Unwanted Reunion

"Helu? Is that you?"

A flame within me slowly began to burn ever so lightly as I turned towards that dreaded face that had definitely matured and grown up, but the outline and main features still made me freeze up from the recognition.

"Umm… Yes… sorry, but I have to get going," I muttered before turning the other way and walking as fast as I could.

But I was too slow as the woman quickly caught my wrist and attempted to gain my attention once again.

"What do you want?" I asked, my eyes as cold as ice as I stared down at the woman.

Her shorter white hair flowed to her shoulders, and her insane amount of ear piercings still glistened in the sunlight, just like those pale hazel pupils that shifted around.

"A-Ah, so you do recognize me," She muttered, her eyes shifting up and down from the ground and my cold expression. "Y-You've grown quite a lot… I almost didn't recognize you."

Her stuttering was a bit jarring since it was completely opposite to the actions of the woman who nearly broke me.

"I almost didn't recognize you as well," I sighed before ripping my hand away from her grasp and rubbing the sore marks that she had rubbed into my pale skin.

She's definitely an adventurer now… well, I'm not surprised because she can practically buy any skill book that she wants.

"Do you think we can chat a bit? Just for half an hour to maybe an hour… please?" She sincerely requested with a deep bow, lowered her head, and eyes shut closed, hoping I would take her offer.

"No," I firmly replied before walking away, the woman daring not to follow me.

But, just as I was almost out of her distance, I heard that silvery voice of hers penetrate through the air and tickle the backs of my ears.

"I'm sorry! I'm so very sorry for what I did!"

My lower lip quivered as I slowly turned around, my expression distorting into that of a disgusted frown as I stared back at the woman.

"I don't want to see you again. Ever," I mouthed back at her since I didn't feel like wasting any more of my limited energy on her.

Geez… to think I'd see that bitch again.

…

"How was the dungeon?" The butler asked as he took my sweaty clothes and handed me a bottle of lotion since I had just run out.

"It was alright," I muttered, the steam of the hot shower still radiating from me, but I still felt so comfortable around this old attendant that I didn't mind seeing him with my towel still wrapped around me.

He was kind of like a father to me after everything that had happened, and his genuine warmth was something I really needed in this fake world… though I'd never show him my naked body cause that would just be straight-up weird.

"You look exhausted, so how about you get some sleep? I'll also keep you informed on everything that is happening with the higher-ups… since it seems your existence has been revealed again,"

"Oho, your investigation skills are as good as ever," I chuckled, lighting another cigarette as I conversed with him in front of the door to my apartment.

"Thank you for the compliment. Anyway, how did you survive the attack with your boss… I know no corpses were found, but that just makes it more impressive… how did you escape the boss' flames?" He asked, folding my old clothes that needed to be desperately washed and dried.

"I just got lucky," I chuckled.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to… now, get some rest. I'll be sure to bring you some snacks at the end of the day… and make sure not to starve yourself again. Food is important,"

"Yeah, yeah… I'll see you later, old man,"

"Goodbye, Helu. Have a nice rest,"

The squeaky wheels of the cart he pushed around scratched my eardrums, and as I returned to my room, I lit a small candle and put out my cigarette.

"What a shit day," I muttered before hopping on my bed and feeling the springy mattress press against my sore back.

I opened up a small leathery book with a single skull on the front of it and read and read, feeling my mind get slowly sucked into it.

And once it was done, I acquired a new skill.

『Status』

[Name: Helu]

[Race: Undead]

[Class: Disciple of Smoke]

[Level: 3/20] (25/75) XP Needed

[HP: 23/25 MP: 25/25 SP: --/--]

[Strength: 5]

[Defense: 5]

[Magic: 7]

[Speed: 10]

[Skills: [Empower] [Haste] [Eagle Eye] [Darkness Manipulation] [Conjure of Darkness] [Stealth]

[Pentagram: [Hand of The Souls] [Soul Eater] [Soul Screaming Flames]

[Passive Skills: [Undead Influence] [Dagger Proficiency]

…

"Now… how do I get my angelic title back,"

…

The next day, I woke up pretty early to go shopping for some more gear, only to remember I had absolutely no money left.

I had nothing to sell after the dungeon since the damn skeleton burned practically everything away, and even its own bones disintegrated, leaving me with nothing valuable to sell.

So, I had no choice but to resort to the last thing I wanted to do, yet it wasn't that bad of an idea.

For about half the day, I plucked out the eyeballs that quickly regrew in my eye sockets and wrapped them up in a blanket of shadows that I then placed inside of a pillowcase to make sure nobody would get suspicious from the blood dripping out.

Also, the process wasn't bad at all since I felt absolutely no pain while interacting with the fake flesh that surrounded my real body.

The sun was still up in the sky, but in this narrow alleyway, it seemed as if even the brightest of lights couldn't enter.

The tapping of my sneakers against the rough concrete echoed through the alleyway, and upon arriving at the edge of my apartment complex, I found a singular metal door with a massive man standing in front of it.

"Password,"

"The darkness that blots out the sun,"