Advancing through the slum district, the order from front to back was Elena, Rei, Byune, Asimov, and Vihera.
It was Vihera's impression that the whole thing felt like diving into a dungeon.
Even as they walked with Elena at the front, it wasn't monsters but the slum residents watching Rei and his group from the shadows — something Rei, Elena, Vihera, and Byune could all perceive.
Asimov had almost no real combat experience, but even he understood that the surrounding situation was growing increasingly volatile.
As they made their way through the slum, Vihera called out to Asimov, who was walking ahead of her.
"If you're not confident in combat, you could have gone back to the magic item shop through the underground passage earlier. Why did you bother coming along?"
"You're chasing an alchemist, right? Then my knowledge might come in handy... at least, that's the official reason. Truth is, I'm interested in the magic items and materials that alchemist is probably carrying."
"...Quite honest of you. But if it's magic items and materials you want, there were plenty at that shop earlier, weren't there?"
What Vihera said was fact, but not necessarily the whole truth.
Asimov, who knew this — or rather, suspected it — snorted and spoke up.
"True, that shop and the basement had all sorts of magic items and rare materials. But the truly rare ones are probably what the alchemist we're heading toward is carrying, right?"
"That may be so, but... since we've been tasked with capturing the alchemist, any materials or magic items in that alchemist's possession will likely be handed over to Lord Daskar temporarily, you understand?"
In the first place, this whole matter had begun because someone was giving magic items to monsters.
Since the person responsible was an alchemist, those magic items naturally had to hold some kind of secret, and she didn't think Daskar would hand them over to just anyone.
"...I know that."
His words signaled acceptance, but Vihera didn't miss the dissatisfaction lingering in his eyes.
"Let me make this clear. Unlike Rei, I've barely spoken with you. In other words, we don't have the kind of long relationship needed to build trust. If you start getting any strange ideas, you'll end up regretting a lot of things, understand?"
The moment she finished speaking, she channeled magic power into her gauntlet. Long claws instantly extended from it, passing right past Asimov's face.
It was a blatant threat, but the person being threatened showed no sign of learning his lesson. Instead, Asimov turned his gaze toward Vihera's gauntlet and muttered with genuine admiration.
"Heh, quite the fine piece. Creating claws out of magic power — that's a rare one. And seeing how it fits your arm like a glove, it's not a mass-produced item but a magic item custom-made by an alchemist, isn't it?"
"...Yes."
When the person being threatened has absolutely no awareness of being threatened, it was extremely difficult to deal with. In fact, he seemed genuinely pleased by the display, which meant there was no point in threatening him at all.
"For now, just don't get any strange ideas. Whether it's about the alchemist or about Ielo."
She said this while glancing at Ielo, who was flying right beside Elena, and from then on devoted herself to watching their surroundings.
"Still, there sure are a lot of hotheads around here."
The one muttering in exasperation was Rei, walking behind Elena.
Several slum residents had made moves as if to attack, but each time Rei hit them with a glare full of killing intent to keep them at bay.
Being in the slum district — a place where violence was constant — the residents' reactions to Rei's killing intent were swift. They judged that they could never win against him and gave up on making a move.
Prime prey right before their eyes, yet unable to lay a finger on them — that was the situation.
Rei briefly thought he should have responded the same way to those who had attacked them when they emerged from the hidden passage, but he somehow felt that even if he had released his killing intent back then, they still would have charged.
Among the onlookers, Rei sensed several people slipping away, and he concluded they had fled after recognizing the gap in strength.
"Well, as long as they don't get in our way, I don't care!"
Mid-sentence, Rei reached out his hand.
A stone thrown straight at his face was caught in his palm without ever serving its purpose.
"Hah!"
With a sharp exhale, he flung the stone back toward its source using only the flick of his wrist.
Flying at a speed nothing like when it had been thrown at Rei — as if slicing through the air — the stone struck the torso of the man who had thrown it seconds earlier, shattering his ribs.
They could never win in a straight fight. Given that, they had chosen to attack from a distance where Rei's group couldn't reach them. Unfortunately for them, against Rei, that was nothing but a poor strategy.
Though perhaps it was fortunate that Rei hadn't employed the spear throwing he specialized in.
"So, Elena. How much longer until we reach our destination? I'd rather not keep moving while worrying about whether we're going to get attacked."
Perhaps because the stone-thrower had been so effortlessly counterattacked, others who had been considering the same tactic also froze. They were now in the strange situation of moving forward while the slum residents surrounded them from a distance.
The residents hadn't given up on attacking — they were simply biding their time, because as things stood, they would suffer heavy casualties.
It would be more accurate to say they were waiting for an opportunity rather than having given up.
Still, the situation had become considerably safer than before, so Rei asked Elena. But the response he got was a rare sight — Elena with a slightly confused expression.
"Ielo was tracking that woman from the air. That's why it wasn't spotted, but..."
"Ah, I see."
The first to voice their understanding upon hearing Elena's words was Vihera.
"Things look different from the ground versus from the sky, right? Especially in a place like this slum district that's laid out like a maze."
"That's right."
Hearing that explanation, Rei also understood.
Whether due to the nature of the slum district or not, the buildings here had been erected with virtually no planning, constructed haphazardly wherever suited each builder. The result was a neighborhood that had become something of a maze, just as Vihera had said.
"In that case, we'll need a guide. Damn it."
Rei furrowed his brow slightly — because he had caught the thrown stone and immediately hurled it back, the slum residents now recognized him as someone to be wary of.
Not that it was particularly belated at this point. The moment he had released his killing intent to intimidate them, Rei had already been on their guard list.
"It can't be helped. Byune, can you handle it?"
"Mm."
When Vihera asked the most stealth-skilled member of their group, Byune gave a short reply and slipped away.
"Vihera, where did Byune go? If a child like Byune acts alone in this slum, it could lead to trouble."
"It's fine. Byune just went to find a guide."
To Elena's worried question, Vihera answered with a smile.
She understood perfectly well that none of the people currently watching them could possibly pose a threat to Byune.
Elena naturally understood this as well, but unlike Vihera — who saw Byune as her partner — Elena acknowledged Byune's strength while still viewing her as someone to be protected.
Neither perspective was necessarily wrong. They both acknowledged Byune's strength, but from a general standpoint, considering a girl of about ten as a partner was somewhat unusual. Then again, many adventurers showed their talent from a young age.
And in fact...
"Mm."
Byune emerged from the shadows, bringing a man with her.
Perhaps because he lived in the slum, a stale body odor emanated from him. His beard was completely unshaven, his hair grown out wild and unkempt, and grime was caked on his skin.
This man, with the tip of a short dagger pressed against his thigh, directed fearful eyes toward Rei and the others.
He had been one of those surrounding Rei's group, but having witnessed firsthand just how powerful Rei was, being dragged out here like this made him feel as though his life hung by a thread.
Trying to make himself appear as weak as possible, he put on a frightened expression and opened his mouth.
"W-w-what is it? What are you planning to do, grabbing me like this? I'm telling you, I don't have any money!"
At those words, Vihera turned her gaze toward Rei.
Understanding exactly what she meant, Rei took a step toward the man. He knew he was the best suited among them to negotiate — or rather, intimidate — him.
There was the killing intent, plus the incident with the stone. Normally Rei would be underestimated, but after demonstrating his strength, his small stature naturally made him seem all the more eerie.
"Now then, you have two options. One is to refuse our request and lose your life right here."
As Rei murmured this, Byune pressed the tip of the dagger ever so slightly deeper into his leg.
It was probably no more than a needle-prick of pain, but for a man already on edge after being dragged before Rei, that was more than enough stimulus.
"Hiii! W-what! What are you trying to do!"
His fear was half an act, but also half genuine.
Rei, however, had no mercy to spare for someone who had been looking for any chance to attack them.
"The other option is to quietly accept our request..."
He held up a single silver coin retrieved from the Misty Ring, showing it to the man.
"...and take this reward."
A single silver coin wasn't particularly expensive for someone living a normal life in Gilm. Even a low-rank adventurer could earn that much.
But in the slum district, it was a different story. A single silver coin held enough value that people killing each other over it wouldn't be surprising.
With something like that dangled before him, and death threatened if he refused, there was only one choice the man could make.
"I'll take it! Tell me anything — I'll do everything I possibly can... no, even if I can't, I'll find a way!"
A far stronger response than Rei had expected.
His expression showed surprise for a moment, but the man's eagerness saved him the trouble of unnecessary persuasion or threats.
"Elena, the place Ielo saw."
"Understood. The place we want to go is a single shed. The exterior is quite old, but the interior has been well maintained."
The man was momentarily captivated by Elena's beauty, but quickly snapped back to his senses, his mind racing to earn that silver coin.
Pinpointing the location with only that much information, however, was difficult.
"Umm, is there anything else that might be a clue? Like the specific shape of the shed, or something distinctive in the surroundings?"
"Hmm, come to think of it, there were almost no other buildings around it. It looked almost like a plaza. And..."
As Elena described the surroundings of the building from Ielo's memory, the man initially nodded along, but his face gradually went pale.
He knew that place.
No — to be precise, he knew that someone with monstrous strength lived there.
On some occasion before, over twenty slum residents had tried to raid that building. A single man had cut them all down. He had witnessed it with his own eyes.
After the slaughter ended, he had considered scavenging through the building in case anything useful remained, but the memory of what he had seen had left a deep scar in his mind.
He wanted the silver coin. But his life was more important. The man opened his mouth to refuse — then remembered the words Rei had spoken moments ago. The words about whether he would die.
"Um, I know the place you're trying to go, but it's dangerous. So, um... I'll guide you to nearby it. Can you let me off with that?"
"Dangerous?"
At Rei's questioning word, the man nodded repeatedly.
"That's right. The man guarding that building is on a completely different level from someone like me. So, please? I'm begging you."
"A man guarding the building, huh. Sounds like there's still someone we need to fight."
Elena murmured, and Rei nodded in agreement.
Vihera smiled with delight at the prospect of fighting a strong opponent, and Byune showed no particular reaction, as usual.
Asimov maintained an attitude of complete indifference. And so, having secured the man's agreement to guide them to the vicinity of their destination, Rei's party proceeded down the path, following the man's lead.