After waiting for a while for my injuries to recover
I decided to return to the rhinoceros corpse to check whether it had a mana heart or not.
As expected, its body had already been devoured, leaving only a skeleton behind.
A faint shiver ran down my spine as I looked at the remains.
Since this was an E-rank rift, the monsters inside shouldn't exceed that level.
However, there were always exceptions.
Sometimes, a B-rank rift would be misjudged as C-rank, leading to many unnecessary deaths.
The unicorn's skeleton suggested that a swarm of insects had fed on it… or something similar.
I shook my head and ignored those thoughts. Instead, I checked the time to see how much I had left.
Around 40 minutes.
Only 40 minutes remained before my reservation for the rift ended.
Time had passed quickly.
I encountered a few monkeys along the way and killed them without much effort.
As expected, I didn't find any mana hearts.
I returned to the path I remembered and searched for the rift I had entered from. After a few minutes, I found it.
Locating a rift wasn't too difficult, as it emitted dense mana that could be sensed easily. This was also why the main city was protected, and all rifts were under control.
As for why monsters don't leave into the outside world, there were two main reasons.
First, weaker monsters cannot adapt to the lower mana density on Earth.
Second, most rifts are below A-rank.
Only A-rank monsters or higher can leave a rift without suffering any damage.
"Although… there are exceptions," I thought, recalling an incident from the novel.
Clearing my mind, I stepped toward the rift and exited.
Just like when I entered, I felt as if I was floating through a void for a brief moment before regaining my senses.
Gravity returned to normal.
The polluted air of the outer city.
The low mana density.
All my previous sensations came back.
Even though I had only spent a few hours inside the rift, it felt like much longer had passed.
I checked the time again. Ten minutes remained before the man I had arranged with would come pick me up.
After dealing with the remaining blood on my clothes and packing my belongings, I heard the sound of a car outside.
As expected, a minute or two later, the same man who had brought me here entered.
He looked at me for a moment. I could feel his gaze examining me closely.
"Welcome back. As promised, sir," he said, his eyes still studying me from behind his glasses.
"Yes," I replied briefly. I wasn't in the mood to talk.
My body was exhausted, and some of my wounds still hurt.
"About 60%," I thought, sensing the amount of mana I had recovered.
"Sir, you should learn how to suppress your aura… or your killing intent," he said in his deep, rough voice.
"Hm?" I was slightly confused at first, but then I realized what he meant.
A faint aura was leaking from me. It felt as if I was ready to fight at any moment.
I tried to calm myself and suppress it.
It took several attempts, but I eventually managed to do it.
Killing intent… or whatever it was called… was like releasing a small portion of one's will to pressure the opponent.
It was similar to a state developed after prolonged combat and bloodshed.
I ignored those thoughts and noticed the man nodding slightly in approval.
He gestured with his hand, and I understood, so I followed him.
We left the building, got into the car, and returned to the tavern.
"Good luck," he said with a slight bow before heading back to his car.
I entered the tavern.
Once again, I felt several gazes directed at me.
Just like before, I released a small amount of mana—this time mixed with killing intent.
Some gazes turned into fear.
Others into respect.
And some remained indifferent.
Ignoring them all, I walked toward the counter, where the same old man stood.
No one knew him.
Yet everyone feared him.
The owner of the Black Tavern.
An A-rank… known as the
Dream Wanderer
Marcus.
I looked at him. This time, his green eyes seemed slightly amused… almost pleased to see me.
Although he was classified as a villain, in truth, he was just an energetic old man who enjoyed fighting and had a surprisingly kind personality.
"I see you're in good condition, kid," Marcus said as he examined me.
"And it seems you've gained something."
I knew what he meant.
My increased experience… and the mana heart inside my coat.
"Do you want to sell it? I can offer you 55 gold coins. It looks like a good E-rank heart," he said, glancing at my coat.
"Hm." I nodded.
"55 gold coins… a reasonable price, considering it's being sold in a tavern," I thought briefly.
"Alright, kid. Follow me."
He gestured for me to come along and left the counter, heading toward one of the doors.
I followed him.
He opened the door, revealing a small room with a desk.
A woman sat behind it.
She was quite beautiful, with long chestnut-colored hair and lively brown eyes behind her glasses.
She wore a long white coat.
"Marcella, we have a transaction," Marcus said with a wide smile.
"Understood," she replied lazily, shifting her gaze toward me.
"Go ahead, kid," Marcus said, patting my shoulder.
I stepped forward. As I reached the desk, I heard the door close behind me.
Marcus had already left.
"Alright, show me what you want to sell," Marcella said, uninterested in my distraction.
I took the mana heart out of my coat and handed it to her.
"An E-rank mana heart… good quality," she said as she examined it using strange tools—one like a scale, another like a lens.
"55 gold coins."
She gave the same price as Marcus.
I nodded.
She took out a silver ring and infused it with mana.
Gold coins began appearing on the desk.
"Exactly 55 coins."
I stared at the ring with interest.
"A spatial ring," she said, noticing my gaze.
"There are different types. The cheapest, with the size of a box, costs 10 gold coins."
"The most expensive, with the size of a room, costs a platinum coin."
After a bit of thinking, I bought one large enough to store two big boxes for 27 gold coins.
That left me with 28.
I sighed slightly as I watched the remaining coins return to her ring.
"Your ring," she said, trying to hide a smile at my reaction.
I looked at it.
A small purple ring.
I put it on my finger and infused it with mana.
I felt a small space connected to me.
"It fits," I said.
"Move the coins by channeling your mana into them," she added.
I followed her instructions, and the coins disappeared from the desk.
I could sense them inside the ring.
I smiled faintly and thanked her.
Then I left the room.
"Goodbye, kid," Marcella said, her lazy voice slightly softer this time… almost gentle
Maternal?
I ignored the thought and went to meet Marcus again
I handed him the remaining three coins as thanks and left the tavern.
"It had been a long day" I looked up at the silver moon in the dark sky.