Systemless in a Parallel World

Zerek was considered a middle-sized city. It was located in the central region of the human territory, but it could be considered a city at the borders of the central region.

Most merchants traveled through Zerek when entering the central region since the lord of the city had a penchant for unique items. The Lord was very interested in a variety of goods and he would purchase everything of his interest for a high price simply because he liked it.

Zayn did know that much, and he also knew that the likelihood to meet merchants offering special goods were much higher in Zerek, creating a high interest for Adventurers to reside in the city.

Merchants with rare goods were always sought by Adventurers. Following the events, Zerek had turned into a large marketplace where all kinds of goods could be acquired, without the need to fear someone stealing anything. After all, the city was well protected both because of the existence of the strong City Guards, and a large number of Adventurers residing in the city.

As the sun set after the seventh day of his trip through the central region, Zayn finally reached the city of Zerek. The city seemed alive and bustling as it towered over the plains like a beacon of the civilization that had fought for countless years to regain a spot in the food chain.

The outer walls of Zerek were greyish, huge, and strong. They were guarded by fierce warriors who kept a vigilant eye on the surrounding lands. It was almost as if they expected a monster horde to attack all of a sudden.

Meanwhile, the gates were massive and imposing, and could withstand the onslaught of terrific monsters if they were to reach the city's walls

Entering the city was a lot easier than expected. He was frowned upon and hit on the back of the head by the Guard who retracted his hand in disgust upon noticing that there was no Stigma to scan.

"A silver coin, you bastard!" The Guard demanded in a gruff voice. Usually, there was no need to pay that much of a fee to enter Zerek, but the Guard chose Zayn as a new target to bully.

He wanted to toy with Zayn, but contrary to the Guard's expectations, he found himself with a silver coin in his hand. Zayn had slipped through the guard by quietly letting go of the coin and entered the city without looking back.

'If I cannot avoid pieces of shit like him, I might as well comply,' Zayn told himself, not without feeling that it was a blatant loot to be forced to pay more than 20 times the price others had to pay to enter the city. He knew that Blessed paid five copper coins to enter the city. Accepting to pay a silver coin turned Zayn into a pushover, but that was fine for now.

Once he would become an Adventurer, the Guards wouldn't be able to play around with him anymore. They might still demand a high fee whenever he was to desire to enter the city after a hunt, but it wouldn't be one silver coin.

The Adventurer Hall of Zerek was his next goal. However, instead of rushing through the crowded streets, Zayn paid more attention to his surrounding area.

Inside the outer walls, the city was bustling with activity, just like Zayn had expected. Merchants and traders were haggling over goods in the busy marketplace, while their voices were overwhelmed by the sounds of the gossiping people around them and the blacksmiths who demonstrated their talent in the open.

The streets were crowded with people of all kinds, from peasants, and artisans to nobles and even priests. The disparity between the few Normies whom Zayn detected rather easily, and the Blessed was huge. It was an even bigger difference than he had presumed to come across, and it was a rather unpleasant sight to witness.

However, there was not much he could do about it. He noticed the frowns he attracted just from hiding his right arm. Most Blessed exposed their right arm, walking tall and proud to clearly show which God they served and how mighty they were. It was likely for people who hid their right arm to be Normies because they were trying to live a normal life without getting discriminated against for not having been chosen by a God.

Zayn ignored the glares and his focus returned to the analysis of the city. The houses were much stronger than the wooden houses with thatched roofs in the village but that was only obvious. It was a little surprising that the houses of the town he had lived in for a few years were not even much worse than the buildings within Zerek.

What Zayn didn't know was that most towns constructed near Academies were more developed than other cities. After all, those towns were places that would be frequented by the students of the Academy, which turned them into great hubs for smaller merchants to make a fortune.

He continued to march through the bustling streets until the aroma of exotic spices filled the air when he reached the center of the city more than two hours later. He found himself standing in front of the gates that led to the grand palace, the proof of the City Lord's wealth and power. Zayn could easily see the flags of Zerek fluttering calmly in the cool breeze that swept over the plains, a blue scale enveloped in a bubble.

The flag had an emblem that was similar to the Stigma Zayn had seen on the arm of the skinny young merchant from the town next to the Academy he studied for a few years.

It was a stigma many merchants possessed, hailing from the Goddess of Business, or so Zayn heard. He didn't recall what Stigma belonged to which God because he had never really cared about that.

'Maybe I should improve my knowledge a little bit more. Knowing what kind of powers I'm fighting by taking a glance at their Stigma should be quite useful…"

As the sun disappeared behind the horizon, the luminous lamps inside the city were switched on, bathing the entire city in a soft light.

It was much darker than during the day but the city was still bustling with activity.

'Good…no need to look for an Inn yet.'

Zayn approached the Adventurer Hall, preparing himself mentally to get bashed a little while telling himself one thing over and over.

'Don't sever someone's arm!'