CHAPTER 52: [ HOME ]

Still holding onto her hand, Alexander walked up the stairs leading to his apartment.

The broken elevator was the least of his problems—exhaustion dragged his every step.

They walked through the dead of night up to his doors, it felt as if they were completely alone in the entire building.

He could hear the ventilation buzzing as he neared his door, the dim yellow lights making their shadows dance on the walls.

His apartment was exactly the way he left it. The mess was considerable, making him feel bad for judging Brak’s store.

"I need to clean this place..."

He dropped everything he had on his computer desk.

"You can drop your things anywhere, it doesn’t matter."

Fae nodded, dropping the swords right there on the ground.

Brak had given them a good amount of things to leave with, some more important than others, luckily it all fit inside the bottomless bag. It had everything, down to his new staff.

While Fae went first for the shower he sat at his desk, playing with the black card given by Brak.

Most of the money he had was from the cores and rubies.

What they made from a single mid-tier dungeon was considerable. Not splitting it was a perk—but speed wasn’t.

That’s where most guilds excelled, chain-running dungeons at a pace that was barely human.

The only items that hadn’t made him money yet were the two scrolls, Brak needed more time to study them.

Alexander threw the black card on his desk and spun in his chair while cracking his neck.

He looked at his phone.

[ 1 notification ]

"Another message?" he said to himself.

He tapped on it, a message from Silver.

"Of course he wants to meet."

Alexander sighed, turning his phone off and throwing it on the desk as well.

—

Alexander opened his eyes on a familiar ceiling, his gaze going to his right.

"Slept well?" he asked.

Fae nodded, rubbing her eyes as she sat upright.

She wore one of his over-sized black shirts, "Unique Low" printed boldly across the front. His first thought was how cute it actually looked on her.

His second thought was about how she woke up right before him and didn’t fall asleep first.

"How do you wake up right before I do?"

He couldn’t decipher the mystery from her expression alone, giving it no further thoughts.

"Hungry?"

She nodded while getting out of bed.

Once up she stretched, easily touching her toes several times before doing lateral stretches.

He watched her, impressed and relieved.

She seemed to be almost fully healed, the potion worked.

"Let’s go out," said Alexander.

They both got ready.

Fae was extremely careful while handling the shirt Alexander had given her, folding it with precision and posing it on his desk after changing into her usual outfit.

"No need to be so careful with it, I have plenty."

She ignored his comment, ultimately joining him once she was done.

They finally left, Alexander activating his [ Witness Of All Paths ] before stepping a single foot out.

They exited the apartment building, some neighbors who stood in the lobby talking and watched him leave.

They lived on the first floor, two guys in their thirties he’d never talked to before, besides greetings.

He could see it in their eyes: fear.

As he walked by them with Fae, there’s nothing they wouldn’t have done to be somewhere else.

The moment they met his eyes was the final nail in the coffin.

He probably wouldn’t need to greet those two anymore

The sun was barely hidden behind any clouds, but it turned out to be a colder day than Alexander expected.

He got his phone out, scrolling through the apps to find the map.

"The phone the Adventurer’s Guild gave me has a filter for dungeon runner-friendly places. Some of these were made by retired runners— restaurants, bars, clubs..."

He talked while carefully navigating the app, choosing a nearby restaurant as their destination.

"Let’s go," he said.

Fae nodded, walking beside him.

They walked on the sidewalk, gazes turning toward them as if they had seen ghosts.

He could see them, people barely able to stand still after making eye contact.

Some drivers even stopped their cars, staying on a green light as Alexander walked by.

The thought that he maybe could turn off [ The Weight ], kind of like a toggle crossed his mind.

But he didn’t care enough to try.

If people couldn’t handle the sight of him, so be it.

He could see phones getting out, pictures taken and some probably calling the guild about him.

What can they do that they haven’t tried already?

They were in the middle of the sidewalk, nearing the next street, when Fae stopped walking while lifting her arm before him.

He stopped, processing the scene before him.

A dungeon runner?

He lowered Fae’s hand.

"It’s fine," he said.

He could feel her reprimanding look as her hands went to rest on the handle of her new swords.

A single dungeon runner, her eyes fixated on Alexander’s as she approached, almost stomping her way over.

She got her phone out, barking orders through it. It was too far, yet despite not hearing a word, the intent was clear.

The dungeon runner was a female wearing leather-armor paired with a longsword on her hip.

The leather was dark brown, and the metal plates on it seemed to be high-grade. They were battle-tested, scratches and dents on each of them.

The leather itself seemed to have been through a lot, as if it had been worn for years of intense battle.

Her sword looked like steel, his gaze catching a red shimmer off the blade.

It was dark red, nothing like what the sun would’ve caused.

A spell? Or maybe an enchantment.

His eyes then went back to her face.

Long black hair, cold eyes, a permanent frown.

She drew her sword from its strap, pointing it at Alexander while marching forward.

Alexander was now the one who raised his arm.

Fae’s gaze, hidden behind her mask, was colder than the approaching runner’s.

She was a few meters away, her blade steady and her eyes fierce.

"I’ll take your last breath, cultist."