"What a fucked city…."
As I made my down the dirt hill I had just traversed up, I suddenly ran into a group of what looked to be adventurers picking some herbs from the lush ground.
Just past the hill, where the slums were, were tons of trees and lush vegetation that really brightened up the old and dusty slums just past the tree line.
But, on the side where I came from, where the river is, an expansive, flat, and just stone landscape seemingly stretched for miles.
"Wait, I'm naked… I shouldn't interact with them," I muttered to myself before quickly rolling behind a tree and stalking the adventurers.
There were two women, one being an archer and the other being a proficient priest that seemed pretty good with healing magic.
Then there were three men, two being swordsmen and one who looked like a tank despite not even having a shield out.
He was built like a brick shit house, and if he wanted to, he could probably toss me across this entire forest.
"Maybe I should just take their clothes. They probably aren't from the slums judging from their expensive and high-quality-looking armor, so even if I do go up to them, they'll probably just think I'm a beggar,"
Life is truly hard for poor people like me.
As I stalked the group, I noticed they traversed up the same dirt hill I had come from, and just as they reached the peak, they sprinted down the hill.
I was just barely able to see them create a staircase of stone that ejected from the border lining the lowered river.
All the tank had to do was stomp on the ground in order to create the staircase, and as they walked down towards the river, they suddenly disappeared.
"Yeah… I'm not following them," I muttered before sprinting back down the hill to the forest, where I then maneuvered through the trees.
My throat was parched, but I wasn't dumb enough to actually try and sip some of the water from that raging river.
My lips would be ripped straight off my face if I stuck them even a centimeter in.
After a few hours of walking through the forest, which was a bit longer than I had expected, I reached the outskirts of the slums.
The first thing I noticed, though, was just above the horizon line of these short and dilapidated houses was the massive cyberpunk city with towering skyscrapers.
Even the clouds didn't stand a chance as they were pierced by some of the tallest buildings.
"*sigh*... Alright. At least the air here is much better," I muttered as I scanned the small buildings.
First of all, I needed clothes asap, so my best bet was to mug somebody and wrap their clothes around my body to create a cloak.
So, after waiting a few hours in the shade of the thin canopy above me, I slipped into one of the very few dark alleyways and waited for a victim to pass by.
The night was quickly approaching, meaning everything would eventually work in my favor, so I staked it out and made sure nobody caught sight of me.
"*cough* *cough* *cough*... But this place sure is dusty," I muttered.
…
Another few hours passed, and it was finally nighttime.
Thankfully, there were no street lights, so my first victim, who was a weak and malnourished man, was easy to take down without being seen.
Fwip
First, I stuck out my leg and tripped him before dragging him into my alleyway, where I pressed my fingers into his thin neck.
He was so weak that even his scratches barely did anything, meaning I didn't even have to waste any of my mana on a guy like this.
I felt kind of bad killing somebody who was struggling to survive… but if he was going to die anyway, why not just get it over with now?
"Okay… Let's use this and tie this here… do this here… and… done," I muttered after patting my beautiful work of art that I had wrapped around my body.
His baggy long sleeve shirt was way too big for me, so I tore pieces of it up and turned it into a long cloak so I didn't need to do anything for pants.
"Urk… *cough* *cough* *cough* *cough*,"
Suddenly, my throat felt like it was on fire, and my thirst was so bad that my mind almost slipped away from me.
I almost ended up drinking the blood of this guy right next to me.
"Hah… Dammit, I need water… Water… Water,"
Slowly, I made my way out of the dark alleyway and into the pretty barren street, which was just bustling with activity earlier.
"Shit… I'm actually going to… Actually going to faint,"
My mind continued to slip through my fingers like water, and eventually, my consciousness left me to die on the street.
…
"*gasp*... HUFF HUFF HUFF HUFF HUFF,"
My breathing was sporadic, and when I went to go grip my throat, I didn't feel any of its parchedness and dryness that was practically eating away at me previously.
As I took a look at my surroundings, I noticed I was lying on a bed, fully clothed, and I could even smell a slight scent of body wash lingering from my body.
Even my dirt-caked hair was clean and untangled.
Creeeeeek
Suddenly, the door to the small wooden room opened, and I hid under the bed, weary of the woman who had come into the room with a knife.
"Huh? Boy? Where did you go?" She muttered as she looked around the room with the same kitchen knife in hand.
My breathing was heavy, and I was sweating bullets.
"Hmm? Did he go to use the bathroom?" She muttered once again before taking an apple out of her pocket and then cutting it into small slices.
Who is this woman? Where am I? How did I get here? And… how am I still alive?