I will also need your shoes

'Thank God… Fuck!' Noticing what kind of words just went through his head as soon as they did, Sebian instantly cursed this habitual response of his. While being able to understand the other party was a great blessing, it was nowhere near enough to redeem the crime that God committed against him.

But right now, wasn't a good time to think about the past. And Sebian was more than aware of it.

"My prey…" Looking helplessly at the corpse of the beast, the young man atop the bear alternated his eyes between the dead monster and the alchemist. Whilst clearly puzzled by his appearance, the immense desperation appearing whenever he took a glance at the prey easily overwhelmed his curiosity.

At first, his face looked wrathful whenever he stared at Sebian, but after only a few moments, the young man managed to calm his emotions down.

"I'm sorry senior, I allowed my emotions to get better of me. I was chasing after this beast for so long… Eh, forget it." His head fell down, his body seemed to sink in itself.

'I wonder,' dumbfounded by the situation, Sebian looked at the beast. Now that he thought about it, it was covered in light wounds even before he clashed with it. 'Could it be, he couldn't really deal with it?' Following the stranger's example, Sebian's eyes wandered between his face and the deceased monster. Then, a smile suddenly grew on the alchemist's face.

"How valuable is that beast for you?" Sitting down on a nearby boulder, Sebian smiled joyfully. Relaxing his entire body, the alchemist put a mysterious aura to his expression while waiting for the other party reaction.

"Huh?" Rooted in place by Sebian's words alone, the man had to take his time to regain his senses. "I'm sorry sir, but are you willing… to give that beast to me?" His eyes wide open, his voice slightly shaking.

'It's clear that it's something so out of the ordinary that he can't believe my words so easily. And if that's the case,' Even though Sebian's train of thought took a sharp turn, no hint of it reflected on his face.

"Say, I just happened to have a few things that I oh so direly need. For me, this beast has no value, while I can tell that the things that I need… Let's say you do not hold in high esteem." Turning his mischievous grin into a relaxed smile, Sebian jumped off from the boulder he was sitting at before putting his hands behind his back and approaching the local.

"Sir, just say the word and," before the young man in front of him could even finish his words, Sebian raised his hand to stop him.

"Don't say a word. I do not wish to affiliate with you, nor will you understand motives. The deal is as follows." Taking on a serious face, Sebian released the airs of the ruler of the world. In an instant, he changed his apparition from just a rag-tag traveller, to a hidden, supreme expert.

"I need a sword, all your money and a contact in the city. Let's say some… unfortunate events happened, making me desire those things just as much as you desire to take possession of this beast." Going as far as adjusting the tone and manner of his speech, Sebian explained the situation. By suggesting a certain type of scenario but not explaining it out loud, he could make sure that even if the young man would ever try to dig out his background, he would be lost in the mess of his own suspicions and guesses.

"That's…" Clearly stunned by the strange demands, the young man hesitated for a moment. Then, his eyes escaped to the side, unwilling to hold on to the stare of the alchemist before him. "Sir, don't you care for the en…"

'Just as I thought. It's not really about this beast, but more of the achievement of killing it.' It wasn't that hard to guess the situation. With the corpse of the best most likely serving as a token of passing some sort of test, the young man in front would only care about obtaining it. 'Now that I think about it, isn't it pretty similar to what those stupid sects did back then?' Suddenly slammed by the sledgehammer of memories, Sebian barely managed to keep his face still.

While the methods were slightly different, the logic behind the local world seemed to be quite similar to the one he was born in.

"Senior, I will gladly take you up on your offer." After dropping his previous line, the young man clearly changed his mind. As if… he decided to make the best out of the situation, despite potential risks of doing so.

A genuine, gentle smile blossomed on Sebian's lips.

'I would be a hypocrite if I didn't acknowledge this kind of mindset.' Shaking his head lightly, Sebian moved back to the best before sending it towards the bear-mounting man with a single kick. "Now it's your turn. Oh, and also," with mischief returning to his lips, Sebian finished, "I will also need your shoes."