Cornered Animal

Workers Street, inside the Golden Lion.

"Sh*t, my cheek." A Golden Lion member rubbed his bruised cheek. The rest of his skin was unblemished except for the nasty purple and black bruise.

"They really got you good, huh." His friend walked beside him and laughed. They walked down a hallway, passing a black-haired cleaner before walking downstairs.

The black-haired cleaner, Jason, raised his head from the floor as the two figures disappeared to the downstairs.

'The fights are getting more frequent. However, the actual deaths are still low, but it is only a matter of time before it escalates.'

Jason continued scrubbing the floors with a mop as he continued listening to the voices. It was his third day as a cleaner. After that day, when he took this mission, he hadn't seen a glimpse of Perseus. He had his own worries currently as the war grew in intensity. He would also have to take part in the fighting.

His survival wasn't guaranteed.

Jason wasn't worried that he would become a target. After all, he was only a mercenary who did cleaning jobs. It also meant that with money, it would be easy to make him a spy. That was what worried him the most that one night he would be woken up by members of the Metal Paladins and the Scarlet Arrow.

They would either threaten him or tempt him with money. Either way, it was a hard decision to make.

The Guild War was between Metal Paladins and Scarlet Arrow Vs. the five other guilds.

In terms of numbers, Metal Paladins and Scarlet Arrow were very much at a disadvantage. Therefore, anyone with brains wouldn't turn their backs on the obvious winning side. However, the two guilds have been strongly recruiting, and their numbers have grown.

'Maybe I can be a double agent.' Jason chuckled inwardly. In his opinion, it was his best opinion. Work for both sides. Give not-so-important information to Metal Paladins and Scarlet Arrows while helping Golden Lion with proper information.

If Metal Paladins and Scarlet Arrow were victorious, they would not know if he provided false information on purpose. After all, he was a cleaner and not an insider. How could he hear anything important?

However, he was basically nobody—a System Apprentice adventurer—and he wasn't even a proper Golden Lion member. Therefore, the guild master would never trust him.

'In the end, I took some kind of part in the Guild War even though I didn't want to.' Jason wryly smiled. 'Doesn't matter. This is the easiest way to earn money. Adventurer's Guild isn't that trustworthy after what happened on Mach Island. And taking easy missions in the Inner Circle might not be so easy since a war is raging.

'Well, I am glad that my first mission isn't combat-based. I don't have any weapons anymore, except my old knife.' Jason thought about getting a new revolver. A new one, which would suit his taste better.

"Yo, merc." A voice sounded behind him. As Jason turned his head around, he saw a man walking out of his room. "Clean my room, will you? Thanks."

"Of course, sir." Jason politely bowed as the man walked away towards the stairs, leaving his door open. With mop in hand, he entered the room. It was very messy. There were clothes messily scattered around the floor, the bed was not tidied up, the mattress was almost falling from the bed, and somehow the chair was overturned.

'I didn't expect being Realm Adventurer was going to be like this.' Jason mocked himself as he rubbed his temples and began to clean the room.

...

At 7 p.m. sharp, Jason left the Golden Lion building without spending even a second longer there. His movements were filled with exhaustion as he basically dragged his feet behind him. Luckily, Inner Circle's air was fresh, allowing him to take deep breaths and then exhale to refresh himself.

A fog had appeared in the sky, obscuring the moon as it hung high in the sky. Jason noticed that his amplified senses were being obscured, just like the moon was. It surprised him because he thought it was enough for the moon to be there. However, it seemed that he had to see the moon or be under moonlight.

'That is fascinating. You learn things when you least expect them, I guess.' Jason shrugged his shoulders and set off from Workers Street, heading to Iron Wall Street until he finally arrived at the Western Inn.

Without idlying on the lounge, he immediately went to his room and fell to his bed. He groaned in satisfaction after being able to relax after a long day.

'Four more days for my first paycheck... a mere 1 gold coin.' Jason scoffed as his eyelids turned heavy. Slowly, he embraced sleep as the night sky turned dimmer.

...

Around 3 a.m.

A window creaked open, slowly revealing a shadowy figure. It was clear that the figure was a man, a tall and lean man. He entered the room silently, closing the window slowly behind him.

His dark gaze behind the mask turned to the occupied bed. There, he saw a mound in the shape of a person. He slowly drew a short knife from his waist and slowly approached the bed.

As he arrived at the bedside, he reached towards the blanket, attempting to remove it. However, then the blanket flew towards him, entirely obscuring his view!

The dark eyes widened in surprise, and in a hurry, he slapped the blanket away. Then, a knife approached his face, held by a black-haired young man.

The shadowy figure ducked the knife and swung his own towards the black-haired young man's abdomen.

Jason bounced on the bed, jumping over the knife, and at the same time, he unleashed his roundhouse kick, which landed on the shadowy figure's temple. It looked like an acrobatic show!

The shadowy figure tumbled to the side, almost losing his balance. However, just with a shake of his head, his blurry vision cleared, and he saw the black-haired young man running to the door.

He quickly threw his knife. The sharp-edged knife slashed the empty air as it approached the black-haired young man. However, before it could hit the young man, he had already done a forward roll.

After rolling, Jason grabbed the door handle and was about to open the door, but then another knife flew and stabbed into the door. The door couldn't be opened as the knife had mysterious powers, keeping it locked.

'Shit!' Jason realized that the shadowy figure was at least System Veteran. His class' powers had something to do with the knives.

"Don't resist." The shadowy figure walked over the bed and approached Jason. "I have a job for you. You better accept it or die."

"Yeah... right." Jason pulled the knife from the door and shouted. "Catch!"

He twisted his waist and quickly swung his arm around, sending the knife flying straight at the shadowy figure. However, the shadow man was agile and caught the knife mid-air. Beneath the mask, a slightly arrogant smirk appeared.

At that moment, Jason slid across the floor and swept the shadowy figure's legs underneath him. The shadowy figure fell to the floor, his head hitting the floor at an awkward angle.

"Ah!"

As the shadowy figure groaned in pain, Jason ran over him, snatched his coat from the floor, and jumped through the window, sending shattered glass fragments everywhere.

A long, twenty meter fall was ahead of him. Therefore, he quickly grabbed a drainage pipe and slowed his fall drastically. With the help of the pipe, he safely landed on the ground.

Jason quickly glanced at the broken window before running into the nearest alleyway.

In the room 202.

"Damn it." The shadowy figure rubbed the back of his head. His dark eyes looked angry. "That bastard... I guess his skill is better than his rank, as I expected back then."

He limped to the broken window and looked around the dimly lit streets. The black-haired person had disappeared into the night.

"Hey, what is going on there!" Angry shouting sounded behind the closed door. Bam, bam, bam. Angry pounding echoed in the dark room as the innkeeper's voice rang. "If you break something, you have to pay for it!"

The shadowy figure clicked his tongue and reached his hand toward the darkness before him. All the nearby knives flew towards him, then neatly wrapped around his waist. He took another look around the room before leaping out of the window.

...

"Haah... haah." Jason panted roughly as he sat on a park bench, bathed in moonlight. "I am glad that I hid a knife under my pillow, just in case... To think they had already found out about me and even attempted recruiting, if that was what happened."

Flashes of memory of what had just happened resurfaced in his mind. He tried to recall the shadowy figure's features, but it was hard. If his night vision was better, then maybe. He only remembered a dark gaze, which could be the result of a lack of light. He was male and lean, around 1.80 meters in height. Slightly shorter than him.

'Hmm, his class' ability had something to do with knives. Who is actively using knives to fight? I can't remember anyone from Metal Paladins or Scarlet Arrow. Metal Paladins members often use a longsword, a heavysword, and a shield.

'Meanwhile, Scarlet Arrow members are archers, mostly. Some are swordsmen or swordswomen, but even they use bows.'

Jason put his right leg over his left, then leaned on the bench and looked at the dark and foggy sky. "So, it must have been mercenary. Or a new member they had been recruited recently, but that guy was bloodthirsty, which often hints towards being mercenary."

He then checked the pockets, ensuring that he didn't miss anything. His money was there; his phone was there; his knife was missing, most likely left behind in the room; and he didn't have any shoes. The soles of his feet were already dirty, making him look like a homeless man.

'I can't return there anymore. Renting another room from the inn is out of the question. The same thing would happen again, but next time I wouldn't be able to escape. So, there is only one option: Golden Lion.'

There was still another option, which Jason instantly refused. Returning home for the night. His dream had been to become independent and stray further away from his father's protection. If he couldn't solve this little problem without his father, he would lack confidence in everything else he did in the future.

'There is still stuff left in the room, but I won't risk going there any more. There must be residents who are part of the Metal Paladins or Scarlet Arrow. I wouldn't be able to leave the inn, or maybe I won't even reach the front door before being kidnapped.'

Jason stood up from the bench and massaged his shoulders. In the end, he would have to ask for help from the Golden Lion. If they refused, then he surely lacked options.

...

The front of the Golden Lion building was still bustling with activity. Members entered the building, with not many leaving. Armed guards kept a close eye on the streets in case any incoming attackers arrived.

Then, two armed guards drew their weapons as a barefooted man headed in their direction. The moon's light illuminated his exhausted face, and he was sporting a linen shirt that appeared slightly baggy.

"Halt. State your business!" The armed guard didn't hesitate to point his weapon at the barefooted man. He knew danger when he saw one.

"I work here as a mercenary." Jason raised his hands and stopped in the middle of the road. The armed guards frowned before they asked for someone to confirm this. There weren't many awake who could confirm it.

However, then a sleepy-looking man entered the lounge and heard the commotion. He looked outside and exclaimed. "Ah, the cleaner. Yeah, he works here as a mercenary. Let him in, let him in."

The armed guards nodded and stepped aside, looking wary as the barefooted man entered the building.

"Sup, what have you come here for? Your next shift starts around..." The sleepy-looking man glanced at his pocketwatch and then said. "In around 3-4 hours."

"I wish to speak to the guild master." Jason looked at the man, whose messy room he cleaned in the evening.

The sleepy-looking man scratched his head and shook his head. "The boss is sleeping. He'd been exhausted, so I can't possibly wake him up."

"I can wait." Jason walked to a nearby sofa and sat down. He crossed his arms and closed his eyes, as though he was planning to catch a nap!

"Oh..." The sleepy-looking man went to the armed guards and whispered. "Keep an eye on him. I will go to sleep. God damn it, I am sleepy!"

The man roared and ran upstairs before disappearing into his room.

The armed guards glanced at the black-haired young man, who seemed to be asleep. Their hands were firmly on the hilts of their blades. For some reason, they feel danger radiating from the barefooted man.

It was often, when the cornered animals was most dangerous. And, the barefooted man, seemed currently like a very dangerous cornered animal.