District X.

In an abandoned hospital.

Tak Tak Tak.

Oliver entered through the rear entrance and walked down the corridor.

It was dark everywhere, but when he lit the front with a snap lantern, the darkness receded, revealing an empty corridor that appeared unremarkable in the light.

As he ventured deeper into the building, the atmosphere changed dramatically.

The skeletons he encountered on his first visit had been joined by decaying bodies, infested with maggots that feasted on the decaying flesh.

Tak Tak Tak.

Turning down a side corridor, Oliver arrived at a large room at the end. Inside, he found an even greater accumulation of decomposed bodies.

Despite having seen this grotesque scene multiple times, it still left a lasting impression on him.

Oliver approached one of the bodies and bowed in respect.

“Hello, Master.”

The one-armed body of Joseph leaned against the altar, appearing even more decayed and filthy than on Oliver’s previous visit.

The floor was covered in a mixture of mud and rot, and maggots crawled across it freely.

“…….”

Despite the overwhelming stench, Oliver approached the body with respect and a sense of reverence.

“It’s been almost a year?”

“…….”

RUSTLE

Oliver adjusted the lantern to better light up the area, then pulled out a paper bag filled with supplies.

He retrieved a bottle of alcohol, snacks, cups, and plates. Pouring himself a glass of wine, he sat opposite Joseph and prepared a meal, complete with side dishes from Forrest restaurant that smelled delicious.

With a polite gesture, Oliver placed a glass of wine and a plate of food in front of the deceased Joseph and began to dine, taking a sip of his wine and savoring the flavors of the food.

“My apologies, Master, for not visiting you in such a long time. So much has happened since I last saw you,”

“…….”

“After I left greeting you last time, I ended up staying in a beggar’s den,”

“…….”

“After leaving the family, I didn’t know where to go. As I always feel, I think I’m very stupid. After Marie’s light faded, I came out to know the world and I didn’t even know where to go.”

“…….”

“And at that time, I met Mr. Kent and was able to enter his beggar’s den. I also didn’t have anywhere to go. Thanks to him, I was able to learn a little about the world, and I was able to become a Solver… Oh yes, I became a Solver, Master.”

Oliver emptied his drink and calmly talked about what had happened.

About joining Kent’s beggar gang, fighting with Puppeteer Glyph, and becoming a Solver at Kent’s suggestion.

He calmly recounted what had happened so far, such as meeting Forrest, taking on jobs, and fighting wizards.

Joseph, who died, was still silent.

“… So, right now I’m taking a break after my last mission. I think it’s already been more than two weeks, and I’m personally disappointed. In the meantime, if I had learned magic from Elder, I would have used my time more efficiently.”

“…….”

“But it can’t be helped. He took care of Rosbane and the others, and he took care of Mattel for me. I just have to wait. So I’m spending my time differently now.”

“…….”

“‘m working out at the gym in District X to improve my physical strength, and fixing the corpse dolls. I’ve gotten the hang of it since I did everything by myself.”

“…….”

“I’m also teaching [Child] so that they can talk while inside the corpse doll. They’ve grown bigger and smarter, and food costs are rising.”

“…….”

“I’m also studying code language again. I’ve gained a deeper understanding of it since accessing World Tree during the Mattel incident. However, the book about demons has become increasingly difficult for me to read for some reason.”

“…….”

“I find it strange, as there are no challenging words or content, yet the more I read, the more tired my eyes become and my speed decreases. But, I’m still reading it bit by bit and expect to reach the final section soon.”

“…….”

“…I saw it there, about the Old man on Horseback The Demon you were dealing with. Even though he’s a Demon, it said he likes to teach people. Maybe it was just me who had a wrong prejudice against Demons.”

” …….”

“Are you working as a slave to that Demon?”

“…….”

“I read that in the book.”

“…….”

“I’m happy for you, Master and….. I think I’m grateful to Master.”

“…….”

“You tried to kill me, but whatever it was, I was able to come out to the world thanks to Master.”

Oliver thought back to that time, the time when he reunited with Kent, who created the PoorBrothers, the time when he returned the Parter Scripture to Joanna.

“I… I’ve experienced a lot of things. I’m disappointed about some things, but overall, I think I’m satisfied. What should I say… I felt alive.”

“…….”

“So I was a little happy when I realized Master became the eternal slave of Old man on Horseback. I thought there might be a way to meet you. I can’t promise when it will be, but I’d like to thank you in person someday.”

“…….”

Joseph was still Silent.

Oliver, who had emptied the bottle, rose from his seat.

“I don’t know when it will be, but I’ll come back when I have time. Oh, by the way, I haven’t really investigated the beautiful light or the Demons yet. I had a lot of work and I’m curious about more things now… But thanks to this, I think this world is fun. I think I have a lot to learn.”

Oliver said so and went outside with his lantern.

On his way out, he checked his watch to see if he could make it to his appointment on time.

As Oliver moved away with the light, Joseph’s dark-covered corpse was left alone in silence once again.

As if time had disappeared, there was only silence.

And, at some point, the cups and plates in front of the corpse were emptied cleanly.

“One more set!”

Dean Cleary, the gym instructor, and trainer of illegal martial arts in District X, shouted next to Oliver as he strained on the bench press.

“One more set!”

His voice was loud and forceful, as he flexed his bulging muscles and struck poses.

“Come on, one more set!”

Dean Cleary struck a front-double-biceps pose.

“This is it, just one more set!”

Dean Cleary struck a sidestepped pose.

“This time for real, one more set!”

Dean Cleary struck a back-double-biceps pose.

“You got this, one more set!”

Dean Cleese struck a side triceps pose.

“I swear on my life, one more set!”

“Excuse me, but haven’t you been saying one more set for a while now?”

“This time, I mean it! The final, real one more set!”

Dean Cleary roared, flexing his muscles like a gorilla.

His shout echoed like thunder.

With great effort, Oliver pushed up the bench press, straining his already exhausted muscles.

Despite this, Dean Cleary didn’t let up, continuing to shout encouragement and flex his muscles.

“You can do it! I’m cheering for you! Arghhhhh!”

Several others joined in, shouting together in response.

Oliver hated to admit it, but it seemed like everyone here was a little crazy.

Finally, after Oliver completed the set, Dean Cleary declared it was time for a break.

Oliver put down the bench press and breathed heavily.

“Haa…”

Oliver realized that despite his consistent exercising, as instructed by Kent, his strength gains were just an illusion.

He struggled to keep up with Dean Cleary’s intense training.

“Here…”

Joe approached silently and handed Oliver a bottle of water, which he gratefully drank.

GULP GULP.

After Oliver finished drinking, Dean Cleary gave him a hearty slap on the back, causing Oliver some pain.

But surprisingly, there was no ill intent, just good spirits from Dean.

“You’re amazing! I only agreed to train you for the money, but I didn’t expect you to be so dedicated. You’re not like those losers from other districts. Hahahahahahahaha,”

Dean said, his words filled with genuine sincerity.

“That’s it for today, take a break. You need to train smart, not just hard. Can you come back tomorrow?”

Dean asked with a smile.

Oliver hesitated for a moment before answering,

“Yes.”

“Perfect, except for the lack of enthusiasm in your voice. But that’s okay, you pay well. Take a break and get some rest,”

Dean said before leaving with a satisfied grin.

‘What’s he satisfied with?’ Oliver wondered,

Fortunately, Joe solved the question.

“He just loves to teach people.”

“Really?” Oliver asked.

“Yeah, he’s famous around here. There’s a rumor that he stole all the gym equipment from several places to set up his own gym,”

Oliver looked around the gym, noticing that despite the age of the building, it was equipped with high-quality exercise equipment.

He stole all of this to fulfill his passion for teaching others. It seemed certain that Dean had a real passion for fitness.

“Um, I think so. He taught me really hard.”

“You paid a lot of money, and you followed well. Those who can’t follow him, he doesn’t treat them like a human being, but those who follow him in training, he likes them all… Isn’t it harder? He’s good at teaching, but he’s the type to push the people a lot.”

“It’s manageable.”

Oliver wasn’t lying. It was a pretty old memory now, but it was still bearable for Oliver, who had lived in a mine.

“You’re very eager. You have a lot of potential.”

At the snapping remark, Oliver looked at Joe, Joe who had small bruises or scratches on his face.

“I think Joe is working hard, too. Is it very difficult, the illegal martial arts match?”

Joe replied, rubbing the wound on his face.

“Not much. Sometimes dangerous guys come out, but it’s manageable. Especially, since there’s no work these days. That’s why I do this.”

Not only did black and gray markets close due to the city’s sensitivity to the prison break, but other criminal organizations were also shrugging off.

In addition, the economy of the world was experiencing a kind of recession as Parterism’s crackdown on Warlocks emerged.

“How are the others doing?” Oliver asked, referring to Sam and Owen who worked with Joe during the Kell Liberation Army job in District X.

“They’re good. They asked me to say thank you,”

“Me?”

“Potion, job, etc. Thanks to you, they had a comfortable winter.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Everyone is working hard.”

“You…”

“What?”

“…No, nothing. Are you going to leave now?”

“Hmm… Can you help me if you don’t mind? I’ve been practicing the punch, kick, and tackle you taught me. Can you take a look?”

“Of course, instead, you have to look at the black armor and black suit again.”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

After his training session with Joe, Oliver returned to his warehouse.

The evening was giving way to night, but instead of resting, he checked on the status of his corpse dolls.

They required regular maintenance and repairs.

The corpse dolls currently in possession were [Warlock], [Duncan], [Sniper], [Rag], and [Helper 1], among which [Rag] was in a slightly severe condition.

It was inevitable because it was attacked every time it fought, and a surprise attack was made against an enemy who was careless at that moment.

After much thought, Oliver decided to dissect and grasp the structure instead of repairing it right away.

Unlike [Warlock], [Duncan], [Sniper], and [Helper 1], whose main focus was the quality of the material (body), Rag’s focus was on processing technique, so it was not such a waste.

Oliver thought it would be better to make a new corpse doll using it as a textbook.

“It’s more complicated than I thought.”

After examining the Rags’ structure and conditions, Oliver looked at Spider Parker trapped in the corner of the basement.

Maybe it was because it was away from its owner, as soon as it saw Oliver it had a seizure and Oliver had no choice but to put it to sleep with [Deep sleep].

Through one experiment after another, Oliver was finally able to control Parker, but Oliver decided to dismantle it and used it as a component instead of handling it.

Although Oliver liked the spider web-like ability, it was inefficient because of its mobility and different combat styles, so he decided to use only the part that spewed the spider web.

The problem was that he needed the help of related technicians or books to do so.

“I need to find someone to help me get a book….. I hope the black market will reopen soon.”

Oliver murmured sadly looking at Parker. It was getting weaker and weaker, so if he left it like this for too long, it could die. Then he can’t use it as a part.

And that’s not where the work ends. A more secure laboratory was also needed to do the work.

Thinking so, Oliver looked at the behind the newspaper. On the page, something was written in large Bold letters.

<Real Estate rental management EGGSHEll>