The man was none other than a member of the Thieves’ Guild.

Chapter 2 takes place in the commercial city of Waltercrua, a city governed by a coalition of various guilds, as mentioned earlier. One of the pillars of this coalition was the Thieves’ Guild.

To properly progress through the story in Chapter 2, one had to talk to all the NPCs at the entrance of Waltercrua to find a member of the Thieves’ Guild. 

This was due to the game’s poor design. 

Approaching the guards at the city gates would only result in being told to wait in line, and the only hint was a suspicious-looking Thieves’ Guild NPC hidden in the bushes. 

In his previous life as Lee, Lin had wasted an hour figuring this out and knew this was the only way to enter Waltercrua.

Even though he tried to find alternative solutions, he eventually gave up and complied. 

Given his usual complaints about the game’s lack of detail, he couldn’t argue with the original progression. 

And to be clear, the details of Chapter 2 had already changed. 

The code Lin mentioned to the man earlier didn’t exist in the game. 

Cooperation had to be bought with a significant amount of money or negotiated with valuable items. 

Of course, if the last party member had been chosen as a rogue and DLC Chapter 1 had been successfully cleared, things might have been different. 

But in his previous life, Lee only played as a porter, so he wouldn’t know. 

Besides, the role of the rogue was to sacrifice himself in Lucy’s betrayal and rescue, making it doubtful he would have made it this far.

“Stop, stop!”

As they followed the man into the underground sewers on the outskirts of Waltercrua, a girl dressed as an adventurer blocked their path.

“The Saint?”

“She’s a bitch.”

“Who are you?”

“I’m Zeol, the outer informant. You already know my face, so why so stiff?”

The girl asked, and the man answered. Lucy whispered to Lin in an impressed voice.

“I really like the password.”

Lin just laughed, though he had his reasons. 

When Zeol grumbled, the girl scowled at him.

“A thief talking like that, hiding your identity and face is our daily routine.”

“Yeah, yeah, should I pin a medal on our informant, huh? Special combat recruit, indeed.”

“Zeol!”

“Informant, stop blabbing my name around. These guys will remember it.”

“Who are they?”

The girl ignored Zeol’s protest and gestured toward Lucy and Lin.

Zeol bristled but didn’t want to endure the sewer stench any longer.

“The ones with the password.”

“Really?! Two of them?”

“No, just the man.”

“Oh right, the boss isn’t bisexual.”

“Don’t say that in front of the boss.”

“What’s the big deal? People talk trash when he’s not around.”

She didn’t back down. Zeol, a veteran, didn’t like the special recruit girl. 

And even less, the sewers.

“This is where I leave you. Follow the informant from here.”

Without waiting for a response, Zeol turned and left. 

Worst welcome ever. 

Should I tell the boss? 

No, better not meddle.

“This way, please.”

The girl, called the informant, at least used polite language.

“You smell.”

This time, Lucy was rude. 

Not an unwarranted comment, as the girl had smudges of grime and the sewer stench was overwhelming.

“I can’t help it. I’m more of a cleaner than a guide.”

“Cleaner?”

Lin asked, and the girl sighed.

“The sewers are infested with all sorts of creatures. If left unchecked, they’d crawl into Waltercrua and cause chaos. The guards don’t want to come down here because of the smell, so someone has to stay and clean up regularly.”

“That sounds tough.”

“Well…”

The girl, usually met with sarcasm, had a complex expression. Lucy didn’t like it.

“Just lead the way. The smell is giving me a headache.”

“I’m sorry, but this is the fastest I can go. Because…”

Suddenly, the girl flicked her hand toward Lucy.

In the blink of an eye, a thrown weapon pierced a bat behind Lucy.

Thwack!

The monster bat burst, spraying blood on Lucy.

“I have to keep watch unseen, so this is the limit.”

Though leading the way, the girl’s arms and hands moved constantly. 

If one listened closely, the sounds of impalement and tearing flesh could be heard.

“Oh, really?”

Lucy wouldn’t back down. 

She casually grabbed and threw a bat she had caught at the girl.

“Ugh?!”

Though it looked like a careless throw, Lucy had timed it perfectly, aiming for a moment when the girl was attacking other monsters. 

The startled girl tried to step back, but Lucy’s hand slashed through the bat.

Slice!

Why does a hand chop make such a sound? 

The bat, cut cleanly, fell to the ground and split in two, oozing blood.

“If you did it like me, your clothes wouldn’t get dirty, and the smell wouldn’t be so bad.”

The girl, staring blankly at the bat, smiled.

“Then you do it.”

“What?”

“Lucy, don’t!”

“Are you siding with her?”

“I’m not siding with anyone. Lucy, you started it.”

“She splattered blood on me first!”

“You provoked her first.”

In the past, he wouldn’t have dared speak to her like this. 

But he had to stop her from causing unnecessary conflict.

“Why are you siding with her?”

Lucy felt deeply hurt.

“You’re my only ally.”

You know I already belong to you.

“My best companion.”

You know I’ll ultimately listen to you.

“You’re my…”

“I’m sorry.”

Surprisingly, the girl bowed her head. 

But Lucy felt a chill in her chest. 

Her instincts told her the girl had apologized on purpose.

“I was lacking in handling important guests.”

“You don’t need to go that far.”

“Please don’t tell the boss!”

“Alright, I won’t. Just lift your head.”

“Really?”

Lifting her waist, she smiled brightly, having achieved what she wanted. 

Lucy found that sight utterly repulsive. 

Judging by her ability to argue with the  man named Zeol, this person wasn’t one to bow without gaining something in return. 

Above all, the fact that she was a ‘woman’ was what irritated Lucy the most. 

The only woman who should be able to walk and talk alongside Lin was herself.

Lin was not oblivious to Lucy’s inner thoughts. 

If Lucy continued this way, the journey ahead would be far from smooth. 

Her obsession and dependency had surpassed the limit. 

As Lin pondered how to resolve this, the informant whispered a tip to him.

“If you push her away too much, it’ll backfire.”

Before Lucy could say anything, Lin took the lead. 

Come to think of it, was there such a character in the Thieves Guild DLC? 

There wasn’t enough time to recall. 

He needed to calm Lucy down immediately.

“Lucy.”

“……”

Too late. She was sulking, big time.

“Want to hold hands?”

“……”

“It’s so dark around here that it seems like a good idea.”

Though she kept her mouth shut, she glanced at his hand out of the corner of her eye. 

The advice was from a suspicious thief known as the informant, but it was true that Lin had been keeping too much distance recently. 

Since his recovery, he had been more distant than ever, so it was understandable that Lucy’s obsession had intensified. 

Gathering his courage, he extended his hand to her.

“I want to hold it.”

It was a very cautious and significant action for him. 

Saying he wanted to hold her hand—how excessive of him. 

Saying this to a girl, especially as the hero leading the party, seemed unlikely to work…

Squeeze.

It worked.

“Don’t wash tonight. I want to sleep while smelling you.”

It was incredibly effective!

“Earlier, Lucy was too excited, so I scolded you. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not Lin’s fault.”

It was all that person’s fault. 

Still, Lin had asked to hold hands first, which melted Lucy’s sorrow like snow. 

On the other hand, Lin felt awkward. 

Despite her obsession and dependency, was it right to be this close with a girl, especially one leading the hero’s party? 

If Lucy overcame her obsession and dependency later, wouldn’t she be embarrassed by these actions? 

This concern had kept Lin distant.

During the journey to defeat the Demon King, the hero’s party openly avoided contact with him.

“We’ve arrived!”

At the door, darkened with age, the girl knocked in a specific pattern.

“It’s directly connected to the guild house. You’ll be guided to the leader as soon as you enter.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

The girl winked playfully and added a word.

“Please tell me your review later, okay?”

“Review?”

“It’s the price for bowing my head first.”

Of course. 

Even that apology was calculated. 

Lin couldn’t hide his displeasure at the girl who explicitly mentioned the review.

“Oh, it seems there are no sentinels inside. How strange~? In that case, I’ll let you in right away.”

The quick-witted girl swiftly opened the door and urged them in. 

Reluctantly, Lucy and Lin glared at her as they stepped inside.

“Enjoy your stay~.”

As soon as the door closed with a bang, Lucy sighed in discomfort. 

Just as Lin was about to agree with the uneasiness,

“Hey!”

A husky, energetic voice called out to him.

“Hey!”

Lin flinched, and Lucy stiffened.

“How long has it been? Is it the first time since our filthy hometown got destroyed? Let me see your face!”

Lucy tightened her grip. Lin felt the pain. 

However, the person casually pulled back his hood and slapped his shoulder cheerfully.

As his vision cleared, Lin finally saw the person properly. 

Silver hair tinged with blue, ponytailed. Dark brown skin tanned by the sun, like Lin’s. 

A slender but well-proportioned figure with striking curves, a bright and bold beauty was smiling.

Initially planning to meet alone, Lin cleared his throat and greeted her.

“It’s been a while, Ravin.”

“Long time no see, you!”

It was time to introduce her. 

Her name was Ravin.

Born in the back alleys, she had no last name. 

But she had a moniker: Ravin the Thief. 

The greatest thief in existence. 

And in a past life, she was the most overwhelmingly chosen and popular character among players compared to porters, the Rouge of the hero’s party.

Now that Lin had joined the party, she was the leader of the Thieves Guild in the commercial city of Waltercrua. 

She was also the one who brought the derogatory nickname of Waltercrua, ‘the lawless city,’ to the surface.