Seven | Back to 15 Years Ago (3)
Kafts Apartelle, Lipa, Batangas, Philippines
May 22, 2030
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The cramped room felt even smaller as the four intruders loomed over Ace. Their presence filled the air with tension, suffocating and unrelenting.
“Surely you haven’t forgotten us,” one of the girls sneered, her voice dripping with mockery. She flicked her cigarette to the floor, the smoldering end leaving a faint burn mark on the marble tiles. “You can’t just run off and leave your problems behind, can you?”
Ace’s gaze shifted from one figure to the next, his mind already racing. He remember very too well just who this four gangster is.
The towering man with crooked lips—RJ, the muscle of the group—glared at him with an intensity that could pierce steel. Beside him stood Angelo, a wiry man whose sharp eyes betrayed a hair-trigger temper. Kristine, the cigarette girl, leaned casually against the wall, exuding an air of smug confidence. Lastly, there was Melody, quiet and observant, her piercing gaze fixed on Ace with unnerving focus.
“You thought you could just forget about us after the mess you caused?” RJ growled, his voice deep and menacing.
“A raid was delayed for three hours because some dumbass destroyed all our potions,” Angelo snapped, his voice rising with every word. He took a step closer, jabbing a finger in Ace’s direction. “And that dumbass is standing right here, acting like nothing happened.”
“The world’s unfair, huh?” Kristine mused, blowing a puff of smoke into the air. “You’re out here wandering around like you’ve got no care in the world, while we’re left picking up the pieces of your mess.”
Ace frowned, the pieces of the confrontation snapping into place in his mind. This was fifteen years ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday. It was like a puzzle of memory being pieced back together again. But those pieces of puzzle came from a dark stash of memories.
It was one of his traumas.
He sighed dramatically, feigning realization. “Ah, now I remember. You guys...”
His tone was casual, but inside, his thoughts churned. He knew exactly what had happened, but he played along, letting the memory come alive.
It was the day of his initial assessment for the IPT Guild. He had been running late, panicked and desperate to catch the last jeepney.
He sprinted through the streets, his heart pounding, when he collided with a young woman walking across his path.
“Ahh!” she gasped as she stumbled, her hands clutching a crate filled with glass vials.
Ace swore he had dodged her, but somehow she lost her balance, and the crate hit the ground with a sickening crash. The sound of shattering glass filled the air, and with it came the pungent smell of spilled potions.
Ace felt it was ominous that something was wrong on what happened.
“Sister Kristine!” Two men in raiding gear rushed to the woman’s side.
“I-I’m sorry!” Ace stammered, his face pale. “I didn’t mean to bump into you! I’m in a hurry!”
Kristine knelt by the broken vials, her expression stricken. “The potions... What are we going to do? Brother Angelo, these were for the raid later!”
“Damn it!” Angelo shouted, throwing his hands up. “You said this was the last stock we could buy!”
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The panic spread among the group.
“What now, Sister Kristine?” The other girl that has a staff and clearly a mage, Melody, looked at Ace like she is at lost. She asked, her voice trembling. “We can’t raid without these!”
“What have you done?” RJ’s thunderous voice boomed as he approached, his large frame casting a shadow over Ace. His large shield and huge axe clanked ominously on his back.
Ace stumbled backward, his hands raised defensively. “I... I didn’t mean to! Look, I’m really sorry! Can I—”
Ace tried to reason with them but the surrounding people looking at what happened is pressuring the situation even more.
There were ordinary citizens already gossiping. And there are group of other hunters looking at Ace with hostility.
"Brother RJ... That man... He looks like he is running away..." Melody cried.
"Oi, oi, are you just going to run away because you have something important too? Well, we are scheduled to raid a gate this afternoon too! Isn't that more important than anything else in this world?! What if a dungeon break happen?!" RJ growled, obviously trying to get the attention of the bypassers and watchers.
At this scene, it was obviously that Ace was the bad guy for interrupting a raid run.
“Last passenger!” the nearby jeepney driver called. “Leaving now!”
Ace turned to the group frantically. “Look, I’m late for something really important. Look, can you please type your number here and I'll give you a call." Ace prompted the healer girl to type her number. Ace immediately gave them a call and the girl's phone rang.
After confirming that the phone number is correct, Ace hurriedly aboard the jeep. "I will pay for any damages and for the new potions cost I caused. I really have an important event I need to go to right now."
The giant man glared at Ace who is now inside the jeepney. "You're lucky, Boss Aldrin is not here. If he's here, you wouldn't be let off easily."
Ace snapped back to the present, his mind still replaying the events of that day. 'That accident marked the start of my nightmare with this gang. They appeared every now and then, demanding money, claiming I owed them for damages and lost opportunities.'
Angelo’s voice dragged him out of his thoughts. “Why didn’t you pick up your phone, huh? You thought you could ghost us and make it all go away?” He leaned closer, his face inches from Ace’s.
Ace’s gaze hardened. 'I remember now. This was when my life started spiraling. These people were part of the reason I stopped trusting others.'
“Do you know how much you cost us?” Angelo continued, waving a bundle of documents in Ace’s face. “These are the receipts, bills, and fines we had to pay because of you! You ruined our raid schedule. You ruined our reputation. You drained our finances!”
"All of our earnings from that raid just went to drain because we need to pay all of this!" Kristine shouted in annoyance. She stepped forward, jabbing her finger at Ace. “You think that’s bad? We even got flagged by the Department of Hunters and Gate Dungeons because of that delay!”
RJ crossed his arms, his scowl deepening. “You harmed our schedule. You harmed our reputation. You harmed our financial! What are you going to do about it, huh? We’re not letting you off this time.”
Ace sighed, sinking into a kitchen chair. His shoulders slumped, and his expression became one of resignation. “I... I’m sorry. I’ll transfer the payment immediately. Just give me your bank account details.”
The gang exchanged triumphant looks. Angelo grinned, his bravado returning. “Yeah! That's what you should have done already and answered our calls! Melody, give him our bank account!”
Melody stepped forward, pulling a business card from her pocket. But she froze mid-step as she saw Ace’s lips curved into a smirk.
"Did you really expect that response?" Ace looked at them mockingly with a smile on his face.
"This fucker? He really is testing my patience." Angelo went nearer to Ace, his fist forming into a hostile. "Maybe you have not realized but I'm a D-Rank Swordsman. I'm not going to go easy on you even if I'm not going to use my sword."
"That bastard really needs to be taught a lesson!" Kristine encouraged. "Go get him?"
Ace raised an eyebrow, unbothered. “Oh, I’m sure you could try.” He casually pulled out his phone, the soft click of the camera capturing Angelo’s furious expression.
“What the—?” Angelo growled.
Ace leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "I see. So you're a D-Rank Swordsman, huh. "
His calmness thrown off the confidence of the hostile gang. Trying to take advantage by this, Ace took a picture of Angelo, the sound of the capture by his phone audible at the awkward atmosphere.
Ace then continued. "If you're a D-Rank Swordsman, that means you have four skill cards slot that you can equip and rank it up up to D-Rank. If one of them is a < Swords Technique > Skill Card, then does that mean the other Skill Card left is about < Fist Technique > ? But a < Fist Technique > card would be a waste if you are claiming to be a swordsman. Maybe < Body Strengtening > is a more appropriate skill card."
"You brat... Are you a hunter?!" Angelo growled. "What rank are you?!"