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Chapter04
The Angel of the Slums (3)
Cedric was more wary than the other children.
But time conquers all, doesn’t it?
The more time we spent together, the more his rough edges softened. Now, three years later, he seemed to genuinely care for all the kids in the house.
[Good Deed Points: 102,214]
‘I’ve saved up quite a bit.’
Finally, I had surpassed 100,000 points.
I’d bought a bunch of different skills along the way, but there was one I’d wanted most of all.
[Extra Life: 100,000p]
You may revive once upon death.
This was it.
‘An extra life is crucial.’
I tried to avoid conflict as much as possible while surviving in the slums, but let’s be honest—this life could end at any moment.
I wouldn’t be surprised if I got snatched off the street and killed in some back alley one day.
Of course, this wasn’t the only thing I wanted.
‘Pain immunity, healing, clairvoyance…’
Most of the skills needed to survive in another world could be bought from the shop.
Except for combat abilities, strangely enough. You’d think I was playing a priest-only character.
[Main Quest]
Save one billion people.
Current: 731
“There’s no progress with the main quest either.”
It hadn’t increased since three years ago.
Honestly, it couldn’t be helped.
The number of people I could save around the slums was limited.
And if someone I saved ended up dying later, the count would go down. Here in Kieto, it wasn’t unusual for stabbings to happen out of nowhere.
It’s the kind of place where you wake up and wonder who died last night. If I helped you, please just try to live a little longer.
‘Can I really complete this mission?’
If I wanted to join the hero’s party later, I had to be someone worthy of it.
But the problem was figuring out how Cedric became such a powerful figure in the underworld—just like in the comic.
Right now, at fourteen, he was still just a kid.
“…Why did I create Shadow Paradise? There was a triggering event. I don’t really want to talk about it.”
That was all he said in the comic.
The original novel had been heavily adapted and edited from the protagonist’s point of view, so side characters like Cedric had blurry backstories.
‘What was that trigger?’
What made the ordinary boy Cedric become a dark world boss in just a few years?
‘Could it have changed because of me?’
That would be bad.
If Cedric didn’t protect the protagonist in the early stages, the protagonist would die and the story would end.
I clutched my head, troubled.
‘Cedric is the type to treasure those close to him.’
Shadow Paradise.
The dark organization he founded with his childhood comrades was a group Cedric cherished like family.
That “kid” he mentioned was believed among fans to be one of Shadow Paradise’s original members.
‘So does someone have to die?’
Maybe.
Usually, what triggers a main character’s awakening is the death of someone close to them.
‘One of the kids, maybe…’
That thought made me feel heavy inside.
At first, I just thought of the kids as a source of points… but after living together, I’d unknowingly grown attached.
My eyes drifted to the status screen.
[Extra Life: 100,000p]
‘If someone has to die anyway…’
Would it be so bad if that someone were me?
And that day came far sooner than expected.
“Hello, Mr. Andrew. One loaf of bread, please.”
“Oh, Yus. Good to see you.”
I stopped by the bakery on an errand, and Andrew the shop owner greeted me with a warm smile.
“Here, take this. On the house.”
“Thank you!”
I took the apple he handed me and beamed.
This is one of the perks of maintaining a good reputation.
‘Though it helps that this part of Kieto is relatively safe.’
The slums of Kieto.
Even in this trash heap where all of society’s garbage gathers, there are different ranks.
We lived in Zone 1, which was one of the safer areas. That was already a divergence from the original story.
Originally, Cedric came from the filthiest and most broken-down Zone 4.
“Take care!”
“You too.”
I should give this apple to the kids.
I was on my way back home with a basket full of groceries when—
“…Did you hear that?”
“Yeah, I heard.”
Two men were speaking in hushed but urgent voices. I instinctively perked up my ears.
“They say the Earth Nation’s been desperate to snatch up orphan kids from Kieto lately.”
“But why kids, specifically?”
“How would I know? Probably some noble’s twisted hobby.”
The two men chuckled darkly and walked off.
I fell deep into thought.
‘Earth Nation, huh…’
In the world of In Another World, Blah Blah (title shortened), there were five major nations:
-
Earth Nation: Terra
-
Water Nation: Aqua
-
Fire Nation: Flamma
-
Air Nation: Aeral
-
Holy Nation: Aegis
‘The Earth Nation had a strong presence in the early chapters.’
It was where the reincarnated protagonist was from, and also where their first adventure began.
‘Anyway, human trafficking… I need to warn the kids.’
Trafficking was a daily occurrence in Kieto, but it never hurt to be extra careful.
I rounded the corner, basket swinging in hand.
“Kids, it’s time to ea—”
My cheerful greeting died on my lips.
‘What the hell…!’
Our house was on fire.
I froze in shock. A sobbing boy ran toward me.
“Y-Yus. What do we do? It—it happened so fast… the fire just started out of nowhere…!”
“Calm down.”
I grabbed his shoulders.
There was no time to panic.
“Are the others still inside?”
“My sister and the older kids were trying to bring the babies out…”
“Thanks, Chase.”
I gave him a reassuring smile and sprinted into the smoke-filled house.
As expected, the inside was chaos.
Some of the older kids were already fleeing outside, but the timid ones were still trembling in corners, paralyzed by fear.
“Tia, into my arms!”
I scooped one up and ran her outside. I kept going back and forth, rescuing one after another. Meanwhile, the wooden house was visibly collapsing.
‘Damn it…!’
Just as I made it out with my seven-year-old little brother, a loud crack echoed behind us.
“Is everyone out?!”
Headcount came first.
I scanned the group.
‘Forty-nine, fifty… fifty-one.’
…One short.
“Luca! Luca’s missing!”
Tia cried out. She’d always been close with Luca.
“I’ll go in.”
“What?”
“I’ll be right back. Don’t worry.”
“Wait, Yus…!”
Cedric tried to stop me, but there was no time to hesitate.
I rushed back inside.
“Ugh!”
Even with my sleeve covering my nose and mouth, the smoke made me cough violently.
“Cough, Lu—cough—Luca!”
No one on the first floor. Maybe upstairs?
I bolted up the stairs. Still no Luca.
‘Where are you?!’
My heart pounded.
Then I heard a whimper.
“Hic…”
It came from the closet.
I ran over and flung the door open.
“Luca! We have to go now!”
“Sis…!”
Luca, who’d been holding his breath, burst into tears when he saw me.
Creak.
The house groaned ominously. I quickly lifted him into my arms.
“Don’t worry. I’ll get you out, no matter what…”
My whole body burned from the heat and smoke.
Thud!
A beam crashed down just behind me as we descended the stairs.
Close. A second slower and we’d have been crushed.
But the exit was in sight now.
‘Just a little more…!’
Cool air wafted in through the open door.
Ten more steps.
That was all it would take to get out.
But, as always, luck was never on my side.
Creeeeak—!
The entrance began to collapse.
And I knew instinctively—
‘I won’t make it.’
Not if I held onto Luca.
If I dropped him and ran, maybe I could escape alone. But carrying a five-year-old, there was no way.
‘I can’t abandon him.’
That was simply not an option.
But if I tried to push through, we’d both die.
‘…No choice.’
I made my decision.
The simplest solution, the one that would lead to a happy ending—for everyone else.
“Luca, go ahead!”
I tossed him.
With my weak arms, I could only manage to roll him about a meter forward, but it was enough.
Just as Luca made it out, the doorway collapsed.
Nothing bigger than a cat could get through now.
“Yus, no!”
Cedric’s desperate cry came through the narrow gap.
And at that moment, I realized—
“…The reason you created Shadow Paradise? There was a triggering event. I don’t really want to talk about it.”
This was that trigger.
The event that transformed a simple slum boy named Cedric…
…into the ruler of the underworld.
