Chapter 5: Ophiuchus

Peace stepped back into the alley and pulled the hood of his cloak over his head.

’The last thing I need to do is draw attention to myself.’

Not only were Night Elves apparently being persecuted, but he was also covered in blood and glass shards.

Not the best look.

Looking to his left, Peace’s eyes fell upon the shattered remains of a glass vial that looked eerily like a Wisp Storage Vial.

’Why would that be there...?’

Sadly, that wasn’t something he had any hope of figuring out right now.

But when combined with the note in his pocket, it was obvious that writing it off as a coincidence wasn’t the wisest thing to do.

One by one, Peace began to pluck glass shards from his face and hands.

’Eergh...’

As he did, he summoned his status again and looked it over. Unfortunately, it was the same as before... mostly.

He still had the weird class [Terror] he’d never heard of and the [???] trait, but there was no longer an N/A next to Item Level. It was now ’2’! Unfortunately, he still didn’t seem able to absorb Wisps.

Still...

This only raised more questions about his few hours spent as a monster.

Why the hell wasn’t he a monster anymore? He was thankful not to be a cretin like that any longer, but how?

How did his consciousness transfer into a Night Elf?

’Should I really even be questioning that in the first place...?’

His consciousness jumping bodies was inherently beyond his mortal understanding.

Did the world, or whatever, always intend to transfer him into this body and just screw it up?

Let alone...

’Who... am I?’

At the moment, Peace had no means of finding out this homeless elf’s identity.

Knowing the people here probably didn’t speak French, and that a compatriot had inexplicably left the note on this Night Elf’s body for someone to find, Peace tore up the ’Alea iacta est’ and ’C’est la vie’ message and left the shreds in the alleyway.

He’d much rather burn it, but the longer he kept the message, the more likely it was to be found on him. And he had no idea how he’d explain the foreign language.

After all... it would be obvious he was a ’Soul Stealer’.

While it wasn’t his choice, Peace had taken over a young Night Elf’s life.

He didn’t feel particularly good about that, but it didn’t mean he wanted to go back to Earth...

No matter how dangerous this place was, he had a damned hope and a mission.

Still, everything so far painted this world as archaic and brutal.

He’d already seen that firsthand, having witnessed four beheadings of his kind in the last four hours. No modern man would be accustomed to something like that. If it weren’t for his short stint as a monster providing some shock therapy, he’d still be on the alley floor puking in revulsion.

After finally plucking the last glass shard from his cheek, Peace stepped back out onto the busy street, pulling his hood firmly over his head as he tried not to bump into anyone.

There was a day before the dungeon would open. He didn’t have long to prepare.

While he technically didn’t need to enter the dungeon, it was the only way for the jobless to get cash. And unfortunately, he’d probably starve to death before he earned anything if he tried to go the traditional route and get a job.

It was a little hopeless to aim for dungeon diving with such little preparation, but it was the only option he had besides living off trash and dying a dog’s death, unable to pay the tallage.

Thankfully, alongside the note, he’d found twelve bronze coins... That would be enough to cover a loaf of bread, a crude weapon, and hopefully lodgings for the night.

Then, he could find a cohort to team up with.

Going solo was tantamount to death, after all...

But with his knowledge, maybe he could manage the first floor.

’There’s no reward without risk.’

Of course, if he made enough money to live until he could find a job, then maybe he could settle down peacefully here. But that wasn’t something he had the liberty to decide. Only fate and circumstance could dictate that.

Wandering through the streets, Peace slowly began to recognize building after building. While they looked much different from how they had in the game, the names of the shops and inns were the same.

He soon figured out his location.

He was in the Thirteenth District, the poorest district in the city, otherwise known as Ophiuchus.

Well, specifically, he was in the Seventh Precinct of the Thirteenth District.

It was hard to recognize at first because there was rarely ever a reason for a character to visit Ophiuchus other than losing everything. Even a fresh start character had the means to survive in the other districts.

Yet, while Ophiuchus was poor, Peace was in a relatively good area, so the people and buildings didn’t entirely reflect its reputation.

In fact, Peace, draped in a tattered cloak and what could only be described as rags, stuck out like a sore thumb. He was often met with stares or deliberate avoidance.

Though no one seemed able to tell he was a Night Elf from skin color alone, they simply wanted nothing to do with the destitute when they themselves couldn’t have been much better off.

Speaking of the people...

As Peace shuffled along, he couldn’t help but notice that, while the majority were humans, he had seen someone from nearly every race except his own. He’d seen beastmen and beastwomen, dwarves, gnomes, giants, and even lizard people. And, well, he’d seen an elf, but it was a single Day Elf, not a Night Elf.

Even then, the Day Elf seemed to be hiding herself as if she’d face her own ridicule if her identity were exposed.

In any case, Peace eventually found his way through Ophiuchus and ended up in front of a weapon shop.

Peace stepped up to the entrance, pried open the door, and slipped inside, only to find the clerk at the front desk asleep, face-first against the counter, with a trail of drool escaping from his lips.

Peace slowly opened his mouth to speak, then stopped.

’Wait...’

He could understand others, but would they understand him?

Peace shut the door behind him and began whispering to himself:

"Hello. Hi. How are you doing? How’s the weather? Hello, sir. Help. Hello."