"This is a signal flare. If you run into trouble, aim it at the sky and pull the cord. It’s something you might need later," Yuri said as he smeared two handfuls of black soot from the fireplace onto his face. "Remember, don’t pull it unless you’re about to die. Otherwise, this mission will be considered a failure."

"So we’re operating on our own now?"

"Of course," Yuri said.

"But we..."

"...are not." Yuri cut Colin off mid-sentence. "At least for today, I’ll see what you’re capable of. I’ll be waiting for you at the door. Come out when you’re ready."

With that, the man strode out.

"I get the feeling this guy isn’t a very good teacher." Kase crossed his arms. "He’s nothing compared to my War Mistress. When she taught me how to fight, she got right in there herself."

"Tell me something I don’t know." Colin felt a headache coming on. "Let’s just do what he says for now... My god."

This Paladin felt completely different from Edwin.

Edwin always had a relaxed expression when talking with anyone. That was why Colin never felt nervous speaking with him, even though Edwin was his direct superior.

Yuri, on the other hand, had a distinctly commanding tone and way of speaking, and his words were always barbed.

Of course, Colin wasn’t particularly surprised.

The moment he heard the words "Oath of Vengeance," he had mentally prepared himself.

A little while later, the three of them changed into tattered cotton clothes and cloaks, then copied Yuri by smearing some fireplace soot on their faces.

After smearing soot on their faces, they looked each other over.

It had to be said, they really looked the part.

The two girls, normally so tidy, were now dressed in filthy clothes. But both were very serious and didn’t utter a single complaint.

Ale’s strikingly pretty face was completely obscured, her beautiful hair tucked away entirely within her hood.

Orelia, too, had transformed into an ordinary Tiefling. A single glance at her was enough to make someone instinctively check if their coin purse was still at their belt.

As for Colin, it went without saying.

He was a poor kid from the slums to begin with; this was practically his area of expertise.

Before heading out, Colin looked at the gear laid out on the table.

This time, they weren’t going out to deal with monsters in the wilderness, but a group of cultists hiding within the city.

Carrying weapons while asking around would surely arouse suspicion, but going unarmed would leave them vulnerable to a surprise attack.

To be safe, he brought his dagger.

"Remember, if you run into trouble, pull the signal flare right away. Don’t listen to that guy. Our lives are what’s most important. To hell with the mission. Don’t let your guard down, and don’t relax."

Seeing that the group was about to leave, Kase stepped forward to offer some parting words, acting as if he were the one going out to track the cultists, not Colin and the others.

"Don’t worry. I’m way more scared of dying than you are."

With that, Colin led the other two toward where Yuri had gone.

After a long corridor, an oak door appeared at the end.

Pushing open the wooden door, they were assaulted by a foul stench.

Outside was a sewer, identical to the ones beneath Thousand Masts City.

It was worth noting that most of the current megacities were built upon the ruins of cities from the Ancient Empire or the Elf Empire.

One reason for this was the pre-existing sewer systems that could be used with a little maintenance, saving the expense of building new ones.

The downside was that, even after construction was complete, most cities probably hadn’t fully mapped out the sewer structures, allowing large numbers of gangs and subterranean monsters to hide underground.

Yuri was standing at the entrance, arms crossed, an impatient look on his face.

"Let’s go. I’ll show you how to get into the city."

With that, he led the three of them outside.

Before long, they crawled out of a sewage outlet outside the city, took a roundabout path, and entered through the city gates.

Although Colin and the others weren’t dressed respectably, their clothes weren’t overly tattered either, so the Water Police Team on guard at the gate didn’t stop them.

Once they reached a less crowded area, Yuri spoke up. "Listen up. This is one way into the city. There are other exits to the surface. You must use a different one every time you come up to maintain cover."

At that moment, Ale came to Colin’s side and asked, "What should we do?"

Colin had intended to see what Yuri would say.

But when he turned to look, the other man had stopped and turned to look back at him, apparently with no intention of speaking.

"I’ll do the talking."

After saying that, Colin thought for a moment.

Then he said quietly to his companions, "We’ll pose as passing Low-tier Adventurers or refugees, using the excuse that we’re looking for a missing companion. That way, we can find out where the disappearances are happening most frequently.

"As for the gangs, let’s ask the local tavern keepers. We should be able to get accurate information from places like that."

Finishing, he looked at Orelia and said, "Orelia, you focus on sensing the auras around us. If you pick up the smell of sulfur, we’ll note the district, and we can mark it on the map when we get back."

"What about me?" Ale asked.

"Help keep a lookout." Colin glanced at Yuri. "Orelia and I don’t have our gear, so our fighting ability is compromised. You shouldn’t be affected as much."

The Half-Elf nodded hesitantly.

Colin glanced at Yuri again, his head starting to ache.

’The guy’s just standing there like a wooden post, not saying a single word about what to do. In the end, it’s all on me to figure it out.’

’So is this whole investigation just a test?’

’And if we don’t pass, we don’t even qualify for his guidance? This is absurd.’

Colin’s mind churned as he led the others, feeling their way toward a local tavern.

In truth, he wasn’t completely clueless about the mission.

After all, before he was transmigrated, the original owner of his body had lived in the slums. After losing his job, he’d even helped some smugglers watch over goods at the docks. While he never joined a gang, he had at least seen what their members were like.

Colin carefully recalled everything he had seen and heard back in the slums.

Just as he felt he was getting a handle on things, a sign painted with hops appeared before them, hanging over the street.

"Orelia, you know the cantrip *Guidance*, right? Help me out with it."

Orelia immediately grabbed Colin’s forearm and softly chanted, "Oh Morninglord, please guide this man..."

Since they were in the middle of a market, her faint prayer was quickly drowned out by the noise. The fluctuation in the Magic Net caused by the cantrip wasn’t strong, either, so Colin didn’t think any nearby cultists could have detected the casting of *Guidance*.

As he was thinking, waves of warmth spread from his forearm throughout the rest of his body.