Jin massaged his forehead, his lips pressed into a thin line.
'I should've left him back there.'
For the past ten minutes, John pestered him incessantly. The questions he asked did not correlate with each other. At first, Jin thought that he just wanted to make small talk. However, answering one question led to two others, then to three, and so on. At some point, he forgot why he had even bothered saving the guy.
"Hold on—Isn't that the Hope guild's uniform?! How did you obtain it? Don't tell me, did you steal it from a dead body? I know I shouldn't judge, but that's a new low, even for you, buddy."
John's enthusiastic tone was unbearable.
Jin looked at his 'friend', the corner of his lips trembled faintly as he spoke.
"No, I did not loot a dead person. Yes, you aren't in a position to judge anyone. And I just told you a minute ago that I joined the Hope guild."
John's mouth formed a silent "O".
Seeing him fall silent for a moment, Jin let out a sigh. It was nice to have a little peace, even though he had been resting for almost a week. John seemed to be occupied by his own thoughts, rubbing his chin as he mumbled something under his breath.
Jin's jaw ticked.
"You still haven't told me what happened back there."
John raised a brow, his mind occupied by some other thought. Then his expression fell.
"It's just — I borrowed some money from the guy a month ago. I couldn't pay him back, so he forced me to work for him until I could pay him back. Of course, he never intended to let me go if I agreed."
Jin raised a brow.
"Weren't you working for the fight club place?"
John shook his head.
"After your… match with Allen, things went sideways real quick. The reason the entertainment district never had any trouble was because of the club owner. There was also Allen, who kept the streets clean. But a week ago, both of them disappeared. No one knows where they went."
Looking into the distance, he continued.
"The bastard who couldn't even speak when the owner was here started to rise again. That guy you just beat up? His boss now runs the fight club. Other scums are trying to gather up what's left of the district, making their own factions."
Jin narrowed his eyes as he continued.
"Coming to the present, I owe that guy, but the deadline was next week. I was going to get the payment by next week. Still, he jumped me out of nowhere, saying 'the deadline is when he says it is' and whatnot."
John continued ranting about the entertainment district and his daily struggles, but Jin was focused on something else.
'The club owner… She's too strong to be considered a gangster. But why would she disappear out of nowhere?'
He recounted his memories of the past month. Other than his brawl with Allen and his misfortune outside the city, nothing consequential had happened for a person as strong as the club owner to move. And as far as he remembered, the only other person as strong as her he had seen was Nathaniel, and even he fell short compared to her.
Jin slowed down.
'Wait… Is this related to the campaign?'
When he was in the hospital, he had heard a little about a campaign. Riaz's appearance and illogically placed nests had shaken up a lot of guilds. There was no exact clue as to how many challengers they had lost to the monster, as well as the newborn nests, which were supposed to be tracked closely.
There were barely any challengers left behind when he left the guild branch. With the owner's disappearance, the stakes just got bigger than he had thought.
However, he still lacked crucial information.
Suddenly, another thought hit his mind like an arrow.
Stopping abruptly, Jin asked hesitantly.
"... Did you run into anyone from my family lately?"
John tilted his head and thought about it for a few moments.
"Hmm… Oh! I forgot to tell you, but Oliver was trying to find you. I heard he was asking every crook and drunk if they had seen you. I don't know what happened after that."
Jin clicked his tongue.
'How can I forget something so crucial?'
The past week was hectic, but he still couldn't understand how he could forget about Lian's family. He certainly didn't get along with them—he had also decided to leave them sooner or later. But they knew Lian better than anyone else. They were the only proof of his existence in this world.
He did tell them that he was going out for a guild mission, but he was supposed to return by night. Now, he was officially missing for an entire week.
He closed his eyes briefly.
'... They must think I died in some mission, eaten by a random beast.'
He had promised the dead Lian that he would shoulder the burden that the young man had left behind. That also meant being there for his family. He had gone ahead and done the exact opposite, disappearing with no word of return.
His jaw tightened with shame—even in this moment, he felt that cutting ties with his family was better than returning and explaining himself.
There were many things he needed to do. But making amends to Lian's family was now his priority.
John was still talking to himself, repeating the same questions and answering them himself.
Jin turned to him, his voice even as he spoke.
"From now on, you work for me."
John was still talking about something, but hearing Jin's words, he stopped immediately.
He frowned as he said in a peculiar tone.
"... What do you mean by that?"
It seemed as if he couldn't conceive the thought of working for his own friend. However, with work cam money, he was certainly in need of money. So, no matter how funny it sounded, he had to listen carefully.
Jin looked at the tallest building in the district.
"Meet me there in two… three days, at night."
Saying that, Jin paused for a second and then darted in the direction of the residential district. John lifted his hand to stop Jin, but by then, he was already gone.
John scratched his head.
"That guy… he's really changed after the trial."
With nothing else to do, he turned to the other side and walked away.