Chapter 243 - 251. Kick to the balls.
As Will led Onalenna out of the main road into an alleyway, the narrow path twisted like a snake through the city’s underbelly—far from the vendor stalls and canteens that lined the central districts.
Behind them, Rex trotted, low and silent. His gums were twitching, and his teeth clicked softly with each step. The dog—if you could even call him that—had been trying to hold back a growl ever since they left the main road. His fur bristled with tension. Something about this man reeked of bad intentions. But Rex, loyal and disciplined, wouldn’t act without a command.
Still, the way the dog bared its teeth—silent, deliberate—told Onalenna everything she needed to know.
That something was off.
After all, Rex wasn’t just any dog. He was a dungeon-won guardian beast—earned by Asher himself after clearing one of the hardest Class-B dungeon bosses in the southern frontier. At least, that’s what she’d been told.
She shook the thought away but stayed alert. Her steps slowed slightly, heels clicking softly on the cobblestone path leading into a narrow, shadow-choked alley. The scent of mildew and spilled alcohol clung to the walls.
Willson walked ahead casually, hands in his pockets. He didn’t even look back. Too confident. Too rehearsed.
Sge trailed just behind him, arms folded under her ample chest, her sundress swaying slightly with every step. But she wasn’t naive. She walked like someone who knew what violence smelled like.
They reached a dead-end, a hollow yard between buildings, silent except for the flickering lantern nailed to a rusted pipe above.
Will stopped. She stopped a step behind.
From the darkness ahead, three masked figures stepped out from the alley’s mouth ahead of them, men in pale demon-masks, with swords glinting in their hands. Footsteps scuffed behind them, too. Onalenna turned slightly. Three more masked attackers blocked their exit.