Kevin POV:

Finally! After what felt like hours of running around in cirles, hunted down by perverted men in matching-brown coats, zero clues as to why they were in matching coats, I found my way out of that godforsaken dump. And let me tell you this, the change of scenery was great. No, it was amazing!

No more empty streets of cracked pavements. No more empty streets with diseased and murky puddles. No more lazy and drunken hobos that wouldn't lift a finger to help a boy in need. And no more of those sick perverted bastards salivating as their eyes were glued to my face. I left that hellhole, and I was never going back!

This side of the city was the exact opposite. The streets were busy and crowded with all kinds of pedestrians, mostly humans and beastmen. All kinds of street vendors selling whatever the hell they're selling. Outdoor cafes were everywhere, their workers running around doing whatever the hell it was they were doing.

I didn’t get much chance to appreciate the view and find out what it was that the people actually do in these parts, as I had my own issues to deal with. And by issues, I meant running away from assholes dressed in leather and metal armor. Rather than wandering the better part of the city and finding my way back home at my own pace, I instead ended up here in this alleyway where I was staring down into a dumpster. A breeze came out of nowhere, assaulting my nostrils with the stench of… rotten eggs?

You have resisted the ‘Repulsed’ status effect.

Who would have guessed, even this part of the city was terrorized by the stench of rotten eggs.

I put on my hat, no reason not to if I was gonna be matching it in filth, and dove in headfirst. I then got up to close the lid shut before going back down. A few seconds passed and I heard the sounds of approaching footsteps. Now came the time for the really important question, which one of the groups did it belong to.

“Where the fuck did he go?!” I heard some girl cry out in rage. So there was one girl in the group. That did absolutely nothing to narrow it down.

“And why… was he… so fast?” Another one spoke as she struggled to catch her breath. Now this was one that I recognized. It belonged to the fucking bloodhound that wouldn’t get off my ass! “That kid ain’t normal.” Yeah? And you can stop breathing and drop-dead in a ditch, bitch!

“Don’t matter if he ain’t normal, he’s worth a fortune so quit the whining.” Wait, did she just say I was worth a fortune? Who the hell did I fuck with for my ass to be worth a fortune? “Denise, status report.”

There was another few seconds of silence. A long and ominous seconds of silence.

“His scent ends here,” Fuck you mutt! “And he’s found some way to mask it.”

…

I took a moment to check out my surrounding. Maybe hiding in a dumpster full of nothing more than empty cans, wastes, and a stench that constantly assaulted my nostrils wasn’t that bad of an idea. Hell, you could even say it was an ingenious idea. My brilliance was amazing, and my instincts were just too fucking good.

“Alright girls! It don’t matter how fast he is, at the end of the day he’s still a kid. He'd be exhausted by now.” Bitch please, I can’t get tired. Tenacious S got me covered. “So from here on out, we split up to cover more ground. We have to capture him first.”

“Yes, captain!” And so, they left. Their departing footsteps were loud enough for me to hear. That must have meant that it was safe for me to come out of the dumpster, right?

No! As if I was that fucking stupid! I’m just gonna stay put and chill, wait until it’s way past nightfall before coming out and making my way home.

…

…

Fuck it, I’m bored. Who would have thought that chilling in a dumpster would be this lackluster. Note to self, Tenacious S does not resist boredom.

I opened the lid and made my way out,

“Hypercast: Sleep!”

You have resisted the ‘Sleep’ spell.

And as expected, there was a trap waiting for me, and a very ineffective one at that. Eh whatever, might as well play along.

Forward or backward? Spectacle or safety? Decisions, decisions… hmmm… falling backward it is. It was probably the best option and not because I didn’t want filth smeared onto my face. I mean sure, Tenacious S may have taken away my feelings of disgust, but I still have standards.

Palms flat. Eyes closed. Arms straight. Chin to chest. Lifeless decent. Perfect. Yet another excellent execution! Now, we wait.

“Well done, Marge!” A loud and audible smack followed their captain’s praise, along with a short yelp of pain. “I admit, I was kinda shocked when he didn’t drop straight away.” Perfect. My performance had the desired effect.

“Yeah, me too. I always thought hypercasted spells were instant.” An excellent comment from the Mutt to further prove how effective my performance was. Just keep thinking it worked. Also, what was taking them so long? Hurry and pick me up before I have a change of mind.

“First of all, hypercasted spells have no delay. Secondly, I just received a notification saying he resisted the spell.” … “He’s still awake.”

You have resisted the ‘Distressed’ status effect.

Thank you, Tenacious S, thank you. Now, commence the drooling! I needed to make a performance so believable, that it would make… uhm... that it would make the system look stupid? I don’t know. I just had to put on a convincing show. This was gonna be tough, but even in the unlikely event that I do fail, I could always make a run for it.

I heard the sounds of footsteps approaching. Yes, come and test me! The system was nothing before my acting skills. Not Acting B, that skill was straight up useless. I was talking about my own skills.

The footsteps stopped. “Yeck!” Shit, it was the mutt.

“Don’t look at me like that,” The girl that would now be dubbed the Mage said. “I haven’t learned the cleanse spell.” I heard a soft pout come from above.

AHHHHHH! WHAT THE FUCK?!

You have resisted the ‘Startled’ status effect. You have resisted the ‘Shock’ status effect.

Did the bitch just stab me? Who the fuck stabs a kid in the fucking face?! “He seems pretty knocked out to me.” Fuck you! Note to self, Tenacious S does not resist pain.

“No! He isn’t. Check it again!” No, don’t check it again! I swear if you stab me again, I will take that sword and stab you in the fucking eye!

“Marge, I just stabbed him in the face. If that doesn’t prove that it worked then nothing will.” Yes, that was a great remark! Well done, mutt! She grabbed me by the waist and hurled me up to her shoulder. A bit of my shirt rolled up as it rubbed against it, letting her fuzzy hand brush against my back. It felt nice.

“What do you mean by prove it? I got a fucking notification sayi--”

“Quit it!” The captain’s sudden shout had both interrupted the mage and caused my carrier to bounce back a bit. The bounce also felt nice. “We get him to the guild first, then and only then can you waste your time arguing.”

Guild? Isekai, groups, fortune, guild. Wait a minute, were these people actually adventurers? Was I getting chased around by adventurers? Damn, that was kinda cool in a fucked up kinda way. How much was I worth?

“But I wasn’t trying to argu--”

“I said quit it!” Damn woman, why you gotta be so loud? She wasn’t that far from you. Speak like a decent person. “You can bicker once we get the bounty. For now, stay focused. We need to move before she comes to Heizer.” I heard the other two gulp when the captain mentioned 'she'.

…

Wait, who the fuck was 'she'? Stop playing the pronoun game and give me something woman! My demands were ignored; some people just didn't know when to talk. It also sucked to be out of the loop.

And so the group took off, escorting me to their adventurer’s guild. I had no clue as to how my ass got a bounty worth getting chased around town for, but it wouldn’t be that long until I found out.

“Can we stop by a store for some Fresco?” The mutt asked as she walked.

“No.” Her captain replied in an instant.

“Please.” I imagined her doing the puppy eyes as she begged. Obviously, it was leagues below my own. Buuuut I guess it'd be enough to get the job done.

“No.” I mean, I felt no remorse for the mutt. The bitch deserved nothing after what she's done but still, damn that woman was cold.