Chapter 6

# Chapter 6: <Met>

When do people get angrier?

Is it when they get a strong straight punch? Or when they get hit by five quick jabs?

Obviously, the latter.

Kale gets hit by five jabs. Therefore, one jab is no big deal.

“Are you coming?”

“Yeah.”

The teahouse was almost empty.

It was past 9 PM, and now more people were in bars than in teahouses. Especially since it was the time when the people who worked at the quarry came to have a drink, the bars would be bustling.

“I look forward to seeing you again.”

Kale nodded at Villus’s greeting.

“The tea was excellent.”

He conveyed his thoughts to Villus, who was looking at him.

“I couldn’t finish the book, but it was very interesting. I especially liked the protagonist who was recognized for his abilities and grew.”

For a moment, Villus’s eyebrows slightly furrowed, then relaxed. His eyes sparkled as he scrutinized Kale.

However, Kale, who had read the book intermittently due to Choi Han, was now savoring its contents and didn’t notice the reaction.

Reading a book in a tense situation was quite enjoyable.

Perhaps due to the automatic correction from the possession, Kale knew all the characters, and he enjoyed the content without any resistance. A smile formed on his lips, and he made a promise to the dazed Villus.

“Don’t let anyone else read the book. I’ll read it when I come.”

Indeed, the young son of a noble, who wanted to monopolize others' things. Villus, an illegitimate son of a wealthy merchant, might not like it, but what could he do? It was the word of a noble’s son.

“Yes! I will keep this book solely for Master Kale!”

However, Villus’s reaction was a bit different from what Kale expected. He smiled brightly and repeatedly invited Kale to come back.

“Please, come again next time. I’ll be waiting!”

“Sure, sure.”

Kale was a bit displeased but had to go see Choi Han, so he left the teahouse. Ding. The bell rang again, and it seemed the teahouse became noisy.

But outside was even noisier. Even in a remote fiefdom far from the capital, with its artists and specialties, it wasn’t backward. Moreover, the people who had a hard day at the quarry drank a lot on their way home.

Kale walked alone down the street.

‘Thinking about it, he’s quite a unique guy.’

Usually, in fantasy or martial arts stories, the troublemaker from a good family doesn’t hang out with the local hooligans. They drink and like women. And they cause trouble with the hooligans in the streets and shops.

But the funny thing is, Kale hated hooligans. He hated gangsters too.

‘He thought they were scum.’

The scum of the scum. He found the hardworking commoners more beneficial scum.

So, even when drunk, he didn’t beat people up, but he threw things at the visible hooligans with incredible force, though his accuracy was terrible.

Is that why?

“Oh, Master has come?”

The bar owner was very afraid of Kale. It was natural. That day, everything near where Kale drank was completely destroyed. Kale was probably the number one on the blacklist of bars in Western City.

He didn’t even respond to the owner’s greeting and threw a gold coin at him.

“Bring me a bottle of what I usually drink. Ah, and grilled chicken breast, without salt.”

“Eh? You’re not going to find a seat?”

Kale’s brows furrowed. The owner immediately waved his hands and bowed.

“Right away! I’ll bring the drink!”

The bar owner moved quickly but looked quite happy. Because it seemed Kale wouldn’t sit down. Kale glanced around the bar, which had become quiet as he entered.

Everyone bowed their heads to avoid his gaze. They must have wondered why he chose this bar among so many. Especially the hooligans and gangsters bowed their heads even lower.

“Tsk.”

In the quiet space, only the sound of Kale clicking his tongue echoed.

“Master. Here’s your bottle.”

“Thanks.”

Kale received the bottle and the dried meat. The drink he often had, probably the most expensive in this bar. He took the bottle without hesitation and left the bar.

As soon as he stepped out onto the street, Kale immediately opened the bottle and drank about half of it in one go.

“Oh.”

The taste of the drink was quite good. And since Kale had a high tolerance, drinking half a bottle at once didn’t affect him. However, his face turned red, making him look like a light drinker.

Kale, holding the bottle, quickly retraced his steps.

He passed the teahouse where he had spent the whole day and saw the guards at the city gate stiffen as they saw him. He wanted to leave the city, but unfortunately, his destination wasn’t there.

“Ah, my stomach is burning.”

As the drink went down, he felt his stomach bubbling. Finally, the city wall, a little away from the city gate, came into view. The high city wall, extending from the city gate, rose above the rooftops, blocking intruders.

‘But it’s applied differently depending on the person.’

Kale recalled the content of the book.

‘A hundred steps from the city gate along the city wall.’

This was where Choi Han would climb over the wall. Kale, holding the bottle tightly, quickly approached the wall. There were few people on the street because it was a residential area.

Kale finally reached the spot he had calculated and took a deep breath.

A hundred steps from the city gate. On the outskirts of the residential area, the only light came from the torches the guards had placed on the wall and the light spilling from the windows of the houses.

But that amount of light was enough. With eyes accustomed to the darkness, Kale slowly approached his destination.

‘As expected.’

He saw the figures huddled at the base of the wall. Not just one.

They were trembling pitifully. Kale approached them without hesitation.

Then he heard the sounds of the huddled figures.

Meow, meow.

Two cats were mewing and huddled at the base of the wall. Kale’s lips curled up.

‘Here it is.’

He had found the right spot. The moment Choi Han climbed over the wall, a kitten would be pushed by the dominant cat and roll to the spot where Choi Han would land. So, Choi Han would quickly adjust his body. It was a world where coincidences ruled.

‘Indeed, he’s a good guy.’

Unable to hurt the kitten, Choi Han would quickly adjust his body and accidentally sprain his ankle. This was Choi Han, who had killed dozens of people, buried many bodies, and run like a madman. He was at his limit, and that’s why he made the mistake.

Meow, meow.

Kale, crouched, watched the trembling kitten and another kitten licking it, then turned his gaze.

His eyes were drawn to an alley in the opposite direction from where he came. Then he saw it.

‘Found it.’

A man huddled like a homeless person, with messy black hair and worn, burnt clothes.

Originally, Kale and Choi Han were supposed to meet the next day. Tonight, Kale would get a wound on his side while drinking. The story was already deviating from the book, albeit slightly.

Kale straightened his body, which he had bent to look at the cats. Choi Han, sensing his gaze, slowly lifted his head, and his eyes peeked out from his tangled hair.

‘Ah, I’m nervous.’

Kale’s heart pounded.

Even in the darkness, the eyes visible between the hair were not just cold but chilling.

He was glad he had drunk.

Kale praised his judgment and tried to relax as much as possible. Jab. He needed to throw a jab. And he needed to make a good first impression.

He swallowed and spoke to Choi Han, who was staring at him intently.

“You look hungry.”

Tsk. Kale clicked his tongue and took out the grilled chicken breast. He gave it to the two cats, not Choi Han, as gently as possible.

“Poor things. Eat this.”

He didn’t know if such small kittens could eat the chicken breast. Tsk. He clicked his tongue and cut the chicken breast into small pieces so the kittens could chew it. He crouched, wondering what he was doing.

Actually, he didn’t like cats. But Choi Han cared for small animals.

Rumble. Rumble.

The injured kitten growled, showing its teeth, but Kale stroked the silver-furred, golden-eyed kitten affectionately. The silver cat seemed to dislike Kale’s touch and tried to avoid it.

“Eat this and get better. Poor things.”

Without looking at Choi Han, he asked, thinking Choi Han was watching him.

“Do you have a place to go?”

There was no answer. But Kale continued. The guards would soon patrol this area, and Choi Han needed to limp away before they arrived.

“Do you have a good place?”

While stroking the growling silver-furred, golden-eyed kitten, he pushed away the red cat that was rubbing against him. The red cat strangely kept rubbing against Kale. The golden eyes, resembling its sibling, gleamed in the darkness.

But Kale needed to focus on Choi Han.

“Are you not hungry?”

There was still no answer. He had expected as much.

Choi Han was probably scrutinizing him. But he must be tired.

His body and mind were at their limits. And the shock he had experienced in just one day. Moreover, having lived alone for decades, except for that small village, Western City was truly the outside world for Choi Han. Though he had lived for decades, he was still young.

“Aren’t you going to speak?”

“...Why are you talking to me?”

Finally, Choi Han seemed to judge Kale as weak.

A person weak enough to be easily killed even with his current strength. So, despite not understanding his intentions, he could accept the seemingly well-intentioned kindness.

Kale stood up and approached Choi Han. The guards would soon patrol this area.

“Hey.”

As he got closer, he could see Choi Han’s condition more clearly. He was a mess. But as the protagonist, his eyes were vivid. The black hair and eyes, indicating he was Korean, were a little comforting. So, Kale smiled and threw the words at him.

“Follow me. I’ll give you food.”

The best first impression is to give something delicious.