CHAPTER 44: WILL BE FIXED SOON

I was speechless. More importantly, I realized there was no point arguing with a smoker, especially a heavy one like him.

It’s not like anyone in this world knew about the health risks associated with tobacco anyway. Talking about lung damage would just make me sound like a lunatic. And really, even back on modern Earth, people kept smoking despite warning labels printed right on the packaging. If that didn’t stop them, why would my warning work here?

"By the way, do you know anything going on over Nolan Street?" I asked, changing the subject.

"It might be reckless to use this pill so soon, less than a day after arriving in this world, but for the sake of my future... for the sake of a good night’s sleep without worrying about a knife pointed at me in the dark... this is worth it."

Without hesitation, I placed the pill in my mouth, but didn’t swallow. Instead, I held it between my cheek and gum.

This way, I could activate it instantly if things went south. And if Peter wasn’t nearby, I wouldn’t waste it.

While keeping the pill tucked away, I reached into the bag again and pulled out a thin talisman with a drawing of an eye without eyelids.

[Inspection Talisman]

[Function: Allows the user to see a target’s personal information, such as name, stats, race, and age. It can also reveal weaknesses or hidden conditions and illnesses.]

[Usage: Aim the talisman at your target. It can be used from a distance. Speak your chosen Incantation to activate it.]

About half a minute later, using a building as cover, I cautiously craned my neck around the corner and looked down Nolan Street.

I spotted someone right away.

A lone figure stood outside a two-story building that I recognized immediately.

’That’s the original Aiden’s house and massage parlor... or should I say, my house now.’

My gaze shifted from the building to the man standing dead center in the street. The whole area was deserted, likely because of the drifting rumor. And aside from the hunched figure, there was no one else around.

A white pigeon rested on his shoulder, looking docile.

I hurriedly pulled my head back behind cover.

Even though I had never seen Peter in person, his description had been so vivid, so detailed, that I could picture him clearly, and the man I just saw matched it perfectly.

’I couldn’t be mistaken... the description fits him perfectly. That’s definitely Peter. And that pigeon, it has to be one of his controlled pets.’

Without wasting another second, I took a deep breath and steeled myself for what was about to come.

I tilted my head slightly and swallowed the pill I’d been holding in my cheek.

The pill had been tasteless and odorless while resting in my cheek all this time. But the moment it slid down my throat, everything changed.

It dissolved instantly, before it even reached my stomach.

A sharp, burning scent flooded my nostrils, and my throat ignited with pain. It felt like I had swallowed fire.

Almost immediately after, a searing pain ripped through my entire body.

It felt like every inch of my muscles was being torn apart and rebuilt, stronger, thicker, more flexible, only to be torn apart again. Over and over. Dozens, maybe hundreds of times... all within seconds.

Inside me, it felt like my organs were on fire. My heart, lungs, liver, blood vessels, everything, was cooking in some infernal heat. I could feel them twisting and reshaping, adapting to the new power flooding through me.

The pain was so intense, I wanted to scream, but the moment I opened my mouth, no sound came out.

It looks like even my vocal cords had been scorched.

Just as I wondered whether I’d survive this, whether my body could even take it, when my consciousness started to fade, drowning in waves of unbearable pain, I experienced a strange sensation.

It was like a storm passing through my bones, washing away the pain in a single violent gust.

I opened my eyes, gasping.

"Ha...ha...I’m still alive?"

[Stats Enhancer Pill Activated]

[All Physical Stats Boosted to B-Rank]

[Time Remaining: 59 minutes, 20 seconds]

"Only forty seconds have passed...?" I muttered, dazed. To me, it felt like days had gone by.

Days of agony, to be exact.

Nolan Street was the street that housed my home.

"Nolan Street?" He scratched his head. "Can’t say I’ve heard anything from there..."

I was just about to feel disappointed when he suddenly snapped his fingers.

"Wait! Actually, I think I know something."

"Yeah?"

"There’s a strange Radhanian guy who recently moved in and opened... what was it again...?"

"Massage parlor?" I said unsurely.

"Ah, that’s right! Massage parlor! You know it too?"

"Yeah," Not only do I know it, I even own the place!

And what do you mean by strange Radhanian?! I didn’t recall doing anything weird... then again, maybe starting a massage parlor here was enough to make people consider him to be strange. After all, massage was a practice unique to the Radhan Empire and never existed outside of it.

But more importantly, I suddenly realized how badly this had screwed up my brilliant plan of setting up the new ero-massage program!

This was supposed to be perfect. I had the massage skill inherited from the original Aiden’s memory, and with the "Sensual Touch" skill on top of that, I was sure I could bring in plenty of customers and finish the main quest just in time.

But now?

If everyone’s started avoiding my parlor like it’s the plague, how am I supposed to get any customers?

Fuck! Who the hell started spreading this crap?

Could it be the Sadis Gang again? Of course, it had to be their doing again! That would explain everything. News about my capture spread far too fast. And knowing the Sadis Gang specialized in gathering and leaking information, it wasn’t a stretch to think they were behind this too.

’Looks like me and those shitheads really are fated to be mortal enemies, huh? Fine by me, after all, it’s not like I can rest peacefully until I’ve destroyed them.’

Still, there’s something that bothers me.

If the Sadis Gang was behind the rumor... why go through all this trouble? They’d already killed the original Aiden. Why keep targeting the massage parlor? What exactly is their goal?

Just then, I was struck with realization.

The rumor wasn’t just about me being some predatory scumbag; it specifically said I went after men and women equally. And that had made people of both genders scared to set foot anywhere near Nolan Street...

Is it possible...

Could there be something in my parlor, something so important that they had to go to these lengths, start this wild rumor just to keep people away and make sure nobody stumbled onto... whatever it is?

...

A short, plump man with two front teeth sticking out stood in front of a two-story building.

Pasted across the entrance door was a sheet of parchment bearing the kingdom’s crest, a golden scabbard.

In bold letters, it read:

"The business within this property is closed under investigation. Reopening is forbidden without formal clearance."

"Kekeke, good thing we got word those knights were coming last night," Peter chuckled. "If not, they would’ve caught us red-handed while we were still tearing the place apart."

He then turned to face his subordinates behind him. His posture was slightly hunched, but no one dared make fun of him. "Anyway, Lord Sadis wants us to sweep the place again. This time, he made it clear that we can’t come back until we find that map. Got it?"

A thin man scratched his head among the crowd, looking unsure. "But sir, we already searched the whole house last night and found nothing. What exactly are we supposed to be looking for now?"

Peter shot him a glare. "That’s your job to figure out, genius! If David hadn’t panicked and screwed everything up, we’d have the map by now."

He spat on the ground. "How the hell did he get scared of a half-dead, beaten-down guy and accidentally stab him?"

Someone else hesitantly asked, "What happened to David? Why haven’t we seen him?"

"He’s dead," Peter replied coldly.

The man who asked instantly froze.

Peter indifferently looked over the group. "If you don’t want to end up like him, then get your asses in there and find that map. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Good. Now move!"

As his men spread out and slipped into the building through windows and the front door, Peter stayed outside.

He looked up at the roof. A pigeon was perched on the ceiling, staring straight at him. After a moment, it spread its wings, glided down, and landed gently on Peter’s shoulder.

Not every Radhanian could master the technique, and even fewer had the means or motivation to teach it elsewhere.

In fact, there were plenty of horror stories about inexperienced Radhanians practicing their massage techniques on unsuspecting clients, often leading to disastrous results.