The weather outside was dazzling. Annoyingly so.

  I walked past the quiet streets, full of affluent people and houses to match; they distanced themselves, wary of getting their extravagant clothes dirtied by my ragged cloak.

  I walked past the middle class citizens, busily assembling outings and packed with suffocating density; some tried approaching me, eager to peddle their goods, but I brushed everyone off with an uninterested gaze.

  Finally, I walked past the trash littered slums with empty husks in place of people, barely clinging to life in hopes of eventually making it out of their dire living conditions; they made no eye contact, too drained to care about anybody but themselves.

  I felt the same way about them - none of it concerned me.

  Too much on my plate as is, ain’t there?

  Eventually, even the occasional shacks with flimsy straw roofs were left behind - a well kept road came into view in their stead, once again showing off the country’s lively atmosphere.

  This country, by the way, is called Coralridge.

  Located far east, its territory bordered with a sea full of hideous demons.

  As for the reason humans chose to settle here…

  It was quite simple, really.

  Despite the downright ridiculous amount of demons lurking only a couple days’ worth of carriage travel away, a natural barrier kept its inhabitants safe.

  Rather than a regular beach full of sand, the entirety of this region’s shore was raised on a natural growth of coral, supposedly too grand and long comprehend.

  Though, it’s not like I’d ever been there before.

  …Hence the country’s name, Coralridge.

  It was so on the nose that, under normal circumstances, I could easily see myself rolling on the floor in laughter.

  A little more walking later, I slowed my steps to look at the numerous carriages, each accompanied by drivers eagerly calling travelers like myself to pick their ride over the others.

  Are these… The so called ‘golems’? How strange.

  Apparently, some humans capable of wielding stone and earth based arts had chosen to forego the battlefield, instead becoming craftsmen of sorts.

  Eventually, my impatient thoughts forced me pull my gaze away from the weird stone constructs.

  Let’s see… I should probably do this first.

  With those thoughts, I stretched threads of vitality, completely invisible to the naked eye, from my body; they gently encompassed all of the surrounding humans.

  Naturally, I was incapable of bringing them any harm without direct contact, either from my body or from tangible threads - nor did I intend on picking a fight at all.

  I was merely feeling them out to roughly gage the average strength level, but…

  …As expected, nothing to write home about.

  Still, at least a few people seemed somewhat capable of protecting themselves - which was necessary, considering where I was headed.

  One carriage driver stood out in particular, as his strength was around the Apex level.

  Without wasting any time, since people like him came and went on a moment’s notice, I withdrew my threads and approached the man.

  “Heya, kid! Need a ride?”

  He noticed my approach, calling out with genuine enthusiasm. It was clear he enjoyed his work, which wasn’t something I could personally understand.

  ”Yes, but… Would you be willing to take a slightly more ‘interesting’ route, perchance? Ah, of course I’d pay extra.”

  “Interesting, you say? If the pay is good enough, I might consider it; where is it that you’re headed?”

  A small smile played on his lips.

  Makes sense - he probably thinks some kid like me wouldn’t ask for anything too outrageous.

  Unfortunately for him, doing outrageous shit was my forte:

  ”Those two mountains, protruding together to form an ‘M’ shape.”

  ”Aha, you must be talking about the Devil’s Teeth…”

  Is that what it’s called? Pretty fitting name, I gotta say.

  Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  ”Right, I am.”

  After a brief pause, during which the man stroked his cleanly shaven chin in thought, he opened his mouth:

  ”Sure, I can do that much. It’s not exactly a popular route, but the settlement there guards their visitors well.”

  ”I think you misunderstand. Where I need you to take me isn’t the settlement by the mountain’s side - I need to get to the actual ravine between the two mountains.”

  “…I don’t have time for jokes, kid. Go prank adults elsewhere.”

  His amicable smile dropped, in its place an exasperated expression.

  ”Does it look like I’m joking, though?”

  I pressed on.

  “*Sigh* Look, I don’t know what rabid dog bit you… No, perhaps you simply don’t understand what you’re asking of me. That place is a hellhole, full of demons! Going there is no different from suicide, kid. And, let me tell you, I don’t want to die as a mindless monster’s lunch - nor do I want to have your blood on my hands.”

  After a short exhale, he proceeded to explain how bad of idea it was in a condescending tone, as if speaking to a closed off noble.

  “So… It’s a no?”

  “Damn right it is! Who do you take us drivers for? At best, we know how to negotiate with bandits. Demonic beasts are entirely out of our expertise.”

  ”You say carriage drivers like yourself are completely defenseless..?”

  “Yes, yes. Now, shoo! Don’t go around taking my time when other reasonable customers are in need of my services.”

  The ms firmly refused to budge, even trying to shoo me away with dismissive hand waves.

  However, I didn’t budge either.

  “…”

  “Tch, why are you still loitering about? A no is a no-“

  I cut him off mid sentence:

  “-Now that’s a funny thing to say; by what kind of otherworldly standards is an Apex level master considered defenseless?”

  “..!? Who the hell sold you my information?”

  In an instant, the man’s eyes and tone sharpened, and a small but dense stream of killing intent seeped out.

  Curiously, none of the people around us seemed to have noticed the bloodlust, which meant the man was focusing it solely on me.

  His gaze demanded answers. On the contrary, my tone as I looked around with an impressed look remained perfectly even;

  ”That’s some pretty fine control for a ‘defenseless’ man, I must say.”

  ”Answer me.”

  At this rate, we’ll end up creating quite a stir; certainly not how I plan on spending my limited time.

  Deciding to be more direct, I finally allowed an edge of irritation into my voice:

  ”You might wanna lay off on that tasteless bloodlust in broad daylight. You see, I don’t do very well under pressure.”

  My eyes glowed a faint crimson as I stared the man down.

  Finally, something clicked in his mind.

  Or at least that’s the impression I got.

  ”Allow me to apologize first. I didn’t recognize you as a fellow artist.”

  As if to prove me right, his very next string of words was much less abrasive - so, I felt it was only fair to respond in kind:

  ”…Sure, I don’t give a shit.”

  ”Hah! Good. Then, let me ask you this; did you sense my level on your own?”

  ”Yep. I just probed around a little bit, no shady business involved.”

  The man seemed convinced by my words, his wariness dropping. It was obvious when I listened to his heart rate.

  “Alright, give me a minute to think.”

  ”Uh huh, take your time.”

  I was secretly relived, too.

  As suspected, the people of Coralridge aren’t all too familiar with Threadrippers. Had I shown my eyes like this in Nether, shit would’ve hit the fan real quick.

  As for this man - he probably just thinks I’m using some art that he’s not familiar with.

  Though, revealing my body is still a no-go.

  Even if Threadrippers are treated as mere hearsay in Coralridge, the fusion of metal and flesh would be a dead giveaway.

  The sound of steps stole my attention; apparently, the man was done thinking.

  I met him with an expectant face.

  ”Here’s the deal, kid. I’ll take you to the Devil’s Teeth, but before that - what strength level are you at?”

  I frowned with mock displeasure.

  Truthfully, I didn’t care about such questions in the slightest, but by human customs it could be seen as very offensive, so I decided to act accordingly.

  “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to probe you.”

  ”Then why does it matter?”

  ”Well, as you’ve already guessed - my level is Apex. But even so, that mountain range is a hellhole. Even someone like me might be in danger, were I to protect you while fending for myself.”

  “You don’t have to worry about that. Isn’t my detecting your strength level proof enough?”

  I put my hands to the sides with a slightly arrogant smile in response.

  ”Right... I take it you’re significantly stronger than me, then?”

  “…Think what you want.”

  Neither confirming it nor denying it; that was the easiest answer to give.

  In actuality, I’m definitely way below his level, at least without the use of Threadripper powers, but it’s probably fine if he thinks I’m a big shot.

  ***

  After that exchange, we plotted out a route, choosing some rest spots we could use and calculating how much I’d need to pay for his service.

  All in all, the trek was going to take three days, with a break every night and one pit stop at a small village along the way.

  ”Right then, everything’s settled. Hop on, kid.”

  “Wait, one more thing.”

  ”…What else? Don’t tell me you can’t pay for everything in one go; I don’t do split payments.”

  “No, nothing like that. I may not look it, but I have money. It’s just, uhh… How many people does your cart support?”

  “Oh? Planning to take a few friends with you? Great, a few more competent fighters are always welcome… And I suppose the cash from extra passengers wouldn’t hurt.”

  His blatant desire for money prompted me to weakly smile.

  ”Friends, huh? Something like that.”

  ”..?”

  The uncertainly in my voice, tinged with a sinister undertone, made the man tense up.

  “Yeah, let’s call em friends for now. If not that, then perhaps stalkers would be a more fitting word.”

  *Flutter*

  With those words, I abruptly made a sharp turn, causing my oversized cloak to flutter.

  At the same time, my eyes locked onto a distant bunch of foliage, inconspicuous in every way.

  To be more precise, my gaze was focused on the five murky black silhouettes hiding within said foliage.

  The driver made a confused face, but I masterfully ignored it.

  Then, channeling a little bit of essence into my voice to amplify its range, I opened my mouth:

  ”Yo, my dear ‘friends’~ Care to show yourselves?”

  I spoke in a cheery voice, though did nothing to conceal the murderous edge in the essence permeating it.

  “Huh? Who are you talking t-?!”

  *Tsssss*

  The driver’s confusion was cleared on the spot when, like a group of wraith, five pools of pitch black, water-like substance coalesced into humanoid shapes.

  Following a hiss reminiscent of evaporating liquid, the black pools swirled around the humans, before eventually being absorbed into their forms.

  Finally, I could see my persecutors.

  And, oh, what a sight it was.

  These guys weren’t just any old group of stalkers or thieves. No - they were the real deal.

  Clad entirely in black, and with dark presences and martial arts to match, their attire was unmistakable.

  They were members of the Black Lake Syndicate.

  The very same Syndicate that, on their leader’s order, wiped out Kaela’s criminal organization in the past.

  Wow, something fortuitous for once. I was long overdue for some luck, eh?