Chapter 68: Ralphy

Peace glanced at Ralph’s weary expression.

’Please understand...’

Peace began to laugh at the man.

"So, you can tell?"

The man screamed while pointing his mace at Peace.

"H-huh?!"

Peace began approaching him with a pleasant smile.

"Good, then you surely understand what comes next."

"W-what?! S-stop, get away!"

Drathar leaped aside as Ralph’s blow struck the ground beside the mace wielder.

Drathar screamed:

"Don’t listen to him! Haven’t you—"

Ralph’s eyes widened. A pain-filled grin twisting his face, he spat at Drathar:

"Heard that someone resembling a Night Parade remnant had appeared...?" Ralph shouted as he charged. "That’s him, all right! But it’s much more than a resemblance! Did you not question why he disappeared?! It’s because he was the real thing!"

"Huh? You can’t mean— Ralph! How could you stoop so low as to ally yourself with such filth?!"

Ralph slashed his sword down. Sparks flew as Drathar caught the attack and swept it aside, leaping back.

Regaining his footing, Ralph shouted:

"Do you really have the right to say that, traitor?!"

"Guh!"

Peace’s eyes briefly drifted across the battlefield.

’It’s like three 1v1s...’

And they were all losing. Volkar was standing on spirit and will alone. Maura was entirely on the defensive against a twin-blade Assassin. Ralph, meanwhile, was evenly matched with Drathar, though he was beginning to gain the upper hand.

As for the last of their enemies...

The petrified mace wielder hadn’t moved a muscle, even when Drathar had nearly crashed into him.

’I guess you’ll be my opponent.’

Kicking off the ground, Peace broke into a sprint toward the mace wielder, a short, stocky man who must have been a Dwarf beneath all those concealing layers.

Still fending off Ralph, Drathar screamed:

"Snap out of it! Who cares if—"

Drathar’s gaze flicked toward Peace. A single glance was enough to silence him.

Swallowing hard, he screamed:

"Retreat! Get the fuck out of here!"

The one fighting Volkar shouted back:

"But—"

"Hurry, they have a monster with them!"

Peace extended his clawed hand toward the frozen mace wielder, only for Drathar to dart in, yank the man out of reach, and slap him across the face.

"Faust! Snap out of it!"

That seemed to do the trick. The Dwarf shook his head, then began scrambling away with a scream.

The cloth wrapped around his head shifting with the movement, Drathar clicked his tongue, traded one last blow with Ralph, then followed him.

Moments later, the other two retreated as well.

Huffing, Ralph dropped to one knee.

Looking up at Peace, he whispered:

"Thank you..."

"What was that? I’m not sure I heard you correctly."

"I said thank you." Holding his side, Ralph asked, "Just to be clear, you’re not one, right?"

Peace looked at his clawed hands, then down at Ralph. The man was half-dead, and with that heavy armor of his, winning a grapple would be nearly impossible.

"No. I’m not."

Ralph spat blood onto the ground, then said:

"Aye..."

Twisting his body, he tossed his blade aside and crawled to a nearby tree, where he settled against the trunk.

"You pass the test, greenhorn. Flying colors."

"...?"

’What in the world is this fucker talking about?’

Peace squatted and raised his eyebrows.

"Did you get hit too hard?"

"Of course I did! That son of a bitch is huge! I didn’t know a human could get that muscular. Bahah! I need some ale. If only you hadn’t made me drink it all!"

Once his laughter subsided, Ralph added:

"I was testing your character... You see, I’m an outcast collector of sorts."

Peace blinked rapidly in utter disbelief.

"What...?"

"Welcome to the party, kid, for real this time."

Peace’s face scrunched up in disgust.

’Is he for real?’

"...?"

Ralph smiled.

"Surely you understand what I mean."

Peace stood up, straightening his back.

"Do you think I’m slow?"

"I didn’t expect you to trust me, but believe me, I never intended to harm you."

Peace stared at him with a blank expression.

’X...’

"So, I save you, standing over you while you’re knocking on death’s door, and now you want to claim that your treatment of me was all a test of my character? To see if I was fit to join your little outcast group? Am I correct in that?"

"Precisely!"

Peace sighed.

"I know I’m young, but I wasn’t born yesterday."

"I would hope you weren’t. Otherwise..." Ralph looked him up and down. "Your poor mother."

As they talked, Peace felt his mind gradually clear. His claws reverted to their usual shape, the nails withdrawing into the cloth fingertips of his gauntlets.

"When we met, your first instinct was to run."

"Well, yeah, look at yourself."

"Then you went on about how much you wanted to kill me for no other reason than my appearance..."

Ralph averted his gaze.

"Ah, that, uh... We all get a little emotional at times."

"Now we’re exploring a Day biome, and you’ve been threatening me every time our eyes meet. You also threw me into a fight I had little chance of winning, let alone surviving unscathed."

"Test! I said it was a test!"

"You also tried to feed me a potentially awful essence that would ruin my Class."

"Oh, you noticed that..."

Peace nodded.

"Uh, huh."

Ralph began whistling, looking off into the distance.

"There’s so much beauty in the dungeon despite how hellish it is, y’know."

’This guy can’t be real.’

Peace glanced at Volkar, who’d passed out from his wounds. Maura was pouring a potion over him while channeling her healing Resonance.

"It is... quite beautiful. More so than the Citadel."

"That much is certainly true."

Exhaling, Ralph said:

"Look, perhaps I lied, but people can change! I see your potential, so how about it? Join us for real? No strings attached!"

’No, they absolutely don’t... people don’t change because of a single favor.’

"Seriously...?"

Ralph beckoned him closer, extending a hand.

"How about this... come here."

A moment later, Peace felt something fundamentally change. It was the same sensation he’d felt when Dita...

’He... dissolved the party?’

Ralph extended his hand farther, smiling.

"I mean it."

Peace was suddenly reminded of the evolution he’d undergone only moments ago... a feat made possible by his rapid accumulation of EXP. Something he could only have achieved with a full party.

The safest option was to refuse and walk away. He could search widly for Dita, assuming she was even alive, and form a party of two. One that no one else would willingly join. Perhaps take to hunting alone.

Or he could join this established group, clinging to the faint hope that Ralph was being sincere.

’Screw it.’

Peace took Ralph’s hand in his, mentally accepting the invitation.

He became the first to join Ralph’s new party.