Chapter 72 - Renid (3)

“Uwaaaaaah!!”

Inside this abandoned building, the sound of someone dying echoed.

“You won’t die from this. Stop being a baby.”

“J-just kill me instead!!”

“Hey. You can’t do that. If I was just going to kill you, why would I have gone through the trouble of bringing you all the way here?”

I lifted the guy's head with a warm touch.

The will to resist was no longer visible in his eyes.

His face looked as if it had suddenly aged ten years.

But this wasn't enough.

A truthful conversation would only be possible after his soul had been completely and thoroughly shaken out.

“Let’s go a little further. Your eyes are not quite there yet.”

“……Wh-what on earth does that mean.”

I spoke with a sly smile.

“There’s something like that.”

“Please! Please just kill me.”

“That’s why I said it would have been better if two of you came instead of just one.”

“Uwaaaaaaaaahk!”

I put the guy through one more round of torture.

Once again, the sound of someone dying echoed through the abandoned building.

But if someone were to see this scene, they wouldn't even realize it was torture.

Because I wasn't inflicting any kind of violence, and the guy's body was in perfect condition without a single external wound.

“Uwaaaaaah! Just kill me instead!!”

The guy repeatedly begged me to kill him.

“Be quiet. If my concentration is broken, you’re the only one who loses.”

I placed my hand on his dantian and circulated mana through every corner of his body.

It was a situation that required extremely precise mana control, as it reversed the normal flow of mana. If I failed to control my strength, the guy would fall into a state of Qi Deviation and become a madman.

If that happened, all the effort up to this point would be for nothing.

“Pl-pl-please……”

There was no reason to go easy on a guy who came to kill me.

After finishing one set, I did another just to be safe.

Only then did I finally create the gaze I wanted.

Now, we could have a truthful conversation.

***

It was about four hours later when I returned to the guild office.

“Good aftern……”

Akin, who was about to jump up from his seat, scratched his head with an embarrassed expression.

“It was you.”

“You seem quite disappointed.”

It looked like it had been another slow day.

Well, it didn't matter.

We had already received one request, and if we handled this one well, the Red Fox Guild would quickly become famous.

“By the way, you said you were going to the Lizardpa's house, so why did you just come back?”

“I’m on my way back from there.”

“What? Don’t tell me you lost all that money already?”

Akin wore a devastated expression as if he had lost the world.

The funds I took to the house were the entire advance payment received from the client yesterday, plus Akin’s personal money.

I thought it was necessary to play a game at the house to grasp the Lizardpa’s atmosphere, and since my will was so strong, Akin had reluctantly handed over the funds.

“That’s why I told you not to do something so pointless! I told you so many times that you can’t find the client’s son that way!”

Akin suddenly got emotional and started lashing out at me.

“Here, take this.”

Tadadadadak!

I dropped the gold coins I had won at the house onto Akin's desk.

I went with 1,500 Renin, but I returned with 23,000 Renin, which meant a profit of about 15 times.

“Wh-what is this?”

“The guys at the house, their skills were quite pathetic.”

“Then, is this really the money you won at the house?”

“The boss’s share is 3,000 Renin. The rest will be donated in full.”

“……Donated?”

“If you were thinking of anything funny, put it away. I’ll check everything.”

“Are you crazy?”

“Just think of it as an investment for the future. It’s not like it’s a secret good deed.”

Akin had a reluctant expression on one hand, but in the end, he was convinced.

Because what the Red Fox Guild needed right now was to build even the slightest bit of reputation.

“Alright. We can always earn more money. You’re going to the house tomorrow too, right?”

He looked like he would push me by the back if I said I wasn't going.

“I was planning on staying there for a few days anyway. Don’t worry if you don’t see me.”

To be precise, I planned to be imprisoned.

“Ooh! Are you planning to go all out?”

When I nodded, Akin’s face lit up.

“How much funding do you need? If this is also an investment, I’ll pull out the main pillar of the house to give it to you!”

What’s with this person? Was it okay for a guild leader to be this simple-minded?

No matter how much of an Earthling I was, what did he trust in me.

***

“Welco……”

The house’s doorman turned pale as soon as he saw me.

As if he had seen a ghost.

When I stepped inside, yesterday’s members were still at that table, and a chilly atmosphere was instantly created.

I calmly sat down and greeted them with my eyes.

“I think I’ll join in from the next round.”

Saying that, I put my stake on the table.

Of course, it wasn't a large amount.

I came with the plan to lose it all.

“I didn't think you would come today.”

“Why did you think that?”

“Because I thought you would run away.”

“Did I seem sneaky? Anyway, just finish the game you were playing. I’ll join from the next round.”

These guys were all in it together anyway.

There was no way they could concentrate on the game.

I could almost hear the gears turning in their heads.

They must all be curious.

Why was Zefa, who tailed me yesterday, missing, and what on earth happened yesterday.

And how I was able to show up at this place again.

“By the way, did nothing happen to you on your way home yesterday?”

“Happen? What happened?”

One of them finally went so far as to ask me directly.

“There’s a rumor that a suspicious person is wandering around the house these days.”

“I didn’t see one.”

As I played innocent, their expressions became even more complicated.

Whether my words were true or false, the disappearance of Zefa, who had tailed me, must be a disquieting matter.

“Anyway, I’m glad nothing happened. But did you really not even sense anything suspicious?”

“I said I didn’t. This is like, you’re saying something should have happened to me.”

“Of course not. Don’t misunderstand. It’s because the neighborhood is so dangerous these days.”

But that uneasy expression. They hadn't dismissed their suspicions about me.

They must be considering the possibility that Zefa was taken out by me to some extent.

“By the look of you, you seem pretty strong. Have you ever learned any martial arts?”

“This is the first time I’ve heard something like that. I’ve heard that I just look tall and lanky.”

When the guys tried to probe again, I cut them off at once.

Anyway, since my appearance, the game had been completely put on the back burner.

“Is no one concentrating on the game? At this rate, I’m going to sweep the game today too.”

As if stung by my words, the guys hastily finished a round and prepared for a new game.

They busily exchanged glances and whispered something to each other.

Sorry, but I could hear everything.

The talk was about having to keep me here today for sure.

I was more than willing to comply with that plan.

From now on, I would also start my work.

The time to meet the son the client was looking for was not far off.

***

“Damn it. Why are my hands so bad today!”

A completely different concept from yesterday. I grumbled throughout the game.

In the end, I lost five consecutive rounds helplessly and blew all the money I had brought.

In fact, if I hadn't manipulated the marbles with mana control, it would have taken a bit more time.

It seemed I really was quite lucky.

“What! You, don't you have any more money? Where did you put the money you won yesterday!”

“Did you think I would end up like this? Of course, I thought I would win today too.”

“You crazy bastard! Then go home and bring some more money.”

“I don't have any.”

“You don't have any?”

At my words, the atmosphere turned hostile once more.

“I had something urgent to take care of, so I spent it all.”

“This bastard, do you know what kind of money that was!”

“What do you mean, what kind of money. If I won it, it’s my money.”

“This guy is completely nuts, huh? You’re going to eat up that much and then pretend you don’t know anything?”

Anyway, these damn thugs.

Seeing how the house operated smoothly despite these guys running rampant, it seemed there were quite a lot of pushovers here in Renid.

The client’s son must be one of them.

“Anyway, I can borrow money from the house, right? Isn’t that so?”

Saying that, I gave a sly smile.

At this remark, the guys finally eased the hostile atmosphere.

And then they all started chipping in.

“Well, the thrill of house gambling is sweeping the pot with borrowed money.”

“That's right. Who knows, right? If luck is with this guy like yesterday, we might all go bust.”

Their skills at hyping things up while hustling were the epitome of a thug.

“Where do I go to borrow money?”

“Over there! The red door.”

The guys, with one accord, guided me very kindly.

And so I entered the room with the red door, welcomed warmly. There was the man who had ordered Zefa to tail me yesterday.

His name was Menyac. According to Zefa, he was the manager of this house and a mid-level figure within the Lizardpa organization.

The power I saw in him with my Mana Eyes was clearly different from the other small fry.

“I’d like to borrow some money.”

“Do you have collateral?”

“Right now, I only have my body.”

“That doesn't matter either.”

Saying that, Menyac offered me a cup of tea.

“The tea has a nice aroma.”

“It contains a precious herb that only grows in the northeastern Meres Mountains. It’s a tea served only to special guests, so have a cup and let’s draw up the contract.”

In fact, it was not an herb but a hallucinogen.

I heard it was used to make people who came to borrow money lose their judgment and sign the contract.

Judging by the strength of the scent, I determined that my Mana Breathing Technique could sufficiently break it down, so I drank the tea without hesitation.

Surprisingly, it tasted good.

5…… 4…… 3…… 2…… 1.

The time it took for the hallucinogen to spread through the body.

“How is the tea?”

“It’s good. I feel like my mood is improving too.”

Menyac smiled with satisfaction and handed me the contract.

“The loan amount is fixed at 2,000 Renin per transaction. Read it over and sign if you’ve made up your mind.”

There was no need to read it.

I already knew what it said anyway.

The interest rate was 30 percent. I couldn't leave the house until the loan was repaid, and if I couldn't fulfill the debt, I would have to hand over the rights to my body.

As soon as I signed the contract, Menyac immediately handed me the loan money.

“I wish you luck.”

What came into my hand was 1,400 Renin.

I was getting ripped off with my eyes wide open.

Thieves.

“Thank you. I’ll pay you back right away.”

“But there’s one thing I want to ask.”

“Yes. Anything.”

“Did nothing really happen on your way home yesterday?”

Now that he had drugged me, he was asking me point-blank.

“I heard about it at the table. That some strange person is running around this neighborhood these days.”

“So nothing happened. That’s a relief.”

Something was about to happen soon.

Because I was planning to blow this Lizardpa to bits.