Soulless Players

'Good thing they allowed taking out leftovers,' Philip sighed in relief as he glanced at the bag in his hands. However, although he felt relieved, his eyes still had a slight annoyance in them. He still could not move on from what had happened.

But soon, he quickly calmed down his mind upon remembering his initial goal.

'I have two hours left before the transformation ends. Better do good deed quests…'

It was already 8 o'clock and Philip decided to look for quests before returning to the inn. He scrolled the 'Quest Window' and saw a mission perfect for him.

[Quest: Feed the homeless children]

Reward: 1 Experience Point

Philip thought deeply about whether it would give him positive karma or not. He had already learned his lesson from stray dogs and did not want to repeat it.

'The government should not restrict its citizens from helping the children, right?'

Shortly, Philip proceeded to walk in a dark alley.

***

A couple of minutes later, he happened to pass by the inn he was staying at and noticed that it was brighter than the buildings near it. It was like the neighborhood was uninhabited and empty.

'Is this the reason why the inn is pricier?' Philip pondered internally. He paid 100 doli per night and thought it was okay with his stolen wealth. However, the more he roamed the city, the more he noticed it was overpriced compared to the other inns.

Seeing a group of ladies near, he reached out to them and asked, "Excuse me, ladies. Do you know that building over there?"

A middle-aged woman glanced at the inn and smiled, "Oh that? It's the property of the Davies family. Why are you asking this, young man?"

"Oh, I just noticed that it is pricier compared to other inns," he answered.

"It is to be expected," Another old lady nodded in confirmation, "I heard the whole building is equipped with gas lighting."

"Yes, she's right. It's very convenient and the interior is also grand. In addition, the inn is near Bryxton University. That's why it is more expensive than the others. In fact, it is one of the most expensive lodges, at the same level as the hotels around in the city." Another woman chimed.

When Philip heard this, he could not help but feel regret. If he knew the inn was at that level, he would have chosen not to stay there.

But alas, regret came too late. He was slightly illiterate about the pricing system as he had been staying in the forest for a long time.

'I have to find another place to stay,' Philip thought. Although he was not exactly poor, it would be better to save money as he could not temporarily find a job with his Raven face.

After a short talk with the ladies, he bid goodbye and proceeded to the busy streets. He had not yet forgotten about his mission of feeding homeless children.

The streets ahead were filled with numerous stalls around. People were merrily browsing the goods these small stores were selling.

Philip heard that a flea market usually opens on this street at night and became curious. Although his face was serious, internally he was enjoying the crowd.

It was his first time seeing this sight and could not help but be distracted.

'Well, let me look around for a minute,' Philip decided excitedly. He had always wanted to test the uniqueness he stole from Steve. And this busy market was perfect for this case.

Philip secretly opened the system and pressed the 'Golden Eyes' uniqueness. His eyes immediately glowed and his iris became gold.

He then scanned around, looking for hidden treasures.

This action continued until he felt someone groping his rear. Stunned, he quickly extended his hand and grabbed the arm of the groper.

"AHHH!"

A child's cry resounded around the night market. Philip's hold was so extreme that the child could not help but yelp loudly.

Surprised, Philip unconsciously loosened his hold. However, this action instead made the child run away.

This occurred so fast that Philip had no time to react. He thought he was groped by a pervert, never did he expect that the groper was a child all along.

The onlookers looked at him and scoffed. Someone then murmured at a volume enough for Philip to hear.

"These pickpockets are really all around the market."

"Yes, you have to always be alert from them," Another person said while holding her bag tightly.

"That man is also stupid. Why did he release the child? For sure something is stolen from him."

When Philip heard it, he quickly checked for the items he possibly lost from that short encounter.

And when he confirmed nothing was gone, then he sighed in relief. While he was eased, his mind still could not help but recall what had happened earlier.

'Hahh. Poor me, I was almost robbed,' Philip murmured sadly. However, he was sad not because of this but because he felt he was not as good as before.

'Am I getting rusty? Is it because I lived peacefully for four years and have not been training?' Philip mulled. If this was real, then it would be dangerous for him. After all, he was competing in a death game. He felt the need to always stay in top condition.

Philip glanced at the area where the child had run off and followed him without delay.

***

"What happened to your arm!?" A young man asked the little boy in front of him. Seeing the bruise on his arm, the young man could not help but be worried.

"It's no-thing. Some strong person just caught me stealing him," the little boy named Joseph answered, his voice filled with anxiety. The earlier encounter had really terrified him. He thought it was his end.

When the young man was about to speak, a large hand grabbed Joseph on his shoulder.

"Got you, boy," Philip smirked, happy at finally practicing his skills.

It was easy to find the boy. All he had to do was to go to the back alley where the poor and the runaway people usually stayed.

Joseph and the young man named Gerald froze. While Joseph was shivering in fright, Gerald quickly kneeled on the ground.

"Please release my friend! I'll promise to educate him not to steal again," Gerald cried. He had already connected the bruise on Joseph's arm with Philip and chose to surrender as he knew they were powerless compared to an adult man.

Philip looked at Gerald on the ground. In fact, he had no intention of punishing the child. All he wanted to do was to practice his skills.

But when he noticed Gerald's quick wits and seemingly good traits, Philip became interested.

"Hey, what's your name?" Philip called out.

"I am Gerald and that kid is Joseph," Gerald replied. When he heard Philip's tone was void of any murderous intention, he added,

"We are just poor homeless children, sir. If Joseph stole something from you, we will immediately return it to you," Gerald nudged Joseph, asking him to return the thing he had stolen.

"Relax, he didn't rob me. I was just here to ask you questions. You see, I am new here. And I might need information you know," Philip said softly. He then took the bag of food and gave it to them.

"Here, it's yours."

Smelling the food inside, Joseph quickly grabbed the bag and replied, "Anything we can do for you, sir! Just ask away."

Gerald facepalmed internally. Joseph was rude to the guest and wanted nothing more but to bury him on the ground.

However, while he was embarrassed, he was also tempted. He had been hungry ever since he could remember. The food Philip provided might helped him fill his stomach somehow.

Ting!

______________

[Quest Complete: Feed homeless children]

Reward: 1 Experience Point

[Player does a good deed! +1 Karma]

[Player's deed is exchanged with information and deemed not exemplary. -1 Karma]

[Player violated the city ordinance. Player is acquainted with robbers. -1 Karma]

______________

Philip secretly glanced at his system and became annoyed. It was so difficult to increase his Good Karma.

He temporarily set his grumbling aside and asked the question he was meaning to ask.

"Do you know where the black market is?"

Philip had always been curious about Loen's power and the uses of his ring. He wanted to know about these without alarming Loen's organization.

It was then he decided to find the darker side of the city. It was his only choice as he was a lone person with no connection.

Additionally, the black market was perfect for him to find clues of hidden powers and use his 'Golden Eyes' uniqueness.

"Black market?" Gerald murmured in puzzlement. "I'm sorry sir. As I said, we are just homeless children. We don't involve ourselves with the criminal organization as it is dangerous for us."

Gerald stopped and continued, "While we might not know about its location, we heard from adults that it usually occurs underground."

"That is all I know sir."

Philip listened attentively without missing a word. 'Hmmm... Underground does not necessarily mean below the surface, it may also mean performed secretly.'

He didn't quickly assume that the black market was in the sewers. Gerald was only a child. And he might misinterpret it due to his lack of education.

However, he was still glad to know that Gerald had a clue. All he had to do was to ask the adult he heard it from.

'For them to do this without any danger, they needed support.' Philip thought.

"Do you want a job, Gerald?" Philip asked. His tone was filled with seriousness that Gerald could not help but regard it carefully.

"What job?"

"All you have to do is gather all unaffiliated homeless children and form a unified group."

Gerald's eyes widened upon hearing this. Although Philip said this expressionlessly as if it was an easy task, he knew that forming a group was hard, especially since he was only a child.

"Hehe…Stop joking, sir. You know it is impossible," Gerald tittered.

"Well, nothing is impossible with money."

Philip took a pile of bills from his coat and presented them to Gerald.

"I have the capital. Do you still think it's impossible?" Philip smirked, feeling proud of showing his wealth.