Ren didn't stop.
He just kept walking… as if he didn't have a path, only a direction.
After a while, he stopped in front of a narrow alley.
Old stairs led downward…
and a heavy, unsettling air rose from below.
Without thinking, he went down.
Inside, the light was dim.
There was a strange smell in the air…
and people…
There were people everywhere.
Some were talking in low voices,
some were counting money,
and some were just watching… as if waiting for someone.
No one here seemed decent.
In one corner, two men were fighting.
One shoved the other hard…
and he fell straight to the ground.
No one stopped them.
No one even asked.
The others just watched…
as if this was normal.
Ren looked at them for a moment…
then looked away.
As if it didn't matter to him at all.
He walked forward.
Just then, someone glanced at him and chuckled.
"You've come to the wrong place."
Ren didn't stop.
Another man said,
"Surviving here is difficult… got it?"
Ren slowly looked at him.
His eyes were completely empty.
"Surviving is enough."
His voice was flat… without any emotion.
Then Ren kept moving deeper into that dark place.
There were voices everywhere…
but none of them sounded honest.
People were talking… but quietly, secretly.
As if every word carried a hidden meaning.
Then his gaze fell on a group standing at a distance.
They were speaking in low voices.
"The Demon King is dead…"
"The throne is empty now…"
"Whoever reaches rank 1… will be the next king…"
Ren stopped.
For the first time, he listened carefully.
He walked up to them.
Stood silently for a few seconds.
Then asked directly:
"What is the ranking system?"
They looked at him…
and burst into laughter.
"Did you hear that? He's asking…"
"Looks like he's new…"
One man stepped closer…
leaned toward him and said,
"You've come to the wrong place, kid."
Ren didn't react.
No anger… no fear.
He just repeated:
"Ranking system."
This time his voice was low…
but firm.
And cold.
For a moment, silence spread through the group.
One of them looked at him carefully.
Then spoke slowly:
"Fine… listen."
"10 — Goblins."
"9 — Beasts."
"8 — Ogres."
"7 — Phantoms."
"6 — Dark Knights."
"5 — Blood Hunters."
"4 — Abyss Walkers."
"3 — Demon Generals."
"2 — Arch Demons…"
He paused.
His voice changed slightly.
"And 1…"
"The Demon King."
Someone added quietly:
"But that seat is empty now…"
"That's why everyone is fighting…"
"For power… for control…"
Ren stood silently.
He didn't interrupt even once.
Then he asked directly:
"How do you move up?"
This time, no one laughed.
One man answered plainly:
"By killing."
Silence.
"Either you kill them…"
"Or they kill you."
Ren slowly nodded.
As if that was all he needed to know.
He turned…
and walked away without another word.
From behind, someone whispered:
"Did you see his eyes…?"
Another replied:
"Yeah…"
"That's not a child."
Ren didn't stop.
He hadn't chosen this path…
but now, he wasn't going to leave it either.