Kidnap

Was it a cowardly move? Without a single doubt in his mind, it was. But was it logical? Absolutely. 

Either way, whether it was cowardly or not, it couldn't be denied that he had in the end survived to tell the tale. 

Even if he had managed to defeat the mob boss, he'd have to deal with his underlings and the guards who'd also been on his tail. 

If you defeat the young master, the elder comes, if you defeat the elder then comes the ancestor. It simply wasn't worth that much trouble when he could just run. 

Though Vega tried his best to rationalize his actions, he couldn't deny the humiliation he had felt from the occurrence. 

What he needed more than ever was to steadily train his skills, which he massively lacked in comparison to the majority of other earthlings. 

Now that he was inside the depths of the forest, though, he could at least sigh a breath of relief at the fact he wasn't being chased anymore. 

He was hiding inside the foliage of a large tree, preparing to spend the night there. 

Having finally caught his breath, he looked at the countless notifications flooding his interface. 

[Vega: Mb, for not responding, I got chased by like a bunch of random people, dude. 

LM: You got me worried, man. I'm assuming you're safe. 

Vega: For now, yeah. I'm hiding in the forest, lol. 

LM: The viridian forest?? You gotta get tf out of there fast. 

Vega: Why, what's up? If it's the monsters, I can outrun them. 

LM: Tf you mean you can outrun them?? Your dexterity would at least have to have crossed the 2nd tier. 

Vega: That's 50+ stats, right?

LM: Yeah

Vega: Yeah 

LM: You're fucking with me? 

Vega: Nah.] 

After a lengthy talk, Vega managed to secure a deal with Hans to get him an uncommon spear and some other basic supplies in the morning. 

Having dealt with that issue, he slouched against the sturdy tree trunk. Despite being in another world, the viridian forest looked nothing different from a regular oak forest. 

In the pitch-darkness, Vega opened his inventory and equipped his jacket. Though only common in rank, it was undeniable just how much it helped regulate his body temperature against the cold spring night. 

Back on earth, when he went camping in the national parks, he always used a tent and a camping bag to spend the night. It was a luxury he wished he could have now. 

Thinking about his next move, he looked at the second chain quest he had unlocked. It was through sheer coincidence that he had completed the first quest. 

Without completing that quest, he wouldn't have been able to escape, so in a way he owed Lily for stealing his gold coin. 

Plus, the second chain quest directly told him to protect the children. He didn't know who the other children were, but considering the first quest rewarded 10 levels, he couldn't imagine what the other rewards would include. 

It was then that a notification dinged inside his mind. 

[You've received a message from Aurelius!] 

[Would you like to accept? Y/N] 

[Aurelius: Go back for the kids. If you don't escape with them before dawn, you won't be able to complete your second chain quest. 

Aurelius: You don't have much time left, Vega, Kiran.] 

With those 2 vague sentences, the previous top ranker left Vega's DMs. He didn't respond to any other question he asked, nor did he even clarify what he meant. 

He came, he informed, and he left. In all honesty, what a rude guy. But part of Vega's suspicions had been confirmed, the guy definitely knew more than he was letting on.

It took a bit of consideration, but he decided to take his advice. God knows how he knew about his quest, but the guy was an enigma in himself. 

Looking towards the high moon, Vega shivered at its golden glow. The night sky showed constellations of stars that he'd never seen before. 

Having slept outside for the better part of a year on Earth, he had gotten quite used to the starry night, even being able to point out the countless constellations when they appeared. 

These, however, were dimmer, though still bright; they were incomparable to ones back home. 

Despite that, he began running back towards the town of Cleargate. It was quite ironic that, despite having just narrowly escaped, he was making his way back. 

In all honesty, he was banking on the fact that nobody would expect someone to return to safely enter and exit. 

Fast forwarding by a few minutes, he had reached the border of Cleargate's slums. Unexpectedly, there had actually been some people on the lookout. 

Unlike before, they didn't immediately chase after him but instead seemed to run somewhere to report his appearance. 

His stupid reasoning had in the end been stupid after all. He didn't have the time to lament about his decision, though, as time was of the essence. 

Though the houses in the slums were all relatively similar, he was actually able to remember the location of the house he needed to find. 

It took only a minute upon entering Cleargate that he stumbled upon the right house. 

This time, though, instead of barging in without any manners, he decided to at least have the courtesy to knock. 

A few seconds passed by with no response before Vega decided to barge in. Even though he would've rather waited, now wasn't the time. 

***

Even though Will had only awoken, he didn't allow himself to have a single moment's rest. 

Despite his sister's persistent cries to stay in bed, he knew the fate that would befall them if they stayed idle. 

While still under the cover of night, they needed to escape from Cleargate and meet up with Vega. 

It was only once they reached him that he would be able to rest. But his plans were cut too short as a loud knock reverberated from the door. 

Will's heart started beating rapidly, as no one should've knocked on that door till the next morning. 

It had only been a few minutes since he had arrived back in the past, so just what could have accelerated their fate? 

Though still weak, he began channeling the Regal Star technique throughout his whole body. 

On a backwater planet such as Livian, if he had been able to cultivate for even just a month, he would've dominated the planet as a whole. 

But reality was cruel, for despite giving him a second chance, he was still risking his life just to live another day. 

At the exact moment, the door began to creak open, Will prepared to kill the enemy in one fell swoop. 

But in that split moment when he saw the other person's face, he canceled his attack despite the repercussions. 

***

Having just opened the door, Vega came to witness a young teen ready to strike towards him. 

Completely oblivious to the fact he might have gotten attacked while barging in, he was unprepared for what would've happened next. 

The pale boy, who had been glowing with a golden glimmer, stopped in his tracks as blood seeped out of his orifice. 

In the next moment, he fell to the ground, unconscious for whatever reason. 

It was also then that the innocent Lily rushed into the house, having come back from saying goodbye. 

"Alright, wait, I know this looks kinda bad." Vega clarified. 

Without a single word, she charged towards Vega. Instead of simply dodging or letting her hit him, he instead scooped her up onto his shoulder. 

Doing the same to the knocked-out kid on the floor, he proceeded to run back to the viridian forest while Lily began screaming bloody murder. 

In all honesty, it looked bad, and he wasn't quite sure how he'd even explain why he kidnapped two children from the slums. 

For now, though, all he needed was to get out of Cleargate. He only hoped the kids would understand later…