DanMachi: Cheat? What's a Cheat?

Chapter 39 – Fatal Misunderstanding

The journey back to the surface made me realize the situation around the dungeon was still tense.

Several groups of beginner adventurers were still glaring at each other.

Looks like the effects of this morning's fight hadn't completely died down.

"Damn," grumbled one adventurer as we passed.

"Because of that greedy Ranto, monsters are getting harder to find."

"Hey, don't blame just me!" replied another.

"You guys are just as greedy!"

"Huh? Wanna try again?"

"Come on if you dare!"

I hurried away before they started fighting again. Didn't want to get involved in unnecessary drama.

Moving away from them, I sighed. Looks like the tension among beginners won't ease up anytime soon.

"I better be careful." I muttered while walking.

The magic stone pouch at my waist felt heavy, but it was a pleasant burden.

The burden of hard work that paid off.

For the first time, I felt like I was really using strategy in combat.

Not just relying on reflexes or luck.

The spear turned out to be perfect for my fighting style. Keeping distance, providing support, and letting the more agile partner finish off enemies.

Thinking about how much money I made today made me so happy.

But suddenly my expression froze.

"Idiot," muttered one of the adventurers as he passed me.

Shit, are you so angry that you call anyone you meet an idiot.

Even though I was a little mad, I stayed quiet.

I don't know who he was talking to, but I chose not to care.

The important thing is I got money.

The journey to the dungeon was full of friendly words, I don't know how many adventurers I met were cursing.

Arriving at the guild, I went straight to the exchange to trade magic stones.

"Good afternoon," I greeted the cashier on duty.

"Good afternoon. Want to exchange magic stones?" asked the cashier with a professional smile.

"Yeah, here," I said while taking out the magic stone pouch.

The cashier started counting and weighing carefully. The process took quite a while because there were quite a lot.

"Wow, good results today," commented the cashier.

"The quality of the magic stones is pretty high too."

"Thanks," I said while waiting for the process to finish.

"Kaen!"

A familiar voice called me from the side.

Misha Flott, someone I already knew, approached with a mischievous smile.

"Eh, Miss Misha. Good evening," I greeted somewhat awkwardly.

For the past few days I'd been meeting Misha Flott often.

And often getting teased by her.

"Wow, so many magic stones today!" Misha said that when she saw the cashier counting my magic stones

"Yeah," I answered while trying to stay polite.

"Got a bit lucky today."

I saw Miss Misha's eyes looking at me and then staring at the magic stones being counted.

Then she started talking in a slightly teasing tone.

"Eina-chan told me you've been asking about the dungeon more and more?"

"Huh?" I felt my cheeks getting a bit hot.

This person's gonna start teasing me again, even though I often tease Goddess Hestia doesn't mean I can handle being teased.

I was single in my previous life and this life after all.

"That's... because I really need information."

"Hmm," Misha smiled mischievously while putting her index finger to her lips.

"She said you're also starting to pay attention to safety. Even asking about monsters on floors 5 to 8."

"That's how it should be, right?" I said while trying to look normal.

"Eina-chan said it's rare for beginner adventurers to be that serious," Misha continued while looking at me

"Usually they focus more on how much money they can make."

"Well... money's important too," I answered honestly.

Misha laughed. "Honest answer! That's why Eina-chan says you're interesting."

"Interesting?" I almost choked on my own saliva.

"Eina-chan says you're the type of adventurer who can be relied on. Careful but not cowardly, serious but not arrogant," Misha looked at me with blinking eyes.

If I were someone who thought with my lower body, I might interpret Miss Misha's winking as an invitation.

"Mis Misha, stop teasing me," I said while scratching my head.

"Yeah, yeah. But seriously, Eina-chan really cares about you. She often talks about this one adventurer's development."

Before I could answer, the cashier counting the magic stones was done.

"The total is 45,000 Valis!" said the cashier while handing over the money pouch.

"Wow, not bad!" exclaimed Misha.

I heard what Miss Misha said but I didn't care.

Taking the Valis with both hands.

"Wow!" I couldn't hide my excitement.

That's almost 4 times more than usual!

"Thank you," I said while accepting the money pouch.

This pouch felt heavy and pleasant.

Enough to pay the spear installment, buy a nice dinner for Goddess Hestia, and still have some left over.

Getting the money, I wanted to leave quickly since I couldn't stand being teased constantly.

"See you later, Miss Misha," I said while saying goodbye.

"See you! Be careful on the way!"

I hurried out before she said something embarrassing.

I left the guild feeling very satisfied. Today was really a perfect day.

Learning a new weapon, good cooperation with Gob, satisfying income, and relationships with people around me getting better.

I felt like my life was slowly getting better.

The streets of Orario in the evening were quite busy. Merchants started packing up their goods, adventurers wandered around looking for places to eat, and children played.

While walking on the somewhat busy street, I started planning dinner for Goddess Hestia.

"Maybe buy some decent meat," I thought while smiling.

"Or maybe clothes. She'd definitely be happy if—"

Thud!

Someone bumped into me from the side.

I staggered a bit, then saw a small figure who had just bumped into me.

A small child, maybe 10-12 years old, with shabby clothes and messy hair.

"Ah, sorry," I said while helping him up.

Looks like I was daydreaming and bumped into someone.

"Sorry, big brother," he said in a small voice while immediately running away.

I just shrugged and continued on my way.

But after a few steps...

"OI! THIEF! RETURN MY MONEY!"

I heard a loud shout from behind. A middle-aged man was chasing something while shouting.

"DAMN STREET KID! RETURN MY WALLET!"

Reflexively, my hand felt my waist.

My money pouch was gone.

"Oh, shit."

My eyes immediately searched for that small figure. He was already running quite far, slipping between the crowd.

"HEY! STOP!"

I immediately ran after him.

The chase began.

He ran through the busy market, slipping between merchants, jumping over fruit baskets, and moving like a rat who knew the way very well.

Me carrying a spear on my back had some trouble moving agilely.

"Excuse me! Move! Excuse me!" I shouted while trying not to bump into people.

The kid kept running, entering narrower and quieter alleys.

Far from the main market crowd.

"Shit, he really knows this area," I muttered while continuing to chase.

The kid was fast, but I was faster.

He's just a normal person after all.

If I didn't have a talent that kept me from getting lost, I might have had trouble chasing.

"Don't run!" I shouted while continuing to chase.

This chase brought us to a quieter area, far from the main road. Narrow and dirty back alleys.

This was a side of Orario I'd never seen before.

Broken-down houses, scattered trash, and unpleasant smells filled the air.

"Stop!" I shouted again.

Finally, the kid entered a dead end. He stopped and turned to face me with frightened eyes.

"Return my money," I said while trying to catch my breath.

Chasing a little kid was pretty tiring too.

He clutched my money pouch tightly, his eyes watery.

"I... I'm hungry, big brother," he said with a trembling voice.

"My brother's sick... needs medicine..."

I was quiet for a moment.

I don't know if that's a lie or not.

Part of me felt sorry, but that money was too important. It was today's hard work, money for the spear installment, for Goddess Hestia's dinner.

"Kid," I said while crouching to be level with him.

"I understand you need money. But that's my hard work. Give it back, okay?"

"But... but..." he started crying.

"Listen, I'll find a way to help you later. But now return the money first."

That money was quite a lot for ordinary citizens who weren't adventurers.

I extended my hand with a gesture I thought wasn't threatening.

"Don't want to!" he shouted while backing against the wall.

"Kid, don't make it hard. Just return it—"

I stepped forward and grabbed the money pouch.

The kid pulled it hard.

"Let go!" he shouted.

"You let go!" I was a bit annoyed, I wanted to use a little force.

But I held back.

There was a little tug-of-war. From other people's perspective, this might look like an adult robbing a little kid.

Getting a bit annoyed, I finally used a little of my strength.

Finally the money pouch came loose from the kid's grip. He fell sitting down while crying loudly.

"Sorry," I said while holding the money pouch.

"But this is really mine."

I felt guilty, but what could I do? That money was hard work, and I had responsibilities too.

Suddenly, my instincts screamed loudly.

DANGER! BIG DANGER! RETREAT!

A very loud warning, louder than usual.

I reflexively grabbed my spear.

I turned toward the source of danger, and saw a glimpse of a green shadow moving at an impossible speed.

"Huh?"

Before I could react, sharp pain pierced my left wrist.

The spear was thrown far from my grip.

"Argh!"

Then a precision kick hit my stomach, making me double over in pain.

I felt like my ribs were broken.

"Ow!"

A hard punch to the back of my neck made me fall to my knees.

Before I could breathe, another punch hit my face fast, brutal, and hard enough to make the world around me spin.

This was the second time my world spun today.

Everything happened in seconds.

Less than three seconds.

I didn't even have time to see who attacked me.

Now I was lying on the ground, my body battered, my breathing choked, and my mind dizzy.

"What... just happened...?" I muttered softly, my hoarse voice coming out imperfectly. My jaw felt like it was displaced.

Even talking was incredibly painful.

With blurry vision, I forced myself to look up. And there she was, the figure that made my blood flow stop for a moment.

An elf woman stood there. Her green hair swayed gently in the wind, her blue eyes piercing like knife points.

Ryuu Lion.

That name echoed in my head.

Level 4 adventurer.

Widely known.

Respected.

Feared.

And also a fugitive.

She had just made me like a used rag.

"Adventurers who prey on the weak are the worst trash," she said. Her voice was calm... but cold. There was no anger there, which made it terrifying.

I was still lying there, breathing heavily, blood starting to flow from my nose.

The little kid who was crying in fear had vanished. Ran away somewhere.

"W-Wait..." I whispered hoarsely. Every letter felt like a new wound in my mouth.

"T-this is... a misunderstanding..."

Ryuu didn't give room for defense.

"Never show your face to me again," she said coldly.

Not a threat, not a warning.

That was a verdict.

She turned and walked out of the narrow alley, her steps light, calm, as if the incident just now was just cleaning up trash.

Meanwhile, I...

I stayed sprawled there, body broken and heart filled with question marks.

Damn! My money!

I had to chase that kid.

I tried to get up. Wrong.

Pain from all over my body immediately rejected it. I fell back down with a soft groan.

Then...

Cough!

Thick blood flowed out of my mouth. I coughed hard.

Shit.

"Perfect day... I said," I muttered bitterly while turning my head, my face touching the dirty street stones.

"What a perfect day."

I wanted to stand up but my head was throbbing hard. Vision starting to go dark... like a screen slowly dimming.

The last thing on my mind before losing consciousness was whether a Level 4 adventurer's punch was that scary.