Chapter 11: The smell of burgers and blood

"This is pathetically weak."

"Right? I told you to raid the S-rank gate, why are you raiding the A-rank gate instead!?" Zarafel exclaimed in annoyance. The frustration stemmed from Hastora's refusal to enter the S-rank gate, which Zarafel believed was far more beneficial and challenging. He had repeatedly reminded Hastora of the potential rewards and valuable experience that could be gained from the S-rank gate, but Hastora remained steadfast in his decision.

"I told you, I can't enter the S-rank gate. The S-rank gate is heavily guarded by the Adventurer Guild Association, its security is far stronger and more organized compared to the A-rank gate. The A-rank gate, on the other hand, is only guarded by a few individuals. I can enter all the A-rank gates in this city without much difficulty," Hastora replied at length, calmly but firmly explaining his reasoning. He understood the risks involved in entering the S-rank gate and felt that his current abilities were better suited to facing the challenges of the A-rank gate.

Hastora had successfully defeated the A-rank dungeon boss. The victory, while satisfying, had also drained his energy. He decided to return home to rest. Today, counting all of them, Hastora had entered ten A-rank gates, an accomplishment that demonstrated his incredible resilience and ability, but also hinted at his deep exhaustion.

"Hastora, when will you enter the academy?" Zarafel asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice. He had long been anticipating the day when Hastora would enter the academy, hoping it would bring positive changes to Hastora's life.

"Two more days, I think. I'm already fifteen years old, which means I'm old enough to enter the academy," Hastora replied, sheathing his sword and storing it within his shadow. His movements were skillful and swift, showcasing his honed expertise in martial arts.

"Two days? That's not too long. And what will you do after entering the academy?" Zarafel asked, his curiosity growing. He wanted to know Hastora's plans after entering this new chapter of his life.

"Study, of course, you idiot. What else would I do?" Hastora replied with a flat expression, his voice devoid of emotion. Yet, behind the simplicity of his answer, there was a strong resolve to seize the opportunity to learn at the academy.

"You once said you would take action when you turned fifteen. What did you mean by that?" Zarafel asked again, recalling Hastora's earlier statement, which still puzzled him.

"I will simply act more freely, that's all," Hastora answered succinctly. His brief explanation only fueled Zarafel's curiosity.

"Ha? That's it? I thought you would do something more exciting," Zarafel responded with a hint of disappointment. He had expected something more spectacular from Hastora.

"Of course, I will do something more exciting. But for now, I need to focus on restoring my strength to its former glory," Hastora replied as he stepped out of the gate. He realized that restoring his strength was a top priority before embarking on any grand plans.

Before returning home, Hastora decided to stop by a restaurant for a quick lunch. He avoided eating at home because his mother would forbid him from leaving the house again. This was due to Hastora's habit of going out late at night every day, causing Elsia, his mother, to worry about his safety and suspect that he was involved in dangerous activities.

"Hastora! How about you eat there? My instincts tell me that place has really delicious food," Zarafel suggested, recommending a restaurant for lunch. He tried to offer advice that he thought was right for Hastora.

Hastora immediately glanced at the restaurant Zarafel recommended. The restaurant Zarafel suggested was one that served burgers and pizza. "Is that delicious food that Zarafel's instincts are talking about?" that was what was on Hastora's mind at the moment. The aroma of food wafting from the restaurant was indeed tempting to Hastora's appetite. He immediately walked towards the restaurant that Zarafel had recommended.

"Seems like you're interested in that food?" Zarafel asked with a teasing tone. 

"Shut up, you cursed entity, know your place," Hastora replied with a flat expression, but his voice sounded cold and sharp. He didn't like being interrupted when he was focused on something.

Upon arriving, he entered the restaurant. There were many people eating inside. There were several adventurers, recognizable by their gear, and people who had just returned from work. Based on their uniforms, Hastora guessed they were miners working inside the gate and casino workers. The bustling atmosphere of the restaurant and the diverse crowd painted a picture of the city's dynamic life.

Hastora didn't want to stand at the door for long, he decided to sit down immediately and order his food. He wanted to enjoy the food that had caught his attention as soon as possible.

"This place is pretty crowded," Hastora said as he waited for the person in charge of taking orders. He surveyed his surroundings, observing the interactions of the patrons and the overall atmosphere of the restaurant.

Soon, a brown-haired woman walked towards Hastora. From her appearance, she seemed like the waitress in charge of taking orders.

"Excuse me, sir, what would you like to order?" she asked, holding a notepad and pen to take down the order. She was polite and professional in serving the customers.

"I'll just have a burger," Hastora replied with a flat and cold expression. His flat expression, which seemed cold and mysterious, made the waitress blush. She was captivated by Hastora's handsome features.

Hastora, who was now far more handsome than when he was a child. His face, which always displayed a flat and cold expression, coupled with his beautiful, fiery red eyes, made him look incredibly mysterious and attractive. It was no wonder that many women were captivated by him.

Seeing that the waitress was just standing there silently, Hastora called out to her. He felt that there was something strange about every woman he encountered besides Elsia and Sera. They always stammered in their speech and always displayed strange behavior. This made Hastora curious and slightly confused.

The waitress snapped out of her trance when Hastora called out to her. She wrote down his order and immediately returned with a blushing face. She felt nervous and awkward because of Hastora's attention.

"You're so weird," Hastora said coldly as he stared at the waitress. He felt a little annoyed by her exaggerated reaction.

"You're always so insensitive, try to be more aware of the situation like that next time," Zarafel said, intending to make Hastora more sensitive to other people's feelings. He tried to give Hastora some advice.

"Whatever," Hastora replied curtly, without showing any change in expression.

After waiting for a while, Hastora's order finally arrived. He was carrying a burger with double meat.

"Here's your order, sir," said the waitress who was in charge of bringing the order, placing the burger on the dining table. She once again displayed professionalism in her work.

"Yes," Hastora replied briefly.

After delivering the order, the waitress returned to deliver orders to other customers. Hastora took the burger that was on the table and started to devour it.

"This is pretty good," Hastora said, offering a slight compliment to the food. He acknowledged that the burger had a decent flavor.

As he was happily enjoying his meal, suddenly a voice could be heard shouting at the front door.

"Hey! I ordered two jumbo burgers and one pizza! Get my order ready, you jerk!" the man shouted while ordering his food in a rude and arrogant tone.

When the man entered, it was noticeable that all the customers in the restaurant felt a little scared and annoyed. The atmosphere of the restaurant, which had been peaceful, suddenly became tense due to the man's presence. Hastora felt that the man must have been a slightly famous thug because of his arrogant and rude behavior.

The man scanned his surroundings while chuckling to himself at the customers. He found it amusing to see them scared and annoyed. He enjoyed the fear he instilled in others.

"All of you! What's your problem with looking at me like that? Are you looking for a fight!?" the man shouted, pointing at all the customers. He became even more outrageous with his arrogant attitude.

Despite being challenged, not a single person dared to confront him. They all seemed to prefer to remain silent rather than deal with him. They chose to avoid conflict with the man.

"Looks like there's a little ant here," Hastora said to himself as he stared coldly at the man. He considered the man a trivial threat.

As the man was observing everyone, he saw Hastora staring at him coldly. He chuckled and immediately walked towards Hastora.

"Just kill him," Zarafel said with a tone that seemed to belittle the man. He considered the man unworthy of being taken seriously.

The man reached Hastora's table and immediately kicked his dining table while grinning maliciously.

"What are you looking at, you jerk?" the man said with a sinister smile. He challenged Hastora with a provocative attitude.

Apparently, Hastora wanted to bully the man a little, he was feeling a little bored. He quickly finished his meal and kicked the man hard. His kick was incredibly fast and accurate, hitting its target precisely. The man was thrown far back, crashing through the wall. The wall instantly collapsed due to the force of his powerful kick.

"You're too noisy, you jerk," Hastora said as he walked towards the man. His voice was cold and emotionless.

The man was in pain and annoyed with Hastora. He bit his lip to hold back his pain and anger.

"You jerk! You don't know who I am?" the man shouted angrily. He tried to intimidate Hastora by mentioning his status.

"I don't need to know who you are, I can easily kill a weakling like you here if I want to," Hastora replied calmly but with a threat.

"You'll be killed—" the man hadn't even finished speaking when Hastora moved quickly towards him and immediately stabbed him with his sword. His movements were incredibly fast and precise, so the man didn't have time to react. According to Hastora, the man looked so disgusting and ruined the scenery.

Everyone who saw this was not surprised or scared, they actually cheered with joy.

"Hooray, he's dead! HAHAHA, feel that, you jerk!" everyone shouted with enthusiasm. Their unexpected reaction surprised Hastora and Zarafel.

"Their reaction doesn't match what I thought, I thought they would be scared," Zarafel said with a hint of pleasure. He was amused by the reaction of the restaurant patrons.

Hastora didn't want to stay here any longer. He sheathed his sword and stored it back in his shadow. He put both arms in his pockets and headed back home.

"I thought they would be scared," Hastora said as he walked home. He was still surprised by the reaction of the restaurant patrons.

"I thought so too," Zarafel said with a little excitement. He was also surprised by the reaction.

Hastora walked home towards his house through the city park. He took a few breaths of fresh air there with his eyes closed. The air there was much fresher compared to the restaurant earlier.

"I'm going to sleep straight through until morning," Hastora said flatly. He felt very tired after the incident at the restaurant.

"Eh? It's still 1:20 PM, why are you sleeping now? You should sleep at night," Zarafel said with a little curiosity. He was curious why Hastora was sleeping so early today.

"I just want to sleep longer," Hastora replied briefly.

...

...

After walking for 15 minutes, he arrived at his house. Hastora entered the mansion and immediately headed towards his room. Before heading to his room, he told his mother not to wake him up.

"Mom, don't wake me up tonight for dinner, I already ate at the restaurant earlier and now I want to rest longer. I'll wake up tomorrow morning," Hastora told his mother.

"Eh? It's still afternoon, you know? Why are you sleeping now?" his mother asked curiously. She was surprised by Hastora's decision to sleep in the afternoon.

"I'm tired," Hastora replied briefly as he walked towards his room.

...

"I'm going to restore all the energy I used earlier," he said as he moved to his bed.

"How?" Zarafel asked curiously.

"Of course, sleep," Hastora replied.

After all the long activities today, he closed his eyes and immediately fell asleep like a bear in hibernation.