章節 6: Chapter 6
I didn't have any plan to go to the slum before. But now, it seems like getting confirmation from my seniors in life is the best choice. And I'd like to do it as soon as possible.
On the way, I encountered some beggars from the slum. I know them. And because I know them, I don't bother to greet them.
The homeless people in the slum are all kind. At least for me, they are kind.
They don't bother to do any criminal activities like robbery or stealing. They just beg for money.
And when they see someone they know walking on the street while it's crowded, they don't bother to greet them. They are trying to make the people they know to be as if they're just strangers in public. Because they know that if people learned that we are friends with some beggars, people's impression of us will be worsened.
So when I meet them, I don't greet them. Though it's only for some people. For those who just don't care about it, I pretty much say hello and would even sit next to them and talk while he's begging. Making me look like another beggar.
Though I meet someone I'm close with on the way to the slum and doesn't mind being seen in public talking with me. But I don't bother talking to him.
Even then, he started talking to me. Not in a friendly manner. But a serious one.
"The Boss is already waiting," he said.
What he meant by the Boss is the Boss of the slum. Someone that the other beggars respected. And he's like the leader of the unofficial information guild in the slum.
In the past, the slum was just, well, a slum. The people there were not organized at all. And crimes happened every day.
Then the Boss came there. Making the slum more livable for the homeless people. Creating order.
This slum was originally created by the government to be a complex for business. With a lot of tall buildings. But because of the various cases of corruption, the project was abandoned. Making the buildings totally unused and became the nest for homeless people. It's called the slum since then. And the government thought that it was good at that time to let the homeless people gather there instead of living in the street. No one owned the buildings after all.
And when the Boss arrived there, the homeless people had better lives. They still need money, but their quality of life is better than before. With the place is actually cleaner than what ordinary people expected.
Except for the entrance. They let some garbage on the entrance on purpose to make people avoid going inside.
And from above, it doesn't look that good either. Only in some buildings the facilities are nicer and much cleaner.
Anyway, the Boss is waiting for me. He already knows that I'm coming. Probably one of the beggars on the way informed him that I'm coming when they see me before.
As of now, the slum has the biggest network at least in this city or maybe in this country. And not many people know about them.
I only knew that because of my experience in my past life as a gangster and because of my closeness with the people here including the Boss. For ordinary people, even if they come to the slum to play, they will never think that this is where various kind of information is gathered.
I once asked the Boss about the reason why he made the slum into one huge organization. It's just because he's paranoid. He said it himself.
He just doesn't wish that something to happen without his knowledge and to not be able to do anything about it. So all this things is actually just for him alone. At least it started that way.
I like that. It's better than doing things only because someone ordering you to. Like how I was as a gangster in the past. I only do things that my higher ups told me about. Though since I was a rather important part of the group, they made sure to not order me anything that I won't like.
Even so, I don't want to live like that anymore. So even if one day I end up getting killed by someone, at least it's because of the things I did for myself instead of for other people. Even if it's for other people, it has to be for someone I really care about.
In the slum, I entered the smallest building. Just three stories tall. But it's where most things go to.
In the past, once I showed how sharp I was, mainly because of my past life experience in the underworld though, I realized what the slum is all about and told the Boss about it. The Boss felt that I was pretty amazing and after I gained his trust, he allowed me to come here whenever I want.
So back when someone bullied my sister and my sister didn't tell me who did it, I asked the slum to find out who bullied her. After doing some things to the bullies, no one bullied my sister ever again.
When was that? I think when she started entering middle school.
Inside the building, I met the Boss wearing haggard clothes. No different than most beggars.
"I've been waiting. You must have a lot of things to ask. Come to my room. I'll get some other people to come as well," he said without letting me talk at all.
His name is Bob. I can tell that it's his fake name. For his real name, I don't bother asking him about it. This is still a slum. Even though they live inside buildings, they are still considered as homeless people. And everyone has their own story. Unless they want to talk about it, it's best to not force them to talk.
Inside his room, there's not even a single bed. Bob said that he sleeps while sitting on the rocking chair. He doesn't sleep on a bed. So I entered and just sit near the other people who are either sitting or lying down on the floor.
There are three other people here other than me and Bob. And I know that they were former Heroes.
"So we're going to talk about superhumans and the association, huh?" I said.
"Yes. Did you scan the code and install the app they told you to?" Bob asked.
"Yes. It's on my other phone. Not my main one," I said.
"The app will be used to keep track on you. They created your account so it will be easier for them to keep track on you in case you did something suspicious. What about your class?"
"Got both of them."
"Which one will you take as the main one?"
"I don't know. Although I'm leaning to being a warrior, if I can improve my magician class as well then it will be great. For now, it's both of them. Probably depend on the magic I can learn," I said.
"Well, I can't say whether that choice is good or not. It truly depends on the person. If you have any questions, you can ask us. As you know, I'm a magician. If it's about magic, you can ask me. But I can't teach you any magic. I can give you advice but don't expect me to teach you magic," Bob said.
Then the other three also introduced their class. One is a warrior, the second guy is also a warrior but he used bow and arrow, and the third guy is like me. He has both classes.
Getting information from them is better than learning it from the app it seems. But I'll still check the app later.
So I asked a hacker in the other room about the app as well and see if it's really tracking me.
"Not most of the time. But it's probably in case they found a clue that you're somehow using your power in public for crimes. Unless you're a Villain, you don't have to worry about throwing your phone. Even if it's not your main phone, it will be easy for them to find your real phone number."
I'm not that good in technology. So it's good that I have someone I can ask about.
But it's obvious, isn't it? There's no way the association will keep track on you all the time. There are way too many superhumans for them to watch.
I asked about warrior class, magician class, and both classes. I think they are better in explaining things rather than using the app to learn about them. Though they told me to still learn it from the app to see the difference.
And about magic, I asked the magic warrior and Bob about what I should pick. It really is according to what the official said to me before. That learning more than two magic at once before you can even use magic will be too much for your brain. So it's best to just pick two. Three is the limit. More than that then it's just torture for your mind when your level is too low.
As for what I should pick, they don't have any advice to give other than it's up to luck. Because no one knows which magic aptitude they are most suited in until they learn magic.
I'll check the magic book later at home.
I should go home before dinner. So after asking everything I need to know, I leave the slum. But only after Bob's repeated warning.
"I'm sure you know about it. But I will warn you again and again. Be careful of the illegal organization targeting you. Even if you get stronger, don't show it to anyone. They will always look for people to recruit and exploit. And who else is best to be recruited other than kids who recently awakened their class? For now, just trust us. We will watch everyone in your surrounding and see if there's anyone watching you. Once you get stronger, I'm sure you can handle them even if they are targeting you," Bob said.
This is why it's great to have someone involved in the underworld as a friend. They can protect you if needed.
Though I befriend them because it's better than making friends with people my age. Not because of any ulterior motive. But it's great that they are going to protect me.
At least my family will be safe. Because I know that Bob is a really strong magician. Probably the strongest one here.
Well, let's go home and have dinner. I'm sure my parents want to know about my classes. Let's tell them over dinner.
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