The man’s dreary face flashed a bizarre smile as he threw an arm around the connoisseur’s shoulder. “There’s about to be a change in business ownership, but we would be delighted to have your patronage afterwards.”

At his hushed words, a man akin to an ogre emerged from the din of the crowd. Flanking him were two other men who looked equally as menacing.

The connoisseur broke into a sweat and quickly conceded. On the other hand, the crowd—noting the group’s identity—quickly dispersed in a fit of panic.

The dreary-eyed man heaved a heinous smile. “As I’m sure I’ve mentioned before, this thriving town is a magnet for scum. And of course, that includes us.”

With a commanding snap of his bony fingers, the burly giant interlocked his gorilla-like hands and, with a thunderous roar, brought them down like a wrecking ball onto the flimsy stall.

Daisuke, anticipating the assault to some extent, executed a dive-roll to safety with Zephyr in tow. They huddled low as splintered wood, dust, and debris rained down around them.

Zephyr raised his head, unenthused. He could sense his companion’s displeasure and the bloodlust directed at him from the other party.

“Otto~” one of the men exhaled as he effortlessly caught the Mana Crystal before it could hit the ground.

“See,” uttered the dreary-eyed man in a mocking tone. “I told you it would have been in your best interest to consider our services. That protection fee would have shielded you from our target list.”

Daisuke scowled at the bastard, biting his lip in a mix of fear and exasperation, yet he maintained his composure, struggling to analyze the situation amid the clamor of his pounding heartbeat.

But Zephyr wasn’t capable of remaining calm, which was evident by his bared teeth and raised hackles. To prevent him from charging in for an attack, Daisuke held him tightly in place with both hands.

I’m sorely outnumbered and outclassed, he admitted regrettably, his frown deepening. These guys are thugs, so unlike your average NPCs, they’ve more than likely been racking up levels and Stats by abusing and killing people.

Calm down. All I need to do is refrain from antagonizing them. I’ve already memorized their faces. Once they leave, I’ll secretly tail them back to their hideout.

Afterwards, I’ll talk to the soldiers and have them handle it. If that doesn’t work out, I’ll just sell the remaining Mana Crystals to the guild and hire adventurers to deal with—

Daisuke’s words trailed off, his mind swimming as he forgot to breathe. Butterscotch eyes quivered violently as a trolley suddenly appeared on the scene filled with six chunks of Mana Crystals and a smiling Reeza.

Her mother had her head down in what appeared to be guilt, her eyes unreadable.

Daisuke’s facade of composure shattered, replaced by an expression of sheer disbelief and horror.

“Yes! That’s it! That’s the one!” the dreary-eyed man exclaimed with an elated laugh. “That look on your face—the moment one inevitably gives in to despair! Ah… I can’t get enough of it! It’s intoxicating, like a well-aged wine, and as fleeting as an orgasm. It’s perfect!”

“T-That’s…” Daisuke stuttered incoherently. “How… did you—”

“Manage to get such a large haul?” Reeza added with a sly grin, the childish melody in her voice completely gone. “It’s quite simple, actually—we embedded tracking magic on the trolley. Finding the Crystal Field again was child’s play once we knew where you’d been.”

“Impressive work as usual,” the dreary-eyed man commended with a round of applause.

“Flattery isn’t going to get you a cut, so don’t even bother.”

The man raised his hands in surrender. “Pity.”

The connoisseur finally breathed.

Daisuke was still dumbfounded. “J-Just who—”

“Hey there, Zephyr,” Reeza interjected in the gentle voice the pup would have remembered. “Why don’t you come with me? There’s a feast of delicious treats waiting just for you!”

“No. This… can’t be happening.”

Caught in a whirlwind of despair, Daisuke’s heart and mind spiraled into helplessness. Devastated at the prospect of starting over from rock-bottom, his grip on the canine loosened, and Zephyr immediately charged in with a vengeance.

“…So that’s your choice,” Reeza uttered bitterly, a telling gleam lighting her eyes.

“AHWRU!”

Despite Zephyr’s admirable burst of speed, which blurred his image momentarily, his feeble Stats weren’t enough to compete with those of a seasoned hunter.

At the sound of the pup being mercilessly pinned underneath the boot of the ogre, Daisuke’s eyes regained focus. As his gaze locked onto the heart-wrenching scene, memories of all those he had lost flashed through his mind with the intensity of a bolt of lightning.

Rational thought was cast aside, consumed by the flames of desperation. Without hesitation, acting on pure instinct, he hurled himself at the ugly boar who held the canine captive.

But before he could sink his teeth into the man’s leg like a rabid dog, another assailant, moving with unnerving speed, intercepted him with a forceful kick to the face, sending him flying backwards.

Drunk on adrenaline, Daisuke brushed off the pain and glanced around. His trembling hand sought out a length of plywood nearby, hoping to wield it against his attackers.

Before he could grasp it firmly, the dreary-eyed man swooped in, mercilessly stomping on his outstretched fingers as if they were nothing more than brittle twigs beneath his heel.

“Guaaghh!!”

A guttural cry tore from Daisuke’s throat, but it was abruptly cut short as the man’s boot connected with his face, pressing mercilessly against his temple.

“Arrogant, sniveling little punks like yourself,” he sneered, “always strut around as if they’re untouchable, above everyone else. It’s always been my greatest pleasure to shatter that illusion.”

As the ominous words hung in the air, the other two men closed in, their imposing forms eclipsing the sun. A powerful blow to the stomach had the remnants of Daisuke’s breakfast from Gretchen violently expelled onto the ground.

Writhing in agony, he instinctively curled into a defensive ball, but it provided little shelter as a relentless barrage of kicks and stomps descended upon him like a ferocious tempest.

“You cocky little shit!” one of the men spat venomously. “Did you honestly believe you could set up shop in this neighborhood without our permission?”

“Know your fucking place, you piece of trash!”

Laughter akin to the unsettling cackles of hyenas filled the air as the men savored the brutal scene. Daisuke, battered and broken on the ground, couldn’t help but recall the similar cruelty he had endured from the loan sharks.

“Tsk,” the weary-eyed man clicked his tongue in disdain. “It’s no longer fun if you’re not screaming,” he remarked before casting a commanding glance at the ogre. “Kill the dog.”

“W-Wait!” Daisuke pleaded, desperation evident in his wide eyes as he clung to the man’s foot.

A fierce kick to the jaw sent his head spinning 180 degrees, but he stubbornly spat the blood from his mouth to speak. “P-Please spare him! I’ll give you money!”

The man holding the Mana Crystal scowled as if regarding a lowly cockroach. “You mean the coin you earned by illicitly selling in our territory? That’s ours now.”

“T-Then I’ll get you other funds,” Daisuke insisted, his eyes wide with fear.

The weary-eyed man tilted his chin arrogantly. “Where is it?”

Daisuke glanced around frantically. “I-I don’t have it right now, but I can work for it. I promise I’ll—”

The man hissed through his teeth and promptly snapped his fingers, the command prompting the ogre to unsheathe the sword from his waist.

“Wait!” Daisuke roared. “Please NOOOOOOOO!”

SWISH!

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