Kael leaned against a wall in the alley and brushed his hands off, letting the dust on his palms fall to the ground.
The bastards who had surrounded him just moments ago lay sprawled across the alley floor.
Kael did not touch them any further.
One might call it a rather soft decision,
but every time he resolved to do otherwise, the words his friend had spoken kept surfacing to hold him back.
"...."
Looking on the bright side... no matter how bad the public security was here, this was not the Underground Level.
It was better to keep unnecessary commotions to a minimum.
He picked up only a single Tier 2 ACU, wrapped it in cloth, and slipped it into his pocket.
Then, he closed his eyes for a moment.
Emptying his mind, he analyzed his situation once again.
In a way, it could be seen as similar to when he had first been dumped into the Underground Level.
An unfamiliar environment, limited information, and dried-up circuits.
The only difference was that this time, unlike before, he held a useful card in his hand.
It was much better than the first time.
If so, starting over would be that much easier.
A place to rest.
Food and drinking water.
Information.
How would he resolve those three things this time around?
Food and water seemed far better on the Surface Level.
Though he had not properly eaten anything yet, a mere glance showed the condition was better than the Underground Level's food, with no noticeable stench of rotten oil or damp mold.
Information seemed relatively easy to acquire.
From what he had overheard, there was a network grid on the Surface Level where people exchanged information through terminals.
A place where all kinds of information in Magiterra gathered: job postings, transactions, rumors, and news.
If he could use that, he would not need to gather information on foot like he did in the Underground Level.
What remained was a place to rest and a job.
According to Elena, most things could be purchased with a Temporary Citizen Card.
Naturally, she had said Seraph Industry would cover the costs.
It meant he was free to buy whatever he wanted without holding back.
However.
When, where, and what he bought; which districts he passed through; which terminals he accessed.
Information about Kael would naturally be exposed to them in real time,
and that data would ultimately flow straight into Seraph's internal network.
From what he saw of Adrian and Elena, he did not think they harbored any ill will.
But a corporation was not moved by the will of a single person.
For that very reason, he had to minimize the information flowing to the corporation even more.
Unless it was truly important, it was best to refrain from using the Temporary Citizen Card.
That was his judgment.
Someone might say he was being overly cautious, but there was no harm in being careful.
That was why he needed a job all the more.
After all, money earned with his own hands could not be tracked by them.
"Hmm."
Kael lifted his head.
There was much to consider, but standing in an alley thinking would not magically yield answers, so he decided to make a move for now.
Walking around the neighborhood might yield something by chance.
..
..
[Daily Bodyguard Recruitment]
[Night Warehouse Sorting, No ID Verification]
[Circuit Stabilizer Cash Transactions]
[Retired Mercenaries Preferred]
[Conflict Zone Item Retrieval]
[Hazard Pay Paid Separately]
......
Kael paused in front of the notices, scanning the reward credits listed.
"...."
It was incomparable to the sums he had received in the Underground Level.
Not just several times more, but dozens of times more.
Of course, he had expected prices on the Surface Level to differ accordingly, but he had not anticipated such a stark contrast.
Or rather, he was not even sure if the currency was the same in the first place....
- No matter how useful it looks down here, it's all trash once you go up.
"...."
Kael continued reading the notices.
For now, there was plenty of available work.
Some were legal, some were semi-legal, and others seemed blatantly illicit.
'Checking the prices comes first.'
Since he was feeling hungry anyway, he thought he would get a rough idea if he stepped into a nearby restaurant and checked their prices.
From past experience, whenever he traveled to an unfamiliar place, he would stop by an inn to gauge the local situation through the lodging fees and food prices.
Kael walked further down the street, passing several shops.
Small stalls selling fried meat, or eateries serving synthetic protein sandwiched between bread. None of these were things one could see in the Underground Level.
Then, he came to a stop before a worn-down four-story building.
The exterior walls were cracked, and the lights were off from the first to the third floors.
Signs on the windows indicated they were vacant,
but only the fourth floor had lights on.
A swinging sign caught his eye.
[Last Round]
Last Round.
Kael tilted his head slightly, peering through the glass window into the interior.
"A bar?"
Yet an unexpected scent drifted down through the slightly opened window.
The aroma of sizzling meat mingled with oil and spices.
Without realizing it, Kael moved his feet and reached the top of the stairs on the fourth floor.
The door was half open, and voices could be heard from inside.
"Did you really put salt in today?"
"I did. Your taste buds must be off."
"How is the food so good when this is supposed to be a bar?"
"Should we sell meals instead of booze then?"
"Might've sold better, honestly."
Kael pushed the door gently and stepped inside.
Ding.
As the small bell chimed, the people inside turned their heads at the same time.
The bar was not spacious.
In one corner was an attached kitchenette, where people who appeared to be staff were preparing a meal.
Whether it was before business hours or not, there were no customers.
Or perhaps they did not even operate properly at all.
Kael took a quick look around inside and spoke.
"Ah. Do you not sell food here by any chance?"
Standing by the doorway, he dipped his head slightly.
"Pardon my intrusion then."
Just then, a young woman looked up from behind the bar.
Short-cropped brown hair, tired-looking gray eyes, a white shirt with rolled-up sleeves, and a worn apron.
She looked to be in her late twenties.
She looked Kael up and down once before opening her mouth.
"Doesn't matter."
She seemed to have quite a hearty personality.
"We just need to make one more serving. Sit."
Kael looked at her for a moment, then asked a question.
"It doesn't seem like you're open."
"We're not."
"Is that really alright, then?"
"Having one more mouth to feed isn't going to ruin us."
The woman gestured toward an empty seat with her chin.
"Sit down. If you followed the smell up here, you're hungry."
Kael did not dispute her words.
"Then I gratefully accept."
He sat down in front of the bar counter.
An employee beside her glanced at him and pulled out another plate.
Kael asked.
"Is the name of the place Last Round?"
At his words, the woman took out a fresh bowl and replied.
"Yeah."
"It's a good name."
"Fits even better since we're on the verge of closing down, doesn't it?"
She chuckled softly.
"I'm Mira Bellen. The owner of this failing bar."
"Kael."
Mira shrugged as she ladled out stew.
"Everyone who comes here has a story. Those who don't just took a wrong turn."
She set the steaming bowl down in front of Kael.
Inside the bowl was a thick stew.
Reddish broth, chunks of meat, and... the scent of spices wafted from it.
Beside it lay bread toasted crisp on the outside.
"...."
It was a dish he had never seen before.
But having lived in the Underground Level for a year, there was no need to explain just how luxurious this meal was to him.
"Eat."
At her words, Kael lifted his spoon and took a bite.
"...."
He paused briefly, then wordlessly took a second spoonful.
And then another, and another.
Mira chuckled softly at the sight.
"Must taste good."
Kael nodded.
"It's delicious."
"Is that really something to say with such a straight face?"
"Eating is an important matter."
At that, one of the employees in the bar burst out laughing.
Kael paid no mind and continued eating.
Eating delicious food was one of his few pleasures.
It had been that way since the old days.
Kael had cared so much about food that he even volunteered to take charge of cooking in his party.
Perhaps because of that, his comrades had occasionally called him strange.
Asking why he cared about the taste of food on a battlefield where he could die at any moment.
But Kael didn't think that way.
Rather, it was precisely because he could die on the battlefield that the taste of food mattered.
His determination never to return to the days of endless starvation also played a part.
Before he knew it, he had nearly emptied the bowl, using the bread to wipe up every last bit of broth before putting down his spoon.
It was the finest meal he had eaten since arriving in Magiterra—to the point he thought this was what a last supper ought to be.
"How much is it?"
Mira waved her hand dismissively.
"Forget it. It's free."
Kael looked at her with a puzzled expression.
"Free?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"We're eating today and shutting down for good anyway."
Kael's gaze slowly swept across the bar.
Worn chairs, empty liquor shelves, and boxes piled up on one side.
Looking at the interior, it was easy to infer that they were packing up.
He looked back at Mira.
"When the food is this good?"
Mira hesitated for a moment, then shrugged with a smile.
"What's the point of selling food in a bar?"
"Then you can just sell alcohol."
"There are no customers, though."
"I'm here right now."
One of the staff members laughed again at his words.
Mira let out a dry, dumbfounded chuckle.
"You only came up here because you smelled food, not to drink."
"That's true."
Mira shook her head as Kael readily admitted it.
"What an odd guy."
"I hear that often."
"I bet you do."
Mira reached to take the empty bowl, then stopped.
"Want some more?"
An immediate response.
"If it's alright."
"As long as the pot isn't empty, it's fine."
"Another bowl, then."
Mira chuckled.
"Alright. Treating our last customer like this isn't bad at all."
She ladled stew into a new bowl.
She wore a satisfied smile at the sight of her final customer eating with such genuine relish.
It was then.
Bang—!
Before the small bell could even chime, the door slammed violently against the wall.
The air in the bar froze in an instant, and Mira's expression was the first to change.
The smile lingering on her lips vanished.
The staff members also froze without a word.
Three men stood by the entrance.
Kael shifted only his eyes to look at them.
'Judging by how they travel in a pack, are they a gang?'
They carried a stench similar to the guys he had just dealt with in the alley.
"Why the hell haven't you packed your bags yet?!"
The man at the very front shouted, but Kael was merely eating the freshly served stew.
Mira slowly wiped her hands on her apron and retorted.
"I already paid this month's share."
"This month's share?"
The scarred man snorted.
"That was just the interest."
Mira's brow twitched.
"You're changing your tune."
"Let's just say the situation changed."
As the man strode into the bar, the two behind him followed.
"Clear out of this building by today. Otherwise, we'll take everything left inside to cover the cost."
"The contract says until the end of this month."
"The contract?"
The man laughed.
"You still believe in a worthless scrap of paper like that around here?"
He tapped his fingers against the bar counter.
"Pay up more right now, or pack your bags. It's one or the other."
Mira bit her lip in bitter frustration.
One of the staff members cautiously started to step forward, but Mira held them back with a wave of her hand.
"I have nothing more to say to you. We'll pack up and leave today."
"Hah."
The man's face contorted.
Just then, one of the gangsters in the back spotted Kael.
"Huh?"
Narrowing his eyes, he grinned slyly.
"Who the hell is this guy?"
"Well, look at that. You actually have a customer?"
Their gazes locked onto Kael, but he continued to eat his stew.
One of the gangsters stepped up beside Kael and nudged him, but...
"Hey."
Kael nonchalantly went on eating.
"Hey, you. Are you deaf?"
The gangster thrust his face forward.
"She just said this place is closing down. Does this look like the time to be stuffing your face?"
His persistent disregard seemed to provoke the man even further.
"This bastard's ignoring me."
Seeing the ominous turn of events, Mira spoke up.
"Leave him alone. He's just a customer."
"A customer?"
The gangster sneered.
"What kind of customer comes to a bankrupt bar?"
He shoved Kael's shoulder again.
When Kael didn't budge in the slightest, the gangster's expression stiffened faintly.
"What the..."
Without looking at him, Kael spoke.
"I'm eating."
"So?"
"Wait."
A brief silence fell at his words.
Then the gangsters burst into laughter.
"He told us to wait."
"Is he crazy?"
"He's got guts, I'll give him that."
Kael did not react to their laughter either.
With that, the gangster's hand moved.
Smack!
The back of his hand struck the bowl, sending hot stew splashing into the air.
The bowl slipped past the edge of the bar counter and crashed to the floor.
Crash!
"...."