Chapter 331 (1/2)

“Really?” Ace said, leaning back in his chair, looking between Randidly and Rose. “What’s the issue, did he like, make a mess on the way in?”

“I did bring a giant bone wurm into the city.” Randidly allowed, feeling the warm glow of alcohol in his body. It was a strange thing, allowing himself to get drunk. His absolutely monstrous regeneration was practically begging him to allow it to remove the impurities from his system. But there was a certain joy in the lack of control.

Ace looked shock. Putting his hands on his hips, he glowered at Rose. “This is all about a pet? You- Well wait, is it just shitting everywhere?”

Randidly shook his head, setting the world spinning around him. Instantly, his system began to demand more directly that he allow it to intervene, but he pressed that down. At least things like this weren’t too much of an issue now, with his higher control. “I don’t think she shits at all.”

“I should get a pet,” Ace reflected, looking at his reflection in his drink. “Something impressive. How big is your pet?”

Randidly tried to think of a good way to describe Neveah. To the side, he noticed that the Rose woman was opening her mouth, closing it, and now frowning furiously and studying him. It made Randidly somewhat uncomfortable.

But luckily Randidly was around Ace right now. Like always, that strange energy that Ace produced was still in the air, opening up things that were usually closed. Randidly leaned forward, regarding Rose closely. “Why do you keep looking at me like that? It’s fine, I’m really not causing trouble. Oh, she’s sorta like a… a really long roller coaster car.”

Nodding sagely, Ace rubbed his chin. “I think I’d want a dragon. Or at least a dinosaur. One of the benefits of the System is how cool things can be sometime… maybe with flaming wings?”

“And it breaths darkness.” Randidly added helpfully, following his statement with the rest of his drink.

Clearing her throat, Rose gave Randidly a sharp look. “The problem is not your pet, but rather your ability to defeat Brute within seconds. With so many skills that I cannot parse them apart. This is about power, Mr. Ghosthound-”

There, Rose paused. Her face became drawn and brittle. “...Ghosthound? As in the Ghosthound of Donnyton?”

Randidly scratched his neck. Ace leapt to his feet.

“WHAT! Ghosthound….. As in Randidly Ghosthound….?!?!” He began to rub his chin vigorously. “.....I can’t believe I never realized that dumb nickname was actually your name this whole time…”

Randidly rolled his eyes. Rose liked she was going to be sick. “...your best friend’s name was Ghosthound, legitimately, and you never even mentioned this…?”

“Guess I just never put it together,” Ace said with a smile. Then he punched Randidly’s arm. “But also, you only know him now that he’s got all suped up by the System. This guy used to be twig skinny. Like unhealthy shit.”

Randidly gave Ace an annoyed look, but said nothing. Better to not interfere at the moment, because from Rose’s expression, Ace’s dismissive comments of Randidly’s strength didn’t even register with her. It was actually the first time that Randidly had been so openly disrespected in a while. The Engraving Guild representative in Shal’s world had been similarly overbearing, but on Earth…

It both bothered him to be disrespected, and also bothered him how quickly he was bothered by it. In his heart, Randidly sorta hoped that he had reached a level of maturity where he could let that flavor of comments slide off of him. Although he was arguably the most powerful person on Earth right now, he abhorred the idea of letting that power corrupt him. But his reaction seemed to indicate that a small amount of arrogance had seeped into him…

Well, arrogance and self-confidence might appear similar… and Ace was being pretty disrespectful…

But that was just how they always joked, wasn’t it…?

Rose interrupted Randidly’s quickly darkening thoughts. “We have had meetings about the possibility of encountering “the Ghosthound” and his people for months. And yet… you literally never thought to mention that person might be your best friend? At your directive, we are training an assassin, as we speak, to kill him.”

“Are we…?” Ace seemed rather uninterested, instead gesturing the bartender for another drink. “I really don’t listen at those meetings. Oh, Randidly, careful, we might try and kill you.”