishment.

  Walking at a leisurely pace toward her home, she was just passing the building of the local Guild branch when its doors burst open with a bang. Then a shirtless human man ran out of it, holding the stump of his arm wrapped in bloodied cloth.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “Excuse me!” the idiot shouted, almost bumping into her, and then ran off.

  “Fucking asshole!” she spat under her breath, irritated by the frequency of such incidents. Although she would have easily avoided him if the pervert hadn’t stopped himself, judging by his running speed, it still irritated her how people tend to overlook people who are only a little shorter! “Idiots… Idiots everywhere…”

  Raya shook her head, once again realizing how much you’d have to have a screw loose to try to join the Guild in this world. Of course, everyone would be living much worse without them, but who the hell willingly subjects themselves to all of this? This brief encounter further solidified her stance, as she noticed that the half-naked pervert, despite a clear wound, was smiling like an idiot.

  Well, that wasn’t her problem, because even if she were told to, she couldn’t join the Guild without a combat class, and she certainly wasn’t interested in wasting time with the reset option.

  “Did that idiot have glowing silver eyes? Ugh, creepy.” she muttered, continuing her walk.

  Despite everything, she couldn’t help but imagine herself as a member of the Guild for a moment. What would her parents say about that? Her father; the damn idiot responsible for her size; but the idiot she loved with all her heart was now a retired adventurer who had given up the profession due to its dangers and mental pressure. Her mother was once responsible for the long hours of therapy sessions she had with her father to help him overcome his trauma. He suffered greatly mentally after he searched the basement of a house during one mission and found people there who were being used as living food for demons.

  Wait… why did she assume the idiot who almost ran into her was an adventurer in the first place?

  None of that was important. She had loving parents who had sacrificed a lot for her, and she wouldn’t have risked her life foolishly. Even though she now had the freedom to leave the city alone, which was a luxury for few; excluding the possession-resistant races, she didn’t take advantage of it, simply not wanting to go too far away.

  Raya was knocked out of her thoughts by the commotion among the passersby in the neighborhood. She was already quite close to home, but she still quickened her pace.

  After walking down a few more streets and turning the corner, she saw a crowd blocking her path.

  Squeezing between them, she saw that onlookers were staring at the mixture of adventurers, militia, and investigators. She noticed two people holding down a struggling idiot whose face she recognized from somewhere. Ah… the wanted serial killer she saw on the posters. In reality, he looked even uglier than the sketches depicted him. She also remembered that it was mentioned that he was part of some group.

  She frowned, seeing several bodies covered with material that made them unidentifiable. Most likely, it was that group of criminals. It was a fitting end for their kind… as if there wasn’t enough evil in this world.

  Her frown deepened as she couldn’t take her eyes off the two bodies lying close together. The material on one of them... definitely covered a small person.

  The next few events unfolded as if she were asleep, not fully registering their reality. Pushing through the crowd, she was noticed by a neighbor, who then called an officer. He, in turn, checking something in the document he was holding, led her to the bags she couldn’t take her eyes off. Idiots were saying something to her, but she didn’t register it at all when the material was pulled back.

  Her small father’s greenish skin and purple hair made it a little harder to convince herself it wasn’t him.

  Her mother’s beautiful blonde hair, which she unfortunately didn’t inherit, was now covered in a layer of blood.

  “DAD! MOM!” she shouted, hugging the bodies and crying as the reality of the situation sank into her brain.

  Was it a coincidence that she was thinking about the Guild so much today? She wondered, screaming.

  Was it a coincidence that she’s just reached level fifty?

  As you can see, it's just a short side story. I hope you liked it! The next chapter will be released tomorrow, according to schedule.

  Please consider following, liking, or leaving a comment. That would be extremely helpful. Thanks!

  You're awesome! (?′?`?)