章 3: Riya

When Eric arrived in front of the city gates, the guards stopped him.

They looked at him up and down. Upon noticing his tattered clothing, their expressions turned disdainful. Then one of them said indifferently, "The entry fee is 100 credits. If you can't pay, just piss off."

Eric wasn't angered by their attitude. He smiled ingratiatingly and said, "My lords, I'm a citizen of the Kroft city. I live in slums. Please don't make things difficult for me and kindly allow me in."

The guards looked at each other, pride flashing in their eyes when they heard how Eric addressed them as lords. One of them laughed. "Haha. You know how to talk, kid. Alright, show me your ID and go."

"Sure, my lord." Eric fished out a crystal card from his pocket and respectfully presented it to the guard.

Seeing Eric act so reverently toward them, their vanity was greatly satisfied, and that's the only reason they didn't try to make things difficult for him by asking for 100 credits again.

The guard gave his ID a cursory glance before throwing it back at him and nodding. "You are indeed a citizen of the city. Um, you can go."

"Thank you, my lord." Eric thanked him and scurried inside.

As soon as he was in, his fawning expression turned into a look of disgust. He truly detested these people who denigrated the weak and impoverished, and respected and feared the wealthy and powerful.

However, as a member of the first group, he could only bear all this with a smile on his face and a lowered head if he wished to avoid suffering.

'Hopefully that demon didn't cheat me, and this system can really help me become strong,' He thought before sprinting towards the slums.

The Kroft city was enormous. It spanned approximately 100 square miles and was roughly divided into three tiers or sectors.

The lowest tier was the slums, where people like Eric lived. The slums were in the outer area of the city and covered a large portion of it.

The second tier, known as the middle city, was inhabited by middle-class individuals. Most of the city's trade happened in this area. Compared to the slums, this area was like heaven, and people were quite well off here. They had the financial means to dream of owning luxurious items, in contrast to those living in the slums, who often went without food.

Then came the first tier, or the core city. The city's overlord, the Kroft family, and their affiliate noble families lived here. It was a posh area, equipped with all amenities. However, apart from the people who lived here, no one was allowed entry without prior permission.

After more than half a day, he arrived in his neighborhood. Although this place was poverty-stricken, and people here didn't even have basic necessities available most of the time, it was his home. Only after he arrived here did he sigh in relief.

"Huh? Isn't it Eric? How come he is still alive? I remember those nobles took him away two months ago. Did they forgive him?"

"Forgive? Those nobles? Are you fucking kidding me? He must have escaped somehow."

Just then, Eric heard some boys of his age talking among themselves when they saw him.

When he heard what they were saying, his expression turned weird. 'Two months? How can it be two months already?'

Suddenly, his expression changed. 'Oh, no! It seems I didn't realize how much time had passed because I was unconscious. Mother and little sister must be very worried.'

With this thought in mind, he sprinted towards his home, situated on the periphery of the slums, at his top speed. One can imagine how poor they must be to have their house on the outskirts of the slums.

After another half an hour, he arrived at his home, a simple straw hut his mother had constructed a few years ago when they had no other place to live. Thanks to her daily care, the straw hut still stood tall after years, shielding them from the wind and rain.

Phew!

Taking a deep breath, he walked to the door. Just as he was about to knock, he heard a crying voice from inside and his hand paused.

"Wu... Wu... Eric, where you are? I miss you so much. Mother misses you so much. Wu wu. The neighborhood kids said you won't return ever. But I know they are lying. You'll definitely return. You won't abandon us. But can you please come back sooner?"

Hearing this, Eric's eyes turned moist. From the voice he heard, he knew it was his little sister, Riya, who was crying inside. She was 16 years old this year, only two years younger than him.

Since childhood, they have been really close. She would always follow him around, no matter where he went. Without him, she wouldn't even eat or sleep.

Ha!

He took a deep breath to calm his emotions and knocked on the door.

Knock! Knock!

There was no response. Eric didn't knock again. He knew Riya must be wiping her face to erase the traces of her crying. This girl... she didn't like showing her weak side to anyone.

Creak~

After a while, the door opened, and a petite girl wearing a shirt patched up with many different pieces of cloth and knee-length trousers came out. Although she was skinny and had poor clothing, she was lovely to look at. She had smooth, fair skin, thin pink lips, big, black, watery eyes, shoulder-length black hair, and a very cute face.

"Who are you?" She asked, looking at the side, trying to hide her reddened eyes.

"Oh? I was out for just a few days, and you forgot me? That's hurtful." Eric said in a sad voice.

Swoosh!

Hearing the familiar voice, Riya immediately shifted her gaze toward him.

When she saw it was Eric, tears uncontrollably streamed down her adorable cheeks before she threw herself into his arms. "Eric! Wah... you are back."

"Shhh! Don't cry. I'm here, aren't I?" Eric lovingly caressed her back, also becoming emotional. When he noticed she had lost some weight, he felt guilty because he knew this was because he wasn't here.

Riya cried for a long while before she eventually calmed down under her caressing and coaxing.

Gently wiping her tears, he said, "I'm sorry for worrying you so much." He then added in a teasing tone, "You must have missed me a lot, right?"

Upon hearing this, she pouted her small pink lips and snorted softly. "Hmph! Who would miss you? I was just a little worried about your safety."

Seeing her act so cute, he couldn't help but pull her cheeks and ask, "But I think I heard you say you miss me? Did I mishear?"

Riya struggled free from his demonic claws with difficulty. While rubbing her cheeks, she angrily said. "You big bully. I told you not to do that. It hurts." She then added, "And of course, you misheard it. I only said that mother misses, not me.

"Oh?" Eric faked a sad expression and sighed. "So, you didn't miss me? This hurts my weak heart."