Chapter 19: CH 18 – Karma City

**Sorry for the delayed chapter. To make up for the missed chapters, three more chapters will be released this week.

"So the Special Warp Gates warps you to a normal Warp Gate huh? But the opposite is not possible. Or maybe it's not allowed?"

Master, why did you pay ten times the ticket fee?

"Ten times? When did I?"

You paid 1,000,000 amilots when the fee was only 100,000 amilots.

"What!?"

Axel Blaze didn't have time to get shocked as he was shoved around by a crowd of people gathered to use the Warp Gate.

Surprisingly, he is the only one in this condition while no one else is getting their feet stamped on by the crowd like him.

Somehow escaping the crowd, Axel Blaze paid ten times the toll tax before buying a map from a peddler with ten times the price.

...

This fort city in the border of Human Continent only has 1% of area compared to the Capital City Rime but Axel Blaze never expected the Karma City to be more crowded than the luxurious Capital City— Rather than crowded it is better to call this city overcrowded.

There is hardly any space to walk freely in the market and Axel Blaze is astonished to find himself being pushed around by people here as well. And surprisingly again, he is the only one being manhandled.

I think it's the effect of the Misfortune curse, Master.

That makes sense.

Paying ten times for everything without realizing it and being the only one rushed by the crowd wherever he went cannot be a mere coincidence.

Are the Murder Guild men following us?

I did sense them in the Warp Gate area but after Master entered the market I cannot sense them.

Axel Blaze slightly nodded, That just means they are not within 500 meters radius. Stay vigilant.

Yes Master.

...

In the darkness of the night, the destination was decided and the course was set. Losing his presumably pursuers successfully, Axel Blaze took residence in a dilapidated house in the slum area.

He paid the owner handsomely and shooed him away for two weeks— The time Ruby predicts the Wanted Tag and Misfortune curse to last for.

Axel Blaze has bought enough food to last two weeks. He plans to spend the two weeks in isolation.

His thoughts?

No Misfortune can harm you if you don't move from a place.

This may have been a stupid decision given that he was still marked by the Demon God Amon but the Murder Guild members seem to have a different plan.

They are planning to catch Axel Blaze's partners. Or to say, the other members of his organization.

Axel Blaze has already predicted this given the leader's character. That guy cannot be satisfied with Axel Blaze's life alone after being humiliated like that.

His prediction was confirmed to be true when Ruby notified him of their position to be fixed at a certain building in the vicinity for two continuous days.

Now Axel Blaze can spend the rest of 12 days without any worry of getting killed in his sleep.

...

Other uncertain misfortunes also seem to stay away from Axel Blaze as the whole city is busy with something else—

Monster Stampedes!

Continued monster stampedes have been occuring in the Meru Forest since the past few weeks. Or to be more specific, since the blackout day. The day Axel Blaze got hold of the Card Binder.

The constant attack of monsters trying to trespass into the Human Continent have gathered hundreds of adventurers in Karma City.

Everyday is chaos outside the city gates with people trying to gain achievements and valuables by mass hunting monsters.

...

The last blackout brought a mysterious gate in the Human Continent and thanks to it, the humans gained a new force making the other three races feel perturbed.

That's why after this recent blackout phenomenon, all the three races are anxious to investigate and make sure no more miracles happen for the Human Race.

Small skirmishes have been going on in the north and south borders of the Human Continent against the Monster Race and Demihuman Race respectively.

The hidden Demon God followers are all out, executing various missions while investigating the three— Human, Monster and Demihuman continents.

...

Two weeks later, in the morning, Axel Blaze stood up in the corner of the dilapidated house with his bones popping from lack of exercise.

"I cannot even carry fresh clothes with me after losing the almighty inventory. Isn't there any way to make the inventory in the Card Binder work similar to the past inventory?"

Sorry Master, Ruby has no clue.

Axel Blaze sighed and donned the armor set lying beside him before walking out of the house.

...

"I am a porter, here is my ID card."

The female receptionist of the Commerce Guild held the card—

"Yes, I have confirmed it, Mister Axel, how may I help you?"

"Is there any work available for a porter?"

"Definitely! It seems you have just arrived here and don't know about the current condition here— With the repeated monster attacks, any sort of manpower is in high demand right now. Also, the rewards are two times higher than normal."

"Can you elaborate?"

"That... Sorry Mister, but you have to look for information somewhere else. As you can see, the guild is quite busy."

She pointed at the long line on all the counters.

Axel Blaze nodded, "I understand. Can you please tell me about the best source of information in Karma City?— Ah, please mark it on this map."

Next he leaned forward and whispered, "Here's some tip."

Axel Blaze tipped her 100,000 amilots which was enough to get the location of a secret informant.

That's my scapegoat. Hehe.

With an evil smirk on his face Axel Blaze walked to the location followed by the three Murder Guild members.

After few hours, the Murder Guild's target changed to the secret informant.

...

After confirming that the men are not following him anymore, Axel Blaze took a breath of relief.

"Now's our chance. We have to do something about this mark from Demon God."

The only way to remove a mark from god is to seek the help of another god.

With the hope to find a High Grade above holy Job holder, Axel Blaze ambled towards the Temple of Hygieia. The goddess of healing, cleanliness and hygiene.

As he was walking on the road, for the first time in weeks, a notification window popped up in front of his face—

[Congratulations! You have unlocked the hidden personality trait, Smart!]

Oi Ruby.

Hahaha, didn't the Master want pop-up windows for quick notifications?

I do want them but not fake ones.

Ah, how do you know it's fake?

Because I am smart?— Now stop being naughty and stay behind this tree till I am back from the temple. The distance is 500 meters from the temple, take care of the payment window.

Ok Master.

...

"I will fuck Hygieia one day. Fucking bitch! What do you need so much money for? You are a god, damn it!"

Master, I don't think it's good to cuss a god so openly. You may get cursed again.

"Curse? I fucking paid 5 billion amilots to remove a single mark! If she dares to curse me for relieving my anger, I will fucking burn all her temples!"

"Aarrgghh... Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!— More than half of my wealth is gone. Motherfucker! It's not a donation but a robbery!"

He ground his teeth in hatred, "Now I want to kill those Murder Guild bastards."

Fuming with anger, Axel Blaze left the Temple of Hygieia and went monster hunting.

...

According to the information he has gathered, it's safer outside the city than inside.

Along with adventurers, the city is also filled with criminals like the Murderer Guild members. There are cases of murders filed almost everyday.

Popular or insignificant, people are dying a dog's death.

With the outskirts of the city swarming with monsters, everyone's account is fat. Of course there will be people looking for easy ways to earn money by murder or by threat.

Criminals don't care about Wanted Tag as they don't stay in one place anyways. Kill and run.

…

The stench of blood is so strong outside the city, it is hard to breathe. Though the corpse disappears after dismantling, the spilled blood still remains. And with the uncountable number of monsters and people being butchered, the grass and trees have all been painted in red..

...

The four continents are said to be arranged in a ring manner. 

The Human Continent in the east is connected by land to the Demihuman Continent in the south. A continuous high wall has been erected to separate the two continents.

The Monster Continent in the north is connected to the Human Continent by a long path of land on the sea. The path is a three kilometers wide range of forest. The Border City Karma is a fort city built perfectly to block the three kilometers wide path connecting to the Human Continent.

The Demihuman Continent and Monster Continent are separated from the Demon Continent in the north by a large area of sea water.

...

Roaring and screeching sounds echoed as monsters and humans are being killed like chickens.

Repetitive 'Dismantle' commands could be heard from everywhere.

In some places humans are hunting humans over the loot.

The whole place is in chaos. And among this chaos Axel Blaze is also hunting monsters while dismantling them into cards. He also took the chance to pocket other people's harvest.

Well, everyone is doing this and Axel Blaze is no longer a saint.

...

The forest on the 3 kilometers wide path is called Meru Forest. The forest surrounding Karma City is called Meru Forest. And the forest covering the entire north circumference of the Human Continent is called Meru Forest.

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No doubt, this is the largest forest in the Human Continent.

...

It's hard to forget one's birth place, especially if you have spent all of your childhood there.

After continuously hunting monsters for a month, a level 29 Axel Blaze found himself in the premises of Meri Town, early in the morning.

The town which used to be surrounded by large walls is now in ruins with no surrounding walls and almost no intact buildings.

Axel Blaze couldn't help but get emotional from the sight.

...

"Who are you?"

The two gatekeepers who always bullied Axel Blaze couldn't recognise him.

Axel Blaze's face and skin texture have changed significantly after going through a mysterious process during the blackout. He is still 5'11" but his skin is fairer than before  and his average looks have changed to that of a smart and handsome man.

Holding back his emotion, Axel Blaze asked—

"Are there any food stalls available here?"

One the gatekeepers snorted, "Are you blind or stupid? Can't you see the state of the town? Still dreaming of having a happy meal here?— Idiot!"

...

Axel Blaze sighed, Too much for being emotional. These guys are still rude as fuck!

After spitting his anger on the side, Axel Blaze walked along the fallen walls towards north-west where the smithy was used to be.

The two gatekeepers showed irritation but they didn't stop Axel Blaze, rather they used Inspect on him from behind.

Name : Axel Blaze

Level : 29

While Ruby notified Axel Blaze about Inspect, the two gatekeepers have turned to stones with their mouths agape.

One of them stuttered after a while—

"A-A-Axel B-B-Blaze? L-Level Twe-Twe-Twenty-nine?"

The other one also muttered 'Holy Shit!' in disbelief.

Then they both looked at each other with a question mark on their faces.

...

Reaching the north-western corner, Axel Blaze found rubbles of buildings which didn't look like the former smithy. It seems, the smithy building was destroyed and replaced by some house.

Axel Blaze was just looking for some memories but well, since it's not here, it cannot be helped.

Given the nature of the Lord of the Town, Lady Greta, this was bound to happen. She despises Demihumans. She wouldn't like to have anything related to Demihumans inside her town.

Shaking his head in dejection, Axel Blaze strolled where his shack used to be.

In his way he came across multiple injured people with severed arms or legs and some suffering from high fever.

The town is in its worst state but the important people are nowhere to be seen.

...

Surprisingly the two gatekeepers are waiting in the place where his shack used to be. Now there stands a small shop.

"Are you really Axel Blaze?" One of the men frowned.

Axel Blaze smiled, "You already used Inspect on me, then why ask?"

"It's not weird to have two people with the same names. Also..." The man scrutinized Axel Blaze from top to bottom, suggesting his looks have changed.

Axel Blaze didn't mind and went on to clear some doubts.

"Where is the Lord?"

The other man answered, "All the healthy survivors have moved to Sol Town and the injured will be moved by tomorrow. What are you doing here?"

"Just felt like visiting my hometown." Axel Blaze responded nonchalantly.

"Bullshit! You expect us to believe that?"

The other gatekeeper humphed, "Don't you see, Karl. His level is 29 now. He must be an adventurer."

Karl sneered, "Adventurer my arse. He must have leeched off of some party to raise his levels. You forgot? He has a Non-Combat Class!"

The other man rubbed his chin, "That sounds more reasonable. There's no way a Non-Combat Class can work as an adventurer. He must be mooching off of some rich woman."

"Or man." Karl added.

The other man denied, "No. Woman. Don't you see his face? I can guarantee it's the effect of an item. And who do you think would like to keep a man with a handsome face?" He raised his right brow towards Karl.

Karl clapped his hands, "Ah, so that's how it is." He nodded.

"But doesn't that make him a gigolo? Did he finally hit the jackpot after failing to score any girls in our town all his life? The event with Luna was really heartbreaking." He shook his head in sympathy.

The other man reacted as if he is enlightened—

"Ah, if I knew it I would have also got hurt by a woman and left the town to find a sugar mommy with my sad story. Damn it! I missed my chance."

Karl patted his back, "Don't worry. We are leaving the town tomorrow. The chance is still there."

"Oh, that's right. I totally forgot— Hehe, now we can also become more handsome with items."

"Pfft... Hahaha..." Both of them broke into laughter.

On the other side Axel Blaze also smiled.

Old habits are hard to die and these two men still take Axel Blaze for an easy to bully kid.

...

Ruby, their levels?

25 and 25, Master. And both of them have Warrior Classes with Swordsman and Spearman Jobs.

Hmm... In the past they struggled to fight against level 7 monsters but now they are both level 25 with mid grade jobs?

Axel Blaze looked around.

I guess, the current monster stampede helped a lot with their growth. Since Grandpa Oberon and party isn't here anymore, these two mist had to fight on the frontlines.

...

The two paused for a moment when they felt the Inspect on them but after a second they continued laughing and were still going at it.

"Months have passed but you two still love mocking me huh? Is it that fun?"

The duo stopped laughing and wiped their tears.

Karl nodded, "Fun! Very fun! Right, York?"

York nodded back, "Right. Very fun!"

"I see. Well it's indeed fun to mock a porter. By the way, are there no monster stampedes here?"

Karl shook his head, "No. There are only one or two monster attacks from time to time because of the stench of blood but that's all."

As he spoke, York nudged from the side, "See, a porter. He carries a lady's shopping bags. I was right!"

"Pfft..." They started laughing again.

Axel Blaze sighed and murmured in an audible voice—

"I thought I could gather some Experience Points here but it seems impossible now."

"Experience Points?" Karl looked here and there behind Axel Blaze.

"Hey York, do you see any beautiful lady around?"

York shook his head, "No."

"Then does he want to hunt monsters alone?"

York shrugged, "Maybe."

"Pffft..." They broke into laughter again while Axel Blaze observed them with a smile on his face.

...

After a long while, the duo stopped laughing and the patient Axel Blaze got into action.

In front of the confused eyes of the two gatekeepers, Axel Blaze opened the Card Binder and went through the pages picking out some cards and activating them.

He used Improve Strength, Strong Leg and Strong Arms on himself while using Sharp Edge and Harden on the sword hanging on his waist. All Common Rank skills with minimal but discernible effect.

After that he pulled out the sword and rubbed its blade with his fingers.

Next his body blinked as 4 lower arms fell on the ground splattering blood.

"Aaahhhh!!" Two cries echoed throughout the town waking any sleeping person and giving headache to the injured. Also, scaring them to the bone.

Axel Blaze spat, "You saw my level and still act like a scum. You think I am a pushover?"

Both the men stared at Axel Blaze with round eyes filled with tears.

Karl groaned in pain—

"How? Why? You have a Non-Combat Class, even with that level you shouldn't be able to move like that. Is it some item?"

York breathed through his clenched teeth—

"That weird book. What item is that? Don't tell me… To let a Non-Combat class have such fluid movements and high strength… An Epic Grade item or a Legendary Grade item?"

"Legendary Grade item!?" Karl forgot about his pain as he gawked at the Card Binder with greed. His contorted face, drooling mouth, snotty nose and his teary eyes along with his puckered eyebrows gave him such a hideous look that it even made Axel Blaze take a step back.

…

Axel Blaze slashed the sword in the air getting rid of the stuck blood before walking away leaving a single word behind.

"Idiots."

"Hey! Where are you leaving? You motherfucker! Heal us first. Drop some high grade healing potions. Hey!"

Axel Blaze turned a deaf ear as he disappeared out of the town.

...

Around evening an unexpected monster stampede of level 15 and below monsters occurred in the Meri Town killing all the survivors along with the two level 25 gatekeepers who couldn't fight after losing their arms.

...

"Hmm... No Wanted Tag. It went as expected."

A voice sneered from the inner edge of the forest near Meri Town as a figure dashed towards east. Back to Karma City.

There are only under level 20 monsters present in the chain of Meru Forest. To increase his level further, Axel Blaze has to fight higher level monsters present in the depths of 3 kilometers wide pathway.

His next destination is the Monster Continent.

If possible.

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