Ginn smiled dazzlingly.

Ben froze even more due to the doubled surprise.

He skimmed around with his expressionless face, verifying that he couldn't see his surroundings anymore. The packed streets were now empty.

Following, Ben witnessed the two guys that materialized following the smiling brat. One was a very tall and youthful male with red hair and red eyes, and the other was a short blond guy with dark eyes.

Unlike the one speaking English, the other two brats remained weirdly somber. The impression conveyed was from someone who ate something they didn't enjoy while it also caused a stomachache.

They all looked like they were roughly 20 to 25 years old, maybe falling slightly short as they still carried signs of having only left adolescence.

'Did they succeed young?' Ben pondered.

His long silence drove the atmosphere awkward, but Ben didn't care. He spent a while scrutinizing those who made themselves guests forcibly.

Seeing a frown emerging in the red-haired guy, Ben chuckled. But so monotonically that it was provocative.

He then looked at the so-called Ginn and slowly said.

"For a first encounter, isn't this a bit exaggerated?"

"I hope you don't mind it too much since this is the least I can do to keep some of my privacy," Ginn answered while maintaining his awkward smile.

'Privacy? More like showing you can hide anything even below anyone else noses.'

"Many eyes are on me, you see. So for our safety, we should be careful." Ginn kept talking, trying to explain.

"Heh, wouldn't they then come for me?" Ben asked.

Caught off guard, the safety-driven Ginn coughed awkwardly.

Trying to be seen as reliable, Ginn earnestly responded as his eyes glowed brightly.

"I'll ensure your safety, so please don't worry too much." But he wasn't able to say that his enemies wouldn't try.

'Ah. I loathe eyes that can see what they shouldn't. Those who have it should take their Sharingan-like bullshit and peak at their asshole.'

"I don't think someone of your caliber would be coming here to discuss the weather, so you said something about business?"

Ben tried going directly to the point. Since his only fun right now was seeing how the red guy was becoming even redder as his frown kept tightening.

'Is he going to explode?'

"Why are you so hasty? Isn't it fate to meet here? A predestined encounter so that we could ponder the truths of this world? We'll discuss important business, sure. But we can explore so much more."

Ben commented in slightly broken English.

Ginn slightly frowned since he didn't understand the joke, but he turned around as he noticed his peers focusing on someone behind him.

He couldn't but laugh seeing his friend holding his anger.

"Matt, Matt, Matt, you're too serious, man. You two get some more food and sit with us. No need to play statues like that."

"Ginn! But he..." Matt couldn't finish his sentence and could only sigh after.

"I know you're like that, but we're like peers. If I don't mind the form we talk with each other, then why should you care so much to become red? Get some food and take some alcohol out. We need to relax together!"

Ben dryly laughed at the situation before him, amused.

The blond young man took it upon himself to pull Matt away to get food, to ease the atmosphere.

Ben began to think about how long it was since he saw and ate a tomato.

Ben smiled, thinking to what extent info was available but how little he could absorb.

Both sighed, drowning in nostalgia.

Ben asked since that was puzzling.

Ben shook his head.

Seeing the man low, Ginn pointed at his eyes and said.

Ben answered with a simple sentence and a hopeless grin.

The few words struck Ginn speechless for a moment. Indeed, it was definitively surprising he was alive.

Considering the report available in the sect, an elder planned to dissect his body. But he disappeared, and the disciples found in that place only monsters traces.

The body's disappearance was only another little case of many happening lately. But with the Elder involvement, the disciples investigated the matter. Ultimately, that event became one of the many reasons the extermination mission happened the way it did.

While Ginn assumed that the senior would be an exception since he showed unique abilities, the others attributed his disappearance to ending inside some beast's belly.

With his hand on his chin, Ginn ended up agreeing.

The duo arriving with the food interrupted them.

"It was quite fast. Did you rob someone's else food?" Ginn asked, confused.

"Yuri had already ordered before we arrived since he knew you would ask for food," Matt answered.

"Where is he? Isn't he going to join us? Whatever. I'll talk to him later. You guys come here, sit down and let's eat. I'm starving." Ginn happily began to eat.

Then turning to Ben, he asked, changing the subject again.

"Hey, you didn't know about the extermination, did you?"

'Nothing happened~' "Nope. But even if I did, I wouldn't have joined. I work mostly solo."

"Isn't the payment superior when a big sect contract the locals? Hi, I'm Yukk. Since we know yours, I forgot to give mine. And like you heard, this angry red ball is called Matt. He barks but doesn't bite. Because if he does, he'll be left alone at home and cry." the blond guy finally greeted Ben.

"Who is the one that barks? You idiot, look at his age. The sect personnel will probably not even accept someone already dying." Matt angrily responded.

Ben ignored the rude red-haired young man and answered extensively.

"Yukk, while the payment is higher, so are the risks. Those temporally contracted generally aren't given priority on safety. Using direct words: they're merely disposable dolls. It doesn't matter if they're young or old, or if they have some experience or not, they're all considered inferior. While encountering a group that will directly treat them like trash is rare, you should understand that they aren't part of the sect. So why should the sect care too much? Those are allowed to gain some extra, but they may pay it with their lives. It isn't truly a fair agreement. It's just abusing the despaired."

"Isn't it always dangerous?" Yukk asked.

"Not really. Anyone can earn enough to put food on the table for a commoner lifestyle, even if they play it safe. While danger is everywhere, most people lose their lives due to too much greed. They choose to take higher risks. But if they didn't, they could still make plenty of money. If you compare the pay with some manual labor, even if you control your actions, you would still earn three to five times what is considered a heavy manual job. And the work isn't as heavy."

Trying to explain in his terms, Ginn added in.

"It's all about risk control. While the sect missions are important, those always involve numerous risks that normally aren't worth taking alone. The sects take those because they collectively can handle more problems. However, the individuals contracted generally confront things they aren't used to with people they don't know. So, even if they're as strong as we are, they aren't as safe. Mostly, it isn't even about evilness or greed. For example, if you confront danger, would you protect your brothers and friends or some stranger?"

Not agreeing with it, Matt asked: "But if you don't take risks, how are you gonna change your shitty life?"

"One must choose, and if they take the risky option, then don't bullshit about it. Don't come crying about how it didn't pay back. Don't come yelling to be saved. Don't play the victim by using society's inequality as an excuse. I've seen enough that I'll never cry again due to some greedy creature. They're free to choose whatever. And I'll commend them if they pick not to be passive about their hopelessness. But why should I cry in pity due to someone else's courage?"

Ben sighed.

"For those that decided to jump in a hellish hole, we should expect nothing but their death because doing otherwise is naivety. If it's easy, it wouldn't be their turn to try. And whenever it does work out, remember that the bones and blood of many pave each success. For those who forget how hard it was and how many failed before one succeeds, I can only call them blind. And reserve their idiot tag."

"Someone seems passionate about risks," Ginn whispered.

Ben hopelessly answered: "This has been my whole life."

"Ginn, doesn't this also apply to us?" Yukk turned to his leader.

"Yes, the same game but another playground."

"Aren't those words only implying one should try hard and not be a crybaby?" Matt tried to summarize the points.

"I believe it's more about not living with regrets and ignorance. Neither yours nor derived or gained from others." Ginn corrected it.

Noticing he went and talked too much, Ben began to eat again, shutting his mouth with food. 'Being too friendly is scary.'

'Did the wise words cease so fast?' Ginn noticed that the elder didn't want to keep talking about life choices.

"Matt! Didn't you take the alcohol out? Didn't I get you a good one last week?"

"Wait... Why are you asking about that one in specific? No way!"

"Oh well... You got screwed by not taking the opportunity when you got to have a choice." Yukk said.

With a serious face, Ginn ordered.

"As an alcohol lover, you should enjoy drinking and sharing more! What good does it do to you if left to dust inside your storage space? Later, we can get more, and some even better! So take it out!" He winked at his friend.

Feeling helpless since he understood how his childhood friend was, Matt took some alcohol from a spatial enchanted pendant. Suddenly, he got excited. Since Ginn never broke a promise. He'll be getting something good without needing to pester anyone for months.

'It's not easy to get such promise! He always tells me to search for it myself, never using his connection.' A smile finally appeared on his face.

"Gimme, gimme!" Ginn took the bottle while his friend kept the silly face.

"When it's about alcohol, Matt is the expert. While I would rather call him obsessed, he has too much self-control! He wants to get the good things, but only to hide them away, never for it to see the sunlight again."

Ginn solidified cups from his storage and began pouring into them.

"Isn't it good that he doesn't suffer from alcoholism?" Ben asked seriously.

Only Ginn laughed. "People his age will not accept even if they have a problem. It'll always be about enjoying life fully!"

Ben took the cup, looked at the alcohol color, and smelled it.

"How can such a poor old man understand about..."

Ben took a small sip, interrupting the angry man.

"One thousand years old, from the Islayc Mountains. It has an eccentric bearing, so it should be the one done for their king at the time. Those types specifically have unusual steps in their refinement to commemorate something, and it's famous for its difficult process. Their numbers are quite limited, so it should cost around one-fifth of this town." He kept provoking Matt.

"Are you tasting it or trying for poison?" Ginn asked, noticing that Ben only tasted it after he sipped.

"Both," Ben answered truthfully.

Noticing they were playing with him, Matt drowned his bad mood with the alcohol.

"Matt, this one is too strong. I still prefer the one I tried two years ago." Yukk commented.

"What you liked was the fruit it was made of, not the alcohol. I already said for you to import it, as I'm sure you'll eat nothing but that."

"I agree," Ginn noted.

Gin, turning to Ben, asked: "How is it?"

"It's too expensive. While the product is excellent, the price is unjustifiable. They're robbing people due to their brand fame in the industry. For example, visit our neighborhood town, Plainfield. And you can find a local brewer there called Gustav Family. Their cheap alcohol is amazing, and their most expensive options are better than this one. Unfortunately, those best bottles are limited to one every dozen years. And you may not even be able to buy them, as their family has the tradition of leaving them to their descendants. They'll then take it out to drink when marrying or sell it if they need it for the event. Or for the children to come soon after. Their family is only unknown because people tend to ignore any alcohol that doesn't include some Spirit materials, calling it only a drink for mortals."

"Aren't those materials expensive because they make the alcohol produced with them taste better?" Matt asked, confused.

"Not quite. Regularly, the price tags are due to some business play. Both for the drink and the materials. If the focus is the source, is the product only redemption from its natural flavor? If the noise is all that matters, is the product selling only because of the expectations? Although everything is subjective, I believe that refinement should add a lot to the product. And the taste does not depend on spirituality. If you measure the product worth only considering its benefits for your cultivation, rate its spirituality. However, if you want to cultivate, you can find better ways. There's no need to do that with some fancy and tasty drink. To cultivate using shots does sound nicer, but does alcohol need to amount for that only?"

"Ahh!" having a moment of enlightenment, Matt looked at Ginn with bright eyes.

"Alright, I'll try to get it for you, but do understand that it may take a while," Ginn answered.

"Matt, are you not in a bad mood anymore?" Yukk asked.

Shocked by his fast mood change due to a conversation about his hobby, Matt became lost for a moment. "Hmm, I'll get it and build my own opinion. Ginn will get another one as he promised anyway. If I don't like it."

Then, he added with a sly smile: "Probably one that will cost almost as much as this whole town."

Even while accepting his fate, Ginn silently prayed that his friends would go into a form of obsession with commoner-level drinks. 'He should begin to make his own anyway... I don't know why he hasn't begun brewing already.'

Ginn changed the subject since his wallet may run dry: "So, is it not poisoned?"

"I don't know. At least not for as far as I can tell." Ben sincerely said.

Matt felt disappointed, even only thinking about it. "Who would trash such a good drink with poison?" He asked.

[ "The ones with a desire to kill." ] Ginn and Ben answered in a synchronized manner.

"Delusion, my friend. Delusion is the most important step when we talk about poisons." Ginn added after the initial shock due to the chorus answer.