Rama gritted his teeth. His expression suddenly became stiff and cold. One of his hands, the one not holding the burger, clenched at his side. Suddenly, the once delicious burger tasted bland.
Donovan and Alexa stared at him with expressions of surprise and confusion. Donovan furrowed his brow tightly.
"How the heck are you still alive?" Donovan walked closer, releasing Alexa's grip on his arm to approach Rama. "And you look a little bit better."
"Do you not feel the need to apologize to me? Not that I think it matters, though," Rama replied with a flat tone.
Donovan snorted. He felt a twinge of anxiety. This porter was the first person he sacrificed at the Holy Tomb. He should have died there, so no one would say anything about what happened in that place.
Another Hunter who had also enjoyed the treasures from the Holy Tomb would surely keep their lips sealed about what happened there, so Donovan could feel rest assured. However, this porter was a survivor who somehow lived. Donovan could also recognize the look of resentment on his face and in his eyes.
Donovan snorted. Rama's words infuriated him. "Sorry? You did that for the greater good. You should be grateful and stay dead in there."
Alysia, observing their interaction from the side, furrowed her brow in surprise. But for now, she decided to stay silent and watch. At least, for now, she knew that something had transpired between them.
"The greater good?" Rama said through gritted teeth. "Wasn't it just so you could get your treasure in there?"
"Yeah," Donovan pushed Rama's chest with his index finger. "You should have been willing to sacrifice for someone like me. A peasant like you who can only scrape for scraps from me should have been willing to be a sacrifice so I could get that treasure. It's only natural, right?"
Rama had prepared to throw a punch at Donovan, but Alysia did it first.
A fist landed on Donovan's face, causing him to stumble back several steps. Donovan held his cheek and then turned with angry, burning eyes to Alysia.
"You, bitch-"
"Donovan!" Alexa grabbed his arm from behind, stopping Donovan in his tracks.
"WHAT?!" Donovan snapped.
Alexa then whispered something to Donovan. After hearing it, Donovan shot a glance at Alysia. He gritted his teeth hard, holding back his boiling anger.
"You're lucky this time," Donovan said to Rama. "But not for long."
Rama remained silent, frozen by anger. In truth, he felt relieved because Alysia had acted first and somehow made Donovan reconsider his actions. Rama wasn't sure if he could win against Donovan with his current strength.
As Rama was pulled away, he maintained a stern expression, gritting his teeth. He had forgotten about the burger in his hand.
"That was close," Alysia said. "You guys almost caused a scene in the middle of the city, you know?"
Rama remained silent.
"Hunters who fight within the city walls can face severe punishment. I assume you're aware of that."
Rama looked at her. "Thanks for earlier." After saying that, Rama walked away quickly, leaving her behind.
"Wait!" Alysia chased after him. "Did he do something to you?"
"You should be able to tell," Rama replied simply.
"I can guess a few things. He is Donovan Cross, after all. He's famous for being a jerk."
"A jerk?" Rama turned to look at her. "He forced me to be a sacrificial lamb and left me to die there so he could take the treasure! He's not just a jerk. He's a damn psychopath, and I'll make him pay."
Alysia looked into Rama's eyes and could clearly see the rage within them, like cold fire burning in a void.
Rama walked away from Alysia without saying anything more. This time, Alysia didn't chase after him but followed him to the building where his basement was located.
After finding out where Rama lived, Alysia turned and left.
She had gained some useful information today. Besides discovering where Rama lived, she also learned that Donovan Cross, the youngest son of the Cross family, had done something terrible. And once again, he seemed to be getting away with it because he came from an influential Hunter family.
However, wasn't she also from an influential Hunter family? Even though she was adopted.
~~~
Rama slammed his basement door and leaned against the wall, angrily eating the remnants of his burger.
"That bastard Donovan. I swear I'll make him pay!"
After finishing his burger, Rama moved on to the second one. His mind was calmer now, allowing him to think a bit more clearly.
What he needed to do now was to increase his strength. He had to regularly train his body with that Side Quest and then head back to the Holy Tomb Dyre to quickly gain XP.
But then, Rama remembered how Alysia had stopped Donovan earlier. She didn't seem afraid of Donovan, even with Alexa present. And she had punched him hard.
"Argh, whatever." Rama clicked his tongue, deciding not to dwell on it, then changed his clothes and resumed his physical training.
~~~