Global Disparity

'The sound of cloth rustling wakes me up,' I thought to myself as I slowly opened my eyes.

"Oh, you're awake, master," Eiko greeted me as she rested her head on my chest.

"Mhoom, mhoormem," Airi said.

"Airi, you can stop licking now. I'm wide awake," I said.

"That's not fair. I haven't gotten my share of milk," Airi replied as she stopped.

"Master's milk was delicious," Eiko said, licking her lips.

"Just put your clothes on, and let's head to the restaurant since we are all awake now," I said.

The cloak that I bought fits me perfectly, as it hides 95% of my body.

...

...

...

As we walked into the restaurant, I noticed that it was filled with individuals of different races, including elves, giants, and even a centaur.

However, despite the diverse crowd, I couldn't help but notice some discrimination present in the room.

"Hey, who put the horse in the restaurant?" a giant from their group sneered.

"Huh? Horse? I killed your ancestor three decades ago," a centaur from their herd retorted.

"Oh, how amusing, little horse. We enslaved your kind during the Golden War. Know your place, slave," the giant shot back.

An elf who was eating alone walked over to the centaur.

"It's fine. Just ignore them and eat your breakfast," the elf said, touching his shoulder.

"I'm sorry that my friend has poor emotional control. His parents were killed by a giant," one of the centaurs from the group said.

"Hey, why are you so scared to respond?" the giant continued to taunt.

The elf's eyes widened as he drew his bow and notched an arrow aiming at the giant's head. With a swift release, the arrow whizzed through toward its target.

Without a second thought, I grabbed a fork from the table and used it to change the arrow's trajectory just as it was about to strike the giant.

The elf looked shocked as his arrow flew off course and landed harmlessly in the wall.

The giant, on the other hand, looked livid.

He rose from his seat, fists clenched in anger.

"Please, let's not start a fight here. Take it outside if you must," I said, hoping to defuse the situation before it escalates any further.

The elf lowered his bow, looking a bit sheepish.

"My apologies," he said. "I let my emotions get the best of me."

The giant grumbled but seemed to acquiesce.

"Fine, we'll take it outside," he said, stomping out of the restaurant with his companions in tow.

The elf tried to follow, but one of the centaurs grabbed his hand.

"You don't need to do this," he said.

"I'm sorry, I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this for my honor," the elf replied and continued walking.

"Really, elves these days prioritize honor over anything, huh? He doesn't even have the royal mark, yet he acts like honor is everything," Eiko said.

"Royal mark? Do you mean the one below your stomach?" I asked.

"Jeez... Yes, but that's for females. For males, they have them on their forehead," Eiko explained.

"Mika, don't you want to help him?" Airi asked.

"That's none of my business. I simply don't want to intervene in their blood feud," I replied.

Right after we finished our breakfast, we headed outside and immediately saw the elf and the giant who had been fighting in the restaurant.

I continued to walk, trying to ignore them, but Eiko grabbed the cape of my cloak.

"Master, I want to see them first. I might be able to learn a trick or two from their fight," Eiko said.

"Alright then."

The fight seemed to have progressed halfway.

As I observed them, I noticed that the elf was very agile and avoided most of the giant's grappling attempts.

Meanwhile, the giant's movements seemed rough and unbalanced, but his armor prevented the elf's arrows from penetrating.

The only way for the elf to win was to aim precisely through the hole in the giant's helmet and hit his eye. With a flicker of movement, the elf suddenly whispered, "System stance..." as the giant lunged towards him, ready to snatch him up by the legs.

In a lightning-fast move, the nimble elf executed a flawless double-sided flip, evading the giant's grasp with ease.

While still in mid-air, the elf shouted, "Punctum debilis!" and drew his bow in a fluid motion. Without hesitation, he aimed straight for the giant's menacing eye and let the arrow fly.

The sound of flesh and bone colliding filled the air as the arrow found its target, piercing the giant's eye with deadly precision.

The giant bellowed in pain and rage, thrashing about wildly as the elf stood his ground, his eyes locked onto his enemy.

"FUCKKK, YOU ARE GONNA PAY FOR THIS!" The giant shouted.

The elf knew he had only one chance to strike, and he was not about to waste it.

With his bow still drawn, he braced himself for the giant's next move, ready to defend himself and strike again with deadly force.

The giant suddenly shouted, "SYSTEM PACT! GOLIATH'S STRENGTH!" As soon as he finished speaking, steam rose from his wounds, and his aura changed, emanating a killing intent that was visible from afar.

System pact huh? That seems different from the system stance.

"Wind strike!" The elf shouted as he shot his arrow, which was enveloped in swirling winds.

The arrow struck the giant's right hand with precision, but it shattered upon impact, causing no damage.

"Impossible..." The elf said, realizing the magnitude of the giant's newfound power.

"You better run... Elf boy," the giant taunted.

"System stance," the elf said confidently.

He then quickly broke his bow into two, transforming it into a pair of asymmetric nunchucks with the bowstring as the connector. "Nunchaku Tempestas," he declared, as he twirled the newly-formed weapon with expert skill.

The giant roared with laughter.

"You're going to take me down with those little sticks?" he said, gesturing to the elf's nunchucks.

"You're even more foolish than I thought."

The elf didn't reply.

He just kept spinning his nunchucks, faster and faster, until they blurred into a blur of motion.

Suddenly, the elf struck.

With a fierce cry, he lunged forward, wielding his nunchucks expertly as they whistled through the air.

The giant attempted to block the blow, but it was too late.

The elf's weapon struck him squarely in the face, causing him to stumble back with a painful grunt.

The giant tried to use his hand to block the hits, but with each swing, the armor shreds away.

"I'm sorry," the elf apologized, his heart heavy with the weight of his actions.

He knew that he had no choice but to strike, but it did not make the decision any easier.

The giant, realizing his fate, also spoke up in a moment of regret, "Wait, forgive m-," his voice trailing off as he saw the fierce determination in the elf's eyes.

For his final strike, the elf whispered menacingly, "System pact..." The giant tried to plead for mercy, his voice choked with fear and desperation, but before he could finish his sentence, the elf declared, "Grasscutter," his nunchuck infused with the power of the wind, forming a sharp and deadly blade-like edge.

With a swift and calculated strike, the elf pierced through the giant's armor, leaving a deep X-shaped scar on his chest.

The giant let out a cry of pain, his body writhing in agony.

The elf could feel the weight of his actions as he looked upon the wounded giant.

Despite the giant's earlier threats and attacks, the elf could not help but feel a sense of sadness and remorse for what he had done.

"Get him to the nearest infirmary," the elf commanded as he walked away from the crowd.

"Hey! Don't run away from this," one of the giants from the group shouted.

"No, you're no match for him," the giant who fought said, trying to reason with his companions.

"But, brother," one of the giants from the group insisted.

"Just let him go," the giant who fought replied, knowing the futility of trying to pursue the elf.

"Wow, he's so cool," Eiko exclaimed in awe.

"Can my bow do that?" she asked as she attempted to break it, only to have it instantly regenerate. Eiko was left speechless.

"Wahahahaha," Airi laughed as she watched Eiko's failed attempt at breaking her bow.

"Even if your bow could transform into nunchucks, each stick would be around 115 centimeters in length, which is 2/3 of your height, whereas his bow is only around 90 centimeters," I explained.

"Let's not waste any more time. We have a lot to do at the Adventurers' Guild," I said as we walked towards it.

---

Harvestmoon 26th, Caelumoria, Adventurers' Guild, 7:50 AM.

---

"Fortuna audaces adiuvat! How may I assist you, adventurers?" greeted the receptionist as we walked into the guild.

"My friend would like to register as an official adventurer," I informed her.

"Very well, I'll get you a registration form," she said, reaching for a paper on the desk.

"Eh? Master didn't tell me anything about this," Eiko said, sounding surprised.

"It's for you to obtain an adventurer ID card and reduce our expenses," I explained.

"Well, if it's for the better, I suppose I will register for one," Eiko agreed.

"Here's the registration form, adventurer," the receptionist said, handing Eiko the paper.

"Mhm, thank you," Eiko replied.

"Airi, let's check the quest board for available quests," I suggested.

"Okay," Airi replied.

"Wait, Master, look at the bottom of this paper," Eiko pointed out.

"Let me see... 'Please note that the registration fee of 1000 gold coins is non-refundable and must be paid in full at the time of registration.' What? It was free in Marcellia, and it costs 1000 gold coins here?" I complained to the receptionist.

"Well, adventurer, the quality of the quests is different here from Marcellia. Adventurers here receive free equipment, such as an iron glider, which is already worth 400 gold coins, and knowledge that will never be taught in Marcellia, such as enhancement stones and such," the receptionist explained.

"Good grief...," I sighed.

"Just fill out the form and hand over this pouch when you're finished," I said as I handed Eiko the pouch.

"Alright, Master," Eiko said.