CHAPTER 53: [ FRICTION ]

Alexander sighed.

"Can’t be too careful," he said quietly.

The fabric on his clothes split, eyes blooming all around. Their frenzy was as strong as ever, their gaze feverishly jumped from left to right as they assessed everything around them.

Paired with [ Witness of All Paths ], [ Will Breaker ] would render any surprise attack useless.

Despite how frantic they were, his eyes picked up nothing.

Alexander could feel Fae’s gaze on him.

"Don’t worry," he said.

He had his hand on the bottomless pouch at his belt, his new staff still inside.

"We won’t need it," he said, still looking ahead.

Fae turned her gaze toward the enemy once more.

The street was cleared, everyone crossing the street to avoid being in the middle of anything that was happening.

The dungeon runner stood still, her weapon still drawn and hanging in the air.

Alexander’s neutral expression remained perfectly still, watching the runner slowly reach into her pocket.

She pulled out her phone, fingers tapping furiously as she called for backup.

"So you’re not just attacking blindly?" said Alexander loudly.

She frowned, her grasp on her handle tighter.

"You’re wise not to move," she said.

"I’m a dungeon runner."

"Yeah right..."

"Look for ’Veil’."

She scrolled through the apps on her phone then typed his name in a registry.

She held her phone up, comparing him to a picture.

Alexander started walking, Fae matching his pace.

They were getting closer to the dungeon runner, whose blade started shaking.

"Don’t move! Stay right there!"

She kept her sword pointed at him as he got closer, while he walked by unconcerned by her threats.

She moved out of the way, letting him through.

Once he walked past, she lowered her sword, yet her frown remained.

"I don’t care if you’re a dungeon runner. Your eyes are dangerous, we’ve received reports..."

Alexander turned around, stopping in his track.

"You took your weapon out and pointed it at me. You then said you would kill me. Who’s dangerous?"

His tone was sharp and dry, while his eyebrows narrowed with his patience.

"You cultist..."

"You’re right. I’m one. What are you?"

Confusion ran through her face, as she tried coming up with an answer.

"C-tier Adventurer’s Guild Officer. You just admitted to owning a forbidden class, I’ll be taking you in," she said, raising her sword once more.

Alexander walked toward her, he could see fear flickering through her eyes as she fought to stand her grounds.

"Melyna, right? You think you’re strong enough to fight a cultist?"

She took a step back, then another.

"How do you know?!" she asked, her voice shaking.

"You showed me your name, on your phone. When you sent a message to ’Mede’. Is that your supervisor?" he asked.

She kept taking steps backward as Alexander walked forward.

"How..."

"Nothing escapes my gaze."

She snapped her tongue, her trembling barely contained as she kept stepping back, her eyes furtively looking left and right.

He could feel it.

[ The Weight ], the passive effect that made one feel as if they were on the edge of a bottomless abyss.

As he walked forward, he could feel [ The Weight ] increasing with each step.

Their gazes were locked, she couldn’t look away.

He didn’t need [ Whispers Beyond ]. Invoking the entity’s voice was a waste of time, she was done already.

Her blade rested on his chest, poking him with little pressure.

They both stopped moving.

All that remained was a gaze that looked through another.

She was looking through his eyes, not at them. Her hands slowly weakened, her blade dropping to the ground with a loud clinking sound.

She slowly fell to her knees, her hands on the ground as she kept gazing beyond.

"This is enough."

Alexander turned around, looking at a man who just got out of a black car.

"You might be a dungeon runner—however you pulled that one off—but you are still upheld our laws. Harming and scaring civilians with those eyes..."

Alexander took a few steps, back next to Fae.

He placed a hand on her back, walking her a few steps ahead.

"Mede, I take it?"

The man nodded.

He looked a lot more confident, the way he handled himself and how he simply spoke with a commanding voice.

He wore a simple clothes, but the way he handled himself screamed spellcaster.

If he had to guess, that person was A-tier.

A slight smile formed on Alexander’s face.

How would an A-tier dungeon runner hold against his entity?

"Whatever you’re thinking, I’d stop," said Mede with a serious tone.

Alexander’s smile faded.

"First you try to kill me in a dungeon. Now you’re hunting me through the streets?"

His eyes layered across his clothes could pick them up, on the roofs of nearby buildings.

"How much backup did you bring?" Alexander scoffed.

"I don’t know what happened in that dungeon, but out here we’re responsible for public safety, and you’re a threat."

People kept popping up on the roofs, while civilians on the opposite side of the street had their phones out pointed toward him.

He could see them everywhere, behind cars or through a window. Cameras pointed at him while those holding them quietly spoke to those next to them.

He felt Fae get closer, her shoulder pushing against his arm.

"Do you really want to do this, today?" asked Mede.

Alexander realized how tight his fist was. He relaxed it, and looked at Fae while patting her head.

She understood. The meal would have to wait.

"We’re leaving," said Alexander to Mede.

"This world doesn’t need you. You’re not welcome. Don’t come back."

He held onto Fae’s hand, and walked the way he came from, sidestepping Melyna on the ground.

She remained on her knees, her absent gaze still locked in a battle with his inner darkness.

He could see Mede rushing to Melyna’s side once he was far enough, while the officers on the roofs slowly disappeared one by one.

She was moved into the vehicle, while Mede kept an eye on him the whole time.

Alexander glanced at Fae, who was still looking straight at him.

"I’m sorry," said Alexander.