My name is Dio, the only double-digit adventurer in Ain City.
Ain City is a third-tier city located within the Adamas Empire. It borders directly on a dangerous area known as the Ulin Forest. Because of this geographical location, Ain City has gained a fair amount of fame as a hub for adventurers.
I'm the city's most reliable adventurer—the only double-digit who protects Ain City from the threats of dangerous monsters. My life is pretty good. I have fellow adventurers as friends, and I often complete missions with them.
As the strongest adventurer in Ain City, I have no shortage of money. You could say my savings are so vast that I couldn't possibly spend them all in a single night.
Even though I spend lavishly, what I use is only a fraction of the daily interest that continues to accumulate. So far, I've never bought anything that exceeds even a day's worth of interest.
There's a reason for that—mainly because there's nothing worth spending that much money on. Ain City is an adventurer's town. It lacks the luxurious facilities where I could splurge.
Considering the average adventurer's income is relatively low, it's only natural that a city built for adventurers doesn't offer luxury services—things most adventurers couldn't afford or even use.
But I'm an exception. I've been told many times that I don't belong in Ain City. People have suggested I move to a second-tier or even a first-tier city. I could certainly live more comfortably there, but I've never seriously considered it.
There are several reasons, but the main one is: I'm worried about Ain City. No one knows what the future holds. What if the city is destroyed by wild monsters after I leave?
Not to belittle anyone, but to me, triple-digit adventurers are weak—too weak to defend this city. And considering how close Ain City is to the dangerous Ulin Forest, that's not a risk I can take.
Right now, Ain City is peaceful. But who knows when a catastrophe might strike? I don't want to live with guilt if something happens and I'm not here to stop it.
So, I decided to stay—at least for as long as I'm welcomed here. Today, I'm taking on a mission with my colleagues: a mission to eliminate a horde of ogres that has repeatedly attacked merchant caravans.
The reward is massive—an amount ordinary people would never see in their entire lives. Annihilating ogres is a difficult task, usually requiring a team of dozens of experienced triple-digit adventurers.
But for me? It's child's play. I killed seventeen ogres with my own hands—it didn't even take a full minute.
---
"Dio! One more coming your way!" shouted a blond-haired young man.
"Alright, leave it to me." Dio gave a faint smile, drew his sword, and slashed vertically.
Slash!
Splurt!
The ogre was cleaved clean in half. Blood sprayed everywhere, but Dio skillfully dodged the droplets.
"I almost had to toss this armor out," he muttered in relief, checking himself. "Geld, how's the situation on your end?" he asked without turning around, still preoccupied with inspecting his clothes for stains.
One... Two... Three...
When there was no response after three seconds, Dio turned around, puzzled. What met his eyes wasn't a warm smile, but his friend's cold grin—as he charged forward with a poison-coated dagger.
"Eh?"
Stab!
"Dio, this is where it ends for you."
"Guhk!" Dio coughed up blood. He pushed Geld away and collapsed to his knees, gasping. "Geld… why...?"
Geld smirked like a cunning villain who had just completed a crime. "Dio, your light shines too brightly. As long as you're here, I'll never rise."
"Hah? You're killing me… over something that petty?" Dio couldn't believe what he heard. The friend he trusted most had just stabbed him with a poison-laced blade.
Anger surged in Dio's heart. "You bastard! Have you forgotten our oath?!" he shouted, his voice thick with emotion.
"Oath?" Geld tilted his head and chuckled mockingly. "Khu fu fu… You actually believed in that childish oath we made? How pathetic. Ha ha ha ha!"
Dio's eyes glowed red, then turned purple. His gaze shifted to a beautiful woman who usually smiled sweetly—but now wore a cold expression.
"Wilona, don't tell me… You too—guhk!" Before he could finish, Dio coughed up more blood. His body trembled and felt heavier. His consciousness blurred, and the world around him began to spin.
"Dio, my dear, thank you for buying me this ring," Wilona said sweetly, crouching beside his face.
"Wilona… you..."
"Khu fu fu. I'm taking this ring from your hand."
"What? Why?"
"Don't worry—I'll use it as my wedding ring."
"Eh?" Dio's eyes widened in disbelief. In his haze, he saw someone step behind Wilona.
"Ge—ld!!!" Dio screamed. Geld wrapped his arms around Wilona and smiled cruelly.
"You know? Wilona is actually my girlfriend. I told her to seduce you—make you fall in love with her. That's how we got close to you."
Dio's illusion of a happy world was shattered. So from the beginning… he never saw me as a friend? He saw me as an obstacle? And Wilona… was just an act?
The immense double-digit power within Dio began to fade. Geld grinned, sensing his strength weaken. He laughed freely, hugged Wilona tightly, and paraded her in front of Dio.
"Dio, before you die, let me tell you something. Wilona has the most seductive moans—and a great ass. While you were sleeping, we were screwing each other in the room next door."
"Eh…" Dio's eyes widened further. But now, they were lifeless. He had fallen completely into despair—a place from which very few ever return.
"…Die."
"Eh? What did you say?" Geld asked mockingly.
"I said DIE!!" Dio roared, releasing a massive surge of aura. The overwhelming energy made the triple-digit adventurers around him struggle to breathe.
"Geld! Go to hell!" Dio appeared right in front of him and smashed his fist into Geld's face with all his strength.
Boom!
Geld's face twisted from the impact. Most of his teeth shattered, and his body flew dozens of meters before crashing into a massive tree.
Bang!
Crack!
Boom!
The three-meter-thick tree split and crashed to the ground. Geld lay there, covered in blood, unmoving.
"You bastard! What do you think you're doing?!" shouted a burly man wielding a giant axe. He charged, ready to strike Dio down.
"You too… must die!" Dio turned his attention toward him, intending to drive his sword into his chest—but just then, his strength vanished.
Thud!
Dio collapsed, right in front of a petite young woman. She looked adorable but wore a terrifying smile.
"Nana… you too?" Dio managed to say with the last of his strength.
"Hi hi hi, Brother Dio~ Thanks for the allowance. I bought lots of stuff with your insurance money!"
Dio couldn't speak anymore, but he saw the devil's smile on the face of the little girl who used to cling to him lovingly.
"Move aside!" shouted the burly man, lifting his axe high. "You were a great companion… but you were always in the way."
Barbatos… so that's how you see me. Dio muttered inwardly. The last thing he saw was Barbatos's axe swinging down to cleave his neck.
And then—nothing.
Dio lost consciousness completely. In other words, he died.
---
To be continued...