Depthless Hunger

Chapter 50: Civility of Another World

As soon as Kai neared the camp in the ruins, he knew that he was unwelcome. Then again, he wasn't sure that anyone was really welcome. It seemed less like a community than a stalemate of criminals who only barely hated the monsters outside more than one another.

Then again, he was one of them now, a clanless man banished for violence. Maybe he shouldn't cast judgments.

Though the ruin was in worse condition than the abandoned community he'd seen before, in some ways this place was more advanced. Every individual camp appeared to be armed and guarded. If smugglers existed here, he definitely wouldn't be able to slip into their base so easily. However, it was obvious that he wasn't going to find any friendly street vendors or other amenities.

Since no one was stopping him, Kai ventured deeper into the camp. He finally discovered the source of the smoke: an enormous pit filled with strange coals. They didn't look familiar, but they put off a considerable degree of mana that gave the impression they could keep burning for a long time. Thrown atop the coals were a number of bones, clearly from monsters. Their burning was what produced most of the smoke as well as the worst of the smell.

Nothing had come to a fight so far, but Kai still used his spiritual sight on everyone he encountered. There was a wide variety, a mix of Classes and Irregular Classes. On average, even the unarmed people, such as cooks, had a Power rating of 10 or more. Almost all the guards had at least 30. He didn't see anyone who was a match for the veteran hunters in the city, but the average strength must need to be high to survive in the wastelands.

The place wasn't exactly friendly, but it wasn't as bad as it looked at first. Kai decided to approach one of the larger groups, since they seemed to have food supplies and they should be less worried about a lone stranger. When he approached, however, their guards immediately reached for their weapons.

"Excuse me!" Kai gave them all a smile and approached his hands clearly visible. "I'm just passing through, and I was hoping I could buy some food."

"There's a place better-suited for you that way." One of the guards jerked his chin back toward the outlying town. "Don't bother us."

"I'm not welcome there."

"Sure you're not. You're a city hunter if I've ever saw one."

Kai had anticipated several different directions the conversation might go and this wasn't any of them. He barely managed to keep the frustration off his face. "I was banished. What do you think I'm trying to pull on you? I'd just like to buy food."

That finally earned a pause and a number of the guards spoke to one another in guarded voices. Eventually a better-dressed man stepped forward to address him. The guards didn't seem entirely happy, but remained at a distance while Kai spoke to him.

"We have some of the usual foods," the man told him. "The bread you see there, a bit of meat, some fruit. Say... one Goralian Eagle for a full meal?"

"An entire Eagle?" Kai had been prepared for higher prices, but that was downright extortion. He'd been considering his smaller coins, not Eagles. One of those should have bought a large quantity of food, or at worst a meal at the finest restaurant in Monskon City.

"Talk to the others, if you want." Based on the man's smile, he knew how it would go. "If you don't want to pay what food is worth out here, don't waste our time."

The meat roasting over their fire smelled surprisingly good. Kai wasn't exactly starving, but he had been rationing his dried food and the idea of a fresh meal was glorious. For a moment, he examined the entire group and wondered if he could fight them.

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Maybe not this group. They might have lower Class and Physique Levels than he was used to seeing, but he barely saw any with lower Soul Levels, and some were even at 4 with him. That fully matched their hardened appearances. If he couldn't break or distract them as easily, they'd use their numbers against him and eventually cut him down.

Some of the smaller groups, though... Kai realized what he was thinking and pushed the thought away. Before he could think differently, he shook his head at the merchant and backed away. Finding this community was rapidly starting to seem less lucky than he'd thought at first.

Perhaps it was wrong to approach the larger groups. Kai headed away from the main fortified ruins and began walking around the smoke pit on the clearer side. There was a woman not much older than him breaking some bones to throw in. Her lumpy and ill-fitting armor was definitely from Monskon City, even if she wasn't.

"Hi there!" Kai gave her his best smile and she immediately leapt back.

"What the fuck do you want?" She drew several inches of the sword at her waist and eyed him like he was a serpent rearing back.

"Just to talk. I'm new to-"

"Absolutely not. Get the fuck away from me."

Despite his better instincts, Kai growled in irritation. "What did I do to deserve this treatment? You all act like I'm rushing at you with weapons drawn."

"With a spirit like that, you might as well be." The woman drew her sword and poked it in his direction. "Fucking F rank, and that much Soul? You could leave my body in the fucking ditch, if not worse. If you don't get the fuck away, I'm calling the others."

Kai raised his hands and backed away, lest the woman use the word "fuck" any more. When he thought about it for more than a moment, however, her bluster just made him sad. Whatever he'd done wrong, she was clearly intimidated. He tried to consider things from her perspective and examined her soul.

Name: ???

Total Power: 22

Fighter Irregular Class: 7 (3)

Physique Level: G-4 (10)

Soul Level: 3 (9)

>

Immediately her eyes widened and she took several steps back. It looked like she was about to shout for others, so Kai retreated before he could get into another brawl. Instead of looking at her with his spiritual sight again, he just recalled the symbols.

Her Irregular Class counted against her, but otherwise she was reasonably well trained. In the city, she likely would have been a promising young hunter. Out here, he had the feeling that she just felt vulnerable. Certainly, she probably knew that her sword might not penetrate his skin and that he could easily overpower her. If he'd given her a reason to be suspicious, or she just didn't trust him, he could understand why his actions would come off as aggressive.

Tired of interactions he didn't understand, Kai stalked out of the ruins. It was possible that every other community in the wastelands would be like this, and even more likely that they were few and far between. Taking his chances out there seemed better than staying.

After several hours of walking, it was beginning to get dark again. Just when Kai was considering looking for a secure place to spend the night, he spotted a wisp of smoke. Nowhere near the burn pit he'd seen before, unless he radically misjudged it.

Not willing to give up just yet, Kai began jogging toward it. Along the way he wolfed down some jerky, just so he wouldn't be starving when he arrived. If it was another community, hostile or no, he'd try to approach them more carefully.

As he drew closer, Kai realized that the smoke was definitely coming from a single fire. Possibly a large one, but nothing like the burn pit. It seemed to be coming from the top of a rocky hill. Likely a camp, since the position offered clear lines of sight as well as decent defenses. Yet there wasn't enough room at the top for a very large group.

"Excuse me?" Kai called toward the top and began hiking up the side when he didn't hear an answer. "I just saw your fire..."

"Eh? Whadya want?" An old man leaned from one of the rocks. He was bent but still spry, with a shock of uncombed white hair. The fire was definitely his, with an animal roasting on a spit over it... no, it wasn't an animal. Kai realized that it was one of the common boar monsters like he'd fought in the Hunter Trials.

Eating monsters was supposed to be toxic, but the old man didn't appear to be in ill health. Kai automatically examined him with his spiritual sight before he could think twice.

Name: ???

Total Power: 98

Lancer Class: 29 (39)

Physique Level: F-2 (34)

Soul Level: 5 (25)

>

Immediately the old man stood up, his eyes narrowing. "You really shouldn't have done that, sonny."