Chapter 9: The Thief in the Dark Alley
I stared toward the narrow alley. Sunlight didn't reach it—only shadows from rooftops and hanging laundry covered most of the path. But… I could feel that gaze.
Sharp. As if piercing straight through my back.
'This isn't just a feeling,' I thought. My instincts throbbed faintly, like a quiet alarm inside my head.
I pretended not to notice anything and turned to Mia and Kyle.
"Done? Then let's head back."
Mia nodded cheerfully, while Kyle still checked the basket. "Hmm… wait a second, I think we forgot something."
I turned quickly. "Don't. Just leave it for now."
My tone must have been a bit too firm, because Kyle raised an eyebrow. "What's with you? You look weird again."
I forced a smile. "It's nothing. I just… don't feel right."
Mia looked back and forth between us, confused. "Is something wrong, Ren?"
I gently patted her head. "Nothing. Let's go home."
We started walking toward the main road, but each step felt heavier. The gaze was still there—following.
Not one. Two… maybe three people.
Soft footsteps blended into the noise of the market.
As we passed a fabric shop, I caught a moving shadow at the edge of my vision. Reflexively, my hand pulled Mia closer.
"Ren?"
"Shh." I stared forward.
A few seconds later, the sound of shoes scraping the ground came from behind. Then a shadow emerged from the alley—tall, hooded. Two others followed from the opposite direction.
Kyle reacted immediately, stepping slightly in front of us. "Who are they?"
I observed quietly. They didn't look like merchants or locals. Their movements were too rough, and each carried a dagger at their waist.
'Thieves?' I thought. Suddenly, a system message popped up in front of me:
Ding!
[ Mission Obtained! ]
[ Main Mission: Defeat or drive away the thieves! ]
Reward: 500 EXP | 300 Points
Failure: Severe injury. ]
'What? A mission?' Before I could read more,
one of them stepped forward.
"Hey, kids. You look like you've bought a lot."
His voice was rough. "Why don't you share some with us?"
Mia hid behind me. Kyle straightened his posture and growled.
'We should secure the situation first,' I thought.
"Calm down, brat." The man chuckled and reached toward Kyle's shopping basket.
My eyes sharpened. I stepped in front of Kyle.
Kyle flinched.
"Ren..!" But I ignored him.
I spoke to the thief.
"If you're hungry, you can ask politely. But if you plan to steal…"
I stared straight into his eyes.
"…then get lost, ugly."
I signaled Kyle and Mia with my hand—run to the main street. Then, with a swift motion, my fist shot forward and hit his face.
Woosh!
Tak!
"Argh!" The man stumbled back, clutching his face. "You little brat!"
The other two immediately took position.
Kyle moved beside me, while Mia hid even further behind.
"Ren… what—!"
I raised my hand slightly. "It's fine. I don't want to cause a scene.
Go now. I'll handle this. Call the city guards."
"But—!"
"Go," I cut her off.
"Tch! Don't get hurt, Ren!" Kyle pulled Mia along.
"Yeah."
But the thieves didn't care. One of them charged.
I tilted my body slightly—his punch skimmed past my ear. In an instant, I grabbed his wrist, twisted, and shoved. His body lost balance.
I wasn't done. My left foot slid back, my right leg rose, and I kicked straight into his chest.
Tak!
Another attacked from the right, but I moved faster—kicking his leg before he got close, forcing it to buckle, then kneeing him in the face.
"Guhh!!"
"..!"
The third thief rushed from behind, stabbing toward me. I spun. The blade narrowly missed my cheek as I parried his arm with mine.
Sliding past him, I leapt back and stood still.
"Is that all?"
Their fierce expressions twisted into hesitation.
Maybe they never expected a kid from an orphanage to fight back.
After a few seconds, they exchanged glances—and ran back into the alley. Probably because too many people were watching.
"This isn't over, brat!"
"Sure."
Ding!
A notification rang in my head, but I ignored it.
The important thing was that Mia and Kyle were safe.
The bustling market had grown quiet, people staring with worry or whispering among themselves.
I exhaled deeply and turned to leave when someone stopped me.
A man—hooded—stood there.
"You alright?" he asked. I just nodded.
"Heh… For a kid like you, you fight well. Who trained you?" he asked.
"I—"
"There!"
Before I could answer, Kyle's voice echoed.
"Ren!!"
Mia ran toward me, with Kyle behind her. Her face was panicked, but when she saw me standing without a scratch, she threw herself into my arms.
"You're not hurt!? I thought you—"
I patted her head. "Calm down. I'm fine."
Kyle scanned around cautiously. "Where'd they go?"
"They ran."
Footsteps approached—the city guards rushing from the west, probably from Mia's report. Two guards with spears inspected the area while we stood to the side.
The hooded man watched me with unreadable eyes.
I returned his gaze silently. Something about him—his stance, the way he held himself, his eyes—told me he wasn't an ordinary person.
"Interesting," he said, narrowing his eyes. "From the way you moved, it was too precise… like you've trained for years."
I pretended to be confused. "I just learned a bit from the orphanage."
He stared for a few seconds, then gave a faint smile.
"Is that so…?"
It didn't feel like a friendly smile.
More like someone who had discovered something rare.
One of the guards approached. "Were you the one attacked?"
I nodded. "Yes, but they already ran."
"Alright, we'll check the area again later. Do you want us to escort you home?"
We shook our heads. "No thank you, we can go on our own."
"Very well. Be careful."
When the guards left, the hooded man looked at me once more, then walked toward the crowd. Before he disappeared, he said quietly:
"I'm sure we'll meet again. So wait—and become stronger before that day comes."
I didn't understand what he meant, but for some reason, my skin crawled. I sighed and finally looked at the mission notification:
Ding!
[ Mission Complete! ]
[ Rewards Received: 500 EXP | 300 Points ]
A faint blue screen flashed in front of me before fading away.
Kyle looked at me. "Ren… are you sure you're okay?"
I nodded. "Let's go home. Milly is probably worried."
And so, we walked back through the market street—which now felt much quieter than before.