The gates of Oros City loomed above them.
Massive.
Unforgiving.
Ren kept his head down as they stepped closer, his senses sharper than ever. The closer they got, the more suffocating the atmosphere became—not from magic like the tomb…
But from people.
Merchants shouted from wooden stalls.
Carriages rattled across stone roads.
Guards stood tall in polished armor, eyes scanning every passerby.
Order.
Structure.
Control.
But beneath it all—
Ren could feel it.
Power.
"Don't stare," Lira whispered beside him. "Just walk."
"I'm not staring."
"You are staring."
Ren exhaled slowly and lowered his gaze.
They approached the checkpoint.
"Next," a guard called.
A family passed through.
Then a merchant.
Then—
Them.
"Names," the guard said flatly.
Ren hesitated for half a second.
Then—
"Ren. And Lira."
The guard looked them over.
Too long.
Too carefully.
His eyes paused at Ren's injuries.
The blood.
The torn clothes.
"From the tombs?" he asked.
Ren nodded.
"Bad trip."
A faint smirk touched the guard's lips. "Most don't come back at all."
"Yeah," Ren said quietly. "I noticed."
The guard held his gaze for a moment longer.
Then stepped aside.
"Move along."
Ren didn't wait.
The moment they crossed the gates—
Everything changed.
The city swallowed them whole.
Crowds pressed in from every side.
Voices overlapped.
Scents clashed—spices, smoke, sweat, metal.
Lira let out a quiet breath. "I hate this place."
Ren didn't respond.
Because he was watching.
Not the crowd.
The edges.
Rooftops.
Shadows.
Movement.
And—
There.
A flash of dark robes.
Gone just as quickly.
"…We're being watched," he murmured.
Lira stiffened. "Already?"
"They don't waste time."
The Alchemist Union.
They hadn't even made it past the gate.
"Then we need to move faster," she said. "Where are we going?"
Ren thought for a second.
"Not the main market."
"Why?"
"Too obvious. Too many eyes."
Lira nodded slowly. "So… back channels?"
"…Exactly."
They turned off the main road.
And the city changed.
The clean stone streets faded into narrow alleys.
The noise dropped.
The people changed.
Less merchants.
More watchers.
Eyes that didn't look away.
"This feels worse," Lira muttered.
"It is," Ren said.
But it was safer.
For people like them.
They moved deeper until they reached a small, crooked building tucked between two leaning structures. The sign above it hung at an angle, barely readable.
A pawn shop.
Or something close enough.
"…You trust this place?" Lira asked.
"No," Ren said.
Then pushed the door open.
A small bell rang.
Inside, the air was stale, filled with the scent of metal and old wood. Shelves lined the walls, cluttered with artifacts, weapons, and things that looked like they shouldn't be touched.
Behind the counter—
An old man looked up.
Sharp eyes.
Too sharp.
"…Well," he said slowly. "You don't look like you belong here."
Ren stepped forward.
"We want to sell."
The man's gaze dropped to Ren's hand.
Then his eyes narrowed slightly.
"…What kind of sell?"
Ren reached into his pouch.
And placed a mana shard on the counter.
The room went quiet.
The man didn't touch it immediately.
Just stared.
"…Where did you get this?"
Ren didn't blink.
"Tombs."
The man looked up again.
Studying him.
"…You're either very lucky…"
His gaze sharpened.
"…or very stupid."
Ren didn't react.
"Maybe both."
The man chuckled softly.
"…I like you."
He finally picked up the shard.
Turned it.
Examined it carefully.
"Not bad," he said. "Clean. Strong energy."
He set it down.
"I'll give you fifty silver."
Lira scoffed instantly. "That's a scam."
The man shrugged. "Then leave."
Ren didn't move.
"…Eighty."
The man smiled.
"Sixty."
"Done."
Lira turned to him sharply. "Ren—"
"We need speed, not perfection," he said quietly.
The man tossed a small pouch onto the counter.
Coins clinked inside.
"…Smart," the man said. "People who argue too long don't live long."
Ren grabbed the pouch.
Then paused.
"…You deal in more than shards?"
The man's smile widened slightly.
"…Depends who's asking."
"Someone who might come back."
A pause.
Then—
"…Then maybe I'll remember your face."
Ren nodded once.
Then turned.
"Let's go."
They stepped back into the alley.
Lira immediately spoke.
"That was too easy."
Ren nodded.
"…Yeah."
His eyes shifted.
Scanning.
Watching.
"…Which means we don't have much time."
The air felt tighter now.
Closer.
Somewhere—
Footsteps echoed again.
Familiar.
Measured.
Hunting.
Lira's voice dropped.
"…Ren…"
"I hear it."
He tightened his grip on the coin pouch.
Then looked ahead.
The city stretched endlessly.
Full of life.
Full of danger.
And somewhere inside it—
The Alchemist Union was waiting.
"Next," Ren said quietly,
"We get the medicine."
His eyes hardened.
"No matter what it takes."
Far above—
In a high tower overlooking the city—
A robed figure stood by a window.
Watching.
"…Confirmed," a voice behind him said. "The boy entered the city."
The figure didn't turn.
"…And the core?"
A pause.
"…Active."
Silence.
Then—
A faint smile.
"…Good."
The man's gaze shifted toward the city below.
"Bring him to me."