Hector, the leader of the Midas Hogs Gang.

Ever since I started working for him, I’ve always been keen on observing his thoughts and actions.

I hate to admit it, but he was undoubtedly a genius in the art of business. In the Under Sectors, slave trading was a norm and there were many who made quite a profit hunting them down and selling them to other people. However, Hector had better ideas.

He created a system where he would buy or hunt down male slaves and make them work in the Midas Mines to collect Magium, a magical resource high in demand throughout the Under Sectors. If the slaves were female, he would sell them off to other slavers at a good price. From there, all the money he earned would be reinvested into buying more slaves and hiring more slave hunters, effectively establishing his gang as a powerhouse of Sector 24.

Hector was a greedy man. Whenever he wanted something, he would always go through great lengths to make sure it ends up in his hands. It didn’t matter what it took to get those things. Especially when it required ‘forceful’ measures. This led to his excessive materialistic obsession of collecting all sorts of treasures and making them his own. Anyone who tried to mess with his precious things would be punished, making him the most feared man among the members of the Midas Hogs.

I was considered his ‘precious thing’. That meant that no one could mess with me, except him, of course. As long as I followed his orders, I was given special treatment.

However, I had overlooked one last thing. Hector was easily bored.

"Sorry, I'm no longer interested in you. You're too boring now."

Those words echoed in my mind.

I was no longer his precious thing. Well, it’s not like I ever wanted to be his possession anyway.

Unfortunately, that gave rise to many more problems. I actually have a lot of enemies in the Midas Hogs. No surprise, considering how they all addressed me as ‘pussyboy’. All because of my former status as an Enforcer and my so-called ‘goody-two shoes’ personality.

Ever since Hector announced that he no longer cared about me, I was always on my guard. An ominous feeling built up in my chest. There were eyes everywhere, watching my every move and following me from the shadows. My intuition was telling me that there was something sinister lurking in the atmosphere. I could only guess what it was.

Killing intent.

I grasped my hand onto something in my pocket. The Defuser. Someone was bound to blow up my collar at any moment. Luckily, the Detonator needed to fire directly towards the collar for it to explode, so I decided to cover it up with my black cloak. The only way they could blow it off now was to get close and remove the cloak. They could also try shooting me down with their guns, but the slaves would get caught in the crossfire and Hector would be pissed if they caused any disruptions in their operations. Which meant that killing me, a slave hunter, without good reason is still prohibited. However, there’s no guarantee that I’ll be safe.

Chances are, they’d try to take me out in a more subtle manner and frame it in a way that clears them of suspicion. Since Hector no longer cared about me, he wouldn’t bother putting in the effort to investigate my mysterious absence that much.

I sped up the pace of my footsteps and hurried to the fortress. I needed to get to Scarlet, who was already headed inside alongside Hector. If I stayed close with them, no one would dare make a move and I would be able to execute the next part of my plan. The faster I moved, the easier it was to sense that people were after me. They were obviously trying to get closer. I won’t let them do that!

My breathing grew unsteady, thoughts began to pile up on my head, and my eyes looked everywhere, trying to guard myself from all angles and cover up any possible blind spots. Sweat leaked down on my face and my fingers began to feel the jitters.

Breathe, Lars, Breathe. Don’t panic. Focus.

I always thought of the possibility that this would happen someday, but it still caught me off guard.

Would you like it if I tried to make you feel better? The catgirl showed herself to me, walking by my side.

No thanks, I’d rather focus on my own.

Once you reach your room, I recommend you check out White’s new ability. I believe it will be of great use to you. Or, you could use Black and-

White is fine. I’ll check it out later.

I continued to keep my distance away from everyone else and eventually I made it to the entrance of the fortress. Unfortunately, there were people standing by with their eyes locked on to me.

Tsk, they read my moves.

Clicking my tongue, I decided to make a detour and ran towards the tunnels.

Scarlet and I had infiltrated the Midas Hogs successfully, but I’m going to have to switch some parts of the plan.

First things first, I need to deal with these people.

The mining tunnels were like an endless maze, branching out to all sorts of directions. Many areas were shaped into uneven spaces, with some parts being narrow, wide, tall or short. This provided gaps hidden between their rocky surfaces, which made for good hiding spots. This meant I could get away from their sight pretty easily. At the same time, it could also mean that it was just as easy for me to find myself trapped between other people, considering how restricting the space felt around me. Assuming that many of them were after me, the chances of it happening were higher.

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“Find him and bring him back alive!” a voice echoed across the tunnels.

They’re not planning on killing me? Why?

The clacking of footsteps drew closer to my ears, but I couldn’t pinpoint exactly which direction they were coming from. The sounds were probably bouncing off from one wall to the other.

Now’s not the time to worry about it, I’m sure they don’t have any good intentions for me.

I need to find a good place to hide!

Wandering around the tunnels, I shifted my eyes from side to side, searching for a safe spot. A narrow fissure caught my eye, stopping me in my tracts. Looking at it from another angle, it was actually a deep opening leading to a hidden space.

Is this really a good spot?

“I think I saw him just now! Somewhere around this part!”

That voice seemed too close for comfort, so I quickly squirmed my way through the tight space and hid myself inside. I took a deep sigh and took a small peek outside. A group of figures could be seen running past the opening, causing my heart to jump a little.

Good thing they didn’t notice this spot.

Fufufu, seems like they’re dead set on taking you down. Gray sat down beside me, wrapping her tail around my neck. At this rate, you won't be able to make it back into your room. Why don't I just tell you about your new ability now?

All right.

I imagined the Skill Catalog popping out in my head. Lo and behold, a magical square display manifested itself before my very eyes. Looking over it, I observed that there were now 2 skills available.

Are you sure you don’t want to use Black’s skills? If it were me, I would have used them and killed everybody.

How many times do I have to tell you that I’m not using it?!

You’ll choose to use it, someday. There will come a time where you won’t even have a choice. That’s why I’m always offering it to you, fufufu! Gray gave me a wide grin.

I’m telling you, that’s not gonna happen. Anyways, let’s get back on track.

White has 2 skills now, [Illuminate] and [Protect]. I tap on the [Protect] skill and take a look at its description.

[White Skill: Protect]

[Generates a shield that protects you or an ally for 10 seconds.]

Protects me or an ally? Does that mean I can only cast a shield for one person?

Precisely! It’s either you or them.

Why not just make it so that I can give everyone shields?

The twin blades base their abilities on your actions, thoughts and capabilities. For example, Illuminate represents the newfound light of hope in your life after receiving this power.

What does Protect represent? My ability to protect others?

Yes.

Then why is my power so limited?

Do you remember how you earned that ability? It was from the fact that you saved someone else by sacrificing your own body.

That time with Scarlet….

I’m saying your ability to protect others is weak, fufufu!

What are you talking about?!

I grabbed the catgirl’s shoulders and relayed my thoughts to her.

Do you have any idea how hard I’ve trained?! I dedicated my life to mastering the blade, practicing all the techniques my master entrusted to me everyday, never missing a single session! Even when my body wanted to drop to the ground, I continued to stand up and swing my sword until I could perform it perfectly! If that wasn’t enough, I even trained the muscles of my own body for the sake of getting stronger! And you’re telling me that my ability to protect others is weak? How can you say such a thing after everything I’ve worked for?!

Lars.

A sudden whiplash struck my cheek. It was only a split second, but I saw it coming in the form of a black tail. It didn’t leave any marks on my face though, so I assume it wasn’t an actual physical hit.

Can you please let me explain first before whining your ass off? Gray’s voice shifted to a deeper tone, with brows furrowed and eyes pierced through my own like daggers.

I looked away. After getting so used to her more enthusiastic personality, I had forgotten what had happened from our first meeting.

Let me give you the cold hard facts. You protected her, but you failed to protect yourself when you fell down that stairs. That means you’re incapable of protecting both at the same time.

Gray patted my head. I understand that you’ve worked hard to achieve your dreams, but hard work doesn’t mean you’ll get the results you want. Even after all your efforts, you are still weak..

I looked down on the floor.

So what? You’ve made significant progress. Your hard work has brought you one step closer to being strong. What matters is that you’re constantly trying to improve yourself and never give up.

I held Gray’s hand and brought it down from my head.

Sorry. I get it, now. I need to face reality. I’m still too weak to protect everyone, so I must work even harder to become stronger!

That’s the spirit.

“Pussyboy!”

That heavy voice, I recognize it. It’s that ugly pig Tusker’s.

“Why don’t you just come out and stop hiding? You know I’m going to find you eventually. And we’re going to have looooooots of fun together, hahahahaha! It’s gonna be a fun ‘experience’ for you, trust me!”

Tsk, I see why they want me alive. They’re all following Tusker’s orders, the man second only to Hector. If it’s him, then I’d rather die than experience whatever he’s going to do to me.

Gray.

Yes?

I have a question about the skill [Illuminate].

What is it?

It casts a bright light, right?

The catgirl grinned at me and tapped my shoulder.

You’re finally starting to get how that skill really works.