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I bolted upright, screaming bloody murder, before realizing I was back in my body and cozily tucked under a soft blanket.

In front of me, frozen with fear, was a bespectacled young girl carrying a stack of neatly folded clothes in her arms.

My frightful awakening had, in turn, frightened Potternuggets' daughter as well. We stared at one another for a good while, until I wiped the sweat off my forehead and changed the subject.

「O-oh... sorry. Um, is that change of clothes for me..?」

I scratched my cheek and awkwardly smiled.

The girl timidly nodded and left the clothes by the foot of my bed. She then hastily bowed and scurried out of the room, no doubt shaken.

Left alone again, I ruminated on the implications of the vision I had.

Those murderers... they're still out there. Especially this Reiko girl...

I thought she was done for following that explosion.

All of a sudden, as though the pieces of my mind were completed upon reuniting with my body, the memories came rushing in.

And I could fully recall what the name "Zerosama" meant to me...

Zerosama... She's the 3rd ranking Battleshift player worldwide... isn't she..?

The thought had never occurred to me.

I was a fool to discount the possibility of other people being sent here from Earth. God never explicitly stated that I'd be the only one.

But something didn't add up.

Zerosama was still online when I last logged off... Why would a living person be transported here? Unless...

The answer I reached, was accompanied by a chilling recollection.

「With the death of the Seven Stars, Dark Lord Niro will finally claim the number one spot for himself! Aaah, and I'll be named a martyr for our cause... "Killer of the Accursed Merchant of Battleshift", carved into my gravestone hahahaha!」

My murderer's parting words before I drifted into the afterlife.

The Seven Stars was a grandiose title reserved for Battleshift's top seven players.

Those who claim a position in this prestigious echelon extinguished themselves by being leagues ahead of the other players and maintaining that spot for years.

Only recently was I considered part of this designation, much to the dismay of the oldheads.

One of the few who acknowledged my rise to the number one spot was Zerosama. Thus, our relationship was surprisingly one of respect.

So that night... everyone suffered the same fate I did..? Were they also sent to Velatya..?

Some part of me wanted to believe she was still under the influence of trauma. Death was an experience not many could forget.

Even so... she was the one who mercilessly burned my home to the ground and slaughtered my kindred. It was hard to feel sympathy for her.

And I remained conflicted.

I stared down at my calloused hands and thought about this undertaking I would pursue.

Could I really exact revenge on a fellow Battleshift player..? Would I be able to raise my weapon if we came face-to-face again..?

Such scruples swam around my conscience.

「Oi! Ye're late ya ninny! Oleena's been annoyin' me 'bout ya!」

「Hoho! Bold of you to badmouth me while in tickle range! Take this!」

「A-ah... hello... L-Lorenzo...」

But remembering the children's voices, their hopes, their aspirations... It all quickly dulled any qualms I harbored in that instance.

I curled my fingers up tightly and threw away all semblance of compassion I had left in me.

If a former player had taken to snuffing out lives for mere gold, I had no reason to see them as anything more than a black-hearted beast.

It was this conviction that erased the wall barring vengeance from consuming me. As it seeped into the deepest crevices of my heart, I could feel my old self wither away.

My connection to the previous world was waning.

I slid off the bed and changed into the new set of clothes laid out for me. A clean linen outfit, complete with a white dress shirt and brown pants.

The woolen socks beneath the stack fit my toes snugly.

Removing my dirty bloodstained Sentinels armor, I couldn't help but feel like a snake shedding its skin.

The leather regimentals was supposed to be lighter than your average assortment of armor, yet somehow after yesterday's events, it felt heavier than steel.

I dumped it in a laundry basket in the corner and exited the room, donning my new getup.

Using my Hu, I located the rooms where Melyn and Lia were staying. They were directly below me.

Wonder why they put me in the room above the rest..?

The Pottershack—a former hotel. As I sauntered through the long halls and walked down the steps, I noted how large the building actually was.

It was odd that Mr. Potternuggets would think to turn this into a general store...

I stared at the door leading to Melyn's room as I approached it.

「Say, Zozo... what are you going to do..? This is your fault isn't it..?」

Like a broken record, the thief girl's stinging sentiments played over and over again in the back of my head.

She had every right to be mad at me. I felt as though it was too soon to talk to her. And so I passed by, without a second thought.

Beside was Lia's room. I quietly opened the door and peeked through the gap.

Wrapped up in bandages and sound asleep, my mentor lay in bed. She appeared to be in a stable condition, so I left her to rest up.

All in all, it seemed these two were going to be safe here. That was one thing off my shoulders.

I went down the last flight of stairs opening into the ground floor. Waiting by the counter was Mr. Potternuggets himself. He was in full costume, cape and all.

「Good morning Lorenzo! Sleep well?」

「Y-yeah... thanks to you...」

A kind-hearted beam lit up his eager face in response. And he accompanied me to the backroom where I caught the enticing whiff of a freshly-cooked meal.

Ga-chak!

Awaiting me on the dining table was a lavish banquet, which pervaded the room with an aroma of meats, eggs, and bread. I guess to them, it was an ordinary breakfast.

I stood rooted to the ground and waited for Mr. Potternuggets to take his seat. It was only when he beckoned me to join him, did I take a chair and sat across from him.

What's with this menu..?

Omelets, muffins, bacon, sausages, and hash... Even in the old world, a breakfast like this would be considered a luxury.

I knew the man held a considerable amount of wealth... but I didn't think he was this rich...

Potternuggets' daughter brought the last few plates from the kitchenette and placed them before me. She then joined her father on the other side of the table.

The merchant took notice of my intense gaze and cleared his throat.

「Ahem... Feel free to dig in, my assistant.」

I looked up at him and back at the food.

「All of this..?」

「Can't finish it?」

「N-no... that's not the issue but... What about Melyn and Lia?」

「Worry not! My daughter's already prepared a few hearty dishes on the kitchen counter for the guests upstairs! She's quite the cook you know?」

My reservations were swiftly ignored.

「Is it really alright..?」

「Mhm! It's not without payment, of course. You'll have to work daily to earn your keep around here, and I'll be subtracting your monthly salary by food and living costs. I am still a shrewd businessman after all.」

I eyed the steaming hot plates one more time.

「That's... it..? You don't want anything more?」

「Well—for the time being...」

What an outrageously tame catch!

His generosity was worrying, but I wasn't going to complain. The inner machinations of this master merchant were lost on me from the very beginning.

I simply trusted his kindness and grabbed the first piece of bread that caught my eye. The warmth from its baked exterior filled my palms.

And as I brought it nearer to my face, the divine smell of rye invited me to take a bite. I hesitated, but eventually, succumbed to the allure of this heavenly loaf.

Crunch..!

One bite. Enough to enthrall my tastebuds.

Crunch!

Two bites. A piping hot softness beneath its crust.

Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!

Innumerable bites. Only the crumbs remained.

The hunger settled in, ushered by the taste of bread. And no longer bound by restraint or shame, I hastily scarfed down the dishes closest to me.

I ate, and ate, and ate, as though I hadn't eaten in weeks.

To Potternuggets and his daughter, I must've looked like a feral dog.

But I didn't care. To me, this was the tastiest meal I'd ever eaten. My inability to savor it slowly was the sole gripe I had with it. I could've cried tears of joy had I not done so the previous night.

As my gut reached its capacity, I briefly glanced at the two. They were both watching me, Potternuggets with a delighted smile, and his daughter with widened eyes.

The embarrassment kicked in at around this point.

Gulping down the last piece of bacon on my plate, I turned back to the duo. I gratefully bowed, holding in the belch in my stomach.

「Th-thank you for the meal..!」

「Haha! You've got a serious appetite there, Lorenzo! You're looking much better with a rounder belly!」

「S-sorry for the unsightly display...」

I blushed a deep scarlet. His enthusiasm only made me more sheepish.

「Nonsense! My daughter seemed happy seeing someone enjoy her cooking so much! If you're ever hungry again, you can rely on my daughter to whip up a banquet! Ow!」

Potternuggets' daughter had kicked him under the table. Their father-daughter interactions never failed to amuse me.

「Now then...」

The merchant stood up from his chair.

「Since you'll be working here daily—now's as good a time as any to give you a run-down of your tasks to come. It's a bit different from your weekly assistant job, so try getting a hang of it before the streets open up again.」

I rose to my feet and nodded.

「Alright. I'm ready!」

「That's the spirit!」

Mr. Potternuggets cheerfully strode to the door and pivoted on his heel towards me.

「By the way Lorenzo...」

「Uh... yeah..?」

He paused and stroked his goatee, before turning around to open the door.

「Hm... Nevermind. I'll tell you later.」

Slightly intrigued, yet somewhat worried, I joined the merchant and took the first steps into my new life here.

Fueled by vengeance, and blessed by company, I put yesterday's struggles behind me and followed this caped "crusader" to a better tomorrow.

A businessman's life awaited me, and as much as I hated saying farewell to the slum dwellers...

It was a life that would guarantee me the wealth I'd always sought.

Wealth I could use to afford my surviving loved ones a better fate.

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